Ongoing acclimation

We counted on the fact that there would be a learning curve in regards to adapting the habits that we developed in San Diego to central Massachusetts. Especially when considering how systematic our shopping and eating had become, some things were going to have to be prioritized above others.

#1--Wine. The prices are not substantially greater than, say, a grocery store in San Diego. There will undoubtedly be places where we can get discounts on cases, but I also placed an order on the internet for a lovely Sauternes that we had at Cafe Chloe the week before we left. We got six of them, at a very reasonable $15 per plus shipping. No Taxachusetts markup that I've seen, other than the shipping distance from Long Beach. VERDICT: Wine shopping will not be as painful as we thought. There is also an opportunity to try more Euro stuff.
#2--Food. See a pattern? The local Shaw's has good stock in basic needs, but the produce is sadly battered when it's placed on the shelves. Trader Joe's is in the next town, very close to an Indian grocery store that has excellent produce. ACQUIRED HABITS: The Jewish street in downtown Worcester (pronounced regionally as "WOO-sta" and locally as "WIS-ta." The more you know...) is about ten minutes away by car and has wonderful bagels and bulkies --holeless bagels that make good burger rolls. There is a great seafood shop about two blocks away from us that gets regular shipments. We had some outstanding scallops last week that I picked up about twenty minutes after they were dropped off at the store, which was their penultimate stop after being pulled from the ocean that morning. VERDICT: No shortage of food, but we still need a store with good ground beef. *SIGH* I wonder if Iowa Meat Farms will FedEx burger meat.
#3--Getting around. Gas is $2.39/gallon today at the Shell down the street. The express commuter train to Boston take an hour and a half, with the other taking two hours. I went to a job fair last week south of Boston and rode the commuter rail, the T, and the bus. Plus the final walk was about a quarter mile. Good thing it was sunny. VERDICT: Cars are still handy until we're moved into Boston.

And for the Usual Question, I am still looking for work, although my days have not been boring. I've got a couple good prospects in Braintree (etymology of that word is beyond me) and am waiting to hear back for subsequent interviews on others. The process is in motion and I am very encouraged by the sheer number of jobs for which I'm qualified out here. And yes, one job is for a game company. More as it happens.
-jason