The market dropped again today. My dad recently inherited some land in Poland, which he sold for a good chunk of change, and always wanting the best for his kids, he gave my brothers and I each $1,000 (!!!). We are far from rich; that is a very big deal. He put it directly into our Roth IRAs. Bye bye, $1000…
Boyfriend and I got together for coffee in Battery Park this afternoon. We talked a lot of gloom and doom about the economy, which he’s really knowledgeable about from work. He knows what he’s talking about, as he works in i-banking. Yes, still. Only one more i-bank to fail and then I’ll have to remove these kinds of references or you’ll know his job. It’s so hard to believe there are only two left… this is truly a new world.
One of my best friends at my own firm got let go yesterday. It wasn’t a total shock, as he had been getting some warning signs, but it was still really sad. Today I sent an e-mail to another colleague I had been working with closely and who was really wonderful, and it bounced back. I joked that maybe she had been let go. Two hours later I got a call: she was. I will now spend the next week filling in for her to tie up some loose ends until her replacement can get up to speed. I haven’t talked to her yet (when is it appropriate to call in a situation like that?), but I’m pretty sure it was a total surprise – we had just had a discussion last week about the economy and she said there would probably be cuts but that they would be from other departments and that we were safe. Now? Who knows.
I ate a crapload of junk food today b/c I still haven’t learned my lesson. I avoided the cookies and pastries that were being passed around, but couldn’t help but partake in a ton of the various flavors of gourmet popcorn that were around for some fall networking event. I did manage to avoid the cheese-covered kind (no dairy and all that), but somehow I couldn’t say no to the peanut-butter-and-white-chocolate-covered kind, the caramel-and-hazelnut flavor, or the super sweet kettle corn. Clearly those are totally healthy but the cheese kind is what’s bad. I will pay for this tomorrow, I’m sure.
Went to the Amtrak to find that my 4:40 train had been cancelled. Got a new ticket for the 6:40, and then that was delayed two hours. I quickly headed to Port Authority where I was able to get a bus ticket for 6:00 PM, but with the Friday night traffic, I still probably won’t get into Hartford until 10 PM or so. And then I still have to eat dinner, get to my hotel, lay my stuff out, etc.
My mom is meeting me in Hartford. She doesn’t like driving at me in the dark. She was going to leave at 4:30 but then waited to see what was happening with my travel plans. When I finally got my bus ticket and called her, she screamed at me for ten minutes and threatened not to come at all. She finally calmed down when I started crying, and apologized. Stressful nonetheless.
My knee, which seemed all cured this morning from the wine last night, is now hurting like a mofo from running around Penn Station and Port Authority in the high heels I wore to work. God, what I wouldn’t give for a drink right now.
The bus driver is playing some incredibly violent, incredibly loud movie on all the TVs. Two rows behind me, there is a baby screaming its head off. Literally, screaming. There is definitely no chance of napping before I get to Hartford. I am seriously considering asking the mom if she would mind sitting in the lavatory with her kid.
In theater, they say “bad dress rehearsal, great opening night.” Does that work for marathons?
ahhh crazy day! good luck tomorrow!!!! just think positive thoughts 🙂
oh wow whatta day! It will turn around. Good luck this weekend!
Sorry you’ve had such a sucky day. Actually, it’s been one month to the day since the suckiness began, because it all started on my birthday on 9/10 with Lehman Bros.
If anything happens at work, you can send me a message on my other blog and I can see what I can do about helping you get a job at the company I work for, which does have an office in NYC.
Anyway, I hope you get to Hartford quickly and have a great night’s sleep and an even better run tomorrow.
Sadness for your friend. I do hope the economy gets better soon! One bad thing after another, or so it seems 🙁
Good luck on your marathon though!
I’m actually kind of grateful to read your post, as I’m surrounded by people who don’t think this week is any big deal. But it looks huge to me. Bigger than anything I’ve ever seen in the news as an adult except 9/11.
Hugs to you, your friends and bf. It’s a scary, scary time.
But it’s never a bad time to run a marathon! Hope you get some rest, and that your mother continues to not like driving at you in the dark. 😉
Wow, I hope so, that sounds like a horrible day.
I’m sorry about your friends’ jobs. It’s scary for everyone, and at our age we’ve never been through anything like this.
Is your firm was still giving out offers, though they’re letting others go?
Good luck this weekend, I hope it turns out better than today!
Have fun at the marathon tomorrow. It’ll make up for your crazy travel tales.
You really are a maniac! I can’t believe you are running another one!!
Poor you! So sorry about the sucky day. Hope race day is miles better.
Good luck and take care!
ILL BE VIRTUALLY CHEERING YOU ON IN AUSTIN!!
and sending prayers your way as well…
Rough times for all of us–but particularly for us in the city. Hopefully you keep on being one of the lucky ones.
As for Newport, wifey and I are driving up there on Friday morning and then driving back Sunday afternoon (after we tour all the mansions). Let me know if you’re going and we can coordinate meeting up!
Good luck in Hartfort, you maniac you (and take care of that knee)!
I made the mistake of looking at my retirement account; YIKES! Won’t be doing THAT again any time soon.
So when’s the next ‘thon?
***praying all goes/went well***
I hear ya – my bf and I talk about doom and gloom all the time. I try to lighten things up, but he gets so fired up and depressed about how much money we’ve lost in the past year.