Bit of Ivory

So, yesterday was the 1-week anniversary of my layoff. I didn’t even remember until I was in bed for the night. It’s been an interesting week.

And I’m doing fine.

No, really. I’m actually quite surprised at how well I’m taking it. I really have been able to look at this whole thing as a gift, rather than as a misfortune. Of course, who knows how long this will last– maybe when my savings account starts looking much more meager than it is now. But for now, I’m fine.

Some of it, of course, is because I’m in such a different situation this time around. While the layoff was just as sudden– or even more so, since I got about 20 minutes notice before I clocked out for the last time– I’ve been sort of mentally preparing myself for a while, just in case. I also got 2 weeks of severance pay and all my unused vacation, which I <i>didn’t</i> get last time. My unemployment payment will be higher and extend for a longer period of time, since I worked more last year for more pay. I qualify for COBRA, and also for the federal COBRA subsidy, which means I’m guaranteed my current benefits for at least 18 months for only a little more than what I’m currently paying. I still live at home and have relatively few expenses (a student loan and a credit card payment, and that’s about it), so I’m not too worried about my finances.

And mentally, I’m just in a much better place. I’ve been seeing a therapist for several months now, and have been taking an anti-depressant. And when I attended Teri’s wedding (which was AWESOME, and which I was in the process of writing about when I got laid off and therefore distracted), I spent the weekend either talking about theology and my thesis with Cally and Melanie or writing processes with RJA and Risti, or both, I came home ready to GO on my thesis. No, I haven’t written anything yet– I’m still trying to get my room clean so I have a pleasant place to write– but I’ve got ideas. I’ve got plans. I feel a definite need to make my voice heard on this subject. And now I have all the time I need.

Last time, I was so worried about finding a new job that I still couldn’t write. This time, I’m not going to worry. I’m going to seize the time I’ve been given, this wonderful chance to finish my thesis before time runs out, and run with it. I’ll apply for jobs, of course, but only the minimum needed to keep my unemployment benefits. If I get one, great. If not– it’s okay. It really is.

Not that I don’t miss my job. It was a great job, with great people. Hopefully the powers-that-be who decreed that I had to be let go will come to their senses and realize how much they need me, and I can go back. If not– there’s going to be something around the corner. Maybe even something better. Who knows?

For right now, though, I’m okay where I am. And that’s a wonderful feeling– one I haven’t had in a long, long time.

Today was my one-year anniversary at work.

This afternoon, at 4:40, I got laid off.

Happy anniversary to me.

And I really should have told all you about it sooner, but I’ve been either incredibly busy or incredibly tired, and therefore haven’t had the opportunity. In fact, I should be doing laundry right now, but I decided to tell you instead.

I’ve got a new job.

It was completely unexpected. You see, two Fridays ago, my boss announced to us at staff meeting that, rather than having to lay two of us off, she was cutting all of our hours to 32 per week. Sucky, but better than losing any of our coworkers, or, worse still, losing our jobs. But then on Monday, it all turned around. One of our team members was moving into a newly created position, which, with one other TM going down to part-time, was enough to give us back our hours– if we shuffled responsibilities a bit. The TM that left was a trainer, and sometimes worked irregular hours, so they needed someone fairly flexible to replace her. I was elected. Well, kind of. We split her responsibilities between the other trainer and I (with him taking the more senior role and me taking the more administrative tasks), and the second Admin Assistant in the department moved out to the front desk.

So now, instead of being the receptionist/HR admin assistant, I am now the Training Coordinator. I’m still responsible for the benefits, but I’ll also handle tracking of the various types of training we do, teach new employee orientation, administer training audits, maintain the training manuals, and various other training throughout the theatres. It’s new and exciting and scary, and I feel like I have so much to learn (probably because I DO have a lot to learn, having never done this sort of thing in my life before), but it’s good. I think I’ll quite like it.

Larry H. Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz and my own workplace, Megaplex Theatres, passed away today. He’s been ill for quite some time– in fact, it was only about a month after I started that he went into the hospital with a heart attack and complications to diabetes. Last month, he had both his legs amputated. His son replaced him as CEO at the beginning of his illness, but he still kept his hand in. In fact, I talked to him on the phone just a few weeks ago.

My sympathies go out to the Miller family.

I wonder how this is going to affect my company.

