I haven't had a problem with the first word not showing up/typing. But I use the Full Qwerty layout (don't know if it is based on keyboard or not). I think we have all had the freeze up a little while typing, but that isn't this rom. It seems to be plaguing a lot of the newer roms. A small price to pay for something with this level of performance.
Give the reflash a try and let us know how it works.
