WoT's that?

The Wheel of Time resumes today!  Yeppee!

Keepin' Busy

Since I moved to Arizona I have suffered through a completely new environment, lifestyle, climate, job, friends, no family etc. I have kept myself extremely busy to keep my mind off being homesick.  To my surprise, it has worked rather well.  I am now participating in a plethora of activities.  These include: training for a marathon, ballet class, institute, institute choir, ward choir, Chandler Symphony, rock climbing, pool (billiards) and jigsaw puzzles.  Since I've moved here I have put together 4 big puzzles.  I had help on 2.3 of them from my good friend Rachel (visiting from Omaha) but I still think its an amazing feat.  Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures of the first 2.  I have, however, taken pictures of their boxes just so you can see what I've been up to.

 This was the first one I put together and probably the hardest.

 

This one was done with the assistance of my friend Rachel (750 pieces)

Rachel helped sort the pieces. There were 1500 total.

 

This one was the same brand as 2nd one up above.  It was 750 pieces.

And you know a puzzle has satisfied your puzzle crave when you can pick them up!

(Photo courtesy of George)

Hey! At least I don't have a gizzilion cats!  Perhaps I'll make another trip to Wal-mart this coming weekend...

Saving the Planet

In Boulder, alternate energy sources are abundant and you will VERY rarely see someone actually throw anything away that can be recycled.  Cardboard, newpaper, aluminum cans, glass bottles, junk mail, milk cartons, juice containers, and even the cardboard box tampons come in!  You name it, they recycle it!  It not just about recycling.  Its about water and fuel and pollution and open space and so on.  Here in AZ, it seems that the standard thought process is about a decade behind when it comes to preserving our natural resources.  Don't get me wrong; people still think of it. Just not nearly to the degree they do in Boulder.

I have decided not to let the fact that I live in AZ deter me from my Boulderite sense of energy awareness.  So yes, I still recycle.  And yes, as soon as its not 110 when I get off of work, I'll be commuting on bike.  But the most recent decision I have come to, is that I am going to line-dry all my clothes.  I first thought of it when I noticed that you cannot turn on the light in my laundry room without a fan turning on.  I cleverly deducted that the reason behind such mandatory air circulation was because a dryer heats the air you are paying $$$ to cool with A/C.  Hence, the fan to draw out the hot air before it seeps into the rest of the apartment simply to get cooled back down.  My conclusion?  Skip the dryer all together and hang your laundry.  I found a convenient rack that can hold almost a full load  (I don't want my personals hanging off my balcony, anyway) and it collapses nicely to be stored when not in use. (The one I have is similar to this: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11072972)  So yes I'm saving energy, but that's not even the best part!  My clothes dry QUICKER in the AZ summer sun then they do in the dark confines of man-made dryer.  Ironic, eh?

I guess I should mention one thing to AZ's credit. I noticed that my water heater is located outside in the storage closet off my deck.  It makes a perverse sort of sense...  I already miss the snow.

Pushing Through The Pain

Some of you may be privy to this, but others may not be.

I am training for a marathon.

Why on Earth would I ever do such a thing? Well, its simple really. I'm doing it for cancer research. I found a program called Team in Training that trains aspiring athletes while raising money for all types of Blood related cancers.

Check out my website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/pfchangs10/kogilvi0a1

I can honestly say, its not a lot of fun to actually get up at 5:30 AM almost every morning to run just so I can get my mileage in before 1) it gets "hot" (typically its about 80 deg in the mornings) and 2) so I'll have time to cool down so people don't ask me why my face is so red. When I work out, my skin goes from almost translucent white to bright red!

Although, its not fun, I am already starting to see the benefits of running on a consistent basis. My legs are solid muscle and I seem to sleep 9 times better than I ever have in the past.

I am now on my 4th week of training and therefore have worked up to about 4 miles on my long runs. I can only imagine how I'm going to feel once I'm up to 10 or 15 miles. The first mile always sucks, but as my coach says, it does not suck as much as a round of chemo. As long as that holds true, I'll keep running toward the finish line!

p.s. Feel free to contribute to TNT on my website! (Link is above)

Like buttah'

I recently started using my counter-top butter container again. For those of you unaware, a butter container is the second best invention in the history of the world. (The first being the wheel.) It is a porcelain container that keeps your butter fresh at room temperature. You put 1/2 inch of water in the container but the lid is a large enough to mash a stick of butter inside of it. Thus, when you place the lid on the container, the butter is sealed from the air, protecting it from spoiling quickly. Butter at room temperature ALWAYS!!! Its genius! No more cutting little tiny pieces and taking so much time spreading the butter that your toast goes cold before you eat it. S'wonderful!!!

