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Moving from Florida to Virginia (renamed topic)

Started by Isaac Eiland-Hall, May 22, 2018, 08:02:45 PM

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Isaac Eiland-Hall

http://isaac.eiland-hall.com/

http://panamacitypc.com/

I'm willing to relocate anywhere in the US for the right position. :)

Isaac Eiland-Hall

I'm pleased to report that I will be starting my new job with InMotionHosting as of 16 July and moving to Virginia Beach, VA. :)

Matthew

Congratulations! So you (and we) won't need to worry about hurricane warnings quite so much....
(Signature being tested) If you enjoy playing Simutrans, then you might also enjoy watching Japan Railway Journal
Available in English and simplified Chinese
如果您喜欢玩Simutrans的话,那么说不定就想看《日本铁路之旅》(英语也有简体中文字幕)。

An_dz

Congratulations Isaac, that's great (and a long ride from Florida).  All the best on your new job.

Quote from: Matthew on June 15, 2018, 07:57:11 AM
Congratulations! So you (and we) won't need to worry about hurricane warnings quite so much....
Haha, thought the same thing.

Ters

Virginia Beach sounds cozy. (Looking up on map where that is.) More so than Norfolk at least. Mt. Trashmore? They sure have big diversity in names where you're going.

Quote from: An_dz on June 15, 2018, 01:55:46 PM
(and a long ride from Florida).
There are not many Western (or Central) European countries where it is possible to move that far without leaving the country (not counting oversea dependencies and whatnot). I'm from one of them. By American standards however, the distance is relatively short. I wonder how much of a cultural difference there is between Florida and Virginia. There would be going that far in Europe.

Isaac Eiland-Hall

Quote from: An_dz on June 15, 2018, 01:55:46 PMCongratulations
Quote from: Matthew on June 15, 2018, 07:57:11 AMCongratulations!


Thank you! :)

Quote from: Matthew on June 15, 2018, 07:57:11 AMSo you (and we) won't need to worry about hurricane warnings quite so much...

Well... about that...


https://i.imgur.com/KgiIRk4.jpg

I'll be about 8 miles away from the Atlantic Ocean, so still vulnerable to tropical weather. But the good news is that any particular location only sees serious tropical weather rarely. For example, I've been in Panama City 15 years, and while we've had a few scares, the worst storm was Hurricane Ivan in 2004 (when we moved here), and that resulted in 50mph/80kph sustained winds for several hours (with higher gusts, mind, maybe 75mph/135kph). It was intimidating, but although some places locally lost power, we never did. Many tornadoes spawned by that storm - three locally - but again, nothing at my house.

But either way, the dataserver currently is Atlanta; and if I move my servers to my new employer (which is possible but not guaranteed), they'd be outside Washington D.C.. Either way, not readily susceptible to hurricanes. :)

Actually, a closer look at where I'll be:


https://i.imgur.com/2UkeV4Y.jpg

Yeah. hehe

Quote from: Ters on June 15, 2018, 03:40:40 PMVirginia Beach sounds cozy. (Looking up on map where that is.) More so than Norfolk at least

It's one metro area, so it's all good. I'm definitely happy enough from what I've seen so far of the area.

Frankly, though, give me shelter, a comfy seat, decent internet, and... I'm probably basically good to go. lol. Anything on top of that is gravy. :)

Quote from: Ters on June 15, 2018, 03:40:40 PMMt. Trashmore? They sure have big diversity in names where you're going.

I've noticed that. lol. The name is the most amusing part - a landfill turned into a park. I've seen that done before, too. It's always nice. :)

Quote from: Ters on June 15, 2018, 03:40:40 PMBy American standards however, the distance is relatively short.

This is very true. When I did my internship in Seattle a decade ago, it took five days to get there. I travelled Florida → Alabama → Mississippi → Louisiana → Texas → New Mexico → Arizona → California → Oregon → Washington (state), but my five days started/ended like this:

FL → TX
TX → TX
TX → CA
CA → CA
CA → WA


https://i.imgur.com/umnOv0K.png

It was more than ten hours each day of driving.

I've said this before about Texas, but:

1. The eastern border of Texas is closer to the Atlantic Ocean than it is to El Paso.
2. El Paso is closer to the Pacific Ocean than it is to the eastern border of Texas.

