Posted by Leif Irgens on May 21, 2008 at 21:31:25:
Well . . . this will be news to some, others already know to varying degrees what’s coming . . . .
I have been unhappy in my job down here for quite a while now. Last winter, things reached a point where I finally accepted it was time to begin an intense search for a new job (and – for the sake of my own mental health - resign from my previous one, effective last March). Given that I’ve never been particularly fond of the weather down here, I had three goals for a job search:
(1) More interesting and challenging work.
(2) A location somewhere with four distinct seasons (and hopefully at least occasional snow).
(3) Mountains nearby (or at least hilly terrain).
Well, I’ve recently received an offer from a company in St. Louis, MO. (about 200 miles from where I grew up in Springfield, MO.) and Billie and I have decided to accept and relocate. The work is good, the environment is good, and I get good feelings about the personalities of my potential colleagues. Some of the paperwork and other details are still in progress but it’s likely I’ll be leaving sometime in early June.
Oddly enough, as I approach my 46th birthday and my 9th year in an area I am not at all fond of, I realize that I have made some of the best friends in my life down here and I will miss all of you terribly. I can’t imagine how long it will take me to find rivals that compare to Victor the FBM and Timmy J. I will miss our battles – both battles of determination on the roads and battles of wit in these forums – I will miss them terribly. My time with the Spiridonians has been equally rewarding. And I’ve made more friends than I care to list for fear of a memory lapse that might leave someone out.
I do hope to get one last chance to see everybody and say good-bye. At this time, it looks like my last local race will be the triathlon on May 24th at Joe Connick’s. I realize many of you will be running DIITB or possibly Woolmarket Duathlon No. 2. We plan to hold an informal open house on Saturday May 24th from around 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm so I ask that all Y’all drop by and say hi/by if you can fit it into your afternoon: 210 W. Baratara Dive in Chickasaw. MapQuest and GoogleMaps will both give excellent directions to this location. We're in the phone book if you need to call for more information.
I’ll say it again – I’m going to miss you guys so much. Good-bye, good luck, and thanks for all the fond memories.