Last night at approximately 8:04 pm Pacific Daylight Time, we experienced our first California earthquake. A 5.6 'quake hit the South Bay last night. Fortunately, it originated a good bit to the north-east of us and we did not suffer any damage. It was reported this morning to be the biggest earthquake to hit the area since the legendary 'Quake of 1989.
Christy and I were watching Comedy Central at the time. The first hint of something was a thumping sound that was reminiscent of our cats running full bore around the apartment. Then the thumps magnified into vibration at which point I realized it was an earthquake and our cats started freaking out and running around the apartment in confusion. They took shelter under tables as things moved into full-fledged shaking which swayed the chandelier and rattled dishes. Back in Indiana, there have been two mild earthquakes in my lifetime that reached the initial shaking stage of this one. At its peak, this felt like the entire apartment was on a floating platform, shifting and swaying.
Then it faded away to a mild feeling of vertigo, followed by the world becoming stable again. As our cats spent the next hour searching the apartment for the monster that could cause such disruption to their world, Christy and I were first hit with a sense of awe, followed by "Wow, our first earthquake!" and then with "That wasn't so bad." We were actually surprised to find it was as strong as it was noted to be on the news and the US Geological Survey's website. Also surprising was the news reports saying that it was an unusually long duration 'quake as it lasted about 20 seconds. Again, being from the Mid-west, most of our impressions of earthquakes come from TV and movies where they occur frequently enough that the residents can gauge them accurately and threaten life and property most of the times they occur. Based upon what I'm learning here and now, I would say that tornadoes are a much more frequent and greater threat to life and property in the Mid-west than earthquakes are here in California. Still, both are survivable with a modicum of mental and physical preparation.
Well, that's our first earthquake experience here in California. It seems that, barring something in the range of the '89 earthquake or the "Big One" hits and everything west of the major fault lines falls into the ocean, we're in a fairly safe part of the state. So, Happy Halloween everyone!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
License Plate Time!
This past week we were able to experience the wonders of California vehicle registration in all its complicated glory.
By CA law, any vehicle purchased outside the state has to have a smog test before it can be registered in state. I thought this would be no problem as our car is a 2006 and the manual says it meets CA emission standards. Also, there's smog test places on nearly every corner around here. As I also needed an oil change, I went to an establishment that offered both services. I got my oil change buy the service tech informed me that their system couldn't synch up with our car's computer and that as all test stations used the same systems, I'd have to take it to a dealer to get the needed test.
So, I went home and contacted the closest dealer, who told me they don't do smog tests. Undetered, I called the next closest and they said they could take care of things. The problem was they charged twice what the average place charges for a smog test... :(
Hoping to save some money we did some research and found the best qualified mechanic in the area who said they were sure they could test our car. The next morning found us there by 8:30 in the morning but we got our car in and the mechanic said he could easily get the test done in time. Sadly there were no restaurants open in the area so we had to find a way to pass the hour or so the test would take. After exhausting the possibilities at the Walgreens, we just took a walk around the neighborhood. Over an hour later, the guy was unable to do our test because he couldn't synch up his system. He mentioned that a Referee might be necessary but didn't charge us anything and we had to hurry to get Christy to work.
After dropping her off I had just enough time to keep my appointment with the dealer. After some confusion as to where I needed to be to get things going and a wait of about an hour, guess what I learned? They couldn't synch up the sytems either!
I will say that the nice service guy at the dealership didn't charge me anything and got me the phone number for making a Referee's apointment. After lunch with Christy, I went home and made said appointment. The next day I was off to the far outskirts of San Jose to find Evergreen Valley College, the location of the closest post of the California Smog Referee.
The good news is that they were able to synch up systems and our car passed the test. The staff there were nice and professional. Best of all, the test was only the standard $38 and change rather than the $87 the dealer wanted or the $49 the mechanic was going to charge. So after about 5-6 hours of waiting and $38 we were ready to go to the DMV!
I should note that the CA DMV allows you to make appointments to get things done. Unfortunately, the first available appointment was three days after our plates expired. So we just had to try our luck and went in early. Thanks to being in early and already having our form filled out (Yay Internet!) we were able to get things done about an hour later and $260 lighter in the bank account. So we now have a shiny new California license plate on our car after about 7 hours spread over three days and a cost of about $300. Now, I should note that that cost includs penalties as we didn't get the car registered within 20 days of taking a job or gaining housing in state.
So, for anyone thinking of moving out here, be sure to check the State of California website to get all the legal requirements for setting up residence out here. I will say that the DMV experience was relatively painless despite not having an appointment. Just be ready for a bit of a hassle if your car is from out of state and especially if you've never had to have a smog test before. Even with all the hassle, I still got to explore some more of our new town and see what was there.
By CA law, any vehicle purchased outside the state has to have a smog test before it can be registered in state. I thought this would be no problem as our car is a 2006 and the manual says it meets CA emission standards. Also, there's smog test places on nearly every corner around here. As I also needed an oil change, I went to an establishment that offered both services. I got my oil change buy the service tech informed me that their system couldn't synch up with our car's computer and that as all test stations used the same systems, I'd have to take it to a dealer to get the needed test.
So, I went home and contacted the closest dealer, who told me they don't do smog tests. Undetered, I called the next closest and they said they could take care of things. The problem was they charged twice what the average place charges for a smog test... :(
Hoping to save some money we did some research and found the best qualified mechanic in the area who said they were sure they could test our car. The next morning found us there by 8:30 in the morning but we got our car in and the mechanic said he could easily get the test done in time. Sadly there were no restaurants open in the area so we had to find a way to pass the hour or so the test would take. After exhausting the possibilities at the Walgreens, we just took a walk around the neighborhood. Over an hour later, the guy was unable to do our test because he couldn't synch up his system. He mentioned that a Referee might be necessary but didn't charge us anything and we had to hurry to get Christy to work.
