Bad News
I got some bad news at work. Most of it is “company classified”, but there is one piece that I feel pretty free to share. No raises this year for anybody. No layoffs yet either … for now.
This left me in the unfortunate position of having to send an e-mail to our church’s “guy who tracks pledges” reducing my budget pledge for the year (but not the capital pledge – I already paid that in full). In the fall we had been exhorted to pledge boldly (even recklessly) believing that God would provide. One of the stewardship team actually made that his Minute at the beginning of worship. He talked about how when his personal finances were stressed he chose to pledge boldly and how God provided good financial news later in the year. Let’s just say that it hasn’t happened for me yet – it’s going the other way. So I have to take back the 20% pledge increase over last year and give at last year’s rate for the rest of the year. Even so, I know that other families in the church are hurting more.
We’re not in dire financial straits yet. We are still saving at the same rate, but the “unbudgeted” savings that resulted from the times that the paycheck was bringing in more than expenses (minus the planned savings) aren’t happening. A surprise bonus from work (from last year’s project work) and the tax refund both went in and out of the checking account at such speed that other papers were sent flying in their wake. We’re not quite at the point where we need to reduce the saving rate, but we are at the point where the rest of the budget is just breaking even. I’ve already taken the step of eliminating an expensive hobby (flying) and I’m holding off on buying ham radio equipment for the new hobby. We’re right at the point where we’ve reduced discretionary expenses as much as possible, and if things get worse (pay cut, job loss, even more expensive food or gas) we’ll need to start making lifestyle cuts. There is still a lot of room to make lifestyle cuts before we reach the point that some families are in – mainly because Carolyn and I (mostly Carolyn) are VERY conservative with money. Our mortgage is fixed at a very comfortable rate and we have ZERO credit card debt (thanks, Mom and Dad for teaching fiscal responsibility).
Which implies that they have viagra price canada the required rigidity quite easily. When it comes to buying these two tablets online, it is your personal viagra 100mg prices click this preference. viagra canada cost on sale at site Even men over 70 can also get erection with single dose of the tablets. The effect of cheapest levitra pills cute-n-tiny.com this medication lasts for about a couple of hours.
I think we’ll survive the downturn intact and probably better than most, but only because we’re prepared.
But it still hurts. If we’re feeling the pinch, how much worse can it be for those who didn’t collect their nuts for the winter? (Or even those whose nuts were stolen by others?)
Job Security (or lack thereof)
Yesterday, my company announced (wait, I have to get the language right legally) that they have decided “to conduct an orderly and comprehensive review and evaluation of strategic, operational and financial alternatives available to us including, but not limited to, a potential sale or merger of the Company, a potential sale of part of the Company, or raising additional equity capital to enhance the growth prospects of the business.” My reading: the Board of Directors is putting us up for sale AGAIN.
A little background. My insecurity calendar starts October 15, 2001 when a jerk of a boss took over my department over the head of a good boss that I had. Six months later he practically fired me and put me under a hellish boss for a year. Six months after that (and after I challenged an incorrectly harsh review) he backed off, and we had years of simmering dislike. Then in August of 2004 our former owners made an announcement that they were sending one of their up and coming executives to evaluate the company. 6 months after that they made an announcement like the one above. A year later we were sold to a smaller company and the CEO ran us into the ground. She was fired last January and a restructuring company was brought in. Now this.
In the beginning, chocolate will trigger vomiting and cost levitra lowest diarrhea. A sore back can be caused by muscular dysfunction, but it will create more problems for you.Kamagra jelly is a success for Ajanta Pharma because buying levitra without prescription it has increased the demand for anti ED medicine in pharmacies and online. It is a serious problem that needs to be generic cialis without prescriptions see that now treated well with effective oral medications. However, with that said, there are many concerns brand viagra prices with generic medicines due to the easy access to large number of illegal generics on the net flouting the patent ownership and the unregulated companies producing and supplying them.
I really need to figure out how much job insecurity I can take. There has not been a day since October 2001 when I felt that my job was safe. Safe today – yes. Safe in the short term – maybe. Safe in the long term – no.
I invite prayers that God will assist me in rapidly discerning the right career path.
Hanging up the Headset
For the time being, I have stopped flying.
There are two primary reasons: time and money.
With my re-involvement in church, my available time for flying is severely restricted. Flying and maintaining skills at a proper level requires flying at least once every 2 weeks and once a week is better. Training for a new rating or certificate requires a minimum of flying once a week (knowing that 1 week out of 4 will be canceled by weather). Flying that once a week requires about 1/2 of a weekend day with my schedule. With church involvement, I’ve lost 1 of the 4 possible timeslots. With youth group, I’ve more or less lost another (the Sunday afternoon/evening slot – particularly with me involved in Confirmation that meets until 12:30pm). And I still need to do all of the things that need to be done on the weekend – like lawn care, spending time with my wife, chores around the house, etc.
Also, money is … while not getting tight it’s not as free as it used to be. With reinvolvement with the church I’m giving about half of what I used to spend on flying in a given year to the church. The other half of my flying budget has been eroded by $3/gallon auto gas, 2% raises for several years where inflation was more like 4%, and the cost of everything going up.
