New chapter - take 1

First road warrior trip back to Colorado. Yippee! 

Of course today brings back all the repressed memories of just how much of a hassle (time-suck, mainly) air travel brings... it’s a system optimized entirely around cost efficiency for the airlines -- not for travelers. 

Getting your checked luggage, for example: a bunch of presumably busy people standing around for 20-30 minutes to self-select bags from a slow belt? There surely must be a better way. 

How about something like this: each bag is scanned and deposited into a locker. You get a text when yours is there, with the locker number. You walk up (from getting a drink, or otherwise being useful) and your ticket unlocks the locker and you leave. Bam -- thousands of wasted traveler hours just got saved. Someone build this, m’kay?

I remember now: typing on a plane -- kinda sucks, even with the MB Air. Someday when I’m a billionaire I’ll ride first class just to avoid that. Oh, and the kids kicking the back of your seat too... worth paying good money to be away from that.

The connection in Atlanta completely borked my day. Lessons:

• nonstop only (as much as possible)
• no scheduling meetings within 2 hours of touchdown, just in case
• the bus is nice and cheap(ish), but adds a time delay... Note to self: check out RTD park-n-ride in Table Mesa?

I’m on the bus now as I type this. (Literally.) It’s a good bus system; we’ll see after a couple of trips how much overall time waste it adds to my work day, and weigh that against the costs of using some kind of parking here at DEN. Turns out that the seats on the bus are just as tight front-to-back as economy class on the plane. Well, when I’m rich enough to fly first class I guess the bus goes away as well... covered remote parking here I come!

In any case, it feels good to be back in Colorado. I’ve missed my startup. 

Ah... we just came around a bend and there is what I’ve been looking for -- that mountain view doesn’t ever get old. Even with the clouds (smoke?) it gives me that warm, happy feeling in my tummy.

I think I can get good at this bi-coastal thing. Only one way to find out...

Raleigh - New House, New Chapter

As of today, I consider us to have fulfilled the first phase of "settling in" to our new (to us) house in Raleigh.

There are still boxes everywhere, the fridge is frighteningly empty, we don't know where most important sellers-of-things are nearby, the TV is on the floor, and Sydney has yet to make it through a night without waking up crying all disoriented... but it's feeling comfortable nonetheless.

Turns out here are the things (in priority order) that are sufficient to make a place feel like home:

* Two corners of the house utterly devoid of boxes and fully livable

* Broadband wireless internet

* Fridge serving clean water and ice
* Knowing the location of some extra socks, underwear, and t-shirts

* Ample supply of a few favorite food and beverage items

* Towels and a hot shower

That's it really. Life is pretty simple when you boil it down to the basics.

And really #2 is the thing that has finally allowed me to relax... having internet (for real; not counting mooching off of neighbors with a spotty signal) is the lynchpin. I don't need to be plugged in 24-7 (no, really!) but I need that ability... I love being able to hop online and catch up on work email, order that pizza, figure out where to go for takeout food... my stress level dropped several notches when I finally saw that little green light up and was able to paint the place with glorious glorious bandwidth.

Data is almost as important as oxygen these days, it seems; without proper internet I was imagining my phone slowly sipping away at my limited data plan... feeling the emails pile up that I just couldn't quite handle effectively on a phone... just like having a fridge dispensing unlimited clean water lets you utterly forget about your need for water; having the wifi working lets you stop worrying about whether you'll be able to handle whatever it is that is about to jump up and demand your attention.

Interesting world we live in.

(Oh, and for those that are confused by the title -- yes, we did just move back to Raleigh, NC. Got a house next to my sister Jenny and pretty soon I'll start commuting out to Boulder to continue building my business. Great to be near family again! Eventually, though, they all clearly need to move out to Colorado with us. Some day.)