Print Story It seems it's cheaper to ditch it all
Working life
By MohammedNiyalSayeed (Mon May 08, 2006 at 11:55:47 AM EST) makin' poops, friggin' intense (all tags)

and just buy new.



Attention theboz Infidel:

You should pop online in TEH IRC sometime, so I can pick your brain about living in temporary hotels and shipping belongings and such. So many questions, so little time. Right now, my plan is to:

  1. Sell off most of my belongings, like the big-ass 50" rear-projection tv, couch, various computers, et al
  2. Pack up books, DVDs, games, game consoles, limited set of computers, and files, cables, etc
  3. Store said shit in a storage facility, preferrably one that will later be willing to ship the shit to Cullifornia
  4. Move into a sublet situation or a long-term-stay hotel/motel near Apple HQ for the first month
  5. Spend after work hours visiting potential places to live
  6. Find a place to live by the beginning of July
  7. Have storage container contents shipped to new Cullifornia address
  8. Make a trip to IKEA Berzerkley to repopulate the new home with hip, inexpensive Swedish furniture.
  9. Hire day laborers to assemble said furniture
  10. After day laborers are gone, order a big-ass HDTV from Best Buy or Fry's or something and have it delivered to my door
  11. After delivery dudes are gone, set up home network, and stream porn from the laptop to the big-ass HDTV
  12. Jerk it!
  13. Take a nap
  14. Jerk it again
  15. Go back to work
  16. Buy either a Vespa or a Segway. If Segway, also enroll in Woz's Cupertino Segway Polo League.
  17. Befriend Woz.
  18. Order and have delivered four Sherpas to carry me to and from work on a throne atop 2 wooden poles
  19. Live life like a king

Man, I own a lot of shit. Like three tvs. There's only one of me, why the holy mother of fuck did I get to the point where I thought I needed three tvs?

Ask Husi

So, ${dipshitBigBoss} is out of town for the next week for his third honeymoon (with his third wife, as he is obviously as good at marriage as he is, say, configuring Postfix), and, having decided to give ${currentEmployer} "two weeks notice", do I:

  • Hand in my resignation via email, knowing he won't read it until next week, thus making my "2-week notice" a "1-week notice"?
  • Call him during his honeymoon and tell him I resign over the phone.

What would Jesus do? He'd ask you to vote in the poll, that's what he'd do. Jesus loves democracy. And bacon. I like bacon, too. That's about as much as Jesus and I have in common.

Ask My Memory

What the fuck happened Saturday night, yo? Actually, I know what happened. I went to see the 10:00 showing of "United 93", which is one powerful film. I've not seen a theater that full be that quiet after the lights came up. Feeling a little shaken up, I decided I'd stop into the bar adjacent to the theater and get right drunk. Note to self: don't order Glenfiddich from such a bar without checking the price first. I racked up a hundred dollars of bar tab in a little under two hours. Oops!

I also made the mistake of interacting with the general populace. Some dude and his two girl friends sat down next to me, and jibbar jabber ensued. Then the bar closed. Then I left. Then I apparently stopped at Harris Teeter and got a pack of smokes. I don't recall this section of the evening. I do, however, recall walking back towards home, tripping over a crack in the sidewalk, sending my phone out of my pocket. I recall hearing it hit the ground, then falling on my ass 3 or 4 times while rooting about in the briar patch next to the sidewalk where I thought my phone would be, then dragging myself back up to the sidewalk, and spying my phone, sitting right there, laughing at me.

Now I have an 18" scar on the back of my right leg, and my arms, back, and neck are in constant pain. Pretty awesome? NO!

Hilariously enough, I ran into the dude from the bar when I was almost home. He invited me in to his friend's apartment, where I had another couple of beers, before the friend got all paranoid and figured I must be a cop. Maybe it was my cop uniform. Or my manbeard. Or that holstered H&K. Who knows for sure? Anyway, I then went home and slept until 1:30 the next afternoon. After a smoke, and some microwaved lunch, I went back to bed, where I stayed until 7:00pm. Good times. Two days later, and I'm still hungover. WOOHOO! Also, I have made a poops-load of poops in the last 48 hours.

I Have Leftover Shrimp

From dinner last night. I think I'm going to doctor a Totino's pizza by adding the shrimp. End result: PROBABLY DELICIOUS!

