I have a meeting scheduled first thing on the 18th with my manager and expect the trapdoor to open for me at that time.
To all folks that are impacted by this, remember, neither your manager, nor your management chain, nor anyone else in the company or in life controls or determines what you can be and what you can achieve.
This is just a business arrangement - we work, they pay us, until they decide that they don't need us for whatever reason or they don't realize the value of our contributions (past and future). Stay positive and follow your dreams.