To many people's satisfaction and disappointment, I have decided to start a blog.  For several years, I've been asked by colleagues and friends "Where is your blog?"  This has often been followed by chastising comments when they learn that I don't have a blog and really had no intention of starting one.  Anyone who knows me would know that the reason for this decision was never about the lack of things to talk about. 

No, the issue has always been one of time, or rather the lack of it.  You see, I really like what I do for Microsoft (more on that in the next post).  In fact, you could say I like what I do too much because it really makes it difficult to maintain the precarious work-life balance that I strive for.  Fortunately, I really like to spend time with my family too so its just a matter of making the right decisions so that I keep both my boss and my manager happy!

But today is actually the start of a new chapter in my work life.  Today I have made the transition that I have resisted for the last several years: the transition to management.  Truthfully, I have really been managing, or at least directing, people for the last couple of years, but today I am officially a manager and will have to start working with the tools, reports, and inquisitions that will accompany that position.  This is the reason I am not just giving in, but eagerly jumping in, to the world of blogging. 

You see, my worst fear is that I have to focus so much on the operational aspects of management, that I lose focus on what got me here and somehow lose touch with the world that I have really enjoyed living in and perhaps have had a small role in helping to shape.  That is the world of "keeping it real" by solving customer problems with software.  This is where you have to make it happen or go home; where you might tell the customer that it is possible to address their problem and they turn around and ask you to show it in a completely unreasonable amount of time.  It is a world that separates the boys from the men in this industry because you either pull an all-nighter or you come up with some excuse to get out of it.  It is a world that I love because every once in a while you see a customer's eyes get really big when they realize they are seeing something for the very first time that is really, really cool.  I call this the "ah-ha" moment.  This is the highlight of my work and I've been fortunate enough to experience this many times over the last several years because I live in the world currently being transformed by SOA.

So even though I'm now a manager, I will not be leaving this world behind.  I'm going to continue to work with customers, look at where we are and where we are going as an industry, and how software will continue to help.  Of course, the immutable laws of time and space will prevent me from spending quite as much time doing this as I used to, but this blog is going to be one of my techniques for keeping me rooted in that world.  I honestly don't know how often I'll be posting, but I will be going for quality over quantity, so if I don't post anything for a little while, it will be because I'm not doing a good job of balancing my job and my passion.  This blog will be my tool to help me keep the passion alive and not lose site on why I'm doing what I do. 

With that... here - we - go!