I got laid..

...off, that is.

This monkey wrench in the wheel that is my life is just another statistic, however, in the numbers rolling out of the mouths of D.C. babes. This title for a news article pretty much sums it up:

Unemployment high in March, Officials Say

Brilliant in its simplicity or simple as in Billy Bob Thornton in Slingblade simple? You decide.

In the wake of this occurence, I had two options: A) Treat it as the earth-shattering, traumatizing event that this was supposed to be and go unwashed for the next three months or

B) Carpe Diem! Seize the opportunity with Robin Williams dancing on my shoulder blathering "O Captain, my Captain!" I'll take life by the horns! Make lemons out of lemonade! Yeah!

I chose neither of the above, because C) a girl needs to eat.

I'm not kidding. Maybe not my first thought, but one of my first thoughts upon receiving the news was "Maybe now I can finally get to try The Little Owl?" Seriously.

Before getting laid off, it was clear to me impending changes were going to happen regarding my incomings. Thus began a loosely orchestrated Plan B. Here's what I know:

1. Contrary to my glorified image of new motherhood, where I snuggle with my newborn daughter in her Baby Bjorn during maternity leave and sip cappucinos at cafes while chatting with friends, I was the post-natal, sleep-deprived equivalent of Pig Pen from The Peanuts Gang up until the day I returned to work. The day before that, I took a shower.

2. While on maternity leave, the world fell apart to which I was oblivious.

3. In my return to work, however, it became abundantly clear that juggling new motherhood and the increasingly strained work environment was going to be a wee bit of a challenge. Therefore, work stress and new baby combined meant I did not have the wherewithall to live what is commonly known as A Life.

4. My net income on unemployment benefits would exceed that of what I was making at work after deductions for childcare each month. This is New York City. Believe it.

And in general, life was sucking a lot more than I had hoped for being a new mom.

So Plan B was kicked into gear and I got my ducks in a row. My desk was cleared out two weeks before they gave me the boot (hence the modicum of satisfaction derived from watching The Snake's face when she escorted me to my desk to Voila! There would be no joy had in watching me pack up an already threadbare cubicle!) Our apartment has been put up for sale. I paid off certain bills, while scooting down to the minimum on others.

And breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, a month after being laid off, I'm less gray, less stressed, less irritable. (Note: not completely without irritation, but less so. I don't claim to be a saint.) And A From LA, who actually is no longer A From LA since she's back in New York, is, well, back in New York! And we have planned jaunts to local dining establishments that we have been dying to try but previously had no time to do so. We may not have the money either, but we'll work that out. Sharing is caring, ya know.

All that with a baby in town while I look for a new job, along with the apparently 13 other million people who are doing so as well.

So...watch this space. (I really mean it this time!)