Jan 7: A Fresh Start

I mentioned previously that I'll be spending January in Canada - Ottawa, to be precise. After I mentioned here that I was looking for a job, Paul Vallee of the Pythian Group contacted me to ask if I'd be interested in working for Pythian if I was able to work from Edinburgh. The only reason I didn't accept the permanent job offer last year was that I would have to move to Canada and whilst my other half, Madeleine, was keen, my daughter was much less so :-( I jumped at the chance this time. I'll be in Pythian's offices for the next four weeks, learning how they work and getting to know people, before I work from sunny Edinburgh. (Well, it's probably going to seem sunny after Ottawa's winter temperatures!)

So here I am, sitting in Lounge B at Terminal 3 (those frequent flyer miles and status are one of the joys of my life) with a pretty long three and a half hour wait between my flight down from Edinburgh and my flight out to Halifax, then on to Ottawa.

I'm not sure now is the perfect time to look forward to a fresh start at work, having woken up at 4:20 and shared some uncomfortable goodbyes for the next month. There was a watery eye or two on the comfy seat. It's safe to say, though, that I'm pretty excited about working with some very talented people (having already met some of them) for a boss who takes his business and his people seriously (having spent hours on the phone to Paul over the past year as well as swapping the odd email). As with any new role, I can't really say how it'll work out and Paul has already highlighted that working from home is not for everyone, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

Although I'd hoped to stick to technical matters as much as possible in future, a new job in a new country will mean irresistable blogging opportunities and, besides, several other bloggers have got the technical thing well-covered ;-) I'm not sure how much I'll really see of Ottawa, though. I'm staying and working down-town, thanks to Pythian picking a very handy hotel, but I'm also going to take the opportunity to spend the next four weeks getting some serious, undisturbed work in on my Hotsos presentation in the evenings.

Anyway, time for a quick read of the Sunday papers.
Posted by Doug Burns Comments: (20) Trackback: (1)

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#1 - Jonathan Lewis said:
2007-01-07 05:42 - (Reply)

Doug, Good luck with the new job, I've always thought it sounded like a great company to work with.
But don't spend the entire month with your nose stuck in a laptop; Ottawa may be a little cold, but at least it's dry cold, not wet cold.

#1.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-01-07 21:09 - (Reply)

But don't spend the entire month with your nose stuck in a laptop

I won't really, that's just pre-presentation optimism on my part and trying to make sure Alex Gorbachev doesn't lead me astray!

#2 - Lisa Dobson said:
2007-01-07 07:46 - (Reply)

Good Luck with the new job Doug!
Pythian sounds like a good place to work with some great people - I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Working from home isn't too bad either.

Lisa.

#3 - Mark Rittman 2007-01-07 14:22 - (Reply)

Yep, good luck from me as well. Doing something a bit different is usually a good thing once in a while, and going over to Ottawa for a month certainly sounds pretty interesting. Hope the induction goes well, and like Jonathan says, you get to see a bit of the city.

Maybe see you over in Amsterdam in May?

#3.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-01-07 21:11 - (Reply)

Maybe see you over in Amsterdam in May?

Probably not, unfortunately. I think I'm going to be committed to Hotsos, UKOUG and the Miracle event in Edinburgh.

#4 - David Aldridge said:
2007-01-07 14:34 - (Reply)

I'll give an "amen" to the idea that working from home is not for everyone, but in my case I moved to a new city to do so and hence was "Billy-No-Mates" from the beginning. Staying in the same place where your friends and family are is probably a very different business altogether, but I've had enough of it now and tendered my own resignation last week.

And another "amen" to Jonathan's comment on the dry cold. We get very dry here at around 6,500 ft and a humidifier is a great investment, but it's a very liveable atmosphere outside with a bit of sun even when it is cold (as long as the wind stays away).

