I’m on Call Over the Weekend

Not really a common occurrence for me, but Younger Son got sick the day after the blood bath, and I’ve been working at home for two days. I’ve been productive, but not in a highly visible way. So the boss calls my cell and says he may need to be in touch over the weekend for some numbers (I am a number-cruncher; it’s not my passion, but it does pay the bills). We have a birthday party this weekend, and family and friends coming in, but what am I going to say, really? No? Not bloody likely.

So, I’m essentially on call. Hopefully, I just get a breathing space on Saturday to have the party.

I took the boys out tonight for Younger Son’s birthday dinner. Had to break the news that my sister and her kids wouldn’t make it (first time ever; gas is just too prohibitive). They took the news pretty well, though they were still disappointed, especially since Hubby has to be out of town until Saturday morning. It’s a tough year for the kiddoes; thankfully, Younger Son was happy we could order some cake for dessert, and he didn’t even have to finish his salad. Thank goodness for small blessings, eh?

Although Younger Son’s cold is starting to sound more like barking, and I’m starting to worry that it’s settling into his lungs. If he sounds worse overnight, I’ll have to get him into the doc tomorrow. Budget for October is looking not so good at this point, although most of the extra expenses have come out of petty cash rather than credit, but still, not comforting.

I’d sit around and wish that I could win the lottery, except I don’t play, so that sort of puts the kibosh on things.

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Massive Layoffs Today

They cut hundreds and closed two plants; it was a blood bath. I’m okay, but many longtime friends are not. There are a few I still haven’t heard back from, so I don’t know.

I’ve been with this company, in one capacity or another, for more than a decade. I’ve weathered layoffs, and acquisitions, and divestitures, and I’ve still not ever seen anything on this scale. It was horrifying.

And we’re in relatively good financial shape – paying out a higher EPS (earnings per share) than YOY (same time last year).

So I send my thoughts out into the great void tonight, and hope my friends, and everyone devestated by the current economy, will pull through without too much lasting damage.  It is not much of a wish, I admit, but I think it is the best we can hope for in the short, or perhaps even medium, term.

It is the very definition of “sucks out loud.”

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