Wow! It us amazing but I have already made it through two whole weeks! Time is still at a crawl where every day seems to really be two or three, but at this point I am enjoying it. There is so much to get done and so much to experience!
Friday I went up to San Francisco to go to Mac World. It was not hard to make that choice when my boss made the offer to let me go. I am no where near as good at getting free stuff like what I remember Patty at thebookstore used to bring home, but it was still fun. The best part was running into Max. We usedto work together as two of the first Lead MGs for Fifth Ave. It was rather random as neither of us expected the other to be there.
Besides that I got to see a few of the new tech world things. I also think I managed to find a system for holding my tech gadgets in my new car. As it is I have to either stash them in the cup holders, or a bit of space below the stereo. Both places work, but it is not safe to try and change songs, or even worse to try and use Google maps. So I will pick up a few mounts from ProClip to fix the problems. I also managed to catch a live broadcast of one of my original favorite podcasts. I picked up a lot of others later, but the first podcast was TWIT. I was disappointed that Dvorak did not make it as he always adds a lot of spice, but it was still fun to catch and see after having listened to tons of hours of them.I almost drove up the San Francisco, but finally decided to listen to a friend's advice and took the CalTrain (Thanks Arion!). It was a much better ride than what the subway ever offered, although the price was not quite as nice. I had forgotten that trains could be quite to ride in, rather than the mass noise that the NYC subway tends to be. The ride up I met some random person who was just as lost as I was. We chatted most of the ride up about families, work, places we have been etc. I guess NYC did some good, it made me a little better at talking to random people.
After I got back from Mac World I went and signed the lease on my new apartment. I had originally planned on getting a two bedroom in the 800 - 900 square foot range. That way I could have not only a bedroom but a good sized office space also. I was suprised to find a one bedroom in that size that will give me the same ability. This place has a HUGE bedroom, and a HUGE livingroom. My current first layout plan will put both the office and the bedroom in the bedroom, skimping on neither space. The living room will have two halves, one centered around the entertainment center and the other looking out the porch over a small lake. It is a man made lake, but still very good looking and really adds to the atmosphere of the complex. The kitchen is a bit small but I will be able to make up for it by having a bunch of cabenets and drawers in the dining room to put dishes and such in. Gotta love the selection at Ikea!
After getting the apartment squared away I went sushi hunting. I think I found a place I can call my regular. It was written up as a neighborhood place that had been around for a while. Nothing fancy but good, and it has my favorite, the vegas roll. They call it something else, but it is the same basic thing, and the chef is willing to experiment also a good thing. I tracked down the place in Mountain View that I went to while in training so I will try that again also, but that one will be a lot harder parking wise.
Later that evening I also went to my first LDS style dance in along time. It was not an official one so it was in someone's home but it was the same basic thing. LDS dances are a rather odd breed. They kind of remind me a lot of a high school dance from the late 80s. It is all about having some fun and meeting/talking to a lot of people. There also tends to be more people dancing and in general everyone is welcome in any group. Which leads to the other odd thing, there is more group dancing then couples. Going to other dancing venues it always seemed to be more about two people dancing with each other. They might trade some but not a lot. At an LDS dance it will be 5 - 10 people, sometimes more all dancing, ussually in a circlish shape. It was fun and I got to talk to a few people I had already meet and a good number of people I had not.
I guess by now you can tell that Friday was rather busy! It sure was a good day though!