In the last year, I came pretty close to moving out of state for a new day job, to Cleveland then Chicago. The first time was last spring for a long-term contract position in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The contracting company had me all set to go, until they pulled the plug in the last minute because the position suddenly wouldn’t officially be open for a few more weeks. My wife and I had already gone to Cleveland for a weekend to check it out. It’s a pretty cool town, so I’m glad we went anyway.

The second time was more recently as an e-trading company in downtown Chicago telephoned interviewed me, then asked me to come into town to visit. They paid for two hotels nights right in “the loop” which was way cool. Turns out they put the position on hold, which is fine since it would have meant a cost-of-living increase, increase in medical expenses, and moving my family, yikes!

It turns out that I landed a great position in Dearborn, Michigan, which is my hometown. It’s a graphic/web designer position in a department heavy on usability. Very cool.