[geeks] Bad things happen to guy strikes again

[Chris Byrne]

So I had an interesting halloween

I go to work in full costume as part of a charity funraising drive. My
costuem? One of the dead football players from Beetlejuice. Got the glow in
the dark zombie paint on and everything.

I spend much of the day walking around the building collecting for charity
in cosutme. Only about a half osen of the 500 people in the building elected
to wear costumes.

Round three o'clock the HR staff gather all of us with the costumes, take a
photo, and give us a "company spirit" award plus a nice bottle of wine and
two gift certificates for meals at nice place in town.

As I get back to my desk my manager asks if I've got a secodn and pulls me
into a conference room. With him is the team leader for HR.

"We just dont think you fit into ell corporation. I'm sorry the decision has
been made and we wont discuss it any further. You are terminated as of
today."

As I get back to my desk to clean it out, an email is circulated throughout
all of Ireland with my picture attached:

"We would like to commend the following people on their excellent company
spirit and thank them for the work they did today for charity  <list of
people including me>"

To lift a much overused line, fate it seems is not without a sense of irony.

Oh and the picture is going into the employee newsletter for Ireland next
month.

So I am once again unemployed. My family is putting the pressure on hard to
go back to the states. I don't really want to do that but if I dont get a
job by next month I may have to.

I still dont have my tax back from last year, and if I can get that back I
can afford to spend a few months looking for a job so... we'll see what we
see I guess.

I forgot to update you all on other fun things. About four weeks ago my
father went back to prison for the third time. Five years for money
launering. He has what appears to be terminal colon cancer. He does not
allow family to visit him or contact him while he's in prison and it's
unlikely that he will survive his term. He is a convicted three time
offender in the federal system, and thus inelligible for parole. I will most
likely never see my father again.

Oh on a good note my mother is doing a lot better. She has full use of her
lower boday back and the pain is lessening. She was even able to fly across
the country to visit family, something she hasnt done sincee the start of
this most recent bout with cancer two years ago.

Chris