Yup, that’s right! The Left Coast has claimed another victim! I wasn’t going to start a thread on this, because:
[ol]
[li]I didn’t want to further annoy everyone with “I’m going to California” stuff.[/li][li]I didn’t want to detract from Esprix’s California Countdown.[/li][li]Hi, Opal![/li][li]Everyone pretty much knows already.[/li][/ol]
But, too damn bad, suffer through it! I’m excited! I’m moving to California! And SOON. oldscratch is flying out to meet up with me in Rhode Island, and we’re driving cross-country. I think we’re leaving RI sometime around the 28th or 29th, and have plans to meet up with Nymysys and Anamorphic in Chicago for New Year’s Eve.
I gave my 2 weeks notice at work today, so it’s pretty official. I’ve started getting calls on my resume (tech writing, tech support, QA stuff) so it’s looking promising… and I have a couple places to stay.
But I’m SCARED! All my friends and family are here in the New England area. Help a provincial lil’ Doper out. Any of you (psycat, etc.) have any advice on what it’s like to move across the country?
Not knowing you much from these boards, not being involved in any other SDMB pages (i.e., Opal’s board), not involved in SD chat or IMing online, and rarely reading MPSIMS stuff unless I’m specifically mentioned, could you please explain the entire story behind this move, your relationship with oldscratch, future plans, etc., or, barring that, give me a link to the relevant thread that explains it all for me.
Actually, Odie, I didn’t get to see that while I was there. I saw the Pacific and got to touch it (man is it cold!) and oldscratch made me climb this cliff and I’m scared of heights… but I didn’t see the sun set behind it yet. That’s one of the first things on my agenda! Thanks!
And what, exactly, would those qualities be? I have yet to see them.
Cliffs? Rasa, oldie didn’t take you to the Cliff House/Sutro Baths on your first visit here, did he? That’s where I took psy on her first visit.
Anyway, what’s it like to moce cross-country? It sucks! Especially when you’re in a huge U-Haul, towing a car and run into a hurricane! We went across I-80, but if I had it all to do over again, I’d take the extra time and head south to I-10. I’ve travelled cross-country on that road a few times and prefer it to 80. The winds on 80 are just too much for a U-Haul. Now, if you’re just driving your car, go ahead and take 80, it’s not worth the extra distance south to take 10.
Demo, I won’t be taking a U-Haul, so it’s probably gonna be I-80. Whatever I can fit in my little rollerskate of a car ('95 VW Golf) is what’s coming with. If/when I get settled I’ll have the rest shipped maybe…
Nope, we were at Muir Beach I believe… and they weren’t cliffs cliffs, just like a steep hill, but it was scary cuz there were rocks and waves and… and… stuff!
And for the record, some of the East Coast qualities I possess are the ability to obsess and stress over the least little thing. oldscratch can attest to that–he tells me at least once a day: “relax!”
Do you save your sent messages?
I would hate to trouble you, but if you still have it, could you e-mail me the story? Because i have only inferred bits and pieces of it from some threads i read.
Oh, and happy thoughts to you and stuff. Good luck.
it’s the ultimate traveling food: cheap, portable, doesn’t spoil, high in calories, fills you up, becomes a complete protein when put on bread or crackers that you buy along the way.
2 or 3 jars should be all you need for the trip.
also, make sure you take your car in for a tune up and overall check before you leave. there’s nothing worse than being stranded 500 miles from anyone who can help you out… except maybe being stranded 1000 miles from them. you remember my atlanta adventure… :rolleyes:
Ok I have to share this with you all. It’s snowing here today. Not too too bad, but enough that it’s now covering the ground. I just looked out the window (we have a lot of pretty trees around the building at work) and it looked like a postcard or something. I totally burst into tears! I love New England. It’s my home, and fuck, am I gonna miss it. But, it’s time to go…
::thinking of how nice Marin County smelled, and how cool it was to see the city from the Bay all lit up, and how cool fog is and that I won’t have to wear gloves and big heavy coats in winter::
zyzz, I’m with ya on the PB tip. I live on the stuff! My car has just had a tune up, oil change, new tires put on, all that fun stuff. And I have AAA Gold, baby!
