catchup, windows, whizzy ATMs, stores

Okay, I've been remiss. My possessions arrived about a week after I got here. The movers were great, but they kept running into snags. They had to drop a small load off in Sacramento on Sat morning ... but then they couldn't because they couldn't bring the large truck to that location. So they were going to deliver on Monday after they did the Sacramento gig ... but then they couldn't because they had a fuel line leaking gas on to their engine and they needed to get it fixed ASAP. (This gave me visions of my possessions charred to a crisp.) I couldn't take delivery on Tuesday because I had an all day retreat for the job I wasn't starting until the following Monday. So Wednesday was the day they delivered. All went well. I even got a really nice dolly out of the deal ... cause they left it behind by mistake. So far, no damage. They were really kind in letting me change my mind on placement of a few pieces, too.

Let me tell you, I was really grateful for the loan of a nice air mattress and some bedding for those 5 nights ... but I was delighted to sleep in a bed again. Delilah seemed happy when the apartment was empty, but Shindy was depressed. After my stuff came, Shindy became lively again, and Delilah needed a little time to readjust. My possessions weighed in at exactly three tons: 6000 pounds. And of course, there's the inevitable pile of "why did I move THIS out here?" to give away. It's a small pile after my weeding in Ithaca, move to Colorado and weeding in Colorado. But there's always one of those piles after you unpack.

Unpacking with a daily trip to my office for my not-yet-started job for an internet fix. Then, on March 24, ta da! The big day. My new job.

It's only in the last couple of days that I've gotten my feet under me. I've been working on loading up a Stanford VuFind implementation so folks here can evaluate it as a "Next Generation Discovery Interface." That means a way to search for stuff that is much better than simply putting the old card catalogs online and allowing keyword searching. Something closer to Google or Amazon or Netflix or Del.icio.us or Flickr or ... Now that I'm making progress with it, it's fun to fiddle.

Plus, I got through most of the initiation rites. A class on sexual harassment, er, how to prevent it. 3/4 of a day getting an introduction to Stanford and an overview of the benefits. Getting equipment for my office. Getting an ID, keys, etc. I'm still waiting for my Stanford phone and for Stanford DSL. But I'm mostly settled.

It finally occurred to me that I should pay for internet at home while waiting for the (free to me) Stanford DSL. So I signed up for a 6 month intro deal with comcast (no cable, just internet). I'll be really honked off if Stanford doesn't provide my DSL within 6 months.

A few notes on interesting things out here:

ATMs: The Wells Fargo ATMs let you deposit checks without a deposit slip or envelope. The machines scan the checks and do the amounts and all that. Come to think of it ... did I endorse the check I deposited on Monday??

windows: I was horrified by the single pane metal windows in my apartment. Then I remembered: "It's California. It doesn't matter much because it doesn't get cold here."

leisure time: I was horrified to be invited to spend a gorgeous Saturday indoors until I remembered: it's always gorgeous here. It's not a sin to stay indoors on a gorgeous day from time to time.

CostCo: one of those wholesale places where you're a member. Everything from ipods to flat screen tvs to broccoli to bread to shrimp to saline solution. Mostly in large quantities.

Trader Joes: I think they're all about cutting out the middle man. They have an eclectic mix of goods ... close to a normal grocery store, but missing stuff. My first missed item: bouillon.

Made it to the public library nearby; got my card; already borrowing books and movies. Still need to navigate Stanford Libraries, where I work for goodness sake. The main library is the next building over from mine; I hear there's a tunnel. Because people can't brave the perfect weather outdoors??