I have been a little slow off the mark the last couple weeks- I know many have noted it and I feel bad. I have been doing this morning blogging thing now for nearly twenty years, and the fodder of of chaos, national and international, in the government and out of it, has been entertaining to say the least.

The good news is that I think my Doc and I figured out what was going on with my body, we changed meds and things appear to be going better.

That is the up-side. The downside is that I got summoned to an “annual review” of my performance with the great little company for whom I have toiled the last year- it might even be the anniversary this morning.

It was around this day last year that I left the rapacious and soul-less enterprise that ate us all up and spit us out and I feel really good about that. I was proud of the work I did for them, and the people I did it with. A billion dollrs in total contract value, and over 800 people put on the job. Then they shit-canned all of us to save some overhead.

That was kind of weird. I always thought you were supposed to take care of the people for whom you were responsible. My bad. It left me perched on the brink of a great chasm- you know the one. You may have considered it before yourself.

I sometimes thought that if I spread my arms in the great bat-wing motion I use in the pool to get the low-impact exercise I crave, I might be able to soar over the abyss. And then I realized that this is all finite, and there is no real flight save the last one. Time to enjoy things while we can, right?

I was reading that story from Olongapo I posted yesterday. I hadn’t actually read it in a while, and when I did, a great fat tear ran down my cheek for the memories of all the people I served with, and the ones who I cared about who made life so memorable in so many strange places and who are no longer here.

I take this all seriously. I am a professional, after all, and do pride myself on that.

I appeared at the office in Falls Church at the appointed minute, went into the office and sat down at the little table. I said to my Boss: “You hired me to work to win a contract that has now slid rather far to the right. I don’t think you are getting the value added for what you are paying me. Considering I am eligible for full Social Security payments without offset, I see no reason for you to be paying it. I am not retiring, per se, and I will continue to work until they get around to releasing the bid and will seek no other employment until we win it.”

That seemed to disconcert my Boss, since I think he thought it would take an uncomfortable minute to get to that.

We are all good.

All of us.

Vic

Copyright 2017 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com