And Then There Were None

Well, it finally happened.

I got word yesterday that my last two remaining co-workers from my previous employer (The Company That Shall Not Be Named) got their pink slips. At least the bastards gave them 60 days notice.

So that's it – everyone I worked with there for 7.5 years is gone. Will the last one out of the building please turn off the lights?

There were 25 of us in that group while I worked there. I was #24 to join the group; the only reason there was a number 25 was that they dumped our manager (Skippy Whitebread) for another guy. (Although Skippy was probably the wisest one – he's still there, in a different dept. Talk about your lucky breaks.)

Anyway, there were 25 of us all together.

* 3 of us left the company on our own accord.
* 2 (Skippy and one other) transferred to other departments.
* 20 were laid off.

It's the end of an era – a department of writers, editors, and graphic artists, poof - all gone.

As for the company, it's barely standing anymore. The last I heard, my old facility in Sioux City (which used to house 9,000 employees) now has about 60 people left.

Apparently the place is like one big ghost town – it's like watching "I Am Legend", only without Wil Smith and the cute dog. (I would've said "only without the zombies," but I'm sure that there are plenty of those there.)

I'm doubly glad that I jumped off that ship a year ago – otherwise I too would've been tossed on the street yesterday. It's not a good time to find yourself on the unemployment roster, what with the economy shaking like a Polaroid picture.

And I feel really bad for my old friends who now on the outs, but it's not like this came as a big surprise. After our team was cut from 16 to 9 in 2003 the writing was pretty much on the wall. (In bloody capital letters, no less.) That's when I decided to get my butt back to school, and take the steps to move on with my life.

Sure glad I did.

So hang in there, America. The economy can't suck forever. Can it?