munky.org|v3.0

5th NCAA title overall for the 'heels!

GO TARHEELS! NATIONAL CHAMPS 2009! What a game, what a game, what a game. The came in strong, and even thow they slowed up some in the second half, they still finished strong. Hell, even the benchwarmers in the last minute put up 2 points!

If you missed the game, you can always visit NCAA.com and catch highlights or the whole game. But you should be ashamed if you did without having a damn good reason. It was a record setting gala: Most in attendance, biggest lead at halftime (21 pts), highest score at half-time (55 pts), most steals (Ty Lawson – 8 steals), Hansbrough hit the #4 tournament all time scoring spot.

What a game though. Most of that game, it didn’t even look like Michigan State deserved to even be on that court. They misstepped from the beginning and paid for it dearly. They had managed to bury themselves into a 24 point hole, and never got any closer than 13 afterwards. They just couldn’t do anything to stop Carolina, or to keep Lawson from sneaking the ball away. They gave up the ball 22 times. If Carolina hadn’t lost some steam in the second half, it may well have been 72 to 110 the way the game was going.

I will have to give some props to Raymar Morgan of MSU. Playing with a broken nose, he took a stiff shot to the nose from (Green’s?) forearm. Ouch! A couple of minutes later though he was back. Definitely worth a toughness award!

Well, I’m going to get off of here for now. Got some more celebration to handle!

A few months back, I read where they determined the 13 to 30 demographic to be recession proof. Two words: My ass!

In November, my wife (23) was laid off. She found another job in February, after having 2 solid interviews canceled hours before they were to happen. The cost? $26,000 a year less. Thanks to living below our means, we made it through. She also had received 8 weeks severance plus 1.5 weeks worth of vacation payout.

Then on Friday, I got the call I had been worried was coming. “Due to lack of work… you are being indefinitely laid off.” Just what I wanted to hear on a Friday. I had already left early because of lack of work, and still received this call before I should have gotten off. No severance, but I do get whatever vacation I had accrued. Which is probably nill. I wish I had used more.

So now what? For months, I had no plan B. I think I have one now, but we’ll see. Thankfully I’m a student, so I get to bypass the whole waiting a week bit from the Employment Security Commission. Now I have to look for work.

Every job I’ve found so far though, has been paying much less. Every time I have ever quit a job or was laid off I got paid more. I mean every single time since my very first job getting paid $5.85 an hour bagging groceries at Food Lion. And the last time I was eligible, I refused to apply out of pride. Not this time.

What gets me is the way they do it. I’ve been with them since June of 2007. I’ve been forced to withdraw from classes because of them. Have worked on three special projects, have done every way I know how to bust my ass for them. Yet they call me out of the blue on a Friday and just lemme go. No warning, no nothing. What a farce.

Honestly, maybe the government needs to modify the WARN act. Sure, it’s great. But far too many companies find their way around it, and we are left trying to deal with the bureaucracy of unemployment. We need modify it to give more workers a proper heads up. I don’t mind being laid off. I do mind being kicked out to the curb with lightning fast speed on a Saturday. At least I wasn’t like the guys in another department, who were told to go home in the middle of working on a Friday, Guarantee that none of my work would have been finished. I would’ve clockled 8-4 and then done. And bet that I’m clocking 8-4 Friday then done.

I really do understand that the economy sucks, and it is hurting businesses. Yet there is no excuse for being so rude to the employees that busted their asses and made those businesses successes when the economy was still good.