I got notified this morning that I am 'being impacted by a Reduction in Force', which is a fancy way of saying I am getting my pink slip. We've been preparing against this day for many years so no worries about me please. I just got off the phone with Birddog to let him know about it and he said 'Sorry, and congratulations!' which I think is about the closest I can say is the way I feel about it too. I had a glimmer of hope that I'd be able to call my own shot whenever I finally decided it was time but that's really the only thing to be sorry about. My honest to God biggest feeling right now is one of relief. Kinda feels like there was an invisible weight there that ain't any more. that's why I said, 'This is weird'.

I worked on my first telecom circuit in 1975, damn near 40 years ago. I was lucky enough to see technology change and keep up with (prolly proud of that most of all) and a few times even make impacts that were felt across my part of the industry. Its been a great career. I'd be lying if I said I have had much fun at it the last ten years or so. It kind of feels like I spent 30 years helping build a business and then spent the last 10 years tearing it apart. We got a letter the other day from our Chairman describing our third quarter results. In the letter he lists three things that he said were our most important assets for success: Our network, our systems, and our technology. Flash back to 1979 when I attend a training class for a startup company I'd went to work for called MCI. The President and the Chairman of the company came to the class and talked to us new hires for about an hour. Just sat down at a table with us and looked us in the eye and told us "The number one resource in this company is our people". When those values changed is the point in my career when I stopped having fun working hard.
So I guess that's the part that's the weight off my shoulders.

Now its time to come up with a new plan. We're pretty well prepared financially I think and at the risk of being overconfident I do know there'll have to be some changes made in how we live our life. I still hope to get to dive every year but prolly no more two weekers in the Caribbean. But who knows? Sure was fun though while it lasted! I don't know if I'll work at something else or not. Prolly will. Maybe not though.

Now maybe I can grow my hair long and .......wait, what?

BKB