#5 - Alex Gorbachev said:
2007-01-07 16:20 - (Reply)

Doug, I actually forgot to mention that this winter is canceled here in Ottawa - middle of the winter with 95% of time above zero and no snow. And this is the second (well, depending how you count) coldest capital city in the world. Hopefully you are bringing some snow with you!

So here am I all set and leaving for Ottawa airport. See you in few minutes. We'll make sure that you don't have much free time in the evenings to work on your presentation. ;-)

By the way, I have seen twice already such anomaly as freezing rain. The last time it was on the New Year's Eve - needless to tell you how pleasant it was to drive home. Ottawa's winter still has some time to show its teeth.

#5.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-01-07 21:12 - (Reply)

Those winter clothes are certainly looking a bit redundant at the moment - it feels more like Scotland - but there are four weeks and I think they might come in handy later ;-)

Thanks very much for meeting me at the airport, it was very welcome ;-)

#6 - Marco Gralike said:
2007-01-07 16:34 - (Reply)

Hey, thats a great start of 2007; best of luck with your new job!

#7 - Noons said:
2007-01-07 18:15 - (Reply)

Congrats, Doug. Sounds like a good company to work for. Paul seems to have a good handle on how to run this kind of company effectively.

"sunny Edinburgh"? now, now: let's not get ahead of ourselves...

#8 - Doug Burns said:
2007-01-07 21:13 - (Reply)

"sunny Edinburgh"? now, now: let's not get ahead of ourselves...

LOL ;-)

#9 - James Foronda said:
2007-01-07 21:29 - (Reply)

Doug,

I agree that working from home is not for everyone but for me, it works *really* great! I'm one of the many full time home-based employees at Sun. I've been working from home full time for 2 years now.

When people ask me what my biggest problem with working from home is, I tell them it *was* the refrigerator. If ever you encounter this problem, put chains around your refrigerator, lock it, and if you wife works outside the home, ask her to bring the key. :-)

I wish you the best.

James

#9.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-01-07 21:42 - (Reply)

Actually, Sun was where I first had the opportunity to work from home and I loved it too. However, I didn't do it for long and didn't do it every day of the week.

I'll need to watch that fridge thing but, if previous experience is anything to go by, I'll get so caught up in my work that the trick will be to stop and eat *something*.

Oh, and the less I think about nicotine consumption, the better :-(

#9.1.1 - Alex Gorbachev said:
2007-01-07 22:17 - (Reply)

Still no sleep? You are tough! I hope you wouldn't mind me sharing your smile - I couldn't wait.

#10 - Peter K said:
2007-01-08 01:09 - (Reply)

Doug,
Welcome to Canada and enjoy. Ottawa can be quite dead after 6pm but you should be alright as I'm sure the guys at Pythian will look after you.

If the weather gets back to normal before your four weeks are up, take the opportunity to go skating on the Canal.

#10.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-01-08 05:41 - (Reply)

take the opportunity to go skating on the Canal.

That was the main wish I mentioned to Paul when we were driving around. For some reason, people skating on a frozen canal seems much more attractive than a manufactured ice rink.

#11 - Patrick Wolf said:
2007-01-08 04:20 - (Reply)

Good luck with your new job!

I thought Winnipeg is one of the coldest cities in Canada? Or at least it felt like that when I was working there for a few weeks in winter... :-)

Greetings from good old Europe
Patrick

#12 - Harro - Miracle Sweden said:
2007-01-08 05:32 - (Reply)

congrats Doug! njoy life and hope to see you sometimes again on a Miracle event :-)

#12.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-01-08 05:42 - (Reply)

hope to see you sometimes again on a Miracle event

Oh, I think so ;-) I'll certainly be hanging around the Miracle Scotland event in Edinburgh!

#13 - Thyge Jacobsen 2007-01-09 08:57 - (Reply)

Hi Doug.
Congratulations. Nice going!
Sounds like a fine company.
Hope to see you again at Miracle Open World 2007 in Lalandia;-)
Regards Thyge


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