Mama’s flight, news trickling in, Walter

Mama and I were up at 3 a.m. to get her and her luggage loaded in the van and taken to DFW for a 5:30 flight. It was a very short night especially since I did not feel well last night. After Mama and I had checked the chicken coop to ensure it was set up for Victoria in the morning I got back to the house and got very light headed and nauseous. I lay down on the bed and broke out in a heavy sweat. Fortunately that only lasted a few minutes but the malaise it left me in continued through church. It abated somewhat as I lay in bad while Mama finished her last minute packing. It is gone this morning. I have no idea what caused it.

We got to the airport in plenty of time. It always surprises me how many people are traveling at that time of the morning. I helped Mama get checked in and watched her go into the screening area, then headed out. I ended up getting to the office about a half hour earlier than normal. Not too bad except for the five hour night that preceded it.

Mama is fired up. She gets an extra week with the grandkids, an extra week to help Cori in the final stretch, an extra week to finagle trips to the beach – she will be sunburned before I get there. She will get to Pensacola before 10 a.m. so she will have the opportunity to go down for a nap with the kids. Her only real obstacle is that her flight arrives in Houston at 6:30 in one terminal and departs Houston at 7 a.m. from a different terminal. If she makes that, she will be okay. I am waiting to hear that she made that connection.

I should hear more today about the timing of the layoffs ahead. Our boss was in Houston yesterday for several meetings, one of which is called a “leveling session”; an interactive meeting where managers get together and rate their groups (on and individual basis) against one another for ranking and potential financial compensation adjustments.

It happens every year but it is more common to take place at the end of the year. As it turns out, for many employees this will be the end of the year. I am pretty sure this session included a discussion of those employees and contractors we could let go and those we would like to keep. I expect the final tally by the end of next month and I was sure hoping I would be in a Licensing position so that I did not have to deal with letting anyone go; unfortunately it is not going to work out that way.

The news continues to trickle in and we continue to make adjustments in our ongoing efforts to quell the fears of our respective staff members while looking ahead to our own vulnerable positions. It is a delicate balance of what we know at this point and what we suspect will happen at some future point. Fortunately, many of the people around me have been through something similar in the past. Though we do not know how things will play out, we have all experienced the process play out. That helps a little – at least we know not to take it personally.

Maggie and Aaron are getting to really enjoy Walter. Maggie has told us that he goes to bed at about 9 pm and wakes at 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., then sleeps through to 9 a.m. That is a good schedule for one just over two weeks old. It gives Maggie time to put Cathryn to bed and get her up in the morning between taking care of her little brother.

Mama could only have wished for such an easy child.