After dropping her off I had just enough time to keep my appointment with the dealer. After some confusion as to where I needed to be to get things going and a wait of about an hour, guess what I learned? They couldn't synch up the sytems either!
I will say that the nice service guy at the dealership didn't charge me anything and got me the phone number for making a Referee's apointment. After lunch with Christy, I went home and made said appointment. The next day I was off to the far outskirts of San Jose to find Evergreen Valley College, the location of the closest post of the California Smog Referee.
The good news is that they were able to synch up systems and our car passed the test. The staff there were nice and professional. Best of all, the test was only the standard $38 and change rather than the $87 the dealer wanted or the $49 the mechanic was going to charge. So after about 5-6 hours of waiting and $38 we were ready to go to the DMV!
I should note that the CA DMV allows you to make appointments to get things done. Unfortunately, the first available appointment was three days after our plates expired. So we just had to try our luck and went in early. Thanks to being in early and already having our form filled out (Yay Internet!) we were able to get things done about an hour later and $260 lighter in the bank account. So we now have a shiny new California license plate on our car after about 7 hours spread over three days and a cost of about $300. Now, I should note that that cost includs penalties as we didn't get the car registered within 20 days of taking a job or gaining housing in state.
So, for anyone thinking of moving out here, be sure to check the State of California website to get all the legal requirements for setting up residence out here. I will say that the DMV experience was relatively painless despite not having an appointment. Just be ready for a bit of a hassle if your car is from out of state and especially if you've never had to have a smog test before. Even with all the hassle, I still got to explore some more of our new town and see what was there.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Inflation Problems
This post has nothing to do with economics. Instead, it deals with one of the biggest difficulties we've had since moving to Los Gatos, inflatable things.
To start off, both our original air mattresses got leaks. With the first, we were able to locate and patch the hole but we couldn't find the leak on the second. That led to the search for Wal-mart and discovering that even Wal-mart isn't open 24 hours here.We resolved the issue by buying a new mattress.
Then comes the situation that prompted this rant. Last week we purchased a pair of new bicycles. We got a pair of Jeep Overland S bikes, one men's and one women's style. They required partial assembly, which I handled easily. It's been about twenty years since I was last on a bike, so when we gave the bikes a try-out I thought I was just really out of shape when I quickly became tired. It turns out that the tires weren't fully inflated. In fact, they were a good 20 psi under-inflated!
So, it's off to buy a bike pump. As it was only $5 more than the manual pump, I get the electric pump that plugs into a car cigarette lighter socket. I give it a try and it works for about ten seconds and then dies! I get ticked off and go inside to calm down. Next day, I find out that it's not the pump that died but rather it's just a blown fuse. Off to the hardware store! A new fuse later and the pump is working. The pump's nozzle fits real tight on the valve stems, so it's a bit of effort to get the tires inflated but soon, we're good to go.
Now with properly inflated tires, it's off to the park across the street to try out the bikes. We have a good ride around and head home. On the way back, there's a big hill to get up. I get to the top before Christy and sit down to wait on her. As we're getting ready to leave, I look down to see two flat tires! In checking them, I find some of these small yet sharp and tough thorns stuck in the tires. Christy's bike had some as well, but less than mine. Still, both her tires went flat as well. Needless to say, I was not happy.
After some research Christy found an article on a nasty local plant called, appropriately enough, "Puncture Vine" which appears to be the culprit. So now we've got two brand new bikes with two flat tires each. ARRGGHH!!!!
So, now I'm off to find out what options exist to prevent this from happening again and then I'll have to fix the tires. *sigh* Oh well, at least we got a pair of comfortable folding chairs for our patio at the hardware store.
To start off, both our original air mattresses got leaks. With the first, we were able to locate and patch the hole but we couldn't find the leak on the second. That led to the search for Wal-mart and discovering that even Wal-mart isn't open 24 hours here.We resolved the issue by buying a new mattress.
Then comes the situation that prompted this rant. Last week we purchased a pair of new bicycles. We got a pair of Jeep Overland S bikes, one men's and one women's style. They required partial assembly, which I handled easily. It's been about twenty years since I was last on a bike, so when we gave the bikes a try-out I thought I was just really out of shape when I quickly became tired. It turns out that the tires weren't fully inflated. In fact, they were a good 20 psi under-inflated!
So, it's off to buy a bike pump. As it was only $5 more than the manual pump, I get the electric pump that plugs into a car cigarette lighter socket. I give it a try and it works for about ten seconds and then dies! I get ticked off and go inside to calm down. Next day, I find out that it's not the pump that died but rather it's just a blown fuse. Off to the hardware store! A new fuse later and the pump is working. The pump's nozzle fits real tight on the valve stems, so it's a bit of effort to get the tires inflated but soon, we're good to go.
Now with properly inflated tires, it's off to the park across the street to try out the bikes. We have a good ride around and head home. On the way back, there's a big hill to get up. I get to the top before Christy and sit down to wait on her. As we're getting ready to leave, I look down to see two flat tires! In checking them, I find some of these small yet sharp and tough thorns stuck in the tires. Christy's bike had some as well, but less than mine. Still, both her tires went flat as well. Needless to say, I was not happy.
After some research Christy found an article on a nasty local plant called, appropriately enough, "Puncture Vine" which appears to be the culprit. So now we've got two brand new bikes with two flat tires each. ARRGGHH!!!!
So, now I'm off to find out what options exist to prevent this from happening again and then I'll have to fix the tires. *sigh* Oh well, at least we got a pair of comfortable folding chairs for our patio at the hardware store.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
California oddities
As a native Mid-westerner relocated to NoCal, there's been some things I've observed that strike me as odd.
