Boston To San Francisco

Settling

Well, almost...

]]> I found a place in the Lower Haight that I really liked, and went for it. I'll be living with a guy and two girls. I get a garage and free laundry, so that's pretty huge. The roommates are all ultimate frisbee players (like pretty serious I guess), so maybe I'll get into playing that some. Two of them are big snowboarders, too, and I recall one of them having a cabin up in Tahoe. They just need someone with a car (that would be me :) gotsta get chains, though). Anyhow, the apartment is very close to a lot of things, so I'm pretty excited about that. It's really close to the Panhandle and Golden Gate Park, which I'm very happy about. I move in tomorrow. Other than that, nothing is much new. Working at home is pretty cool. I'll be happier when I'm working at home and my home is by the park and a bunch of stuff with people. Right now, I'm in the Mission (and not a particularly nice part), so there isn't much around. Occasionally I go out and people watch, but most of the time I'm inside or on the back porch.
So that's the update. Going to go find a bar that is televising the debates tonight. That'll be good for a laugh.
So, we've had a bunch of earthquakes south of here... haven't felt one yet, though. Can't wait for that lovely experience :).

Apartment Hunting, The Pixies, and Neverwinter Nights

That about sums up the past three days...

]]> I've been looking at places (a bunch today), and only one is something that I'd consider doing at this point. I've got three places tomorrow (one looks promising), and I'm hoping I can make a decision then, because I really can't say this is the most enjoyable experience. It has given me a chance to drive around the city alot, so I'm starting to get to know my way around, though.
I went to the Pixie's show last night at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. It was a good show.... packed. A bit short (they only played 2 hours... opened and closed pretty much with Wave of Mutilation). They are playing three shows here, and it seems to be the talk of the town. At least half the people I've talked to when apartment hunting are going.
During my free time (of which there is some), I've been mostly playing Neverwinter Nights on the Mac. Pretty exciting I know. Tonight I might go see Napoleon Dynamite with the girl who is the only remaining roommate here right now. That should be cool... I've heard it is ridiculously funny.
I saw my first fog last night. Holy christ is that wild. Watching it come up over the hills was pretty bizarre. And they aren't kidding, that shit is *thick*. Made me realize that I *do* in fact want to live on this side of town where it stays mostly sunny.
That's all... I'll update more when there's more interesting news.

Arrival

Ok, I missed a post whilst in Salt Lake City. I'll write more about that and the incredible salt flats later. Just wanted to post that I made it to SF in one piece, the car still runs, and I'm enjoying the hospitality of A for a night before he goes on tour wtih his band Roma 79 tommorrow for three weeks. He's been kind enough to let me stay here while I find a place (which starts tommorrow... along with work. No rest for the weary). Now, I think I'll curl up on the couch and do my best to sleep in tommorrow before getting my find-an-apartment-while-working groove on.
Thanks to everyone who's put me up (and put up with me) across the country. I love you all.

4th Stop - Boulder, CO

Ok, I love Boulder. I mean it. This town is so cool...

]]> This town is so cool. Nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, it is the most idyllic and beautiful place. The town itself is ridiculously cute. If you can look past the trustafarians and U of C students, it is just amazing. I also found out that it doesn't really snow *in* Boulder, and doesn't get much below freezing even during the winter. But yet, there are five mountains right around here to go riding. I am seriously considering spending some time here. My plan (as it stands in my fanciful head) is to spend February and March here in Boulder and go snowboarding the whole time. Get up at 6:00 am, start working till noon. Go out and ride until 4 pm, and then come home and work until 6 pm. In bed by 10:00 pm. Sounds pretty good to me :).
First night I got in, B and R and I were going to go to the Mofro show, but I was pretty out of it after I had a single beer. You don't notice the toll that the driving takes until you stop.
About the drive here... western Nebraska and eastern Colorado are flat and arid (very few trees). Very very flat, and the highway just goes straight. It's the easiest driving in the world. Made it in about 7 hours. Listened to Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack" and part of Michael Moore's "Dude, Where's my Country". Audiobooks are a godsend.
Last night we saw the Motet play at the Boulder Theater. The show was great, and afterwards, they did a drum parade out of the theater and into the common in front of the courthouse and had a drum circle going for another hour or so after the show. All I could think was that if someone tried to do that at the Orpheum in Boston, the cops would be on that shit so fast.
Did I mention we rode our bikes down and back.
This morning (and I use that term loosely) we went to breakfast at Lucille's. It bore a frightening resemblence to The Garland in Tucson. The food was different (Cajun flair vs. Mexican flair), but it wouldn't surprise me if the owners were the same or knew of each other. Needless to say, it was delicious.
I'm going to stay here till Sunday night and leave Monday morning. It's just too beautiful not too. We're supposed to go to Red Rocks and see a day festival on Sunday, so that will be cool.
I was supposed to go mountain biking out here, but I don't think I'll have time. Not to worry, I will definitely be back here soon.
Oh yeah, B and R and an adorable 11 week old puppy who is just an endless ball of energy.
Well, we're having a BBQ this afternoon, so... till later.

