Well, my husband just got laid off [View all]

with two weeks' notice. He's one of 500 people being let go.

In some ways it's a mixed blessing. The job is so high-stress that I've worried he could have a heart attack. He works late nights, weekends, holidays. Last night he worked past 4 a.m. At least he's been able to work from home in recent years. Last year he couldn't even take time off for a vacation.

His employer contracts with the federal government. He has a top secret security clearance and manages databases for two US government agencies. When there's a government shutdown, his job is mission-critical so he has to keep working. He's been there about 13 years as a senior Oracle DBA. He was planning to retire after he turns 70 this fall.

Well, I just needed to let off some steam. Thanks for reading.