BlitzBlog

Ah Income Tax Day! One of my favorite days of the year!

Huh?

Well, you see, I was born on April 15th, so it's a rather ignominious
distinction, but hey, I really didn't have any choice in the matter.

Personally, I think Income Tax Day should be on July 2nd. Then Election
Day should then be on July 3rd. And then we get to celebrate our
wonderful country on, as usual, the Fourth of July.  Just think
how our tax structure might change if our elected officials were having
their fates decided upon right after we received our refund checks, or
conversely, our tax bills.

But that's really not what this entry is about….

On January, one of my best friends had a heart attack and died at the age of 54.

In February, my son had his one of bowed legs surgically broken, straightened and re-pinned. His recovery is still in progress.

In March, I had a huge argument with my new boss, whom I liked but had a
lot of problems with the way he made decisions, plus he had a major
league drug problem, which I finally went in to talk to one of the
owners about.

Without going into detail, that conversation, led to others in the
ensuing weeks, in which my entrenched displeasure at work came to light, and
ultimately…

In April, my bosses and I worked out a severance package so that Friday, April 13th would be my last day at work.

Oh, by the way, I think one of my dogs is very close to needing to be put to sleep.

Happy Birthday!

Now, far be it for me to wallow in self-pity, I am not the type, not
nearly so. On those occasions where I do start to feel down or bad, I
try to step back and see what is positive about my life. No, not the
hackneyed roof-over-my-head-birds-are-singing-sun-on-my-face feel-good
buck-up sort of bullshit, but a real taking of stock and showing myself
that things are not so bad. If fact, they are quite good.

In order, while yes, my friend Mike is now gone, and I do often miss
him, he was a person who left his mark on my life and this world. I
see those marks almost every day and I cherish them.

My son, is recovering on schedule, and is improving every day. He is
out of extreme pain, taking only the occasional Advil (a far cry from
the frequent doses of Oxycontin and Oxycodone he was jones-ing for just
a few short weeks ago).

Because of my talks with the company's ownership about my old boss, he
was confronted with his transgressions and his Problem, and while he
may or may not be set fully on the road to recovery, both he and the
company ownership realize I did The Right Thing, as I in my heart also
know. I hope he can get his life together, or at the very least, become an
effective employee for the people who paid my salary for 11+ years.

And once I'd made the announcement last Tuesday about my imminent
departure from the company, I was feted by an never-ending procession of
co-workers who professed their admiration for me and their disappointment in my
leaving. About 2 dozen of my closest colleagues threw a luncheon for me
on Friday, generously paid for by my bosses, and after work, we
continued celebrating my new found “freedom” at a local pub, where I was
made to feel good and assured I'd be missed. I drove home that evening
with a big grin on my face. A good last day at work.

So Monday started my life among the Unemployed. When everyone
goes off to their jobs, I  began my search for what to do next. I
look at this as a great opportunity, and am, at this early stage,
excited. The severance package I received will tide my family over for
a while, so my worry about paying the bills is only a long-term one.
For now, I only worry about finding that Next J-O-B. I have a few
opportunities “on the hook” but not “in the boat,” so I am hopeful that
wherever my career leads next will be in the right direction. Already
I've received a few offers for freelance work that, while by themselves
won't pay the mortgage, they might at least cover the Direct TV bill. At
least it's good to know people have recognized my abilities and want to
hire me without even having to go out and sell myself.

The cool thing about staying home is the freedom it allows. While no, I
can't sleep until 10am- I still have to help get my daughter on the
school bus- but I can decide what to do with my day and how to arrange
whatever chores I have in mind. Job search in the AM. Take care of the
freelance work, do some banking, a bit of housekeeping, and of course,
deciding what feast I'm cooking for my family for dinner.

Truly, monumentally exciting stuff!

Well, it's exciting if you've been nailed to a desk for 11 years.

What I have learned in the past 3 days at home is that there is
absolutely nothing on TV during the day that won't turn ones mind to
mush within 20 minutes; that the Instant Message “available” messages of
those co-workers I left behind seem much more depressed than when I was
there amongst them, and that during the day my dogs sleep a lot.

Now, where's that remote?…..