Thanks for the advice. I wanted to roll the seed but my yard man didn't have a roller and didn't want to rent one and said it was unnecessary. I wanted to go on and get it done rather than argue with him, so it wasn't rolled. Though he cut the dead grass low and bagged it, there is still a lot of brown grass (or rather dead weeds) out there. At least that should help keep the seeds from washing in rainstorms. He aerated so the dirt has been worked up by that. I will use the hose rather than sprinklers until it gets going. Is the Shower setting okay or should I use Mist? Another question: Some seed was probably sown in the mulched areas next to the lawn. What's the best way to get new grass out of the mulch? Would running a hoe through new grass in the mulch get rid of it? I need to redo the little ditch between the mulch and the lawn. Probably better to do that after the grass is growing good, right? Otherwise I may be throwing more seed into the mulch as I cut the edges of the lawn.

It sounds like your yard guy is a little on the lazy and sloppy side. Since he did not roll it, you should walk over every square inch of it. Your feed provide the perfect amount of pressure for the seed to contact the soil. You can do this until the new grass shoots appear. After that you risk breaking them off in their tender state.

Yes a hoe would work in the mulch. And don't water in the mulch. Mulch is self watering, so just don't add to it with your hose.

Since it's okay to walk on the seeds until they sprout, what I'm doing now is walking back and forth and then up and down with the hose pointed straight down in front of me, moving it back and forth and walking slowly. I'm using Shower as Mist doesn't seem to put out as much water. I'm mashing plugs as I walk along. I wonder if this is enough water for a watering, each area essentially getting two swipes with the hose.

Sounds like plenty of water. All you have to do is keep the surface moist so the seed can swell and germinate.

As noted, its important to keep the newly seeded lawn on the moist side so, depending on the weather and the amount of heat put out by the sun, it may be necessary to sprinkle more than once....or twice during the day....rain notwithstanding.
Try not to water late in the evening so the wet grass doesn't bring about mildew over night.

This morning I rented a roller and rolled the lawn. It fit in the trunk of my car and though the trunk couldn't close, they tied it down. Even though I filled it up all the way, it wasn't too heavy for me to manage. It did a great job of mashing up the plugs of dirt and I feel better about the seed having good soil contact. For anyone else out there thinking about doing some rolling, it's easier to pull than to push and it's easier to go across hills than up and down them. Today is two days after the seed was planted but there is no germination yet. Cost was only $15.

I've been going nuts with the watering. My soil is sandy so it needs a lot (at least I think it does.) I water it every time it looks a little dry, but I try to avoid letting it puddle. 6 days after seeding and shoots are sprouting up! :-) im concerned about the walking now, guess ill just tread lightly