Thank you all for your good wishes.

So, I'm finishing up a whirlwind tour of the SF Bay Area, where I was before a company who shall remain nameless made me an offer I couldn't refuse to join them.

It was a very good offer, too. Their benefits are beyond compare. Their campus amenities are top-notch. I've read of other companies with more here and there, but none as big as mine. To put it another way, I am loyal not out of fear, but out of a genuine appreciation for what they've done for me. For what they've done for me, I want to contribute back to them.

(Take that, Machievelli!)

That's actually one of the sources of my stress, I think. I want, really, really want, to contribute. I want to make our product better, make other products better. (Yes, we've a long way to go. Don't be afraid to tell me -- just be warned that I reserve the right to fill out change requests if you note that something is egregiously wrong, such as how our Word processor has both "Options" and "Config" under the "Tools" ite.)

Other factors are that I like being competent at what I do. I like having that self-esteem that I can finish something and say, "I know it's good, because I know what's considered 'good' and I've met or exceeded this."

One of the problems is that my last company spent five out of the ten years I was there denying that my current company exists, that anyone really wants to use this company's products or operating systems, etc. My last company sold Unix, and trained me to to think Unix.

My current company probably has some Unix machines, but let's just say I don't expect to use them. I have to unlearn most of the specifics of what I learned, and try to think the same theory with a whole new different toolset.

It's been 8 months. I expect that I've mastered this part already, but I've not.

Stress.

No need to tell me that I'm smart or techie. I know that. I just can't figure out why I can't translate base intelligence into practical work solutions. All the 'smart' in the world isn't going to do me any good if I can't turn it into 'deliverable.'

Anyhow, on a late Chinese New Year's trip down to the S.F. Bay Area. My mom's weak but still spry. Her memory is going in little ways, but no dementia, senility or Alzheimer's. (What's the difference, anyhow?)

I saw some friends, including one I've known almost 2/3 my life (scary!). Actually, I'm still friends with two people from that vintage, one who's in the Pacific Northwest with me, and another who's still living in SF.

Met with my brother-in-law and his family. Nice people, though their priorities are a little skewed. I'll write about that later, maybe.

Met with my daughter's godfather and his wife. Great people there too.

Tomorrow, I'm heading back home to Seattle.

Home. Seattle. Who'duv thunk?