Done... oh, good grief! (20120728 Sa - 0813 Mo)

[mdlbear]

Good grief, indeed! It looks like this post is going to try to cover an eventful two-and-a-half weeks; there's no way I can do it justice.

tl;dr: Our Stuff arrived two weeks ago, I flew down and got the Honda and more Stuff, and we're gradually getting unpacked and settled in. I still don't have a job, or even any interviews scheduled, so I've decided to offer dinner at the Herb Farm to anyone who finds me one.

And now a few highlights.

The movers arrived on Wednesday, having had another stop along the way because our 17,000+ pounds of stuff only filled about 2/3 of their big-rig. Props to Billy, who managed to get the rig parked next to our entrance, which the apartment office staff had assured me was next to impossible. Billy and Pam were the husband-and-wife team of drivers; I can't praise them, United Van Lines, Chipman Relocation, and the loading and unloading teams too highly. A very smooth, painless, hassle-free operation.

... that left us with an apartment full of boxes, of course. We still have more Stuff than space, even after paring down a lot and storing almost half of it in N's garage. Well, we knew the job was impossible when we took it.

Speaking of jobs: I got my rejection from EnergySavvy, so I now have nothing on the schedule because the move totally ate my brain. I have until the end of September before my severance pay runs out.

I do not like it, Sam-I-Am.

Two weeks ago (Monday the 30th), something finally clicked in my head, and the apartment felt like home. I was in the kitchen; I knew where everything was, it was small and comfortable and convenient, and I felt like I belonged here. It's still scary, but only because of the job problem, not the move. I like it here.

I discovered something else about myself: I like giving stuff away to people who will give it a good home. More than like it -- it's *wonderful*. I'd been talking with Nathan, the guy who owns the painting service that did such a good job on the interior. I'd been referred to him because he's in a Christian group with Liz. Anyway, the conversation turned to music, and the instruments we play, and he asked about the beat-up old mandolin in the "what the heck do I do with this?" pile by the garage door. And then the balalaika, which I'd bought on a whim in high school and never learned to play.

I ended up giving them to him. I felt both relief in simplifying them out of my life, and joy -- mudita, actually -- in seeing how happy the gift made him. A very middle-sized-bear thing, I think. And I realized that this was one of the things that was making the move an enjoyable experience.

I also realized how much I enjoy traveling by myself.

One reason I haven't been posting has been the difficulty of connecting to the fileserver from outside the firewall; I think I've finally fixed most of that, but also copied my emacs-based posting client onto the netbook. We'll see how that works in a few minutes...

Loads of links in the notes, of course.

0728 Sa
  * up 7:45; d, n,  t
  % 8:38 a bit groggy.  Should have my coffee
  * read transit info, mostly the 522 bus schedule.
  % could have sworn I packed power and VGA cables; apparently not.  So firing
    up the desktop comp will have to wait for our Stuff.
  * Central Market for milk, rice, tofu, cottage cheese, sour cream, fish, ...
    dinner:  Rockfish boneless fillets, roasted brussels sprouts and onions,
    buttered noodles.
  @ Apple won't carry an ebook because it mentions Amazon - Boing Boing 
  @ Beyond Meat: Fake chicken that tastes so real it will freak you out. - Slate 
  @ Weighing the Costs of Crowdfunding | Future of Music Coalition (ysabetwordsmith in crowdfunding)
  @ Pig Candy f(Cj Lowe)

0729 Su
  * up 8ish; load drugs; d, n, t
  @ Webfiction World | podcast:  interview with MCA. Hogarth (haikujaguar: Crowdfunding and Other Alternative Funding Models) 
  * 11am over to N's briefly.  She had a rough night.
  * over to Third Place Commons/Town Center for Farmer's Market.  ~$100
    Bought a CD from Ray Skjelbred, who was playing a dolceola.  Weird little
    zither/piano that looks like an autoharp with a keyboard.
  : Devon leaving the Starport tonight; passing the baton to Og and Liz.
  * dinner:  caprese, roasted chicken with bicentennial rub, baked potatoes
    Beer, and strawberries and whipped cream, provided by Kat and Rabbit.
  @ Every woman should travel alone - Salon.com LinkedIn
  * listening to the Hogarth podcast with the CAD noise-cancelling earbuds
    Very clear; does a pretty good job on the road noise.  Like.
  * order:  aggrenox, Colleen's azathioprine

