Day 4

As of Thursday October 14th, I'm no longer employed.

   It's a weird feeling.  One minute you're sitting at your desk, playing Bloxorz and watching a video and the next your boss comes in and asks you to follow him.  What would you assume?  I thought it was a performance review, or perhaps a new project to start, or maybe I did something and he wants to have a serious talk about it.  When you lose your job, don't you usually get a bit of advance notice?

   I guess not.  I walked into that boardroom and our HR head was there and neither of them looked exactly thrilled about the meeting.  Still, I really didn't think my job was up in the air at the moment.

   I sat down, and this is where my memory gets a little hazy.  At 2:00 on a Thursday afternoon, I wasn't sure what to expect.  "We have some bad news.  Unfortunately we're not getting enough work and we're going to have to let you go."

   Oh good, he subscribes to the band aid approach...  Rip it off.

   Can't say it surprised me, I was fairly calm as well in the face of this dramatic moment.  Do other people cry and wail?  I'm not sure.  He was right though, for months we were scrambling to fill our timesheets with something every week.  If we kept our overhead hours down below 30% a month, we were feeling pretty darn good.

    Unfortunately, there were some weeks that were 100% unbillable hours.  Something had to give.  I had been thinking, for weeks if not months now, that I needed to have an exit strategy in case things hit the fan.  When you own a home, have a wife and a dog, and bills to pay...  You don't want to be caught with your pants down.

    So while the HR lady was giving her spiel and handing me documents, my brain was already thinking and putting my plan in motion.  Maybe that's why I didn't scream, cry and wail.  Nor did I bargain, plead or beg.  It's a business decision, and frankly, I was relieved.  Sitting at your desk doing nothing, is frankly, very exhausting.

     So now I'm among the ranks of Canada's unemployed.  I've filed my EI stuff, got my banking in order.  Cut out a ton of expenses that we don't need and shooting out resumes like a drowning man paddling for shore somewhere in the middle of the Indian ocean.

    Am I scared?  Maybe a little, but it's only day 4, thus far I trust this is just a stepping stone to something better.  After all, God has a plan... and I was sick of being bored.  Now that I'm not working, I'm busier than ever.

    Some people think being without a job is like being on vacation.  Maybe if you got a huge 6 year severance it might be.  I did get a severance, which was quite generous for someone only in the company I was in for 2.5 years.  It's not enough to call it a vacation though.

    And when you go on vacation, you usually have a job to come back home to.  No, I'm working my ass off.  Sending out resumes, doing chores around the house, getting supper ready for when my wife gets home.

   Oh yeah, I'm a househusband now.  And why shouldn't I be?  I'm not bringing home a pay cheque, my wife is.  So in a way, I've got to earn her money.  It's only right.

    I detest men who sit at home when they're jobless.  Going on facebook and playing farmville all day, or firing up their PS3's and playing Medal of Honor while their wives are busting ass bringing home the bacon.  I think it's shallow, callous and a good recipe for a divorce.

    So here's my plan today.  Going to check into Monster and Workopolis.  Then send off a few more resumes.  Workout on the bike and figure out what I'm going to make for supper, I might have to pick up some groceries.  Best to be prepared.

     Then after all that, it should be close to lunch time.  Going to meet my brother-in-law for lunch and drop my CRV with Honda.  There's a damn window chip that needs to be repaired.  I swear, this city has too many missiles being launched on the road at my windshield.  They never last a whole year.

     Oh - yeah the wife wants me to take the dog in to get her nails clipped and by then, I think I'll have to get supper started.  If I'm lucky, I might start washing the windows around the house, and a few other odd chores.

    It's a full day - but hey - it's better than sitting in front of my computer, playing bloxorz, watching videos and trying to figure out how the hell I'm going to fill up my timesheet.

CadMan