The uncertain future

Two entries in one day. Wow!

Couple months ago, I'm on my way to work, my customary 20 minutes late when Ab calls me and says everybody from my department just got called up to a meeting upstairs. Before she even tells me what it is, I know. We're being downsized. I've kind of been anticipating this for a while now.

It actually turns out to be not quite as bad as I thought. They told me I could keep my job but I have to move to Monroe. Something I really do not care to do, so I declined with the consolation that I could draw a substantial amount of severance pay (one week for every year of service, which is 9 weeks for me).

It's a sobering thought to know that soon you won't be going the same place you've been going to 5 days a week for the last 9 years. I have no idea what I'm going to do.

I have to be honest, outside of newspaper work I really have no useful skills. The things I can do really only translate to a very narrow field of jobs. So I'm a little scared, honestly. I've tried not to worry about it too much, because everybody tells me "don't worry, you'll find something better", but will I really?

It's been hinted to me that I could stay on at the paper in another role. That would be the safe thing to do, at least until the next round of layoffs. But maybe this is my opportunity to get into something else. There's certainly no future in newspapers, especially anything owned by Gannett. So right now I'm leaning towards the 'take the money and run' option.

It really is sad to see what's become of the place. The few people who have survived the onslaughts of pay cuts and layoffs are either completely bitter and angry, or have just been pushed to the point they don't care anymore. And there's NOBODY left who's not trying to get out.

I know the newspaper business as a whole is dying, but it's really sad to see this one in particular. I grew up reading The Town Talk. It was once a great place to work, respected, a pillar of the community.

I'd like to see somebody buy the rights to The Town Talk name, after Gannett's through sucking every bit of life and money out of it. It deserves better than to be left behind like a dead hooker in an alley in a bad film noir. The paper has served the community well for a long time, and in the right hands, with a good business plan, it could do that again. I truly believe that.

Goodnight, sweet Josephine

So this is my new car, a Nissan Versa hatchback.......I've had it for about a month and I LOVE it. (And yes I do realize the complete absurdity of buying a new car when I know I will be losing my job soon, but it saves me at least 100 bucks a month over the truck I traded in for it.)

Her name is Josephine. No particular reason why I picked that name, just that I'm a nerd.

Later on I realized there's a Yardbirds song called "Goodnight Sweet Josephine" that I've always liked in which Jeff Beck makes some way cool sounds with his guitar. So maybe that subconsciously factored into the thought process, who knows.

The car is kind of a big departure for me, since I've always been kind of a truck guy. I'll admit, I feel like I sorta turned in my "man card" on this one, but the car is really nice and comfortable and fun to drive. It certainly seems to agree with my checkbook, what with the lower note, better gas mileage, lower insurance and so on.

I've been semi-obsessed with getting Josephine some sparkly chrome wheels and a big honkin' DVD/GPS touchscreen stereo system. Probably will never happen but it's fun to dream. Also, note the very nice window tint job that my lovely girlfriend/life partner got for me. Awesome.

Episode I: Naked by the Computer

OK, so I'm not naked right now, but sometimes I will be.

(I prefer to air dry. You know how it is.)

This being my first blog entry and all, I feel compelled to tell my life story or something. But that sounds a little self-absorbed, and I'd prefer not to bore my audience to death. So instead I will go over the last year or so.

I'm the kind of person who has always had a pretty well-controlled, ordered life. This tends to result in a lot of mediocrity, but I was always fine with that. Good old boring mediocre Mike.

For about 6 years my life didn't change much. I lived in an apartment all by myself. No kids, no pets, nothing to be responsible for. I played a lot of video games. Watched a LOT of movies. Went to work. Slept. Ate a lot of frozen pizza. I drove a black Chevrolet truck. When it came time to sell it, I bought another black Chevrolet truck. If that sounds incredibly boring, well, it is. Boring, predictable, and completely safe.

Then about ten or so months ago I got to know this girl....yeah, you know where this is headed. Needless to say my life is not nearly as predictable today.

I moved out of my sterile orderly apartment and into her house. "Living in sin", they call it. Doesn't feel so "sinful" to me. Ha!

Now I find myself fixing sinks and mowing grass and playing with her dog......getting on sketchy spinning carnival rides when I know darn well those things terrify me......driving halfway across the country to meet her family when I usually can't be bothered to go down the street to the post office. I traded in Chevy Truck #2 for a sensible little family car. I even bought a pair of flip-flops.

My late-night trips to the grocery store used to be for beef jerky, pizza and soft drinks. Now I'm running to the store to pick up cottage cheese and skim milk and dog food.

Some of my friends say I'm whipped. Maybe I am. But I can't recall ever being happier with my life.

It's not perfect of course. The future is a little scary right now. I'm being laid off in a couple months, after working at the same place for 9 years. Past that there appear to be several other big things on the horizon. None of them necessarily neat and easy.

But it's worth it. I know that, without a doubt.