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It is never easy moving to a new town.
If you have ever had to make the transition you know it can take months, if not years, to find your way around, be able to navigate by even the most popular of local landmarks and in my case, accurately spell the names of neighboring towns.
In case you didn't notice — we had Newburg spelled wrong on the front page of Monday's edition. An embarrassing mistake that I apologize for not catching. A mistake that isn't likely to happen in the future thanks to a sticky note on my computer monitor that reads N-E-W-B-U-R-G —right next to the one reminding me of the official name of the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
After living in Rolla for about six weeks (one of which was spent circling a roundabout) I am slowly learning the ins and outs of the town. I’ve had my first ‘Slice of Pie,’ lunch at Maid Rite and am getting acquainted with the who’s who of the greater Rolla area.
I haven't had to use my GPS in days, a feat I consider quite impressive considering the difficulty I've experienced trying to navigate the city. To be fair, I’m not all that great with directions to begin with.
The layout of the city seems easy enough until you get to a road that looks like it should be a through street and find it is a dead end, or that it suddenly turns into a one-way (I’m looking at you Pine Street).
A street should only be turned into a one-way if it isn’t wide enough to support two lanes of traffic. Rolla streets are wide enough to allow two lanes of traffic and a freight train to pass without danger of hitting each other.
Unless someone can explain to me otherwise, I am going to continue my assumption it is part of a master plan by the Rolla Chamber of Commerce to increase local business revenue. Those new to or visiting the area get lost in the maze of one-ways and end up giving themselves a grand tour of the city. It isn’t a bad business plan, really.
The only thing more confusing than the one-way streets are the roundabouts.
I’ve spent more than my fair share of time circling them, trying to figure out which exit I want to take, and more than once I ended up at the Furniture Factory Outlet while trying to find my way onto Interstate 44. I know Mayor Jenks is big on the traffic control devices, but when you are learning the layout of the city, they can be a nightmare. In time, I’m sure I’ll learn to love them.
It is never easy moving to a new town.
If you have ever had to make the transition you know it can take months, if not years, to find your way around, be able to navigate by even the most popular of local landmarks and in my case, accurately spell the names of neighboring towns.
In case you didn't notice — we had Newburg spelled wrong on the front page of Monday's edition. An embarrassing mistake that I apologize for not catching. A mistake that isn't likely to happen in the future thanks to a sticky note on my computer monitor that reads N-E-W-B-U-R-G —right next to the one reminding me of the official name of the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
After living in Rolla for about six weeks (one of which was spent circling a roundabout) I am slowly learning the ins and outs of the town. I’ve had my first ‘Slice of Pie,’ lunch at Maid Rite and am getting acquainted with the who’s who of the greater Rolla area.
I haven't had to use my GPS in days, a feat I consider quite impressive considering the difficulty I've experienced trying to navigate the city. To be fair, I’m not all that great with directions to begin with.
The layout of the city seems easy enough until you get to a road that looks like it should be a through street and find it is a dead end, or that it suddenly turns into a one-way (I’m looking at you Pine Street).
A street should only be turned into a one-way if it isn’t wide enough to support two lanes of traffic. Rolla streets are wide enough to allow two lanes of traffic and a freight train to pass without danger of hitting each other.
Unless someone can explain to me otherwise, I am going to continue my assumption it is part of a master plan by the Rolla Chamber of Commerce to increase local business revenue. Those new to or visiting the area get lost in the maze of one-ways and end up giving themselves a grand tour of the city. It isn’t a bad business plan, really.
The only thing more confusing than the one-way streets are the roundabouts.
I’ve spent more than my fair share of time circling them, trying to figure out which exit I want to take, and more than once I ended up at the Furniture Factory Outlet while trying to find my way onto Interstate 44. I know Mayor Jenks is big on the traffic control devices, but when you are learning the layout of the city, they can be a nightmare. In time, I’m sure I’ll learn to love them.
Speaking of furniture
All the furniture stayed with my roommate in New York, and I haven’t gotten around to buying new, which has left me with the distinct feeling I am camping in my own home. Until about a week or so, I had been getting along well without a bed, thanks to my Christmas present from my parents, a double-high air mattress.
As I was drifting to sleep one Friday night, I couldn’t help but think how comfortable the air bed was.
The next morning I woke up on the floor.
Fortunately my parents got the extended warranty as part of the gift — unfortunately that doesn't kick in till March, after the manufacturer’s warranty is up.
I try to call the manufacturer, but thanks to my dyslexia, I got the numbers messed up and end up dialing an adult phone line. On try two I get ahold of the manufacturer's answering machine — they still haven’t returned my call.
Now I'm getting text messages from 900 numbers with x-rated proposals. I'm considering texting them back to see if they have a bed I can borrow for a few days.
On second thought, I'll sleep on the floor.
Lynn Brennan, the directionally-challenged editor of the Rolla Daily News, can be reached atLynnBrennan@therolladailynews.com
