My adjusted gross income for 2002 is $45,496.

That might seem like a lot to some, but to most of you, it's fiddlesticks. I imagine that 80-90% of the people I know and hang out with here in the Bay Area earn more than twice that amount.

Still, I'm proud of myself for how far I've come, how much I've recovered, in the last two years. I got a small raise toward the end of last year, to compensate for becoming an independent contractor. I should gross a little more this year, if I manage to keep this job and/or get a higher-salary job.