We'll always have Boise...

Sally has been asking me to post our current situation for a few days now, but I was hoping to have more information before I did so. It looks like we'll be waiting a few more days, so I figured that I may as well get it over with. Sorry to those who have heard all this before...

On Friday (Feb 20th), Sally and I met with a title company to sign the paperwork to refinance our home. While I was gone from the office, our site manager sent out an email stating that our VP would be in town on Monday for a site meeting. We had been aware that Cypress was going to have to make some cuts, but we didn't think that our entire site would be targeted. Most folks that day either went home when they saw the email or went out and bought beer, so you can imagine what the mood was like when I returned.

Some friends had invited us up to McCall for the weekend, so Sally and I tried our best to not think about what Monday might bring and just enjoy the vacation. I don't think I did a very good job (sorry Jeff and Megan). I did, however, manage to crash a snowmobile and send Sally and Ethan sprawling across a snow-covered road. Luckily, I was the only one who was even injured, so there is a chance that Sally will let me ride one again some day. Ethan thought that the crash was "awesome!"

The drive up and back from McCall was filled with a lot of "what-if" talk as we worked our way through all the scenarios that we could think of -- job loss, reorganization, pay cuts, etc. We thought that we were mentally prepared to face anything that Cypress could throw at us, but the uncertainty was very real to us at that time. I didn't get a lot of sleep Sunday night, and it wasn't due to the aches in my right side from the crash.

Monday at 9am sharp, our VP announced that the Boise site was being closed as part of a condensation of resources targeted at cutting overhead. Our primary function in Boise is to produce demonstration platforms for the chips that Cypress sells, so when they decided to outsource the creation of those designs to India and China, the Boise site became superfluous. Most folks in Boise would be retained for either 60 days, 120 days or 180 days, so the best I could hope for was Aug.

After the meeting, we were told that we would be meeting as individuals with HR to discuss the terms of our termination. I was scheduled to meet in the afternoon, so I gave Sally a call and then went back to work. As folks met with HR and got their details, I began to see a pattern that gave me confidence that I'd be in the Aug group. It was a relief to know that I would likely have that much time to prepare for a new job, but I can't say that I was particularly productive that day.

When my time arrived, I was led into a conference room and told that I was being given a chance to relocate to Cypress' office in Lynnwood, WA, as part of a new group that was being formed to support the platforms for new chips as they are nearing release. My other choice was a severance package in Aug. This was a complete shock to my system, and it took a minute to process before I even comprehended what they had said. Sally and I had run through many scenarios that involved relocating or staying here and "toughing it out", but we never really considered that we'd be given a choice to go to Washington with a job.

While we're extremely grateful that we've been given the opportunity to choose our path going forward, it has been tough to consider moving farther away from family and friends. Lynnwood is also considerably more expensive than Boise, so the prospect of reducing our standard of living was not attractive. Uprooting Ethan from school and friends is not something that we'd be excited about, either. The biggest barrier at this time is the depressed housing market, since we'd almost certaily erase any equity that we had earned in our house if we moved this year.

On the same day that we received word of our site closure, Micron announced 500 immediate and 1500 upcoming job cuts in its Boise location. This is on top of the ongoing small layoffs at both HP and Micron, so the Boise job market is flooded with engineers right now. This makes it difficult to envision any scenario in which we remain in Boise, but we're still keeping all options open. I keep joking with Sally that whenever anyone calls to tell her that we can't move, she needs to ask them exactly how much it's worth to them.

At this point we haven't received exact details on the relocation, as far as adjusted salary and moving expenses, so we haven't made any decisions one way or another. We've had some sleepless nights and are eating too much junk food, but it will all work out in the end somehow. I'm sure that Sally will resume her regular blog posting routine soon, but one way or another we'll keep everyone informed. Thanks again to all those who have expressed their sympathies with regard to the choice we're faced with -- you're exactly the reason why it's so hard to think about leaving...