Oh That City

This passed Sunday I went into the city again to hang out with some people I met last Sunday in the city. [Ehm.] I had a lot of fun checking out parts of the city that I hadn't been to yet.

The first place we checked out was Chinatown. It was nice to stand in a crowd of people and feel tall. I wonder if Chinatown is a good representation of a real Asian city? I hope it is. It was definitely a unique experience and a pretty neat look into a different kind of culture.

We ate at a place that served a din sum (I think that's how you spell it) meal. Now, this was my first din sum experience, and it was a little wild. It's basically a-la-carte, but very fast paced, and with very pushy waiters. The waiters walk around the whole meal with carts filled with food. They'll pass by and ask if you'd like some of what they're serving. Apparently, they work on some kind of commission, because these people were like vultures. We were lucky to have an Asian (well, second generation) with us that had done this sort of thing before. He was able to suggest certain things and yell at the waiters whenever they got too pushy. He explained that, being as the other two people at the table were white (namely me and the girl that was with us) we were pretty easy targets. White people don't really know what's going half the time, so the waiters figure they can just unload food on the poor saps looking for an authentic meal. So it's a good thing we had a ringer.

We then went down to Union Square, which is the main shopping district in San Francisco. Any store you can imagine was there. Since I'm currently broke this only allowed me to "look, but don't touch". But it gave me some ideas of where to get fashionable items, if I ever decide to buy fashionable items.

We also got a chance to visit the sea lions down at the wharf. Yes, I finally found them. They're tucked away and a bit hard to find, unless you follow the tons of people that flock to see them. Then they're pretty easy to find. But they were a good time. They're always yelling at each other, and sleeping, and pushing each other off the decks they lay on. They also smell pretty bad. I don't figure they bathe much, or brush their teeth.

The adventure ended on the Pacific coast. We caught the tail end of the day's sunset on the beach, as we watched an old man bury driftwood straight up in the sand. San Francisco is filled with interesting people.

Every time I go to the city I have a good time. I've yet to be disappointed. This makes the urge to actually move there grow. Sure, traffic would be a problem for work. But I think I'd enjoy the scenery and social scene more. Or at least, I'd finally prove to myself if living in a city is actually fun. I've yet to try, and I keep telling myself it would be, but you never know until you try it.

So I've tentatively planned to wait a few months and see how my feelings change. I could, if the mood struck me just so, sublease my apartment (I don't really think this would be that tough to do, it's a nice place and a good price) and move to the city somewhere. I've even been checking out rental prices in various districts, and there are some pretty reasonable places. We'll just see I guess.

The Organization Problem

So my life is still in boxes and piles. Sort of at least. I'm in desperate need of some organization. But it's tough right now, because there's still quite a few key things I need. So until I get those things I don't really see the need to organize things. It makes sense in my head at least.

The organization problem spreads beyond the physical obvious. My bank situation is crazy too. Let me go ahead and tell everyone, never sign up for a bank account online. It's more of a hassle than it's worth. I went into the bank today and the counter lady told me I really should have just come in to sign up. It's apparently a lot smoother.

But the Christmas shopping is... getting done. Unfortunately it's a mess around here when it comes to shopping. This caused more than a little frustration on my end. But I'm home now. I'm safe here.

Pay Day!

It's been a crazy past few days. A friend of mine from Monterey was flying out of San Jose yesterday for Christmas. So he came into town Wednesday afternoon. We hung out Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. So it left little time for much else, but it was fun.

And today was payday! And not just regular payday, it was also get-moving-expenses-check payday. It's a relief to actually start getting an income now, as opposed to just spending it. So things are looking up.

And after two weeks of work I've gotten the thumbs up from my managers. They seem to be pleased with what I've done so far, and I'm pleased with the work that I'm getting. It's a win-win situation!

Also, no more interviews... yet. But I talked with the recruiter the other day and he let me know that it probably wasn't the last interview I'd be doing. So I think I'll be scheduling some time to come up with a list of questions to ask. I won't be unprepared again.

Tomorrow is Christmas shopping!

7 Days Is A Pretty Long Time

In Silicon Valley, things move quick. What's hot one day is an antique the next. So it's not much of a surprise that jobs work the same way. This isn't to say that my job is getting boring, it's actually getting pretty exciting right now. Every day is something new. Yesterday I got assigned my first tasks. Today, my first real "fix" was put into the system. It was dancing time. I put a few fixes in today actually, enough to warrant a "good job" from my boss, which was accompanied by a sigh of relief. You can never really tell what level you're being expected to work at, so it's nice to learn that you might actually be working at a higher level than you were expected to be working at.