0730 Mo
  * up 7:45; d, n, t; dishes
  @ The Smartphone Wars: The iPhone Design Was Inspired by Sony
    except: Apple’s “Purple” Concept For iPhone Gets Sony-Inspired Designs Thrown Out Of Patent Trial | TechCrunch
  % 9:45 something clicked; this is Home now.  I was finishing a breakfast of
    cottage cheese, jam from the farmers' market, and two sliced strawberries.
    I was in Our Kitchen, I knew where things were, and I liked it.
  * a little work on my "home page", continuing to replace the old, non-portable
    bookmark bar.  Almost all the AM stuff is there now.  I can go for weeks now
    on the netbook, though it's still not comfortable for some kinds of work.
  @ Rules for Anchorites (Cat Valente) - Concerning Readercon 
    "In the three years between Readercons 23 and 26 I will actively look for
     evidence of real and permanent positive change in the Board’s behavior,
     policies, and the environment created by both. I hope I have made it very
     clear to them that if I receive any substantiated reports of continued
     inappropriate behavior at this venue – during or after my hiatus – my hiatus
     will become permanent."
  @ Ursula K. Le Guin: Still Battling the Powers That Be | Underwire | Wired.com
    (firecat | Linkspam Sunday)
  @ How Autism is Changing the World for Everybody f(Elizabeth Barrette)
  ~ 1pm over to N's to collect piggies and supplies
  * to Fred Meyer to get a microwave.  Only $150 for the biggest one - 2 ft^3,
    1200W.  Also some other stuff we needed.
  * 4ish kids, balky car, piggies,... the whole operation took much longer than
    expected.  But we have pets now.
  * Colleen made chicken salad for dinner.  Yum!

0731 Tu
  * up 7:25; d, n, t, hair
  @ Microsoft reinvents Hotmail as Outlook - Jul. 31, 2012
  * update address and phone for Wells Fargo, AMEX
  * turn off U-Verse, 995-6609.  6492 left for renters if they want it.  $5 to
    take over the line.
    Nina in the Ronert Park office was exceptionally patient and helpful.
  @ 19 items you did not know that you can recycle! | Go Green America TV
  * call from ECN - cancelled free subscription
  * groceries - QFC $250ish.  Good prices on cottage cheese, New Amsterdam gin,
    and rockfish among other things.
  @ Twitter comes clean, apologizes for NBC-gate — Tech News and Analysis 
  @ If The iPhone 5 Really Looks Like This, Apple May Be Screwed...  
  @ Apple Profit Margin May Be Starting To Decline - Business Insider 
  @ Microsoft's radical new business plan is hidden in plain sight | ZDNet 
  @ Study: West's forests could see 100-year drought (ysabetwordsmith)
  * Tried once again to get help on setting up a CenturyLink account.  Requires
    a security code that was on my first bill -- which I can't see because it's
    paperless and I have to log in to see it.  :P
  * Rockfish, salad, and baked potato for dinner.  The new zap oven has a
    one-button "baked potatoes" feature that seems to work well.
  @ ysabetwordsmith | Pepper Spray Cops Unemployed 
  * end 294-6492 and uverse at end of month.  Drop 6609 now(?)

0801 We
  * up 6:20; d; 
  @ The state of the music industry - The Oatmeal nails it, of course
  @ The emerging market that could kill the iPhone cloud personal data lockers
    maybe.  Still ignores the storage/bandwidth gap
  * ~8am movers arriving at apartment with Stuff
    -> called 8:30?ish and said they were just leaving; ~40min
  * (18:11:59) ***ssavitzky returns to an apartment full of boxes.
  * 6:60 - still looking for sheets, but the wardrobes are all unpacked into the
    mbr closet.  My suitcase still has to be unpacked and stowed.
  * The sheets were in the linen closet, of course.  The *other* linen closet,
    in the hallway (as opposed to the one in the bathroom)
  * the phones were several rows back.  Went on an explore.  The pile is 6x10x4,
    so a rough guess is 240 boxes.  That's an upper bound:  there are gaps and
    bigger boxes in places.  
  @ Firefox continues to gain as Internet Explorer, Chrome slide | Ars Technica 

What goes where:
  * buffet and island along the back wall of the dining nook
  * breakfront on the kitchen/LR wall
  * 4-dr file cabinet to N's
  * Trantor to N's - recording.

