Going away party

My coworker and friend John made arrangements for a going-away party. He scheduled it a week after my last day, to avoid conflicting with a bunch of other layoff happy hours. It was nice, to be able to say goodbye to the people who came, that I hadn't made time to see before I left, and to get a few more signatures in my going-away picture book. I asked the waitress to take this picture, of the early-arrivers.

Therese arranged for a delicious cake, with an edible picture on top, of the Juno launch on August 5, 2011 that I supported from our Denver launch support center. The Juno satellite has made a 5 year journey, and is currently making its rendezvous with the planet Jupiter. I'll miss being a part of all the ULA launches, but I'll especially miss those planetary missions, which last so long, and are so exciting to read about.

End of Days

July 14. My last day of work, after 42 years of a full-time software engineering career. As I walk out of my exit interview, which was really just a half hour of out-processing - turning in stuff, and signing a won't-sue clause, in exchange for a promise to be paid a nice severance - I'm thinking...

Free! Or adrift? Time will tell...

Anniversary Dinner

Today's been rougher than usual, and to be honest, the usual day lately is already fairly challenging. I got an email from the Washington Park Grille, offering a free anniversary dessert. Part of me wanted to have cereal for dinner, and curl up in a ball. The Dad in me said, "Free?? Go get it!" And a big part of the rest of me just wanted to get out and do something special in honor of what would've been Kristan's and my 30th wedding anniversary. I'm so sorry/sad we didn't make it to this moment together... But I know she would've loved the Alaskan salmon - it was delicious! The EAP counselor I talked to a couple of weeks ago, reminded me to keep both grieving and mourning, as long as it takes to heal, and tonight I guess I'm doing a lot of both. The Key Lime Pie is also amazing, by the way...

Laid off after 37 years

I am so glad I don't have to be telling Kristan this. After 37 years of amazing experiences with this company, and the really great people I've worked with, I was notified I'm being laid off in two weeks. I had agonized throughout April, over whether or not to volunteer for layoff, and finally decided not to. One of the important factors, was that I realized I was in the group of employees being targeted, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise. But it was still a huge emotional and even physiological shock, to experience the notification personally. I had to avoid coffee for the rest of the day, for fear of over-stressing my fast-beating heart. I doubt I will look for another job, especially considering the circumstances - I'm a well rated software guy turned manager, with a good salary, that will be hard for other companies to match. This feels like the right time to start focusing on having a personal life.