I’m not single, but my wife and I have not celebrated valentine’s day since we were dating, and I think we only did so once. Mostly we’ve been too broke throughout our marriage to get too carried away on valentine’s day, and it’s close to our oldest daughter’s AND my wife’s birthdays, so we decided a few years ago not to observe it.
So don’t feel bad. It’s not just the painfully single not celebrating today. Raise a glass to Ellen Tigh and have a BSG marathon in your underwear. So say we all!
yup ain’t noting wrong with being single on Vday. It saves the wallet some grief.
Valentine’s day is to celebrate all love. So everyone call your, mom, dad brothers, sisters, and friends.
So even without a date take this weekend to spend time with family and friends.
Dinner is cooking, so I decided to go jump in the shower. And I’m blasted by ice cold water. ARGGGGGGGH! There’s no hot water. Thankfully, it was just that the pilot light was out on the hot water heater. Now I have to wait until after dinner to shower. Meh.
You wear pijamas during tv marathons. You (Puerto Rican?Spanish?) people have the silliest customs ever:p
I know I’ve been off the boards a while. It’s just that this Toaster’s real life has gotten a bit complicated as of late. Gotta love this economy.
Some backstory:
Both my wife and I work* in advertising in Boston.
A week before Christmas (the day after their Christmas party) my wife’s ad agency had layoffs. This organization that prided itself on “being a family”, upon laying someone off (some having worked there 6 years or more) would walk them back to their desks and give them 5 minutes to clear out their stuff. They even canned some people over the phone.
Well, we were on vacation out of state at the time and the whole day my wife was getting panicky emails from her co-workers at ground zero giving her updates as to who was next to go, and concerned emails from people outside the agency who had heard whispers through the grapevine and were asking for information.
All these conversations were happening over her work email.
WARNING! Don’t ever do this! No matter how concerned you are for them, don’t email out any listing of who got laid off using that company’s email. Not to concerned friends, not to potential employers, nowhere!
So a little more than 2 weeks ago my wife is called into HR and told that someone on the list she emailed was not happy to have been on said list, and that the agency could no longer trust her. *Mentioning something about a confidentiality agreement in the fine print of papers she signed when she took the job, they fired her. Not laid off, fired. No severance. No unemployment. Just the door.
No real leads in the past couple weeks means that we have 2 weeks left (9 working days) for her to find at least a really strong lead, one worth the gamble of going into more debt to stay on an extra month, or we’ll have to move out of our cozy apartment.
Meaning, my wife and our beautiful 2-year old daughter would move in with her mom in Syracuse NY, aprox. 5 hrs away, while I would be commuting from my dad’s place in NH to MA and back every day by train, and driving to NY every weekend.
The hardest part isn’t the unfairness or humiliation, the pain of moving our crap into 2 separate locations, or the prospective loneliness and monotony. Every day when I get home, my little girl lets out the most celebratory “Daddy home! Daddy home!”. Honestly, I’m pretty sure it’s the best part of her day (Mine too, but that’s beside the point). The hardest part is knowing that she will have been robbed of time with her dad, and that she won’t understand why.
It’s taken a couple of weeks for me to be able to mention that without tearing up.
Anyway, Others have it worse. We still have 2 weeks, a workable if not attractive fallback plan, and hope. That and the knowledge that the time apart would only be temporary. And anyway, the daily commute could theoretically give me 2 hrs a day to focus on my illustration, while the 10 hrs in the car on the weekends could be filled with podcast and audiobook goodness. (I’m ripping Gaiman’s 10 CD Neverwhere as I type this.)
And thanks guys. Sorry to burden you with this extended sob story, but I just needed to get it off my chest.
Oh, man, LT, I am so sorry. That sucks so bad. I know there’s nothing I can say that will make it better, but know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
And don’t apologize, hon, we all need to unload sometimes. hugs
Yeah, that sucks LT. I’ve been in a similar boat, although I know that doesn’t help. Chin up, and carry on.
Attempts a manly chest bump. Ends awkwardly.
I’m so sorry for you and your family, you will all be in my prayers
Frak, sir. That’s all totally terrible. Being away from the fam takes it over the top. Hang in there.
so sorry, LT. I’ll be thinking of you
Oh man, I’m so sorry.
That was crappy of your wife’s employee to fire her for that. Can’t they acknowledge the simple human need to employees to know what’s going on when layoffs are happening?
I’ll PM you about some ways I can possibly help re: your wife’s job search.
No sorry needed. This is why the thread is here. I am thinking about your family and hope for the best for you.
Just be glad I wear anything at all. Cause that ain’t a pretty sight.
I know I’ve been off the boards a while. It’s just that this Toaster’s real life has gotten a bit complicated as of late. Gotta love this economy.
Some backstory:
I so feel your pain, man. Here’s hoping a lead comes up very, very soon for you guys so your little girl doesn’t have to miss her daddy during the week. That would be a knife through my heart as well.
You are such good dads.
Cause we love our kids and like spending time with them? That just seems like a basic requirement for the job.
My condolences. I recently had to put down my own beloved car it was mortally wounded by an Ohio Pothole, for anyone who is unfamiliar with this phenomenon its when the road bed opens a hole to the Underworld. The pothole was large enough that when I hit it, it broke my frame mounts and my engine actually fell out of my car.
LT, ditto everyone else on the thots and prayers. Glad you found time to unload on us–we’re good for that.
Thanks for the thoughts, prayers and hugs Apollymy, they all help.
It’s not like I have much of a choice, but thanks none-the-less Pike. (And you seem to have made it through in one piece, so that’s heartening.)
Don’t be sorry yet Boomer (you never know what can happen in 9 workdays), but thanks.
If it happens, I plan on playing it off like I’m a high-powered businessman who fly’s home on his private jet on the weekends.
…And I’ll be trying to get Skype to work on 2 sets of grandparent’s old computers. Keep your fingers crossed.
Thanks D.
You’d think so, but it seems that they have been looking for excuses to cut corners and save $ wherever they can. Employees are still being picked off one by one there.
And Thank-You especially Thot for your help. If anything comes of it, the Toastette will owe you a couple dozen gourmet cupcakes. (She runs a side cupcake biz out of the home). No one can deny her toaster pastries.
Thanks Leah. Honestly, you guys are just the best.
This means a lot coming from you Armando, considering all your trials and tribulations. Thanks.
This toaster says “Not all tin men are lacking a heart”. And it’s an honor to be in the same Good Dad Club as Armando.
True, but regrettably, there are many single moms that know it’s not a requirement. It should be made law.
Gotta admit I felt a little self-centered writing that post, but hearing from all you guys has indeed made me feel better. Thanks Glim, and thanks everyone. Once again the GWC forum proves to be an amazing place full of supremely nice people with huge hearts proportionate to their big brains. You guys rock.