- The only 24 hour store we've found is Walgreen's. Even the closest Wal-Mart closes at 11:00 pm! Wal-Mart! I thought Wal-Mart being open 24 hours was a universal constant. Not so. On top of this, many stores close by 7:00 pm. The biggest problem is if one needs or wants something after 10:00 pm, there's few places available. As noted, we recently found that the Walgreen's nearby is open 24 hours and they have $1.00 ice cream pints for sale.
- Banks without drive-ups. In addition to the oddity of CA banks holding your deposits for seven business days for the first month you have the account, I have not seen a single bank with a drive-up teller window.
- No rain yet things stay green. It's rained once since we've gotten here and it was noted that since records had been kept it had never rained on that day before. Some of this is accounted for by regular lawn watering and such. Also, I've noticed that there's a lot of public areas, medians and such that don't have grass but rather a mix of mulch and a variety of viney ground cover and bushes. I guess that the local bushes, trees and such handle the lack of rain better. I'll have to investigate this further.
- Everything is in close proximity. So much so that I've only filled the tank once since we got our apartment. I've heard that many locals consider something two miles distant to be out-of-the-way by a large amount, though that was second-hand information.
These are what occurs to me at this time. I'll let you know if I come up with any more.
- The only 24 hour store we've found is Walgreen's. Even the closest Wal-Mart closes at 11:00 pm! Wal-Mart! I thought Wal-Mart being open 24 hours was a universal constant. Not so. On top of this, many stores close by 7:00 pm. The biggest problem is if one needs or wants something after 10:00 pm, there's few places available. As noted, we recently found that the Walgreen's nearby is open 24 hours and they have $1.00 ice cream pints for sale.
- Banks without drive-ups. In addition to the oddity of CA banks holding your deposits for seven business days for the first month you have the account, I have not seen a single bank with a drive-up teller window.
- No rain yet things stay green. It's rained once since we've gotten here and it was noted that since records had been kept it had never rained on that day before. Some of this is accounted for by regular lawn watering and such. Also, I've noticed that there's a lot of public areas, medians and such that don't have grass but rather a mix of mulch and a variety of viney ground cover and bushes. I guess that the local bushes, trees and such handle the lack of rain better. I'll have to investigate this further.
- Everything is in close proximity. So much so that I've only filled the tank once since we got our apartment. I've heard that many locals consider something two miles distant to be out-of-the-way by a large amount, though that was second-hand information.
These are what occurs to me at this time. I'll let you know if I come up with any more.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Back Online!
Finally, after about two weeks, we've gotten online access again!
It's amazing how one gets used to having near instant access to information and how frustrating things get when that access is denied.
In any case, we're now in our apartment and I've been unpacking the past week, and there's still boxes to be emptied. We still need more bookcases, nothing new there. We haven't been able to get any new furniture yet due to an odd, to us Indiana residents at least, practice of California banks. As our previous bank has no branches in California, we had to open a new account. Then we also deposited Christy's first paycheck and reimbursement check. Then we were told that for the first month of a new account being open, you're limited to only $100 of your deposit for a week after the deposit. Supposedly, this practice is to stymie money laundering operations. So, if you're moving to California, make sure you've got a bank with branches in the state or make sure you get cash with that first deposit so you've got money to run on.
Is California more expensive? Yes and no. Rent is higher as is stuff like gas, insurance and meats. Chain restaurants such as Taco Bell and McDonald's have standard prices as does Denny's so they can be cheaper than local places. The real trick is finding the local grocery stores and cooking yourself. Safeway is a standard supermarket with a decent selection and moderate prices. Get their discount card and buy store brands to save a good bit of cash. Trader Joe's is great for organic foods and has some great prices mixed in with some high prices, so shop around. Movie theatres are similar to Indy in prices plus about $0.25-0.50. Books cost the same at the local Borders and comics are cheaper for us thanks to Cryptic giving their employees a discount. I still have to find the local game store now that our money will be available again.
So, that's where we are right now. We're still adjusting to the time difference and the location.
Well, time for dinner so I'll talk to everyone later.
It's amazing how one gets used to having near instant access to information and how frustrating things get when that access is denied.
In any case, we're now in our apartment and I've been unpacking the past week, and there's still boxes to be emptied. We still need more bookcases, nothing new there. We haven't been able to get any new furniture yet due to an odd, to us Indiana residents at least, practice of California banks. As our previous bank has no branches in California, we had to open a new account. Then we also deposited Christy's first paycheck and reimbursement check. Then we were told that for the first month of a new account being open, you're limited to only $100 of your deposit for a week after the deposit. Supposedly, this practice is to stymie money laundering operations. So, if you're moving to California, make sure you've got a bank with branches in the state or make sure you get cash with that first deposit so you've got money to run on.
Is California more expensive? Yes and no. Rent is higher as is stuff like gas, insurance and meats. Chain restaurants such as Taco Bell and McDonald's have standard prices as does Denny's so they can be cheaper than local places. The real trick is finding the local grocery stores and cooking yourself. Safeway is a standard supermarket with a decent selection and moderate prices. Get their discount card and buy store brands to save a good bit of cash. Trader Joe's is great for organic foods and has some great prices mixed in with some high prices, so shop around. Movie theatres are similar to Indy in prices plus about $0.25-0.50. Books cost the same at the local Borders and comics are cheaper for us thanks to Cryptic giving their employees a discount. I still have to find the local game store now that our money will be available again.
So, that's where we are right now. We're still adjusting to the time difference and the location.
Well, time for dinner so I'll talk to everyone later.
Monday, July 9, 2007
We've arrived!