0802 Th
  * up 7:20; d, n, t
  @ A Call to Arms for Decent Men « Make Me a Sammich f(Stephanie Weippert)
  @ How to suck at your religion - The Oatmeal
  * Colleen's ADA toilet got installed -- makes a huge difference.
  * Pretty much entire day spent sorting through boxes and unpacking.  Still
    missing are the tops to the hexagonal tables, the crock of wooden spoons,
    and the bathroom scale.
  * N and the kids over to have dinner (I made chicken, pasta, and caprese) and
    clean the piggie cage.  Informed the apartment management that we have pets
    now. 
  * load drugs
  * pack
  * arrange shuttle.  Need to leave 3:45

0803 Fr
  * up 6:40ish; d, n, t, h; laundry, dishes
  : Colleen up early; wanted a grilled cheese sandwitch with bacon + onion
  * buy:  pantsu, kleenex, cookies for C+E; can get oreos at Walgreen's
  * put mailbox key and van keys by front door
  * Got through a few more boxes, including one box of booze and Torani syrups.
    Moved several boxes of books and an entire stack of CDs next to the wall.
  & At the last minute, added the road trip CDs, which were still in the smaller
    car carrier.  Put them in the collapsing duffel, which was probably a
    mistake -- it has a tendency to flop over.  Could have just hung the carrier
    from Chami's handle.
  * 3:40-4:00 shuttle - had an extra stop in UW; arrived around 5.
    Fortunately the flight is delayed ~20min.
  * Seattle/Tacoma, WA - SEA  to  San Jose, CA - SJC  Confirmation #4GR2GI
    Aug 3 Fri 06:45PM Seattle/Tacoma,  WA (SEA) to      Travel Time 2 h 05 m
      	      08:50PM San Jose,  CA (SJC) 		Flight #1555 
  * SEA wifi being obnoxiously slow.  Don't really care.  Oh, there it is.
    ... and there it goes.  Twice.  Went to airplane mode early.
  * see if the other set of van keys were left in SJ.
    -> yes, along with the bathroom scale, the coffeemaker and coffeegrinder,
       and a lot of other stuff.  Everything on the workbench.  :P
       I'm going to need either a trailer or a pod.
  @ Here It Comes (From Mexico) in [Market-Ticker] f(Bill Gawne)
    Legalizing and taxing drugs.  All of them.  About time.
  @ Why is it hard to make friends as an adult?  f(Jennifer Diamond)
  @ oursin | If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through
    life he will soon find himself alone (ysabetwordsmith) 
  * sleep on Liz and Og's couch.  

