Happy Birthday, You’re Fired

And other platitudes

by j. brotherlove

But before I get to the title of this post, let me tell you that I suck at social interaction. If you are “looking forward” to meeting me during SXSW (check my SXSW banners on the side panel, money), please curb your expectations; the literal trumps the physical. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

So, you wanna read about The Birthday?

What can I say; it came and went (like they do) without incident, accident, excitement, or particular footnote. Lil Man wanted to take me to lunch and since I had absolutely no plans, I wasn’t about to object. We spent the afternoon in East Point and ate at Thumbs Up (I’ve taken a conscious effort to spend more time and money in Southwest Atlanta - as opposed to Midtown and Buckhead). After lunch, we stopped by College Park Shoes. As I was paying for my cognac Treviso’s, heard someone call my name. It was one of the reps I used to work with. She told me she had though about me all night.

REWIND
So, Thursday afternoon, my manager (who is also a good associate of mine) confirmed my cell number before leaving the office for the day. “Is there something I should know?” I asked. She gave me “the eye” and said she would call me. Later that night, after swearing me to secrecy (because announcements were to be made on Friday), she told me that my director informed her that her job had been eliminated. I gasped and told her “That’s terrible!” She paused, “And so has yours.” Face: cracked.

FORWARD
Okay. You know how you’re feeling low and you hope for that one person who can make you feel better to, well… make you feel better? Well um… that didn’t happen. I heard from a few folks who I haven’t heard from in a long time (always cool) and from fewer people I talk to on a regular basis (WTF?). As birthdays go, this won’t be one you find in the journals.

REWIND
Late last year, my company awoke to the news that we had been bought by another company. Um… what? We have a solid history of buying companies; but being bought? Not so much. In fact, we were under the impression that we were positioning ourselves to acquire yet another consumer products company. Needless to say, the news was shocking. A wave of mild hysteria floated around corporate headquarters that has never left.

After reading the business principles, I knew the new bosses would have little tolerance for our extensive customer service, training and business coach program of which I’m an intrinsic part. Some of the other eliminations, however (like my manager), are not as logical. But, it’s business - not personal, right?

FORWARD
Prime saved me from utter futility by escorting me to the local joint full of skinny twenty-somethings dropping “it” like it’s hot, cigarette smoke, big booty strippers, and a couple of exes who still dig my flavor.

THE PLAN
For now? I have to wrap up some things at the office and prepare for SXSW. After that, I’m scheduling days of de-stressing and leisure-tude, sprinkled with some design mojo and anchored by cuties with booties that make me go “damn!” Or something like that.

Then it’s onto the two-tiered approach of securing a cash flow. Corporate or independent, stay tuned. I’m gonna make it do what it do, baby!

Holla atcha boy.

Oh sweetie. This is one of those situatons where everything sounds like a stupid platitude but I’m going to say it anyway. Sounds like you’ve got the right attitude and ambition about all this. I for one can’t wait to see what the next chapter is for j. brotherlove.

Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.

Good luck.

Ouch — talk about a birthday surprise! I’m glad that even with that news, you had a nice birthday. Everything’s going to turn out well; I know it. :)

hey there, i am slowly resurfacing to the world to say a very happy belated b-day. i see that i am not the only one with drama.hang in there.
luv ya.

You know what to do now…

DESIGN!

HBD.

damn i shoulda read this post before iming you last night. first, sorry i missed the bday - i try not to do that and i even think amazon or some other such service that we’re both on reminded me…so i suck. on the job thing, well sometimes we don’t see it right away, but it ends up working out alright and usually for the better. see you in Austin.

Hi j.! It was great to meet you today. Thanks for coming to our panel. :) I look forward to seeing more of your work.