--- title: "Go Midwest, Young Man!" date: 2008-05-14T17:01:37-04:00 url: https://blog.lmorchard.com/2008/05/14/go-midwest-young-man/ author: Les Orchard tags: [entries, mozilla] --- # Go Midwest, Young Man! Reminiscent of this time [almost two years ago](http://decafbad.com/blog/2006/06/24/go-west-young-man), it's been a busy period so far. I've been working on another book, entitled [Professional JavaScript Frameworks][book], and have changed jobs twice [since leaving Yahoo! in early April][leavey]. I think I'm done bouncing around now, though: As you may or may not already know, [I've started working for the Mozilla Corporation][moz]—I've [got a username and everything][people]! I'm a little overwhelmed at the moment by changes and drinking from a new firehose, so my enthusiasm may not yet be readily apparent. But, remember that I'm a complete web geek—and it's hard to get closer to web geekery than this. But, one of the nicest things about this new Mozilla gig is that I'm going to start telecommuting. And the reason that's nice is because—and here's the next big thing—[my wife and I have bought a beautiful house in Livonia, Michigan][house], and we're moving back to the Midwest in a month and some change. Why? Because, after almost two years out here in the valley, we've discovered that being away from family and old friends while trying to make new friends and adjust to a very different locale was a lot harder than first imagined. And, well, it would've been much longer than we'd've liked before we could have afforded a house at all—let alone something anything like what we'll be enjoying back in Michigan. The thing is, though, I've still got a lot of love for the Bay Area and its goings on—I've been pining for this place since at least the age of eight, after all. And, we have made a few good friends out here, despite the difficulties we've experienced. So luckily, this Mozilla gig looks like the ideal thing. I'm hoping it will ensure regular return visits to enjoy [SuperHappyDevHouses][shdh], the scent of [star jasmine][jasmine] in the summer, and amazing cloudless skies lasting for days. But, on the other hand—although I'm certainly not relishing the thought of readjusting to cold, clouds, and snow in a few months—I'm getting excited about the prospects of being back in southeastern Michigan. Our house will be pretty close to both Ann Arbor and Detroit, and it seems like some interesting things have started warming up since we left. Also, I suspect (and hope) we'll discover a lot of friends and like-minded associates in short order upon our return. Lots of change. Very busy. Not a little exciting. But, I'm hopeful that things are going to get a lot better very soon. [jasmine]: http://transplanted-californian.blogspot.com/2007/10/star-jasmine.html [shdh]: http://superhappydevhouse.org/ [house]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/missadroit/2493000246/ [twit]: http://twitter.com/lmorchard [leavey]: http://twitter.com/lmorchard/statuses/787565793 [moz]: http://twitter.com/lmorchard/statuses/804009957 [people]: http://people.mozilla.org/~lorchard/ [book]: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-047038459X.html

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