Here we are on day three of being unemployed. So far the joy I feel from being released from my personal little hell is far outweighing the fear I have for securing my family’s future. I suspect by the end of the week, this will have changed. Days one and two consisted of nothing remotely productive. I got wasted on my last day at work… Don’t read that wrong, I wasn’t wasted at work… Not alcoholically anyway… Anyhoo, day 1 found me in recovery mode trying to burn out all the nasty-assed cheap scotch I drank the night before. Day two found me playing Civ3 trying to further the borders of Rome. Ironically, the game kinda depressed me because I was broke. Strange how playtime can seep into the real world sometimes.

I still haven’t heard about my job opportunity up north (in eastern Arizona). I hope to hear about that later today. If I haven’t heard by the end of the day, I may call the guy. If I have to resort to begging, I’m not above that. :)

Well, I hear Rome calling my name, so it’s off to play some games! :)

Well, today is my last day working here at “Spacely Sprockets”. I sit here at my desk taking a trip down memory lane. I started here back when we were a young company making some “crazy new sprockets”. You looked around the floor and saw nothing but smiles in those days. Laughter and excitment filled the halls. I worked my way up the chain to where I am now. I basically run the team that coordinates responses to emergencies of all kinds in the “sprocket” business. In my time here, I’ve watched a textbook transition from creative, forward-thinking upstart to corporate household name. I suppose it was bound to happen. I hope the moves they are making are for the better in the long run, and I hope more hard working folks like those on my team don’t find themselves in the can. We’ve lost so many talented workers here, and it’s really sad to see it happen.

So begins the rest of my life. I’m taking the weekend off to recalibrate my compass and will begin searching for another road on Monday. Wish me luck! In today’s market I will sure need it.

Here I sit, waiting for word from the north. Every call I’ve received today sends my heart rate through the roof because I think its them calling. But, every call so far has been Mom, Heidi, Bren, and other friends… ::sigh::

Well, I did it. My interview was today up in northern AZ. From my vantage point, it seems the interview went well. The company seemed like a happy place to work (imagine that!), and there were plenty of smiles on the workers’ faces. The room was filled with Macintosh computers, and the mointors on these things were very functional. I was told I’d be doing web design on a smaller scale than I am doing for my stores, and graphics design as well. The job is in my favorite mountain town in Northern AZ, and I already have land and friends up there. Is it just me, or does this sound like a dream?

Cross your fingers for me, folks, and just maybe my next Christmas will be among the pines. :)

Well, we just got news that Heidi isn’t pregnant again. Looks like we’re going to have more trouble than we thought. Let me clarify. Before now we were told we would have trouble. Today, we told we would have MORE trouble. ::sigh::

Recent events make it real difficult to be positive about anything. The last 12 months have been the worst of our life. What’s even more horrible, is that every year for the past three years, I have said, “Damn honey, this has got to be the worst year yet!”

So, if there is a higher power, and he/she is listening and has an internet connection :), I hope they find mercy and give us a chance to rebuild and catch our breath. The days ahead look pretty grim.

There is one last glimmer of hope: my job interview in northern AZ. If that goes well, then we will at least have not only a foundation to build upon, but get to move to the town we want to end up in. Do a shot for me boys, and pray to whatever god you pray to. We need all the help we can get.

Well, I just found out that my application for supervisor wont be getting to a second interview… If you know me, then you know that sounds a bit odd. Not that I am a super intelligent, bad-ass or anything. But, come on, I’m doing the job right now in a different team, and I have 8 years under my belt at this company. You’d think they snap me up based on my familiarity with the company alone! Or maybe that is a clouded perspective of the truth. Maybe I wore the wrong cologne. Or perhaps I didn’t buttkiss enough. Better yet, maybe the planets wern’t aligned properly for it to happen. Who knows? All I know is my current manager will be giving me feedback. Strange… He wasn’t involved in this process at all. What feedback would he have?

On a positive note, perhaps this is just the kick in the ass I need. ::sigh:: Although, I think the kick in the ass belongs to someone else. But that’s just me.

Oh and to add to the irony of it all, today is “Employee Appreciation Day…”