In the end, it doesn't really matter
The inevitable finally came yesterday with a number of my co-workers officially getting the ax after the company gave them their two-month notice. It was a very sad day, but I think they went out in style as we all got a chance to hang out for a few going-away drinks. Plus, we had a lot to talk about: Our new boss decided to send out his monthly report, talking about all the strides we made in January, minutes before a few people were going to shut down for the final time. Exquisite timing. Couldn't he have included it in the severance paperwork?

Now we've got a new world order with the way things are done down here, and that includes me moving back to the night/weekend shift on a full-time basis. Yes, it's not going to be the best thing in the world, especially after seeing the things my church group has planned in the next few months. I would complain about having little time to go out on dates with the new schedule, but it's not like I had much to begin with. Plus, there are some things that open up given what has just happened (I'll let those in the know figure out what I'm talking about -- let's just say not everyone was given a full sendoff last night).

On the positive side, I can hit matinees all the time now (if there's anything good to see at the movies) and get more errands done during the day (we'll see how long that lasts).

And to go along with my life as an f'd up sitcom, it seemed only fitting that last night was also the series finale of Ed. It ended on the same sweet and quirky level that was tone of the entire show. Naturally, it ended with Ed finally marrying Carol, but with a bunch of silly twists in between. And hey, Phil was actually not annoying in the finale; that would be left to Warren Cheswick.

The show had run its course, in my opinion, but it was good to see to NBC give it one last hurrah of a season, albeit reduced to 17 episodes. They weren't necessarily quitting while they were ahead, but I didn't feel like they were dragging things along for a few more seasons. There was no blatant "shark jumping" moments -- the writers found a way to make the Ed-Carol engagement a lot more interesting than I would've ever thought.

Now the show goes into minor TV history with a flicker of hope that it might show up somewhere on cable in a few years or on DVD like just about mildly successful TV show nowadays.