Livin' on a Prayer

So, we meet again. Unfortunately, in looking through the last five or six posts, you will get a very sad snapshot of the state of the American economy. You see the fear my wife exhibited regarding possible unemployment, followed by the eventual downsizing. Well, since I have not been blogging, you did not hear my same anguish for the past 8 or 9 months, ever since ABC announced they were moving "All My Children" to the west coast, but it happened. Oh, and guess what? After the painstaking angst of helping to move an entire soap opera across the country, and subsequent sad goodbyes to all the crew members I'd grown to know and love, I can now relate to how they were feeling.

Last Thursday, I was called into the VP's office, and albeit a scary situation, wasn't the first time. I mean, last time I was called in, it was to measure for a space so I could order him a new mini-fridge, but I walked in, and was immediately thrust into a scene straight out of "Up In The Air". Seriously, the only thing missing was Clooney. I was there, the HR lady was there, the "package" in the folder was there. So, I mean, although I wasn't surprised in the general sense. Yes, we lost a large show, yes, it has impacted workload (slightly, although I still had more than enough to keep me busy), yes, I was being closely monitored regarding spending company dollars, but still. It's one thing to be theoretically aware of the economy, and the decline of soap operas in general, but it's another be told "your position has been eliminated." I was gobsmacked. I literally felt completely blind sided. They were very nice about it, I just was in SHOCK. I don't remember a time I was literally agape, but there I was, jaw hanging open, and tears stinging my eyes, ugh.

Now, as another victim of the declining TV industry, I have been trying to get myself together. I have to say, that I'm not usually one to toot my own horn, and I certainly wouldn't say I'm a model employee, but the response I've gotten from co-workers, vendors, and even the security guards I've been working with for the past five years has been EXTRAORDINARY. Apparently, if you are looking for the most efficient, nice, and funny chick ever to work with, that chick is me. I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, and the sheer magnitude of the network I've formed in the past five years is really phenomenal. I have makeup vendors, stagehands, makeup artists, and even cleaning supply sales reps trying to hook me up with job leads, and offering recommendation letters.

What's funny is that I always feel pretty consistently amazed by the response people have to my ability to get the job done, wherever I've worked. I have always been able to maintain a gchat conversation, while accomplishing all the work, and then some. Perhaps I just haven't been challenged enough, or something, who knows? So, I feel as though with the last day of my employment being this Good Friday, I will hopefully experience my own resurrection of sorts. I have a lot to look forward to, and now maybe I can figure out what I really want to do! I've got a VERY promising lead on a few weeks of P.A. work on "The Marriage Ref." So, I guess I'm going to be thrown into a world of celebrities and production mayhem! So, let's hope that Jerry Seinfeld (the creator and executive producer of the show) loves me, and wants to hire me forever!

Oh, and you know what else is AMAZING? When I got home, I was thanking Andy for all the work he's done around our apartment, in preparation for my Mom's arrival tonight, he then proceeded to tell me something else. He lost his job too. Now here is the thing, he lost his long standing job of nearly 20 years, nearly a year ago, for a ridiculous reason that I can't get into now. In October he got a great job, and although part time, was paying him really well, and it made him insanely happy. Today, because he was working for a town in NJ, and the budgets all over our state are being cut like crazy, his job was also cut. So, here we are, in Jersey, and co-unemployed. WOW. Not quite sure what we're going to do yet, but I know we're going to be ok. I realized that he and I could TOTALLY be staring in a Bon Jovi song, which awesome enough to keep me going for a while. Although I only have three weeks of work lined up, further down the line, it's alright.

So, for now, we're gonna hold on to what we got, and you know, I'll get back to blogging. Here's to an f-ing brand new life of excellence and opportunity. Cheers!