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darkember
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Name: Josh
Country: United States
State: Colorado
Metro: Boulder
Birthday: 10/12/1981
Gender: Male
Interests: Computers, music (both listening and creating), baseball, hiking/backpacking, cullinary displays of wonder
Expertise: tough to be at expert at anything
Occupation: Engineering
Industry: Computers (Hardware)
Message: message me
AIM:  dark ember 3
Member Since:
12/27/2003
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| I figured now that I have some semblance of a life again, I may as well give an update to all 1 of you that may actually read this or care what the shit happened over the past few months.
Having your company acquired by your biggest rival sucks. Big time. There are 3 main reasons for this.
The first one (and this one is fairly obvious), is because there are bound to be people that you've worked with and become friends with that are going to get laid off. No matter what the outcome is for you, you know that you won't be working with a lot of those people anymore (either because they're going to be gone, or you're going to be gone, or both). It's fairly depressing. I remember the last all-hands engineering meeting we had and looking around thinking that 3 out of every 4 people in the room were going to be working somewhere else. Especially if everyone takes pride in the jobs they have done, and the company they have built. It's just not a good feeling knowing that everything and most everyone is going to be dismantled. And of course, the worst part comes on the day where those that are leaving get walked - and you know it is the end.
The second reason is living in the dark with regards to what the future will hold. It's like being in purgatory. No one knows until right near the end whether they are staying on with the new company, or shutting off the lights at the old one and having to find a new job. It may not seem all _that_ bad, but believe me, it is. 5 months of not knowing whether you'll be employed or not can be very rough on people - especially those that don't handle change very well. Fortunately, I'm not one of those people (I believe that change is always good in that it allows opportunity for growth - but that's a different discussion). However, there are always plenty of people that hate change; people that are terrified of change. One person I work with actually went to the hospital for anxiety attacks related to the stress the situation was putting on him and his family. Not a good thing. I didn't think it would be as bad as it was - but I ended up having to cancel travel plans, put off some major purchases, etc. because I really had no idea what my financial future would be in a couple months. Bad news.
The third reason, and probably least obvious, can be summed up in one word: Boredom. Once the writing on the wall is clear enough, and it has sunk in that basically everything you're currently working on is going away, it seems like everyone just surrenders. They throw in the towel. And that leaves people with absolutely zero work to do. For weeks on end. The first week wasn't too bad - played a lot of cards, ping pong, that kind of thing. But you can only do that for so long without rotting your brain. It made the time pass at 1/4 speed, it seemed like, and coupled with the uncertainty of our futures just made for a very negative environment. Going around through the ghost town after a lot of people have been walked and having no work to do doesn't exactly give you a bunch of warm fuzzies. It was kind of chilling at times...
So now, just moving on with the new job, and trying to help friends that were laid off find new ones. Sorry it's been forever since a meaningful post, I just had to take the time to settle the rest of my life down.
Can't promise regular entries here, but I'll certainly try.
And if anyone wants more info/details about aquisition related things, feel free to email me or something and I'd be happy to tell you what I can (there are a lot of company specific things that I can't, so don't ask me about that kind of stuff!) | | |
| "Conscious Burning"
I saw a dark sign on the horizon
But that's not what I keep my eyes on
Even in tough times, good people shine
we say stand together, it's yours and mine
Conscious burning, everything's gonna be alright
We're gonna shake this town with a long forgotten light
Things are changing, but I am not afraid
We'll be together - Rockers of the very Last Wave
When I step down they'll retire my mic forever
Hang it next to jersey 23 at the United Center
Tone syncopation, bigger the bet the better the win
Consciousness party till the light's shining in
Woah, Hey - it's coming down the track
Wa-ah, one two three to the four
There just ain't no turning back
Woah, Hey - mission of the Last Wave
Rising from the foundation that your true soul made
Conscious burning, everything's gonna be alright
We're gonna shake this town with a long forgotten light
Things are changing, but I am not afraid
We'll be together - Rockers of the very Last Wave
Music ain't nothing but expression of joy
When the train hits your gonna feel it
and if you try to preach, that ain't nothing but noise
But if you're feeling love reveal it
This phenomenon comes from the ground of creation - without a doubt -
It is not a sign of weakness - to be real move your body turn it out
Conscious burning, everything's gonna be alright
We're gonna shake this town with a long forgotten light
Things are changing, but I am not afraid
We'll be together - Rockers of the very Last Wave
-Common Rider | | |
| Yay! Spring training is staring! Finally, baseball is approaching again. Been looking forward to this fantasy season too. :)
Also, I'm getting a day off tommorow! Management decided to try to give us a short reprieve so we don't all die. I'm going to go help my dad plant some trees outside. Will be nice to be outdoors for a while. More to come later... | | |
| Someday I'll get a day off again...
21 days and counting... Will be 28 before I even have a chance (next weekend). That doesn't look promising either. Sometimes being an engineer really sucks. | | |
| Oh Valentine's day - what a joke. I hope those of you that got in fights because of bullshit on this contrived holiday are happy with yourselves (because I know there are a lot of you). Remember, you shouldn't need someone else to tell you that "today is a good day to express your love." Any day is just as good as February 14th - which also means that it isn't a requirement to spend a bazillion dollars on this one particular day (when all the prices for everything are all jacked up)...
It seems to me that having a required "love day" is rather contradictory - love isn't something that can be required of someone else, but must be given freely. That's part of the beauty of the feeling (both giving and receiving).
So I'll tell you how MY V-day went:
Go to work at 7:45 am. Try to get out of the mess we are currently in (with no less than our president attending our daily meetings) with the help of about 20+ engineers. Leave work at 8:30 pm. Cook tofu + pan fried noodles for Laurren and I. Pass out watching Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" around 10:00pm (in the middle of the movie of course). I obviously (involuntarily - thanks work) don't buy into this corporate holiday!
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