And so we enter the last 10 albums of this project…
In 2011 I left what had been, to that date, my most successful job to date and joined Microsoft. After six interviews, I’m not sure how we didn’t all work out that this wasn’t going to work out. Culturally, I was never going to fit into the Ballmer-era Microsoft as it sat on the verge of launching the disaster that was Windows 8. It just goes to show you that interviewing isn’t necessarily a great way to find out who one should employ (or where one should work).
It was sort of a marketing role. I had a team of “Evangelists” who were tasked with Evangelising Microsoft products to software developers. But for the first year they were also under strict instruction not to tell anyone about Windows 8 because otherwise they would be fired. Not that anyone in my team knew anything about Windows 8 because Redmond wasn’t telling anyone outside of the development team. It was a very odd time.
We did, however, have an onsite nursery. And with staff subsidy, salary sacrifice and Reading rates, it was about half the price of having the boys in nursery locally. And the staff at the nursery were great.
So every morning I’d pack the boys into the car, drive an hour, pop them into nursery and then take them home at the end of the day too. Some days, when I needed to be in London, I’d drive from London to Reading to then get the train into London and back again. Two commutes for the price of one. And also during potty training days to boot…
And all the while I had the overriding feeling that I was in the wrong place.
Ritual Union by Little Dragon was the soundtrack to some of that commuting.
You can see the #51for50 project to date here: https://mmitii.mattballantine.com/category/projects/51-for-50/
mmitII 
Matt – wanted to say thanks for all of these. Much of the 80s I had in common with you, thereafter you’ve lead me into places I never listened before. They’re great – thank you.