My motorcycle finally arrived here in California, so that’s it for my move. All in all it went pretty smoothly, and I’m fitting in well at my new job. Now I’m going to have to see about getting a local licence. Apparently I can’t just get a motorcycle licence here – I’ve been told by people at the office that I’ll need to get a car licence, and then get a motorcycle endorsement… Well, we shall soon see!
I’ve finally got internet access at my new apartment, so I can start posting again. Although the fridge is still pretty empty, and there’s still a bit of cleanup to do, things are starting to feel like home again. I’ve mostly reassembled my furniture – which arrived in pretty good shape, all things considered. Some parts of the disassembled cabinets poked holes into my mattress, and the back of my filing cabinet is pretty badly scraped up, but nothing really beyond what I had expected. Now if only I could get the company to reimburse some of my moving expenses…
Although it meant a bit more work for me, and ended up costing a bit more, I still really like the idea of shipping a container rather than hiring a moving company. At least this way I knew how things were being handled – since I was the one handling them. I felt a lot better about my computer and stereo equipment having arranged the container myself, and knowing that my stuff wouldn’t be transferred between trucks and warehouses along the way. Since I’ve arrived here I’ve seen smaller containers in the parking lot from other moving companies as people move in and out, so I guess I’m not the only one thinking like this.
I still don’t have an SSN, but I’ve managed to get an apartment in Sunnyvale. It was a bit of a pain getting the bank to release the funds I brought with me, but it all seems to have worked out now. The POD made it to California over the weekend and I’m scheduled to access it at the warehouse on Thursday – the earliest they can get it out to my new place is next Tuesday (apparently they’re busy around the start of a month, who knew?)
I’m still going to be living in a hotel until I can get to the POD to retrieve my bicycle and portable bed. The rest of the furniture will have to wait until next week. Oh well.
Also, I went up to San Francisco to meet Florian for lunch on Saturday and he gave me a quick tour of the Embarcadero and downtown. And yeah, San Francisco is as hilly as you’ve heard…
So, here I am in California. I’d like to be able to say the move is going smoothly, but it seems I’m not so lucky. The customs officer who filled out my visa was a bit harried at the time, and filled out my I-94 incorrectly (he listed a B2 visa rather than a TN, despite having recorded a TN in my passport…) In a way I’m glad I didn’t notice at the time, as I would have missed my flight if I had stayed to have him fix it. As a result, the Social Security Administration doesn’t want to issue me a Social Security Number, which puts a bit of a wrench in the works. Despite this, I was able to get a bank account open, and my company says I shouldn’t have a problem starting work as I will be getting an SSN eventually – so it’s not that bad. I won’t be able to get a local credit card, or cell phone, or pretty much anything else though. I’m hoping a letter from my employer will suffice in place of a credit check when I try to rent an apartment this week.
I’m getting the hang of the local transit system, as my motorcycle won’t be shipped down until I get my I-94 corrected, and this morning I found the northbound San Carlos Caltrain platform had been ‘decorated’. Yes, I do know the way to San Jose 
Also, while I’m looking for a more permanent place to stay I’ve been staying in a hotel in San Carlos, not too far from the airport and air museum. This weekend there was a helicopter air show, which I mostly missed due to house hunting, but I did pass by the airport and grab a couple of photos:
This little guy was flying loops and rolls and all sorts of other crazy maneuvers. Unfortunately I only got to see the preview on TV – I was in Sunnyvale at the time of the show. This morning on my way out a whole group of military helicopters had showed up:
I’m not going to get to see them in the air either, it seems. Oh well.
Just this morning, a PODS container arrived in my driveway. If I manage to wade my way through all the associated paperwork, it’ll be headed down to California shortly after I arrive there. Although it works out to be a bit expensive, I definitely like the idea of having one box to move, rather than having my many boxes transferred between moving vehicles and warehouses along the way. On the other hand, if it gets lost, then everything is gone… Hopefully everything will work out though, and I’ll soon be posting photos of its arrival at my yet-to-be-determined new home.
