Today is a day that will live in infamy.

The Good:

I’ve been accepted at Roosevelt University, and will begin pursuing BA in English this fall. Keep your fingers crossed that the financial aid comes through.

The Bad:

One of my best friends
— indeed, the Best Man in my wedding — announced that he is moving to Amsterdam. Shane was hired — or rather, re-hired — by Boom Chicago, a sketch-comedy/improv company. He worked with them before, back in 1996. When he returned to Chicago he stepped off the plane wearing a black leather trenchcoat like one of the hitmen in The Replacement Killers. Seriously. It was badass. I’m certainly happy for Shane, but I’m sad that there will be one less person with which to Bear Down next fall. I don’t know how easy it will be to Bear Down from Amsterdam, but I know Shane will give it his best shot.

The Ugly:

I got laid off. I can’t say I was entirely surprised. They’ve been laying off one or two people a year for the last few years, and frequently when somebody quit they would not be replaced. It had reached the point where I spent almost half of every day poking around on the Internet for want of something better to do. I was, however, growing exceedingly complacent. I definitely needed something to kick me into gear. I did make some good friends there, though, and I hope I don’t lose touch with them.

I am sure this will turn out to be the best thing that could happen, but I’m still gonna sweat a little until I know where my next paycheck is coming from. For now, I’m going to get back to work on my résumé.