More California Stuff

Things are going really well here I'd say. It may be 10 degrees warmer in Boulder and sunny, but the rain here is like a summer rain. People here complain like it's the depth of winter, but it's been quite nice all things considered. I've decided I really like where I live, despite people warning me that Sunnyvale was a family overrun suburb. When people said that, I pictured Louisville or worse, Superior; but it's not like that. I live within a block of an Albertsons, Starbucks, Pizza hut, a donut shop, a KFC, a Bread place (I guess they serve breakfast) a BBQ place, a barber shop, dry cleaners and a gas station. I'm probably within walking distance of Murphy Street (the local downtown with no less than 4 irish pubs, some sushi places and Target) but I haven't tried yet. I was sick this weekend when I would have tried that ~1 mile hike. 

I also heard that class-ism was big here, but it's not so bad. My car and/or clothes aren't great, but I don't feel like anyone looks down on me for it. People are way to self centered to care about other people. Still working out a definitive plan for meeting people... I'm going to try the Irish pubs like I said, but if they're anything like Boulder it'll be old married people. Kristen told me to try churches with strong singles groups, which despite loving Jessie very much might be worth while. I'm looking to meet other people in their 20s in professional careers but preferably not programming ;)

I'm coming home this weekend! Give me a call if you want to hang out.

Blogger

I am now using Google's blogger system, and I'm parsing it into my web site. What does that mean to you? Well if you're on the website, old posts are going to look funny. I wanted to provide an archive, but I didn't want to support the old method any longer so I just copy and pasted old posts into new posts on blogger, dated, well yesterday since it is now 30 seconds past midnight. If you're using an agregator such as the wonderful Bloglines you will have needed to change your links (but you already knew that, or else how did you get here?)

Yes, I liked the challenge of writing my own RSS editor, but when Google came out with a dashboard widget to post to their blog so simply... I couldn't resist. Plus this way I can link back to blogger and get the ability for people to comment on posts, legitimate dates and gaurenteed validation in the xml. This is what we in the computer industry call "code reuse". Why re-write it when you can use someone else's service for free?

moved, again!

Feb 26, 2006++++++When I left Boulder, I went to U-Haul online and saw that I could rent a truck, and tow my car behind it. I reserved it all with one easy click and I figured that would be all. Moving day comes along, I show up at the rental place and they say, "well we have your tow hitch, but no truck. Your truck is up the diagonal." So I wasted precious packing time to drive up, get my truck, drive back to the hitch place, and the lights are broken so I have to come back that afternoon. Two weeks later I'm using U-Haul again, because it's an in town move, no hitch and they can't POSSIBLY screw it up again. I bring my credit card, driver's license and proof of insurance just as they ask but "nooooo we can't rent a truck to someone with an out of state drivers license. You could call someone who lives here and verify you live here." Okay... Ryan's cell number is 303- "Wait no, it has to be a local number." Uh great, the only local numbers I know are office numbers and it's Sunday. Well thanks to my fabulous buddy Ryan, who offered to put the whole thing on his credit card and rent the truck himself (he has a California drivers license) we were able to finally get the truck and move everything up the 3 floors to my new home.



Other than that, life has been pretty good. I played volleyball on Friday with some work people and last night I bought X-Files season 1 and built a new bookshelf/plant stand thing. Next I need to find a couch and finish unpacking and I can finally have some people over.

New Style

Jan 27, 2006++++++In honor of CU, which has treated me well for four and a half years, my website now has new colors. Check it out!

Moving to California, Part 1

Feb 17, 2006++++++Okay.... I'm posting again which means I'm stable enough to spare some time to do so. When you just moved you go into killer ninja, survival-of-the-fittest, fight-or-flight and shower-if-you-have-time-to mode. But last night, I cooked my own meal for the first time in 2 weeks. Being self-sufficient is an important thing to the survivalist, which is why I was so happy to move out of the Motel 6 and into my apartment last Wednesday despite the fact that it meant having to sleep on the floor and use tee-shirts as towels. Each example of forthought becomes a small personal victory such as the small roll of toilet paper I almost put into a big, unidentifiable brown box but instead threw into the back seat of my car. I find it important to have someone to share those moments with, as well as the moments not so well thought out, and Jessie has been that to me for which I am eternally greatful. I arrived in California exhausted from driving at least 22 hours over 3 days and sleeping in the cab of the UHaul the night before. I searched all over for the self storage place I had found so easily online and unpacked my entire truck in 2.5 hours. Packing that same truck took 7 hours with help from Jessie and my neighbor Marc. With an hour to spare before the UHaul place closed, I took my empty truck back to navigate this new city I'd soon call home only to get terribly lost. I arrived 7 minutes after 5:00. I did what they recommend not to, and left the truck and hitch there so I didn't have to drive 14' of truck plus 10' of my own car through downtown San Jose. From there I went to the Motel, where I had reservations but my credit card was rejected! I was able to shorten the stay and it cleared but that was the last straw. Jessie was there for me just a phone call away and it made all the difference in the world to hear her voice. Anyway, all that is behind me and things are looking good for the future. I'll be posting more because I had a lot of time to just drive and think on my way down here, so I want to share those thoughts with you, my friends. I sincerely hope that you are all in good health, and I will see you soon.

