Fog City Dining

P lost his job at the end of February. I didn’t feel sorry for him; his employer gave him plenty of warning by notifying him last fall, and he’s getting a liberal severance package. P is a CPA who should have no trouble finding work in a hot job market for accountants. But that’s the left side of the brain talking.

We all hate being rejected. We may understand that in many cases separation may be best for the employee, especially if the company’s prospects are dim, but our emotions take time to be understood and controlled. I took him to lunch at the Fog City Diner, where we mourned for his lost job and reminisced over a couple of beers and plates of calamari, crab cakes, and moo shu pork.

We also hate uncertainty. P is thinking about a career change, even going back to school to get another master’s. That’s one of the problems we face in modern America---too many paths to satisfy too many wants beyond those of subsistence. Even at middle age (ahem), we still don’t know what we want to be.

I couldn’t give P any advice, just empathy, dessert, and coffee. As we strolled back to the Financial District, I had a sudden realization that I was in trouble, too; I had become feminized and metrosexualized. So, befitting the beginning of the lunar new year, I made a resolution. It was time to bring out my inner Pig, and I’ll work on that as soon as I get back to my desk. But first I have to finish moisturizing. © 2007 Stephen Yuen