And I'll Probably Feel a Whole Lot Better

One of the first things Val noticed after I had been left unemployed by the political fun at the Erie County Legislature was that I seemed way calmer than before.
This is true; as soon as I saw that this could be the end result of changing leadership at the Legislature, in late November, I started clearing my office of personal belongings/effects bit by bit, and had just about everything taken home when the hammer came down January 7. All I had to do was load the desk photo of Val and me, my water bottle, a can of soup, some gift candy and maybe one other thing into my knapsack. This took about one minute to do; I had already packed up my CDs, radio and a photo Val took in Austin from our 2001 visit, among other things.
But the tension of possibly/probably losing your job while not being actually told this or anything else specifically would happen took its toll on many of us, particularly those of us who are now gone; the "Dead Man Walking" joke never got old. So, getting the letter telling me my services would no longer be needed handed to me at 5:55 p.m., and for me to basically be gone by 6 p.m., released a lot of tension.
Of course, there is a different kind of tension going on now in our household as I try to find a new job and keep our home going, and no doubt Walker Evans may get sick of me soon.