Stress

I like to think I'm a fairly mellow guy.  Sure I get angry at bad or unsafe drivers.  Rude people irritate me.  But mostly I just roam around doing my thing.

Except the past couple of months at work.  Normally I don't get too riled up about work.  My job is pretty easy, after all.  I'm not getting shot at, no IED's to worry about, and if I'm feeling under the weather or just not in the mood, I'm pretty free to just call it a day and go home.  But the past few months have been special.  My extremely vast employer has bought another nearly-as-vast company, and announced that at the end of it all 30% of the combined juggernaut will be out on the streets.  That's a lot of people.  Will they close the St. Louis site?  Maybe.  Will hordes of people be unemployed, even if they keep the site open?  Without doubt.  The best part about it, for sure, is that the VP's all patted each other on the back and gave each other million dollar bonuses...and used tax-payer money for 1/3 of the buyout money.  Classy.

Mostly I'd be okay with that.  Rich people get richer and screw everyone else.  That's capitalism.  I'd likely have to leave St. Louis to find work, but that's ok.  I have no dependents to worry about, and I can always forage for food if need be.  But many people around me at work are absolutely bat-sh*t crazy.  Freaking out.  Weeping in the hallways.  Collapsing in sobs in meetings.  Howling about the unfairness of it all.  And they haven't even been given the boot yet.  I can sympathize.  If you've been at a company for decades, have kids to feed and put through college, would like to retire within your lifetime...that can be stressful.  Unfortunately the stress rubs off on me.

Unsubstantiated rumor on the street is that site closure announcements will be revealed Monday.  I don't expect the St. Louis site to be closed entirely...which unfortunately means several more months of stress and sobbing coworkers until our individual final fates are handed down.  At least until the next buyout/merger/reorganization...

In other news, my niece is still ridiculously cute.  She was candy corn for Halloween.

"Yo!  Give me some candy!"