Car in A2 !?

So much to write, so little time! Well, I probably did have some time, but I have been out of condition for a week or so…

So, for that reason, I will go back to the beginning of this week to tell you how inconvenient it is to have a car in A2!!!


On Monday night, I watched a DVD with my classmates (eating pizza), and because it took until late, my professor gave me (+ another classmate) a ride. It was a great help for me since it was raining, but I was surprised when I heard that she paid about $500 (I forgot exact price... It may be $600) to the Univ. for parking per year... In spite of her payment, the prof. sometimes has trouble finding a parking spot. I should have prepared for my next day's parking when I heard this...

On Tuesday morning, I went to school by my roommate’s car because I had been asked to pick her up at the airport after school (She had been in her country for some days). I parked the car in the center of the central campus, in front of Sushi.come, 10 minutes before my class started. I got out of the car and fed the parking meter. It said "15 minutes for a quarter," so I should get 90 minutes for $1.5 (6 quarters), right? Was I wrong? ...Yes, I was wrong! The meter seemed to be satisfied with only 2 quarters and stopped adding the minutes at 00:30 (30 minutes) even though I fed 4 or 5 quarters! After a while, I noticed that there was another sentence under "15 minutes for a quarter" saying "No more than 30 minutes" (What the heck ).

I however knew it was the only spot I could find around there. The class I was about to attend was very small and there would be a guest speaker on the day; it meant I would not be able to run back and forth between the classroom and the car to feed the meter every 30 minutes. I got the car started and left there to find a new spot: After all, I couldn't find it.

The big reason why I could not find a spot might be that I didn't usually drive, so I cannot insist that having a car in A2 (around our campus, to be exact) is a very bad idea. Since big grocery stores such as Kroger and Meijer are not so close to campus (20-30 minutes by bus from central campus), your grocery shopping must become easier with a car. HOWEVER, keep in mind that parking charges are not cheap around campus, including residential areas, and looking for a parking spot is so stressful!!

Then, what should we do? One of my friends comes to school by bus even though he has a car; it may be a smart choice. Or you don't even need a car (I don't ). The prof. said the Univ. didn't pay for faculties' parking because they recommended university members, including students and faculties, to use buses saying that we could ride both the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) buses (city bus) and the U-M buses, aka the Blue Bus (operated by the Univ.), for free. I actually know some faculties (and many students) who do not own a car. Although taking the bus is not super convenient and comfortable, I think these bus services are good enough to be used in everyday life; JFYI, the Blue Bus operates every 5-20 minutes from about 7am to 3am (completely depends on the route: See the link for more details). In addition to the buses, the Univ. and the AATA offer free or inexpensive($5) shared-ride taxi services during nighttime hours (See this link). I used the free ride home service last night! I will write about these bus & taxi services in the near future

BTW, I got a call from my roommate just after I started to the airport saying that her friend would be able to pick her up

Link: ･ University of Michigan Parking & Transportation Services
･ Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA)

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Squirrels

Average temperature in Ann Arbor:

Oct. 8th - 74°F
　　↓
Oct. 10th - 48°F　　　[Data from AccuWeather.com]

W-What's this gap!? 8O

It was 34 degrees last night... It's getting so cold these days... :mrgreen:

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The M in Ann Arbor

I just came back from school and noticed I had dressed "nicely" today: I had been wearing half pants and odd socks all day long!! (It's too late...)

After I moved, I had been very busy with this and that: Detroit, Canada, training for the new employee (in Japan), new semester, and Chicago... Well, I think I got a lot of interesting stories to tell during the few weeks of storm (I did not have any time to write a new blog entry though... :roll: ) I will talk about these stories after I organize the information ◎



OK, I write on an easy topic today - Ｍ.

