Chaar Hafte Attahis Din...

Four weeks ago I was still in my ever blissful state of happy laziness that I thought I would never have to give up. I was in control of the pace at which I wanted things to go. I did not own a car and walked to school everyday having not bought a bus-pass in a frugal attempt to save money. I did not mind walking to school. That would be one of the best parts if the day. And then things just went crazy with just the sheer pace at which it happened. I got an offer I could not refuse and to take up that offer I had to leave good old Minneapolis and swap for Cleveland. I decided that the best way to get there would be to road-trip. It was about 800 miles. Now to road-trip I realized I needed a car. I started looking for good deals on second hand cars in the midst of trying to wrap up my work at school. I looked at one car and decided I wasn’t looking at deals anymore. I heard this dialogue in one of the crappiest movies of the summer –Transformers… “You don’t choose your car She chooses you”… that seemed so true in this case. I have been cribbing in my previous posts about having been forced to grow up… these four weeks have had me do more adult ( not XXX I would wish though).. things than ever. Heck I found myself not only planning how I was to get to Cleveland but also how to finance my car… boy was she worth all the trouble of growing up though..:) ..



Now that I had my vahanam as the D-day arrived I got most of my work wrapped in Minneapolis ( whatever little I had left K was gracious enuf to take on for me which is extremely well appreciated..:) ]. I put all of my stuff into thy new and shiny ride and bid adieu to friends so supportive I am sure I will not ever find.

And so started my journey… a foray into the unknown. The road trip was different this time because I was doing it alone this time around. It felt strange. Here how I did the 800 odd miles…

I drove to Preoria in Illinois where an old friend H had moved to in the past few months.



I spent Saturday catching up with him and driving him crazy with my HP mania. I bought HP7 and the bugger read the last page and threatened to spoil the ending.. an ending I had frankly been waiting for all of these four years since the HP bug bit me. So I used all of my vile resources in cheating him with some arbit sentimentality I somehow managed to stop him from revealing the end..( though I am sure he wouldn’t have done so even else..:)]. It was nice to catch up with him.

And then on a sunny Sunday morning I bid him adieu and started on the second leg as



As I reached Cleveland I had been of the mind that all I would have to do is look at three places that I had found on the net and move in and get settled. I was in for a shock that I did not like any of the places. It was Sunday evening and I was joining work the next day. I kicked my self for not having a plan B. Finally I found myself in a motel for the night. Now I had been warned by many that Cleveland is a ghetto place and not crime free. For some reason I could not believe it to be as bad as what it was portrayed as till I drove around looking for apartments! At one place when I was talking to a realtor that I was new to the place and how was the neighborhood he replied,” since I am renting out this place I cannot comment on the neighborhood… all I can say is that if any of my tenants have had a problem the police have bene at hand within 10 minutes”. Boy that sure psyched me out!! On top of all that I was cash strapped as well putting almost all of my life savings in getting there. Thankfully before the Super8 motel made me file for bankruptcy I found the place I knew I wanted to reside at…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaker_Heights,_Ohio

In the mean time I have also started working. Something that I have managed not to do all my life I suddenly found myself thrown into. All I can say is a clichéd… Life is full of surprises!