We have arrived in Los Gatos, safe and sound, as of 6:00 pm Saturday 7/7/07. This is my first opportunity to get online since we left Indy as we only have a desktop system. Getting here involved a personal Odyssey including a long run after dark along Highway 50 in Nevada. As the linked article notes, AAA called this stretch of highway "The Loneliest Road in America" and let me tell you, it's true, especially after dark! Just imagine over 200 miles of rural highway with a town at either end and only one small town in the middle. There are no street-lights and it's pitch black otherwise. The only thing that kept me from thinking we were driving into a horror movie was the presence of other cars on the road. Combine the darkness with unfamiliar terrain and fatigue as this whole route took longer than we were told it would take.
What precipitated this trek you might ask? We were following our plan of taking I-80 straight across and this went well at first. We stopped in Des Moines at the Motel 6 Wednesday night. About all I can say about that leg of the trip is that Illinois had the cleanest highway rest stop I've ever seen, probably because it was staffed. The next day took us across Iowa and Nebraska before stopping in Laramie, Wyoming for the night. Iowa was a lot like Indiana and Illinois but flatter and its rest stops had free wi-fi. Nebraska was a long empty drive with a few, Old-Westy style attractions advertised but the most interesting thing was the Great Platte River Road Arch. This thing is a bit startling when you see it straddling the highway. Otherwise, we were glad to be out of Nebraska. There was a blatant change in terrain when we entered Wyoming, going through Medicine Bow National Forest. Cheyenne was a bit depressing as the area along I-80 was quite run down. Laramie, however, was great! We had dinner at a local place called the Altitude and I had a delicious steak sandwich. There were many interesting looking attractions advertised and the state is beautiful, so we plan to go back sometime.
The next day we drove through Utah and Nebraska. Salt Lake City is HUGE and its tangle of interstate ramps puts Indy's "Spaghetti Bowl" to shame. The Great Salt Lake and the Salt Flats are visually impressive and yet frightening when you think about traveling across them without modern technology. Another thing that struck me about the western states is the large number of mobile homes and single and double-wide manufactured homes. Add to that the large distances between homes and towns and the vast open areas and there was no question we were someplace different. Nevada was marked by the sudden appearance of casinos.
We were doing fine along I-80 until we reached Carlin and were flagged off the interstate due to a wildfire. So we broke out the AAA maps and realized that we could cut down 278 to Highway 50 at Eureka and then take 50 west to Reno and get back on I-80. The locals said it would take about three hours and it was 4:00 pm local time, so I thought "no problem." Heh heh heh, apparently the locals drive a whole lot faster than I do. We reached Fallon, NV at about 11:00 pm local time and I was bone tired. We found out that Fallon was hosting a rodeo and most of their hotels were full. We lucked into a free room at the Super 8 and got some sleep after over 900 miles of driving.
The next day brought us through Reno, back to I-80 through Lake Tahoe which was the only place on our route that outdid Wyoming for sheer natural beauty. The terrain was so eye-catching I was having trouble driving as I needed to watch the curves of the Highway as it ran up and down the mountains but my eye kept being drawn to the landscape we were driving though. As we headed towards Sacramento, things got less interesting except for the large amount of traffic. Then the land changed yet again as we moved into the Bay area and down into Oakland and through the largest conglomeration of highway ramps I've ever seen. We pushed on and finally arrived in Los Gatos where we took a room at the Los Gatos Lodge. We'll be here until the 12th when our apartment will finally be available.
Yesterday morning we woke up and went out for breakfast, which we had at Baker's Square. While eating I was looking out the window at a great view of pine covered mountains. We did a little exploring after that, to the extent that my back would allow. (The moving aggravated an old lower back sprain and I've been gimping around since Tuesday.) The street layouts are much more irregular than what I'm used to in Indiana, where most streets follow a basic grid pattern. Here, there are many more twists and turns. Downtown Los Gatos has a strong feel of artist community like Nashville, IN combined with the small town feel of Shelbyville, IN all mixed with the upscale style that north Indianapolis/Carmel/Fishers, IN tries to project. There's actually a Lamborghini dealership here but just down the street are little antique shops and candy stores next to international restaurants and pizza and burger places.
We still feel like we're on vacation rather than actually living here. Maybe once we get our apartment and get settled in, we'll feel different.
In any case, our adventure isn't over yet. We've still got a whole new city to explore and we'll be keeping this blog updated as we do, so don't go away!
I need to let the hotel have their computer back now, so take care everyone and we'll talk to you later!
What precipitated this trek you might ask? We were following our plan of taking I-80 straight across and this went well at first. We stopped in Des Moines at the Motel 6 Wednesday night. About all I can say about that leg of the trip is that Illinois had the cleanest highway rest stop I've ever seen, probably because it was staffed. The next day took us across Iowa and Nebraska before stopping in Laramie, Wyoming for the night. Iowa was a lot like Indiana and Illinois but flatter and its rest stops had free wi-fi. Nebraska was a long empty drive with a few, Old-Westy style attractions advertised but the most interesting thing was the Great Platte River Road Arch. This thing is a bit startling when you see it straddling the highway. Otherwise, we were glad to be out of Nebraska. There was a blatant change in terrain when we entered Wyoming, going through Medicine Bow National Forest. Cheyenne was a bit depressing as the area along I-80 was quite run down. Laramie, however, was great! We had dinner at a local place called the Altitude and I had a delicious steak sandwich. There were many interesting looking attractions advertised and the state is beautiful, so we plan to go back sometime.
The next day we drove through Utah and Nebraska. Salt Lake City is HUGE and its tangle of interstate ramps puts Indy's "Spaghetti Bowl" to shame. The Great Salt Lake and the Salt Flats are visually impressive and yet frightening when you think about traveling across them without modern technology. Another thing that struck me about the western states is the large number of mobile homes and single and double-wide manufactured homes. Add to that the large distances between homes and towns and the vast open areas and there was no question we were someplace different. Nevada was marked by the sudden appearance of casinos.
