The move is happening

The view from the balcony:

the logical place to put the couch:

and the logical place to put the bed:

Boulder is expensive.  I had hoped to get a little bigger apartment for the money or pay a little less rent on such a small space.  But, the location is ideal for car-free living, and the entire property is well-maintained and smoke-free.  Dealing with the leasing and ever-changing rent structures (what is the deal with dynamic pricing and these mega-REITs?) was a PITA, but I am going to let that anger go in preparation for dealing with the utility and telecom companies.

The housing search visit was a little bit too eventful. I would love to say that I sprained both (!?!) ankles in a base-jumping accident, but the prosaic truth is that I rolled one ankle out on a staircase, then rolled out the other one when I shifted my weight in compensation.

I move solo mid-May and start the new job in late May. At first, I'll be working 100% in Boulder. Once I settle in and learn enough to be productive on my own, there will be distance telecommuting opportunities.

The view westward from my new office building:

Yes, work meetings are sometimes held on the trails.  My office faces east, toward the great plains.

I had a hilarious interview with a young dot commer in which he asked me why I had always worked in the government sector.  I quipped, "Who else hires PhDs in theoretical physics?"  He informed me that he had entered college expecting to go into theoretical physics but found it too difficult and moved into computer science instead.  (In case you are wondering, I never heard back from them.)

Instead, I will be joining this team of professionals, who perform another interdisciplinary and hard to describe task in another FFRDC.  This time, our specialty will be a core function instead of a "nice to have if we have the budget".

I want to thank my friends in Boulder who took great care of me--and even loaned me crutches--as I hobbled around last weekend.