Moving on (Pt. 9)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. So, my lease started on Friday; picked up the keys, signed a bazillion papers, unloaded my car.

I realized that the place has more room than I’d anticipated; but I’ll still need the storage space I’ve rented on the apartment city campus. I’m going to try living with just eight bookcases out. (I’d planned for only six, but with all the space, I decided to go for eight; that’ll help curb any impulses I might have to buy more furniture.)

The kitchen is problematic—inasmuch as it’s about 33% of what I had in Seattle. I’ve planned for putting about 40% of my kitchen stuff in storage; I hope it’s enough.

Hansen Bros, the Allied agents in Seattle, continue to infuse me with non-warm-&-fuzzy feelings. I’ve told my “move coordinator”, Vicki, twice that I have no confidence in the driver & therefore suggested she have someone from Allied at this end work out how to make the delivery. (I do NOT want Joe to show up on Tuesday, the last day of the spread, & float off in a sea of consternation about how impossible it is to deliver my stuff.

Vicki said it was up to Joe.

In other words: once you’re out of their face, they don’t give a toss.

I collected Pele the Wonder Cat from air cargo Friday afternoon, & set her up in the apartment. When I left she was huddled in the ground floor powder room, trying to look like fake marble countertop. I spent a couple of hours there yesterday, morning & afternoon; she’d moved to the counter of the second bathroom upstairs. By the time I left she’d at least turned around, facing the door.

Today she actually came out when I sat down in the second bedroom to read. She demanded pets for about 40 minutes, & then again when I came by this afternoon. That’s progress; but the turmoil of the move-in (hopefully on Tuesday) will set her back again.

She’ll spend the next six months hiding under my bed.

I found the local Trader Joe’s & Whole Foods. Sadly they’re four miles & nine miles away, respectively. No more impromptu drop-ins to pick up a bit of this or that. I’ll have to plan out my shopping trips & make them last.

I also got library cards for San José & Santa Clara. Still have Mountain View, Milpitas & Sunnyvale to go. With your one address you can get cards in each of the system, but they’ve not advanced to the point where one card gives you reciprocal rights in all systems, as with Fairfax & Loudoun Counties in Virginia. (Washington didn’t do that, either: I had one card for King County Library System & another for Seattle, which is in King County. No crossover.)

AT&T managed to screw up the landline—no dial tone. & you can’t talk to a humanoid, & the automated system gives you your choice of DAY for a technician to come out—as in 0800-1800. “No four-hour appointments for that day.”

I can’t believe there’s an outfit—even AT&T—that makes Comcast look customer-centric. I ditched AT&T after nine years of cellular service—with every contract they managed to charge me more than they’d said, or give me less than they’d promised. If they can’t fix this expeditiously I’ll move to Comcast or just go with my Verizon cell phone.

So, one more day of this-&-that, move-in (I hope to God) & then some mad activity to get myself sorted.

& then—the job search in earnest.