That badge has seen some wear, hasn't it?

Ten years ago today I got on a plane in Edmonton with my bike, two suitcases, a huge pile of immigration paperwork, and a cat. I would land a couple of hours later at SEATAC airport, struggling to juggle all of that luggage as I hunted for the rental car stand. I picked up my car, found the nearest Wal-mart, bought cat food, a litter box, cat litter, and some cheap ham and cheese sandwich fixings and then drove into downtown Seattle for only the second time in my life.

Ten years later... I've worked at Amazon for 10. freakin'. years. That's so wild compared to every job I've ever had before.

I've had a hell of a time here. This city is home to me now. I am settled into a gorgeous house in a lovely neighborhood. I've got good friends, a family I can rely on, and a job that still, despite being "work", challenges and fascinates me.

At work I've developed a reputation that I can be proud of. I've been part of building some amazing things. I'm proud of the Python community that I've helped to grow and sustain, for example, by building bridges between the Python community at large and the Amazon Python developer community.

Next week, I get the red version of the badge. That one will be with me until I pass 15 years. I suspect I'll be here that long.