Who wrote that line, anyway?

Today I decided that there was nothing sexy or casual about layoffs. This is also true about wind chills of -25. Put the two together and you have a really bad Friday.

We were all called into the meeting area and informed that our company was going to "restructure", and that we would emerge a "stronger and better company". Who, exactly, are those words supposed to make feel better? As we left for lunch, a guy walked in front us carrying his box of stuff. What a long walk.

There is an art to the whole layoff process. I've had three jobs and so far, two (going on three?) have ended in layoffs (or the nearness of layoffs). I can tell you the lines you will hear from your boss, the different ways it might happen. There is the look you get when people find out and say they are sorry, and then there is the look you get when people find out and don't know what to say. Afterwards, time moves in weird segments: the first hour spent dazed and angry, the first morning you sleep in and feel optimistic, the first week of freedom. After that, the three week cycle: week one is bliss, week two is determination, week three is despair. Repeat that for a few months and then see how you feel.

For the next two weeks, we have to just wait for them to get to our building and then our department. Quite frankly, I'm the newest and most likely to go. I'm okay with that, though. I don't have kids, or car payments, or any other responsibilities that I can't handle. I've done this before, I can do it again. It's not fun, but things like this almost always lead to better things. So, best of luck to everyone out there - to those holding to what they've got and to those grasping for the next thing.