thebaldgeek

Yesterday was a big day. We got furniture and I dropped into Opto22.

We got up early, which given our ever lingering jet lag is no simple feat. Anyway, we were up early to call a removals company to see if they could shift the bulk of the furniture we had bought some time ago though a friend at Opto22. They were booked up and could not take us at such short notice, so we googled U-Haul and headed off to get a truck.
We found a place down town in short order, and for about 80 bucks found ourselfs heading down the freeway in a nice big F350 V8 powered truck. (Photos coming).
I’m really glad that we did not get any one to do the job for us, it was so nice to meet Bo, the lady we were buying the stuff off, and her place in Fallbrook was just so pretty it alone was worth the drive.
Bo was so kind, she ended up giving us some extra sheets and blankets, which we so badly needed, it was just fantastic.
We bought some extra stuff off her while we were there, a small tv, vcr, table and 4 outdoor chairs.
It was not that hard for Freddy and I to unload and bring the stuff upstairs, tiring, but not hard. The apartment now looks like a home.
I can add, typing this the next day, that the bed was very comfortable and is going to be something to look forward to at night. (Not that the borrowed air mattress was not welcome!).
We have been hitting up ‘Craigslist’ for all sorts of things, its the American version of our Trading Post, but all on line and often with photos. We found this really nice looking computer desk, a bedroom suite and dining table. I goofed a little and discovered that the numbers shown are not phone numbers, but add numbers. So we did not get the stuff while we had the truck.
Only one guy got back to me in time for us to get it yesterday. Ken was selling the computer desk. He emailed me his home phone and I called him on the VOIP (which has an annoying ~1sec delay) and we arranged to meet at the storage unit where the desk was.
It was a beautiful desk and when he dropped the price with out me asking, it was sold! Trouble was, it would not all fit in my car, no trouble for Ken, he offered to help with the bit that would not fit.
So we loaded up into the two cars and he followed me back to the apartment. Once we got there, he would not hear of leaving it, he then helped move it up the stairs! So, while the wives stood and chatted in the carpark, Ken and I did all the heaving lifting, (and let me tell you, this is one quality desk! It weights far more than the 3 seat sofa bed we got, Freddy and I are going to need help move out with this one!) While at each end of the desk the blokes got talking….. I found out that he is an air traffic controller at Miramar air force base. Wow, what a cool job!
Anyway, desk in apartment, he then asked that when I get a bit more settled we give them a call and do dinner some time…..think I will, super nice family! (Super nice desk, wait till you see the photos, going to be hard to keep it clean, but it looks too nice to use!)
I then went down to Opto22 to see the accounts people to set up how I am going to get paid….no social number was throwing their payroll company.
Well, what a welcome, before I got to accounts I had caught up with Benson, and he told be about one of the projects I will be working on, lets just say that I am very, very, VERY, V!-E!-R!-Y! excited, it is ssssoooo ‘me’ that I am just busting! He also showed me some of the other things that I might get mixed up in, now I really cant wait to get started!
I also met a bunch of new people and said hi to many that I have got to know over the years, they were all so excited about me joining and just so warm and friendly, it was such a positive time for me that I was bouncing off the roof for hours latter!

Ok, long blog, but it was a big day. The place looks like home and I cant wait to start work! But, wait I must, today, we are off to get a social security number. Yippy (or not…watch this space).

We also went to the AAA (car club) for renters insurance (ie, just contents) and to ask about car insurance. Yikes! I knew that people here love to sue, but no one I think could really prepare me for the task of getting car insurance………. In a nut shell, you have to be covered for every little thing. For example, if you damage a road sign, the state sues you for the money to repair it. If you are taking little Johny home after playing after school with your son, and you are in an accident, even if he is not hurt, just upset, then his parents can, (and from what the girl at the AAA said) and probably will, sue for damages, so you need to be covered for that as well……On and on it goes.
The one good bit of advice she did give was to wait ~1 second after the light goes green before you drive off, Temecula is known for its red light runners, if you wait, you have a better chance of not being hit.
The other interesting thing (not that we need this for a little while) is that you should get your kids to go for their license as soon as they are able, ie when they turn 16. Even if they don’t drive (which is recommended as insurance for them is insane), get them on the books, apparently their (and every one else’s) insurance costs are linked to the last 3 years driving history. So if they get their license, but don’t drive, you don’t have to insure them, then when they do drive at 18 ish, its crazy expensive rather than GDP of a small country expensive to insure them.

All that aside, I have spent about 2 hours on the net trying to find a car to buy and still are not really any closer to having one to look at.
The  good news is that Freddy has started driving. Shes pretty nervous (as are her passengers) but, its a start, a little each day is the goal.

Im typing this on Friday morning, only 4 more days till I start work. Still lots to do….. Lets see what today holds!