Even Though You Bastards Repeated Snub Me

I'm still offering a mathgeeks cover of (The Reverend) Al Green's, "What a wonderful thing love is." You're welcome, THE WORLD!

OK, time to bake pizza. And if it doesn't start raining, later I'll go in to the office to retrieve my belongings (which is pretty much just a pair of office shoes and two books at this point) before I come back home and either email my resignation or email it, and give shithead a call.

< There's No Need To Argue | BBC White season: 'Rivers of Blood' >
It seems it's cheaper to ditch it all | 50 comments (50 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback
Pay my flight over, by ambrosen (4.00 / 1) #1 Mon May 08, 2006 at 11:59:46 AM EST
and I'll put your IKEA furniture together for you.

Oh, and buy an LCD TV. YKIMS.



Somehow I think I can get Bay Area Mexicans by MohammedNiyalSayeed (2.00 / 0) #7 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:20:01 PM EST

to work for a fraction of the cost of plane fare to and from the UK, though I certainly appreciate the offer.

And yeah, flat-screen FOR LIFE, YO!


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

A wee bit more pricey. by ambrosen (4.00 / 1) #12 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:28:32 PM EST
Also, you probably don't want your fanboys under your feet.

And my entourage would want to come, so it'd all get a bit costly.

[ Parent ]

I'll duplicate that offer by 256 (4.00 / 1) #42 Mon May 08, 2006 at 05:24:31 PM EST
airfare from toronto is cheaper.
---
I don't think anyone's ever really died from smoking. --ni
[ Parent ]

But it's cheapest from Vancouver. by edward (2.00 / 0) #45 Tue May 09, 2006 at 01:36:30 AM EST
Pick me, Pick me!

[ Parent ]

Yard sale ? by sasquatchan (4.00 / 1) #2 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:01:20 PM EST
I mean, I guess for a good deal, I'm close enough to pick some shit up.. 3 hrs for some cheap goods might inspire.. What's on your list o'stuff to get rid of ? Any spare firearms sale/trade ?



The yard sale is an option by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 1) #8 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:21:30 PM EST

Step one will be to put up an ad on craigslist, but I'll paste a link to it here, and if you're up for the drive, I'll give you lower prices than what I ask of the craigslist plebes. I'm keeping the firearms, though. Who knows how hard it is to buy that shit in the People's Republic of Kalifornia?


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

It's not very hard to buy it by MartiniPhilosopher (4.00 / 2) #14 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:32:49 PM EST
just to keep up with the additional paperwork. The private transaction exceptions which are allowed at the federal level keep most people happy, AFAIK, it is the residency registration requirements which the state and various counties have that make things tough. You may wish to double-check about moving in with your firearms as I believe both California and Illinois are the two states which prohibit private transportation within state lines without notice to the counties you are traveling through. It's been a while since I had to last deal with this, so the laws may have been changed since then.

Of course, this is only if get caught. If you don't the whole thing is moot...

Whenever I hear one of those aforementioned douche bags pontificate about how dangerous [...] videogames are I get a little stabby. --Wil Wheaton.
[ Parent ]

Righto by sasquatchan (4.00 / 1) #18 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:45:31 PM EST
I'll happily play vulture and circle over whatever you think you won't need.. What's a .380 auto good for in a trade ? ;)

[ Parent ]

Hrmmm by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 1) #33 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:15:10 PM EST

Whatchoo need, dude? How about a flat-screen 20" tv, two SGI workstations and a couple 13w3 monitors?


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

P.O.D. by thenick (4.00 / 1) #3 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:05:41 PM EST
S.

I had a friend who used a Pods container to move down to Florida. It worked out well for him since in between the signing of a lease and move-in day, a couple of hurricanes caused the county to condemn the apartment he was to move into.

 
----------------------------

"'Vengence is Mine', quoth Alvis. And then he shot the guy, right in the freaking face!"


I looked at PODS by MohammedNiyalSayeed (2.00 / 0) #9 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:22:36 PM EST

But they want 6,600 to move the shit cross-country, which is about a thousand over the cost of "full-service" movers. Greedy pricks!


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

I too have drunken injuries today by nebbish (4.00 / 1) #4 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:07:04 PM EST
Pretty bad grazes down both my arms after trying to climb a wall. Someone commented they look like scratch marks inflicted by a desperate rape victim. So I'm keeping my arms covered.

Moving - having seen others with loads of shit do it, the storage option is highly recommended. Give yourself plenty of time to pack, it's all easy after that.