3rd Stop - Lincoln, NE

I'm here in Lincoln, NE at the lovely Cornhusker Hotel using their wireless internet. It was supposed to storm tonight and all day, but it's now going to be clear and nice tonight. I did run into a few heavy rain showers in Illinois, but after that, it was smooth sailing (keeping the good weather vibe going).
After I got back on the highway, I saw that girl in the Jetta again (she was obviously moving somewhere judging by the loads of stuff in her car). We took turns in the lead of a unspoken caravan. Kind of funny. My guess is that she's going to Boulder, CO, but that's just a hunch. Definitely not anywhere around here... not with a mountain bike on top of her car.
I'm going to take a shower now and go get some dinner. It'll be an early night I think, as I don't know anyone and am likely to just sit and play video games in my room (or maybe watch some Family Guy DVDs).

Information Superhighway (on the highway)

This is totally freaking cool. I'm at a rest stop on I-80 about an hour from the Nebraska border, and they have free wireless internet access. How cool is that!?!?
I just had to pull over and try it out.
I saw someone on the road who was driving a Jetta hatchback with a mountain bike on top from Maine. I felt a certain kinship :).
Ok, that's all. I've got to head out now... just needed to see this work :).
And they say the midwest is backwards.

2nd Stop - Chicago, IL

I arrived in Chi-town two nights ago, but haven't had access to internet (looks like Dame Edna was right... I can't rely on everyone being as connected as I am :)). So I'm at an internet cafe (Screenz) down the street from Obsquatch's apartment...

]]> After leaving Cleveland pretty late (7pm), I got in touch with T, who was leaving the next morning for Pittsburgh (he's a consultant with HP, so he's travelling all the time). I hauled ass, and made it here in 5 hours, gained an hour due to timezone change, and arrived at 11 pm. So I did get to see him for a few hours before he had to get up and catch the plane. Driving west when the sun is setting kind of sucks, and I'm going to try to not do that again, although when the sun went down, the sunset was beautiful. Driving at night through Indiana was actually good, because there was almost no traffic and some construction. Gary, IN is just as a remember it, nasty and smelly. But then there is the Chicago Skyway at night. During the day, it's ugly as hell, but as Obsquatch put it, at night it makes Chicago look like this little wonderland city.
T and I were in Comp Sci together at the U of A, and I pretty much lived at his apartment for my last two years of college with his wife R. They now live here in Chicago (where T grew up), and have three adorable children (aged 4, 3 and 1). I spent yesterday hanging out with R and the kids. The littlest one is the happiest little baby in the world, all grins and drool. He can crawl and stand up, and loves going up the stairs. I got stair duty a couple of times which involved just making sure the little climber didn't pitch backwards and fall down the steps. He's also big on opening and closing doors and drawers, taking things out and then putting them back again. He had a good time throwing the stuffed frog down the stairs. Funny, those babies.
Last night I hooked up with Obsquatch in his new apartment. He's the guy that played bass with myself and A back in Boston, and just moved here a month ago. He's got this great apartment in a very cool part of town. I'm actually really jealous of his apartment. We went out to the bar last night after he got off work and just had a few drinks, and shot pool with a couple of Republican lawyers (a prosecutor for the county and a general counsel for the senate (whatever that means)). While alcohol and politics usually doesn't mix, the back and forth was cordial, and, well, they won most of the games. This was my fault since I sank the 8 ball early on one game and scratched on the 8 on another (K would be proud). I was pretty exhausted from no sleep the night before (the kids are up early), and Obsquatch had to work today at 9, so we were in and asleep by 1 am. I slept till 3 pm this afternoon :). Damn, did that feel good. I needed it. I was really psyched when I found that I could get breakfast at the Corner Grille (on Foster and Clark) at 3 in the afternoon. And now I'm here.
Tonight, Obsquatch and I plan to play some music (I knew I brought my instruments for a reason), and I'm hoping to record it.
Tomorrow I head to Lincoln, NE where I know noone and will stay at a hotel. I'm going to try and find a decent one, where I can have the car parked valet so it will (ostensibly) be safer with all my shite in it. Hopefully I can find an internet connection there. From there, I'm off to Boulder to see B and R. I'm running about a day behind, but I've decided to not keep a strict schedule. How often do you get to travel across the country? I definitely have to be there by Friday night to see The Motet play, and then get some mountain biking in if I can.
Tis' all.
(I think pictures will have to come much later... maybe after the fact :/).

