No, the whole "back home" thing hasn't worn off yet...you'll all have to put up with it for a little while longer. (I mean, COME ON...I was in exile for TWELVE YEARS!! Cut me some slack.) I should apologize, though; I think I promised that if I moved back I would blog every day. We see how well THAT has worked out. But again, I've been off the grid for most of the month, because no place I've been staying has had reliable Internet service. Once the move is done, it will get better, I promise.
Just another way that OKC is better than Denver...Will Rogers World Airport is smaller and thus faster. When I got here back in late August, it was 20 minutes from the time my plane stopped at the gate and opened the doors until I had my bags, had taken the shuttle to the rental car place, and was standing in line waiting for a car. At DIA, you might spend 20 minutes just waiting at baggage claim to get your bags. If you're lucky. This morning, I got here right about 9:00 am. At DIA most days, this is prime departure time, almost like rush hour. There's usually a pretty good line at check-in or security or both. Today at Will Rogers? I had my bag checked and my boarding pass printed about 3 minutes after I got out of my cousin Amber's car. There was no line at security...I was through in about another five minutes. In fact, it took longer to finish my Starbuck's mocha and donut than it took to get my bags checked and get through security. Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh......bliss.
My new job provides free coffee, and also provides those little flavored cream packets for free. They usually have 4 flavors: amaretto, Irish cream, hazelnut, and French vanilla. I am quickly becoming addicted to having my coffee with the little French vanilla packets, and I am not alone. Last week, we had a big backlog of paperwork (checks to process, etc.), so they brought on a bunch of temps. Now, we're a pretty big bank (by Oklahoma standards) and we normally have around-the-clock shifts for paper processing. However, we brought all these extra folks on, but no one told the coffee supply guy. He stocked us with the usual amount, so by mid-week, with all the extra late-night people working, we were out of everything. Including French vanilla coffee cream packets. It got pretty ugly.
Another thing I am still working to get used to is dialing 7 digits again. In Denver, there are two area codes overlaid on the Denver metro area, 303 (the original) and 720 (added in the late 90s). When you've been dialing 10 digits for nearly 10 years, it takes some serious deprogramming to remember that you don't have to dial the area code all the time. I still have trouble with that, and probably will for another month or so.
I have also noticed something I didn't really think much about before. In my line of work, we have to read a lot. Tech guides, HOWTOs, user manuals, specifications of standards, prior documentation of your environment, network diagrams...you get the idea. Well, I'm doing a lot of reading now especially, as I continue to try to get up to speed for my new job. I have noticed that I can read things on the screen and I'm usually OK, but if I really want to retain what I'm reading, I have to print it off and read it in hard-copy. I do a lot better that way, for some reason. You'd think it would be the opposite, but no; if I don't read it in my hand, it just doesn't stick as well.
Another nice thing about OKC is that I seem to be more than a number with a dollar sign attached. In Denver, there's a general idea that you are kind of a cash machine for someone else (the state, businesses, or just other people in general). I suppose this is an unfortunate side effect of living in such an expensive place. That attitude wears on you after a while. Even our old charter school principal, a good friend of ours who has known us for several years, asked us half-jokingly if we could keep Donovan in school until October 3rd, so that Donovan would still count toward this school-year's headcount (thus meaning the school gets an extra student's worth of money). He's a nice guy, don't get me wrong, and he's got a tough job, but the fact that he was only half-joking, or the fact that it even came up, demonstrates the prevailing attitude.
Heidi is also having continuing issues with people who just don't understand why/how we could possibly move away. That's frustrating to me personally, but at least Heidi had a parent at school who DID understand, and applauded us for taking such a big step. They said, "You're doing what you had to do to provide for his family...good for you!" At least someone understands.
To finish off this topic, let's talk about what I've gotten here in the past month:
1. We found a generous landlord who is willing to work with us, and who is genuinely glad they found a good, stable, dependable family (they've told my aunt this several times, which is how I know).
2. I received an incredibly generous offer and bonus from a generous company here.
3. I have generous friends and family who have done wonderful things to help us make this move work.
4. I was able to find a dependable, fuel-efficient car for an excellent price.
OKC has already treated me better in one month than Denver had in the past couple of years.
