Well, I made it thru the week and I'm still employed. Apparently, my skill set is needed for the job that they are currently working on. Depending on who you talk to, I may last thru the end of the year, or, I might be there thru 2004. I'm not sure what to believe. I spoke to the Dept. Manager today and he told me that I had been doing an excellent job, and it was his gameplan to keep me on as long as humanly possible. He said my skills were going to become more and nore important as time went by. Bottom line here is that he could get called into a meeting at any time and told to cut back his employees, and I would be history. So I continue to dilligently look for other work.

The truly sad thing about this week was watching people I had worked with and come to respect packing years of their lives in cardboard boxes, some of them crying. Some of these people were quality human beings. They deserved better than they got. And here I stood being grateful to still have a job, but feeling very guilty that there I was a contractor with a little over two years on the job, and they have 15, 20 years, sometimes more full-time service to the company, and they're being shown the door. It kind of made me sick to my stomach.

I know I should be, and I am, grateful to still have my job for at least a while longer. But there is a part of me inside that truly hates what is happening there right now. I just hope that all these people land on their feet.

I hope and pray that someday soon I find a full-time position elsewhere so I don't have to deal with this anymore. It's time to be a part of something meaningful. I want to wake up in the morning and look forward to going to work. It's been a long, long time

Thanks for leting me rant, I needed that.

bp

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."