I am writing this part in third person because - well because :) Matt Cutts will always be a key figure in my development in this great still-new industry. Matt can only be described as a forefather of thousands of jobs throughout the world. His willingness to communicate cordially and helpfully with the entire international search community, and his drive to make Google Search a better thing for users, will always act as an inspiration to how I conduct myself in the industry. Personally, when Matt invited me and some others to the Googleplex in the 2007-ish time frame during SES San Jose for a discussion on what would eventually become the Canonical tag - and the weird werewolf game after :P - was one of the coolest experiences for me, and I still cherish having had the opportunity. Beyond the constant insights publicly shared, I recall the ""Matt Cutts silver bullets"" I would use carefully when emaling Matt directly - I called them silver bullets because I didn't want to email him too often so I only saved it for the most important client crises. What a cool guy that in his position he would answer to an email from lowly me, I still think. Also I know Matt had a lot to do with giving us the awesome Google Dances.

Matt: to you I want to say you always have a place to stay or an opinion that I will share, should you ever need anything from me in upstate NY. I wish you continued passion and a healing from your loss, and appreciate what you are doing to help our country in your current role. Nothing wrong with taking a sabbatical and making sure you are fully back into it - enjoy some of the things you enjoy. Hope to see you again one day. Chris