Saturday, July 31, 2010

The stress diet

This is an all-too-easy diet in today's world, but guaranteed to work -- I've lost almost five pounds in the past two weeks on this diet! Here's how it works:

  1. Have a job you enjoy with co-workers you enjoy working with
  2. Hear rumors the company is in trouble
  3. A week later, be told your company is shutting down
  4. Start interviewing for jobs at other companies.
For bonus points, be middle aged in an industry that worships youth, and you get double the stress bonus! What a deal, what a deal...

-- Badtux the Sadly Snarky Penguin

16 comments:

  1. Don't forget to smoke a pack a day. They're toasted!

    I walk, briskly, 30 minutes/day. Doesn't sound like much, but it makes a big difference, & helps me sleep better. Good luck finding a job.

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  2. I don't do the smoking thing.

    Brisk walk -- good idea. So I headed out on a brisk walk to the public library, which is 30 minutes away, and solved two things at once -- got some free books (what other entertainment can you get for free if you don't own a TV?), and got some exercise.

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  3. How many times have we said we'd give anything to lose some weight? I've been on this diet, too, and I would like to make an announcement to the Universe: I didn't mean it and SCRATCH THAT!!!

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  4. What utter suckiness. Good luck job hunting...and hey, forget youth. Old means more experienced and sneaky; that should equal WIN!

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  5. Oh, shit. And the stream of bad news continues.

    Have they given you any idea of when they're shutting down? I worked at a place where we were told they were shutting it down, and while I remained there, we were told nothing. I did, however, spend my last two and a half months there watching the place gradually go to pot. You might see that happening where you are soon.

    And if you don't mind my asking, how is the job hunt going? I'm looking for (and hoping for) any good news i can find...

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  6. I've never needed to diet in my life, my problem is keeping on some weight.

    Never gave a damn if I lost a job or quit one, there was always another one just a phone call away.

    I can still find jobs with just a few phone calls or emails but I'm enjoying retirement too damn much to work at trying to make others happy.

    I invent, go camping and boating, to hell with work, that's a four letter word.

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  7. I'm sorry. Hang in there. Sounds like you are doing the right things. It's nice to get lost in a good book and forget all the suckiness for a while.

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  8. Bummer, mate. Good luck with finding something new. It blows chunks that you, and so many other Americans, are being tossed on the waves of uncertainty. More illustration why I believe the U.S. is headed for a deflationary collapse. So many things are shutting down or looking shaky that everyone's "going to the mattresses" -- with their money, at least. Not a recipe for economic expansion -- contraction dead ahead! Aren't you glad you didn't "buy" (i.e. "rent from the bank") a house now?

    I sure am glad I work for the government in what socialist societies consider to be an essential service. (Ironically, I wouldn't mind a bit less work, because these 12-hour shifts just kill me. I've got enough "bread under the bed", if you know what I mean, to get by for a decade or so.) When the government starts laying off people like me, that's when they'll be letting citizens die in the streets. If it gets to that point, all bets on the continuation of civilization are off.

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  9. I'm so sorry you're having a company fail out from under you! I've experienced it many times, and it always sucks. I hope finding a new job isn't too much of a challenge.

    Try hard to keep up on your sleep and exercise.

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  10. It's a tough market for tech jobs out there. I don't envy you your next few months... hell, what am I saying, they will probably look a lot like my next few months! My current plan is to retire as early as possible... that would be in, um, let me see, five days. Well, maybe...

    Best of luck, BadTux!

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  11. Well, that is just shit.

    Kudos for posting it in a relatively light-hearted way.

    What the hell planet does BBC live on?

    lo siento,
    JzB

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  12. Jazzbumpa said...

    What the hell planet does BBC live on?

    One that's located entirely between his ears...

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  13. Uggh. Just went through this 4 months ago. Company wasn't shutting down, just downsizing and I was part of the collateral damage. I was lucky in that I wasn't kept in suspense, on Friday boom gone. I tried to keep busy, wife's cousin got the ax the same day (different company) and we did a number of projects together. I now have enough firewood for the next ice age... Also I kept my hand in documenting an open source project I liked.
    Anyway what gets you are those days when none of your applications are answered, nothing new is out there and everything seems to be skills you don't have.
    Keep writing this and don't lose hope.

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  14. Jazzbumpa (and Buck!),

    I now think that BBC is an industry plant (and that refers to no industry we'll ever know much about). (Hint hint.)

    Unless he's talking about his ease in securing employment last century.

    There are no jobs - and certainly not plenty at just a phone call or email(?). Sheesh. What a joke.

    CIA calling, anyone?

    And he certainly can invent.

    S

    I can still find jobs with just a few phone calls or emails

    P.S. My word verification was "hipped." Aiiieee.

    Now who's watching us?
    ____________

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  15. Loulou: Yeah, it freaks out the cats too. They don't understand what's going on, but they understand that I'm stressed, and it stresses them out too.

    Labrys - problem is, I'm not sneaky. I'm a pretty straightforward guy. Sigh!

    Jim: Last day of August, the company turns into a pumpkin.

    BBC: Really, you need to partake of the herb if you're having problems keeping weight on. Maybe it'd mellow your ornery old retired ass out a bit too. It's not as if you have to go far to find some good stuff... the woods are full of it up where you live, they don't call it "weed" for nothin'!

    Nunya: The right thing takes more time every time, it seems. If industry norms are right, it'll take me 10 months to find a new job :(.

    Bukko, 40 firefighters just got laid off in San Jose due to lack of money. Firefighters. A government job isn't worth anything more than any other job here in the Collapsing States of America. And before you get smug up in Canuckistan, remember that the majority of your economy is tied to producing crap sold in America...

    Minerva, Thanks.

    Steve: Tech jobs market here in Silicon Valley isn't too bad if you're experienced... problem comes if you're getting to the age where you no longer look young. Got wrinkles? Grey hairs? Uh-oh...

    EBM, JzB, Jim - thanks.

    Suzan: BBC is too cranky to be part of that, err, plant industry. Maybe he should try it, though. Mellow out his cranky old a$$ and at least make him more pleasant to be around...

    - Badtux the Laggardly Penguin

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