My dad was right. Trying to cram several events of this magnitude into a such a short period of time is crazy. A hitch in one area (a late moving truck, a missed flight...) could have larger-than-usual consequences. Be that as it may, it turned out that all of these things did go flawlessly. Well, okay, I did get lost with sdboyer and bdragon in rural Hungary when we somehow got on the wrong train... but some helpful Hungarians and concerned Palantiri eventually got us to Szeged.
I met most of the Palantir folks for the first time during my trip to Hungary. I knew from the interview that we could work well together, but would we get along well? Jet lag, foreign country, frayed nerves from traveling... these are not conducive to putting one's best foot forward.
My fears were allayed, though. I don't think I've ever felt so comfortable so quickly as I have here at Palantir. There are no grandiose rockstar egos. Everyone knows their stuff, for sure... but ego takes a back seat to esprit de corps.
Now I'm happily ensconced in my new digs looking out over the Chicago skyline. Palantir's focus on giving back to the community will give me the opportunity to contribute to Drupal. I've already got some projects on the horizon, including working on D7 and contributing a few new D6 modules. Oh, and that Drupal 6 JavaScript book ought to see the light of day in early winter.
Congrats
It sounds like you aren't missing the good ol' Colorado too much! Congratulations on the new position. It sounds like things are going to work out wonderfully.
Happy to see the contributions coming! Having now fully read your first book, I am eager to read the next.
Good luck in your new adventures.
--matt tucker
www.pingv.com