It’s a girl!

8 minutes after her mom (my sister, Laura) arrived at the hospital (and only two hours after labor began), my newest niece arrived in the world:

(picture shamelessly stolen from my brother-in-law, since my camera’s batteries were COMPLETELY DEAD :(( )

Abigail Diane (probably, with the middle name being pronounced dee-ahn, which is my grandmother’s name), 19″ long, 6 lbs. 14 ounces.

She’s got lovely reddish-blonde hair (like her dad), long fingers and toes (like her mom) and an adorable little cry (she squeaks when she inhales). Hooray for a new niece! That makes three nieces and a nephew for me. *happy sigh*

Being an aunt is the greatest.

So, what has been good lately?

A) I’ve felt a bit more urgency to get my thesis done, and have made a (little) bit of progress. My main motivation? I have banned myself from reading any books that I have not already read (unless it’s thesis-related) until it’s done. This means no Beedle the Bard for me. No River Secrets (which I bought the other day but haven’t gotten to yet). If I’ve never read it, it’s out. (Of course, this means that the several hundred books I’ve already read are still fair game, but you can only read Pride and Prejudice and Memory so many times before you start to want something new. So.)

2) I filled my car up for under $15 yesterday. That is INSANE.

C) I’ve been bringing my Doctor Who DVDs to work with me to watch/listen to while I push papers around. Makes my job so much more enjoyable.

IV) Speaking of work, I got a fun reward today. My bosses were so impressed with the excellent job I did on open enrollment (Kathy said they’d never had one go so smoothly) that they gave me 4 tickets to Friday night’s Jazz game! And these are primo seats, too– not first row, but lower bowl, high face-value tickets. I’ve never been to a Jazz game before, so I’m quite excited about it.

E) My parents, in an effort to help me get more sleep (I had a really bad time for a couple of weeks, when I was stressed with open enrollment, but, as you all well know, I haven’t felt properly awake since at least 2000) spent a, frankly, obscene amount of money to buy me a new mattress. It’s an Intellibed, and it arrived today. I’ll try it out tonight and see if it helps at all. I’m cautiously optimistic– my aunt and uncle bought an Intellibed a few years ago and adore it– but I’ll have to give you an update after I’ve slept on it for a while. I’m excited, though.

6) When I came home from work, I found a package waiting for me from my friend Katy, containing an early Christmas present– a Basil the Basilisk! It’s ADORABLE, and I luves him, and he’s currently curled around my neck. THANKS!!

Now, to finish cleaning up all the scattered books and yarn in my room so we can move my mattress onto my bed. . .

Between Halloween parties and getting ready for same, it’s been an insane week at my house. But I was saving this title for Halloween week (and one other, which I’ll hopefully post about tomorrow), and even though I missed Halloween itself, I’m still going to post.

“And they used Bon Ami!” [Read more →]

It’s highly appropriate that I would be posting this on a Sunday, because this has long been one of our favorite Sunday afternoon movies.

“DEATH COMES UNEXPECTEDLY!!”

[Read more →]

Sorry for the delay. I’ve had a busy few days! I would have posted this yesterday, but I typed it up at work and forgot to e-mail it to myself. Rather than do it all over again, I just decided to wait.

“I think he did a little too much LDS”

[Read more →]

From Keane’s new album (I like. Different, but I like):

Better than This
<i>Is this what you meant?
Is this what you dreamed of
When you were making your plans
Shaking the dirt off?
Do you feel like you and I belong?
Just keep your eyes on the road
And nothing can go wrong

You can do so much better than this
You can do so much better than this

I’ve been checking my sums
Oh where did the time go?
Holding my photograph up to the window
Through the paper and refracted sun
I can see all the things I wish that I’d done

You can hang your hopes on the medicine
You can put your faith in the phone-in
You can tell yourself you’re doing your best
You can do so much better than this

Get a grip on yourself
Get a grip on yourself
Could have been something but you’re too late
And you weren’t invited anyway

Because the photographs show the wrong man
Because there is no soap star holding your hand
You don’t see yourself in the freeze frame
Must be someone else using your name

And everyone will be the same
And everyone will glow
And everywhere you’ll see your name
In every shop window

It’s better than this
You can do so much better than this
You can do so much better than this
You can do so much better than this</i>

Yes, I can. And I’m going to try.