First, The Job Front

 I’m not working.  I’ve been unemployed for the last ten or eleven weeks.  I had nine weeks of severance pay, so that makes it feel like two weeks of no pay.  I’ve filed for unemployment and I should start receiving that this week.
 
I’ve known for at least a year that I had a good chance of losing my job.  The Information Resources department was going through a "Transformation" and that meant that everyone was losing their jobs with some people lucky enough to be hired back into the new, smaller organization.  Based on the jobs lost and the number of associates that secured some of the new jobs, I would conservatively estimate a 60%-75% reduction in force.  And I’m part of the unemployed.
 
Not having a job, actually, losing your job and having to reapply for one of the fewer, new jobs is demoralizing.  I realized halfway through the process that one of the best things that might happen to me would be to not get rehired.  I’ve had some conversations with one of my friends that was (un)lucky enough to be rehired and it isn’t a pretty situation.  Few of the functional requirements are gone, they just have less than half the manpower to do the work.  
 
So, I’ve been looking for work.  This is my diary, so I get to complain.  First, experienced (i.e. well paid), white men over the age of 50 do not seem to be the preferred demographic among companies that are hiring these days.  Second, losing your job at the beginning of July leaves you at the worst time of year to be job searching–ok, Christmas week might be just as bad.  The number of jobs listed in my field was terrible until a few days before Labor day, and the responses to the applications I was able to submit were nearly non-existent during the same time.
 
I think, and I am stressing "think" in order to avoid a jinx, I have two strong opportunities that might just end up bidding for my services.  That makes me feel better.
 
The good thing about being unemployed during July-August?  I didn’t have to shuffle my work schedule around to fit in all the home baseball games.  The bad thing about looking for employment when I’m already committed to half-season tickets for next year?  Will I still be able to leave work early enough to make it to the Park for nearly forty 7:00 pm games?
 
But like I’ve said, I’m feeling much better so this whole process must be improving.  Right?
 
Ender is out.