If Texas was square, it would be huge. It's almost as far from the top of the Panhandle to Canada as it is to Brownsville - about 30 miles shorter within Texas. Mercator projection makes it look shorter than it actually is.


https://i.imgur.com/3ZTCAIN.png

Quote from: Ters on June 15, 2018, 03:40:40 PMI wonder how much of a cultural difference there is between Florida and Virginia. There would be going that far in Europe.

I'll find out for sure when I get there, but I'm hoping it's a little better than here. heh.

Here we have 2/3 Republican and 1/3 Democrat. There it's more 50/50. And that may be largely because the area is home to a LOT of military bases. Basically, if you want to go from Washington D.C. to the Atlantic Ocean, you pass through Chesapeake Bay, so it's an important area of the country.

It's a decently large metro area, thankfully. ~#40th largest in the US. Panama City is ~#250th, and it's just too small for my taste. I grew up in Dallas - DFW Metroplex is the 4th largest metro area in the US. So it'll be good to get back to a place where more stores exist. They have Aldi, for one. :) So many places I'm looking forward to being around again!

But the other way of looking at the culture is that while there are a lot of differences in various places, I feel also that most Americans are somewhat generally similar. Northern places are used to snow; various places have different weather; but really, I think we're pretty uniform in many ways. Which is good and bad. heh.

But yeah - compared to here, there's way more "ethnic" places to eat, and I can't wait to be able to afford to try them all. :)

prissi

I am late to join the congrats. And it is seaside location as well, just with real weather and not eternal summer ... Well done!

Isaac Eiland-Hall

It's also slightly closer to the heart of Simutrans - Germany. :D

In fact, I just realized — I've been slowly moving that way. Dallas → Panama City → Virginia Beach. Maybe next decade I'll move UK → France → Germany? hehe

An_dz


Isaac Eiland-Hall

Actually, that made me curious. I decided to measure distance using Google Maps for a true path:


https://i.imgur.com/zj4507b.png

So actually, looks like it'd be US → Canada → UK → Germany - that's to Berlin, which seems sensible. :)

Ters

Greenland would have made sense as a small deviation, had you not started with a bigger deviation via Florida and Virginia. Iceland only makes sense coming from California through North Dakota. In that case, the Faeroe Islands would also present itself as a stop along the way. As might Denmark, but as Greenland and the Faeroe Islands are (grumble) Danish, the route would be something like USA, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Denmark, (Denmark), Germany. Either way, it will involve more than one stopover in former viking territory now that I think of it.

Isaac Eiland-Hall


Isaac Eiland-Hall

DOUBLEPOSTOMGOMGOMG. :)

So today's update... I've booked an AirBNB from 10 July through 31 July, as I start on 16 July. It's been a lot of stress trying to find a place. Craigslistings were scary and possibly scams. Even a couple of the cheaper AirBNB options that ended up going away anyway. Short-term apartments cost too much - either furnished or having to buy a bed or chair to sleep in.... Anyway, it's been chaotic and stressful, so at least this part is settled.

The next big stress will be starting the job and getting an apartment at the beginning of August. After that, my wife will be moving up there with me and finding work, so finances will get much much easier, and I qualify for benefits after a month, if I remember the timings of everything correctly.

I'll also be finding out when I can afford the employee price on servers and upgrading us at some point, most likely. :)

Isaac Eiland-Hall

Tomorrow is the big driving day for me. It's almost the same as driving from Paris, France to Warsaw, Poland.

I anticipate leaving around 5am and arriving around 8pm. heh.

Ters

The longest single day car trip I am sure I have been on, and which I did some (about a third) of the driving, was about 6 hours, a couple of breaks not included. That was when my parents drove me back to university after the summer and winter breaks, plus the first trip there and last trip back. As purely a passenger, I've been on slightly longer car trips, but nowhere near that long in a single day. In fact, it is about the longest distance I have traveled from home by car only, which I think took two days.

Have a safe journey.

Isaac Eiland-Hall

I didn't sleep well last night so I ended up leaving at 3am. Had some troubles on the way with a card, so that caused some delay. I just arrived a few minutes ago - 7pm,  although that's one time zone earlier... o r later, depending on how you look at it. heh.

I'm exhausted.

