I’ve been following this thread about my life over on the Channel 9 forums.

It’s kind of weird to watch as other people discuss you, your motivations, and your intentions.

I just wanted to say that I can’t say anything yet about what I’m doing or where I’m going. I’m pretty sure at this point of what’s going to happen, but it’s not in my hands to decide.

That aside, it seems that a lot of the talk is about why I’m switching jobs.

The reason is simple: it’s time.

The MSDN Events team is changing in such a way that I don’t feel I’m a good fit for it anymore. That isn’t a good thing or a bad thing – it’s simply a fact. And I’m the kind of person who wants to be wherever I feel I can make the biggest difference. As I make my decision, it’s that “make a difference” factor that matters to me more than money and perks. While I’m head over heels in love with Thera right now, I’m still a bachelor, I haven’t gotten anyone pregnant (as far as I know), and I still have the freedom to choose the “right” job over the best paying job. Being an MSDN Events presenter is no longer the right job for me.

I’ll miss many of my current coworkers. They’re good people, and some of them have become good friends (with Anand Iyer being a particularly good example – he’s a very good human being doing a great job at Microsoft while also managing to be one of my dawggs (yeah – I said “dawggs” – deal with it) – I’m really going to miss him).

The decision also has nothing to do with Microsoft. You cannot judge Microsoft based on one job or one department. There are “bad” people at Microsoft. There are divisions that probably shouldn’t exist. But there’s much more good than bad – or at least that’s the impression I’ve been left with after over two years there.

So what will happen? Where will the Rodawgg go?

Don’t know. I have to wait to find out, just like the rest of you.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to get my life back in order and reintegrate with society. I’m doing much better now about my grandmother’s death, and expect that I’ll continue to get better (and thanks to all of you who have written, both in email and in the forums, to tell me your own stories and to give me words of support – every little bit has made a difference).

And, once Dave gets back from his trip to Washington DC, you’ll see the new-new Neopoleon. It’ll be good.

But I’m definitely running in a reduced capacity right now. Turns out that getting lives back in order after extreme disruption (such as those caused by losing one’s grandmother) is more time consuming than I expected.

It’s been a month of difficult lessons. But I feel I’m coming out the other end a better person.

Sorry for rambling. There’s just a lot on my mind right now. I’ve never been busier or had so many cool things going on at once (frustrating, too, that I can’t talk yet about the cool things) - and all in the wake of the hardest experience in my life.

Pretty mind blowing.

I feel like I’m about to become Rory 2.0. And this is the beta.