The reason why I said "recently started using, again" is because there is a delicate balance that must be upheld when one lives on their own. You see, although the container offers air-tight protection, nothing can maintain butter indefinately; even the freezer. When I first got my porcelain chassis, I would put an entire stick of butter in the lid. Unfortunately, (and fortunately for my heart) I do not eat a whole stick of butter very quickly. I learned relatively quickly that rotten butter smells almost as bad as rotten fish. Seeing how this is not a scent Victoria's Secret would pick up in its next round of perfumes, I decided to quit using it until a future date when I had a family to help me dispose of the butter in a manner more pleasing to the senses.

When I moved into my new apartment and ran across my porcelain container as I was unpacking boxes, I decided to give it one more shot. This time, I only put in about 1/3 of a stick each time I refilled. It works! I can now get through my butter without the rancid disposal process.

Saved by the Dogs

Moving to a new location means that one has to endure weeks of constant name/face recognition exercises. I don't really mind it. And I'm relatively good at it. (Relative to the majority of the population.) But today as I got home from work I ran into one of my neighbors in my apartment complex. I could remember her dogs' names but I could not remember hers! Krista? Kristina? Kristen? I have no idea. But for some reason I could remember that her little brown chihuahua was Hollywood and her big black Saint Bernard was RockStar. The worst part? She remembered mine! The best part? I think she didn't notice that I didn't know her name since I called out to her dogs. I guess you could say I was saved by the dogs.

First Impressions

I am officially relocated. I will move into my permanent apartment on the 18th. It'll be my very first personally funded apartment.

At work, I've finished the two day corporate training orientation that all new hires are required to take. Now I have a mountain of procedures and documents to read and tons of acronyms to learn. Yeehaa. (Notice my lack of optimism.) One important thing to mention is that the job I was hired for is not the job they put me in. To make a long story short, the program they hired me to work on was called KEI and I was going to be doing work in their Design, Integration and Testing (DI&T) group. Turns out that the KEI program was a defense contract that got canceled a few months back. Unfortunatly, when the contract was canceled, so did my original job position. So rather then resending their offer, I was then moved from DI&T to the Electronics Components group. I'm not complaining since I know some people who don't even have a job yet. It just would have been nice BEFORE arriving.

My new ward is huge! The Relief Society is so big that they can't fit us all in the RS room. We have to meet in the chapel. After the small size of the ward in Colorado and the small branches all around the Denver area, it was kind of a shock. But the biggest difference I've noticed is that the people here aren't as focused on education. Most of the people I've met are either working in a "non-degree required" job or are slowly working toward something indistinguishable at the local community college. There are exceptions of course but its difinitely something that stands out as a difference between a student ward and a singles ward. (That and the "m" and "w" words gets thrown around a lot more here). That being said, I hope I get a calling (soon).

All and all, AZ looks like its going to work out; as long as the summers don't diminish me into a smelly pile of goo.

Love to you all.

I get an "F" in Making Decisions

How come every time I go to the fabric store to make an article of clothing I come out empty handed? I mean EVERY TIME!

I haven't been able to choose out any fabric and a pattern to accompany it for at least the last 5 times I've decided I wanted to make something. There are too many choices! (Ok, I admit, I can pick out patterns...) My philosophy has been that if I'm going to go to the trouble of making something, it has to end up being one of my top 3 favorite things in my closet. Its too much pressure!!!!!

Picture Time!

Here are the pictures I promised. The video will be compiled once I have the DVD NASA promised us!

The team as Kristian presented our Test Readiness Review.


Boarding the flight!
I was extremely excited!

Kristian, myself and our experiment as we were climbing to altitude.


I believe this was on the second parabola.
I honestly don't remember looking at the camera.


This is my favorite shot.
At least, when it comes to my facial expressions.


Getting down to business.


Another shot of the experiment in
the early parabolas...my hair is still up.


I was fascinated with Kristian's inability to keep his feet down.
(He got yelled at for it a lot!)


The crazy mermaid hair!


I'm not sure what the face was all about but its kinda funny.
The girl in the corner was our NASA mentor.


Me having fun floating after checking that cameras were still rolling.


Another experiment pic.


It was fun to just let your arms float!


Kristian with his feet up... AGAIN!


Kristian with his feet down.
ITS A MIRACLE!


