7 posts tagged “moving”

Sorry for the quietude. Life has been busy lately. As predicted, the movers came just late enough on Friday to inconvenience me without actually keeping me from making it to Houston on time. But they stayed until almost 11 PM to keep packing just so I could go on Saturday, so most of the annoyance is covered with a veneer of "Well, that's over!"

Drove like a bat out of heck all day Saturday, and made it to Houston in just under 16 hours. And then discovered that all of the hotel rooms that were still available wouldn't take pets [1]. So I ended up spending another hour searching until I found a hotel willing to put up with us/put us up.

Sunday, I took possesion and then spent the next few days sleeping on the floor while waiting for my furniture to arrive. Which it did yesterday morning. Three hours later, all of the boxes were in my house and I was back at work.

So now I'm on the road, trying to get caught up on everything, which includes getting internet access for my home [2]. As a result, postings will be spotty for the next month or so, until I get everything sorted out.

On the bright side, I was able to set up a local bank account in under forty minutes this time. So maybe Miami taught me something after all...

John

[1] I am owned by a cat who walked into my apartment one day nearly sixteen years ago and said "I live here now. Get used to it." He lets me move around as long as I keep him in tuna. It works out...

[2] Why do companies insist that you must have a landline to get internet? The only one that doesn't (Comcast) won't set it up without cable - and I'm not sure I want cable, as I have better things to do than watch TV.

The problem with the universe before the big bang was that everything was happening at once and all in the same place [1]. The problem with my life right now is that it emulating that state.

HR finally awoke from its long sleep, took a look at its shadow (collectively speaking), and decided that I'd have two more weeks of confusion. So every other day, a new person would call and let me know that things were moving along - but they couldn't tell me when things would culminate [2]. So as my time to travel to Houston grew shorter, the silences between calls grew longer and I began to work on my back up plan [3]!

So I spent yesterday and this morning cleaning the townhouse and packing my car [4] with the things that I absolutely had to have (a week's worth of clothes, cat stuff, etc.). And just as I finished and started chasing the cat around the house to put him into the carrier for the trip, the phone rang. Guess who?

That's right - HR [5]. They can indeed pack me out tomorrow and Saturday, which will give me just Sunday to make the 19 hour drive to my new abode and new job.

Stay tuned - the big bang should happen sometime Saturday, after the loaders tell me that they can't get my furniture out until Monday at the earliest. (The perversity of the universe does tend toward a maximum, after all....)

John

[1] Not unlike your typical freshman party...

[2] I.e., when they would pack me up and load the goods.

[3] Yes, I'm slipping - I only had one back up plan. Well, that and a couple of back up ideas and one or two thoughts...

[4] Just once, I'd like to move without looking like a a refugee from Beverly Hillbillies.

[5] More specifically, the subcontractor to the subcontractor to the subcontractor to HR at my new company. Guess why I've been on hold the past three weeks?

In HR limbo, of course. First, the back story... Based on the analyses I'd been doing for my last employer, it became clear to me that they weren't going to be able to stay afloat. Their business plan called for 500,000 customers in five years - when they currently have just 136,000 and are in the middle of a decline. And the new plant will cost $300 million, but will only be able to bring in enough to support half of its running costs - exclusive of personnel! And the office politics dictated that one person [1] was able to bottleneck all production, while preventing others from reviewing his work. As a result, I was no longer happy where I was.

And then one of my friends put me in contact with a headhunter who put me in contact with an oil company who hired me, at a 50% increase in salary and a huge gain in benefits. The only catch was that they need me to be on site, working, on December 3 due to the huge backlog of projects. No problem - they made the offer on October 26, so I had plenty of time, right?

So I quit my old job with two weeks notice [2], flew out to Katy and found a place to live in two days [3]. And then waited and waited to hear from the HR folks. They finally sent me a letter that had to be mailed back that got me a form that had to be faxed back that got me into the system. Or at least it would have if the person handling it had been at work. Instead, the only person who can handle the process was on vacation. So that ate up a week of my leeway.

Now she's back, but hasn't been able to contact the person at the subcontractor who will handle the details (who is probably also on vacation). So I have to wait in Miami, hoping that they will call me to arrange the shipment of the household goods before Friday, when I have to leave for Houston. Given that the purpose of this is for the universe ot drive me insane, they will probably wait until Thursday afternoon and then ask me if they can come over Friday to start the process. And then be upset when I tell them that we have to reschedule....

So that's where I am. Waiting for HR to let me start work.
Whee.

John

[1] The least qualified, IMHO.

[2] And had a long, heart-to-heart with my boss. She understood the problems and agreed with them, but didn't want to make any substantial changes because they had worked so hard to get the current plan approved by the board. Such is life in the non-profit sector...

[3] Hey, I've got this down to a science!

