I'm in a good mood. I'm going to let this all flow off my back..but here's a small summary of my last 2 days...
Background: My full-time job is a grant position. We're a 5 year grant that just finished it's 6th year (it's complicated)... on December 31, 2005 that grant ends a 3 month no-cost extension. We're competing for a new 5 year scope-of-work...and the "winner" hasn't been announced yet. We're all hopeful.. but the prospect of being jobless in 2006 has people a little on edge...
Wednesday morning: We had a meeting of all staff members on the grant on which I work. We were told the status of the proposal (which we turned in 3 months ago) that would mean we have another 5 years of work... the status was.. there was no news yet.
30 minutes after that meeting: The Big boss of the institution where I work came by and dropped off the "letter" that let me know that if we don't get the new monies, there's no money available to keep me employed.
Noon Wednesday: I head home because my 20 month-old is sick (sent home from daycare on Monday) and my wife and I are splitting days so we can both work a little...
Thursday: I get a second letter detailing my severance package... I joked with the CEO asking him if it was my Christmas bonus. I'm not sure if he thought it funny or not, but I got a nervous chuckle out of him.
Thursday afternoon: Had meeting with the CEO and HR to discuss the "implications surrounding my employment" and went over all the scenerios...
1. If we get the grant, life is good and I have work
2. If we don't hear about the grant by the 1st of January, they may keep a few people around to see if a decesion can be made in a week or two.
3. If we get an answer and we didn't win... I'm suddenly only employed for 10 hours a week (I work 1/4 time on another grant position) and in order to receive my severance package I must work the part-time for a month while they find a suitable replacement.
4. Enter your own scenerio here... my other one consists of spending $1 and making millions.
Thursday late afternoon: Amongst all of this, Me and my family are flying to Ohio for a week starting Monday so I thought I'd better make sure all is in line for that..I booked the tickets on Expedia.com in September. I find out my flight number if suddenly flying into Boston not Columbus..and doesn't originate out of Austin like it should. 30 minutes on the phone with the airline straightens everything out... and I found out by booking early I saved a penny! That's right.. the price of the flight, had I booked it yesterday would have cost a whole penny more. Who says booking early doesn't pay?
Thursday night: my daughter has decided that it's not too early to enter into her terrible twos... and refuses to go to sleep.. so we get to listen to the sounds of a child SCREAMING for about 30-45 minutes until she gets tired of screaming and falls asleep. Ohio is going to be fun with this new development.
Friday: I stop to get gas this morning and pick up the Exxon Bengal Traders cappuccino... I don't like it as much as the generic gas-station cappuccino... it's a bit watery...
Friday at work: We have our Holiday party today (I'd call it a Christmas party... but it's not very PC to do so in this day and age)..and we do a gift exchange amongst our staff members (I orginized it..yea) so I was carrying a big box for the person I bought for.. and my coffee... and a bag of other stuff. Well.. I spilled hot cappuccino all over my shirt.
Damn... et tu cappuccino?
So.. if anyone is looking for a cappuccino-soaked Communuications Specialist in Austin, Texas... here I am.
Happy Friday.
P.S. (Happened after My original blog):
I got the coolest ornament at the office ornament exchange.. It was White Elephant.. and I was the #12 of 14.... so I got to take the one I wanted... then lost it.. then picked another one (which wasn't as cool as the original one I had) but then a co-worker took that one.. so I got the one I wanted back.. and ended up keeping it....it's an Indian Paintbrish wildflower done in clay on a barbed wire
....then I dropped it... and it broke.
So... it needs superglue but it's a winner.
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