I feel like Gary…… Friday afternoon, walk into Dick Smith Electronics with a pocket full of money and you cant find a single thing to buy!
Cars are every where here, every one has about 3 of them….. you think I could find one to buy! And the whole process takes sssssoooooooo long each time you walk into the dealer, and the dealers are ssssssoooooooo far apart. Yeah, 2 full days of this and I am way over it.
I guess part of the problem is that we were looking for a Honda minivan. Thats what we wanted, thats what I looked at on the net, thats what lots of people recommended to me.
So, we are now the owners of a brown VW Passat, its an ‘04 with a trubo 1.8liter engine. Time will tell.

It really is an ugly process when you don’t exist. We ended up paying cash for it because the whole finance thing was taking about 2 hours every time we started it. Unfun. Most of the people were nice enough, some more so than others, but for some others, it was really nasty. The whole price negotiating thing is really weird, you don’t do it with the sales guy, you get another guy, but hes working about 3 other people at the same time, so he keeps walking in and out on you, its pretty hard to pin them down….anyway, its just odd for us I guess, there are lots of cars on the road, so it must work for some people!

On the up, we had a nice Saturday at Jason and Brittany (THERE, yous happy now that I have mentioned you by name in my blog???). We were looking at cars up there way on Friday, so we planed to stay the night, they were just the boost we needed. Saturday was great, our first church service as members, not the usual visitors! Saturday night J&B had a bunch of people over for dinner and that was really nice as well. Looking forward to catching up with more people as we settle in.

Another downer was getting though the supermarket check out and THEN finding out they do not take credit, so we had to leave the trolley full of food, go and get cash, and then come back, thats the first time its ever happen to us so it was pretty embarrassing.
The last downer for the weekend was me totally forgetting that calling Australian mobile (cell) phones is not free like every other Aust number is for us (gota love that VOIP phone). So, while chatting to Gary (about the bike no less!) I ran out of credit on the computer phone and we got cut off!!!!!

Today, we have to get a bank check for the car, get insurance for the car, pick up the car and drop into Opto22 (to find out what time I start tomorrow if nothing else). It would be good if in the middle of all that we can drop into the district office for the schools to enroll the kids (unlike Aust, you don’t enroll the kids at the school, but at a central office). I’m sure that those tasks will soak up the day nicely!

It’s hard to believe almost…..a whole week has past since I finished up at work.
Lets just look at the week and see whats been going on….

Thursday morning we had an nice smoko for me at work, all the guys were there. The boss made a short speech and presented me with a camera bag on behalf of the Engineering department. I said a few words and that was that.
Friday was a nice day, it was about the best you could hope for. A few little things to work on in the morning, and then Dan, Nick and I had lunch over the road. The afternoon was taken up with the last minute things like handing over my keys and the like.
Nick and I had some time to finish things up. Sadly the HR department could not arrange an exit interview for me in the 4 weeks that I gave as  notice. (I think I now understand why the exit interview is important, after 18 years I felt I had a few things to say and its very frustrating not having had the chance to be heard. I feel that I have ‘unfinished’ business at the Hospital, I feel a little dissatisfied and uncomfortable with how things finished up….I think the exit interview would have closed things up nicely.)

One last look around the office and I walked out for the last time. I am not going to go back. I will catch up with Nick over a few cans at his house, but I don’t want to go back into the basement again. I just want to make a clean break.

That afternoon I rode to Melbourne. Was a good ride and a needed escape from work. I had a smooth run on the ring road so got to Gordon’s feeling pretty good.
He had a nice long list of computer issues that he wanted me to look at, so over a beer or two we worked our way down the list, it was great having something to focus on and the usual joking and teasing that goes on was a heap of fun.
The next day was the usual church in Melbourne.
I ended up not going home as planed from church, but instead went back to Godon’s and staid the night there.
Sunday was a smooth run home the back way, stopping now and then for some photos. (Will be the last time I get to ride that road).

Had about 1/2 hour sleep Sunday afternoon before Dan picked me up and we went out to Gary’s.
A super night followed. It’s always a blast when the three of us get together. Got some great photos of Gary’s house in the moonlight. Dan does a great impersonation of a deep south Yanke getting abducted by UFO’s and the usual Linux / Windows bashing took place while we dubbed 8mm videos to DVD.

Got about 4 hours sleep and came home to start stripping the study.
4 days latter and I am still stripping the study!!!!

The rack is out, the telescope is down, the weather station is down, we are almost there.
With a pile of stuff we intend to pack in the lounge, finally things are getting to the point where I almost beleive that I am not going back to work in the basement (it had felt like a week off work to rewire the house or some such) and that we are really moving to the other side of the planet…….. Excitement is in the air!

Thats about the week. Just a whole lot of packing and sorting going on.
The packers arrive on Wednesday, its vital we be ready for them, so we are going hard till then. If we get done on Monday, its a bonus, if we get done on Sunday, its a double bonus, but there is no slacking off till we have it all sorted, inventoried and priced (for shipping insurance).

A long blog, but its been a ‘long’ week.