All of this leads me to the most excited (and dreadful) parts of the day. Seeing as I am now a veteran in the company (I mean, I have been working here for 7 work days!), I was given the great pleasure of... interviewing someone. That's right, Justin can now add "Interviewer" to his resume. I was informed of my interview about 2 hours before the interview was to take place. And this guy was a bit more experienced than I am. It was a strange feeling to say the least. But everything seemed to go well, and my boss thanked me for doing it. I was the last interview the guy was having today, so I tried to keep it light. It was more just a talk about what he's done and I got a chance to tell him about how things worked around here. All in all it was a good experience, but I do wish I had had more time to prepare. It would have been nice to have some direct questions for him. But I've learned for next time. And I'm pretty sure there will be a next time.

I can't even imagine what's going to happen in the next 7 days.

And the Real Work Begins

Adding to the "official" list: work has officially begun. Today got a little crazy as I got assigned actual work. That's right, actual work! It's really not completely important work, but it's a good start to get me used to working with the system. I've also got a meeting with the head user interface guy tomorrow, which should shed a little more light on how the next few months should go. I'm getting pretty excited about everything though. It seems like this job is going to be pretty much right up my alley. I thought that it might be, but you never really know until you actually get into the job. So that's a bit of a relief.

I would also like to affirm my distaste of sushi. We had a team lunch today at a Japanese sushi place today. I chose to enjoy the chicken teriyaki. You all know of my distaste for sea food, so that should put an end to the discussion right there. But there was a new reason added to the list today. When the sushi is allowed to look back at you while you eat it, it no longer becomes acceptable as food.

I'm Official

I'm becoming more official every day. Well, I'm feeling more official every day. In the span of a few days I got my official work badge, my official California driver's license, and my new bank account. So it's been exciting.

There's nothing new to report on the cube front. I'm still invading another man's cube. My boss seems to be taking a "we'll just see what happens" kind of attitude. Apparently the cube overlords get upset when you try to talk to them about cube assignment problems. So we'll just see what happens.

The weather here is being quite fickle at the moment. It's been raining all weekend. I've yet to experience the California weather of my dreams, but I guess patience is a virtue.

I went to church down in San Francisco today, which was a pretty fun experience. It was a new startup church that only had about 30 or 40 people attending. I met a lot of people who had just moved to the city in the last few weeks just like me. It makes me kind of wish that I had moved to the city proper instead of 40 minutes down the road. Every time I get to go into the city I like it even more. Maybe it's because I'm getting a little more accustomed to maneuvering in such a crazy environment. The hills seems to add a lot of beauty to the city. Maybe I'll get a chance to move there in a year or so. We'll see how things pan out.

My first week at work went pretty well (minus the cubicle conundrum). I'm learning more about where I'll be fitting in with the group, and it's relieving to see that I'll be given a lot of responsibility. I was prepared to be a grunt worker, but it seems I'll actually get a chance to do user interface design work and head up the development work on it. So that's exciting.

Musical Cubes

So we all recall in the last entry where my cube had the stuff of the person before me. Well, come to find out that there's a reason for that. It's still his cube. Apparently he was going to move but decided against it. He then went out of the country on vacation and while gone they started moving him out, even against the protest of the people sitting around him. So that's why he was half moved out when I got moved in.

He returned today. I had a small talk with him, but he seemed to understand and not be frustrated with me. Apparently there been quite a few problems with spacing and the assignment of cubicles. The new building should be opening up in a few months though, and everything should get ironed out.

The picture is of "my" cubicle. For this week at least. You'll notice the two monitors. This is the first time I've had two monitors. I'm liking it so far. They're both set to a resolution of 1600 x 1200. For those that are mathematically inclined, that's a total of 3,840,000 pixels for me to fill. That's a lot of pixels.

In other news, yesterday during one of my training sessions the instructor was wearing a fanny pack. Today, I saw a man walking down the hall not wearing any shoes. Yep, I'm working in California.

The First Day of Work

Well, I haven't been fired yet. The first day went pretty well actually. Much better than I was thinking it was going to go. I spent from 9 this morning until around 3 this afternoon in an orientation meeting, which was as boring as you probably think it would be. There's only so many questions you can have about medical benefits. But overall it went well.

