Indiana, Week One

[rax]

 Our stuff is still mostly in boxes, but I have my desk set up and the kitchen is usable for some basic cooking, so it's sort of like we live here? There's network (which means phone calls are OK now), so I've been able to get work done for my job the last few days more easily, and that's provided some comfortable normal-feeling for me. I'm still waking up and expecting to be in Somerville; I don't know how long that will last. I lived in the same place for a long time and was very happy with it. I'm crazy excited about this house, which is awesome; I've also met a couple of people already and they're really cool, and I have other contacts to follow up on once we're a little more combobulated and have the energy to go meet new people.

All of the people who helped us pack and load and unload are amazing and wonderful --- we were kind of embarrassingly not ready, and without all the help, we either would have had to wait another week or abandon a whole lot of stuff. It's good to be reminded that I'm privileged with a whole lot of amazing friends, some of whom I've known for a decade now, and some of whom I'm still getting to know. Also a few of you I think I might owe a blood debt to now or something, in particular Scot and Kim for driving. ;)

Other than unpacking, I've been spending a lot of time staring out the window and looking at birds, and it's helped me calm down a lot. (This arguably adds a lot of credence to the "Rachel as cat" theory.) At a friend's recommendation I've been using birds.cornell.edu and I think I'm going to go ahead and buy a birding book, because I'm really enjoying this. Here's what I've seen so far just in my front yard:

• starlings --- six of them at the feeder right now!
• grackles
• robins
• blue jay
• mourning doves
• goldfinches
• house finches
• cardinals
• pileated woodpecker
• downy woodpecker
• red-bellied woodpecker
• house sparrow
• something I think is a catbirdbaby starling, who also just slammed into the window in front of me, which is a smidge disconcerting actually
• tufted titmouse
• some kind of hawk?

The day after I got here, my laptop died; I was eventually able to fix it with some bizarro /sbin/fsck_hfs incant, -pyr I think, and so far it seems OK but hoo boy did I run a backup as soon as I got that sorted out. My desk is now mostly set up, although I need a better light source --- this house has way too few ceiling-mounted lamps, even though there is a light switch in every room. I honestly thought there was a fixture in most of the rooms... oh well. A couple of them we'll solve with exciting lamps, a couple we'll probably call in an electrician to wire up. eredien's been having all sorts of trouble trying to hook up the gas dryer --- she's not awake yet, but I think we're at least in endgame on that project. Then get get to assemble beds and bookcases and dressers and unpack into them... then we have to figure out what to do with all the rest of this crap. :)

I miss people in Boston already, but I've already been missing people in Seattle and Minnesota and the SF Bay and LA and San Diego and DC and so on for ages. I think and hope this won't feel very different once we're settled in here --- and believe me I'll be traveling a lot to see as many of you as I can. In the meantime I have this huge tasklist and it's not getting any smaller. I hope you're all doing well and I hope I get to see you soon.

Comments

[darthbitsy]

Is not exactly professional, but I bought my mother a bird call book and it seems to be pretty cool.

[guilwolfie.livejournal.com]

Bird watching, eh? Welcome to life in the "country"! You will now begin to enjoy long days of watching the birds, the clouds move, and the wind blow through the trees.

I'm glad to hear the move went relatively well. I'm terribly sorry that I missed you guys on your last few days here. I realized, all too late, that I had fouled up on even getting to wish you guys a safe trip and say my good-byes. I blame a certain horny-otter for that one!

PS. LOVE Finches, especially golden <3;

[rax.livejournal.com]

We spent yesterday night sitting on the porch watching the sun set and talking about the smells of different trees. This is sort of terrifying.

I'll make sure to catch you the next time I'm in Boston --- which currently looks like August.

[rathdei.livejournal.com]

We're family. We owe blood debts to each other.

[rax.livejournal.com]

That's one of the creepier phrasings of that sentiment I've ever heard, but thanks. I think. ;)

[krinndnz.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the latter parts of the settling-in - sounds like things are off to a pleasant start.

[rax.livejournal.com]

So far so good! I will definitely keep you (you singular and you plural) posted.

[wrane.livejournal.com]

i am happy i could help - and anyway i bet i owed you first :P - and the trip wasn't so long; maybe eventually i'll unlock the "minimum competency at driving" achievement and come out and visit sometime :)

[rax.livejournal.com]

Incidentally have I mentioned yet how amazing those two rooms look? Because they still look amazing. :) Hope to see you again soon!

[postrodent.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear the settling-in isn't too traumatic. You're missed over here in the concrete jungle of the Northern Sprawl. <3

[gaudior.livejournal.com]

Prrrr! Glad you are settling, and miss you too! Prrr!