The Gospel According to Amy

Amy Grude and the Case of the Missing Glasses

When my glasses first failed to appear in their normal location yesterday, I was slightly annoyed by their lack of consideration for my needs, but not that worried about it. Today, after searching every logical location (and some illogical ones) in my small apartment, I'm a bit worried. The glasses are new (as of January.) They are Fendi. The frames and lenses together cost more than my iPhone. Generally I have no desire for designer frames or logos, but I had a large chunk of use-it-or-lose-it money in my Flex Spending Account from work at the end of 2007 and so didn't hesitate when the frames I like best turned out to be more than my food budget for the month. I could never afford glasses like these on a normal occasion, so they are irreplaceable. Of course I shouldn't have to replace something that is somewhere in my apartment, right? Each night I get in bed and put my glasses on the nightstand. In the morning, I put the glasses on as I get out of bed. This process goes quite swimmingly and generally doesn't require much conscious thought, which is part of the problem today. Did I take the glasses off and put them on the nightstand before bed? I have no idea. And if I didn't do that, I have no idea what I did instead. To get to the bottom of this mystery, I've composed a list of the most likely scenarios:

I knocked the glasses off the nightstand while I was sleeping. This seems perfectly plausible. The only problem is, I've looked everywhere around my bed, even taking apart the bedding. No cigar.

I (somehow) flung the glasses off my nightstand while I was sleeping. I guess this is plausible. I could expand my search area in the apartment to behind the futon or something.

I set them down somewhere before going to the bed. The only likely place for this is the bathroom where I wash my face, but they aren't in my normal "glasses setting" place in the bathroom (or anywhere in the bathroom that I can tell). It's not all that likely that I was walking around without my glasses in the evening because although I can be kind of spacey, I definitely notice being half blind.

I got up in the morning to shut off my alarm and did something with them. I do sometimes put on my glasses when I get up to hit snooze on my alarm clock, but the only place I go before returning to bed is my desk, and they aren't there.

I did something with them while sleepwalking. I don't think I sleepwalk, but if this is the case I guess they could be anywhere. I do often get up and shut off my alarm clock and have no memory of it later, but that phenomenon seems to be related to silencing loud beeping noises.

Aliens. The Aliens had no comment.

Someone broke into my apartment while I was sleeping and stole them. This seems pretty unlikely. I mean, I'm sure people have seen my fantastic glasses and wanted to get their grubby little hands on them (okay, probably not) but considering that my upstairs neighbor's cat wakes me up at night I don't think I'd sleep through a burglary.

Aside from Aliens, most of these scenarios keep the glasses actually in my apartment. I'm sure the nightstand has something to do with this, but right now it's feigning ignorance. I've been wearing contacts for the last two days but my face looks lost and naked. The mystery lives on.

Grocery Game

The shelf price of my groceries today was $127.52. I paid $45.74. This is all thanks to a website I joined called The Grocery Game. The basic premise is that you buy things at the right time, combining store sales and coupons, such that you pay rock bottom prices at the grocery store. You stock up on things you don't need now, but will use in the future so that you don't have to buy it when you need it and it's more expensive. So far, it's been well worth the $1.25/week it costs to be a member, and the $1/week I'm paying to get the newspaper (containing the coupons) delivered to my apartment. After just a few weeks of "playing" my freezer and cabinets are almost overflowing and I've paid less for groceries than I ever did before. If you're willing to put in the time to collect and organize coupons and figure out some general strategery, I highly recommend trying it out.

Into SF, Out of SF

I guess I started neglecting this thing at towards the end of my trip. Anyway, I got into San Francisco just fine and overall had a very good drive out here. A nice rock to the windshield was the biggest car problem I faced, thankfully. I've been staying with Thompson since I got here (for about the last week) and on Friday found a place to sublet for 2 months. The place is on Steiner, a block and half from Alamo Square and the Painted Ladies. I'll be able to move in starting July 1, though I have already moved my things into the place. (The people I'm subletting from are very nice.) Thompson is probably getting sick of me by now, but I've had a good time going to the pride parade, a giants game, eating some delicious bbq, and having dinner with Noor. I'm leaving in a few hours for Michigan (arriving Thursday morning) and will then drive to Chicago for P & K's engagment party. I'll be back in Michigan from Sunday to Tuesday, and then Back to SF Tuesday evening.

Disjointed thoughts on Day 6

Day 6 Pictures I had no idea that by driving from Montana into the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone I'd be driving on Beartooth Highway up the side of a mountain. It was breathtaking and amazing and I was scared to death on all those sharp turns on the edges of cliffs. I wanted to see a Moose in the parks, but did not see a Moose. Even though the number of signs warning you that there may be a Moose on the road make it seem like you are surely going to see a Moose on the road. I think they should take those signs down, because it gives people false hopes. I also did not see a bear. :( Yellowstone is Big. Bigger than I ever imagined. It took 20 to 30 minutes just to drive from any one thing to any other thing. Of course, the drive was beautiful. I wondered where the people who work in the park live, since it could take hours to get into the middle and there are very few towns near the park edges. Jones says they live right in the park, which makes sense. But might make for a boring night life. While driving through Yellowstone, I expended a lot of energy to get around a train of about 4 slow moving vehicles that were not pulling over to let other cars pass (as you are supposed to, and there are pulloff spots created just for this purpose). At one point I stopped to take a picture and a couple minutes later they all drove right by. I gave up. Driving today was mentally exhausting. 95% of the drive was through mountains and hills and curves and inclines or declines, and you really have to pay attention to that stuff. Didn't turn on the cruise control once.