No words needed...



This is a shot of another girl on another team
but you can see me in the background having a good time!


I'm having a good time!


Here's a camera shot that gives an idea of the overall cabin size.


Near the end of the flight.
I know this because people are looking out the windows.


A special hello to all my family and friends!


All of the individuals that were on our flight.

Who Said Gravity Never Faileth?

Wow!

Microgravity is awesome!

My first words as I floated toward the top of the cabin for the very first time was "Whoa! Oh, my goodness!"

There is so much to tell and words are not sufficient. I guess I'll start by saying that I don't have any awesome zero G pictures to share with you yet. Why? Because I simply was having so much fun during the zero G segments I forgot. And the only pictures I did remember to take looked like this:



The good news is that NASA had 5-6 people on board whose sole purpose was to take video and still shots of us in zero G. They came by several times and I remember posing for multiple shots. Also, we had Heather from Marshall Space Center taking pictures AND our NASA mentor, Ashley, taking video of just us. I think between all those people, I'm pretty well covered. We'll have access to those pics in the near future at which point I'll post them here. In the mean time, I want to document everything I remember.

We loaded the experiment onto the aircraft yesterday and got everything ready so that all we had to do is climb on board and take off in the morning. I'm reminded of that primary song that goes "Saturday is a special day, its the day we get ready for Sunday..." Although, it was technically a Monday going into Tuesday the premise still holds. So much preparation goes into the flight in the days that lead up to it that everything just can't be done without careful planning! We also were issued our fight suits (with our very own name tags!) and watched (quite possibly) the most cheesy video on avoiding motion sickness. In addition to all that, we had to go through Physiological training last week involving lots of lectures, a Pressure Chamber experience to become acquainted to our own personal symptoms of Hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and pass an exam of that knowledge. The quote I gave Heather to put on the NASA website is:

“The chamber experience was nothing like I've ever experienced before! I could feel my brain become less effective as time went by. Processing information became unimportant to me as I progressed in my symptoms. I was aware that I knew the information that was being asked of me on the worksheet; however, I was unable to make myself focus and retrieve that information. As time continued, I began to care less and less and eventually gave up and stared blankly into space before being told to put my O2 mask back on. My symptoms mostly consisted of dizziness, blue fingernail beds, apathetic attitude and tunnel vision.” - Me

The morning of the flight we got to Ellington Field and attended a few preflight briefings instructing us on aircraft safety, the correct method to vomit into a bag while in zero G and given our motion sickness meds. The meds are so strong that they document who you say your Designated Driver will be for the remainder of the day.

The aircraft itself is the Boeing 727 configured specifically for zero G flight. The rear of the aircraft has about 6-8 rows of regular seating but then the rest of the craft is outfitted with nothing but padded walls, ceilings and floors. There were very few windows. In fact, the only windows were the windows on the emergency exits. The flight crew actually closed the blinds on the windows in the early part of the flight so that we wouldn't look out the window, see the horizon at a 45 deg angle from what we thought was down and become sick. Near the end of the flight during a 2G stretch I took a gander and was amazed. My body was being pressed directly into the bottom of the aircraft but the horizon was not in the same direction. It was cool!


(The aircraft we flew in - a Boeing 727)

Once on board the aircraft, we took off and started climbing to altitude. Once in the air we were immediately instructed to set-up our experiments. We then were asked if we were a GO/NO-GO for parabolic flight. Once all teams checked in, the pilot took us into a steep climb that created an acceleration of about 1.8 Gs. That means that our bodies felt like they weighed 1.8 times what they weigh on the surface of Earth. I remember being overwhelmed with the anticipation of what was about to happen. And then…

Gravity Stopped!

All of a sudden, I started drifting upwards. It was so unlike anything I've ever experienced before! I was expecting the stomach knot that you experience at the top of a roller coaster but that didn't happen at all! One second I weighed twice as heavy as usual and the next I was drifting toward the ceiling with only the slightest push off. I remember feeling slightly dizzy for a few seconds the first time but the brain learns quick! I remember thinking to myself not to make any sudden movements and to stay calm. After the first parabola I found myself on the opposite side of the cabin after hitting the floor and the ceiling multiple times. I still don't know how it happened!


