I leave for Los Angeles tomorrow to attend Microsoft’s Professional Developer Conference (a.k.a. PDC2008). It’s typically the conference where Microsoft makes major tech announcements. I’ll be posting a slice-of-life travel diary here on the Accordion Guy blog, while the geekier stuff will end up in my tech blog, Global Nerdy, where they’re tagged PDC2008.
I saw this on Queen Street West yesterday. Maybe “GULLIBLE” was already taken:
Many cultures have “big players” that form part of their collective demonology, symbols that are reviled, yet envied at the same time. Small-town folks in the U.S. point to New York City and Los Angeles as bad places filled with bad people who get a disproportionate share of the pie; small-town Canada does the same with Toronto. For indie musicians and filmmakers, the reviled and envied demon is Hollywood. In the world of software, the world in which I work, it’s Microsoft.
And as of this morning, they’re my employer. Hail Satan!
Truth be told, I’m pleased to be working on a team with a lot of smart people, some of whom were already my friends. I’m also happy to be employed again, and for a company that’s going to give me the chance to reach more people than ever before. I’m also thankful for the new company-issued laptop, which has a working up-arrow key!
(My personal laptop’s up-arrow key doesn’t work, and I’ve come to appreciate how important the up-arrow key is. If you haven’t yet done so today, go to your computer right now, look at your arrow keys straight on and tell them how much you love and appreciate them!)
Ahem.
The next few months on my tech blog, Global Nerdy are going to be interesting ones. Part of my new job as a Developer Advisor (a.k.a. Developer Evangelist) is to blog, and since my tech blog already has a decent-sized audience, it’s the best onhline vehicle for my work.
I’d like to point a couple of new articles on Global Nerdy about the new job, and for the most part, they’re layperson-friendly.
In case you haven’t yet read Company Man (or: The New Job), it’s the article in which I announced to the world that I’ve accepted a position at Microsoft.
Next up is California Bound (or: I’m Going to PDC2008), the techiest of the articles I’ll point to here. It’s about my flying down to Los Angeles next week to attend Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference.
Finally, there’s The Journey Begins, which covers what I plan to do for my first few months at Microsoft.
An apt metaphor for the new job.
As promised, I am announcing my new job today. But not here: you’ll have to go to Global Nerdy to find out what it is.
The new look on my tech blog, Global Nerdy, is just the tip of the iceberg. Big changes are in store for both the blog and its author, Yours Truly. It’ll all be made clear in a post tomorrow, which will include an update on my employment situation.
Since getting laid off, I’ve been getting a little less exercise. My bike commute to work, a 14-kilometre (8.7 mile) round trip, is gone. I also haven’t been going to the gym as often, even with the extra free time. I’ve lost five pounds since getting called into my layoff meeting two weeks and two days ago, in spite of the reduced exercise and some pretty big meals, including an anniversary dinner, Wendy’s birthday dinner and the farewell dinner b5 threw earlier this week. I needed to shed that weight anyway; I should make sure not to gain it back once I land a job.
Should you lose your job, your mileage may vary depending on how you respond to stress. I’ve been waking up about an hour earlier than normal to work on my career plans, research the companies who’ve shown an interest in me, and to do a little extra work on some blog entries. I also haven’t felt like eating as much, which comes from feeling twitchy about the situation. If your response to stress is to eat more or drink lots of beer (a.k.a. “liquid bread”), the change in your weight is likely to be the opposite of mine.
[This article also appears in Global Nerdy.]
Because I was laid off and not fired from my former place of employment, they’re taking me out for a farewell dinner on Tuesday night. It’s a nice gesture on their part, and I appreciate it greatly.
I’m allowed to choose the restaurant, and I must let them know my choice by Monday, October 6th. The problem is that I’ve just got too much on the brain and need help picking a place. If you’ve got suggestions, I’d like to hear them!
Some parameters: