Well, in case you haven't heard, I have *OFFICIALLY* relocated to Irvine, CA. My last day in Ohio was April 16th. I landed in Cali the next day and have been living out of a hotel ("temporary housing") for roughly 2 weeks. I just moved into my new apartment on Monday (5/7) -- even tho I've been paying rent since April 16th :-\ -- and there's nothing but boxes, and boxes, and boxes stacked upon each other everywhere!
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I wasn't that crazy about the move, but with the current job market (or lack there of), and seeing some of my friends struggling to find decent jobs, I knew I wasn't in a position to pass this opportunity up. For some reason, my company really wanted me out here in Irvine -- supposedly they want to plug me into more projects out here (not quite sure why I can't do that in Solon, but whatever) and there's swirling speculation that our Solon facility might be closing over the next 5 years, etc. -- so, perhaps, those are the reasons? As for the actual relocation itself, I imagine it had to have been fairly expensive (with the temporary housing, relocating my belongings -- including my car -- and everything else). Hopefully this proves that the company is investing in me (it always feels good to be wanted, right?).
Nevertheless, it was extremely hard to make this decision. I was terribly sad to leave my friends and family behind, but one of the "enlightening" moments was when I came to the realization that I wasn't "leaving my friends and family behind" -- the lasting friendships and bonds that I've made throughout my life are now even stronger. My "ex"-roommates (and even some really close friends, family, & co-workers) have already reached out to me on several occasions to check in with me and see how things are going. I cannot even begin to express how much it all means to me. I was worried that I would be "leaving it all behind" and "missing out on the action," but thanks to some key friends checking in on me and sharing the moments with me, it's really made the transition all the more smooth.
The biggest differences so far have to be the weather (it's literally 70-something degrees out here every day and sunny) and the cost of living. Gas right now is $4.25/gal (I've seen it as high as $4.55/gal), dining out for 1 is roughly $25-35 (including tip), rent is easily 3x more, The Avengers movie ran me $15.50 (granted it was 3D, so that was probably an extra $3), and worst of all... there are only FOUR $5 footlongs at Subway! So far, the only "cheaper" thing I've come across are avacados. In Ohio, I remember paying $2 for one; here, they're $0.50 for one. I think I made the right deal, eh?
So for those of you already saying, "Well I'm sure you got a nice raise to offset the cost of living difference," let me just tell you definitely that NO, I didn't. I received a $2k FOR THE YEAR raise to "offset the cost of living difference." Personally, I think that is laughable that HR could even look me straight in the face and tell me that, but... it is what it is, I suppose. Hopefully now that I am out here, the company will do what's right and revisit this situation -- because I can tell you one thing... if they don't, my tale is going to be back on it's way to Ohio after 2 yrs if the company doesn't start ponying up. I don't see how anyone in their right mind can live out here (with the expenses the way they are) and earn what I am making. You can't At least certainly not the same standard of living. So I guess what I'm saying, is, don't expect any Christmas cards from me ;-)
To help offset some of the expenses, I decided to settle on an apartment that is 2 miles away from work >> http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=2400+Barranca+Pkwy,+Irvine,+CA&daddr=2555+Main+St,+Irvine,+CA&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=55.849851,135.263672&geocode=FfMqAgId-gv6-ClxiEsEINzcgDHRfoqUjM1Muw%3BFTL0AQIdTdv5-CnNSfT0j97cgDEKiea4isyYNw&oq=255&mra=ls&t=m&z=15. I figured I would pay the premium to live in Irvine, to be (1) closer to work, (2) in a safe area, and (3) save on variable expenses (i.e., gas). With gas being as high as it is, I decided I would ride my bike to work (thanks Dad and Uncle Kevin). I took some footage of my ride to work the first day >> http://vimeo.com/9970489.
Just kidding. My ride to work isn't that bad. I did time it, however, and I can do it in just under 13 minutes (and that's at a nice leisurely pace, of course). It's actually quite pleasant seeing as how the weather is nice and provides me with a nice opportunity to ride my bike. My only complaint so far is that usually I get to work and immediately start sweating a bit (curse you genetics). Other than that, it's actually quite refreshing; especially since my drive to work back in Cleveland was probably close to a 20 min drive -- I have no idea how people drive hours to work (and then hours back home). That has to be the worst.
I also rode my bike to the local grocery store (Ralph's) the other night. It's not very far either -- about 3 miles. I did my grocery shopping and then just placed the grocery bags on my handle-bars and rode home. My only concern is that I become too "centralized" and don't branch off enough to explore new (hopefully cheaper) areas.
What else can I share... Hmmm...
I'm currently working on upgrading our existing telephony system for our company. Right now, our Solon facility's call center is in need of an upgrade, Irvine's is dying (literally), and Houston doesn't have one. Our new call center will be able to read the inbound ANI (basically the telephone #) and execute a SOAP request to our company's CRMoD site (actually a replicated instance, but same difference) where all of our customer data is stored, and basically *POP* that callers' customer information so that our CSC agents are able to look professional when they communicate with our customers. This new phone system will also allow our users (throughout our various locations -- Solon, OH; Houston, TX; Irvine, CA; Manila, Philippines) to contact each other via the dial of a simple extension (we can't do that today), transfer calls seamlessly to one another (again, today we can't do that -- we have to have the customer hang up the phone and dial the other location), route calls to the appropriate workgroups (e.g., technical support or order entry), and provide statistical analysis of the # of calls received in various categories. My job has been to ensure that this project moves according to schedule, develop the requirements for the design, test the design, and implement the Go-Live of the new contact center (including installation of new phone units throughout the geographic locations). It's been a challenging project as I've been working on this now since probably November (i.e., roughly 7-8 months), but it's definitely had it's ups (and unfortunately downs, as well).
The good news is... our project schedule calls for a Solon Go-Live first, so that means I will actually be back in town Wed, May 16 - Sun, Jun 03 and then again Thu, Jun 07 - Fri, Jun 15. I'm going to be very busy with getting things prepped for Go-Live, but certainly I hope to see some friends whenever I can.
Well... this has turned into another long email, but I just wanted to update you all on my whereabouts and let you know what's going on. I miss you all very much, but I look forward to staying in touch with all of you.
Best regards,
