I had been pretty remiss in updating my old blog, so even though the majority of people that will ever read this are the very ones who already know all that I’m about to write here, I’m going to do it anyway.  You know — for the kids in the hospital.

Finished my job with Bill

Right.  Here we go.  June 30th was Bill Gates’s last day at Microsoft,  and mine, too.  It was a great job and a tremendous opportunity.  I learned a ton about Microsoft and technology.  I was exposed to so many different technologies and subjects. It was great. Plus I have some fun Bill stories.

Moved to New York

So, the reason I left Microsoft is that I took a new job in New York.  Heather and I moved at the end of July to the Lower East Side of Manhattan and I work down in the financial district.  Heather came out a month or so before we moved, stayed for a week with our friends Mike and Mia, and after a grueling hunt through more than 40 different apartments, found us a a great place to live: The Ludlow.  The apartment is great, our view is awesome, the neighborhood is perfect, and my commute is way better than it was in Seattle. All in all a big win!  The only downside is the rent — it’s not small.

Started my new job with HRT

The new job I started is really a journey back to my coding roots.  I’m a programmer at Hudson River Trading.  It’s a great place and I’m enjoying this more than I any previous job I can recall.  Don’t get me wrong, Microsoft was fun, but I was beginning to feel comfortable, like I was going soft — it was time for a move.  At HRT, I’m writing more code than I ever have since my early days on the MSN Messenger team.  w00t!

Anyway, that’s the quick update.  I’m sure I’ll go into more detail on our house, our neighborhood, how Faust is doing, etc.  Maybe I’ll even post some pictures.  But now you should be ready for the new season.

Oh, and if you don’t get the title of my blog, "For Awesome", check out this email.