{ "attachments": [], "comments_archived": true, "date": "2006-07-25T16:25:00.000Z", "layout": "post", "title": "Young man, gone west", "wordpress_id": 959, "wordpress_slug": "youngmangonewest", "wordpress_url": "http://decafbad.com/blog/2006/07/25/youngmangonewest", "year": "2006", "month": "07", "day": "25", "isDir": false, "slug": "youngmangonewest", "type": "entry", "postName": "2006-07-25-youngmangonewest", "html": "

It's been over a month since my last update here, and a week and one day since I started here at my new job in sunny California. So, I figure it's about time I make some sort of peep.

\n

Along the way - in fact in the midst of our move - I upgraded this blog to WP 2.0 and broke a number of things. Hopefully, things are stabilized enough now to offer you this exercise to compare recent experiences in Michigan and California:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
MichiganCalifornia
GMT-5GMT-8
Partly cloudy, warm summer sunNot a cloud in the sky, daystar bakery
Moist air, scents of green dew and cut suburban grassWarm, dry air carrying scents of magnolia? (I guess that's what it is, anyway - correct me if I'm wrong!)
Two-story 1100 sqft townhouse in Royal Oak, MI, with a spacious basement, full of our stuffSecond-floor 950 sqft apartment in Santa Clara, CA, with a small balcony, devoid of our stuff
Two spotted ocicats and two dwarf bunniesTwo spotted ocicats and two dwarf bunnies - thank goodness!
15 minute commute, driving down Woodward in a Ford Focus ZX3, listening to podcasts30 minute commute, with a walk of 3 blocks and a surprisingly non-scary bus ride, listening to podcasts
Free Starbucks coffee at workFree Bean Trees barista-crafted latte at work
Zipping around a familiar town in a nimble Ford Focus ZX3Lumbering around an unfamiliar town in a clumsy Pontiac Montana rental
Sleeping in a canopy bed, with cushy pillow top mattressSleeping on leaky air mattresses - the girl's in particular has failed spectacularly
Friends and family close by, though we hermits rarely venture out to visitFriends and family far away, we hermits wishing we'd gotten out more
Familiar default choices for lazy take-out dinnerEvery night's dinner is an adventure into the unknown
White Castle is a purveyor of evil gut bombsWeinerschnitzel is a purveyor of evil gut bombs
Dairy Deluxe in Birmingham, MI is good frozen yogurtYumi Yogurt in Santa Clara, CA is good frozen yogurt
Steady internet accessFrustratingly intermittent cable modem connection
\nAs you can see, this is a study in sudden unfamiliarities. Our Focus actually arrived this past Monday night, and we returned the Montana to the airport last night - so that chapter of the move has closed. I hear that our stuff will arrive tomorrow, so hopefully we'll be on our way to finally settling in by this weekend.\n\n

After that... I don't know. I'm hoping we can finally establish a home base of some stability, then consider venturing out to the wonderful nearby city and maybe start to meet some people in the area. And I hope we find a good lazy default dinner choice - we miss our local Zumba for addictive and cheap Mexican-esque food.

\n

(My new bride and I are so enamoured of Zumbas in Royal Oak, MI, that you'll find mention of them included in my new book, in Chapter 6, p140.)

\n

Archived Comments

\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n", "body": "It's been over a month since my last update here, and a week and one day since I started here at my new job in sunny California. So, I figure it's about time I make some sort of peep.\r\n\r\nAlong the way - in fact in the midst of our move - I upgraded this blog to WP 2.0 and broke a number of things. Hopefully, things are stabilized enough now to offer you this exercise to compare recent experiences in Michigan and California:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
MichiganCalifornia
GMT-5GMT-8
Partly cloudy, warm summer sunNot a cloud in the sky, daystar bakery
Moist air, scents of green dew and cut suburban grassWarm, dry air carrying scents of magnolia? (I guess that's what it is, anyway - correct me if I'm wrong!)
Two-story 1100 sqft townhouse in Royal Oak, MI, with a spacious basement, full of our stuffSecond-floor 950 sqft apartment in Santa Clara, CA, with a small balcony, devoid of our stuff
Two spotted ocicats and two dwarf bunniesTwo spotted ocicats and two dwarf bunnies - thank goodness!
15 minute commute, driving down Woodward in a Ford Focus ZX3, listening to podcasts30 minute commute, with a walk of 3 blocks and a surprisingly non-scary bus ride, listening to podcasts
Free Starbucks coffee at workFree Bean Trees barista-crafted latte at work
Zipping around a familiar town in a nimble Ford Focus ZX3Lumbering around an unfamiliar town in a clumsy Pontiac Montana rental
Sleeping in a canopy bed, with cushy pillow top mattressSleeping on leaky air mattresses - the girl's in particular has failed spectacularly
Friends and family close by, though we hermits rarely venture out to visitFriends and family far away, we hermits wishing we'd gotten out more
Familiar default choices for lazy take-out dinnerEvery night's dinner is an adventure into the unknown
White Castle is a purveyor of evil gut bombsWeinerschnitzel is a purveyor of evil gut bombs
Dairy Deluxe in Birmingham, MI is good frozen yogurtYumi Yogurt in Santa Clara, CA is good frozen yogurt
Steady internet accessFrustratingly intermittent cable modem connection
\r\nAs you can see, this is a study in sudden unfamiliarities. Our Focus actually arrived this past Monday night, and we returned the Montana to the airport last night - so that chapter of the move has closed. I hear that our stuff will arrive tomorrow, so hopefully we'll be on our way to finally settling in by this weekend.\r\n\r\nAfter that... I don't know. I'm hoping we can finally establish a home base of some stability, then consider venturing out to the wonderful nearby city and maybe start to meet some people in the area. And I hope we find a good lazy default dinner choice - we miss our local Zumba for addictive and cheap Mexican-esque food.\r\n\r\n(My new bride and I are so enamoured of Zumbas in Royal Oak, MI, that you'll find mention of them included in my new book, in Chapter 6, p140.)\n\n
\n

Archived Comments

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\n ", "parentPath": "./content/posts/archives/2006", "path": "2006/07/25/youngmangonewest", "needsBuild": true, "prevPostPath": "2006/06/24/go-west-where", "prevPostTitle": "Go West, but Where?", "nextPostPath": "2006/07/30/xml-stylesheet-and-the-world-of-warcraft-home-page", "nextPostTitle": "xml-stylesheet and the World of Warcraft home page" }