Job A -> Job B
The Greek has recently been able to secure employment for the Rocket at a company which we will call, in the interests of comfortable anonymity, Company B. Both the Greek and the Rocket have greatly enjoyed working there. The Greek informed me that there was a position there that he thought I'd like, and it sounded good, so I gave him my resume.
The next morning company B was calling me asking for an interview, that week if possible. I took off that Friday afternoon and went in.
The interview went about as well as can possibly be expected. The people I talked with were all uniformly friendly, bright and enthusiastic about what they were doing. I liked the company and got a good feeling for where they were going. And, as I mentioned, the job was something that sounded very interesting.
It took them all of a couple of days to call up my references. My old boss from Company n-1 was on vacation, but saw my email and contacted me to volunteer his cell phone number if they wanted to talk with him (even though he was on vacation).
References called, they contacted me to offer me a job. I was asking for a crazy raise over what I was making at Company A, but Company B beat the high end of what I asked for, and has a really good benefits package to boot.
Company A did their best to keep me, offering to make a position for me if there wasn't anything floating around that I was interested in, but I just can't say no to company B. Putting aside the moulah (since, frankly, I'm not greatly motivated by money), the position is something I really want to do and sets me up really well for things I might want to be doing down the road. And I like the company.
I start in two weeks.
The reaction around the office has been a mixture of happiness that I'm leaving to do something fun and sadness that I'm leaving at all. Except for RJA, whose reaction was pretty much only a comment that five years (how long I've been at company A) is a pretty good run, unless you're planning on being a lifer. Which I'm not.
Fortunately, I have numerous avenues to keep in touch with most of my co-workers (at least, the ones I'm really concerned about keeping in touch with), such as Game Night. The occasional beer & wings night or movie night should help in this regard as well.
I will have ended up working for Company A for five years less a month, exactly.
Wedding Bells
I also spent five days in Maryland, attending KGB's wedding. Maryland was very pleasant -- on the humid side, for my tastes, but nice. The people were very friendly, the shopping was very abundant and the food was plentiful.
My brother is of the opinion that trading Tim Horton's for Panera Breads is a good trade. It's not his fault, he's young.
The ceremony itself was tasteful and well done. The reception, in a barn-like room that they'd cleaned out and painted literally days before in a heroic effort of reconstruction, was very laid-back and casual. Most of the Maryland folks didn't dance and retired early, but we made up for it.
High points: watching Mothership chug a magnum of white wine; my lovely wife, UnLeftyLawGirl, KGB and Mothership rocking out to Shania Twain; nobody from Maryland knowing what a two-four is; seeing family that I don't get to see enough, including my uncle Andy.
As I mentioned, we're looking forward to going back and visiting, especially since we'll have time to hang out with KGB and her new hubby.
Other Items of Note
The Dutch Nasty hosted the Ravenous movie event that he'd been threatening us with for some time now. The movie was actually quite a bit more fun than I was expecting. RJA brought American Psycho, which we watched afterwards (short review: not bad, not worth the hype) as well as a dip concoction which played havoc with my GI tract. Good times!
Game Night continues to chug along. We've got a good base of people now.
The Brig has moved. In its old incarnation, stuck in a tiny spot in a tiny strip-mall in a forgettable spot, was a dive of spectacular proportions. It was marginally acceptable for drinking beer as long as you weren't there too long and didn't risk eating anything. It is now under new management and has moved into a bigger location which has previously hosted a variety of franchise food places, none of which survived for long. The new one is much larger and nicer, and serves a good variety of beer and decent wings, although the rest of the menu can be best described as "mediocre pub fare".
I think my linux box is dead. That's unfortunate.
I want to buy an iPod touch. My lovely wife has been encouraging me to do so, as I will then be able to employ it during my commute for job B (as I will no longer, unfortunately, be walking distance from work).
Does anybody want to play a pen-and-paper Shadowrun RPG campaign? We'll be doing this online, via email. LMK!
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