We were doing fine along I-80 until we reached Carlin and were flagged off the interstate due to a wildfire. So we broke out the AAA maps and realized that we could cut down 278 to Highway 50 at Eureka and then take 50 west to Reno and get back on I-80. The locals said it would take about three hours and it was 4:00 pm local time, so I thought "no problem." Heh heh heh, apparently the locals drive a whole lot faster than I do. We reached Fallon, NV at about 11:00 pm local time and I was bone tired. We found out that Fallon was hosting a rodeo and most of their hotels were full. We lucked into a free room at the Super 8 and got some sleep after over 900 miles of driving.
The next day brought us through Reno, back to I-80 through Lake Tahoe which was the only place on our route that outdid Wyoming for sheer natural beauty. The terrain was so eye-catching I was having trouble driving as I needed to watch the curves of the Highway as it ran up and down the mountains but my eye kept being drawn to the landscape we were driving though. As we headed towards Sacramento, things got less interesting except for the large amount of traffic. Then the land changed yet again as we moved into the Bay area and down into Oakland and through the largest conglomeration of highway ramps I've ever seen. We pushed on and finally arrived in Los Gatos where we took a room at the Los Gatos Lodge. We'll be here until the 12th when our apartment will finally be available.
Yesterday morning we woke up and went out for breakfast, which we had at Baker's Square. While eating I was looking out the window at a great view of pine covered mountains. We did a little exploring after that, to the extent that my back would allow. (The moving aggravated an old lower back sprain and I've been gimping around since Tuesday.) The street layouts are much more irregular than what I'm used to in Indiana, where most streets follow a basic grid pattern. Here, there are many more twists and turns. Downtown Los Gatos has a strong feel of artist community like Nashville, IN combined with the small town feel of Shelbyville, IN all mixed with the upscale style that north Indianapolis/Carmel/Fishers, IN tries to project. There's actually a Lamborghini dealership here but just down the street are little antique shops and candy stores next to international restaurants and pizza and burger places.
We still feel like we're on vacation rather than actually living here. Maybe once we get our apartment and get settled in, we'll feel different.
In any case, our adventure isn't over yet. We've still got a whole new city to explore and we'll be keeping this blog updated as we do, so don't go away!
I need to let the hotel have their computer back now, so take care everyone and we'll talk to you later!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Down to the Wire
Wow! What a week!
We're finally all packed and nearly ready to go. This past week was a whirlwind of activity, from confusion over how Cryptic was paying Christy's moving allowance to getting our new apartment to packing and cleaning. After all that, we've still got a 2300 mile drive ahead.
Still though, it seems Christy timed this move pretty well. We found out Friday that her former employer is laying off workers. It seems our predictions of a downward spiral for them has begun.
In any case, Cryptic finally decided to just pay the bill for PODS to move our stuff and it got on the way Monday afternoon. Also, they paid the deposit on our new apartment so we now have a place to live! We'll be at the place pictured in the last post. The only problem is, due to the July 4th holiday, we probably won't be able to get in until the 12th, so we'll have a few extra nights in a hotel than anticipated but since we didn't have to pay the deposit we've got extra cash to deal with that.
Then there was the packing and cleaning. As to that, thank goodness for friends and family or we'd have never gotten it done. Mom helped pack the breakables, Dad directed the loading of the POD and got it securely packed, Mike helped Dad and proved to be the King of Lift & Carry by hoisting up to four boxes of books at a time, Amy and Carrie cleaned and made a few supply runs while Nick and Wendy drove down to help with Nick doing both lift and carry tasks and being on carpet shampoo duty while Wendy went all Domestic Goddess and led the cleaning charge. I was in awe of all the assistance provided. As a reward for all the work, we got to wind down with a couple of sessions of Ars Magica.
Now we just have to get the last few details squared away before heading out Wednesday.
We'll be taking pictures along the way and we'll update things here as soon as possible. As we don't own a laptop it might have to wait until we're settled in to the new place before the next update. So wish us luck and we'll get back to the story as soon as we can.
We're finally all packed and nearly ready to go. This past week was a whirlwind of activity, from confusion over how Cryptic was paying Christy's moving allowance to getting our new apartment to packing and cleaning. After all that, we've still got a 2300 mile drive ahead.
Still though, it seems Christy timed this move pretty well. We found out Friday that her former employer is laying off workers. It seems our predictions of a downward spiral for them has begun.
In any case, Cryptic finally decided to just pay the bill for PODS to move our stuff and it got on the way Monday afternoon. Also, they paid the deposit on our new apartment so we now have a place to live! We'll be at the place pictured in the last post. The only problem is, due to the July 4th holiday, we probably won't be able to get in until the 12th, so we'll have a few extra nights in a hotel than anticipated but since we didn't have to pay the deposit we've got extra cash to deal with that.
Then there was the packing and cleaning. As to that, thank goodness for friends and family or we'd have never gotten it done. Mom helped pack the breakables, Dad directed the loading of the POD and got it securely packed, Mike helped Dad and proved to be the King of Lift & Carry by hoisting up to four boxes of books at a time, Amy and Carrie cleaned and made a few supply runs while Nick and Wendy drove down to help with Nick doing both lift and carry tasks and being on carpet shampoo duty while Wendy went all Domestic Goddess and led the cleaning charge. I was in awe of all the assistance provided. As a reward for all the work, we got to wind down with a couple of sessions of Ars Magica.
Now we just have to get the last few details squared away before heading out Wednesday.