(The display of the current number of g's the aircraft is under and the parabola number)
*Photo Courtesy of NASA*

The hyper gravity segments were maybe not as exciting as the zero G segments, but they had their own appeal. You could just lay on the floor and relax. Most people laid down to avoid sickness but I found I didn’t have to. I just had to sit still. It was its own kind of fun. On one of the 2G segments I decided I’d like to stay standing just to see what would happen (the flight crew remained standing so I wanted to too!) but I was promptly tapped on the shoulder and told to sit down. They know best and I didn’t want to get sent to the back so I obeyed. I did find out that I was more prone to disorientation when looking around in 2Gs then when we were weightless.

After about 3 parabolas (we experienced 32 total- 30 Zeros, 1 Lunar and 1 Martian) I had a pretty good idea of how to move around. We were able to brace ourselves and begin work on our experiment. The first trials of our experiment went pretty well. We were able to get our systems started with relative ease. We noticed right away that our 2-mass system was not functioning as we had hoped. It was not entering into the second mode rotational mode at all. However, the 1-mass system that was fixed on one end functioned perfectly. Upon inspection of the apparatus on the ground, we found a blob of brass that had been sticking out and interfering with the rotation. We filed it down, however, the following flight showed no improvement.

Initially, I had my hair tied back in a bun with a clip securing it. I decided about the 5th parabola to let loose! I thought I would get a few pics and then put it back because it would get in the way. But once it was down, it was such a surreal feeling of having it float around my head I decided to let it be for the remainder of the flight. Heather told me after the flight that I looked like a mermaid in water. My hair was fluffy and light even compared to the other girls up there. I guess it’s a good thing I got up extra early to wash and blow-dry it!

We also were able to do some pretty awesome demonstrations for our Outreach video. One of the coolest ones I did was letting go of a water bottle and it just staying exactly where I left it. I know it sounds cliché but I really think that was one of my favorite parts of the flight. Inside the water bottle, the liquid stuck to the interior walls. We wanted it to ball up, but I left too much water in it for that to happen. The surface tension was too strong. Also a girl from one of the other teams wore a Supergirl outfit under her flight suit. During the flight she unzipped her flight suit pulled out the cape and did a flying pose. I can’t wait to get a view of that on the photos in a few weeks!

I quickly learned that if I reached up at the beginning of each zero G segment I would save myself from bumping my head on the ceiling. It became second nature such that even if I had strapped myself down in preparation for the zero G I would reach up when gravity disappeared. It must have looked rather funny because here I was, strapped to the ground with my hands reaching for the sky for no reason!

I always had about half a second in the beginning of each parabola of disorientation that was borderline dizziness. It always cleared up quick and I NEVER felt sick. Every time we topped the parabola I thought to myself, “The enemy gate is down!” from Ender’s Game and things came back into focus. I do remember thinking about the 24th parabola that my stomach was there. But it wasn't a nauseous feeling or even a queasy feeling. I can't really describe it. It was just an awareness that my stomach existed. Perhaps it was the wonderful drugs they gave us. As our flight surgeon said, "Better living through chemistry." I heard that 4 people got sick on the flight. I never saw any of them because I was having too much fun. I do remember seeing the flight doctor (Dr. Fitzpatrick) rush by with blue medical gloves on. I can only assume he was on his way to help someone.

I mentioned earlier the benefits of the motion sickness meds. But here are some disadvantages. You crash, and you crash hard after the first few hours. I had to take a quick nap in the afternoon! Also, I've had a VERY dry mouth all day. Which means I'm probably the most hydrated I've been in ages since I'm guzzling water to trick my brain into thinking my mouth is just fine. They warned us that this was a common side effect and as such, they provided hard candies for the flight. I grabbed a bunch of Wintergreen Lifesavers and had one in my mouth almost the entire flight.

The flight crew was very helpful. There were a couple times where I lost control and couldn't get my feet down. The flight crew just very calmly guided my feet back down and made sure that we were all safe. Kudos to them! They did a great job!

As we were flying back to the field, I was very sad. I know that the flight could've been twice as long and it still would have been too short. I would venture to say that the flight crew has the 2nd best job in the world.


(Heather, Kristian and I after our flight)

In general, it was the most fun thing I have ever done. It was WAY worth the effort I put into getting into the program. I'd do it all over again if I were still in school. In fact, maybe I'll go back and get another undergrad degree just so I do it again! I'm sure my dad would appreciate that. :)

As I write this, its been over 12 hours since I got back on the ground. I'm sad that I probably won't ever get to experience that again in my lifetime. There are moments in life that our life altering events: kindergarten, HS Graduation, the first kiss, marriage. I truly believe this fits nicely into that category.


