Particularly the mental health one. That one kept me driving for a while after the economics proved unsustainable.

And the point about net rather than per-run is extremely important. It's what makes a lot of businesses viable. Most individual days of running the costume shop are losses. But the day when an advertizing agency calls with a big order more than pays for the week.

Still, on net, looking only at variable costs (I considered the other costs as "selling the truck a little at a time" when I was thinking it over) I'm making very, very little money.

There are other factors, though. One is that my wife needs help at the costume shop. At the rate I'm making driving, I'm the cheapest legal option. And I can almost certainly make more money, even counting only the variable costs, flipping burgers.

The bottom line is that if we can say "yes" to a costume customer's odd request a couple more times a week without me driving, we end up with a little more cash. And a lot more long-term prospects. And if not, I'll need the extra money that a better paying menial job pays. Besides - the driving was interfering with my quest to resume my career.

I was downsized from Rockwell back in October 2001.

January I managed to pick up a job (well, more like 3) with a French skin care products importer, but I couldn't keep up with the workload (replaced a full time person, was manager of a newly created department, and did all the IT in between) and got most heinously and personally fired after a month when I mentioned that I'd been there long enough to qualify for insurance.

Got a job as an owner-operator at a courier service a few weeks ago, with what turns out to be a net negative pay rate. I can't afford that, so I'm -- again. Except for the costume shop, which is also net - but has prospects.