We'll be taking pictures along the way and we'll update things here as soon as possible. As we don't own a laptop it might have to wait until we're settled in to the new place before the next update. So wish us luck and we'll get back to the story as soon as we can.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Steady Progress
As Christy posted, we've got our house listed now. We'll have to go through a "short sell" as they call it but it'll get done and shouldn't devastate our credit like a forclosure would. Also, we've got a solid apartment possibillity. It's in a great location and just down the street from Cryptic so as to save on gas. Take a look at some pictures of the complex we were sent:
Thursday, June 14, 2007
You know you want it
You can't deny it ... you know you want it ... you are mesmerized by the possibilities ... you want to Buy this house!
OK, so my Internet hypnotism act could use some work, but seriously -- you've got to put your stuff somewhere, don't you?
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Packing and Prioritising
Wow, we've got a lot of books! Not that that's new, but the amount has grown over the past seven years. One thing about a big move like this where it's "get it moved the first time or it doesn't go" is that it really forces one to prioritise what stuff is necessary, what things you really enjoy and want to keep and what's unneccessary and unimportant and thus can be dispensed with. We've already cleaned out a chunk of stuff via a garage sale and liqudating a few things on ebay. Even with that we're still looking at having a large amount of Goodwill donations to serve as a tax deduction before we move. We've got closets with boxes that haven't been open since we moved here. Those will be gone through just to make sure there isn't anything we've been looking for or which should be given over to family care and the rest goes. So if anyone's looking for anything, in general or particular, let us know.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Plot Complication!
It's official, Christy has formally accepted the Cryptic job, in writing. We're planning to be heading California way the first of July and allowing a week to get there and find at least temporary housing. We're going to be using one of those P.O.D.S. you see advertised on TV to move most of our stuff and the car for the cats, important records, the computer and any other essentials. The P.O.D.S. looks to be our best option at about $4K for drop off at the house, we load it, they pick it up and ship it to CA where they will store it for up to one month (very important!) and then deliver it to our apartment once we've picked one. We had a lower estimate but some quick Internet searching turned up many tales of scams perpetrated by that unnamed company. Note for any potential movers: always do your research! So, we've got the essentials of the move taken care of and all that's needed is to pack and prioritize because whatever doesn't fit in the POD or the car isn't going! Oh well, we both come from long lines of pack-rats so we need to clean out stuff anyway.
Our big Plot Complication comes from our house. Back in November, we refinanced and had an appraisal done that showed us having about $30K in equity. As our house needs some cosmetics (painting, trim replacement, carpet) for ideal saleability and we just don't have the time or money to do that and pay deposits and other moving expenses, I thought we could talk to an investor who we could sell our house to for what we owed plus a few $K and they could do the cosmetics quickly and get a profitable flip. We had a nice guy from Home Vestors come out and talk to us. Like I said, he was a nice guy, very professional and honest. Sadly for us, he honestly gave us some bad news. He'd run a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) and had three home listings that had sold most recently in our neighborhood. The bad news was that since our appraisal in November, property values had dropped $30K! There went our equity and there went the possibility of a quick flip for Home Vestors. I did some research of my own and found that this wasn't just a freak occurrence. List prices are down all over Franklin Township and most of Indianapolis as well. It seems to be due to the recent sales of the numerous foreclosures of which Indiana has had record levels the past few years, combined with the loss of many manufacturing and other well paying blue-collar jobs in the area. Indy is a buyer's market with a dearth of buyers! Yet another sign of the economic downturn in Indy that makes the CA move a smart one on our part.
So, we sat down and asked ourselves "What's the worst case scenario?" Our answer is that we move to CA, can't afford mortgage and rent and so we get foreclosed on and lose our house and get cruddy credit and won't be able to get a new mortgage for at least 7-10 years. Then we asked ourselves if we were willing to accept that outcome. Well, we're moving to CA where the housing market is so inflated we can't afford a house anyway and will be having to rent an apartment. The credit hit won't be good but it can also be explained and thus is dealable. Plus, in this day and age, less than ideal credit is a good defense against identity theft! Additionally, we know that if we talk to our mortgage company before things get bad we can probably just surrender the house to them without a foreclosure if we list it and can't sell. Combined with our not likely needing a mortgage until near retirement, or in the event of a massive drop in CA housing costs, we still have plenty of time to repair any credit damage done. As such, we decided we can accept the worst case scenario.
So, now we need to at least try and sell the place. A mix of Craig's List posting and Internet searches turned up a few possibilities.
First there was a Realtor who said he represented an investor was interested in talking to us. He worked for one of those offices that have their people wear distinctive colored jackets and use what's arguably the biggest yard signs in the biz. Long story short, he had an appointment to meet us at home at 2:00 this afternoon. At 2:03 he calls to "confirm" our appointment and after I do so he says he'll see us at his office! "Waitaminnit!" I say, "we're supposed to meet here." "Oh, I can do that." he says. "I'll be there in half an hour." Hmmm... This doesn't bode well. 2:30 comes and goes... "I'm giving him until 2:45 and then we're leaving. I'm hungry." Christy says and I agree. 2:45 comes and goes, so we leave. Turns out he shows up about 3 minutes after we leave, according to a friend. How unprofessional can you be? Even cutting him slack on messing up where the appointment was still puts him over 15 minutes late! I'd be mortified! Not to mention how stupid such a mistake is in a 100% commission business. It's not only a lack of professionalism but also a total lack of respect for us and our time.
Then we heard from a guy wanting to buy on contract with us maintaining our mortgage, with him paying our expenses, until he can arrange financing in about a year. This isn't an uncommon arrangement, often referred to as seller financing, but we decided it was just too complicated and risky with us moving so far away. Besides, with the market being what it is, what if it dropped more over the next year and he couldn't finance enough to pay off our mortgage? Even with the help of one of our attorney friends, it just seemed a bad idea.