0804 Sa
  * up 7:20; d
  = checked U-Haul.  Earliest I can get a hitch installed is 0808We, and it's
    $367 plus freight charges; the smallest trailer is $169 (for 4 days of
    use).  Should have had the hitch installed last time I was in SJ.  Except
    then I would have put it on the van...  A 10' truck is $751.  Pod is 1142
  = roof rack looks at least as expensive as a hitch :( but it would be a quick
    install. 
  = Honda 800-715-5242 - parts 408-961-2006 - no factory hitch or roof rack
  = eyers hitches Santa Clara 408-248-4454 3473 El Camino Monday-Friday 
    http://www.eyershitch.com/index.html
  * painters coming at 8
  * noonish:  Jake coming over for hanging out and lunch.  Introduced him to Sneha.
    Good conversation.  EWS still using git-sync, so that idea really had legs.
    possibility of Jake taking a road trip in his new truck, with Stuff.
  -> decided *not* to get a trailer hitch for the Honda.  Trailers suck, and the
     H is pretty wimpy.  May get a roofrack at Sears, though.  Will take up the
     most essential stuff -- leave Michelle's guitar, and many of the tools --
     for later pickup with either a rental or a friend's truck.
  * afternoon:  Sara coming over for lease-signing.
  * Painters are doing a phenomenal job.  Nathan's Painting Service
  & gave Nathan, who plays multiple instruments and was asking about them, the
    mandolin and balalaika.  He wants to have them restored to playable condition. 
    % I fscking *love* doing that kind of thing.  OK; that tells me something
      about myself.  Something *good*!  And I noticed!
    ! happy.  mudita, too, because giving something a good home makes _them_
      happy as well as me.
  " (22:10:01) mdlbear: I learned something fascinating about myself this afternoon.
    (22:12:58) mdlbear: The painters were over at the house, doing an amazing
     job; Liz and Og and I were in the garage sorting stuff.  Nathan, the guy who
     runs the painting company, was talking with us after inspecting the day's
     work.  (Which was impressive.)  Nathan is someone that Liz knows from her
     church group; he's into some form of ministry that involves music.
    (22:15:02) mdlbear: He was looking over at the "what the heck do I do with
     this?" pile and asked about my beat-up old mandolin and balalaika.  After it
     became apparent that he would be interested, I gave them to him...
    (22:16:03) mdlbear: And I realized that the thing I love best about
     downsizing for the move is being able to give some of my stuff new homes, to
     people who will love them and take care of them. 
    (22:19:29) mdlbear: It's sort of like the middle-sized bear thing -- I've
     been doing it for years, and not noticing.  I'm a little surprised I
     noticed, this time, in time to explain it to Nathan, Liz, and Og.  Who were
     all kind of blown away by it. 
  & decided to offer a reward to anyone who finds me a job -- a place at the
    celebratory dinner at the Herb Farm.
  @ catsittingstill | Readercon and stray dogs 
  @ pocketnaomi | Readercon and me

0805 Su
  * up 7:28;
  @ An Unexpected Ass Kicking | Blog Of Impossible Things
  @ The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines | Django
  @ Drupal - Open Source CMS | drupal.org
    numbered nodes.  compact, but uninformative.  path module fixes this by
    providing aliases, but node ids still numeric.  Also need pathauto module
  @ jQuery: The Write Less, Do More, JavaScript Library
  @ Climate echange is here — and worse than we thought - The Washington Post 
    "The future is now, and it is hot."
  @ Watch NASA's live coverage of Mars rover landing starting 8:30
  @ Readercon: Public Statement
    Well done, for damage control.
  : apt-cache search libjs- #looks promising
  * over to the house; started packing the office.  
  * Thule roof rack at REI - expensive ($460), but not much more than the hitch would
    have been.
  * got the two Samsung monitors and 2 keyboards into one of the big plastic tubs
  * dinner at Iguana's with Liz and Dave - tasty Mexican

0806 Mo
  * up 6:40; d
  * install Thule luggage rack.  Easy once I got the hang of it.
  * Stanley Steemer - schedule carpet cleaning -> 0806 3:00-5:00PM
  * terminix - settle up and schedule spray;     866.319.6528 cust# 528806
    change billing address and phone number (cell).  Renew for 2 years.
    800-termini=800-837-6464 pest 86202983 86202985
    th 0809 8-10 inspection  tu 5-7 spray
  @ Hypertext Style: Cool URIs don't change. (Djangoproject.com)
    URL as UI (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)
  * Hiroshima day.  
  & Meaning I missed Ame's birthday this year.
    ' {Silly Daddy.  I don't need anything.  I know you love me.}
  * Digitopoly | Does the clothesline paradox apply to IT? 
  * clear off carpets so they can be cleaned
  * 3-5 Stanley Steemer - $335 Confirmation #2702600 
  * Turner coming by, probably in the afternoon.
    <- does he want 6492? -> yes.  He'll also call SJ Water, Greenwaste, and PG+E
  * Wrapped and loaded a top load of stuff, burrito style.
  * Dinner at Mongolian with Dave Turner (hosting), Heather, Kayla, Liz, Og.
  * received cashier's check for deposit.
  @ Beyond Words - Kale Chips! 
  @ foxipher | [Video] Curiosity Landing

