I was furloughed from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on March 26 and it was more than a minor shock, especially the first night when I got the email notification while on a remote shift at home.
Let it be known that I completed the shift.
Two months of being furloughed (with new-found freedom, so to speak) later, I took a voluntary layoff June 29. It’s what I wanted to do and it was a pretty easy decision. There is a strong feeling inside to pursue a different path.
It is time. I lived in Massachusetts for 30 years and now Hawaii for 30. At 60, where will I live for the next 30 years that I signed up for but am not necessarily guaranteed to get through?
———————————
ALSO AT NICKABRAMO.COM: A balanced look at the transgender-inclusive policy in high school athletics, and a guest writer takes a stance.
———————————
I have an open mind about the “fourth quarter” and “overtime” of my career that has taken me from a nearly 10-year small-newspaper stint in Massachusetts to a 10-year similar gig on Kauai at The Garden Island Newspaper to a 10-year stay at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and on to 10 more at the merged Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
These numbers are round, round round — 30, 60, 90, 10, 10, 10 and 10. Hey man, the Dude Abides and if you don’t know what that means, I highly recommend watching “The Big Lebowski.” You won’t like it if those high-powered action movies with all the special effects and loud noises are your cup of tea. Not that there’s not any action. Plenty of that. But the message it gets across is subtle and those are the movies I love the most.
Yeah, yeah, the Dude Abides. I was a loyal worker — as were about 99.9 percent of my coworkers. Honestly, if someone from the sports department took a sick day without actually coughing up a lung, I would be very surprised. And that’s 20 years!!!