Then the cubical debacle occurred. Let's just say that it all started so innocently. I was told, on a form I was given during orientation, that my cube was going to be number 90 on the second floor. For a bit of reference, the team I'm on is working on the first floor. But I'm okay being a little away from the group, it's just a jaunt up the stairs. Then I get to the building and talk to the receptionist. I tell her I'm new and who my manager is, and she explains that my cube is going to be number 99 on the second floor. Hmm, I think. I explain to her that my sheet says 90, but she was sure that she had walked with my manager and picked out 99. That's fine with me, I really just want a cube I can call my own at this point. I'm not terribly picky. So she tries to call my manager. No answer. So she calls the cubicle coordinator (they have jobs like this?) to sort things out. I then get my third cubicle assignment: number 137 on the first floor. Everything is crumbling at this point. I get shown to my new cube, only to find the guy sitting next to me at the orientation unpacking. This can't be good. So a manager that sat nearby made some calls and, since things were going to take a while, decided to give me a tour. We quickly ran into my manager. We continue to make a few calls and eventually we find out that my cube is, in fact, number 90 on the second floor. So we make the trip and it's obvious this is my cube. It had a "Welcome Justin" sign on it. But the problem is, the person who had the cube before me still hadn't moved out. His stuff is all over. His coffee mug. All his files. What am I supposed to do with this? There's also an empty box in the cube. I'm assuming this is my first job. Pack up the stuff of the guys that's leaving. Welcome to corporate!

But other than that everything went smoothly. Everyone I've met or talked to has been great. There really are just a lot of great people at this company. I'm pretty excited about everything so far.

I've also been put to ease about my fear of being "thrown to the wolves". I've been told to "take things easy" here for the first few weeks and just get organized and figure out how things work. I'm excited about work tomorrow actually. I wonder how long that feeling will last...

Finally, An Update

Sorry for the delay. It's been a pretty crazy past week. Ever since pulling in we've been going non stop. But I finally got a break today, which was nice.

So far everything has gone great! The apartment is much better than I was anticipating. All new appliances, new "hardwood" floors, and new carpet. I have been raiding Ikea in an attempt to fill this place up with furniture. I've gotten some really good stuff, including a bed frame that doesn't need a box spring. But I haven't gotten a couch yet, which means the place still looks pretty empty. I'm hoping to get one once the money starts rolling in.

While the parents were here we got a chance to go to San Francisco and check it out. I really think they enjoyed it. Dad now wants to move here.

I'll be updating soon with some stories from the road. Including the stolen Uhaul story...

Also, first day of work is tomorrow. It will be filled with mostly HR stuff, so it shouldn't be too terribly exciting, but I'll probably get to meet with my group afterwards, which should be fun.

More to come.

Welcome! To California

Our adventurers have arrived in California. Driving for over 30 hours straight; coming to the realization of the endlessness that is Texas; determining that it was all worth it after seeing the Texan sunset; battling the horrors of downtown El Paso; being - at one point - a mere six blocks from the Mexican border; never being able to actually see the New Mexican scenery because it was the middle of the night; getting caught in a great migration of RVs and dirt bikes; finally realizing that the Los Angeles traffic and roadways are the eleventh and and twelfth (respectively) final plagues of God; and seeing the amazing mountains that sit just on the north side of Los Angeles. They sit in a Bakersfield hotel, only three hours from Mountain View.

I'll have more information and pictures soon.

Thanksgiving

Well, we've made it to Bastrop. Two states down, five to be completed. We now get to rest for a few days to recover from all the driving. We also get to restock our Mountain Dew supply.

For those statisticians out there, we're averaging approximately 20 mpg. For a reference point, the Sentra typically gets 30 mpg on highway trips. So it's not doing too bad. At this rate we'll be stopping every 240 miles to refuel.

Yesterday we got to take laps into and out of a gas station in Mississippi. The chain that is securing the trailer to the hitch decided to fall off every time we pulled out onto the road. I was content to do this for the rest of the night, but Dad had the better idea of stopping in the road and fixing it.

My suspicions were right about the feel of the drive. After a few miles, you don't really notice the trailer any more. Plus, now that our speed has been capped off at around 70 mph the drive is less stressful. It's not like we can pass people, so we don't have to even worry about it. I'm starting to have more empathy for those truck drivers.

