just me and an ironing board.

I arrived in Ann Arbor early Friday afternoon and set the land speed record for a laden homo sapien carrying twice his bodyweight into a second floor walk-up. Mother Nature was cooperating, too. It was only 90+ with 70% humidity. So the heat index was the same as my body temperature. Nice.

Nob Hill, my apartment complex (and favorite grocery store back in Silicon Valley), is a charming little place. In other words, I have a half-butt kitchen, pink tile in the bathtub, and no air conditioning. But it's all about location in a crazy college town, and I'm a short walk to the B-school and stumbling distance from the downtown watering holes.

Since I arrived with (almost) nothing, I headed to the local (air-conditioned) Meijer. This place is like Target on Raffy Palmeiro-sized 'roids. Not only did it have the housewares, but groceries, too.

Did I mention that I'm on a severe budget for the next couple of years? So I'm pretty brand-agnostic when it comes to food. Meijer-branded cereal, here I come! Included in the list of generic items I bought yesterday: pickles, salsa, bread, salad dressing, dish soap, hand soap, paper goods, and cheddar cheese. Oh, and cola. So long, Coke.

One final rave about Meijer: Bove's pasta sauce, the best on the planet, is shipped in from Vermont. OK, maybe I can splurge a bit.