Thinking pre-move was NOT a good time to quit smoking… driving is the worst when you’re jonesing!
Oh, another important thing (standard moving stuff):
Make sure you have all your financial information. You’ll probably have to close your bank account, unless your bank is also out here (dunno what you have, but B of A, Wells Fargo, and Cal Fed are the biggies out here). If you had any credit cards, you’d also have to make sure you had the info on them. Anything else that you’re billed for at home and that you’ll need to change. As soon as you get here, kill your cell phone account and get a new local one, open a bank account if you had to close it, and if necessary get a PO Box. The PO Box is a must if you don’t have stable living arrangements. Also, it’s generally better to get one at a private place rather than the post office itself, since the latter won’t accept shipments from UPS or FedEx.
BTW, did i mention the overwhelming usefulness of having a bandana while travelling? This ranks right up there with the peanut butter and swiss army knife for the must have. You’d never believe how often it comes in handy.
Hey Rasa! I am so excited for you, I am sorry I didn’t reply sooner, I just saw this thread. So what’s it like? Well, I love it. As one East Coaster to another, yes it is different, and yes you will miss your home. Home is, after all, always home. But there is so much here to make you never want to leave and make you wonder how you didn’t know such a great place existed.
I adore it here, and the only thing other than family that I truly miss is NYC, but if you are coming from RI, I don’t think that would totally apply to you (unless you travelled there frequently, I came from Central Jersey, and was in the city every other weekend or so.)
The weather is great, it’s 65 here today, it doesn’t get humid in the summer. The people are friendly, there is plenty of diversity (something I missed living in Central PA.)
Demo is right about the drive out in a U-Haul, it was hell. But you should be more than fine in a car. It was really a neat adventure. Wyoming and Iowa and some other state, Nebraska maybe, were pretty boring. Utah was by far the most gorgeous. The salt flats were really cool, it felt like we were driving on the moon. Be careful in that area, (Utah, Nevada) get gas at every single opportunity, make sure your car is ok, there is literally NOTHING for 100’s of miles.
You are gonna love it, Rasa, I am sure of it, and I am so happy for you and for Jal. Congratulations!!
I am trying to think of some good tips.
Well, like I told Esprix in one of his moving threads, one grat way to get stuff shipped cheaply is Amtrak. They have a service that charges a low rate to ship a bunch of stuff, you just have to find a station to ship from, and then pick it up.
When I drove out, I didn’t need to do that, I was able to fit everything into my little hatchback, but it was just me, so it wasn’t really a problem.
If you have some cash, I would reccomend joining triple A, or another similar type company. It is nice to have someone you can call for any kind of screw up on the road. A towing, locking keys in the car. That kind of thing. Plus you can get loads of maps from them.
Some former East Coasters tell me they miss the change of seasons. I have yet to miss that. I don’t mind having two seasons, summer and rainy. I prefer it, in fact.
The only other tip I can think of, is to totally enjoy the drive out here. I loved doing it. One of these years I am going to make another grand road trip like that. Stopping at the cheesey road side tourist attractions. Staying at cheap hotels. Looking at coyotes. Fun.
Ooooh, the salt flats. I forgot that. That was so cool.
Hey oldie, don’t forget to zooooooom down the other side of the mountain. It’ll really scare the pants off Rasa.
Thanks, psy! I was hoping you’d give some input. I think the hardest part is going to be leaving my grandma. She’s in good health, but she’s getting old… it makes me sad to think that she might not be around next time I come home. Cheery of me, huh? But other than that, my folks are behind me. They just wish I’d wait a bit longer till I’m more “financially stable”. Heh.
pricciar: I have 3 words–Triple A Gold! I’ve been a member since I drove my old blue bomber that I’d have to call to get towed like once a week a few years ago. Very helpful. And thanks, I’ll keep Amtrak in mind.
Demo, I’ve driven with oldscratch. Who has no license. I will not be letting him drive down any mountains, no siree! He can drive thru like Indiana and Ohio when it’s flat and straight. I had to show him how to park, fercryinoutloud! Ok so I’m exaggerating, he’s not that bad.
And scratchie if you don’t want to drive cross country with me, I could stay home…
