I am soon joining the ranks of the unemployed. My department will shut down in six to twelve months and my “separation package” is contingent on my staying to the very end.
Imagine standing atop a train going 120 mph, and the train goes through a tunnel but you do not. You hit the wall above the opening at 120 mph. That’s how fast you will be going at the end of your fall. Yes, it’s discouraging, but proper planning requires that you know the facts. You’re used to seeing things fall more slowly. You’re used to a jump from a swing or a jungle gym, or a fall from a three-story building on TV action news. Those folks are not going 120 mph. They will not bounce. You will bounce. Your body will be found some distance away from the dent you make in the soil (or crack in the concrete).
Quotation from David Carkeet, Unplanned Freefall? Some Survival Tips
“Nun’s Farts” are little dessert pastries that look like cinnamon rolls. These wee confections are also called bourriques de soeurs nuns ‘belly buttons’ or more politely rondelles ‘slices’ or hirondelles ‘swallows.’ Inching a little higher up the obscenity scale, one finds a doughnut-like roll made from leftover home-made bread dough called trous de soeur ‘nun’s holes.’ They are usually eaten with molasses—to sweeten the experience.
Quotation from Bill Casselman, Acadian Food Words & New Origin of the Word Acadia
More or less everywhere, outsourcing, contengency plans, restructuring plans are like flowers in Spring… But fired people are more in Winter!
oh my badness Sarah!!!! you ok??? i don’t think i even know what you do for a living, if i once heard this fact, blame it on my short term memory….. take the opportunity and become a stay at home artist
your husband can be your, what’s the word? patron!!! yes, look on the bright side!
what do you want to take at school? something fun for you i hope! and if you have the ability to pay cash for everything, that’s great too…. we went thru my husband’s company shutting down, but that wasn’t as bad as the six months he wasn’t working after the car accident!! you should be ok with your severance package right? bright side bright side
Pass the nun’s farts, I commiserate best when I’m full of sugar
but accounting is fun, at least i think it is, and you can work from home and only be REALLY busy during tax season… and working from home will make the artistic pursuits pay off all the more! i think you have a grand plan!!!
I hope this was just a imaginary story, how sad is it.
sorry to hear that but I’m sure you will bounce back from that initial nasty shock hitting you like a fast moving express train and realize in the next 6-12 month you have the chance to re think what you would like to-do in your life.
At least you have some time to plan and stop worrying any more about nasty rumors and what might or might not be up with your employer.
Start planning a holiday and doing a few things you have been potting off because you’re too busy – if that be the case.
Keep your chin up and remember your free to explore many new paths and in the meantime dont forget to smell more of the flowers.along the way.
Best wishes
Speaking from horrible, nun-farted-up experience, I can only tell you that if a loser like me could start over again from rock bottom and get to some semblance of normalcy again, you will too.
When the time comes that you must jump, you will land on your feet. You’re that good. Still, not good news at all.
(thank you for the new expression – “nun’s farts” – I shall use it)
I am so sorry Sera, fyi it’s pet de soeur..in Quebec and arent’ they just delish….the Universe has decided to send you somewhere else, and I assure you it will be much better
Good luck Sera, do you have an idea what you will do? Maybe put up some Google Adsense?
Came by last night before wind down time and again this morning just to see. Got stopped in my tracks thinking about how the big train that’s pushing all the rest off the tracks is the only one that got refueled. It’s eaten all its own coal and the coal it’s eating now is provided by those who know the track ends at a cliff not too far down the line.
I’m very sorry to hear this news but I too have faith in your ability to drop, roll and recover.
I have to say at 120 mph it’s more likely you will turn to strawberry jam and splash rather than bounce.
I could say a lot of stuff about endings being new beginnings, darkest before the dawn, roll with the punches, talent will out, etc. but I’m sure you know that already.
Nun’s Farts! That will now be part of my vocabulary.
That is separation blackmail to get you to stay to the end. It eliminates the chance of finding another job.
So sorry to hear about the job loss….I am wishing you great things to come after….think positive thoughts…Good luck with everything
You are so talented…I can hardly imagine they let you go…
: (
<3
Oh shit, I’m so sorry to read that. I was wondering what came out of the meeting you told us about… now I know.
It sucks.
Remember it’s not personal (yeah, I know, doesn’t make you feel better, does it?). A lot of people in the USA are on the same boat right now. But I’m sure you a great employee, based on the fact you are a great person. You will bounce back!
You. Are brilliant. You will find another job, probably one you really, REALLY, REALLLY love. When one door closes, another always opens. You have 6-12 months to prepare and look for another gig. Think of this as an ADVENTURE.