Powerful

Jan 31, 2006++++++So last Sunday was my last time at church before leaving. After the service the Sunday school teacher came up to me and told me she was talking about who is powerful in her class that day. Some of the kids said "Troy is!" That made me laugh. Then she told me why... because I work for Bill Gates?!? I'm going to have to learn those kids a thing or two about Apple. I guess stupidity is a common affliction, a dorm neighbor of a friend of mine a few years ago said that Gates was the head of Apple. *sigh*

Big News!

Jan 18, 2006++++++For those of you who do not know, I've been offered a job at Apple. w00t! Now, I'll have to find out where I fit in a state which is governed by the Terminator, where people describe where they live as time from something rather than distances to; and a half million dollar property is a "fixer-upper". But while the transition will be hard for me, it's always harder for those left behind. I should know, I've been in Boulder all my life and I've seen more than a couple friends move away. Well my thoughts and prayers will be with you and I would love to hear from you, for any reason. Stay tuned, party eminent :)

Hello from Cupertino!

Jan 12, 2006++++++Update from Troy: I'm sitting in the Cupertino Inn (exhausted) after a full day of interviews at Apple. I did well, I think so now time will tell. San Jose is not as bad as I pictured. I remember LA which seemed like miles and miles of highway with no attractive destination. This has pockets of life. Lastly, Apple seems to be just as attractive as everyone believes to work for, except the hours would indeed be long. Can't get my hopes up, but the fact that I made it here, this trip, this interview, this opportunity speaks well of me and I can be happy to say I had the balls to try.

Sandwich

Jan 6, 2006++++++I could really go for a good sandwich right now.




Yep, just when you thought I was getting personal on my blog, really spilling my guts, I devoted an entire post to sandwiches. That's just the crazy sort of guy I am.

Success

Dec 21, 2005++++++What is Success? When I was little my parents played volleyball at the South Boulder Rec center and there were frequently college aged friends playing volleyball, drinking beer and playing cool music on the radio. I never realized how much I wanted that until this summer when it occurred to me that I had become those young adults, and it's an incredible feeling to recognize your own success. It was a real eye opener to me when it happened, and it was then that I noticed young kids building castles in the sand, watching us play.



When I was a little older, going to school and dreading every homework assignment, I really wanted to be done with school. I looked at all those grownups who went off to work and I thought it would be so great to be done with school so I could work. This past summer, I again realized that my goal was met and unlike those sob stories of people who realized they hated work more than school, it was actually great. Sure the job was stressful, but evenings and weekends were spent outside, or programming or vegging out in front of a DVD.



When I started college, I had no car, a terrible job at Target and had to share a bathroom with 40 other guys on my floor. I decided that a metric for my success would be never needing a room mate after I graduated. I actually reached that a little early, I now have a one bedroom apartment of my own and a car as well.



Now I'm looking at career stuff, and I'm trying to decide how it all fits. Do I head West to work in Silicon Valley with an impressive company and bragging rights galore? Do I stay here where I can still hike far enough from town that I can forget civilization for a while, and be back in time to meet my girlfriend for lunch? I've also been going to school for 16.5 years, should I travel a bit before deciding to stay in one spot for the next 3-5 years? Everyone I know pushing me to be successful, when is anyone going to tell me exactly what that is?

Finals coming

Dec 7, 2005++++++Finals are coming, and I'm pretty excited. No I don't have a sadistic facination with 2.5 hour tests. No, I don't enjoy waking up early for a 7:30AM test ON SATURDAY and then going back to school ON SATURDAY for a 7:30PM final. I'm more excited for what happens after that. Nothing. I graduate and I have the first real "free-time" since Highschool. W00t go me.