Unemployment

Last day of employment.

Briefly: my former employer went into Chapter 11 a few months back.  The reorganization process is under way, and involves selling off chunks of the business.  My division got bought by a competitor.  The competitor doesn't want any of the "on call" employees, the guys who are hanging around waiting for projects. (I assume this is because they want to keep costs down, but nobody has gone into that much detail.)  Phone call, check your e-mail for the termination packet, thanks for your service, hope to work with you again someday, oh sure let's have coffee when you're in town. 

Click.

This doesn't come as a surprise. I've been waiting for the shoe to drop since the bankruptcy filing.  (In fact, I was mildly surprised it took more than two months.)  And the wolf is not at the door -- we have savings, and I have enough short-term work to keep the mortgage paid and food on the table for at least the next little while.  I've been a de facto freelancer for almost a year now, flying off to Burundi and the Philippines and such; as a practical matter, the only real difference is that I no longer will have to check with my employer for conflicts of interest. We've been living quietly, and can continue so for quite some time.  I /think/ we'll be able to land another position before too much more time goes by.

That said, it's been a bit of a shock.  I haven't been fired from a job since 1986.  (Title insurance.  Not my thing.)  There's a whole oh my God how am I going to feed these kids? thing going on; it's not rational, but there it is.  There's been something of an... I'd say an emotional rollercoaster, except that implies high bits.  More like one of those cheap Haunted House rides, where you go on rails through different rooms with a different stupid reaction in each one.  Bam!  Here's anger!   Now fear!   Try some depression and self-doubt!  Bam! 

Okay, well. I think we're mostly past that.  So now what?

Well, we go on COBRA -- thank you, COBRA Stimulus; you're going to save us rather a bit of money -- and I get serious about looking for a job.  Otherwise, no big change.

That's the news from Fladungen.  How are you guys?