I’m sitting in Toronto’s Pearson International Airport for, what I hope, is the last time in awhile. It’s not that I don’t like Toronto. It’s actually a great city and I’ve had many good times here.

However, this marks the end of the last 2.5 years where I’ve worked to build the technology at b5media. That involved early days of figuring out how to make WordPress work right, to the ending days where we worked to implement the Lijit partnership, to today where I said goodbye to the team and finalized a week of heavy brain dumping of my successor, Joe Taiabjee.

While b5media technology is in good hands with Joe, I’m just really grateful for the personal friendships and relationships I’ve had the opportunity to build over the past 2.5 years. I would never have had the opportunity to build a mutually friendly relationship with Darren Rowse, in the “friends” sense of the word.

Lee Newton, Brian Layman and even Mark Jaquith, who I called a friend before b5media. Darcie Vany who is the most egotistical person at b5media – even moreso than me, if that’s possible. ;-) My new BFF, Rachel Segal. Ninja Chad Randall who tells long stories. Shai Coggins who I’ve only met once. Laura and Corey and Joey and Gabby and… the list goes on.

Today I end this phase of my life but it won’t be the end. In fact, my parting words dfor everyone, including old men on the street apparently, is… See you at Gnomedex! I truly hope I will.