Illustration: Alex Nabaum for Newsweek

By Linda Stern 
April 7, 2008 issue

Let interviewers know you’re talking to others. Expect to take at least six months to find a good job.

Here’s a case of bad timing: being midcareer in midrecession. In February, 63,000 U.S. jobs evaporated; 17,000 were lost in January. The job market is deteriorating just as a generation of workers is looking to move up a rung. How can you find a better job when you’re only tenuously clinging to the one you have now?

Ask Patricia Jones. In November, the 41-year-old midlevel manager was laid off from her job as head of a support staff of 18 at a large New York law firm. She took the holidays off and then hit the job market, just as the job market was hitting that wall. She continued the day-care arrangements for her 5-year-old daughter and spent each day crafting her résumé, sending it to everyone she knew, making countless phone calls, answering ads and networking. Now she’s one month into her new, bigger and better post: managing 150 support workers at a big international law firm. Nice salary, nice benefits, great situation and the better of two offers she received almost simultaneously. “I’m very happy,” she says.

So it can be done, though it isn’t easy. “People in midcareer are getting jobs now, though they really have to work harder at it,” reports Anita Attridge, a career coach with the Five O’Clock Club (fiveoclockclub.com), an outplacement and job-counseling firm. “In many cases they are changing careers or industries to do it.” Here’s how to job-hunt like it’s your job.

Rent “The Night of the Shooting Stars.” Set in a German-occupied Tuscan village in 1944, this 1982 Taviani brothers film is a one-of-a-kind war movie, unfolding like a folk tale passed on from generation to generation. Stirring, lyrical, savage, it’s a marvel of a movie.

Read “Before John Was a Jazz Giant.” This children’s book imagines a young John Coltrane absorbing the sounds of his environment—hambones in his grandmother’s pot, the whistle of a steam train—before he ever picked up a sax. Concise, rhythmic prose and gorgeous illustrations make this imposing legend accessible to a new generation.

Log on to seafoodwatch .org and download a pocket guide that lists the best seafood to buy to support environmentally friendly fisheries and fish farms. The guides are tailored to various U.S. regions and also recommend seafood to avoid.

Every tax season has its own set of blunders—mistakes that can cost you real money. Here’s what to avoid this year.

Not filing. If you made $3,000 last year but didn’t earn so much that you’re required to file a return, file one anyway. It’s the only way you’ll get your stimulus check.

Spending too much to get an extra-fast refund. Many preparers offer instant or one-day refunds. But the refunds are really expensive loans guaranteed by your refund. They can carry fees that can add up to a hefty sum. Just authorize the IRS to deposit your refund directly into your bank account.

Not checking for extra write-offs. Tax year 2007 carries some special credits and deductions that are easy to miss. Teachers who buy supplies, homeowners who save energy, folks who lost property in hurricanes and tornadoes, those who have kids in college or anyone who’s gotten relief from their mortgage banker should all make sure they are getting what they are due.

Reneged on your New Year’s exercise resolutions? Planning to rush back to the gym for swimsuit season? You’re not alone: at gyms across the country, the spring rush is getting underway. Here are some new workout trends to look into.

Rowing. For those who enjoy rowing but don’t have the discipline to go it alone, Rowbics, a 50-minute full-body fitness class on rowing machines, is spreading to gyms nationwide. It includes calisthenics and stretches to give a workout for all muscle groups and burns more calories than spinning. See rowbics.com for more info and locations.

Semipersonal trainers. Bally Total Fitness (ballyfitness.com) is introducing a new series of classes manned by two or three personal trainers who walk students through dozens of different stations, maximizing their workout. The gyms are offering these classes free of charge on Thursday nights in an attempt to help gymgoers get a partial personal-training session if they’re not yet ready to make a full commitment.

Soar above the treetops on a zip line, a 30-second thrill ride that zooms you downhill at high speeds. Riders wear a harness that clips to a cable, and automatic brakes prevent crashes at the bottom. Popularized in Costa Rica as a way to tour the forest canopy, zip-line rides are popping up across the United States.

The newest is at California’s Heavenly Mountain ski resort, where riders hit speeds of 50mph and enjoy views of Lake Tahoe ($30; skiheavenly.com). Other ski areas with zip lines include New Hampshire’s Wildcat Mountain (skiwild cat.com) and Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort, which zips you 110 feet above the ground ($19; parkcitymountainresort .com). Or watch Nordic ski jumpers launch from the 120-meter jump that parallels the supersteep zip line at Utah Olympic Park, where riders can attain speeds of 60mph ($20; utahathleticfoundation .com). The zip line at Alaska’s Icy Strait Point is more than a mile long and is popular with cruise-ship passengers who visit Juneau. Suspended 530 feet above the ground, riders sometimes look down to see bald eagles flying below ($90; icystraitpoint.com). How popular are these heart-pounding rides? ZipRider (ziprider.com) is building one at a ski resort in Siberia. Hold onto your fur hats!

Bordeaux’s celebrated 2005 vintage has triggered sticker shock. Top châteaus are selling bottles for as much as $2,000. But the vintage quality is high across the board, so you can also find some great values. Lesser-known appellations and châteaus are a great source for the bargains, including the wines below:

92 - $18
Château Puygueraud Côtes de Francs 2005
An obscure region delivers lovely black currant, floral and licorice flavors in this merlot-based red.

91 - $17
Château Caronne Ste.-Gemme Haut-Médoc 2005
This bottling, based on Cabernet Sauvignon, is pumped up with raisin and dried-fruit flavors.

90 - $16
Domaine de Courteillac Bordeaux Supérieur 2005
This wine exhibits beautiful aromas of blackberry, coffee and milk chocolate.

89 - $13
Château La Grange Clinet Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 2005
Delivers a good core of juicy black fruit, with blackberry and flowers on the nose.

88 - $12
Château Cour d’Argent Bordeaux 2005
This merlot-based red comes from vineyards near St-Emilion. It has blackberry and coffee-bean flavors.