Ters

I remember when it took days after a move to get access to the Internet again. Now, one doesn't even lose it while en route. Then again, I remember there not being any world wide web at all.

prissi

Relax, and take it slowly, in whatever you can. There is a German saying, moving three times is like being burned down ones. Take care.

Isaac Eiland-Hall

Quote from: Ters on July 11, 2018, 05:32:48 AMI remember when it took days after a move to get access to the Internet again.

That might happen a little bit when I get an apartment at the end of the month as it may take days to get internet hooked up. Maybe I'll find a place with wireless...

Quote from: Ters on July 11, 2018, 05:32:48 AMNow, one doesn't even lose it while en route.

True, and it's awesome. Although only on interstate freeways and major highways and in cities. lol. One of two ways to get from Panama City to Ft. Walton Beach was rural enough to lose cell signal, but that's getting more and more rare - except maybe the western US.

Although I had to pull off the interstate and go to a city about two miles away and I lost signal out there.

Quote from: Ters on July 11, 2018, 05:32:48 AMThen again, I remember there not being any world wide web at all.
Such a barbarian time it was! Although in the days of BBSes, that was alright. We even had Fidemail, although I didn't know anyone to write to. lol.

Oh, and for internet here at the AirBnB: It's a cable modem sitting out on a desk. It has internet access and a LAN cable hanging from it that either someone brought or the owners left. lol. So I have wired access but no wifi. Although it's constantly going out - every 15 minutes, about 2-3 minutes it'll go out 10-12 individual times for a few seconds. I know this in part because I was ordering groceries online to pick up later today and it kept the connection open but would tell me when it lost connection and stop me from doing anything. lol. Dorks.

Quote from: prissi on July 11, 2018, 01:21:59 PMRelax, and take it slowly, in whatever you can. There is a German saying, moving three times is like being burned down ones. Take care.

For sure, and thank you for the kind words and thoughts.

This place I'm at for three weeks is weird. Sort of like a shared house / rent-a-room but also sort of like a hotel, but more of the disadvantages of each rather than advantages, I think. lol. But it's half the cost of the cheapest hotel I could get.

And hey, I have internet, access to the kitchen, so I can cook cheap food which is great because finances are at bare minimum for the next 6-8 weeks. lol.

And I know how lucky I am to be here. New job starting upcoming Monday.... I'm not looking forward to answering phones, but I am looking forward to getting real medical insurance - I think a month after I start. Maybe get on a different blood thinner where I *can* eat broccoli/greens/kale/cabbag/Brussels sprouts again... I miss them all so much!

Also to getting a server from my employer - hopefully faster and cheaper. :)

Ters

I never understood why cabbages were so universally loathed in the Scrooge McDuck comic The Mysterious Stone Ray (and to some extent its sequel), but I never expected someone to yearn for it.  :D

Isaac Eiland-Hall

Maybe you haven't had cabbage done well? lol.

I suppose my *favorite* way to eat cabbage is in egg rolls, although still there's good and bad. A good eggroll with cabbage, carrot, pork and such  is addictive. lol.

Cabbage can be terrible underseasoned and overcooked, but if done well, is tasty. "Bubble and Squeak" apparently refers to multiple dishes; the one I"m familiar with involves large-diced cabbage, sliced carrots, sliced potatoes, and sliced onions with either corned beef or hamburger (or any meat, ultimately) seasoned just with salt and pepper and cooked slowly in a covered skillet.

And then there's cole slaw, which is also tasty.

I've had lots of bad cabbage in my life - but a lot of lifeless and overcooked veg of lots of types. lol. I think that's why a lot of people don't like broccoli, for example. Over-steamed with little to no seasoning, it's not tasty. Cooked (but not over-cooked) with just salt, pepper, butter, and perhaps a splash of lemon or vinegar and it's delicious.

wlindley

Everyone knows Murphy's Law, but my favorite cabbage dish is Cole's Law.

Isaac Eiland-Hall

And FINALLY my first day of work has arrived. It feels like forever! I interviewed back in May and accepted the job in June. lol

Ters

That's faster than what I'm used to where I work. It often takes four months from the interview to the first day at work. Then it takes a few months to get them up to speed, at least if they are going to work on existing projects (which also keeps an existing employee occupied).