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It's political correctness gone mad!


Storage seems the wisest of options. by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 1) #10 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:24:33 PM EST

Particularly since I don't know where I'll be living yet. I'm thinking I can trim down my belongings to just a few token computers, my books, and that sort of stuff. FedExing it all might even be an option.

Also, CURSE THOSE PESKY WALLS FOR NOT HAVING SOFTER EDGES! I mean, what were those engineers thinking? Surely they knew drunken people would eventually try climbing them...


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

so by garlic (4.00 / 2) #23 Mon May 08, 2006 at 02:58:56 PM EST
did the wall have climb proof paint? I saw a couple signs walking around london on what looked like garden walls that they had climb proof paint on them. I think buckingham (or maybe the palace behind Blair's house?) had some signs talking about climb proof paint as well.

[ Parent ]

It doesn't work by Breaker (2.00 / 0) #46 Tue May 09, 2006 at 05:02:57 AM EST
Just messes up your clothes; once you get that stuff on them it's never coming out.  So I'm told anyway...


[ Parent ]

Not this wall by nebbish (2.00 / 0) #47 Tue May 09, 2006 at 05:11:47 AM EST
I wasn't trying to rob the queen or anything, just trying to get on a roof so I could have a little dance. Normal Saturday night stuff.

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It's political correctness gone mad!
[ Parent ]

at least you got dance by bobdole (4.00 / 1) #48 Tue May 09, 2006 at 06:25:03 AM EST
I woke up with the classic scratches all over my arms looks like I tried to top my self a couple of times over; but failed every time... plus I've for some reason got a few inches of redness going down the back of my leg; and no recollection of why...

All I got to show for it is that apparently a girl wrote something on my arm. For the life of me I can't make out what it says today... oh and I've got a massive hang over :-/
-- The revolution will not be televised.
[ Parent ]

Figures you're a Vespa guy by georgeha (4.00 / 1) #5 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:07:54 PM EST
A Honda or Suzuki would probably be faster, cheaper and more reliable. I don't know CA laws, but you probably need an MC permit or license to get above 50 cc's, or go on the highway.

In a coincidence, I got my offer at $present_corp when President of family sw company was away, so I gave my notice to his bro, the vice president. Can you give it to whoever has signature authority, and cc Big Boss?




Playa-hata! by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 1) #11 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:27:32 PM EST

I'm using "Vespa" as a generic "little scooter" noun. I won't need a scooter to get on the highway, as I'll rarely be taking the highway. Buying a scooter is a temporary commute-solution until I can get myself a nice diesel-guzzling Pinz-Gauer like Baby Jebus wants me to have. With a gun turret, of course.

Unfortunately, the only other person above me here is the CEO, and he's a bit paranoid and prone to overreacting, so I won't be sending him any notice at all.


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

ENV by garlic (4.00 / 1) #24 Mon May 08, 2006 at 02:59:45 PM EST
if only they were selling them!

[ Parent ]

Yeah, I've had my eye on those things for a while by MohammedNiyalSayeed (2.00 / 0) #27 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:09:04 PM EST

And they're still not for sale. ARGHH!


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

i have an idea. by garlic (4.00 / 2) #32 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:14:55 PM EST
we convince millman that this is the world saving company he wants to work for, and once he's there, that we are the best choice for getting buzz about the project so we get ours free.

[ Parent ]

ARE YOU LISTENING, MILLMAN? by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 1) #36 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:19:45 PM EST

GET CRACKIN'!


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

oh I'm not that ambitious by MillMan (2.00 / 0) #44 Tue May 09, 2006 at 12:08:27 AM EST
I'm looking for "killing the earth more slowly than most" rather than "earth saving."

I'm not sold on fuel cells as any kind of solution - the energy still has to be produced somewhere. I guess electric motors + batteries just isn't sexy enough. I suppose fuel cells have better energy density.

Everybody still hates me in this city and I hate everybody.
[ Parent ]

I agree by garlic (2.00 / 0) #50 Tue May 09, 2006 at 09:43:18 AM EST
fuel cells are a bad idea for cars. But the same reasons that they're a bad idea for cars make them a decent idea for bikes, if they can overcome the pesky slow start problem. Even then, I already start my bike before I put my gear on so that it'll warm up, and would probably be willing to do the same with the ENV.

[ Parent ]

you're telling me by MillMan (4.00 / 3) #6 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:08:07 PM EST
apple isn't moving your shit for you? or did they give you a wad of cash to do it yourself?

