29 July, 2020
Cities Of The Dead: Lakeshore Cemetery, Hancock County, Mississippi
On the same road trip, we find this cemetery on the back roads, just as a rain shower begins. Formerly, the Garcia Family Cemetery, this was located in unincorporated Hancock County, Mississippi.
28 July, 2020
Cities Of The Dead: Oak Grove Cemetery, Slidell, Louisiana
As we leave Slidell, headed towards Mississippi on a small back road, we arrived upon this small cemetery. It was surrounded by woods, and was at a busy intersection. Still working out the kinks of recording...
27 July, 2020
Final Stop of a Eighteen Year Journey
It's pretty late on a Sunday night, I didn't think I'd be writing tonight, but I forgot to charge my electric razor, so here I am. I haven't written in awhile, truth is, I haven't done much of anything for the past month. At some point soon, I will do a deeper dive into what I'm about to share, but I'm going to be a bit brief for now.
Everything unfolded about a month ago, I was covering for a member of my staff, and not spending much time in my office, but during a lapse in workflow, I opened Outlook. Upon doing so, a series of cryptic emails began to trickle in... the first, from the CEO, the second from head of human resources, and then a third from the VP of Operations. It was the CEO's email that carried the most ominous tone, branch closures and the elimination of some positions. The successive emails did not provide any further details, but I managed to convince my manager to schedule a call with me and provide more detail. It was revealed that I and my staff would not have a job as of 15 August, 2020. The following day brought the official announcement... I wish to God I had recorded that moment; it was beyond surreal. Again, I'll provide more details at a later date.
Every day since has been a study in human psychology. People's natural inclinations in the face of losing their employment are... bizarre. I've had little time to internalize my own feelings over this situation, because suddenly I've been indoctrinated into a baffling reality where my staff want to take home every single item in our vacant office, regardless if it's bolted down or not. They've all but abandoned their desks in search of "treasure", and left me to navigate what they can take and what is to remain company property. Spats, pettiness, and greed have disemboweled the bond that held together a team long before I ever came to lead it. Who wants three truckloads of items from a company that is throwing them out after decades of service and after asking them to carry the company through the Covid crisis - apparently my team does.
While all of this is happening, we're expected to maintain our day to day. My boss has provided absolutely no guidance, but that's not a surprise. Thankfully, a coordinator arrived on-site and had the necessary information. It's been literal tons of trash and shredding, and my back is absolutely wrecked... but after a month, the entire office is a shell save our department; a sea of ghostly cubicles; and mountains of monitors and keyboards. Now that all the crap is gone, we have a month left, and I'm frightened and curious to know what will feed my staff until the end. I've run out of patience, so I don't even know how I will respond to their needs, whatever they are.
All of this has left me no desire in pursuing my own personal interests, I just want to get this over with. Seventeen years means nothing to my company, I am leaving in the midst of chaos into a terrifying environment, after being told how much I was appreciated for fulfilling my role as an essential employee. But I can't take it personally, it's all about money, and I haven't been happy about the people who manage me for a couple of years now. If you can't be transparent, honest, and treat people with respect, then you don't deserve to lead... and sadly, it's exactly these type of people that have eroded any appreciation or devotion I held towards my employer in recent years.
I don't know what's next, but I know I deserve better than I've had. I definitely will have more to say on the matter, but for now, I just need space from it, and from the things I do that are my distraction from it. Hopefully that makes sense.
Everything unfolded about a month ago, I was covering for a member of my staff, and not spending much time in my office, but during a lapse in workflow, I opened Outlook. Upon doing so, a series of cryptic emails began to trickle in... the first, from the CEO, the second from head of human resources, and then a third from the VP of Operations. It was the CEO's email that carried the most ominous tone, branch closures and the elimination of some positions. The successive emails did not provide any further details, but I managed to convince my manager to schedule a call with me and provide more detail. It was revealed that I and my staff would not have a job as of 15 August, 2020. The following day brought the official announcement... I wish to God I had recorded that moment; it was beyond surreal. Again, I'll provide more details at a later date.
Every day since has been a study in human psychology. People's natural inclinations in the face of losing their employment are... bizarre. I've had little time to internalize my own feelings over this situation, because suddenly I've been indoctrinated into a baffling reality where my staff want to take home every single item in our vacant office, regardless if it's bolted down or not. They've all but abandoned their desks in search of "treasure", and left me to navigate what they can take and what is to remain company property. Spats, pettiness, and greed have disemboweled the bond that held together a team long before I ever came to lead it. Who wants three truckloads of items from a company that is throwing them out after decades of service and after asking them to carry the company through the Covid crisis - apparently my team does.
While all of this is happening, we're expected to maintain our day to day. My boss has provided absolutely no guidance, but that's not a surprise. Thankfully, a coordinator arrived on-site and had the necessary information. It's been literal tons of trash and shredding, and my back is absolutely wrecked... but after a month, the entire office is a shell save our department; a sea of ghostly cubicles; and mountains of monitors and keyboards. Now that all the crap is gone, we have a month left, and I'm frightened and curious to know what will feed my staff until the end. I've run out of patience, so I don't even know how I will respond to their needs, whatever they are.
All of this has left me no desire in pursuing my own personal interests, I just want to get this over with. Seventeen years means nothing to my company, I am leaving in the midst of chaos into a terrifying environment, after being told how much I was appreciated for fulfilling my role as an essential employee. But I can't take it personally, it's all about money, and I haven't been happy about the people who manage me for a couple of years now. If you can't be transparent, honest, and treat people with respect, then you don't deserve to lead... and sadly, it's exactly these type of people that have eroded any appreciation or devotion I held towards my employer in recent years.
I don't know what's next, but I know I deserve better than I've had. I definitely will have more to say on the matter, but for now, I just need space from it, and from the things I do that are my distraction from it. Hopefully that makes sense.
Cities Of The Dead: Greenwood Cemetery, Slidell, Louisiana
On a very warm, June day, we visit Slidell, LA for our first real visit and find a very lovely historic downtown, good food, great antique stores, and this lovely cemetery. Does every semi large town have a Greenwood Cemetery?
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