Lastly, we've heard from another Realtor who thinks he can list our house for enough to sell it for what we owe, provide an allowance for the cosmetic repairs to a buyer and pay commissions and related costs. He's also willing to offer a guaranteed buy program, which covers us if he's wrong. Additionally, he might be able to refer us to an agent in CA who could help us find a place to rent out there. We're going to make an appointment and see how things look. Being a former real-estate agent myself, I'm sure I can look out for us and spot a scam, plus this guy would be contracted as our listing agent and so owe us fiduciary responsibility such that any scam or dishonesty could cost him his license and/or Realtor status. As long as he doesn't turn out to be like Mr. 45 Minutes Late for an Appointment, above, things look good.
As the axiom goes, "Expect the best, plan for the worst." Once you're ready to accept the worst case scenario, anything else is a step to the better! Most of all, take the advice of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and "DON'T PANIC"
Our adventure continues.
Next up: Packing and Prioritizing!
Our big Plot Complication comes from our house. Back in November, we refinanced and had an appraisal done that showed us having about $30K in equity. As our house needs some cosmetics (painting, trim replacement, carpet) for ideal saleability and we just don't have the time or money to do that and pay deposits and other moving expenses, I thought we could talk to an investor who we could sell our house to for what we owed plus a few $K and they could do the cosmetics quickly and get a profitable flip. We had a nice guy from Home Vestors come out and talk to us. Like I said, he was a nice guy, very professional and honest. Sadly for us, he honestly gave us some bad news. He'd run a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) and had three home listings that had sold most recently in our neighborhood. The bad news was that since our appraisal in November, property values had dropped $30K! There went our equity and there went the possibility of a quick flip for Home Vestors. I did some research of my own and found that this wasn't just a freak occurrence. List prices are down all over Franklin Township and most of Indianapolis as well. It seems to be due to the recent sales of the numerous foreclosures of which Indiana has had record levels the past few years, combined with the loss of many manufacturing and other well paying blue-collar jobs in the area. Indy is a buyer's market with a dearth of buyers! Yet another sign of the economic downturn in Indy that makes the CA move a smart one on our part.
So, we sat down and asked ourselves "What's the worst case scenario?" Our answer is that we move to CA, can't afford mortgage and rent and so we get foreclosed on and lose our house and get cruddy credit and won't be able to get a new mortgage for at least 7-10 years. Then we asked ourselves if we were willing to accept that outcome. Well, we're moving to CA where the housing market is so inflated we can't afford a house anyway and will be having to rent an apartment. The credit hit won't be good but it can also be explained and thus is dealable. Plus, in this day and age, less than ideal credit is a good defense against identity theft! Additionally, we know that if we talk to our mortgage company before things get bad we can probably just surrender the house to them without a foreclosure if we list it and can't sell. Combined with our not likely needing a mortgage until near retirement, or in the event of a massive drop in CA housing costs, we still have plenty of time to repair any credit damage done. As such, we decided we can accept the worst case scenario.
So, now we need to at least try and sell the place. A mix of Craig's List posting and Internet searches turned up a few possibilities.
First there was a Realtor who said he represented an investor was interested in talking to us. He worked for one of those offices that have their people wear distinctive colored jackets and use what's arguably the biggest yard signs in the biz. Long story short, he had an appointment to meet us at home at 2:00 this afternoon. At 2:03 he calls to "confirm" our appointment and after I do so he says he'll see us at his office! "Waitaminnit!" I say, "we're supposed to meet here." "Oh, I can do that." he says. "I'll be there in half an hour." Hmmm... This doesn't bode well. 2:30 comes and goes... "I'm giving him until 2:45 and then we're leaving. I'm hungry." Christy says and I agree. 2:45 comes and goes, so we leave. Turns out he shows up about 3 minutes after we leave, according to a friend. How unprofessional can you be? Even cutting him slack on messing up where the appointment was still puts him over 15 minutes late! I'd be mortified! Not to mention how stupid such a mistake is in a 100% commission business. It's not only a lack of professionalism but also a total lack of respect for us and our time.
Then we heard from a guy wanting to buy on contract with us maintaining our mortgage, with him paying our expenses, until he can arrange financing in about a year. This isn't an uncommon arrangement, often referred to as seller financing, but we decided it was just too complicated and risky with us moving so far away. Besides, with the market being what it is, what if it dropped more over the next year and he couldn't finance enough to pay off our mortgage? Even with the help of one of our attorney friends, it just seemed a bad idea.
Lastly, we've heard from another Realtor who thinks he can list our house for enough to sell it for what we owe, provide an allowance for the cosmetic repairs to a buyer and pay commissions and related costs. He's also willing to offer a guaranteed buy program, which covers us if he's wrong. Additionally, he might be able to refer us to an agent in CA who could help us find a place to rent out there. We're going to make an appointment and see how things look. Being a former real-estate agent myself, I'm sure I can look out for us and spot a scam, plus this guy would be contracted as our listing agent and so owe us fiduciary responsibility such that any scam or dishonesty could cost him his license and/or Realtor status. As long as he doesn't turn out to be like Mr. 45 Minutes Late for an Appointment, above, things look good.
As the axiom goes, "Expect the best, plan for the worst." Once you're ready to accept the worst case scenario, anything else is a step to the better! Most of all, take the advice of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and "DON'T PANIC"
Our adventure continues.
Next up: Packing and Prioritizing!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
The Adventure Begins
Hello everyone!
The purpose of this blog is to document John & Christy's new adventure. I'm John and Christy might be posting some stuff herself later. We're a 30-something, happily married couple who are embarking on our biggest adventure to date. We're moving from Indianapolis, IN to the San Jose/South Bay area of California! I'm Indiana born and raised and have lived within an hour's drive of Indianapolis all my life. Christy was born in Virginia but moved to the Indy area when she was a baby and has been here ever since. She has spent a summer as an exchange student in Barcelona, Spain and traveled in the US a bit more than I have but nothing quite this big.
