In this, my second attempt at blogging, I hope to share my job search experiences; comment on foreign and political affairs; and write a bit about issues and places that interest me.

So, to start, I left Houston-based ConocoPhillips in March when the company eliminated the program to directly engage the American public on energy issues that they had started in 2007. They hired me in 2008 (I started - in retrospect inauspiciously - on April 1) to make the program sustainable and expand it. This was something very new and slightly uncomfortable for the company, and I knew the risk - that they might decide that the program was not something they wanted to continue. I guess I was right. So, three thoughts on getting laid off:

1. It's not personal; it's just business
2. There's is nothing you can do about it once the decision is made
3. People get jobs

None of that makes it any easier, but at least helps me keep perspective.