Greetings From Middle Earth (aka New Zealand)

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cjj
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Greetings From Middle Earth (aka New Zealand)

Post by cjj »

Some of you know a bit about my recent move to New Zealand, but I've gotten a few questions on this recently so, since things have finally started settling down a bit I figured it was time to post a few more details. This'll probably get a bit long, so if you don't want all of the details, stop reading after the next sentence.

Yes, I have left Montana and moved to New Zealand.

Why? Well, it wasn't entirely be choice. After 25 years of working as an electronics design engineer for HP, I got a call from my boss at 8:30AM one Monday morning informing me I was out of a job. Just like that, no warning. I found out a few days later that HP's CEO had decided they would no longer allow anyone to "telework," which is what I had been doing for the past 8 years. The official announcement was that teleworkers would have to "go back into the office." But for many of us (including the other 4 teleworkers on my team) they meant someone else's office.

So, with both HP and Yahoo announcing they would no longer allow teleworking, the chances of finding another teleworking job (which is difficult to do anyway, especially when you're new to a job) were pretty much nil. That meant I really had no choice but moving to someplace where I could find a job, which for high-tech means NOT in Montana. The main places are California and Texas.

California? Been there, done that, didn't want to go back there after 25 years of "improvements" to the situation there. Yeah, it's got some great things going for it, mountains, the ocean, but, no thanks.

Texas? Been there too. In some ways it's better than Calif., but, geez, it's TEXAS! :wink: :lol: And just too darned hot!

So, where in the world could we possibly go that's as drop dead gorgeous as Montana? Is there anywhere that just might be even a bit better (like maybe Montana with an ocean nearby)? Hmm... Let me think... Oh, hey! I know! What about New Zealand!

As it happens, they've even got a shortage of high-tech workers and are actively trying to build up that industry, offering incentives (making immigration a bit easier) to get people to come work here.

This wasn't actually the first time we looked into moving here. Back at the end of 2009, early 2010, there were hints that I might get laid off and we went through a similar thought process and came up with NZ. I almost took a job here back then, but things worked out such that HP didn't lay me off and I stayed in MT. This time though, things weren't going to work out that way, so we resurrected the old plan and started looking at it seriously again. It didn't hurt that in the mean time, my brother and his family had moved to NZ, giving me a place to stay while looking for jobs. I did actually keep looking for something in the US, but got NOTHING from all of the job applications I submitted.

So, there you have it. All the sordid details of why we up and headed off to the other side of the planet. After Montana, just about anywhere else in the US seemed like a step backwards while NZ offered a whole new adventure! My wife and I often talk about if we'd been around in the 1800's we would have been on the wagon trains heading out West, or even on a ship going off to Australia (or maybe even New Zealand!). If in the future, we'd probably be signing up to go colonize Mars...
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woodyng
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by woodyng »

That's a great story,and New Zealand is one of the few places remaining on my list that i would subject myself to making the air travel trip to. I was in the same situation,with being laid off that is,and it crossed my mind to check,but i doubt NZ needs travel agents badly enough to incentify their immigration! (Fortunately,i got rehired by my old company after a 6-month "layover").
You will probably increase the country's Rick bass population by droves when your collection arrives. :mrgreen:
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jps
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by jps »

Middle Earth, eh? Unfortunate about the tele-job thing. :(

Maybe you can start your own company there: CJTronICs® "We put the Tron in ICs™" or something like that. :shock: How are the Winters down there?
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by rickenbrother »

This has caused the population of your former county in Montana to be cut in half! :mrgreen:
This has also caused a sudden drop in the average intelligence level of people living in the USA.
Best of luck to you and Lauren at your new life at Middle Earth.
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jps
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by jps »

rickenbrother wrote:This has caused the population of your former county in Montana to be cut in half! :mrgreen:
Funny you should say this; A couple years ago I went out to Santa Fe to visit a friend of mine and help finish setting up and inaugurating his darkroom. I asked him if by my being there doubled the Jewish population in Santa Fe! :mrgreen:
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s4001
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by s4001 »

Wow. Congrats.
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ajish4
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by ajish4 »

Glad it seems to have all settled in for you CJ.

I give you a lot of credit, that took guts. To pick up and move like that, especially so far from home.
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kiramdear
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by kiramdear »

It's great that you have family there in a new country. I know that you'll find your way and do well wherever in the world you are, CJ. I'm even a bit envious. 8)
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manta
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by manta »

If you've seen New Zealand you know it didn't take that much convincin'!! :lol: :lol:

He's probably checked out the Kiwi hardwoods already for a custom bass project!! 8)
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wmthor
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by wmthor »

Congratulations! Any New Zealand Rickenbacker Confluence in the works? :mrgreen:

The reason I ask is that I retire in less than a year and a trip "down under" is on my bucket list. I have another friend from Dallas (a bass player no less) who recently moved to Toowoomba, Queensland Australia.
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JakeK
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by JakeK »

What a story, CJ. I'm sure Montana will miss you, though.

So tell me, how do you like it so far?
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ozover50
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by ozover50 »

Welcome to the 'bottom end', CJ..... geographically, that is! :)

Congrats on the move to NZ. It's a lovely country full of lovely people and I'm sure you'll be very happy there.

Where in NZ are you?
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paologregorio
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by paologregorio »

ozover50 wrote:Welcome to the 'bottom end', CJ..... geographically, that is! :)

Congrats on the move to NZ. It's a lovely country full of lovely people and I'm sure you'll be very happy there.

Where in NZ are you?
Ditto here; congratulations, and North Island or South Island?
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8mileshigher
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Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by 8mileshigher »

wmthor wrote: Any New Zealand Rickenbacker Confluence in the works?
I think CJ's collection of Basses and Console Steels arriving in New Zealand almost single-handedly creates a Confluence, or at minimum, half-a-Confluence :mrgreen: :wink:

We wish you and your family all the best, CJ ! That is quite an undertaking to move half-way around the world and start a new career and life :!:
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Re: Greetings From Middle Earth

Post by cjj »

South Island, Christchurch. Middle of the "war zone." Yeah, it's still a huge mess from the 2011 earthquake...
:(
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And that's just a TINY sampling. The central city is kind of like that all over. A lot of other areas are similar, what didn't fall down has containers stacked up beside it to keep it from filling the streets if is does come down.

I'm gonna miss Montana. NZ is a lot like MT, but Montana is nearly 50% larger than NZ yet has only 1 million people compared to NZ's 4.4 million. So, there are a LOT more people here (people here seem to think the entire US is like NYC or LA, and can't conceive of anyone thinking NZ is "crowded" :roll: :lol: ). And of course, Christchurch has a population around 350,000, 3 times bigger than anything in MT, so to me it's a bit of a shock being in such a large city.

As far as cities go, the cities here are pretty much like a lot of other places (only they drive on the "wrong" side of the road! :lol: ). You really have no sense of being in a place of extreme beauty being in a city. Of course, Billings Montana ain't exactly what they put on all of those calendars showing the beautiful Montana scenery either.

But it's not a long drive to get to "totally awesome" either. I haven't really had a chance to do a lot of exploring yet, mostly just trying to find a place to live (which is tough because there are still huge sections of the city where people's houses have been destroyed and have yet to be rebuilt. Some areas aren't going to be rebuilt either, they deemed the ground too unstable to live on in case of future quakes), and figuring out the new job.

Things will get better once my wife gets here, which won't be until the end of July. Then we'll do some proper exploring and find all the fun places to go and things to see...
I have NO idea what to do with those skinny stringed things... I'm just a bass player...
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