Fear the Crab

I’m working at The Office. My hire was approved officially and I started on the 16th of November. My first day was like I had never left! And that was actually a pretty accurate statement.

The keycode to enter the office door was the same as when I was a student.
I was given my old chair, seated at my old desk, with the same computer I used when I was a student.
When I was logged in, my account had all my old settings and files.

I just hope my paycheck’s not the same.

I’m not riding my bike to work. My mom does not wish me to risk myself on the commute during traffic. While I’m fairly certain a ride into town won’t be THAT hazardous, it’s not wise to argue with someone who was paralyzed because of another driver’s idiocy. My mom’s an example that despite oneself driving correctly and safely, there are others out there that can and will kill you. Take any commute on any day at any time, and you’ll find at least one driver who’s proving to be a hazard to himself and everyone around him.

The city does have a “master plan” to make the islands safer for bicycles. The statement for this master plan is “Honolulu is a bicycle-friendly city where bicycling is a viable and popular travel choice for residents and visitors of all ages.” There are over 6 separate pdf files, which makes it a bit unreasonable to look at everything in one sitting, so I haven’t actually read through the whole thing.

In the end, I hope it enables me to finally take the journey on bike.

I’ve been using my bicycle more and more, and have made a couple of journeys of over 12 miles (one way). It takes me approximately an hour and a half to get from my house to the uni.

Speaking of the uni, I seem to be on the cusp of acquiring a full-time job there. I applied and interviewed for a programming job in my old department, and was “recommended for the position.” Apparently, the department staff submits their recommendation for the job to the Board of Regents, who then approves the hire. Since the position I applied for isn’t considered a very important one (to the BoR anyway), Human Resources will make the decision on their behalf.

Everyone tells me this is just a formality, and I’ve pretty much got the job. I don’t like claiming something that’s not true, though, so based on a technicality I really don’t have the job. Who knows? Maybe one of the HR staffers’ daughter’s heart was broken because of me.

I hope to get the job. It’s in the field I studied for, and in the department I used to work for, and it pays me more than any other job I’ve ever had. Plus, it will let me ride my bike on more frequent long-distance journeys.

Anyway, I have peach cobbler, so I’m happy.

Worship the power of bulleted lists!

• Graduated with degree in computer science
• Looking for job
• Continuing to work part-time for dental lab
• Started using a bicycle to get around

Out of all that, I think the bicycle thing is the most exciting. I mean, graduating is fine and good and all things pleasant, yes. The diploma looks nice, too.

But not as nice as my bike!

So far I’ve just been pedaling to and from work, to and from Maile’s house, which is only an area of roughly 4 miles between everything. Already I’ve had two flats, one in each tire. So far things have been good, and I’m able to take the hill up to my house with relative ease (at the lowest gear, of course).

The real challenge will come on Friday, when I will journey far and beyond my norm and head to Ala Moana during morning rush hour. I will brave the traffic congestion of cars, the broken sidewalks, the throngs of bus stops, and the poorly-timed traffic signals, just to get a haircut.

According to MapQuest, the distance is approximately 12 miles. MapQuest also says that the total driving time is 18 minutes, which is correct if one is driving at 3 in the morning and is lucky enough to catch all the green lights. I figure it should take me about 2 hours, give or take 15 minutes, for me to traverse that distance. I’ll probably leave the house 3 hours before my appointment to account for red lights, pedestrians, and minor equipment malfunctions.

Hopefully I’ll survive.