I, however, am not a weeble.

I might fall down.

The heretofore unmentioned ChaosManager, Anais, who has assumed temporary command of my (work) life, pushed me today to answer the will-you or won't-you question about taking on some of the 'Nuts on a freelance basis. She also said that she thinks most of the NIMO are not planning to inflict themselves on me (or any other professional), but planning to manage their own accounts. So, you know, now I'm inclining toward saying, yes, I'll do it, because I have no grudges against the not-crazy 'Nuts.

But Gidget, who is on the verge of being able to hire me but not quite there and maybe not going to be there until the end of summer or some time like that, Gidget is not willing to work with any of the 'Nuts. So, if I take them on, I have to trust that they will, in fact, send me checks each month. Checks that do not bounce.

Life being the continuing source of irony that it is, it turns out that my unemployment benefits, should I collect them, are actually very little less than the amount I'm making under the new, discounted salary plan here, so definitely more than I'd make from freelancing for a handful of Assorted 'Nuts.*

I was raised to work for a living, so I'd rather work. I'm just saying. Crazy people + not enough money to live on, vs. no crazy people + just about enough to live on while I look for something better.

This conversation, you will be interested (or, you know, not) to hear, even though I've already inflicted most of it on you, could be largely academic.

Turns out that Jason's version of "stretching" my final day here is less a question of another four or five days than it is another few months.

*wobble*

Don't get me wrong. I'm still going to be laid off. It's just more like I'm being given three months' notice, instead of three weeks.

*wobble*

Or something.

*wobble*

I've already cleaned out my desk, you know. Mentally, I'm already taking a long, leisurely break (one day) before diving full-time into the job search and signing up with a temp agency or two for some extra income. I've already laid the groundwork with Bernie and Buehler, to inspire them to come up with some freelance stuff I can do for them. Gidget is already looking for projects I can do freelance for her in the interim.

*wobble*

It's not definite yet, but the week after laying off 50% of the Argonut Café staff because we were on the verge of sinking faster than the Titanic, Jason is suddenly talking about having the money to hire yet another outside company, this one to handle the website changes and improvements that Gidget and I begged for last spring. And I guess he's decided I'm the one who knows how to make it happen or how to tell if it's working or--heck, I don't know what he's thinking.

*wobble*

___________

* Those of you concerned that I might (a) eat less and lose some weight; or, (b) be forced to stop smoking for lack of the money to pay for such an expensive and slow method of suicide, well, you can relax. I won't be wealthy, but I should be able to keep a roof over my head, gas in my car (wish me interviews!), and some food on the table. How much food depends on how much COBRA is going to cost me.