1st Stop - Cleveland, OH

Well, not exactly...

]]> I'm in Wickliffe, OH, which is about 15 minutes or so outside of Cleveland. The trip here was fine. It was beautiful weather. Didn't have to turn on the A/C once. I did have a bit of a bump in the road at the beginning. I went to get my oil changed in Auburn, MA at the Jiffy Lube, and it turns out that the last time I got my oil changed (at a Sunoco at Alewife in Cambridge), they stripped my oil pan, so the Jiffy Lube guys had a bit of a struggle getting it back in. Luckily, they succeeded so I didn't need a temporary plug. I was a little worried about the plug falling out somewhere in upstate NY, but it turned to be fine. Just crossing my fingers. Oh, BTW, the NY thruway (I-90) is packed with state troopers. I didn't speed much (although I did manage to make it here in 10 hours flat), because my car is so heavy.
Another slightly bizarre story. I stopped at the Angola rest stop on the NY thruway. I remember this rest stop well, as it was always the one we stopped at when I was a kid. It is kind of cool, because the stop is actually in between the two strips of highway (the median area), and there are pedestrian overpasses to get to it. I stopped and got out to go to the bathroom and get a cup of coffee. On my way back across the pedestrian bridge, this guy asked if I wanted to buy a laptop (at a rest stop???). I said no. He said it was new. I said no. He went on. As he walked away, I suddenly had this flash of paranoia that he broke into my car and was trying to sell me my own laptop. So I hoofed back to my car. Luckily, no windows were broken (I did lock it). Made me realize I need to be a little careful.
So, KB wanted to know what I'm listening to on the trip. Let's see. Mostly it was this audiobook by the Daily Show. The cast members actually do the readings and it's pretty funny. I probably talked on the phone for a good hour or two to KM, AS, and my mom. After that I just slapped the iPod on random and let it go.
Last night was a good time. I finally met S's wife M. We had a good time at dinner (S and I hashed through old stories as old friends are wont to do and had a few drinks. They have a cat Maggie, and my allergies kicked in so I took some Benadryl. After about an hour, I was having trouble keeping my eyes open, so I passed out about half way through watching Chappelle's show. S and I have been trading some music. I've made that my new goal. To trade a little music from everyone I visit.
I'm going to go see my mom's best friend from here and her daughter (who's in town by chance) later today. I basically grew up with these people. I do have to say that it's been a trip seeing the childhood haunts. S and M (ha!) live near Lubrizol which I did this program at when I was 14 or so. It brought back a few memories itself. I kind of wish I had a little more time to see some stuff here. I forgot how much 'coming home' can make you think.
It looks like the weather on the next leg should be wonderful as well. I think I picked a good time of year to do this. I'll be seeing Mr. Obsquatch in Chicago tonight, and hopefully T and R and their beautiful children if I can get in touch with them. I'll write when I get there. Ok, I've got to get going... it's about time to head out. I'll get pictures up as soon as I can talk to Mr. Damn and have him tell me how to post to the Gallery (or just email it to me if you read this dude).
Cheers.

