Analog Coast

Erron and I were having a nice evening. We went shopping for assorted items. thento the grocery store for supper. Supper was some nice steaks with cheese bread and beet greens, and Erron suggested we also have a bottle of wine, it was great. After supper we opened up the dominoes game that we had bought and started to play. After maybe half an hour of playing in the kitchen we heard this loud bang. We both made sounds to comment “Someone must be mad to slam their car door that loud”. About 10 minutes later we heard this light knock at the door so I went to check it out. The guy didn’t have to say much, just point at my car. Someone had smashed into it while parked in the street and then taken off. Hopping outside in my socks I started to survey the damage as another neighbour came over and told me his son had been watching out the window and saw the older, black Jimmy that had smashed into me, and they had called the police. Erron came outside to ask what was up, her view obscured by the hedge. I just pointed and she came out further,”My God! What happened!” The neighbours told the story again and then Erron and I went to get our shoes. The cops missed our house the first time (turned one block too early) but in a few minutes they were there. Turns out the guy decided to turn himself in, so all the officer needed was my registration to take down to the station. I gave it to him and Erron and I went back inside to wait. We played more dominoes and opened another bottle of wine. After a while the officer came back with the accident report, the guy wasn’t drunk, just stupid, he’d been reaching for something while going around the corner.

So this morning I took a couple pictures for you guys to see, the light in the first one shows where my car WAS, it probably got pushed back 8-10 feet. The next one is a bit closer to see the damage.

Does anyone want to come wall-climbing with me at Vertically Inclined Saturday April 16 at 6:30?

Monday, April 5, 2004 will be in my mind for a little while. Attending little baby Katharina (Katie) Erron Anderson’s funeral was traumatic enough, but that was not the whole story of the Monday.

Just before I left for the funeral, I get called into the boardroom by VP of development and VP of Human Resources. “Hi Vlad, can you come into the board room, please?” I couldn’t come up with anything clever at the time (and there was this tiny voice in my head saying “keep your mouth shut”) so I just said “Of course” and hung up. As I left the desk I looked back to it and thought “I hope I don’t have to clear it right away”. I wasn’t that much of the mark.I walked into the boardroom to see my boss sitting on the right, with his boss right beside him. VP of HR was on the right. “Please sit down in the *hot seat*” VP-HR somewhat jokingly said. “We want to talk to you now, since you have a funeral to attend” VP-D added. My boss sat with a nervous face not saying a thing. It was obvious that it was not his time to speak, and he may not need to say anything at this meeting.

VP-HR said “I’ll cut to the chase”. My heart dropped and I expected a pink slip. The matter of fact was that our office’s development efforts are being centralised to Quebec City. I was offered a different position and asked not to talk about the meeting until everyone else was informed.

Half an hour later, over a twenty-minute-and-five-slide presentation titled “HIS Development Reorganisation” the rest of the developers found out that their jobs are gone. The office was as sombre as I ever remember. Most of the developers received severance packages the same day. Couple of people that didn’t get the package since they’re working on a current possible money making project.

As for myself, I’m being offered a position with new R&D department in Mississauga. If I decline, I receive a severance package. I haven’t received any numbers or was promised anything yet (except that my current boss would still be my boss – he accepted a transfer).

I have until April 19th to decide if I’m going to take the position or not and it’ll involve talking to my family and many of my friends. I wouldn’t have to leave until late July or early August, but that would be it. I’ll let you all know what I’ve decided when I actually reach a decision.

- Vlad