work schmerk

I thought yesterday's inquiry about my availability was a good sign that maybe this job would bear some promise after all.  This morning, however, I spoke with my contact in HR about the restrictions placed on me during this transition to the new company. I was told that while NOTHING is in writing, they've been told straight out that they're not allowed to hire me. No time limits given. Nothing on paper. No official word from the higher-ups. So now I'm going to take it up the ladder and directly address the vice-presidents responsible for my transition in the first place. There is a certain amount of risk in that move, but at this point I don't really care. They can talk to my lawyer if they think putting verbal instructions in the field is enough to discriminate in hiring someone for a position.

Believing that was enough drama for the day, I get an IM from my counterpart in the Northeast, warning me that when the corporate visitors come back next week, that I need to be very polite and helpful in what they need, as well as minding what I say to them. He couldn't, or wouldn't, tell me why or what was up, but that I needed to careful around these two. He said he hated it when someone was "getting railroaded" and gave me a heads-up, albeit a discreet one. Superb. Whatever I did, or didn't, do is now haunting me? Although he reassured me it was nothing I did, it's kind of hard to ignore.

So what? I get it on all sides?