On the job search front

Job prospects seem to be improving. Every day, there's at least one lead to pursue. Last year, weeks could go by in silence.
I had a call from a recruiter regarding a very interesting job last week. I declined to pursue it because of the commute. The company _really_ wanted someone on-site all of the time and I'm not willing to spend 20% of my waking hours in my car.
Yesterday, though, I had a good conversation with another consultant who may have some assignments that might be a good fit. We'll talk more in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the online sites offer, I'd said, one or two leads a day, which is a very good sign for job-seekers and for the overall economy.
We are seeing that pay rates are slow to recover. Few, mercifully, have reached this level:

via Technical Writer job in Boxborough, MA - Kelly IT Resources