Great essay by IdiotProgrammer about leaving Austin. He captured the spirit of what so many of us went through in the dotcom boom (he was in Austin, I was in San Francisco - same difference). I came to Houston for somewhat different reasons (my wife entered graduate school here). But everything else - the high cost of living, job hunting, trying to get by without the resources, doing jobs you hate, worrying about the next layoff, wanting so badly to stay in that wonderful town - yes. And likewise this strange, unfathomable affection for the homely hometown of Houston, that takes you in and lets you live your life.