[Porsche-O-Phile]

Our IT guy got laid off too and frankly, I probably had overall more computer/network experience than he did anyway. Mostly I just never flaunted it because I didn't want to get pegged as the "office CAD guy" or whatever (happened to me at a past job - I ended up spending 2/3 of my time chasing down computer problems and fixing network glitches and only 1/3 of my time doing actual design/production work). Years ago (90s) I was really into computers and stuff - now I've become more anti-technology and don't find the stuff nearly as fun or interesting. But I'm still fair around a network in any case.

This was a small office so there's a lot of trust involved. I realize there always COULD be the potential for someone to sabotage or whatever, but it'd be pretty easy to figure out who and doing so would only mean they shoot themselves in the foot insofar as a reference. I just don't see it as a realistic thing. Possible, but very unlikely. There isn't much they could REALLY do that would be much more than an inconvenience anyway and means that the few people staying on to "tie up the loose ends" wouldn't fix anyway (they lose a day of work maybe).

I agree we're WAY overbuilt as a society. Retail in particular. In the future I see work/projects (if any) being adaptive reuse or creative ways of reconfiguring existing buildings into other/alternate uses. Obviously some attention to energy efficiency and LEED standards as well. My best leads right now are in the area of civic/municipal/state type work, although I'm going to give one of my old firms a call and see if they can use me again (they did mostly telecom/critical infrastructure stuff).

Things look really, really bad out there. As bad as I've ever seen or heard of. It's very, very bleak. But I also can't imagine that we as a society will just let things keep sliding and sliding and sliding into despair so bad that our whole way of life completely collapses. I realize it COULD happen, but I just don't see it as especially realistic. Things are bad, they will continue to get bad, but eventually people just get sick of being miserable, start looking for positive "rays of sunshine" and when they start finding them/seeing them, it becomes the genesis for a turnaround (basic economics - positive attitudes become "self fulfilling prophecies" of positive consumer habits and vise-versa). Right now it's just working in reverse - everyone's scared schitless so they're not doing anything, not spending, not LIVING, which is paralyzing the economy and making businesses shut down and lay off people, which in turn scares people, etc. Catch-22. Well-known and well-documented.

Eventually things will turn. I still love the practice of architecture and design, but I wonder if it's what I'll ultimately end up doing. It's truly a noble profession and seeks to make us better as a society - not many can really say that. Most just seek to take. Architecture seeks to give - at its core. It really does. But if we as a society can't value it or don't appreciate it or can't support it - I have to look elsewhere.

The hunt starts in earnest tomorrow/Monday. Right now I'm just taking it easy and building up my mental toughness to stay resilient and not give up or despair. I'll emerge from this stronger and better off - I just don't know how yet. It's "psyche-up before the fight" time.