It isn’t often that one can find humor in the words “I’ve been laid off,” but that’s what my journal of my first year as a freelancer told me on this date 44 years ago:
… Partly sunny skies in Hanover … good afternoon, etc. etc. Today I picked up a hitcher on the way to do Tri-Town News and we shared hopes that spring is on its way. And in the news, Vermont is reminding fishermen to remove ice shanties and the swallows returned to Capistrano. Can Spring be far behind?
Other than doing a very good job on the air and going shopping today, a remarkably uneventful day. But since I’ve been laid off in the newsroom, tomorrow I’ll be able to do the things I should have today.
Procrastination …
Journal, Volume II
19 March 1979
The layoff from the radio station was as inevitable as the swallows returning to Capistrano. The students return to campus every spring, too, and with them the volunteers to staff the radio station. I knew what was coming.
Knowing what was coming, did I do anything about it? I did not. Well, nothing other than make a joke about it. I still sing the song today:
Procrastination, Pro-cras-tin-a-tion! It's making me late. It's making me la-a-a-ter...
As the song says, “These are the good old days!”