Three times in the past month, I have been invited to apply for positions at different companies. All three were non-profits and all three were essentially what I'm doing now. So I have been flattered, but not compelled. All three companies have gotten about the same "Thank you, but I'm very happy here" note. This has been partly self-interest [1] and partly because I feel that I owe my current employer some loyalty [2].

Now a friend has been flogging my name to an oil company. He just left me a message that they would pay twice what I'm getting now [3], plus probably give me an incredible signing bonus [4] plus moving expenses. I'm not hurting financially [5], and my career choices have never been about the money. But it never hurts to get all that you are worth, plus 10%.

The new job would be like my last job with an oil company - find as much oil as quickly and cheaply as possible. I've got a couple of tricks that I have been dying to try out with AVO, and this would give me the chance to use them. And it would also include some supervisory duties, which means that my MBA would once more become useful. And the discovery is overseas, which means lots and lots of travel (always a strong attractor for me).

Which now puts me in the awkward position of a married man in a singles bar. Unless my spouse knows that I'm there, do I have any excuse? And should I make eye contact if I am not willing to carry through? In other words, do I tell my current employer about the opportunity? And do I send in my resume?

Life sure is interesting...

John

[1] I don't want to move again. Ever. Nine times in eleven years is far too many! Only one of those, btw, was at my request. The others were either because the company I worked for at the time closed down its local operations (7 times) or because the company went out of existence (1 time). The one at my request was so I could further my career by learning a new part of the business.

[2] They have been remarkably loyal to me - to the extent that my boss told me she would hate to lose me but would understand if I left when one of the people making a job offer let her know about it.

[3] "You and I will have more money than God!" [a] Not an exact quote, but close in spirit. My current salary is near the top of the range for non-profits, but is only middle-level for oil companies.

[4] That originally came out as a "singing bonus". Trust me - the only bonus I'd get that way is if I didn't sing!

[5] Things are a bit tight while I wait for the *$%@ place in DC to sell, but I'm making ends meet without drawing down my "rainy day funds" other than to go visit Ken.

[a] Geek points for the reference

But I have been busy unpacking and re-arranging my stuff [1]. With any luck, I'll be out from under the avalanche in a week, and can resume annoying the blogosphere with my inanities.

John

[1] It takes a long time to reshelve books. It takes even longer if you want it done right - alphabetically by author, then title, with series filed in proper order  and reference books grouped by subject. Of course, this would be faster if I didn't have so darn many books...

Faithful readers (and the occasional innocent bystander) will remember that my plan was to be moved into my new place by today, relaxing in the backyard while sipping mojitos. They will also remember that I am an idiot.

So what happened? Well, acting on the advice of my new boss, I asked her real estate agent to help me find a place to live [1]. The first place she showed me was a wowser - a 1800 sqft house with beautiful hardwood floors, a huge kitchen, an enclosed patio, a nice yard, within a mile of my new job and a price tag of $2400/month. That was too rich for my blood, so we sent in an offer of $2000/month [2]. After two days, we got the counter offer - $2000/month for three months, then $2600/month for three months, then $2500/month for six months. Thanks, but no thanks.

So we went to our back up plan; a nice, light-filled house in a gated community, with a beautiful backyard, 1400 sqft, a good kitchen, a mile and a half from work, and $2000/month. The kicker was that it already had a tenant in a grad student (ABD) who is living there rent-free [3] who didn't want to move out until March 1 (at the earliest). So we made an offer of $1900/month and a move-in of February 20th. The landlord was in China on business, but we had a message from his real estate agent that the price was accepted but they weren't sure about the timing. And then on Friday morning, we got a call that the move-in date was OK, but he wanted $2100/month. So that was another one that we said "No thanks" to [4].

So on Saturday, we put in a bid on another place. This one is a townhouse with 1400 sqft, and somewhat dated (read 1960's) style and appliances. It is about two miles from work, but is less than two blocks from a metrorail station. There is no yard, but the rent is only $1650/month. The kicker is that it is right next door to a place that I looked at when I came to town for my second interview. And the real kicker is that the owner is (wait for it) out of town, on a camping trip to the Everglades [5].

So now I wait, as patiently as I can. Soon the owner will be back and I'll know if this is my place or if I have to start over yet again.

What have I learned from this? Well, always have several back-up plans is a good one. And "immediate occupancy" means something different in the real estate world than it does in the real world [6].  And, when all else fails, laugh at the troubles that try to block your way. It won't make them go away, but it might slow them down enough for you to run over them...

Next post: Finding a Bank [7]

John

[1] Did you know that real estate agents did rentals, too? Until recently, I didn't. It makes all kinds of sense, but it also brings in the same conflicts of interest that is inherent to the basic realtor-client relationship: the realtor makes more money when you buy/lease something expensive, and you have more money to spend when you buy/lease something inexpensive.

[2] Still a lot more than I wanted to pay, but this place was worth it.

