Texas Moving is currently loading my worldly possessions onto a truck for the 1900 mile trek from Dallas to Petaluma. They have four guys who are really busting a move. They know what they’re about. They tag every item that goes on the truck and keep a full inventory. I packed most of the stuff myself but hired them to pack the fragile and expensive items. They pack a helluva lot better than I do. They’re very careful and thorough and use lots of packing material. So far, my experience with them has been very positive. Let’s see how everything goes on the other side.

I’m establishing a new routine and getting settled in.  I’m biking to and from work, which is only 2.67 miles from home.  That’s not even enough distance to get warmed up, especially when the temperature in the morning is around 50 degrees.   On the way in, I usually add a few loops to bring the mileage up to 10 miles or so.  Adding in a twenty mile excursion during lunch gets the distance for the day up to something respectable.

Yesterday, I went back to the gym for the first time in two weeks.  Since I’ve been teaching aerobics classes for years, I haven’t had to pay for a gym membership.  I’m not going to teach out here, at least not for awhile, so I had to cough up some bucks.  Damn, prices are getting steep.  I made the most of it with a three hour workout that felt really good.  I was feeling some soreness this morning but a laidback bike ride worked the kinks out.

I’ll be back in Dallas in a couple weeks to pack up the rest of my stuff and have it shipped.  Shipping will cost around $2500.  Not too bad actually for loading, unloading, and transport.  I’m looking forward to having my office chair and desks over here.  Coding on the floor is not very comfy.

I’m back to work on WordPress.  I’m revamping the import system.  We have the basic UI laid out and the infrastructure is in place.  I’m currently cleaning up the existing importers and hooking them into the new infrastructure.  This revamp is overdue and will be a big improvement over 1.5.x.

I’ve also been kicking the tires over at wordpress.com.  Looking good.

This is a friends and family post. Prepare to be bored silly if you’re not my mother.

I’ve never drank so much wine as I have since moving to Sonoma County. It’s everywhere. Take a long lunch, go wine tasting. Hop in the car Saturday afternoon, go wine tasting. Jump on the bike Sunday afternoon, go wine tasting. Go to the grocery for some bread and milk and somehow come back with an armload of Sonoma’s finest.

I’m getting settled in here on the east side of Petaluma. I got a new futon today. Buying a futon makes me feel like I’m back in college. Weird. Assembling the futon frame was a bit of a challenge since the instructions were in Japanese. I had to work off of the badly drawn diagram. But, it’s together and doesn’t seem to be in danger of falling apart and dumping me on the floor. I now have something to sit on in this place.

Broadband should be hooked up within the next few days. I’ll be able to get back to work on WordPress soon. I’m reliant on the coffee shop down the street for my internet connectivity. Luckily, the wifi reaches into the pub next door. I can chill in there with a beer and wonderfully greasy pub food once the coffee shop closes.

For those who have my mobile number, I’ll have a new number in the 707 area code starting tomorrow. I had to switch providers since I had very weak signal in my neighborhood. I got zero bars in my apartment unless I was standing in front of the kitchen window with the shades pulled up. Since I was switching, I got one of those Moto RAZRs just for grins. It’s free after rebate so I thought I would give it a try. I haven’t had a Moto phone since the days of the early StarTAC flippers (about ten years ago, damn).

I have a huge patio here at the apartment with a view of the hills to the east. Next on the homemaking agenda is procuring some patio furniture. While the weather is good the patio will be my dining room.

The place is starting to feel like home. Once I get the rest of my things shipped over here, it willl be quite cozy. I’m going to have a hard time fitting all of the books in here though. Every wall is going to be lined. People keep telling me to store them or sell them. Never! I’m not at home if I’m not surrounded by books. So what if I’ve already read them all.

That’s all for now. Time for another evening stroll before heading home. Best wishes to all.

I made it. I arrived on Monday, actually. I drove straight through from Flagstaff to Petaluma. 800 miles in 12.5 hours. I was quite sore when I got out of the car. Lucky for me, a friend had a bottle of wine (actually two) and a home-cooked meal waiting for me when I arrived.

I signed a lease on an apartment yesterday and moved in today. I’m sitting here on my only piece of furniture, an inflatable mattress. The rest will be shipped later. Most stuff is staying behind. Moving from a 3000 square foot house with a garage and an attic to a 700 square foot apartment means leaving behind lots of stuff. I’ll have the important things though: books, computers, bikes, and super-automatic espresso machine.

Broadband should be hooked up in a week or so. I’m currently “borrowing” a neighbor’s unsecured wireless connection. Signal quality is poor, but it’s enough to check email and blog. I go to the coffee shop across the street when I need to use more bandwidth.

I’ve been exploring Petaluma and the surrounding areas. I mapped out a few different bike routes to the office as well as some routes that might make for nice training rides on the weekend. Some coworkers are going to show me the good mountain bike spots. I brought two of my bikes with me. The other three will ship later this month. I’m not sure how I’m going to get all five in this apartment. I’ll find a way. My babies have to be climate-controlled when they’re resting.

On the backside of my apartment complex is undeveloped countryside with some natural surface trails winding through the hills. The breeze is cool and fresh. Time for a stroll.