Road Trip Days 4 & 5

Pictures Day 4 Pictures Day 5 Day 4 of the trip was pretty all around amazing. I drove west through South Dakota into the Badlands, stopping to take some pictures and do a little hiking. The Badlands are vast and beautiful and lonely, and the pictures don't do them justice. The one disappointment of the day was a sign for "Ghost Town" along the way which made me really excited. I got off at the exit and THERE WAS NO GHOST TOWN. It was some creepy little rock & souvenir shop named "Ghost Town." Bastards! You know they try to trick people on purpose. Today, Day 5, I continued to add to my collection of National Park/Monument brochures, visiting Devils Tower in Wyoming and Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana. I'm currently in Billings, Montana, and am getting up super early in the morning to drive the 2 hours to Yellowstone.

Road Trip Days 2 & 3

Day 2 Pictures Day 3 Pictures On Day 2, I travelled from the west side of the UP up through Northern Wisconsin and Northern Minnesota, stopping just east of Fargo, ND. Although the weather and scenery were both beautiful, the highlight of my day was stopping at the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth, MN. It was much smaller and less manicured than the Toledo Zoo but had one animal the Toledo Zoo doesn't: a Slow Loris, my new best friend. He was cute, and came right up to me against the glass and stayed there for as long as I stayed. I wanted to take him home. On Day 3 I drove into Fargo, ND and then headed south to Sioux Falls, SD with a quick little side trip into Iowa. It was a pretty dismal day, raining almost the entire time I was driving. I was also on main highways for the first time on a lot of flat flat land, so it was also quite boring. I did end up in Mitchell, SD home of the OMG CORN PALACE!!!!! which was the only moderately interesting part of the day. (see Pictures)

Road Trip Day 1

Flickr Pictures Yesterday morning, I began heading North to Mackinaw City. I hadn't anticipated just how hard it was gong to be to leave home and spent a good deal of the morning thinking about going back for a little while. However, I know that although it will continue to be hard, I'm doing the right thing for me at this point in my life and career. The drive through the Northern part of the lower Michigan and all of the UP was gorgeous. Route 2, which runs through the UP along the North side of Lake Michigan is a very nice drive, despite being mostly a two-lane road. There wasn't much traffic at all, and plenty of scenery to enjoy. All of the towns I've passed through up here are tiny, and there isn't a cell phone signal (for Sprint anyway) to be found. Along the way I stopped and saw a lighthouse in Mackinaw City, but did not see the Haunted Lighthouse in the UP. It didn't come up as an "attraction" on my GPS, and although I saw a sign saying "we have a lighthouse here" (or something) I didn't catch any directions to it. So... no haunted lighthouse. However, after touring the other lighthouse, I can't imagine that it's all that different. I would be getting a late start today, but I'm in the Central time zone now and it's an hour earlier. Thanks, time zones. Thanks to everyone for their comments and well wishes yesterday! I've started thinking about how we need to get Sylvie to move back to California. :)

Onward to San Francisco!

Tomorrow morning I begin my journey from Petersburg, MI to San Francisco, CA, and the next stage of life. The last two weeks have been a blur of packing and hauling and sorting and throwing away and drinking and saying goodbye. The reality of some things that should have been obvious but weren't at the forefront of my mind hit me on occasion. For example, I just realized today that I wasn't going to see my sister or our dog for quite a while. Small changes are hard for me, and big changes are really really hard, but I really can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing with my life at this point. (Other than being insanely rich and riding rollercoasters all day without waiting in line.) I'm driving cross country, taking me time, and seeing the sights. If you are interested, my current plan (subject to change based on my whims) is below. Day 1 Monday Petersburg, MI to Mackinaw City to Iron Mountain, MI. I'm driving up through the UP (roundabout, I know) and stopping to see lighthouses along the way. Including a haunted one. Day 2 Tuesday Iron Mountain, MI to Effie, MN to Grand Rapids, MN. I'll drive through Northern Wisconsin on the way to a supposedly gorgeous scenic byway. Day 3 Wednesday Grand Rapids, MN to Fargo, ND to Sioux Falls, SD with a real quick trip into Iowa. Just to say I've been to Fargo. And Iowa. Day 4 Thursday Sioux Falls SD to Badlands National Park to Mt. Rushmore. I'll do some hiking in the badlands along the way. Day 5 Friday Mt. Rushmore (Keystone, SD) to Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana to Yellowstone. I needed to find something interesting in Southern Montana. Day 6 Saturday Spend the day at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Day 7 Sunday Tetons to Salt Lake City to Ely, NV. I want to at least dip a toe in the Great Salt Lake. Day 8 Monday Ely, NV to Lake Tahoe. I'll take the loneliest road in America, Route 50. There's a ghost town in a small park along the way I'd like to see. Day 9 Tuesday Tahoe to San Francisco. I imagine I'll be bored during the evenings and will blog about my trip as I go. Also, I'll be posting photos at Flickr.

Change

It's that time again when big life changes are on the horizon and I'll be leaving my comfortable little nest here in Ann Arbor for the unknown. I'm not particularly a fan of things I like going away, so also watching my friends from grad school begin to spread out across the country is difficult and sad. It's going to be a rough couple of weeks for me as the "this is the last time I will __________ with _________" thoughts will be running rampant.

The Future

As of two days ago, I now have official plans for next year. I'll be doing user experience engineering at VMware in Palo Alto. (Along with my frequent group member and sparring partner.) Though I don't have a timeline for moving yet, I'm pretty excited about it!