bad news all around

last week, there were layoffs at microsoft. it seems that everyone around me thought, for the longest time, that they were untouchable by the economy because they worked at this company. but last week seems to have brought this sense of fear and uncertainty across my entire team - and possibly across the entire company. finally, the bad news that has been hitting the rest of the country has come around to Seattle. my own team lost only a couple of people but there is an inner conflict inside me - sadness for those who lost their jobs and yet, gratitude that i myself was spared.

on top of the fact that my team is shrinking, the tasks and deadlines we have already set are not changing which means there is more work to be done. ive been working longer hours and weekends since i returned to seattle from the Christmas holidays. i feel so tired and drained!! and the worst is yet to come. Next week my manager is going on vacation and i need to fill in for him. a great opportunity, he says, to gain visibility in the team and gain management skills. Possibly yes this will be great for my career but right now, i could really use some downtime. i'll have to keep up my own work while managing our team.

and today, there was news that a coworker is in the hospital due to a tear in a blood vessel in his brain. his condition is serious. this is a young professional, who devoted so much of his life in this product. he is the most physically fit person i know. he's one year younger than myself and the fact that his life can go from fit and heathly to hanging by a thread over the course of 24 hours is really a sombre thought. Please say a prayer for him today. Our team hopes he will make a full recovery.