So What Happened the Last Six Months?

Now that the easy part of the FSOA process is behind me, I feel like I can blog a bit more regularly now. I'm a bit anal when it comes to preparing for things within my control. And although I never do as much as I would like, I spent the last six months working on PNQ's and gaming the FSOA rather than spending time on the blog. And really, who wants to read a blog about studying? Some of the joy of blogging about this process evaporated when Mrs. FSOWannabe didn't make it past the PNQ stage. The lack of feedback at the PNQ stage, I think, has discouraged her from trying again, although she recently mentioned testing again in June. I hope she does, because it would be fantastic to be a tandem couple.

In addition, 2009 was a tumultuous year for my family, which definitely killed the blog for a bit. Shortly after taking the FSOT, I found out that despite my law firm's strident claims that they never engaged in layoffs, my entire department in NY (including dear friends and colleagues) was let go. Not that I blame the firm, frankly. My field of structured finance, a several trillion dollar industry at its height, ceased to exist almost over night at the end of 2007. I'd managed to escape the bloodletting but my billables were few and far between, and I was no exception in my department. After talking with my managing partner about being seconded to a client in Tokyo (which fell apart when when they offered a transfer...but without my family), there were no really good options. So I cut a deal, got a payout, and am now on funemployment. On top of that, my mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer at the same time that my father fell down a mountain and broke a bunch of ribs while "hiking" (falling?) the Appalachian Trail. My daughter, FSOWannabe Brat Ichi (who suffers from febrile seizures) was hospitalized for a week; and Mrs. FSOWannabe, to show her up, decided to get hospitalized for a week as well. So...a stressful year. Luckily, my family is fine now (mother is A-OK following surgery, Dad's ribs are healed, Mrs. FSOWannabe and FSOWannabe Brats Ichi and Segunda are all healthy).

I had been looking for new work since last January, but unfortunately my skill set is fairly hard to place in the legal industry outside of NYC. At the end of December, I was grateful to receive a job offer for a position starting in August 2010. So my funemployment will continue while I focus on spending time with the Brats and hitting the gym everyday. And, of course, I hope to blog a bit more, too.