Carpe diem, baby. You can do. Of all people, you can do it.
Seraphine: I as sorry to read this and wish you all the success in the world, as you are quite a talented lady! lol!
I am very sorry to hear about this – I am hoping that you are able to find something very soon! But I guess you have to stay until the bitter end – I hope the package that you have to stay for allows you to take a year off from any work and travel the world!
I won’t say a thing about when one door closes another one opens because you already know that. It’s the waiting and wondering that sucks. The thing is, you never know when something will come in from the outside that is totally unexpected…like when I knew I couldn’t move to the Netherlands until our Atlanta house sold. When would THAT be??? Then suddenly my Ex decided I didn’t have to wait (she was paying the mortgage and the agreement was that I would stay till it sold) and she would allow a buy-out/quit-claim. Once that happened, I was free. The point is, you never know what’s gonna happen. We don’t always get to see the end from the beginning, which is why it sucks…but why it’s also called FAITH! We’ll have faith for you, Seraphine, and trust for nothing but the best, which you deserve. Maybe this is your chance to do what you’ve always wanted to do…even if scary?!?
I’m sorry about your job situation.
*big hugs* poor hun, first sick then this , my heart goes out to you.
Andy Kaufman – hah! – excellent.
Have never been a fan of Minnie, Olive Oyl or Lois Lane – dumb broads.
Shit ! i’m sorry to read that ‘ . Courage sera , bats toi , tu as tellement de talent que tu vas rebondir ! i’m sure of that, even if it’s difficult moment for now
Bisous
Ordering something like that could be fun. But why would they name it that? Very odd.
If you have to be let go from a job at least its months from now and you can start looking. Sorry about it anyway. It sucks to have to look for work. The interviews are horrible. Having be so fake because they force you to be is annoying. I hate it. Good luck.
Ooops. I stopped by here for the usual enjoyment, but got an unexpected grief instead. I truly hope you guys don’t have to pay an enormous mortgage. With other things, one can get by, but a big mortgage kills.
I’ve never heard of “nun’s farts”. It rolls nicely from my Russian tongue, when I say it.
Glad you still keep your sense of humour.
They expect you to stay until the last minute to get seveerance, but they won’t tell you when that minute will be? How *utterly* shitty. Fuck that. Say that you will stay to the end, but start looking right now and if you find something good then jump immediately without waiting for severance.
Best wishes, Sera; remember that is not your fault and not your failure. My e-mail address is on my blog if you want to talk.
Ah, the American Dream… Hire a bunch of smart people and put them in the street when your stockholders scream for more profit! Not quite like the 50 years and gold watch retirement that we were fed as children, eh? Well, I guess that just goes to show what suckers we’ve all been listending to those “Corporeal Bodies with all the rights of a Human Being, but not soul” will get you. Who am I talking about? The American Corporation, of course! Yep, business got frustrated with the Holding Company model, and voila! The Corporation got approved. Now, how do you exploit zombies? That’s right. Downsize, baby, downsize.
Well. Crap. Also? What Beth said.
yes, my husband is a rock, for sure, i hope your husband is too!!
but what about the streets of heaven being paved with gold? THAT’S definitely a yellow brick road, perhaps you can put in a request that your part of heaven be paved with platinum, that would have a blueish cast, and there will ALWAYS be someone to watch over you
what’s not to believe? i think it’s in the Bible, and if you can’t believe the Bible, you can’t believe anything…. however, gold in sewage, that’s a new one lol it’s prolly from all those guys drinking goldschlager after a hard days work lolol
dear dear Sarah, it’s ok not to believe in govts and corporations… they don’t believe in you either, they just use you until they don’t want to anymore…. don’t let this corporate cluster #@$% make you doubt yourself, you are so much more than some dinky ‘by rote’ job you’re had in your life, you are a brilliant miracle, a symphony of talent, a universe of wub
you should be flattered, the only other person i’ve called a symphony of beauty is God
and no need to point out that i called you a symphony of TALENT, after all i wasn’t going to call you GOD was i? lol night night
Well Sera,
what can I say? I keep following you but never comment…
And today I read this… and.. uh…
“welcome to the club” is honestly the only thing that comes to my mind and makes sense right now.
As usual your words manage to be so light and this heavy at the same time. Everything is so horribly true.
Oh and yes, today it appears to be my last day of job and I’ll be joining the unemployed army starting tomorrow morning.
Isn’t life funny?
I guess it is. Be strong.
I’m surprised you’ve heard or pets de soeur. I thought it was only known to French (Acadian) Canadians.