Last week in Park City, we joked more than once about being thankful for both the recession and global warming, for making Sundance 2009 the most pleasant installment of the festival I’ve ever attended - diminished crowds at screenings and events, and 40 degree weather to enjoy whilst traveling between. One night at a dinner table, I worried aloud that this joking would look pretty bad to an outside observer — us, the elitists who still had jobs and/or travel budgets, laughingly toasting the apocalypse.

And now, just three days later, comes the news that Variety has slashed 30 jobs, including those of Mike Jones (who I tagged in that silly Sundance meme post before seeing the news, obviously), Jeff Sneider and, maybe most surprisingly, Anne Thompson. Thompson “ankled” the Hollywood Reporter less than two years ago for the Variety job. Her most recent post on her Variety-hosted Thompson on Hollywood blog says she’ll keep the blog going, and is also “actively involved in a web start-up which is in stealth mode; details will be available soon. And I will continue teaching film criticism at USC and hosting Sneak Previews at UCLA Extension.”

I’m sure Anne, Mike and all the smart and talented people let go today will land on their feet. But I still wish I could take back the jokes.