AlbertLiang.net — Blog

I have to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to (1) wait until the end of the day and (2) wait until something super-significant happens. (Hah, did you catch that? I’m usually posting insignificant things.)

I think one of the most comforting/fun new things I’ve done in Ann Arbor so far is webcam-ing. I know it’s not really new technology, but I finally have a built-in web cam on my computer. I used to hate lugging an extra piece of USB thingy around, so I never used webcam. Plus, it seriously helps ease the “I miss Carol”-syndrome. If you try to webcam me, though, you’ll probably be greeted by this guy first:

That’s French Fry, and he’s the only stuffed animal I have up here with me at Ann Arbor so far. (Yes, “so far” — cuz I’m sissy like that.)

Yesterday was my first time going to Meijer [pronounced "Myer"] (the local big grocery store chain around here). It’s a lot like… well, Wegmans for your East-Coasters, and Kroger-ish (larger than Kroger?) for Mid-Westerners. The prices are cheaper (comparable/cheaper than Houston Krogers) but the quality is only medium. Well, not terrible, either. Medium-high?

Today was my first real venture outside of the apartment and onto campus. The weather was gorgeous (as usual, as it has been the past 2 days that I’ve been here). It’s around 60′s and sunny-blue-skies during the day, and drops into the 50′s and clear-I-can-see-the-stars-skies during the night.

I took pictures of green things, because I predict with the imminent winter freeze coming in a few months, this will be a rare and precious sight:

I went to go visit some professor/advisors and along the way saw this posted on the IT guy’s door:

Took the UM blue shuttle (free!) for the first time. I did the newbie thing and told the bus driver which stop I want to go to so she could tell me when to get off the bus. (Oh well, I got nothing to lose by being a newb in Ann Arbor right now… I think being a PhD newb is slightly cooler than being a freshman newblet?)

On the way, I watched a helicopter land at the UM medical center:

Wandered through their “downtown”, spent about an hour in the AT&T store debating if it was worth renewing my contract and buying a $100 phone (Samsung Impression), ended up not getting it (or I would definitely be blogging about that right now), and settled into a nearby Biggby’s Coffee to work for the rest of the afternoon. It’s a really big coffee chain in Michigan, so perhaps I should change from my “generic corporate ways” (i.e. Starbucks) and start getting more “local”.

This one’s called the Teddy Bear. It’s caramel and white chocolate and delicious:

And now I’m off to a “pre-orientation happy hour” for BME PhDs. =D

I’m loving life over here right now. Except that doesn’t stop me from missing my girlfriend like every other hour of the day.