Departure

I'm eating breakfast. I'm probably an hour and a half behind schedule. I also have to get my oil changed on my way out of town, as I didn't have time to do it yesterday. I *did* get my car cleaned and 'quick detailed' which makes for a much more enjoyable trip.
I was up till 2 am packing last night. I knew it was going to be quite a task, but I didn't realise quite how bad it was.
On a good note, I'm continuously amazed by how much I can pack into my VW Golf. I was able to fit my amplifier, my saxaphone, and my electric guitar, all of which I was planning on shipping out later, so that is really quite cool (especially the amp... it's heavy as hell and would have cost a boatload).
Ok, gotta finish breakfast, pack my clothes and I'm off. I'll have pictures later.
Love to everyone, and thanks to all my friends and family who've given me such a great sendoff. I've never felt more loved.

Procrastination

Yeah, so I didn't really do any of the things I said I was going to last night. Which means I have to do it all Friday night and early early Saturday morning. Not looking forward to that.
Anyway...

]]> Here's a mildly amusing side story that has nothing to do with moving, but perhaps gives you an idea of why I prefer the remote work situation to working at the office for Sun Microsystems.
When we moved to Burlington from our Framingham office (where our incarnation was as Nauticus Networks the startup), one of the exciting discoveries we made was of a ping pong table in a room that noone seemed to ever use. In order to try to entertain ourselves through the impossibly depressing transition from fast paced foot loose startup to bloated process heavy "goddamit, how many forms do I have to fill in to get a piece of software around here" large company, we decided to start taking advantage of the games (there was also a pool table).
Well, after about a week, MB decided to buy some ping pong paddles, and the interest in playing grew throughout the group. So, I had the bright idea of starting a ping pong tournament which has succeeded swimmingly (another guy here wrote a quick php script to track scores online, and it's been alot of fun).
In order to get the best play possible, we moved the ping pong table out of this tiny room and into the large common area where the pool tables are, and away we went.
Apparently, last Friday, the table went missing. After a quick look around, SM found it on the loading dock and carted it back upstairs, and everyone was happy and we played on Tuesday.
Today, however, during lunch, the table went missing again. There was much speculation that perhaps it was privately owned and someone wanted to take it home or some such. Another search was enacted, only this time it was found locked in a windowless room in the loading dock. Not sure how they got it out, but some of the ping pongers got it and brought it back upstairs.
Last I heard, what happened was that someone (or some people) had complained that they were having to dodge ping pong balls every time they walked by the area, and so had Facilities come and take it away.
When I heard this, I was immeasurably pissed because, well, it's a FREAKING PING PONG BALL!!!! Aside from that, it's really how this was all dealt with. Rather than attempting to bring their complaint to light and find some sort of resolution that involved moving the table to somewhere else that wouldn't disturb them, but still let people play, some sort of underhanded bullshit was used to get facilities to hide it from us. Like we're a bunch of fucking children (well, ok, maybe we act like that sometimes, but still...)
Anyway, I don't know, but that sort of thing really irks me, and I felt like I needed to share in this forum. Hopefully this person or people will give up after it's apparent that people really have an interest in the ping pong table, and it's unlikely we'll ever figure out who it is, because I doubt they have the cojones to fess up to it at this point. At any rate, it just solidified in my mind why I hate the office at large companies, and why I'm going to be quite happy in my little apartment in SF. Maybe I'm just justifying now :).

4 Days and Counting

4 Days remain before I embark on my little journey across the northern U.S. It looks like I'm doing it solo, as I have so far been unsuccessful at convincing IJ to go with me :).

Tonight I have to go through the pile of crap that's at my dad's house and figure out what I can fit into my car and want to take with me. The rest of it, I need to pack up and put in the attic.

]]> This is the list I have so far. I'm going to ask for any suggestions anyone has, since it will help me not forget anything. ("Wow, I made it to Cleveland... phew... I stink... I think I'll change into... aw fucking hell.")

1. Clothes (in backpack)
2. Acoustic guitar
3. Two laptops
4. iPod (w/ accessories)
5. MOTU (w/ AT3035 and stand)
6. Guitar cables, pedals, and other accessories
7. Crash pad, travel pillow, sleeping bag
8. Firebox
9. Music books
10. Mountain Bike (w/ accessories)
11. Camelbak
12. Cooler (w/ food and drinks)
13. Digital Camera
14. Toiletries (seriously, if I don't write it down, I'll forget my freaking toothbrush)