"eats roots, shoots, and leaves" vs. "eats, roots, shoots, and leaves"

I've done it. I'm sooo outta here! Putting the cart before the horse, I gave notice last Friday. 2 weeks. I didn't have any work lined up, just fed up with this company.

But this morning I got a call that's put me on a high that's still running strong. I've got a new contract at a government department. I've almost doubled my salary and I'm feeling waay more confident that I can get back into business for myself again.

The last time I think I was too young. Not savvy enough, but I think I'm gunna work at it more slowly this time. I'm not gunna go out into full on consultancy (with partners and employees etc) for a while, just take it easy. Anyway, I don't have enough quality contacts.

Contracting is definitely the way to go. I've been soul searching for months, and I think full time employment is like a trap. One gets sucked in to the trap and feels like they can't move because they have their mortgage to consider, or consider it too risky for various other reasons. I'm gunna break out of that trap, it doesn't give me the freedom I need. If I wanna go overseas then there's nothing stopping me. If I don't get on well with my co-workers/boss, no problem. Just finish the contract and there's no obligation to stay on.

Anyway, the only companies I really get excited about work for are those whose managers are either former or current programmers. Anyone else just doesn't get it. And it's so rare, there's only been 1 job that could have kept my loyalty and enthusiasm based purely on their working procedures and attitude.

Something strange happened when I gave notice at my current company that I'll just mention because I can't for the life of me figure out why it happened or for what purpose. When I went into my bosses office I was kinda rushing on adrenaline, because he has a fairly passionate temperament (for want of a better adjective) and I didn't know if he would blow up when I told him. Anyway I just came up with some bullshit excuse. IMO he doesn't need to know the real reasons I'm quitting. He call's in this new manager guy who apparently is pretty experienced at herding cats. Next thing, he's telling me about how things I've done at this company have taken way more time than they would if he did them, how they haven't always worked, I don't test enough, don't think you're such a shit hot programmer, guys who don't test enough are really not worth that much etc etc. In the end he was like, still wanna stay?


Like, what?

Was this an attempt to deflate my apparently over inflated ego? To strike fear into my heart of leaving this company? Oh my god! I'm not as good as I think I am! Nobody else would want me, I'd better stay in this company while I still have a job!

Huh?