Finally... Furniture!!!

I honestly try to look on the bright side of things.  I will genuinely try to see the other side of opinions and try to accept the excuses.  Really... I do try.

But Condor Moving Company exhausted any reservoir of good will in me.  We will start off with the packing job in Houston.  I had been told that they would be by to get my stuff out of the apartment in the morning.  The kids and I had planned the route to San Jose based on us getting out of town by early afternoon at the latest.  Condor showed up at 9 pm.  We could not get on the road until after 10 pm.  We had to change our route and planned stops (including changing hotel reservations).  Now, the guys that showed up were very nice and knew their jobs.  They made quick work of wrapping up my stuff in a very professional manner.

That was the pickup.  The delivery turned out to be an even worse situation.

The contract stated that delivery would be between July 2 - 13 (quite the breadth of time).  I arrived in San Jose on the 1st.  So on the 11th, I started to call to get a status update.  After no one returned my phone calls (5 of them) I finally got through to someone on the 13th.  I was then told that the trailer had broken down and that they would not be leaving Dallas until Wednesday the 15th and that the arrival would be on the 18th or 19th.

So I started calling again on the 18th (6 calls this time) with no one returning my phone calls.  On the 20th, I finally asked to speak to the owner or general manager  (Yes, I know I have a LOT of patience and can easily be taken advantage of...).  The sales manager that I talked to agreed with me that it was horrible that no one called me back and guaranteed me that I would have delivery on Wednesday the 22nd.

I got the call from the driver saying that deliver would be between 12 and 2 pm.  Now please note that I have just started a new job and taking time off is never a great idea.  Anyway, I left at lunch to be there.  Around 1:30, I started to call again to ask where they were.  The driver texted back "2-5".  At 4:30 I texted the driver asking for an update.  He texted back "today".  He and his crew showed up around 6:45.

Now, once again the gentlemen were very understanding and professional.  Admittedly, I also only had one wine glass and one chair that were broken which I seriously consider to be a very successful move.  The best part was when I explained my frustration, he simply nodded knowingly and told me that the truck never broke down.  Evidently, summer is the busiest time of the year and moving companies always overbook their schedule to make the most money.  It is easier to deal with an angry customer that usually will not be moving again (so no repeat business) than to lose out on big bucks.

This has been my fifth multi-state move and I have to say, it has been the worst.  I guess the bottom line is that I will not move again in the summer.

Thanks for letting me vent.  On a brighter note, my sister and my mother are going to visit next week.  This ought to be interesting....

Air mattress be damned...

Ok... the movers are now not scheduled to be here until next weekend (insert obligatory grumble and gripe here...)  I found a leak in my air mattress, so I am now sleeping on one of the kid's single mattress.  Oy!

But on to some good news, I spent my first full weekend here and on Saturday I drove to Monterey to see/join the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  All I can say is that I got to see some seals and otters!  I felt like my 12 year old daughter when I saw the seals sunning themselves on the rocks in the bay.  I really wanted someone with me so I could grab their arm and point and excitedly say "Look... look out there!  There are seals!"  Then I would repeat the process when I spotted the otters.

The aquarium was a real treat and then I took a stroll down Cannery Row (which is attached to the aquarium) and had a great lunch at The Cannery Row Brewing Co.  I had a delicious fish and chips plate partnered with a double chocolate stout.  It was simply fantastic.  So was the day.

One of the best things was actually the drive down there and back.  The road (Highway 1) is simply gorgeous and it was littered with fruits stands along the way.  Cherries, Strawberries, Avacadoes, and Artichokes (Castroville, CA claims to be "artichoke center of the world" - quite the claim) were all over the place so I stopped and loaded up on cherries and strawberries.  Once again, they were heavenly.

Life is certainly off to a great start here despite the lack of furniture.  Plus, I found out that my mother and sister will be coming to visit at the end of the month.

One week in...

The Web Guy next to his idol's star at the
Hollywood Walk of Fame

Okay, I know I should have posted during the drive our here.  The socially responsible thing would have been to keep this journal active throughout the trip.  I didn't do that.  I got lazy... no, actually the truth is I was absolutely exhausted and having too much fun with the rugrats.  We had a few stops along the way, including Hollywood, which was well worth the stop.