Oh, and to top it off, as yet another reminder that I made the right decision to move...my claim for unemployment benefits was denied. I will not get any money for the two weeks I didn't work. In fact, based on their decision, there's no telling when I would actually have been able to get any unemployment benefits, so if I had stayed and continued trying to find work and keep myself shoehorned in up in Denver, we would not even have been able to get any assistance from the state and would have been even WORSE off. (So much for faithfully paying their exorbitant taxes for 12 years.) To all of you dreamers who continue to swallow the "Colorado is paradise" line that they feed the rest of the country, let this at leats be a cautionary tale. I can't count how many times I've heard people here say, "I'd love to move to Denver," even just within the past month. This is mostly because Denver and its apologists talk a really good game. You could move there, and you might be able to make it work, but make sure you know what you're getting into. In a way, I'm kind of like Fox News...I shine the light on the ridiculous spin provided by the mainstream, in this case, about Colorado. Anyone can tell you the good stuff...come talk to me to get the bad stuff. Then decide if you still want to move.
OK, enough of that...we all know how I feel on the subject.
This week is going to be a tough one...I'm currently sitting at Will Rogers waiting to board my flight back to Denver. Then I have to finish packing, go to the courthouse to wrap up a couple of minor legal issues, pick up the truck and car trailer (for the Mustang, of course) on Saturday morning, load the truck, load the Mustang on the trailer, drive back on Sunday, and get everything unloaded on Sunday night and Monday, then get the truck back late Monday or early Tuesday. Heidi has been able to get some things taken care of up there, but she's had all the kids and lots of her own usual stuff to deal with, plus, she's still pregnant of course, so I'm hoping that maybe she's been able to get 25% done. She's been such a trooper through this entire process. I've been here, occupied with work and move-related tasks of my own, provided with a great deal of support from friends and family, and insulated from the "how could you leave us" nonsense that so many up there continue to release upon us. She, on the other hand, has had to take care of the kids, try to get as much packing and preparing done as possible, but stay healthy and pregnant and so not exert herself too much, put up with the noise from people who don't want us to move, deal with my ex-wife (no small task in itself), and keep the household in decent shape...and all that pretty much alone, because since those people all don't want us to move, no one up there is really providing her much assistance. Nothing against her family and our friends up there, but she REALLY needed some help over the past month, and she just didn't get much.
I'm signing off for now. See y'all again soon enough. Thanks for reading along.
Just another way that OKC is better than Denver...Will Rogers World Airport is smaller and thus faster. When I got here back in late August, it was 20 minutes from the time my plane stopped at the gate and opened the doors until I had my bags, had taken the shuttle to the rental car place, and was standing in line waiting for a car. At DIA, you might spend 20 minutes just waiting at baggage claim to get your bags. If you're lucky. This morning, I got here right about 9:00 am. At DIA most days, this is prime departure time, almost like rush hour. There's usually a pretty good line at check-in or security or both. Today at Will Rogers? I had my bag checked and my boarding pass printed about 3 minutes after I got out of my cousin Amber's car. There was no line at security...I was through in about another five minutes. In fact, it took longer to finish my Starbuck's mocha and donut than it took to get my bags checked and get through security. Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh......bliss.
My new job provides free coffee, and also provides those little flavored cream packets for free. They usually have 4 flavors: amaretto, Irish cream, hazelnut, and French vanilla. I am quickly becoming addicted to having my coffee with the little French vanilla packets, and I am not alone. Last week, we had a big backlog of paperwork (checks to process, etc.), so they brought on a bunch of temps. Now, we're a pretty big bank (by Oklahoma standards) and we normally have around-the-clock shifts for paper processing. However, we brought all these extra folks on, but no one told the coffee supply guy. He stocked us with the usual amount, so by mid-week, with all the extra late-night people working, we were out of everything. Including French vanilla coffee cream packets. It got pretty ugly.
Another thing I am still working to get used to is dialing 7 digits again. In Denver, there are two area codes overlaid on the Denver metro area, 303 (the original) and 720 (added in the late 90s). When you've been dialing 10 digits for nearly 10 years, it takes some serious deprogramming to remember that you don't have to dial the area code all the time. I still have trouble with that, and probably will for another month or so.
