Jan 29, 2009

So There It Goes...

It happened. The waiting is over. I've been Pink'd, slipped the slip, waylaid.


I knew as soon as I opened my eyes that it was going to be a bad day. I woke up with a sharp pain in my left knee. How did I injure my knee at night, in my sleep? It's a sinister mystery. Then as I was fixing my bowl of morning coffee the milk went PLOP! It's never a good thing when milk goes PLOP! Sure enough, it was in that transitory state between milk and yogurt when it's good for nothing. The figurative dark clouds were gathering over my dated tile countertop. In my old country things - good or bad - travel in threes, so the news at work was no surprise.


After months of mounting suspense the day came: Krystalmorgen, the day of pointy daggers, Axing Day. I and a large number of my colleagues, say, about 70-75% became a statistic. What will be the number of newly unemployed this month? Half a million? A million? I feel like part of History now.



I can't say it was a surprise. We all knew for months that this was coming. I'm actually relieved - the anxiety of the endless waiting was getting unbearable. If I'm quietly sobbing that's just nerves, ignore it.



Let's look at the bright side! The severance package is quite generous, so I have months before having to start panicking. I can spend whole days in my pajamas now. I can go out photographing any time (not necessarily in my pajamas). I'll be driving over the Pasadena more, since the agency that is supposed to be helping with job search and stuff has an office there. Not to mention, now I have an excuse to drink. Life is good.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm here at Pasadena Adjacent now

crap..... this can't happen at the happiest place on earth. The milk has indeed soured.

Anonymous said...

Oh Vanda, I'm sorry. But you know, unemployment really is a picnic. Do you get a year? Let's hook up for lunch in the next couple of weeks -- I have coupons. File for unemployment right away.

Petrea Burchard said...

Vanda, I'm sorry too.
I'd love to be in on that lunch. Come to Pasadena, or Pasadena will come to you.

Vanda said...

I'm actually getting paid full for a quite a number of weeks, thanks to the generosity of The Mouse and my many years in service, so it's not time yet for applying for unemployment. However lunch sounds good. The paraphrase Garth from Wayne's World 2: I like to have lunch every day.

Petrea Burchard said...

Pasadena PIO published info about Pasadena's Career Services Division. Can you avail yourself of that and move here? Or vice versa?

Vanda said...

Thanks Petrea, but I'm already set up with something similar with DBM. Their offices are on Lake Street, by the way. :)

Petrea Burchard said...

That's close to me and the Hiker. When you come, maybe we could do that lunch. Or maybe before then.

Gail Pryatel said...

ohh no :( i'm sorry to hear that... i hope u can find something else asap.