Week 3 of Sudden "Retirement"

As a proud new member of the Suddenly Unemployed Journalist Diaspora (yes, copy editors are journalists, too -- check out the ol' still-being-updated resume...), I'm in good company during this wrenching, chaotic, calamitous, hopefully-not-catastrophic "paradigm shift" from "old journalism" to new business models ... if indeed a business can still be made of journalism -- which I hasten to say is happening, but in such a shamefully unplanned and mismanaged way that could have been SO avoided that I kick myself/ourselves for not having taking charge more quickly years ago at the union level and management level, but I had put my trust in the powers-that-be because, well, they were the powers-that-be, little thinking some nerdy teens and dweebs in college dorms would be the ones to instantly rule the world. Oh, well, watery bits and bytes under the bridge board. More on all that in a later post. But first an update.

Time has flown by so fast in my "new normal" state of life that I didn't even get a chance to document week 2 of my new circumstance, and here it is already the end of week 3! Mom was always afraid to retire because she feared becoming a couch potato, and of course when she finally DID retire, she got busier than ever -- I only WISH I had the time to just dawdle and unwind. But it's been nonstop family and job-"search" stuff. I've put "search" in quotes because I'm including brushing up the resume (let alone getting TO the resume), which has taken much longer than expected: listing jobs I had forgotten about, correcting dates, remembering duties ... even though the basic resume has been with me for years and has updated repeatedly during that time. Ah, what a difference it makes to finally have the temporary luxury of time to tweak without rushing or doing something on the fly. (Of course that includes "picking away" at home chores...) (I'm also getting accustomed to violating AP style rules while blogging, Facebooking, etc., and not feeling guilty about it ... well, not feeling TOO guilty. ... OK, I feel guilty...) I've also put "search" in quotes because I haven't really searched yet: I've been working on rebuilding my various businesses (Gibbin Communications / Gibbin Publications / Gibbin Services / Conflict Resolution Service / Bi Consultation Service) and wondering if I have the financial ability to do so before the tap runs dry vs. having to get a "real" job (i.e., regularly-scheduled paydays, benefits, etc.) Thank goodness (for now) the health care bill has been passed; November elections certainly will be a political test for it, but from personal and altruistic points of view, I'm feeling a sense of relief. How economically viable the new scheme is, well... we'll see.

Anyways, about my "new normal": Routine is finally settling in, in fits and starts, and I'm slowly seeing patters: waking up early (6 or 7), having cereal and maybe coffee, going through emails, touching up the resume on various Web sites, checking Facebook briefly, and now working through sending out thank-you's as a matter of closure and/or heads-up to various business associates. That's taken an inordinate amount of time. But after all this, I've decided that (much though I'm enjoying having "free time" -- which is neither free nor enough time), I'm no longer going to refer to myself as "retired" (I can't collect full pensions yet) nor even semi-retired, though that IS apt. The fact is that I'm rebuilding businesses and down the road looking for a "real" job if need be. And I'm finding that whereas my former recent life was more structured (I had a regular work schedule outside of the home) and semi-dependable (salary, medical insurance), this new life/business style will probably be much more fluid timewise, and much more integrated than just the work/home dichotomy. I previously liked that a long time ago, but that was when I was young, single, could live in a garret or basement (and indeed I did), but now... well, as long as all this pays the bills... I keep telling myself, ah, a new ADVENTURE... but only if the social security net below this highwire act holds up... and right now it's looking rather frayed. We shall all see. I'll try to explore that and the future of journalism in the next entry.

Week 1 as a sudden "retiree"...

...(semi-retiree? premature retiree? involuntary retiree? can't-draw-a-pension-yet retiree?...): It has been a whirlwind of a week, and yet I feel as though I was just in the newsroom a few hours ago. (Or is that merely a sign of aging?) In any case, it's been a surreal experience and hasn't sunk in yet; I'm still in the yeah!-open-ended-vacation! mindset. I know: That won't last long. But it's a nice feeling for the moment. Lots to do around the home, more time to spend with the grandkids and others, more time (briefly) to volunteer before resurrecting my dormant businesses in earnest and/or looking for new work. On the issue of the old work: I want to reiterate something Lisa W. said about Variety being a good home for many years for many of us "journo" types. It paid a number of us better than we ever had been paid before on a regular basis, the benefits were anywhere from good to very good, it was a great "shelter/safe house" for a long time from the abuses we had received elsewhere, and the staff -- both management and co-workers -- were extremely supportive over the years when my family encountered tragedy after tragedy. So I am VERY thankful to have been given the opportunity to have worked there for nearly 12 years. Yes, it sucks to be laid off, yes there's anger and bitterness among some (many? but not myself) of those let go recently and before and those who survived, especially the way in which these things are usually handled and who is targeted, but we all knew something had to give in this very changed media world, so for myself I wasn't surprised by my own layoff. For decades, I was told about the impending "paradigm shift" and it never arrived ... until a few years ago, and we've all seen the toll it has taken on newspaper revenues, staffing, and coverage. That a number of us were ignored as Cassandras when we asked to be included more seriously in preparing our outlets for the future, and that powers-that-be in so many realms didn't plan for an orderly transition to new ways of doing business -- and didn't offer their staffs retraining in order to get there -- is a tragedy that will keep historians and other storytellers/writers busy for decades to come. All that said, I don't regret working at Variety one bit, I learned a lot about "brands" and "showbiz" and economics and moviemaking and so forth, and frankly, as I said, it was a great shelter, especially when my family was enduring what it endured. While there might be disagreement on what next steps Variety/Daily Variety (and other media outlets) "should" take, and the ways in which to take them, I only wish the best for it and my ex-colleagues there. It's up to the management, staff and readers to see to it that it doesn't become the leftover shell of a brand, and a "gold standard" in name only. I don't think the powers that be will let that happen, and I certainly HOPE they WON'T let that happen, if only because I still own stock in the parent corporation! But I also hope they won't let that happen for the simple reason that they should be altruistic and true to journalistic integrity and quality. It's too soon for me to pass judgment on the viability and advisability of the overall restructuring plan, but I hope it works, I'm glad they're not just throwing up their hands, and I wish them all well and the best of luck. As for me? Well, Monday is taking granddaughter to her tutor, last week was taking grandson to soccer practice, Joan is supposed to come home Wednesday from the Philippines, so we might get together with friends near the airport...