Back in Oakland

Back in Oakland! I got back Friday night and slept for many, many hours due to a mix of being tired, jetlagged, and motion sickness pills. It's such a weird feeling to be half a world away from everything in such a short amount of time.

I've been really busy lately trying to settle into my new place, clear out my old place, entertain guests, and finding time to study. Clearing out my old place was quite epic towards the end. I wanted to sell off my closet but there were no takers. So I managed to enlist the help of a friend to help me take it apart. I thought about moving it to the new place but then decided against it at the last minute. There were a couple of people who came to look at it but they didn't want it either. I think they missed out on a really good deal because I doubt they will find exactly what they were looking for. They wanted something taller! Anyway, the morning after, I went back and moved all the pieces to the dumpster. Getting the big pieces down was difficult but wasn't too bad since the actual distance is not far. I borrowed a dolly from a neighbor and got the pieces to the dumpster in two runs. The first round was rough because I didn't know how to load the pieces on properly. Someone showed me how to put the boards on so that they are secure, which made everything so much easier. Anyway, glad to get rid of that big thing. I kept a mirror and a drawer from it.

I also finished putting together the pieces of my new furniture. So now I have a desk and drawers underneath my loft bed. I got an exercise ball instead of a proper chair. I might have to get a proper chair unless I can manage to get used to sitting on the ball. Anyway, feels good to have everything finally in place. I still have a lot of junk that I need to store properly but that can wait.

Work has been interesting this past week as well. We finally, finally got a real Resident Engineer (RE) at the site and the transition has been rough. It is taking a while for the guy to catch on but that is expected. He has his own ideas of how things should be done, which involves a lot of paperwork. I guess he has been doing mostly government jobs where there is a lot of manpower and resources, which just doesn't exists for a private job. The other guy at my site has just about had it with all the new paperwork. I hope they don't end up fighting while I am gone. My initial feeling is that this new guy doesn't have a whole lot of leadership presence. There were several times where I felt like I was still taking the lead and making decisions on behalf of our team. It is one thing to listen to everyone's opinions but at some point, you need to make a decision and carry it forward. Anyway, I am glad that I have a week of overlap with the guy and then giving him space for the next 3.5 weeks. Hopefully things will be running smoothly by the time I get back.