We're moving because Christy applied to Cryptic Studios in Los Gatos, CA and got the job. She'll be working as a Writer, which is something she's always wanted to do and Cryptic seems to be a great company.
At first, the whole idea frightened me to near panic. But rather than running with the knee-jerk reaction I had at first of "Idon'twannamovetoCalifornia!!!!" I took a few deep breaths and looked at things rationally. First, it's northern California, not SoCal and if there's any part of California I'd agree to live in, it's the northern part of the state. Pictures of the area are just beautiful with plenty of trees and nearby mountains. It's also got moderate weather, with less of the extremes we have in Indiana. Being near to interesting places like the Winchester Mystery House and Japantown are real bonuses. Also, being in an area where one can get around primarily by walking, bicycling and public transportation will easily off-set the costs of gasoline while also putting us in a healthier lifestyle by getting us more regular exercise. I gained a lot of weight when we moved from Lafayette to Indy because we stopped walking as much and driving more. I'm looking forward to being in an area where one can bike safely as opposed to around here where you take your life into your hands on most roads. Combined with the increased pay and significantly better benefits, I found a lot of positives.
Of course, there are some significant negatives. Of these, the only important ones come down to moving away from our closest friends and family. This was almost a deal-breaker. Once again, I had to step back from the emotional knee-jerk to look at things rationally. I realized that we'll be able to came back over Christmas with only a little planning and savings. Then there's the wonders of modern telecommunications technology from cell-phones to email, blogs and Internet chat, voice over IP and instant messenger software, all of which allows easy, frequent, low-cost communication with friends and family as often as we'd like! Sure, there's a learning curve to take full advantage of it and do everything I want but such learning is a marketable skill in today's job market, a plus itself. So, yes, I'll be farther away from these important people but I'll still be able to interact with them frequently. It's not a case of never seeing them again, which was my root fear.
Combined with the state of the Indianapolis job market, economy and crime rates, along with Christy's previous employer's declining fortunes (at least as far as we can see), the benefits of moving outweighed the negatives and we had almost decided to go. Our last step was to turn the matter over to prayer and meditation and a couple of days to allow our intuitions to be heard. I received nothing in the way of warnings of danger or immanent threat. Thanks to my martial arts training, I've got an almost Spider-man sensitivity to danger and I got nothing there. I recognized there would be challenges and difficulties but nothing we can't deal with. I decided it was our best option and Christy agreed with me. Once the decision was finally made, I found myself feeling peaceful and ready to face the coming challenges. The doors are opening, the path clearly lies ahead and I'm ready to walk it with confidence.
The purpose of this blog is to document John & Christy's new adventure. I'm John and Christy might be posting some stuff herself later. We're a 30-something, happily married couple who are embarking on our biggest adventure to date. We're moving from Indianapolis, IN to the San Jose/South Bay area of California! I'm Indiana born and raised and have lived within an hour's drive of Indianapolis all my life. Christy was born in Virginia but moved to the Indy area when she was a baby and has been here ever since. She has spent a summer as an exchange student in Barcelona, Spain and traveled in the US a bit more than I have but nothing quite this big.
We're moving because Christy applied to Cryptic Studios in Los Gatos, CA and got the job. She'll be working as a Writer, which is something she's always wanted to do and Cryptic seems to be a great company.
At first, the whole idea frightened me to near panic. But rather than running with the knee-jerk reaction I had at first of "Idon'twannamovetoCalifornia!!!!" I took a few deep breaths and looked at things rationally. First, it's northern California, not SoCal and if there's any part of California I'd agree to live in, it's the northern part of the state. Pictures of the area are just beautiful with plenty of trees and nearby mountains. It's also got moderate weather, with less of the extremes we have in Indiana. Being near to interesting places like the Winchester Mystery House and Japantown are real bonuses. Also, being in an area where one can get around primarily by walking, bicycling and public transportation will easily off-set the costs of gasoline while also putting us in a healthier lifestyle by getting us more regular exercise. I gained a lot of weight when we moved from Lafayette to Indy because we stopped walking as much and driving more. I'm looking forward to being in an area where one can bike safely as opposed to around here where you take your life into your hands on most roads. Combined with the increased pay and significantly better benefits, I found a lot of positives.
Of course, there are some significant negatives. Of these, the only important ones come down to moving away from our closest friends and family. This was almost a deal-breaker. Once again, I had to step back from the emotional knee-jerk to look at things rationally. I realized that we'll be able to came back over Christmas with only a little planning and savings. Then there's the wonders of modern telecommunications technology from cell-phones to email, blogs and Internet chat, voice over IP and instant messenger software, all of which allows easy, frequent, low-cost communication with friends and family as often as we'd like! Sure, there's a learning curve to take full advantage of it and do everything I want but such learning is a marketable skill in today's job market, a plus itself. So, yes, I'll be farther away from these important people but I'll still be able to interact with them frequently. It's not a case of never seeing them again, which was my root fear.
Combined with the state of the Indianapolis job market, economy and crime rates, along with Christy's previous employer's declining fortunes (at least as far as we can see), the benefits of moving outweighed the negatives and we had almost decided to go. Our last step was to turn the matter over to prayer and meditation and a couple of days to allow our intuitions to be heard. I received nothing in the way of warnings of danger or immanent threat. Thanks to my martial arts training, I've got an almost Spider-man sensitivity to danger and I got nothing there. I recognized there would be challenges and difficulties but nothing we can't deal with. I decided it was our best option and Christy agreed with me. Once the decision was finally made, I found myself feeling peaceful and ready to face the coming challenges. The doors are opening, the path clearly lies ahead and I'm ready to walk it with confidence.
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