The upper management doesn't seem to realize this. We are given money at the start of the year for a new project, meant to be completed within the year, but all existing employees are busy maintaining the previous years' projects. So we have to hire more, which they grudgingly accepts. By this time of year, they freak out that we haven't started using the money yet, because the new guys haven't started working yet, if we've gotten anyone to accept at all. If the money hasn't been used by the end of the year, we lose them (it's a government thing) and might not get them back in next years budget. (They try to avoid this problem by hiring consultants rather than employees, which also burns through money three times faster, but consultants also need to learn how our systems work. And currently, demand is greater than the supply.)

Isaac Eiland-Hall

Sounds about right.

Also in my case, this is for Tier I tech support for a webhost/datacenter, so onboarding should be faster.

Although I found out the training schedule today - A week of tech stuff, then slowing ramping up calls/chats/etc. So it doesn't seem too terrible so far.

Ters

Tier 1 technical support, the bane of my existence, to be avoided at all costs. Nothing good ever comes out of it. Although I have come to the conclusion that it is evolutionary pressure from customers that never should have been allowed to become ones, which has caused technical support to become such a nightmare, for both sides I guess. I formally do some Tier 3 technical support. We don't have a very rigid structure on things, and several customers go directly to me and my co-workers. The most annoying thing is when non-technical support reaches us, either by the customer switching topics or by the reception or Tier 1 getting technical and non-technical mixed up, as we sometimes don't even know who can answer those questions (or, like now, they are on vacation).

kierongreen

Slow to this but hope you're settling in well - you're now not that far from one of my cousins in North Carolina so you never know I might be over in Virginia at some point...

Isaac Eiland-Hall

Definitely some great places around here to visit and eat and such, so if you're able to make it, that would be great! Hopefully by then we'll have furniture, and I could even cook up a gumbo. :)

kierongreen

Oh don't worry it wouldn't be for quite a while if it ever happens!

Vladki

Hearing the news today, it seems that hurricanes decided to move as well.

Isaac Eiland-Hall

I've actually spent the last three days very worried. We're not out of danger, but it looks like - right now at least - that we might see some rain and winds. As of a day or two ago, it was looking like we might have a good chance for water to come several feet up the walls in the apartment and we've been making preparations for evacuation.

As of today, I think we'll be okay here. I'm so mentally exhausted from the past few days now.

Ters

I'm just back from a conference, and one of the speakers is supposed to be flying back to Atlanta (or somewhere thereabouts) from Europe probably around now. He was a bit worried as well.

Ters


Isaac Eiland-Hall

This is our house: https://i.imgur.com/obGNT19.jpg



I was actually able to see imagery today that shows we were right on the western edge of the eyewall. Well, the house was - we're in Virginia. It blew through here on the way out - our house was hit by the eye near landfall, and we were basically hit by the deteriorating open eye last night here and lost power from around 11:30pm to after noon today here as the system left land again. I tend to think the number of people impacted twice - near each land/water move - is probably pretty small.

But we're lucky - we think. We can't see the back of the house and there were trees back there.

For reference: https://i.imgur.com/F8Eib8u.jpg



The hurricane was 2mph shy of a Cat5. The devastation around Panama City is just overwhelming.

A gallery of images mostly within 1km of our house: https://imgur.com/gallery/I6XbMmg

Looking at pictures from around the town and so so many of the trees are gone and broken. Nearer to Mexico Beach, there's forests where nearly 100% of trees are stripped of all branches and broken about 3-4 metres up - the wind just snapped the trunks of the trees. It's crazy.

We're lucky. Even if the house is gone, it's just stuff. We've probably lost a large part of the value and that sucks, but we're not having to deal with that right now; I have a job and Rachel is still looking for one, so we're not making enough money, but I have health insurance - had my first appointment, although I do have to delay my followups for a few weeks because we don't have the copay. But that'll get better.

Still a few friends we haven't heard from yet, but the death toll hasn't risen drastically, so we assume they will check in at some point.

Power may be out for some areas for months down there. There's talk already that Tyndall Air Force Base might be permanently closed.

Ters

Your place actually doesn't look much worse of than it does around here after a slight gale. I don't know if that says the most about the strength of your house and trees, or about the houses and trees around here. The images I saw from Panama City on the news actually reminded me more of what I've seen of places struck by a tornado, than by places struck by a hurricane. The reporter said the local people were asking for help charging their cellphones, but since she also said the cell coverage was gone too, I'm nor sure how much that would help.