F'd Without Being Kissed - Laid off on Valentine's Day 2008

It was 9am, 02/14/08 - I was talking with my immediate boss, best friend, co-worker, Mary, when our Big Boss came in and indicated to me to come into his office. Now, many times I have been called into his office... My heart sunk everytime. Silently my mind screamed, "Oh, no, what did I DO NOW???!!" (Yes, he had a way of bringing out my paranoia). This time however, it was for a very good reason. Big Boss told me in a nutshell that I was being laid off!!! I was in shock. He told me not to freak out... I wanted to .... I won't complete the sentence. Why bother? I immediately felt alone, confused, reamed without the benefit of lubricant. I was so stunned that I just sat in The Chair for a few moments... "What do I do?" I asked him... He asked if there was anything he could do for me.... I had worked at the engineering firm 2 months short of 11 years, and had not had a raise in the last 2 years... The past few months I actually worked from home, so, I did not have a desk to "clean out"... "Pay for me to go to bartending school?" "I'm digging into the firms credit line right now to make payroll...." blah, blah, blah...

Big Boss told me that Other's will also be laid off... I did not care... I did not have a job anymore.
I felt like a leper as I crawled out of his office. A person with no country. An Illegal. I felt dirty, used. I felt like everyone was whispering and snickering... Were they?

Mary suggested that we go have coffee and talk... I felt a tiny bit of the numbness wearing off... Perhaps by 1 percent. She confided that Big Boss told her the plan just the night before. She wondered if she should have warned me... Good question. I still don't know how to answer it...

Still numb, I get into my car and head home. As I get on to the 101 from Shea Blvd, I ask my Guides, Angels, "Is this a Blessing or a Curse?" I just drive South to the 60... As I approached the 101/202 merger I see an Arizona personalized license plate in front of me, and I am trying to decipher it: ABLESING Huh? Is the person a Singer? Able to sing? No... Wait there isn't a 2 in it... A Blessing!!! The Lay Off was A BLESSING!!!! Oh, really.... HOW???!!!!

This Blog is dedicated to the adventures of finding a new job in a horrible economy. I am writing this to help anyone who may find this - what to do if you are laid off. What are some of the steps...