Underemployed? Recessionwire offers ideas for making the most of your newfound free time.

A friend of mine has a lot of time on his hands these days—not because he’s been laid off, but because the company he founded is doing so well. He’s been taking cooking classes, doing yoga, and puppy-sitting. Not just any puppies; he’s helping care for dogs who are being trained as guides for the blind.

Looking back at the Great Depression to see the path ahead.
Is the Recession the final blow to SATC excess?
Flappers of the late 1920s were the Carries and Samanthas of their day: bold, sassy, and fond of flaunting fabulous frocks. They stepped out in sequined sheaths, pricy handbags tucked under their arms. They sported make-up, smoked cigarettes, and bared limbs. Trading petticoats for scanty panties, they shopped for sequined dancing shoes to replace sensible lace-up boots.
But the fashion orgy didn’t last.
Each week, stylist Julie Greene offers expert advice on looking fierce in a financial crisis.
Sitting around in your bathrobe waiting for the recession to end so you can start wearing your pinstripes or your Manolos again is not going to help matters. Throwing them away, however, just might.
As a complete sap, I’ve always found Valentine’s Day annoying: why designate only one day a year to romance? This year, that designated day is under more stress than usual: you can barely imagine splurging on something nice to wear to a dinner out, much less $65 on a few dozen red roses.
Homemade gifts might make you wince, but not all such crafts need be as hokey as the cut-out heart card you made for your mom when you were a kid. We have something you can make in 15 minutes, for under $15, that doesn’t involve a doily or anything else cheesy.
Late last night, the final draft of the $789 billion economic stimulus bill went up on the web for public review; it’s supposed to go to President Obama on Monday. The thing is more than 1,000 pages long, and it should be no surprise that’s there seems to be something in it for everyone. No matter whether you’re young, old, working, jobless, poor, comfortable, renting, buying, you’ll see some benefit too! Here are some of the highlights we’ve seen so far.
We were just listening to a great interview with psychologist Robert Leahy, PhD, on The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC radio (the stream isn’t posted yet, we’ll add it when it is, definitely worth listening to). Dr. Leahy, who runs the Institute for Cognitive Therapy, said that a lot of people were going through a mental recession…
It’s been a month since my husband Marco’s ex-firm broke up with him. And, like a romantic breakup, it takes time to heal—for us both.
I was on the road to such healing, eating ice cream in the middle of the day, when the doorbell rang. I finished a work call and opened the door. It was…
A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world. 
Japanese electronics company Pioneer Corp. will cut 10,000 jobs globally to cope with sinking sales of car audio equipment and flat-screen TVs…International Rectifier will eliminate 850 jobs…
This Valentine’s Day, dogs are getting plenty of love. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans plan to spend $367 million on their pets. That’s a lot of cat toys and doggy treats.
The holiday may not be a box of chocolates for us humans. But Fido? Doing okay this year.

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country.
Nissan to pinkslip 20,000…Razorfish shaves off 70 employees…The University of Chicago Medical Center may shed hundreds of workers…