Also, Mama Joyce has informed me that the picture of me that graces the top of the page is not a good one. She has also informed me that she doesn't want her picture there. I'll try to find something that works for everyone.

Good-Bye Alabama

The trailer has been packed to the top. In an amazing display of geometric power, Abby and I managed to get both the dresser and the full size bed inside. Along with all the other crap that I've decided couldn't be lived without. I'll have pictures to display at a later date.

Mom and I both took turns driving the now fully loaded trailer around the neighborhood to get a feel for how it drives. It is not pleasant. The trailer is like a monster on a leash at times. It pulls and pushes and swings and swerves. And boy does is make the car go slow. But I'm hoping that once it gets on the interstate and gets moving along it will settle in and accept its journey.

Now it's off for a six hour drive to Mama Joyce and Smitty's for Thanksgiving. I'm excited to get to visit with them. It's crazy how well the timing and location worked out. It's just a short trip off the interstate. Perfection.

Until then, good-bye Alabama.

The Trailer Cometh

So I just went an picked up the trailer. Apparently Uhaul incorporates a laissez-faire approach to renting trailers. "Do you have a reservation?" "Yes." "Okay, the trailers are over there, go ahead and get one." And I was off! But I guess there is no real danger in people stealing these things. They are a pain to drive with. Stopping must now be planned out a mile ahead of time. I feel sorry for any animals that decide to play chicken with my car with this thing attached. They won't win.

And for a bit of size reference, here's a picture of Abby inside the trailer. It's small. But I still think I'm going to get a full size bed in there if I angle it juuust right. Maybe I can just saw the box spring in half.

"What's that behind her?" "Has Justin already begun to pack and load the trailer?" "He's such a go-getter!" No, I'm sad to say the packing has not been started yet. Those are shoes that apparently were not wanted by the previous renter. She must have thought that the next person that uses the trailer would need some new heels. But the thing is, I don't need new heels. They also left us a hanger. I might actually use that.

Something tells me they didn't have to pay their ten dollar I-didn't-clean-out-my-trailer fee. I just don't think Uhaul cares that much in such a laissez-faire trailer market.

The Apartment

I finally got word of my acceptance for my apartment. So I'll share a few details.

The complex is called Heatherstone. It sits right in the armpit of El Camino Real (the main road that cuts through Silicon Valley) and Highway 85. [Map] It's about 7 miles from where I'll be working. [Map] My office is about a mile from the Stanford campus. I'm hoping to draw mental power from them in some way. Do they make hats for things like this?

It's 750 sq. ft. and has relatively new appliances. The only two appliances that will probably be missed are a washer / dryer unit and air conditioning. I've yet to live in a place without A/C. I realize that there are places in this world that do not in fact need A/C, but when you tell me that you're taking my A/C away, my heart starts beating a little bit faster. It's funny (sad?) how this issue is probably what worries me the most out of this whole trip. The floor plan:

An interesting fact is that I have not actually been to the apartment complex. I've only seen a few pictures and talked to a nice lady on the phone. If you're ever looking for a fun adventure, why not try renting a place for a year before you check it out? But the Internet seemed to say it was okay.

Also, there is an Ikea roughly 5-7 miles down the road from the apartment. I'm sure this will come in handy on more than one occasion.

Two Days And Counting

I'm starting the real effort in packing up everything I've accumulated over the years. I've had things in semi-logical groupings (Mom would call these "messy") since leaving Auburn, but now the process of picking out the needs has begun. It's a good opportunity to purge those things I really don't need. It's amazing what you can get rid of when you have to fit your life into an 8' x 4' x 4' box.

So today belongs to more formal logical groupings. I'll probably get around to finalizing clothes as well. Tomorrow I'll be able to pick up the trailer and get a better idea of what's going to fit.

Below is the route out west. We'll be spending Thanksgiving in Bastrop, LA with Mama Joyce and Smitty. Then it's off across Texas, and hug the border until we reach Los Angeles. It's then a straight shot up the west coast to Mountain View. In all, right around 2,500 miles of open road.


I've yet to "worry" over the move. I don't think the realization has hit me yet. Even through all the planning. Even through all the money that has to be spent to make a move of this sort happen. Even through all the good-byes. I'm curious to see how my emotions play out over the next few days.

As a final note: this blog will most likely not contain cute baby pictures. That department has been monopolized.