Recapping an Epic 2011
A Tour
I pulled a Corey Haines, left Chicago for a month, and went on a journeyman tour. I incorporated my family into the journey. This is what happens when you bring an energetic nine-year-old to a pair programming session:
Here are some thoughts I put together along the way:
Africa
I was invited to give the opening talk at RubyFuza in Cape Town, South Africa. Eventually I wandered out of the hotel and up a hill:
A Keynote
I had the astonishing privilidge to give the opening keynote at the 2011 Scottish Ruby Conference.
New Vision
I bought a $2000 Groupon for LASIK. I had the procedure and went from near blindness to better than 20/20. It still amazes me daily.
A Summit
My wife and I climbed Mt. Rainier. As someone who grew up near Seattle and visits there often, it’s always been a dream of mine to climb that beautiful beast.
An Exit
Groupon acquired Obtiva. I worked at Obtiva since I left ThoughtWorks in 2006, and became a partner in 2007. I’ve since worked hard to port our apprenticeship program and geekfest into the Groupon culture. It’s been amazing to see the Obtiva team make an even bigger impact at Chicago’s hottest tech company.
New Adventures
Joining Groupon full-time has been intense(ly awesome). I’ve had a lot of fun flexing some new leadership muscles, but also really enjoying stretching Redis in some interesting directions. (Currently prepping a 48-node Redis cluster.)
I also joined the CodeAcademy team as lead mentor. Watching Neal, Mike, and Jeff hustle through their first quarter was inspiring. I feel lucky to be a part of this phenomenon.
A Death
I lost my paternal grandfather to a stroke this year. He was a blessing to me.
An Angel
I have had the good fortune to recieve equity in 3 different companies over the last 4 years without having to actually pay anything. Obtiva, Mad Mimi, and Code Academy. This year I finally ponied up and made a financial investment in a hot Chicago startup. (Will say more when I can.) I’m looking forward to more angel investing in the years ahead.
2012
I have no resolutions, goals, or plans for the coming year. I am preparing for nothing, so that I will be ready for anything.
