One year

Yesterday was one year since I "parted company" with the Philadelphia Orchestra. I guess I still dwell a bit on all the events of our separation - it is very much like a relationship when you lose a job after four years. Todd said a few weeks ago that he was going to smack me whenever I mentioned the Orchestra (a rare physical threat from Todd).

The Soap Opera that is every workplace is magnified there by the strong personalities and high profile of every major decision. Almost everything is breathlessly covered by the Philadelphia Inquirer as if they were as important as the Eagles. I still have a few friends there of course, but they are quickly dwindling as the latest "staff re-organization" plans sweep through. They attract very intelligent people to their staff and then proceed to not treat them with the loyalty and respect they deserve. Being a life-long Philadelphian and now a Classical music fan I do care about what happens with the Orchestra as an institution. I hope the relatively new management there doesn't get too caught up in politics, but that seems unlikely. The latest thing is putting PA state Senator and Philadelphia power broker Vince Fumo on the board of directors. I've been thinking of finding out if I can get one of the "ghost" jobs he'll probably set up on the staff.

I actually started a new job yesterday- exactly one year after leaving the Orchestra staff. It has the possibility of going "Temp to perm" and seems like it might be a good fit. It's another non-profit, a foundation that studies the history and impact of Chemistry on industry and society (I think). It's only been a day, so I'll see how it goes. So far there has been no mention of umbrellas and the bathrooms are very nice.