Unemployment is a roller coaster...

Yesterday I got invited back over to Thomson (along with all of the other guys who got layed off plus about ten people that are still employed by Thomson) to hear a presentation from the manager of the group at ADI that would manage the ADI Indy design center if such a thing were to come into existence. Listening to him he is very convinced that such a design center will exist. Of course, there are MANY questions regarding how many people such a center will employ and WHEN those people will be employed and would I be one of them and so on....

Every week we hear that we will know more in a couple of days or next week. This has been dragging on. I have now given my resume to two different head hunters (guys paid by the companies to find specific job skills). I am thinking that it might be time to start talking to the paid (by me) head hunter that can start to get my resume out there. I am not sure that we can get our house ready to be on the market before Grandma has to go east and I am not sure that she can get it ready by herself if I have found a job in Timbuktu after she comes back. Ahhh something will work out. The mystery is to know what it will be....

Sometimes you get all dressed up...

and discover you have no where to go.

The "development" that I mentioned yesterday was that I was asked to go back to Thomson for an hour or so to to discuss my "skills" with two guys from Analog Devices (aka ADI). Their company has been considering purchasing remants of the old Thomson Silicon Components group for some time and this is another step in the process. All of us who were laid off last Friday got together last night for dinner to discuss the discussions and we were all confused by process. It seems that these guys that came in yesterday were plucked from their offices on Tuesday and told to go to Indy for these "skills discussions" yesterday. They had no clear information about the prospects of this deal going through and even less information about what shape it might take if it does go through. We have heard lots of rumors but I fear that most of them seem to be based upon wishful thinking.

Bottom line, one of these days this might turn into an opportunity. The big question is whether we can afford to wait long enough for it to do so????

Think good thoughts my way this afternoon please

More update later but there has been a "development".

Please think good thoughts my way this afternoon and I will post more this evening with details.

The end of an era....

I don't know how else to describe it but today was my last day at RCA/Thomson. I had an eerie thought the other day that about three years ago the managers in Indy all started spouting the same "we are not RCA any more, we are Thomson" speech. We had been Thomson since 1986. Since they all started doing it at about the same time this had to come down from on high (from France). What a coincidence that at about the same time is about the time that our division started spinning around the drain. Ah well, can't be bitter here.

We did get to live in France for two years (and play tourist like crazy). Growing up as a "hick" in Indiana I NEVER even imagined such a thing. And there were some great people to work with (and a few that were "challenging"). But overall it was a good bunch.

But it was/is still VERRRRYYYY bitter sweet to walk out the door for the LAST time.