And a decade coming up too

While I'm talking about anniversaries I might as well mention that one decade ago the career I loved at the University was rapidly approaching its end in a tumultuous time they called a "transformation" that devastated staff in the University, nearly caused rioting by the students, and kept our local newspaper filled with front page stories until it finally culminated in the President leaving in criticism and disgrace.

Ten years ago as the writing was on the wall that middle managment in the Univeristy IT department was passe and unneeded, as we were all fed the tainted "Who moved my Cheese" propaganda, someone came to me with an offer to good to be true. Join him, build a company, partner with Big Blue. Escape the death throws politics of a University who may not survive the chemo they had taken. Start in a company a new.

Who could resist such an intoxicating proposition? Oh and it comes with a signing bonus, and a big fat salary and quite an impressive title with responsibilities to match. And I said Yes, and it was good, and the devastation to University IT middle management did come to pass.

But then four years later came the tech burst. My little dot com went to a dot bomb as I would say with a nervous snicker. It was great while it lasted. And that my friends did not help the marriage. My ex, growing into her own midlife crisis, did not need the extra weight of a non-Camelot partnership. Although we weathered the storms very successfully and most would suggest you grow stronger, her commitment grew weaker. She only heard the priest say "for better...".

After a period of difficulty overcoming my overqualified label as a senior person in a small startup company, I started the shit shift and nearly got my self killed with undiagnosed sleep apnea. This required me to live 50 miles from home for 2 months because I could not drive. For some this absence would make the heart grow fonder, instead it made the idea of living with my stuff but without me seem like the best of both worlds. My ex claimed that is when she made her irrevocable decision, but thought she'd wait until I was fully treated and back home to announce it to me, to "let me down easy".

Well I traded shit 3rd shift for long solo shit weekend shifts on first, for my own health's sake. Then after the mediation I suggested did not meet with my wife's expectations (too balanced), she started this oddesy in 2005. Depleted my life savings, left me alone in an empty house with a nice bedroom my child never sleeps in, dragged my ass to court for 45 appearances only to get my employer to toss their top excellence performance awarded person (me) for "absenteeism".

I do have several more years of litigation to go... but it should be on a reasonable schedule.

Wow, Sept 1997 to Sept 2007, from rescue to collapse, is there a Phoenix ready to rise from the ashes in Oct 2007? I hope so, I really don't need to explore this cavern any deeper. It's dark and dank down here and I long for the sunlight, to breathe deeply and soar to new heights. Would you cheer me on and come along for the ride...