Anyway, the eagle has landed in San Jose and I am still without furniture after a week.  I am currently living in my bedroom.  My computer is propped up on my suitcase, my 19" television set is sitting on top of a cooler.  My bed/table/chair is currently being served by a four year old Coleman queen sized inflatable mattress that slowly loses pressure every evening.  My fifty year old back is starting to protest.

But I have arrived!  When the kids and I landed last Wednesday, we immediately made a bee line to San Francisco and Chinatown.  We had a ball perusing the shops in Chinatown and then had lunch at a fabulous Italian restaurant in North Beach.  Life was very good.

My one-bedroom apartment is wonderful and (to my kids delight) the swimming pool is right outside of my door.  I am on the first floor with a patio (plants to come) and I may even spring for a bar-b-que.  Life is certainly good right now.  The next decision is to whether to go to Monterey Bay or Yosemite this weekend.  I will let you know.

Salute!

Wonder of Wonders...

Let the Heralds sound the trumpets and let the celebration begin!  There IS joy in Mudville tonight!

I do not have to drive the UHaul truck!!  My new employer just came through with some relocation assistance and now I have burly men to load up someone else's truck and deliver the goods to San Jose.  I am now completely indebted to Santa Clara University and decided to become the biggest booster.

The thought of driving a UHaul truck with my car in tow was giving me a case of the cold sweats at night.  It had absolutely nothing to do with actually driving the truck on the freeway.  It had nothing to do with finding a hotel at night that had room for a 15' truck and car trailer.

The cold sweats were caused by the thought of having to get gas.

I just had this image in my head of trying to maneuver around a gas pump and the car is jack-knifed at a 45 degree angle.  People are laughing, my kids are traumatized... you get the picture.  But, I do not have to worry about that anymore.

Go Broncos!!  Santa Clara, here I come!

We have a landing pad...

I do believe that I have found a place to land on this next leg of the adventure.  I am signing a lease in the blind for a year, because hey...I can live anywhere for a year.

On the west side of San Jose it will take me 13-15 minutes to drive to work according to Google Maps.  We shall see.  I am curious as to the traffic patterns and flow.  I have done a quick search as to the restaurants in the area and they seem pretty plentiful.

So let's see what we have here... I have the U-Haul, the apartment, and I have the kid's plane tickets purchased.  That should pretty much wrap it up as far as prep.

I will also admit to being very nervous about driving 2,000 miles towing my car.  I just keep picturing me in a 20 ft U-Haul, towing a car and trying to make too sharp of a turn.  Traffic is backed up for miles and everyone is honking at me.  My kids are totally ashamed (well...that isn't anything new) and I don't know what to do.

But hey... that is just me.  I am sure it will be fine (gulp).

Oh crap... I need boxes!

OK!  We have the rugrats' plane tickets purchased.  They will be flying out of Oakland to Indianapolis on the Fourth of July bright and early.  I have scoped out the U-Haul truck sizes.  I have even started to map out the route and look for hotel rooms along the way.  Everything should be on track.

Sitting down and making lists of all the things that you need to do for a move can be quite the daunting task.  I have moved across states no less than seven times and I still get the butterflies every time.  I am sure that I missed something...

One of the big benefits of working in higher education is that it is assumed that you should be able to give four weeks notice to your prior employer.  This is essential to moving yourself.  If I had to do the two week thing, it would necessitate hiring the movers at a greater cost.  Then I would miss out on the opportunity to break down somewhere in the Arizona desert or in the mountains somewhere.  I would lose out on the opportunity to be eaten by some ferocious wild animal or slowly linger after a rattlesnake bite... but I digress.

Back at the chore of cancelling Comcast, only to reactivate it again in San Jose.

The Plan

All great adventures start with a plan.  A plan that lays out the steps.  A plan that gives direction and purpose.  That is what I will try to create and define...

...then I will probably just panic.

It seems SO simple.  My son and daughter and I will load up a U-Haul truck and drive it from Houston, Texas to my new digs in San Jose, California.  I have mapped it all out.  Four days of driving and family togetherness.

I have plans to stop in Amarillo, Texas because a certain young lady that I have had a major league crush on for the last four years wants us to see the Cadillac Ranch.  Then off to Flagstaff, Arizona and see the Grand Canyon.  Finally the homestretch to San Jose...

...what could go wrong?

Well, dear reader, you will find out because I plan on humiliating myself on the blog for the whole trip.  Then, I will describe my experiences in the new region.  I will probably follow the same format that I used in "A Web Guy in Houston" blog.  Hope you will enjoy.