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July 15, 2008

A homeowner again! ()

by fluffy at 9:19 PM
I got the keys for my condo today. Woo! I haven't gone there yet though.

What I have to do:

  • Get a mover (probably going to go with these guys since they review very well on Yelp)
  • Deal with utilities
  • Figure out my commute. Originally I was going to bike but then I noticed that the elevation profile is a lot worse than I thought, but then it turns out that SFMuni has a $45 monthly pass which covers both buses and BART within the city, so that gives me plenty of options. I like the idea of biking between the endpoints and the BART stations, so I get about 1.5 miles of biking (or walking) each way every day. And of course this makes my folding bike still very worthwhile.
  • Figure out what I'm going to do about Internet service. I'll probably go with Comcast, since limited basic also has full QAM here, so $18 for limited analog cable + $43 for Internet (well, $33 for the first 6 months but whatever) = $61, which is a lot less than DSL alone here ($20 for the phone line and $65 for the DSL) and also has much higher bandwidth (12Mbps!). Of course, it helps that @comcastcares has been very helpful in answering my questions.
  • Pack up the stuff I can pack up myself. Fortunately I've been very lazy and have been accumulating Amazon and woot boxes for the last several months, and of course the recycling bin always has plenty more. So that part shouldn't be a problem.
  • Acquaint myself with the neighborhood. I know there is a jazz club next door and a Safeway across the street and a taqueria about a block away (and a somewhat-famous Indian/pizza place a little further). I am sure this will be excellent.
I am tempted to go there even before I've moved or anything just so I can finally breathe the air myself, without having a couple of realtors constantly chatting. As much as I liked working with Alina, and as good as the seller's agent Jeff was, it was as bit frustrating that I could never really listen to the building "breathe." It was pretty much non-stop chatter whenever I was in there. (They did give me a few minutes of alone time so I know it's very quiet there, at least.)

Comments

#11087 07/15/2008 10:25 pm
Elevation!?! That doesn't even rate a (colored) grading marker on the SF bike map (it's 0-5%). I've biked up Mission through there all the time. It's practically entirely flat. The only "hill" is a shallow rise from Cesar Chavez up to 24th. I don't even have to stand and pedal on the single-speed.

The whole commute is also barely 3 miles. Muni, I guarantee, will take longer time wise (what with having to get there a few minutes earlier, etc.) Mission, despite the way people talk, is not a bad street to bike on. Anyway, you can shoot over to Potrero Ave at some point and it'll take you to the road that leads into the traffic circle at 8th and Townsend....

Congratulations on the new place!
#11088 07/15/2008 11:08 pm
I was basing it on the elevation map (you have to click to r3v34l it) and on the look of the drive between there and work yesterday morning. The way there is mostly downhill but the way back (when I'm already tired) looks like it'd be rather tiresome.

And yeah a bus would take a good 45 minutes so I would of course prefer biking so I guess I'll try it out for a couple days (and maybe get a real bike instead of the folder), or there's always a scooter or moped what with all the moped parking across the street.
#11089 ComcastCares (unregistered) 07/16/2008 04:20 am Limited Basic and QAM
You may not receive all the QAM channels with limited basic when a filter is installed. Limited basic has a filtered installed at the tap to prevent access to the extended basic (analog) content. I am not sure which one (if any) that will be blocked. If you do not get what you expect, let me know and I will be happy to make sure you are cared for!!

Frank Eliason
#11090 07/16/2008 07:48 am
Thanks. I don't care about getting ALL the QAM channels, just the broadcast HD ones, which are required by the FCC to be available, right?

Even if I only get the SD ones, it's pretty likely I'll still be able to get HD OTA (although of course I'd prefer to get it all via cable).
#11091 ComcastCares (unregistered) 07/16/2008 08:14 am Response
To the best of my knowledge, the FCC must carry is regarding standard broadcast channels, but I do not think you will have a problem with the HD content for them. If you do let me know.
#11093 07/16/2008 08:19 am
Okay, thanks!

Also, I must say it's very cool what you're doing. I don't know if you're really a single person or an amalgam of several personalities or what but it's great getting personal and near-instant responses about questions. If I were older it would probably remind me of an earlier time before we got all cynical about customer service. (I just hope you're still doing this when I'm actually a customer!)