Everybody still hates me in this city and I hate everybody.


Wad of cash. by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 2) #13 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:28:51 PM EST

They only do full relo for executive level positions. Everybody else gets a lump sum signing bonus, 30 days after start of employ. The bottom line is that I have a bunch of shit that it isn't worth transporting cross-country, so it's time for the Purge Phase following a 10 year Binge Phase.


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

We have a basement by cam (4.00 / 2) #20 Mon May 08, 2006 at 02:18:06 PM EST
The bottom line is that I have a bunch of shit that it isn't worth transporting cross-country

That is full of shit that isnt worth keeping. Maybe I should get a job in Hawaii just to purge it.

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic
[ Parent ]

With the pay increase I've accepted, by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 2) #31 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:14:07 PM EST

It's almost tempting to keep the NC apartment as a "Summer Home". Almost.


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

we tried to keep our earlier VA condo by cam (4.00 / 1) #49 Tue May 09, 2006 at 07:45:07 AM EST
but just couldnt afford it when we moved into the new house. I am an idiot. I should have taken the pain for six months; now I have expensive toys and no real estate investment outside of REITs.

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic
[ Parent ]

normal protocol for that by aphrael (4.00 / 1) #15 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:37:09 PM EST
is to submit your resignation to your boss' boss. A friend of mine once had to go to the CEO to do that, due to a confluence of vacation and conference schedules.

If television is a babysitter, the internet is a drunk librarian who won't shut up.


I hate to bring the CEO into this by MohammedNiyalSayeed (2.00 / 0) #30 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:13:26 PM EST

So I'll likely just email the boss-on-vacation, then, if necessary, call his ass.


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

resignation by lm (4.00 / 3) #16 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:37:17 PM EST
Go to office, photocopy your bare butt with an ``I quit!'' post-it note attached. Fax this flagged as high priority to the hotel your boss is staying at.

You've got nothing on my elderly aunts. While cleaning out their house, I threw out over ten televisions.

If you're planning on burning upwards of 8k storing and moving your crap anyway, you could buy a used moving van and just keep all your crap in that until you know where you're settling down. If you got lucky, you might be able to find a deal on an old Oscar Mayer weiner step van.


There is no more degenerate kind of state than that in which the richest are supposed to be the best.
Cicero, The Republic


A hotdogmobile would be the rockinest by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 1) #29 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:12:40 PM EST

But I have no interest in driving cross-country again. I hate driving as it is, and I swore after driving from Cullifornia to NC, that I'd never again take such a trip by anything other than plane. Or maybe train, with a sleeper car.


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

Who said anything about driving it yourself? by lm (4.00 / 2) #38 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:21:16 PM EST
Just put ads up at the local uni to broadcast the fact that you'll provide a case of PBR for anyone willing to drive it to the left coast for you.

There is no more degenerate kind of state than that in which the richest are supposed to be the best.
Cicero, The Republic
[ Parent ]

Now you're talking by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 1) #40 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:25:00 PM EST

That, good sir, is a Fucking Excellent Plan.


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

s/la mia/la sua/ then, I guess ... by yicky yacky (4.00 / 1) #17 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:39:49 PM EST
Snubs mean you're not being a tepid, middle-of-the-road Garth Brooks rat bastard. Take it as a compliment.
----
Done.


Eh? by Breaker (4.00 / 1) #19 Mon May 08, 2006 at 12:51:36 PM EST
NT


[ Parent ]

Point taken. by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 1) #28 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:11:31 PM EST

I RULE!


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

Answers by theboz (4.00 / 1) #21 Mon May 08, 2006 at 02:50:59 PM EST
Since I'm on IRC but at work and actually not goofing off 100% of the time, I'll answer what I can here.

First, about hotels. Avoid Extended Stay America like the plague. There's a reason that they are that cheap. It's called bedbugs. Second, try to find a place close to where you will be working, and since you will be a full time employee, I suggest talking to your future employer so you can see if they offer any discounts or anything, because most big companies do have deals with long term hotels for contractors and such. Also, stay at a minimum of one month so you don't have to pay taxes, or some places take your taxes out then refund you after that month. Another thing is to stay at a place that has a point system. I am a Platinum member at Mariott because of how long I stayed in Residence Inn (my preferred national chain by the way) so now I can go to Europe and stay a week in a resort in Spain for free. Plus I paid for it with my Delta Skymiles card so I can fly there for free too. Either that or I can buy a flat screen TV or something for Katamari Damacy. Oh, and look into the place to make sure they give you "free" meals of some sort (you'll get tired of them, but at least they're included) and it's also good to have a bedroom seperate from the living room and dining room area. You can save money without it, but it's just a nicety for me to have more than a bedroom with a kitchen in it.

