I feel really, really good about this. I haven't felt this positive about anything in a long time (at least two to three years). I know that I'm on an uphill climb, but the economy is getting better (it is, based on the number of people looking to hire and what I'm hearing from other job seekers) and I'm a pretty damn talented guy.
A few people have suggested that I should contact the technical colleges and some of the continuing education programs that we have here. The more I think about it, the better I like the idea of putting together some training materials of my own and offering to teach some basic skills, e.g. Word, Powerpoint, Excel, QuickBooks. It might mean getting some certification in those applications, which will cost some money, but will pay off in the long run. I can be developing the training materials as I'm taking the classes. It certainly won't be the first time that I've done that in my life.
I'm changing over my internet service shortly (as soon as I take care of some business and am able to pull the office apart enough to do so). Cable service is a few dollars cheaper than DSL (which has had its moments of unreliability) and it'll allow me to get rid of another phone line in the house.
Oh, and they're busy tearing up my back yard as we speak. We're having a lot of landscaping done in the back yard and are having new (and more energy efficient) skylights installed in the living room. Yes, I know I'm almost out of work, but you know, I have faith. Lots of it. I need it.