The Balls in the Air Go Round and Round...

...round and round, round and round...

In the next two weeks any of these things could happen:

1. Microsoft could offer me a job (yes, contract/peon... I call it "pe-ontract") doing something I'd actually like and something I do well: bridge the education world with the high-tech world. They want someone to actually go out and talk with educators about what sorts of things they want from us. (I know -- earth shattering!) That's something I'd love, would be good at, and for which I actually speak the language... as opposed to what I was doing, where I was expected to know dev gobbledygook.
2. The contract with the Aussie company to develop the American curriculum for their gorgeous animated (video and DVD game) childhood obesity product could finally be signed. We gave them two options, both of which would provide a full multi-media curriculum. One would be way more work and more headache (because I'd deal closely with their highly ADHD and extremely creative developer), but also more money. The hourly rate for this is about twice what I make at Microsoft, so I'd be pretty stupid to pass it up. But then, both are contract, and what I'd really like is permanent full-time.
3. I have a third interview (more like just meeting more people on the leadership team) at the online early reading company next Thursday -- likely the same day I'll hear about the Aussie contract! I know they want to hire me (permanent full-time, which is a definite plus) as a Director of Product Development, but they're still awaiting VC funding. I love the people, the product and their development process, so I'd like to be able to entertain an offer from them. The good news is that they might just be getting rolling with this next phase as I finish the Aussie job. That'd be nice.
4. Debra and I will meet this Tuesday about going into business together and to prepare for how we present ourselves at the Games for Health conference in September. We rock as a team -- she in business development and me in product development. We'll talk to the president of an online game development company who's doing a game (with a $10M NIH grant) around childhood obesity prevention... our collective field of expertise. The problem is that we both have mortgages and families to support, so we really can't go into business together and just hope. We need something solid. We'll hopefully head to New York in the near future for another possibility that could be quite solid.

And maybe that's it -- down from the six possible options a few weeks ago. I'm just glad I have a job while I wait for something else to materialize. But really, I am SO ready to settle down into something permanent that I can sink my teeth (and heart and soul) into!

Stand by... I'll post what's coming -- maybe right when it's hitting me upside the head!