Well, It happened without much notice. My immediate supervisor called me into his office on Friday and informed me that I was being terminated. Ten months' investment of time and attention down the drain..

The official rationale is that I was not absorbing the details of office protocol quickly enough; there is some truth to this, but a principal cause is that I was evaluated only on the one shift per week worked during daylight hours (with a full staff present and much office-politicking).

The other three shifts, with a more-predictable work flow, weren't much of an issue, and at the last performance review, I had asked for measures of performance that cited specific, quantitative facts; this was refused. My attendance record was 100% perfect, I had no disciplinary violations of any kind; neither willfull misconduct nor derilection of duty. I got along well with everyone.

I do know that the department head, (my boss's boss) appears to favor former athletes and/or militiary veterans, and his demeanor seems to suggest a preference for a rigid regimen. I'm a 58-year-old with a spinal fusion, whch leads to poor physical co-ordination, and a slight limp when fatigued. 

(Don't come back to the office; the galumpfing doesn't fit in with the Muzak" - Arthur Hill to James Cann in the 1973 film "The Killer Elite")

At this point, all I want to do is settle into a stable employment situation for the remainder of my working days. I have no expensive vices, don't live paycheck-to-paycheck. But I need some form of health insurance to protect my life's savings, and would like access to a 401-K, both of which went "by the board" last week. I recognize that, to some degree, I'm swimming against a very strong tide, and try to avoid mentioning these concerns. But the dice still seem to be loaded.