I start in about 15 mins. I have a full pot of coffee. I have meetings on the calendar. I am wearing a nice shirt because my camera is probably going to be on; combed my hair too. I am excited and jittery (could be the coffee). It's still dark out. I am officially on east coast hours....its literally the dawn of a new chapter. More later.
I start a new project on Monday. I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't nervous about it. This will be a great opportunity to meet new people and hone my React chops. I didn't feel like my last project was very challenging, truth be told. I did learn some things, but the kind of work I was doing there felt like a Cordon Bleu chef being asked to microwave chicken fingers. I am anxious to get back to real programming on things that actually matter.
I was also in a terrible accident on 1/17/22, my truck was totalled. Luckily I had great insurance that paid off what I owed on that truck. My new truck arrives tomorrow. That, combined with working again is going to help my life return to some semblance of its former normalcy. It's a lot all at once.
I also started farming again. Aside from the old fig trees, I planted zucchini (green and yellow) and turnips. We will see how that goes. That reminds me: I need to make a scarecrow.
I landed a new gig yesterday. I am very excited about it. I don't know if there are NDAs or anything so I don't know if I can write about it. I am supposed to start on 2/14/22, and believe me: I am ready! Upward and onward!
My contract with San Bernardino County came to an end last week (1/14/22). I don't get any vacation or paid time off, so it has been a nice week of decompression, and finally getting to some small home repair projects I have been putting off.
This week, it is time to update resumes and start visiting the job boards. These days, ever since the COVID-19 debaucle, most jobs are remote. That is great, I have a nice home office and the remote concept pretty much opens up the whole country for even greater possibilities. It's pretty exciting. I have had a few interviews already and have more lined up this week. Hopefully will get an offer soon. We shall see and I will definitely update here.
I did a lot of job hunting, went through many interviews, drove all over LA. I finally landed a position as a Web Developer with the County of San Bernardino - Information Services. This place is great! Believe it or not, I used to work here back in 2000. I was a Clerk, delivering mail, filling out forms and basically doing everything the department needed. It was fun back then, I never knew what I was going to be doing from one day to the next.
This time, I am back as a developer and many of the same people I knew back in 2000 are still here...with snow on the roof. When I was here before, I wanted to "grow up" to be like some of these developers and that inspired me to finish my degree. Now here I am doing what I love in the same building with the people who inspired me to finish school in the first place! It's crazy how things have come full-circle.
My brother flew into Denver to hang out and ride back to CA with me. It was a fun road trip. We made stops in New Mexico and Arizona along the way. I didn't want to do any job hunting until the holiday dust settled and it's almost that time. I figured I would have to wait for everyone else's life to get back to normal before I can find work.
The hunt continues today!
As much as I love working here, I am afraid it is time for me to move on. I would have loved to have stayed. The company was not converting anyone to full-time. I have been a contractor for over 1 year. I have learned a ton and made some good friendships. I am sad to see it come to an end. I need to tie up loose ends with my JIRA tasks and then surrender my equipment.
After today, I will remain in Denver for another 2 weeks or so and then start making my way back home to California. I am going to make stops in Albuquerque and Phoenix to visit some friends. It'll be a fun little road trip! My dog, Cooper loves car rides.
I often work from home, which is wonderful, and sometimes I come into the AMC office. Today is one of the days I am physically in the office and I am really enjoying their coffee...moreso than usual, maybe because I know its coming to an end. Their creams suck though; I bring my own.
It'll probably be my last lunch with my buddy Mark. He is another developer here and one of the first people I met when I started. It's fun to have lunch with him and talk shop, or about our lives in general. He doesn't know I am leaving this company. Today is when I have to drop that bomb... Management asked me not to tell anyone, but I can't just not tell Mark (Jim, Sara, Virgil, Jake, Matt, Terry, etc.)....I mean wouldn't it look sh*tty that I just disappeared one day without a word? If I were them and someone [as awesome as me] disappeared without a word, I think I would feel somewhat offended. Wouldn't you?
I got a message from my department lead, Harlan Morgan today. He said the company is terminating all their contracts. But that's okay. I was warned about it way in advance. That was why I started arranging to move back to the Los Angeles area. I can find work there, I always have. I know some people. I just gotta make some phone calls. But since next week is Thanksgiving and then come Christmas, maybe I won't land a real gig until after the new year. That's alright. I haven't had a vacation in 5 years and maybe a couple of weeks off is just what I need!
So today I gave my notice with my apartment manager, cancelled my storange unit, cancelled my local gym membership and arranged my moving and storage services. This has all become more real today. I am excited to be going home. I miss LA, my friends and my family. I can't wait!
Today I reached out to Kevin Doran at Code. He has really been there for me and got me into AMC. It was my manager at AMC that asked me to reach out and start looking. The more I think about it, the more I think "Why look for work in Denver? Do I really want to be here anymore?" I moved here for work and since work is coming to an end, why not go back to California? I mean, that is where all my friends and family are. It makes sense. The only thing that discourages me is the thought of driving through snow. So, I better plan this right. I'll be doing this all by myself. But I have done it before, I can do it again. I just don't like loading things into trucks...I'm no psring chicken. Maybe I need to hire some dudes....
I just got word that this gig may be coming to and end.