Welcome to the wonderful world of unstable employment! It sounds like you're not too stressed out about it, though.

I, too, will soon join the ranks of the unemployed - Marsh & McLennan is actively looking for a permanent replacement for yours truly, and they actually have a few good prospects. I almost feel like taking these people aside and telling them how much more they could make if they were consulting, although it IS unstable. The company wanted to pay me WAY less to take a permanent position, waving those benefits like a tempting carrot.

Why are big businesses so unwilling to pay their employees what they are worth?