I Become Unemployed

Yesterday afternoon, WizKids Games laid off 23 people, about a quarter of the workforce. I was among those let go. The primary reason for the layoff was our inability as a company to make our projected sales numbers. While most of us were aware there were problems, I don't think anyone anticipated the depth and suddeness of the necessary cuts.

Needless to say, I'm not particularly overjoyed with this turn of events. Neither are my fellow employees who was laid off, nor those still with the company after such a traumatic event. This isn't one of those fun situations for anyone. Still, I have the highest regard for my former co-workers, and I am sorry to be leaving them. I had a great time working with them - it was a young, enthusiastic, risk-taking company with a lot of talent, top to bottom. Unfortunately, sometimes risks don't work out, and this is the result of what happens when they don't.

So I stayed away from the blog for the day, contacted family with the news, put things in order, made a few contacts, cleaned out the gutters (we had a massive rainstorm last night that brought down 5 inches of rain and overflowed my rain gauge), went for a long walk along the Soos Creek with Kate, and stopped for a beer with a friend at the Whistle Stop in Renton. I don't think it has all quite sank in fully yet, but I have no doubt that it will. In the meantime, in addition to my suddenly-activated job-hunt, I have a couple short stories that need to be finished, so I will be hunkering down with the computer for a while. Its not going to be a lot of fun, but I think I can handle it.

No cute comments or snazzy exit lines here. I've got a lot of work to do.

More later.