There was a time, a little over a year ago, when I loved the layout of this blog. Green! That’s my favorite color! And it’s the color of money! What’s not to love about this theme?

Then I looked at it for a year. And on other monitors, where it burned my eyes. I’m sure there are a lot of you reading this who hate this layout as much as I do. [Side note: if you hate the layout but love the content, you can save your eyes by subscribing to my RSS feed or getting site updates sent right to your email.]

So I’m wondering if anyone out there knows someone who’s really good at designs, and knows WordPress really well… and works for cheap. I had someone lined up a few months ago, but he got some awesome job and moved away… such is my luck!

That’s right, everyone – I’m back.

No, the strike is not over. And the first person to call me a scab or use the phrase “crossing the picket line” gets hit with a lawn chair. (Just kidding! Or am I?)

Having this blog on strike no longer serves its intended purpose. I set out to bring attention to the WGA strike, and I feel I have done that as much as my personal strike can do. Now it’s time to get back to the keyboard and bring attention the opposite way.

This was not an easy decision, and I consulted a lot of friends for their opinion before making my choice. I felt in my gut that it was time to come back, and after some banter, the unanimous decision from my friends was that they would also like to see me return.

Not to mention, I’ve got to explain that huge drop in my net worth soon, or some of you readers are just going to start freaking out.

I will be doing some strike related articles, in as much as I can tie them to personal finance. So, be ready for things like “How to Help the Writers Without Spending a Dime.”

I have to say… it feels good to be back.

What does this mean?
There will be no new entries on Poorer Than You until the end of the WGA strike. I may respond to the occasional comment on old posts, and I encourage discussion in the comments section of this post. But there will not be any new content.

But Stephanie, you’re not a member of the WGA!
True. This is a showing of solidarity toward my fellow writers. It may seem silly, but due to my connections to the film and television industries, I feel deeply moved to action by all of this. I don’t feel content to sit by and simply be an observer.

You’re not hurting anyone but yourself by doing this.
Perhaps. I am not really sticking it to “the man” by doing this, as I answer only to myself and my readers on this blog. However, I’m hoping to at least raise some awareness of the cause. Also, I feel that because I have advocated (on this very blog) digital and internet formats for watching television, I need to do this. Writers should be fairly compensated when their work is released in any format.

You’re just looking for an excuse not to update.
You might think that, and I don’t blame you. But I’d like to remind you that I do make income from this site, and striking puts my already precarious finances in jeopardy. I am, in fact, putting my money where my mouth is by doing this.

Where can I find out more about the strike?
The Writers Guild of America website
Why We Fight – a video explaining the reasons behind the strike
Support the WGA Stike!
United Hollywood – unofficial blog by a group of strike captains

Please consider visiting these websites and supporting the WGA strike in any way you can. Thank you.

In honor of my 21st birthday in a couple of weeks, I’ve added a little widget to Poorer Than You – if you look to the right of this entry, there’s a little section called “Birthday Special” and an icon imploring you to buy me a beer for my birthday. For those of you who don’t live in the United States, 21 is our legal drinking age – therefore, I’m finally entering adulthood. Unless you want to count 25 (the age at which you can rent a car) as the final milestone…

Anyways, I thought it would be a fun little thing to put up for my birthday. It uses the PayPal donation system, and you can pay as much as you like. The suggested price is $3.00, but any amount is appreciated.

Rest assured, the money donated will only be used for booze. If you wish to donate for any other purpose, please contact me.

If you found my post about the Citibank $100 bonus too late, and found that they had dropped it down to $50, you might be in luck (assuming you didn’t open the account for the $50 bonus). The $100 bonus is back! But who knows for how long?

Open a Citibank Ultimate Savings account and enjoy a 4.75% APY as well as a $100 bonus – read my review of this account if you’re unsure (there are, of course, pros and cons), or check out my post on online savings accounts if you’re confused!