Layoffs ...

Urg, where to begin. Not to make this a total downer, but I'm just not feeling it today. Yesterday we had another round of layoffs, the third round in the past two years; I think Evelin's acupuncturist doesn't like me; and Evelin and I have been being really irritable towards each other for no good reason.

The layoffs weren't unexpected. I had gotten a heads up about them a few weeks ago because of some of the new duties I'll be picking up, but it's still no fun. I've been here for 10 years and while it's never been the best place to work, most of the people who made it all worthwhile have left for one reason or another. I know I should probably look for another job, but I do like working with radio and I like the international focus of my job, but the real reason I stay is that it's stable (despite the layoffs) and when I change jobs I want it to be to move up to New England ... I know sooner or later we're going to have to move north for Evelin's sake.

The acupuncturist thing shouldn't bother me (after all, I'm not the one who she's sticking needles into), but I do think she's a bit too opposed to Western medicine. Plus she spouted off against Diet Coke and aspartame claiming that there was a payoff to the FDA to get aspartame approved and that it slowly kills you. "Do a web search, you'll find tons of information." Right, most of it's totally unscientific, hysterical and wrong. I mean, I know the stuff isn't a health food or anything, but Diet Coke is not going to kill you, give you Alzheimer's, etc. Anyway, Evelin told her that we're thinking of going back to the fertility clinic if she isn't pregnant this month and the acupuncturist said okay, but it sounded to me like she felt like we were giving up on the alternative medicines. We also told her that the doctors at the clinic were going to be against us mixing traditional herbal remedies with fertility treatments, and her reply was that doctors don't know anything about herb and blah, blah, blah. I would like these processes to be complementary, but I think she feels like they're in competition with each other ... we'll see, I guess.

The only good thing I can think of about the bickering and irritability is that the last time we were like this (at least the last time it stands out in my mind) was the second time Evelin was pregnant. Maybe it's a sign ...