Final -van-_car_-load:  Stage in office and mbr closet
  x bikes
  * Casio keyboard
  * monitors
  * bucket of tools, with drill
  * safe, if present
  x Dorsai, Trantor
  * green gardening bag
  * vacuum
  * boom box
  * Thinkpad crate, 5 others
  * -guitars- _Ruby_
  * pillow, if space
  * laser printer -> front seat

0807 Tu
  * up7:18; d,
  @ The Suck Fairy | Tor.com
  * make reservation at the Redwood - 888-535-8824 conf#0807k0807aa
    ' just do it! -- I'd been dithering.  Not bad; only danced around it for 15
      minutes or so.
  : should have taken the good pans in the first load.  Then I could have
    abandoned the old ones.
  * Final load-in: crates/boxes, Ruby, food bag
  * secure burrito load with tie-downs
    Some flutter which appeared to be the bottom blowing out.  Added a belly
    band at the rest stop just south of Williams
  * bank, gas, go - finally got on the highway ~11:30.
  * Listening to the Dead -- I love starting out with the Dead.  Workingman's
    Dead, American Beauty; Wake the Dead: Buckdancer's Choice.
  * Granzella's for "lunch" ~2pm; had the buffet, which proved to be a poor
    choice:  all the lunch dishes had pasta.  Picked out a little chicken from
    one, and filled in with cottage cheese.  Next time get salad bar + chili
  * arrived Grant's Pass ~7:30.  8 hours (including an hour out for lunch)
  * Dinner at Wild River Brewing and Pizza; ESB (Extra Special Bitter ale)
    Slightly fruity; very like Anchor Christmas Ale. Salmon filet; most of their
    other dishes have pasta.  Yummy bread; had one slice.  No WiFi.  Oh, well.
  * The motel has wifi, but exceedingly slow and flaky.
    The towels were hiding in a drawer labeled "towels" in the huge, otherwise
    empty vanity.  The tub is huge and luxurious.
  = Grants Pass is 427 miles from North Starport, and 423 from South Starport
    Dead center.  Trip home tomorrow estimated at ~7:30 

0808 We
  * up 07:10; d, h
  * breakfast at Black Bear - their corned beef hash is to yum!
  * on the road 9:15.
  * lunch/snack was almonds and hard candy
  * arrived ~5:30ish, IIRC
  ~ look up U-verse account# from a recent bill -> Liz got it via the number
  * Snagged salmon and asparagus on the way home - N and the kids for dinner
  @ #322 & #323 “My friend group has a case of the Creepy Dude. How do we clear
    that up?” « CaptainAwkward.com cf. the YD's UBF

0809 Th
  * up 7:10; W=197; d; laundry
  @ The Difference Between Networking and Making Friends - Forbes (linkedin)
  * C-link set up online account - will require assistance
    Their website is annoying, and gets confused in its cookies if you set up an
    account after doing a quick bill pay.
  : (13:43:12) mdlbear: Colleen is sifting through a plastic box that seems to
    contain jewelry and other items from her mother's apartment.  Also 10
    antique fountain pens and a Kodak model 3A camera that's older than I am.
    Much "oo"ing and "ah"ing.
  * 2:28 put away the "unopened booze"; passed off 2 boxes to Emmy and stacked
    up 3 to storage
  * emptied one of the *large* kitchen boxes (and promptly filled it with packing
    paper).  Found both parts of blender.  Found Kat's case of Vampire
  * moved 4 boxes to van for storage; a couple more from the car.
  @ DHS Crushed This Analyst for Warning About Far-Right Terror (from locked post)
  @ An Incomplete Guide to Not Creeping – Whatever 
  * more boxes.  Of course, a lot of the contents are just sitting out loose
    waiting for someone to take pity on them and lead them to their places.
  * Moved one of the floor lamps into the far corner.


