Dear all --
I apologize for the summary response I'm about to fall back on. But I have no choice. I started drafting individual response to each of you who wrote since I last did. Then I realized that I'm never going to finish it this way. So Let me just start by saying this to you, Butrflynet, Ossobuco, Green Which, Edgar Blythe, chai2, JPB, Merry Andrew, Hamburger, Calamity Jane, dlowan, dyslexia, Roger, Tai Chi, Roberta, Eva, MsOlga, genoves, Walter, Francis, Region Philbis, Dasha, Setanta, Letty, Farmerman, Bi-Polar Bear, Joeblow, joefromchicago, Drew Dad, and goergeob1: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you ...
... for your stories, your insights, and all your good wishes! And, of course, the booze in all its glorious manifestations.
Let's continue by topic now
About my immigration status and my eligibility for unemployment benefits: I have a Green Card, obtained in February 2004. In the process of getting it, I had to sign some kind of waiver, stating that I wouldn't collect benefits from America's social safety net for a certain number of years. There are two important points that I don't remember. First, did that waiver apply only to federal programs or also to state programs? Two, was the number of years five or ten? Getting my documents into an orderly file system is high on my to-do-list. Meanwhile, I'll take Setanta's advice, just apply, and see what happens.
About the psychology of losing the job: I didn't hate
all about it: That's why I didn't quit of my own initiative, and why I felt anxious about losing it until I actually lost it. My colleagues were nice, competent, and very supportive. All my supervisors I know, beginning with my immediate boss and all the way up to the head of sales, command my full respect. (Back in Germany, my boss was good, his boss was okay, and that was it.) Although I didn't say "have a nice day", we parted ways very amicably. That's why I'm surprised to feel as happy as I am.
About travel: I haven't thought of FreeDuck's route yet, but there are three routes I particularly want to travel on before I die: Route 1 from the middle of nowhere, Maine, to Key West, Florida; old Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles; and state route 1 / US route 101 up the West Coast. I'm attending a conference in San Diego in the end of March, and I'm seriously considering a drive to Chicago and from there on down Route 66. But I'm not sure if I can make the West Coast route on this occasion. We'll see. And in any event, I hope I get to see Calamity Jane on this occasion.
Farmerman -- the Yuengling brewery, the coal fields, and the TREE sound like a perfect weekend project. Would you like to go to
my profile, solve the puzzle, and mail me your phone number so we can talk about the details? And thanks for pointing me to the DOE website. I'll check it out.
ehBeth, thanks for the pointer to the beaches. I'm already a big fan of Sandy Hook, and I'll definitely explore your recommendations.
Oh, and speaking of landscapes -- Shewolf, one of these days I'd like to discuss cameras with you. I recently saw your pictures, including some stunning landscape pictures, in the Albuquerque meetup thread. I'd like to figure out if I can afford the kind of camera it takes to make them.
Thank you all, again, for being here!
