So, how's your employment situation these days?

My employment situation is good, for the time being. But it is very shaky.

A company that hires the guys who hire me decided they don't want to outsource their analytic work anymore. They canceled every product line the guys offer except for one: my econometric models. While this is good for me and my standing with both companies, it's bad because the relationship between my guys and the departing company has really soured. I'm like a child in the middle of a divorce.

My guys want to sever ties completely because of the way the separation agreement has been going along thus far. This will have a significant impact on me, because the departing company accounts for 90% of my billable work.

It's been pretty bad. Save for a few things that have started to trickle in, I haven't had any billable work in three months. It's okay though. When I signed on with the guys I worked out a minimum income guarantee in exchange for the exclusivity agreement they wanted. Until the work comes in, I'll still get paid. I have to make back all that money, of course, assuming I can. But if I can't, the accrual resets to zero every June 30 (otherwise I'd be an indentured servant for the foreseeable future). But it's not like I can expect the guys to do this forever. They're running a business, not a charity.

But it isn't all bad. The guys have seen this coming for a while, so they've formed new alliances that are beginning to bring in contracts for me. And the loss of departing company's business has freed me to take up another product line the guys offer. Sales there are strong right now because of the bad economy. And then there's a new product I developed that we will be marketing later this summer. The company so believes in this new product that they are hiring a PR guy to market it.

Let's hope it takes off.

If it does take off, then it will be really good for me. I am paid by units sold. If the thing really takes off, then I'll get an analyst or two to help push them out cookie-cutter style, over and over and over and over. I'll still get my cut for every single one, because it's my intellectual property. Like a royalty. How cool would that be?

Don't get too excited for me though. We're talking low-volume sales here... 30 a year at best. And these aren't the best of times. Our sector has suffered like a lot of the economy. Sales have slowed overall.

Just the same, never in my life did I ever think I'd fall into something like this. I'm just a lazy dumb redneck from Pennsylvania. But there it is. Right there before me... in the suckiest of economic times.

So, here's to shaky times and good fortune ahead.