The end of an era

(Our buddy Jason, me and Elijah)

Change is sometimes tough, but always inevitable. After having worked together for almost 9 years, Elijah, my senior production manager (and good friend), had his last day at USC yesterday. He and his wife Jessica (with their 6 month old daughter Jordyn in tow), decided that the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles (to say nothing of the near-impossibility of buying a house in this state!) was not what they wanted, so they packed up and moved to Austin, Texas. As happy as I am that they are starting a wonderful new life out there, I was sad that I did not really get to say good-bye to him. Elijah had gone back to Texas to wrap up things on the purchase of their new home, fully expecting to be back in the office on Monday to wrap up work issues. But, the day before he was supposed to fly back to LA, he ran into problems with escrow, house leaks (found the first day they moved in - which the previous owner claims no knowledge of!)and could not come back. So, we will have to postpone closure until he makes his way back to LA again.

I was very fortunate to have met and worked with Elijah all these years; he really was a driving force in making the department as successful as it is. And beyond that, he became a good and trusted friend. We got to laugh and cry with each other through a lot of ups and downs in both our personal and professional lives. I will miss him... a lot.