Sometimes life likes to reach out and remind you just how puny you are compared to the rest of the universe. Today was such a day. For the first time in my life I was laid off. If I can believe the VP who broke the news to me it wasn't performance based or due to personality conflicts or complaints. It is just that the company is moving in another direction. Whatever.

Over the last three and a half years I've put quite a bit of myself into that company and managed to have shipping code in nearly every product in the last two years. A few months ago I was singled out as one of the 'employees of the half year' which the company has a cute name for but I won't say because it gives away the name of the company. Unfortunately hard work and being the best at what you do just doesn't seem to be enough when it comes to layoffs.

Long ago I received a company mug. Below is a sequence of pictures that show my current state of mind. Note that the company logo is not visible at any time because I don't feel like giving up my severance package.