0810 Fr
  * up 6:45; W=195.6; d.... n,t; dishes, laundry
  - managed to turn on the wrong burner and scorched some rings into the bottom
    of the salad bowl.  Gas would have been worse, though.
  : Apparently it never occurred to Devon and co. to pack all parts of a thing
    in the same place.  I *did* have the hexagonal glass tabletops packed into
    one of the tables.  WTF did they do with them?
  * my car empty except for tools, UPSs, and the Burrito on the roof.
  * buy:  pantsu, chips, loperamide
  * emptied a box of wine and some unopened booze -- put the wine on the buffet
  * more re-arranging.  Located the ceramic knives, in with cheese tools.
  * unpacked three (four?) boxes of hutch glass and sculpture.
  * buy: dinner fixings - beef stir-fry.
  * 7:30 Heather Dale/Sooj concert Kenmore Comm. Club
    7304 Northeast 175th Street  Kenmore, WA 98028 (R. on 73rd Ave)
    Incredible.
  * I seem to have a spoon or something wedged in the garbage disposal.  :P

0811-12 Sa-Su
  @ Everything for Everyone -
    The Everything for Everyone Festival is a free, two-day music, art, and
    politics festival scheduled to take place in Seattle, Washington on August
    11th and 12th. @OccupySeattle
    -> didn't go -- limited parking, not accessible.
  ~ GeekGirlCon -> didn't go -- would have been $60 each minimum

0811 Sa
  * awake 6:10; up 7:20; d, n, t; laundry
  @ 10 Reasons Your Business Card Sucks - Speckyboy Design Magazine 
  @ WIKILEAKS: Surveillance Cameras Around The Country Are Being Used In A Huge
    Spy Network - Business Insider Trapwire.  f(Allegra Sloman)
  * buy: garbage disposal wrench, 3-way bulb, long-nosed vice grips, glue
  * unstuck disposal; glued mask; replaced bulb in torchiere
  * unpacked another box of hutch glass.  Still one -- at least one -- missing
  * out with Rick and Tess -> Anthony's in Alderwood Mall.  Yum.  oysters and mussels.
    The mall will require exploration.
  * ran the van over to N's to unload into her garage.  Kept the bucket o'tools
    and brought back the Elfa tracks and (hanging) verticals.
  * decided to use Sunday afternoon (2pm, running to 4 or 5) for practice at N's.
  @ The Upside of Ugly | The Nation (firecat | Beauty, self esteem, and bullying) 
  & change address on Union Bank website.  
  @ thnidu | The biggest flute I have ever seen started an hour or so of
    link-chasing on wikipedia.

0812 Su
  * up 8:11; W=195.8; d, n
  * unpacked box labeled "hutch glass and decanter"
  @ Irregular Webcomic! #3240 - photography
  * Farmers' Market and Albertson's  Huge bunch of basil for $2
  * Albertson's - their discount section is great.  Applewood smoked bacon $10/5lbs
  @ thatcrazycajun - Now that the catfood's out of the bag: What Romney's VP
    pick really means 
  * 2pm go over to N's for rehearsal?  Swapped a truckload of our stuff for
    Kat's, but -probably- no formal practice.  Noodled on the guitar for a while
    -- my fingers are understandably out of shape.
  @ Media is not converging, it is diverging (convergence only leads to
    conflict) « Richard Stacy (don_marti) 
  * buy:  Central: quinoa pasta, fresh mozzerella, -pine- _wal_nuts, parmesan cheese
  * dinner:  caprese, pork roast, pasta (Lundberg), pesto
  * run Chaos and (a little of) her stuff home
  * put the pesto away, having done the roast and pasta before dinner.

0813 Mo
  * up 8:45; W=195.0; d, n, t
    ok, I guess the wake-up time isn't too surprising in view of when I went to
    bed, which was close to 1am.  But still. :P
  * applied via LinkedIn:
    Society Consulting - Software Engr - contract but looks interesting
    Nuance - Software Engr - research (via LinkedIn)
    Disney - Sr. Server Engr
  * ORCA cards - Lynnwood transit center.  Colleen needs disability form filled out
  * Alderwood Mall
  * buy: fans.  After finding them at Brookstone for $99 and finding them sold
    out at Freddy's, we finally got three of them at Walgreen's for $29.  We win.
  * moved gw to laundry room so YD wouldn't be in the shadow of the washer/drier
  * finally gave up on DHCP for Cygnus and went to static config.  Works now.
  * copied ljupdate to cygnus -- gave up on trying to post from nova over ssh
    the wifi connection is just too gawdawful flaky, though it might be better
    with static IP

Comments

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you survived the move!

