July 4th, Independence Day. Two hundred and thirty years ago, the US claimed its independence from Britain and the US as we know it started. Ironically, tomorrow after twenty-two years of being mostly independent from commitments and responsibilities, I begin work at Apple and give up, in a small way, the freedom I’ve personally been used to. No longer will I have months off during the summer to travel and return home to Finland, nor will I have the long weekends and breaks I’d gotten so used to in college. Instead, however, I’ll have a steady paycheck, be working at one of the most innovative tech companies around, and be living under the California sun. I can deal with that.
Russian Ridge: A View of the Pacific
So what have I been up to since I graduated in late May? A whole lot. It’s been a hectic six weeks and all told, have travelled over 10,000 miles during the time. Straight after graduation, I returned home to New York City for a couple of days of r&r before heading out to the White Mountains in New Hampshire for close to a week with several friends. There, we climbed, hiked, ran, and generally had a wonderful time in the great outdoors. The weather co-operated, the company was friendly, and the scenery pristine, yielding many photographic opportunities with the results posted over at Flickr.
In early June, I headed out to Finland for just under two weeks to spend time at home. Again, leaving the big city of New York, I escaped from the hustle and bustle and spent the time returning to my Finnish roots: plenty of saunas and dips in the cold lake, traditional Finnish food, running and biking, and general relaxation. It was wonderful to spend time with my friend Matti and my Mom and generally disconnect from anything technical. Mid-June, I returned to US soil to begin my relocation to California.
June 20th, I left with my Dad on a one-way flight to San Jose, CA. The first 36-hours disappeared in record time. During the two days, we visited some seven apartments before signing a month-to-month lease for a 1 BR in Mountain View, financed a car through Honda, and visited Ikea all too many times. Things quietened down somewhat afterwards: the remaining week I had with my Dad was spent purchasing the required necessities (as you can guess, my credit card bill is all too long and the wallet is hurting), visiting friends in Sacramento and Reno, NV, and overall bonding. Since my Dad left about a week ago, the time alone has been spent exploring. A visit to San Francisco, several hikes up along Russian Ridge and Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, trips to the surrounding communities, and generally just getting a good idea of the area. 101, 280, 92, 84, and El Camino Real, major routs that at first sounded so unfamiliar, have become landmarks. Things are more or less in order.
So that’s that. I’m definitely ready for work, am excited about tomorrows orientation, and even have clean clothes to boot! So, happy 4th of July, where ever you may be.
Copyright © 2000 - 2007, Aram Kudurshian. All rights reserved.
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At last a post!!
Good luck with the new job and new home. Just think 2 weeks holiday for the rest of your life, great joy… But seriously, well done and have a great future.
And to think I have known him since he was just a callow ISNer. Way to go.
Chaz on July 10th, 2006 at 07:57 am