July 6, 1996 was my first day at CNN and January 11, 2008 was my last. I’ve been thinking about leaving CNN for over three years. I wanted to quit and move to California. In the end I knew I had to take it one step at a time and begin by leaving CNN. It wasn’t thought out well by any means but I knew it was a good time for me. I’m happy, my confidence is high and I’m in a good place — though not necessarily financially but I’ll make do.
Losing Pedro helped me make that decision. He was by no means a burden on me but it made it a little more difficult for me to just quit my job and move. Once I lost him I started thinking about why I got him in the first place. He got me through tough times and all he wanted was a bellyrub in return. I didn’t want what he did for me to go to waste, so I did it as a tribute to him.
I’ll be freelancing around town for different networks. Al Jazeera has already booked me for the State of The Union and the Florida Primary. We’ll see what happens after that…