The Next Chapter

A few weeks ago I decided that it was time for me to leave T-Mobile.  I had worked there for 6 years and 4 months.  I didn't leave because I wanted to make more money somewhere else, and I didn't leave because I was in a bad situation.  I left because I simply needed to let go of the job specific knowledge that I had accumulated over all those years.  Now that I am a former T-Mobile employee, I can confirm that the relief I feel is as great as I had imagined.  Of course the timing of my departure may have also been fortuitous for another reason... just before I started my final work week AT&T announced they are acquiring T-Mobile—the announcement came on the 2,300th day I had worked for T-Mobile and that's another 5 for any numerologists keeping score ;)  Did anyone notice that today is a Fifth Thursday?

On Monday I will be starting at Venafi as a Professional Services Technical Consultant.  Venafi is responsible for the high quality Encryption Director product that enterprises use to centrally manage encryption keys and security certificates.  I personally had worked with them as a customer for the past five years and had long considered Venafi a company for which I would have liked to work.  I never gave it much thought, though, because they are headquartered in the Salt Lake City area and I have no desire to relocate.  Then a few months ago I noticed a few job postings listing "Continental USA" as their location (because they involve a lot of travel) and I realized that I am unlike a lot of people in that there is almost nothing preventing me from traveling all the time.  I think that, plus my familiarity with Encryption Director, helped me to get the job.

So I should get to see a lot of places I've never seen before and that is pretty exciting.  Along the way I might be able to cross a half dozen or more ballparks off my list this year, too.  I'm also looking forward to seeing how other companies do business and the challenges that come along with implementing and integrating enterprise security solutions.  It's a new adventure that should be full of new adventures...

I put together the above map to show which of the United States that I have been to.  Green states are those in which I have spent more than 7 nights.  Blue states are those in which I have spent more than 1 night but less than 7.  Purple states are those in which I have spent 1 night or less.  And gray states are those in which I have never set foot.  Contrast that with my map from the year 2000... I wonder what it will look like in 2020?

I was able to visit all those other states over the last decade primarily because friends and family moved away :(  Marathon road trips to Miami in 2003 and Chicago in 2009 added several states in a very short time.

11 Years and 41,191 Miles Later

Eleven years ago this weekend I was a proud graduate of the Washington State Motorcycle Safety Program.  I spent a Friday evening and most of the adjacent weekend at Shoreline Community College learning how to ride a motorcycle.  I took the course for a couple reasons.  I wanted to see if someone with questionable coordination like myself could do it.  And I was interested in improving my commute and saving money on gasoline.  I ended up buying a brand new motorcycle a few weeks after passing the course and rode it nearly incident free for the past 11 years.

Today I posted my motorcycle for sale on Craigslist at a bargain price, more than $200 below the "Trade-In" Blue Book value:

2000 Suzuki SV650 Motorcycle (blue) - $1,200

Original owner giving up motorcycle riding for awhile.  Well maintained, stock sportbike used mostly for commuting has just over 41K miles.  Running well but due for oil change and tune-up.  New battery last October.  Minor damage from low speed drop; safely traveled 9K miles since then.  Great first bike.  Current Blue Book value is $1,435 to $2,150.

Includes innovative "Luggage Locker" bag which zips on passenger seat, Battery Tender Jr. trickle charger, and Kryptonite sprocket lock.

Cash only, no trades please.

Within three hours, a half dozen interested people had contacted me.  I decided it was only fair to take them in the order which they contacted me.  The first person, an older, retired gentleman, met me at a nearby Kmart parking lot which I thought was a good place because it is very public and the parking lot provides ample room to go for a test ride.  I told him everything good and bad about the bike, checked his drivers license and then let him ride it around after which he agreed to buy it for my asking price.

Nearly all of the 41,191 miles my SV650 traveled were with me in the saddle.  It was a very good motorcycle and I'm glad that I followed through with having one.  But changes are well underway for me now and they make having it both impractical and unnecessary.  I'll also be turning 40 this July and had long considered that milestone would be the end of my motorcycle riding days for awhile.  No question that my family are relieved that I no longer have it, too... but I won't guarantee there won't be a second motorcycle era later in my life ;)