2008 vs 2009

For me, 2008 was the year of saying goodbye to jobs, economy, eating out and traveling. 2009 has so far been the year of saying goodbye to friends. Actually, I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to them, which really sucks. They passed away too soon and too young.

Brian Tucker

I "met" Brian by way of some online friends who pointed us at each other right after I was laid off from my previous job as a consultant. Brian emptied his pockets and mortgaged his house to fund a dream of building an online business of selling subscription-based technical training services using "blogcasts": video podcast format training sessions. I helped him with WSUS 3 and Windows Server 2008 tutorial sessions. It was grueling and a learning experience for all of us involved with that project. Brian was always supportive, friendly and driven. The journey helped me through a very tough time for me and my family. We would have lost our house if not for him offering me the opportunity to work with him. No hand-outs or anything like that, just a chance to earn a small income when it mattered most and someone who understood and didn't let me feel sorry for myself. I am forever grateful.

Brett Rivers

I met Brett while working together back in 1997. We stayed in touch ever since. He moved to Washington state to work for Amazon, then Microsoft. After transferring back to Virginia we met several times and spoke often. He also offered me encouragement when I was going through a bleak period in 2008, and I helped him later as he worked to move beyond some personal difficulties. Always a cheerful person and willing to offer help anytime anyone asked. I will miss talking to him and sharing stories from way back. I don't know what else to say, I'm still kind of in shock.