Yes, I'm a slacker for skipping two weeks of tips. :)
You can control what Outlook does after moving or deleting a message. Go to Tools, Options, Preferences tab, Email Options. At the top  is the option "After moving or deleting an open item" with choices to open the previous item, open the next item or return to the Inbox.

While the dialog says "open items" the setting also applies to items in the message list. You can use this setting to control whether you move up or down the screen as you delete items.