Perfect Timing

I’m not sure how common a feature it is – no other dishwasher I’ve had has had it – but one thing I like about my RCA(?) dishwasher is the “Delayed Start” option. It’s a very handy feature.
(That RCA makes/made dishwashers – with or without cool features – was news to me.)
I did a little housecleaning today, not so much because it was messy, but in an attempt to clear out any of the lingering cat dander that irritates my allergies every so often, and also to try to clear out the previous owner’s scent.
It’s not that it’s necessarily a bad scent, it’s just that it’s not my scent, and I’m getting tired of walking through the door and feeling like I’m walking into someone else’s house because it doesn’t smell like mine.
I’ve also got all of the windows open to help air things out and because it’s a pleasantly cool autumn day.
Speaking of cleaning things house, the rumor mill at work has been grinding out rumors like crazy, as it seems clear that on Tuesday there are, once again, massive layoffs coming.
As it’s pretty much a given that layoffs will happen, the rumors consist primarily of speculating on just how massive they’ll be and who will get the axe.
Honestly, things don’t really look promising for anyone.
And don’t let the fact that we just moved into a newly-constructed NOC fool you into thinking that there’s any less chance of us all getting cut. Building a new NOC and then laying off all of the NOC personnel a week after they move into it would be pretty much standard operating procedure, which should tell you everything you need to know about why massive layoffs would be necessary.
Given that I just bought a house, I am, to put things lightly, rather troubled by it all, and I have to say that my fears were not at all allayed by the fact that when I got in to work on Thursday I found that the desk I work on was the only one that didn’t have a sign designating what desk it is.
Things only got worse on Friday when I got the following call:

Ring
Me: Operations, this is Jon.
Douchebag: Hello Jon, this is Douchebag from Merrill Lynch Financial Services.
Me: Uhh…okay…
Douchebag: We provide financial services to people in times of crisis, such as layoffs and –
Me: This is a Network Operations Center.
Douchebag: Yes, and –
Me: No. This is a business number. Why are you calling here?
Douchebag: We would like to –
Me: Shut up. Don’t call here.
Douchebag: Okay, but if you would just –
Click

WTF? What kind of douchebag vulture calls people at their jobs and tries to prey on their uncertainty about potential layoffs? It makes ambulance chasing lawyers seem like class acts by comparison.
And what does he know that I don’t? And how did he get our number in the first place?
Still, the fact of the matter is that if my time finally comes on Tuesday, there isn’t anything I can do about it, and if the rumors about the severance package are true, I should be able to get by for a while until I can, hopefully, find another job.
To be honest, there are a lot of jobs in this area, and I do have at least a couple marketable skills – though the fact that I’ve never even been interviewed for jobs I’ve applied for within the company I already work for does give me pause.
Ultimately I think I would find some kind of job, but the real question is whether I could find one that pays as well as the one I have now, or that offers the same kind of schedule, or that has a ratio of actual effort to compensation that’s as out of whack.
(Seriously, the amount of money I make compared to how much work I actually do is just insane if you think about it.)
I have to think that I’ll end up settling for much lower pay, worse hours, and more work.
Still, I guess I cross that bridge when I come to it. If it happens, it happens; no point in worrying about it now.
In any case, it’s put any plans I had for buying stuff for the house on hold. Maybe I should stock up on cheap, non-perishable food instead.
Oh well, I suppose I should take the opportunity to mess with my HD DVD player, as it may be my last major purchase for a while.