Braid questions

[66KingFisher]

After many years of using nothing but mono, I decided to try some braid on my primary baitcaster,so I purchased a pony spool of Spiderwire EZbraid 50#........First thing I noticed as I loaded my reel, was the line felt like it was wax coated or something and would even hold its shape if I wrapped it around my finger. So right off the bat, my first question is, "Does this stuff loosen up after its been in the water for a while or what"? I'm gonna give it a try this weekend so we'll see how it acts but I was wondering if I should expect some sort of "break in" period?

Also,the box had a notation that said I should use the Palomar knot for best performance.........Well, i've been tying the same knot for 30+ years and its not a palomar......Should I change my knot tying habits now that i've switched to braid? I have been practicing the Uni to Uni knot so I could tie on a mono or floro leader.....I think thats the knot of choice for joining two same diameter lines right?