work shortage

Talked to another former client yesterday afternoon, an ecology center in Sonoma, CA. They are laying off folks and cutting hours, so it's the end of that road, too.

That makes two clients pretty much gone, and my main contact at my main client is so swamped with work that, although there is stuff to be done, I have not received the specs to get started.

Thanks to the amazing folks at Friends of Trees, though, I still get a couple of hours of little changes every week. It's barely enough to keep me sitting here at my computer, surfing around political sites, Spain tourism sites, and craigslist.

Currently reading Imperial Spain 1469-1716. I've just finished the age of Ferdinand and Isabella and am moving into the world of Charles V.

Most amazing factoid to date: F&A, as you know, mandated the expulsion of Jews and Muslims in 1492 (which deprived Spain of some of its most creative and clever folks, including my Toledo ancestors, but that's another story).

However, did you know (ready?) that Ferdinand's mother was Jewish? I always knew that Isabella and her Castile buddies called the shots in that uneasy partnership (Aragon always got a raw deal), but that's pretty creepy, eh?

Don't forget to listen to This American Life this Sunday morning, so you don't have to hear me doing my very first hosting gig on the Portland Yiddish Hour on KBOO. If you don't live in Oregon, you definitely wouldn't want to stream it live at http://kboo.fm/listen at 10 am PDT.

Cheers!