I am currently unemployed and had job interviews scheduled, but were cancelled due to hurricane Sandy.

I have a studio in Red Hook and all of my equipment was destroyed. As the clean up has progressed I've become more and more dismayed about the prospects of rebuilding as I find more of my belonging destroyed. So yeah, I might be taking this as an opurtunity to start a new career! It's sort of exciting.

Local to me in northern NJ, the Art School at Old Church (http://tasoc.org) was forced to cancel their 38th annual pottery show & sale, their biggest fundraiser of the year and a renown event for potters & collectors alike. A huge loss this community center as well as for this group of potters from around the nation who work through the year to hand create inventory for the event.

Just a note re Presidents' Week: When my son was in middle-school, that was the week that we took a family winter vacation. We either visited relatives in Florida, or to the Caymans or Puerto Rico. We'd buy a package deal, reserving (and paying) back in July or August.

Therefore, people have plans on which they've spent money -- teachers as well as parents. My prediction is that the kids will not show up, and the teachers will lose their vacation $$$. I certainly would not have lost $3,000 because the City had scheduled three extra school days; we'd have gone anyway, and our son would have made up the work.