As far as shipping your stuff across the country, get rid of everything you can now. Seriously, put your TVs and furniture and everything on craigslist, eBay, or whatever. Try to have as little as possible. The point is that you will not be comfortable with some assholes taking your stuff across the country and it's a big hassle. I don't like it and I always felt ripped off. They charge big bucks for it. There is no "good" moving company out there. If you can get your collection of shit down to a little bit of stuff to fit in a van, you're better off renting a van to take it with you, and even getting a Public Storage unit or something temporarily to keep your stuff in. If you do that, be sure to get an air conditioned unit so your electronics are ok.

As far as giving notice is concerned, download a template from Microsoft, don't bother replacing the stuff like {Employer's Name} and just sign it and give it to your boss's boss. Seriously, the standard protocol is to give your boss's boss your resignation if your boss is not around, but any style points you add on are completely up to you.

As far as shrimp on pizza goes, it is good, but you also have to have a good hot sauce. I don't know what your preference is, but I prefer Valentina. A good cajun hotsauce would work too.

Anyway, if you have any more questions or need to know some specifics, I think you have my email address. At the very least you know the URL to my personal site and can send an email to anything at that domain since it's a catch all.
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That's what I always say about you, boz, you have a good memory for random facts about pussy. -- joh3n


Rockin', dude by MohammedNiyalSayeed (2.00 / 0) #26 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:07:03 PM EST

Good advise all around. Thanky! I'm spending the next couple of days craigslisterizing my belongings like the tvs and computers and such (except for the rare ones I don't want to part with).


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

No problem by theboz (4.00 / 1) #34 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:16:07 PM EST
One other thing I forgot to mention though. As a point of personal preference, a road trip across the country is a lot more fun than a plane ride. Sure, it takes a long time, but it's just great to see things change like that. You should pretty much be able to take I-40 all the way across until you are going to go north.
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That's what I always say about you, boz, you have a good memory for random facts about pussy. -- joh3n
[ Parent ]

Done it twice by MohammedNiyalSayeed (2.00 / 0) #35 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:18:34 PM EST

Not doing it again. It was fun the first time, the second time it sucked ass. Third time can't be an improvement, as I've already stopped at that dinosaur place in New Mexico, and saw the Oklahoma City memorial.


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

What about... by theboz (4.00 / 1) #37 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:20:17 PM EST
That bigass crater in Arizona? Or the petrified forest? Graceland?
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That's what I always say about you, boz, you have a good memory for random facts about pussy. -- joh3n
[ Parent ]

Nope, yep, and yep. by MohammedNiyalSayeed (2.00 / 0) #39 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:21:47 PM EST

The crater would be OK and all, but I think the only way I'd do the drive again is if I could time it for one of the two times a year the Trinity Site is open. Which, sadly, isn't possible this time.


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

Yep by theboz (4.00 / 2) #41 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:48:47 PM EST
I would like to see that as well. Have fun in hippieland and I'm sure it will all rub off on you and you will be dedicating the next mathgeeks album to Rachel Corrie and Web 2.0 before you know it.
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That's what I always say about you, boz, you have a good memory for random facts about pussy. -- joh3n
[ Parent ]

You really like making lists of stuff to do by Rogerborg (4.00 / 3) #22 Mon May 08, 2006 at 02:50:59 PM EST
And yet your beard indicates that you're a man.  I'm getting very mixed signals here.

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Metus amatores matrum compescit, non clementia.


OCD, y'all. OCD. by MohammedNiyalSayeed (4.00 / 4) #25 Mon May 08, 2006 at 03:05:04 PM EST

Organi[s/z]ation is next to GODLINESS!


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You can build the most elegant fountain in the world, but eventually a winged rat will be using it as a drinking bowl.
[ Parent ]

Vespa? by kwsNI (4.00 / 1) #43 Mon May 08, 2006 at 09:46:36 PM EST
Seriously dude, they're called Faggios. 



It seems it's cheaper to ditch it all | 50 comments (50 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback