Herbietown has been neglected.  I’ll be the first to admit it.  My loyal readers, I owe you an apology.  I am begging for forgiveness.

But the last couple of months were rollercoaster crazy.  Everything is changing.

1.  Greta is pregnant again.  She is due April 13 with #2.  Wowza.  You are probably as surprised as we were.

I first noticed that something was going on when Greta complained of feeling queasy on a motorboat in New Hampshire.  Greta does not complain, so I knew something was up.

A week later, we bought a pregnancy test.  She took it into the bathroom, peed on it, and then refused to look at it.  Instead, she sent me in.  I locked the door, took a deep breath, and then BAM…saw the indicator.

First reaction was calm.  There must be a mistake.  Then a little voice in my head started to repeat over and over again: “ohmigod this is actually happening ohmigod this is actually happening.”   Then, eventually, happiness.

We are doing a terrible job documenting anything this time around.  Poor #2.  It will be harshly neglected.

2.  I left McKinsey.  I am now working at Bloomberg in New York, in a new strategy group.

About 2 weeks ago, I received a call from a McKinsey partner who had previously announced that he was leaving the firm to join Bloomberg in a strategy role.  I had worked with him for 6+ months on 3 different studies, and I had a lot of respect for him.

He asked whether I would ever consider leaving the Firm.  With another baby on the way, the prospect of traveling 4 days a week was not exactly enticing.  I said yes, I would consider it.

We talked for a few more days about the role and the company.  I called a few trusted friends and my parents.  4 days later, I accepted.

I will be spending most of my time thinking about how to grow the media businesses.  Bloomberg has a large newsgathering staff, a cable network with distribution all over the world, a radio station, a magazine and a website.  Andy Lack was recently hired to head the multimedia group.  Bloomberg is investing for growth, which is impressive in this market, and I am excited to be a part of it.

I will miss McKinsey.  I never really expected to be a lifelong consultant, but I enjoyed the work far more than I thought I would.  I gained exposure to a range of media companies, including a pro sports league, a cable network, and a newspaper company.

Mostly I enjoyed working with incredibly intelligent values-based people.  In case you didn’t already know…I’m pretty much a freak.  I become obsessed with things like vampires, alternate political views, and devilish satire.  But I was surrounded by people with equally strange passions, and I found sharing ideas with them was hugely rewarding.

But the lifestyle is just too difficult to sustain when you have a family.  (I found pockets of people that made it work, but for the most part it seemed to get harder as one progressed upwards)  This opportunity at Bloomberg couldn’t have come at a better time.

3. We’re buying a house in North Stamford.  We reached a verbal agreement last night on a home in North Stamford.  It’s on 1+ acre of woods, with lots of places for Jack and the neglected #2 to play and explore.  The house is old, but some parts have been recently updated (kitchen, bathroom) so it’s ready to move in.  Going forward, we have a few ideas on ways to spruce the place up- knock out a wall here, but a wet bar there.

The best part about the house is the “80’s wing.”  There’s a section of the house with faux-wood paneled walls that will serve as the guest wing.  We look forward to visitors.

But before we celebrate too much, we’d like to see a signed binder, and of course get through the inspection.

4.  Finally, to put the icing on the cake, we’re getting a minivan.  Yes, you read right.  A minivan.  And since Greta refuses to drive it (something about an unsafe chassis), I will be commuting to and from Stamford train station in a 2001 Chrysler Town & Country.  Fully Loaded.

Thanks, Dad.  (Why didn’t we buy that Audi my mother sold last year??)