“Nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change.”
It really is worth listening to the speech he gave after he was defeated in the NH primary (it formed the basis of the above song, but it really doesn’t need Will.i.am to make it great).
So on to part 2. After a couple of years focused on Windows Live Writer and blogging, the time has come for me to work on something new.
I’m now a Technologist in Residence at General Catalyst, a position which will offer me a significant opportunity to learn from some very bright people with both great operational experience and also great experience in the venture capital community. This brings with it a whole new host of professional challenges, as in the short term I’ll likely be spending a lot less time actually building products and getting them to market (which is what is really natural for me). That said, it’s a set of challenges that I’m really looking forward to.
As a part of the transition, my family and I have also relocated from the Seattle area to the Boston area. After living and working here for 10 years prior to my time at Microsoft, it feels great to be back. Just in time for the MLB playoffs too. I had a great time working at Microsoft, a career objective of mine from way back has now been checked off the list :).
If you’re in the Boston area and I haven’t yet reached out to offer to buy you a cup of coffee and chat, please drop me a line!
I finally got around to watching Little Miss Sunshine. It was a really great film, though somehow I ended up feeling a little let down, like it wasn't quite as good as I expected it to be. I guess I’m a jerk.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano, Toni Collette, Marc Turtletaub, Brenda Canela, Chuck Loring
A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.
For those of you who used to ride the T on a regular basis, you must've run into Gonzalo along the red or green line. If you were a real fan, you would even catch him at the Middle East (upstairs on the corner), or maybe even the Lizard Lounge (on at least one occasion).
No subway in Seattle.
Putting aside technology for a second, and noting that I probably should’ve read this a long time ago, I’m sold on Obama.
“But the reason our campaign has always been different, the reason we began this improbable journey almost a year ago is because it's not just about what I will do as president. It is also about what you, the people who love this country, the citizens of the United States of America, can do to change it.
That's what this election is all about.
That's why tonight belongs to you. It belongs to the organizers, and the volunteers, and the staff who believed in this journey and rallied so many others to join the cause.
We know the battle ahead will be long. But always remember that, no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. And they will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks and months to come.
We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
(APPLAUSE)
For when we have faced down impossible odds, when we've been told we're not ready or that we shouldn't try or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation: Yes, we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail towards freedom through the darkest of nights: Yes, we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness: Yes, we can.
It was the call of workers who organized, women who reached for the ballot, a president who chose the moon as our new frontier, and a king who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the promised land: Yes, we can, to justice and equality.
Yes, we can, to opportunity and prosperity. Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can repair this world. Yes, we can.”
