To say that my last two weeks, first in Ann Arbor, MI, and then in Cleveland, OH, have been eventful would be lying. Saying that my stay has been uneventful would be a lie too.
That's me - always in the middle.
It was nice being in Ann Arbor again. I didn't remember much from 10 years ago, but I stayed with some awesome family friends, had my all-time favorite pretzels at Briarwood Mall, drove past my old middle school, Tappan, and went kayaking on the Huron River. I also watched movies at the rate of 1/day, and slept an average of 10-11 hours daily.
I was also glad I escaped the thunderstorms and the cold, danky weather in Texas just in time. I never thought I could enjoy un-overcast skies, but the sunshine in Michigan was perfect.
Cleveland - Cleveland - Cleveland.
The city is not a pedestrian's best friend. Especially a pedestrian who walks without a map.
I think I could write a thesis on the Art of Getting Lost in Cleveland.
On my first day at work, I stood on the wrong side of the street, and took the wrong bus. By the time I found my way to the right stop, and taken the right bus to the next stop, I'd already missed the transfer bus. Fortunately I still made it to work in time. On my way back that day, I made the same mistake, at a different intersection. I reached my place after 8pm - 3 hours after I'd started. The buses have been nicer to me since then, and most of the bus drivers recognize me now. One of them, who'd been driving the unfortunate bus that I was on for 1.5 hours my first day, saw me yesterday, and announced gleefully - "I see you're not getting lost anymore!"
I still get lost everytime I go running. The streets in Cleveland are wickedly tricky. You think you're walking in a rectangle, when in fact, you're walking in a hexagon, an octagon, or a triangle. You may be walking down some street A, and pass another street B. A couple of blocks down, you'll see the same street B again. Last week, I was nowhere being close to where I started, and was wandering around in the dark. It was just after sunset. Fortunately for me, my friend Ankita - in Austin -called, and then looked up my location on Google Maps. She then guided me home.
It was the story of the week. I am so thankful for technology. And google. And friends who call me while taking a break from their dull lab reports.
Work's been good so far. Eye-opening and rather cool. The NASA Glenn Research Center is not the most glamorous place in the world, but people do a fair amount of good work there. I met some people who have been at that center for 40 years. It's a staggering thought, because I'll probably have retired in 40 years, from work or life. I share my office with my mentor and another co-worker. The last corner in the room is the snack-shack, stocked with ginger ale and root beer and diet sunkist (hooray!), and a 4 lb-box of twizzlers. Life couldn't get any better.
I'm starting to get the hang of apartment living too. Renting a room in an apartment with two crazy dogs and their sweet owner is not a bad deal. Cooking has been interesting, but I'll have to document that later. My cooking hasn't killed me yet - so that's definitely a good sign.
