Well, I didn’t think I’d be back here so soon.

Not for the first time in my life, and not for the last, my grand and best-laid plans failed to work out as I’d hoped. The demise of Portfolio is a major disappointment, but I’m working to keep it all in perspective. I’d give my side of the story if there were much of a story to tell, but there really isn’t. I knew there were risks going in; after I’d accepted the job but before I began, Conde Nast laid off a number of writers at Ars Technica, among them my friend Julian Sanchez, and I had a good, long thought about whether I was putting myself in a bad situation. In the end, I decided there was no way I could let such an opportunity pass me by, based on some fear that I might wind up laid off. It was the right decision, and I’d make it again.

I suspect that someone in the organization knew about the potential shutdown when they approved my hire, but I don’t think it was the editors at Portfolio who orchestrated the recruitment. I don’t have any bad feelings toward them, and I wish them good luck finding new jobs.

What next for me? I have had some interesting discussions this week, and I am optimistic that I’ll find myself in a good place fairly soon, but I’m not yet to decide anything just yet. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, and I’m going to mull things over for a few more days to try and determine just what I want to accomplish with my next step. In the mean time, I’ll be posting a few things here so that I don’t get too rusty.

Many thanks to all the folks who offered support this week. The news was heartbreaking, and it made a difference to hear such great things from you all.

All right then! Back to blogging; the world’s not going to stop on my account.