My address book has many people in it that I wouldn't want to share my life or details of myself with. Business contacts and acquaintances don't need to know anything more about me than what I share with them in my emails or web sites. I would much prefer the OPT In setting to have to remember to use an OPT OUT setting for any account I have.

"Of course my other thought is that I'd much rather go back to writing and working with marketing than getting back into IT. " Have you ever explored working for yourself? Are you a really good writer? Could you market those skills and add to your income outside the company? Be aware there is competition everywhere right now and quitting a job without carefully exploring your options within and outside the company may not be the best move right now. Lots of suggestions in other replies about how to approach your current manager are possibilities to explore first. Be respectful of the company and yourself. Think carefully about what you really want and how to present your case in a way they understand why you are asking for a raise or help.

This oil spill won't put a dent in what a big oil company will lose in profits or affect the price of gasoline. The amount of oil lost is a drop in the bucket to the company or none at all, because it wasn't producing oil in the first place. The real impact will be felt by the ecology of the ocean and the creatures that live in it and on its shores nearby. And the economic impact it will have will be personal to those that lose their livelihoods that were earned from having clean ocean beaches for tourists to visit, homes to live in and the fishermen that harvested seafood.