We see many Ms inside and around the Umich campus. What do I mean by "M"? In Ann Arbor, the letter M is... how do I say... the symbol of the University of Michigan. The Block M, painted maize (One of our two school colors!! Another one is blue.), is the most often-used Umich logo and "one of the most widely recognized marks in the country" (quoted from U-M Trademark Guidelines by the University of Michigan Identity Guidelines ). You can see some versions of the Umich logo, including the Block M, by clicking on the first link above (or this one → U-M Trademark Guidelines) and scrolling down to the middle.

The Block M is utilized widely: For example, on the top of the Umich Web site, as a design of university items, and in the flags around the campus. It is also used by University programs, Institutes, Departments, and Units for identification. When I first came to A2, I saw these Ms and felt a sense of affinity with Umich because my last name begins with M (silly...)

I was impressed by M the other day: I was using a computer in Engineering Library and saw The College of Engineering logo (on the top of the linked page). It's seemingly the normal Block M, which is just shaded. The shadow, however, forms the letter "E," which represents Michigan Engineering!!! 8O Wow, who came up with this idea!? Wonderful... I could not get the info. about who made it, but I found the following quotation from CoE (College of Engineering) Web site.

This three dimensional form symbolizes the science of engineering, implying shape, form, light, and transformation - the transformation of scientific knowledge into practical use, of student into engineer, and the possibilities into reality.

― quoted from CoE Logo Downloads by College of Engineering, University of Michigan　―

Hmmm, this small logo implies so many meanings... lovely :oops:

By the way, the seal is different from these logos. (see The Seals of the University of Michigan in Bentley Historical Library Web page).

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Moooooving...

I had been really really struggling to find a new place to live, and FINALLY found it 2 days before the expiration of the term of the contract with my current landlords!! I somehow ended up living on north campus taking the classes on central campus...
Every house owner hated making 4-month contracts, so there was no place for me to go... Needless to say, no property satisfied both of two conditions important for me: the price and the distance from the school. So, I decided to choose the cheapness and give up the distance :( Well, maybe this is a good chance to know the north campus area, I think...

Oh yea, I will go school by bus every morning at 8:30!!!! I will be trained as a morning person :P Good, ha?

I get an Indian roommate, who works at the university hospital. She is my, at least, 12th roommate, and would be my last roommate in the U.S. She is kind enough to hold my stuffs by the time I can move into there: So I rented a car and moved all my stuffs today. This was the first time for me to rent a car. I was charged extra fee because
I was 21 years old (under 25) :(

(↑the car I rented)

My room is now empty... I reminded the time I first moved into here. I was too tired to unpack and slept being buried in my stuffs. Today, I leave the keys on the desk and probably never come back to this room... omg, how time flies!?

Thank you!

&

... Good bye :)

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My APT

I mentioned on the "how to read" page that I lived in one of the many historic districts in Ann Arbor. This is the picture of my apartment. Looks nice, ha? I love this apartment although there is no access to kitchen and we have to share 2 bathrooms with 9 people...

 

Why do I love this APT? Because the building is quaint, the room is not too big (I love small spaces), the landlords (they are brothers) are very nice, and the rent is cheap! (Whenever I answer my friends' question "How much is your rent?" their eyes pop out with astonishment ;) )

 

Well... when I was trying to find a place to live, I was only focusing on the price and the distance from the place to the school: I am spending my parents' money, so I need to save money as much as I can. I, in a fashion, wondered if I could live without kitchen, but decided to go for it because this APT was perfect in terms of the price and the distance. Now, I think my decision was right. Indeed it is hard to cook and do the dish with the tiny small sink in the bathroom, but I can still cook with my slow cooker and microwave. Most importantly, I have enjoyed the life in this historic district! Unlike a condo in a big city, this old building let me feel like time crawls along. I could have a quiet neighborhood, lovely nature around the building, and the hearty landlords, who are easy to approach (and do maintenance well). What else do I want?

 

Sadly, I need to move out from here soon because I am graduating in this Dec. and they only accept 1-year contract beginning from Sep... I am, however, glad that I have lived this APT :)

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