Good luck and positive feelings towards the jobsearch problem - I hope you're able to get one soon.

[mdlbear]

Thanks!

[joecoustic.livejournal.com]

I also like giving away if I know someone will appreciate it! :) Glad you're adjusting so well to the move and good job sending vibes being thought in your direction.

[roaringmouse.livejournal.com]

Piggies?? as in Hamsters or guinea pigs??? Cool!!!!

[mdlbear]

Guinea pigs. Three of them, on loan from Naomi for as long as she needs to keep them away from her landlady.

[roaringmouse.livejournal.com]

Of course....

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

It sounds like the blockage is happening at the interview level and not at the resume level? Have you thought of doing a few mock interviews with friends who are in hiring manager roles to get their feedback?

I'm guessing you already tried interviewing with places like Mozilla and Canonical for a remote gig?

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

PS - no need to reply (these are just thoughts)

[mdlbear]

I put in an application with Mozilla, but they never responded. I'm guessing that in that case it was my lack of a visible open-source track record. The interviews I've had have all been mostly coding on the whiteboard; I'm getting better, but I'm not as good at those as I'd like to be.

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

That's great that the area you're having challenges with is something you can practice at home. I imagine that, (at least, at your skill level), it's just about doing it enough to seem prepared.

Could you point me to your current resume?

And did ya try Canonical? They do tons of remote jobs.

[mdlbear]

I looked at Canonical but for some reason it didn't look like a fit -- should probably take another look.

Resume and other stuff at http://stephen.savitzky.net/ -- comments welcome.

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

I just noticed this is a public thread, so I'm going to delete my comment since you've probably read it.

[mdlbear]

Thanks -- I hadn't, but since I get comments sent to me via email it was still there waiting for me.

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

Let me know if you hear anything!

M. already replied that they'll get it to the recruiter.

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

[weird, I think it didn't post my reply]

Are you already working with a coding interview prep book like:

http://deca.cuc.edu.cn/Community/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.PostAttachments/00.00.00.15.49/Cracking-the-Coding-Interview_2D00_4ed-2010.pdf

I am 99% sure you will get an interview from one of the folks I spoke with, so if not, you might want to. Personally it changed my life as an interview strategy.

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

Yay for a good move and being *home* again. I am also not looking forward to the end of September severance farewell.

[mdlbear]

*hugs* Good luck and good hunting to both of us.

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

Lisa got in touch. So when's dinner @ Herbfarm? ;-)

You don't *really* have to do that, especially if you don't end up accepting the offer. But serious congrats.

[mdlbear]

I probably _will_ accept the offer; I'll have to discuss dinner with Naomi and Colleen. The "Mycologist's Dream" theme looks promising, especially Emmy (who's allergic to mushrooms) has expressed her complete lack of interest.

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

May I ask - who is it with? Is it FTE or contract? Did you feel good about it?

Did Mozilla not get in touch? ;-(

No need to reply if you're busy.

[mdlbear]

Full time with HP Cloud Services. I feel _very_ good about it -- they're working mostly with open source, infrastructure stuff, and it sounds like my ideas about secure storage interested them a lot. It's the kind of thing I'd have seriously considered taking a salary cut to work on in Silicon Valley.

If HP falls through for some reason there's HortonWorks, which is working in the Hadoop space and looking at starting a Seattle office in the September/October timeframe.

Mozilla never got back to me. This doesn't surprise me -- I haven't been part of their developer community, and I'm sure they have plenty of people there who'd jump at the chance to work for them.

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

THAT is awesome! Congrats!!!

Well, I'm still surprised by Mozilla. They're not the media darlings anymore, and Chrome has usurped their marketshare and branding as the browser for people who care about web browsing. Plus, the guy I floated you to should have been taken seriously internally (as he was one of the 3 co-creators of Firefox. ;-)

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

P.S. I don't know what your family is into, but I have a few extra Google Offers for this place, which is a bit like Zachary's in Berkeley:

http://www.kylieschicagopizza.com

And it's 95% less expensive. ;-)

[psihomantic.livejournal.com]

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