[3] Not that this is necessarily a bad thing; at one time, I was a grad student living in a place rent-free. But when they sold it, I moved out on their schedule, not mine.

[4] If he will try to jack up the rent as blackmail, then what other tricks might the shyster use?

[5] Is it just me? Or is there a pattern to these landlords?

[6] Agents here (and in California) seem to think that "immediate" is anything that takes less than a month. I've got news for them - us folks with small children and pets (the distinction is left as an exercise for the student) mean right now when we say "immediate", not next week.

[7] Kafka would be proud of the level of insanity that this now entails...

You may have noticed the change in my blog's background. And, being the perispacious people that you is, you have probably figured out that I've moved from DC to Miami. And you are so right. I've landed a dream job [2] in a great city and look forward to living happily after ever. All I have to do is get through the trial of moving...

For those of you who find amusement in the suffering of others, here is the saga of my move so far:

Two weeks ago, three different moving companies gave me bids for the move. The least expensive was $9,000. Given that the non-profit paying for the move is only able to foot $5,000 of the bill, another option was needed - so I chose ABF. The ABF rep was kind, articulate, and witty - and completely failed to keep me from being an idiot; she failed to get me to agree to have three containers delivered instead of two - even though there would be no extra cost unless I used the third container [3].

So last week the two containers were delivered. And I spent the next three days packing my condo and moving everything that one person could move into them. This left me with all of my heavy furniture and too little room to pack it. But I wasn't worried - I had arranged for local movers to help me. And then one of the movers broke an arm. And then the replacement movers told me it was too cold to come out. So I had to call on my cousin and her husband, who came out at the last minute, doing incredible damage to their schedule, and spent four hours helping me [4].

And, after all was said and done, I was 1/4 of a container short of being able to fit the stuff that had to go, which meant that a trailer was needed. So UHaul was contacted and a trailer arranged. Unfortunately, the trailer wasn't where they promised (at the shop that was 1 mile away); instead it was at another shop that was 1 hour away in good traffic [5]. So I ended up with a smaller trailer that fit most of the remaining stuff that had to go and none of the stuff that I would have liked to go [6]. Meantime, back at the farm, Stanley Steemer had come to clean the carpets. And, $500 later, had failed completely to do so [7]. So, with my stuff loaded up or tossed into the dumptster, I hit the road.

And ran into DC traffic. Four hours later, I had managed to go a total of 100 miles. Pulling a trailer in DC traffic is enough to earn you time off in Hell, especially if you do so without causing any extra accidents. Given that it was late and I was cranky, I pulled into the nearest Motel 6 and spent the night [8]. The next day, I did better - nine hours at 60 miles an hour got me almost half-way to Miami. On Sunday, I finished the drive and pulled into the Homestead hotel [8]. Of course, before I got there my computer delivered me to 7th Avenue instead of 7th Street [9]. This subtle difference put me into a ghetto so bad that drivers didn't stop at the lights.

Now here it is two days later. I've got a bid in on a place to live and hope to move in by Monday. I've been to my new job (and found it even nicer than I hoped), and darn near split my lip rfom smiling so much.

Life is good, and looks to be getting better. Now if I can just keep from moving again...

John

[1] Thank you, Jimmy Buffett!

[2] Which for me means a job that will use every talent I have (few as they are) and force me to grow to be better and wiser every day (which won't be hard given that I'm starting with a negative IQ). I can't wait to get started!

[3] When a root-cause analysis is done of the troubles that follow, at least 70% of them stem from this one decision.

[4] As I have mentioned before, I do not deserve neither the quality nor the quantity of family and friends that surround me.

[5] Which never happens on a Friday in DC.

[6] My stuff is triaged into Have to go [a], Want to go [b], and Needs to be sent to the salvage yard if they are stupid enough to take it [c].

[7] I do not recommend the company. Their people were prompt and polite - and that was the extent of their abilities.

[8] Learning yet another valuable lesson - I cannot back a trailer for beans.

[9] The folks who designed the Miami street system should spend time in Hell's lowest levels, but then again, they probably designed Hell's circles...
[9] Perhaps not as glorious as Motel 6, but definitely better than camping in the boonies.
[a] 40 boxes of books, 2 boxes of CDs, 3 boxes of videos, 5 boxes of dishes, 1 bed, 1 sofa, 1 loveseat, 4 lamps, Christmas stuff, 20 paintings, "Me wall" collection, 2 computers, TV, VCR, DVD, china, kitchen set, etc.

[b] Fancy chair from my grandmother, a buffet table from my grandmother, a baker's rack, 10 reproductions, planters, plant racks, etc.

[c] Bad, bad, evil CD holders that drop the cases as soon as you look at them, old, grungy clothing that I've had since 1900, a sailboat that would cost $3000 to repair but is only worth $300, etc.