Thursday, August 16, 2007

Who saw that coming?

As a small matter of note, I work in the mortgage industry. Actually, that is a false statement. I worked in the mortgage industry. As of yesterday at around 2:30pm, I was officially given my walking papers. I commute to work. It’s about 40 miles each way. Luckily, I didn’t carpool with anyone that day. That would have been awkward.

“Hey, can I borrow the keys to your car? I need to put some things in there… I’ll be one of those things. See you in a couple of hours!”

No, I drove myself. However, I was carpooling because after work, we were going to the Dodger game. So I still had some time to kill. I wandered around the office for a bit, saying goodbye to some folks I probably wouldn’t see again, and a few that I will probably being seeing on a nightly basis because they were friends long before we started working there and we’ll be friends long after none of us are working there.

I’ve made a fairly lackluster effort to hide my distaste for that job. I’m really not broken up about it at all. I just wish it had been about 3 or 4 more months down the road. I would have been able to save up a bit more money by then and moved on anyway. But it is what it is. I can’t say enough good things about the company I worked for. Yeah, I got laid off, but look at what they did for me:

1)They let me go home yesterday, but they’re going to pay me for one whole extra week worth of work!! I mean, who needs more than a week to find a new job anyway? I only worked there for about 4 ½ years. They really do take care of their own.

2)They gave me a letter that in no way guarantees I’ll be eligible for unemployment. I can try, but I do so at my own risk.

3)Instead of putting down that Wednesday was my last day, they put Friday, so I have medical coverage all the way until then! I really hope I get super sick today or tomorrow!!

4) After they handed me all of my walking papers, they then (and this was totally uncalled for) offered to provide me with a box in which to carry all of my stuff out in.

It’s just crazy that in such a rock steady industry like that, it could be so topsy-turvy. Go figure.

Fortunately, it was a good day all around for me. I got of work early and the Dodgers won a game. That’s actually a little more impressive than anything else that happened in the day. For now, I plan on making fun of all my friends that still work there. There’s going to be a lot of jokes about not having to get up so early in the morning anymore, you can be sure of that.

Also, this seems to be an appropriate time and place to officially announce my retirement from the mortgage industry. It sucked working there and I don’t recommend it to anyone.

10 comments:

cadiz12 said...

i officially got my laid-off papers yesterday too! we should so TOTALLY form a club. oh yeah, they already have those; they're called unemployment offices.

i'm very sorry my friend. but you seem to be taking it a lot better than i am.

jazz said...

so maybe it's time to move out to nyc?

or something.

i know it would be weird to live with a fellow blogger you've never met, but since you're both available you can rent a place out here together!

cadiz12 said...

oh goodness, that would be an awkward conversation with my dad.

however, perhaps i should find a job before moving anywhere.

omar said...

I second the idea of moving to NYC. I hear you don't need a lot of money to get by out there.

In fact, let's all move to NYC and get a place together. Seven strangers, picked to live in a house, and have their lives taped to see what happens when people stop being polite and start being real.

Though I guess we'd need a few more people and some cameras.

Eric Skiff said...

Well, you know you've got Sara's and my vote for moving out here to NYC :)

Syar said...

They couldn't hande the beard. The cowards.

cadiz12 said...

c'mon now omar, strangers? you guys know more about me than a lot of people whose faces i've seen in real life.

Nadia said...

I hereby nominate myself as one of the seven. And, to put your minds at ease, don't worry about me stopping being polite. I'm a bitch to begin with. But I smell nice, so that evens things out, yes?

If you aren't yet sold, I own a camera. Well, not so much 'own' as 'have no qualms about stealing my dad's'.

So, c'mon, who's up for pooling money for a one-way ticket to NYC from Nowheresville, population: me?

As for the little matter of being unemployed, meh...all the more reason you'll need me around for entertainment.

Bill C said...

Did you get to keep the box, or was that just a loaner they repo'd when you reached your car?

Wait, you said "offered to provide" so maybe you didn't actually get a box.

I have no idea where to first apply triage, so I'll just recommend you wrap yourself like a mummy before starting the new job hunt. Which might not be a bad idea, since "Southern Cal" and all.

Jon said...

Cadiz: It's ok, I'm sure we can play checkers down at the unemployment office. That will make it a club for sure.

Jazz: I've tempted fate before with claims of moving to NY. It ended in a hit and run. I hesitate to tempt fate again.

Cadiz: You think it would be an awkward conversation for YOU? What about me??

Omar: What about being real polite? I'm assuming you're not coming without the wife and kid, so that means we'd still have 2 openings... should we start taking applications? This peer pressure is starting to mount.

Eric: I promised myself I wouldn't make anymore promises to you guys that I couldn't keep. So I'm not going to say anything. Is that fair?

Syar: No, they couldn't handle the beard, but really, who can?

Cadiz: Yes, but what we don't know is where you throw your socks...

Nadia: I don't know if it evens out completely, but I think the rest of us in the house can agree that we don't want to live with anyone that smells like a garbage dump. See if you can work out the funds.

Jam: The box was located in a glass case directly behind the HR lady. I think it was more for show than anything else. No triage is really necessary since the only reason I didn't quite the job months ago was because I'm not a quiter.