Losing My View...

I snapped this photo from my office window back in the spring, after I found out that my employers were planning to renovate the building and my department would be moved to an entirely different part of the "campus." I love the crab apple tree when it blossoms, and the whole scene looks lovely at every time of the year. I'm so fortunate to have landed that office! But alas, I AM losing the view and the office, and not to the renovation. I've lost my job.

Yep... come the middle of July, I will turn out the light in that office with the lovely view and head off to... well, a new job, I hope! Or maybe a few weeks of rest and relaxation and interviews before taking up the career cudgel again.

Ah, the joys of right-sizing! My entire department was dissolved and its responsibilities shifted to the Boston office. This despite our proven track-record of sweeping adoptions. Oh well.

One of the ironies of this situation is that Jeff and I were just this past Sunday regaling some old high school chums of mine, Rob and Shary, and their delightful daughter Ginny, with stories of educational publishing over bits of flaming cheese in a Greektown taverna (and they were regaling us with anecdotes of vodka swilling and cow-head stewing experienced while visiting Ginny during her Peace Corps posting to Azerbaijan). And lest you think educational publishing is not nearly as exciting a topic as drunken hi jinx and ew-factor food in western Asia (and you'd be right...), all three of our audience work or have worked in education, so there was common interest! I hope! At any rate, it was a wonderful lunch. And since Ginny is staying in Chicago for a while, I hope we will be able to repeat the experience again!

For all my pals who may read this and worry--I don't think this will turn out to be all that dire. I have to admit that I've been rapid-cycling emotionally through all the phases: denial, anger, sadness, etc., etc.--so much so that I sometimes think my head is literally spinning, but I'm starting to cycle closer and more often toward acceptance. I have some promising leads. I'm good at what I do; I know the vagaries of major adoption state standards; books I've edited and projects I've managed have returned millions of bucks into the coffers of my soon-to-be erstwhile employer. So I should find something. I might even try my hand at freelancing again, should the opportunities arise. This might actually be a blessing in disguise.

Anyway, if you're so inclined, spare a positive thought or two or three for me! I'll keep you posted on developments!

Oh, and any of you who might by chance run into my mom... I haven't told her yet, so mum's the word. I'll break it to her gently, probably soon, but I'd like to solidify some of those leads a bit before I do. She'll worry, and I want to spare her that for a while. (By the way, she's a technophobe, so there is zero chance she will read this!)