I had a chance to sit down and talk with one of the more senior people at the company who've recently "gotten the package", a friend, as it happens, at least in the sense you can have "friends" who's success and survival depend on playing it close and keeping their distance, and got an overview of what's been happening. Good grief, good grief.

I joined the usual crew after work, one of whom was sitting at a table surrounded by empty Guinness glasses. The first time I've seen him in such a funk. A long week, it seems, for all of us.

The old company, and I'm a youngster with a pitiful eight years experience, but the old company, in the sense I know it, is gone. So be it. All companies change. We have ups and we have downs; some days you're one of the good people, some days you're grouped with the soon to be departed. Others joining the company in the future will have their own taste of the experience: Get up, get down, it all goes round. Part of the business, part of the working experience. Nothing to be upset about (he says), except you learn the down times really do get you down, no way around it, even though you know (through experience), up times are coming.

"Up times are coming."

Yes! Yes! Believe it!

But one must remind oneself, repeatedly, "up times are coming, up times are coming". One must get off the dime and go forth (and prosper!). So tomorrow, what the hell, I'm looking at this Honda Element thingie I've been pondering and consider if the car and the oh so nice camera lens, the one I don't need, but would really like to have, would make good birthday presents. Fuck it. I'm really due and ready to rationalize. Really. Or is that "doo"? Really "doo"? As in dog, the animal, man's best friend? All of the above and many another, I would imagine. The human condition. After nine, after work, many sheets to the wind, on a Friday, in Oakland.