Its come to me more than a few times that we all generate lots of interest in our New Year predilections and resolves. I had a few after a rather interesting year spent here and there; but never spent making sufficient money. At one point I worked almost 20 hours per day but got paid like about 4. That was okay then; but it ain’t now. So now I have a job that pays and I became one of the statistics of people that have gone back (to work that is). A friend asked me why can’t you go all the way back? back to archeology? back to anthropology?
Well, as an old friend was wont to say; its really difficult to go backwards. In this case, it would be nigh impossible. I truly believe we leave things for other things for a variety of reasons. I left that for a variety of good reasons. Archeology is one of those hard mistresses to please. It beckons, calls, summons one to give up and give in to various difficult requirements. I was called so many times from North to South California; to sleep in a Truck, to live in hotels that were fleabags, to not see family and live like a nomad. Flash forward to doing presales/technical account management for a moment and well I did the same but this time I had residences like Marriot, Hilton, etc. Much easier than a never-ending stint at Hotel 6. Forget them ads. You’ll get sore, tired, and wanting more from those hotels that start with numbers. I figured out if the price is on the sign at a hotel, its not worth staying at 
So, we all know we must move on, or risk becoming like the old underwear we leave here and there. It gets smelly and old and well… full of… sh*t. Sometimes old places are just that way too. Not smelly and old; but full of sh*t. Its easier to just move on and not risk the sh*t Gods. In the case of archeology, moving on was a clear indicator of personal success. Money was not good, travel was incredible. Life was in a truck.
So, Todd, the main reasons I decided to not go back were the same reasons I decided to always move forward. Now, I’m pretty happy and challenged in what I have. I can run Linux all I want and get some serious work done and its not being awakened at 3am about some stoopid mail server or web server or database server. Forget that stuff!! First question I asked when looking for work was:
does this require a 24×7 oncall rotation?
If the answer was yet, to paraphrase my buddy Gbro, Forget about it!
And so I did… I’ve let things go and move on and forgotten and now I’m glad I did. I could never go back and travel those old dusty paths and I’m glad. For to be sure on this Saturday morning reflection blog post; one cannot simply go back to a thing and expect its remained static and waiting for you. Memories are often static; but realities shift forever on. Roads change, people do.
