19th Jan 2011 - 5th Feb 2011 - San Francisco Again
About to be Unemployed.........
Hi All, Am writing to report that I am about to become unemployed - yes, it is true. My position here in San Francisco 'has been eliminated' in a fairly large restructure and I find myself almost free with many decisions to make. Interestingly enough, I am exactly one year here with the company to the day - I started in Vegas and it all ended on exactly the same day, one year later, in Vegas. I receive my official notice on 10th February, am still employed by the company until April 14th, however, in the meantime, am on 'gardening leave' with a lot of paperwork and financials to sort out before I decide what is the Next Big Adventure and in which country....... Backing up, I was in Las Vegas 2 weeks ago for a couple of days, staying at the Palazzo. I have to say that I am definitely NOT a Vegas girl. The Palazzo is to my mind, a man-made cave, with a pretty ceiling to make you think you are outside in the glorious sun. But you really are inside the whole time, even when you are looking on to the Canal with gondoliers and walking through a seeming plaza with blue sky and clouds. The more I stay there, the more I dislike the whole Vegas thing. However, I did manage to have a wonderful dinner at Tao with my team, which we all thoroughly enjoyed on my last night there. I was told that my job was no longer in existence while we were in Las Vegas, so I flew home early and packed up my office. Now, I am going through endless boxes of paperwork here in my apartment to get all my taxes sorted, something I have been threatening to do for years, and waiting for the various milestones to come up on the transition to Officially Unemployed. Once I have all that in order, I have to go to New Jersey for some business to do with my car accident at the end of February, and then I can be free to come home or ?? I am not sure what I will do and where - I desperately want to be in Australia, and will take the next little while working out what sort of work I will do next. I am not rushing in to another Big Pharma job at the moment - the last few years have really taken it out of me and I think it is time to concentrate more on my health, my family and simply enjoying my life. Lots of planning and thinking to do in the next few weeks. In the meantime, my apartment looks like a paper bomb has hit it, with files and papers lining the floor and every available surface as I trawl through years of receipts and papers. Hopefully I can get this sorted within the week. On Monday, finally, my lounges arrive - how strange that I finally have something to sit on. I guess I will hold off on any major decorating until I make some decisions here. In the meantime, the last week, has just flown by. Last weekend I had dinner with my friend Patty who was in town from Chicago. We went to Watermark and it was lovely with the floor-to-ceiling fish tanks as the feature decoration looking out on to the Bay Bridge and the water. On Saturday, Hilary was also in town, and we had a wonderful afternoon strolling through the Ferry Building shops and markets and then had a great dinner at Farallon (seems to be my favourite haunt!!) It was fantastic to see her and it was like our old times, when we talked every day as Hilary drove from Bridgewater to New York and back at the beginning and end of the day. We solved all the problems of the universe in those calls and I really appreciated having her here on this particular weekend as I brainstormed what to do with my new (non) work situation. The possibilities are endless and there was much to chat about. Today, I had a very slow day as I made my regular Saturday trip to the Ferry Building Markets and stocked up on all my lovely fresh organic foods. The sun was shining and the temperatures were in the low 60's so it was really lovely to walk along the waterfront. People came out in their droves and there were bicycles everywhere - a major hazard when you are trying to drive from Point A to Point B in San Francisco - mostly tourists who have not ridden a bike in ages, so doubly unpredictable. Then, in search of haloumi cheese, I landed at Rainbow Grocery - a vegetarian cooperative where all the staff own the company. I have never seen such a collection of vegetarian and organic produce in my life. There were complete aisles devoted to flours, or pulses, or coffees, all in bulk form - you would have to spend a lifetime there to work your way through half of the stuff. There were aisles devoted to homeopathic medicines and a half an aisle of just tinctures (see my photos) It was unbelievable and incredibly busy. I bought some flax seeds and flax oil which I am told does wonders for pain and also a bit bag of Epsom salts as this is meant be a great bath additive to relieve all the muscle soreness. I will see how I go on this front. So, my friends, something is always going on and this is my Big News.... I have a plan to stay put here for February at least as there is much to do, and then I am hoping that I will start turning back into a normal person, which I am very much looking forward to. I think I can feel the load lightening a teeny bit, but I have a long way to go yet and I may take some time to sit on a beach somewhere for a while to gain some health and strength (but it could easily be Manly, I guess!) Then, the Big Next Adventure will have to start. Love Deb
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