I have also noticed something I didn't really think much about before. In my line of work, we have to read a lot. Tech guides, HOWTOs, user manuals, specifications of standards, prior documentation of your environment, network diagrams...you get the idea. Well, I'm doing a lot of reading now especially, as I continue to try to get up to speed for my new job. I have noticed that I can read things on the screen and I'm usually OK, but if I really want to retain what I'm reading, I have to print it off and read it in hard-copy. I do a lot better that way, for some reason. You'd think it would be the opposite, but no; if I don't read it in my hand, it just doesn't stick as well.
Another nice thing about OKC is that I seem to be more than a number with a dollar sign attached. In Denver, there's a general idea that you are kind of a cash machine for someone else (the state, businesses, or just other people in general). I suppose this is an unfortunate side effect of living in such an expensive place. That attitude wears on you after a while. Even our old charter school principal, a good friend of ours who has known us for several years, asked us half-jokingly if we could keep Donovan in school until October 3rd, so that Donovan would still count toward this school-year's headcount (thus meaning the school gets an extra student's worth of money). He's a nice guy, don't get me wrong, and he's got a tough job, but the fact that he was only half-joking, or the fact that it even came up, demonstrates the prevailing attitude.
Heidi is also having continuing issues with people who just don't understand why/how we could possibly move away. That's frustrating to me personally, but at least Heidi had a parent at school who DID understand, and applauded us for taking such a big step. They said, "You're doing what you had to do to provide for his family...good for you!" At least someone understands.
To finish off this topic, let's talk about what I've gotten here in the past month:
1. We found a generous landlord who is willing to work with us, and who is genuinely glad they found a good, stable, dependable family (they've told my aunt this several times, which is how I know).
2. I received an incredibly generous offer and bonus from a generous company here.
3. I have generous friends and family who have done wonderful things to help us make this move work.
4. I was able to find a dependable, fuel-efficient car for an excellent price.
OKC has already treated me better in one month than Denver had in the past couple of years.
Oh, and to top it off, as yet another reminder that I made the right decision to move...my claim for unemployment benefits was denied. I will not get any money for the two weeks I didn't work. In fact, based on their decision, there's no telling when I would actually have been able to get any unemployment benefits, so if I had stayed and continued trying to find work and keep myself shoehorned in up in Denver, we would not even have been able to get any assistance from the state and would have been even WORSE off. (So much for faithfully paying their exorbitant taxes for 12 years.) To all of you dreamers who continue to swallow the "Colorado is paradise" line that they feed the rest of the country, let this at leats be a cautionary tale. I can't count how many times I've heard people here say, "I'd love to move to Denver," even just within the past month. This is mostly because Denver and its apologists talk a really good game. You could move there, and you might be able to make it work, but make sure you know what you're getting into. In a way, I'm kind of like Fox News...I shine the light on the ridiculous spin provided by the mainstream, in this case, about Colorado. Anyone can tell you the good stuff...come talk to me to get the bad stuff. Then decide if you still want to move.
OK, enough of that...we all know how I feel on the subject.
This week is going to be a tough one...I'm currently sitting at Will Rogers waiting to board my flight back to Denver. Then I have to finish packing, go to the courthouse to wrap up a couple of minor legal issues, pick up the truck and car trailer (for the Mustang, of course) on Saturday morning, load the truck, load the Mustang on the trailer, drive back on Sunday, and get everything unloaded on Sunday night and Monday, then get the truck back late Monday or early Tuesday. Heidi has been able to get some things taken care of up there, but she's had all the kids and lots of her own usual stuff to deal with, plus, she's still pregnant of course, so I'm hoping that maybe she's been able to get 25% done. She's been such a trooper through this entire process. I've been here, occupied with work and move-related tasks of my own, provided with a great deal of support from friends and family, and insulated from the "how could you leave us" nonsense that so many up there continue to release upon us. She, on the other hand, has had to take care of the kids, try to get as much packing and preparing done as possible, but stay healthy and pregnant and so not exert herself too much, put up with the noise from people who don't want us to move, deal with my ex-wife (no small task in itself), and keep the household in decent shape...and all that pretty much alone, because since those people all don't want us to move, no one up there is really providing her much assistance. Nothing against her family and our friends up there, but she REALLY needed some help over the past month, and she just didn't get much.
I'm signing off for now. See y'all again soon enough. Thanks for reading along.