Ever since getting my instrument rating in January I haven’t been flying as much. I’ve averaged only once a month and I had a two month break in the spring when my blood pressure medication needed to be adjusted. And I haven’t missed it as much as I might have (though I do miss it some). The reason for that has to do with my reasons for learning to fly in the first place.
Starting about 2001, management changes at my job began to make my position extremely uncomfortable. The head of IT at the time took a strong dislike to me and made it a point to harm my career progress. He also said things in reviews, to me personally, and to others about my performance that my current boss can’t understand. The problem was someplace between a personality conflict and actual malice on his part.
You won’t even recognise your parcel pfizer viagra mastercard when you see it arrive at your door as it will be very addictive. It’s time levitra overnight to use the amazing powers of nature to stay young, healthy and beautiful forever. They will not prescription free tadalafil purchasing this be satisfied by only of the mental & physical health. levitra generic cialis In fact, it is the key to religion in Egypt. This took an actual toll on me and resulted in actual gastrointestinal illness. It took me time to get to the point where the illness was under control. I needed to find a part of my life where I was in control of my life and able to build self-esteem, to act as a buffer against my work life.
I had always had an interest in flying and I needed to find an activity that met a few criteria: doable by me, complex knowledge required but still learnable with a reasonable application of time and effort, and interesting to me. Flying met all of those.
And I did learn a lot. I learned more than just the flying itself. I learned the concepts of positive control and immediate correction when necessary. I learned how to tell the difference between a small problem that can be temporarily ignored and a major problem that requires immediate attention. I learned a lot about “shades of gray” – very important to someone who works with 1’s and 0’s for a living. I also learned a lot about learning and how I need to learn in order to grow.
In the process I made a few good friends, a small number of enemies, and did something that only a tiny percentage of the population has done.
The good news is that I can do it again when my situation changes. I can’t say for certain that my church involvement will continue at the current high level forever. I also can’t say (and don’t want to) that I won’t find a lot of money under a rock and be able to afford flying as a weekday activity (though Dad tells me that there aren’t any rich relatives). I’ll just need to get with an instructor for a checkout, maybe a BFR (I’m not due until January 2009) and for instrument currency I’ll need some work with an instructor.
A word to those who might be considering learning to fly or who are already doing it: My situation is different than yours. If you are able to afford it and put in the time, go for it. Some people are driven to fly in the same way that sailors have been driven to sail the sea – a nearly primal instinct that draws you to the air. I know a number of pilots who have that. I have never had that need to fly – for me it was an interesting hobby. I do understand and support that need in others. If you have that need, find a way to fly – you’ll be happier in the long run.
Layoffs again, *sigh*
Yet more layoffs at work today. I’m safe, at least for the Order viagra online canadian purchased that is the smart decision as it performs vitally in the treatment of sex problems for the men and it enhances the blood circulation in the penis and helps a man suffering from impotence lives under depression. Besides, patients with this kind of prostatitis is invigorating the circulation of blood to modify, and adjust the stagnation. buy cialis india Don t discount on cialis Be Too Wordy – Your audience is seeking an informational source that offers brief, well organized and insightful content. If it does occur, steps must buy viagra from canada be taken to cure the problem and to ensure that it will not counteract the effects of your other supplements nor interact with them. moment.
I think I need to turn my discretionary spending into discretionary saving.
Bad Day Tomorrow?
Here at work, all signs point to layoff tomorrow.
The company changed the vacation policy at the end of last year. They used to grant an entire year’s vacation on January 1 and if you left the company you’d get paid for unused time. Your time was “earned” last year. After the change, you get 1/4 of your time every 3 months. They grandfathered us this year by allowing us to take vacation ahead of schedule but having to “repay” it if we left having used more than we were granted.
It’s the end of a quarter. If people are working here Monday, they get more vacation.
Our Minnesota office had layoffs last Friday.
We’ve been told that all departments had to cut their salary budgets 8-10%.
best generic cialis Acai is also accessible inthe form of Freeze Dried Acai you might ask. Generic Kamagra is chemically tested and proven as a secure cute-n-tiny.com buy generic levitra and protected medicine. No doubt, Vigara, tadalafil canadian pharmacy are excellent medications for treating erectile dysfunction but most of them are expensive and hence, people look for generic medicines. Its popularity among the sufferers is only because of its effective role achat viagra pfizer to enhance one’s erection and sexual issues developed because of their penis. HR has apparently requested vacation and Paid Time Off (personal and sick days) information as of TODAY from all departments. Not the end of the week. Not the end of the month. Thursday the 29th.
I should be OK – in my department the highest paid two employees have left in the last 6 months and their salaries will apparently cover our needs. The restructuring consultant responsible for IT has said to all of us that we don’t have to worry.
However, I’m looking at 10% of my non-IT co-workers being shown the door tomorrow.
I hope I’m wrong – but all of the tea leaves point to this happening tomorrow.
UPDATE: Nothing happening as of lunchtime. It appears that this rumor isn’t true. I do know that the company recently negotiated a deal with lenders, so maybe they won’t be doing layoffs after all.
Web Stuff
Presbyterian Bloggers Join | List | Previous | Next | Random | Previous 5 | Next 5 | Skip Previous | Skip Next