*Photo Courtesy of NASA*

Turnin' Over the Dirty Work

To follow my happenings this week in Houston, follow this blog...

http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/freefalling

Giant Post

I recently sent an email to my sister who is serving a mission in Korea. It was specifically design to catch her up on all the happenings of my life the last month or so. I figured it would take very little effort to modify that letter to make it appropriate for the blog. If it sounds disjointed in places, its probably because I modified it in order to be appropriate for public posting. :) I've deleted some paragraphs and added others.

I guess the biggest news is that I graduated (again) a few weeks back. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like I’m done yet because every spare moment I’ve had between then and now I’ve been at school working on my Microgravity Experiment that we are flying with down in Houston NEXT WEEK! ☺ I’m so excited! I’ll be in Houston taking tours of Johnson Space Center and flying in the “weightless wonder” from June 3rd – 14th. Its been really busy but I'm sure the whole experience will be worth it.



(My friend Sabrena and I making fun of the fact they wouldn't let us shake hands with the Dean people for fear of the Swiine flu. They told us to give the Vulcan hand shake instead...)



(Me in front of the stage prior to the precession - which included Pomp and Circumstance but also melodies from Star Wars, The Legend of Zelda, and other misc. nerdy movies.)

Along the same lines as graduation, I won a few awards associated with my Senior Design Project. The first one was at a paper conference in Minnesota for the AIAA - American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Our team took second in the team category. The remaining awards were given by the Aerospace Department. The first one was given to the entire team for the "Most Complex Build." The second award was an individual award for the "Best Mechanical Technical Lead." Its actually hilarious since I wasn't even the Mechanical Lead on my project. :)



(Joe Tanner - former astronaut - and I at the Aerospace Recognition Assembly. Joe was one of the advisers for my senior design team)

I got really sick the week before finals and finally went to see the doctor 2 weeks after my initial symptoms appeared. Turns out that it was a precursor to pneumonia. So once I graduated I had to stay-put in my bed for about a week and a half while writing technical documents and communicating with my microgravity team via internet. It didn’t help that my team leader went off to Europe and basically left us to do the entire project without him. I therefore had to step up to the plate and delegate things to people in order to get everything done. Its been a stressful month.

I get back from Houston on June 14th and the movers come to move my stuff to Phoenix on June 16th. I’ll then be living with relatives in Colorado Springs until I go down to Arizona sometime in early July. The whole “moving to another state” thing hasn’t really settled in yet. I have a feeling it won’t become real until I’ve been in the stinking heat for a good month or two.

I just got back Colorado Springs where I attended my sister's baby shower. I honestly don’t think I had ever been to a baby shower for a girl before. And since I’ve been so busy with school and then the microgravity project, I wasn't able to hand-make anything for her. I feel a little guilty because my other sister was able to complete an entire quilt for her before she left for her mission.

Its looking like my littlest sister will drive down with me to AZ. It’ll be interesting to spend time with her. I haven’t really spent a good chunk of time with her since WAY before she graduated from high school. Which means she’s probably a whole different person now. I’m excited. Though most of the driving will be done at night since my car (currently) has no AC. We’ll live, contrary to my mother's belief.

I ran the Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day. Its 10 km (6.2 miles). My time was 1:14:01.95. Considering I had "almost" pneumonia a few weeks ago, I consider that a pretty good time! I hadn't run in almost 3.5 weeks when I arrived at the start line on Monday the 25th. I was sore, but not so sore that it would deter me from doing it again!



(This picture is of me crossing the finish line at the Bolder Boulder. I'm not sure if its legal to post it but I figured the copyright is written right there so I would do it anyway.)

I switched cars with my dad a few weeks ago so he could get my muffler and clutch fixed before I drove it cross-country to AZ. I told him not to do more than that since I will only be getting a new car in a shortly now that I have a real job. But the next thing I know, he’s replaced the radiator, replaced the axle boot, repaired some damage on the fender, fixed some plates under the car that had apparently come loose, and is currently tinkering with the AC to try and see if he can get it running. Who knows what else!!! ~sigh~ As my sister says, sometimes you just have to let Dad be a dad.

I performed in MahlerFest 2009 where we played Mahler's 8th Symphony in early May. In case you didn't know, Mahler's 8th is probably one of the top largest 5 works ever scored. It calls for a 115 piece orchestra including an organ and a mandolin, two full size choirs and a full size children's choir, an off-stage brass ensemble and 8 vocal soloists. It's so big the string actually had to sit on the floor in front of the stage so we could fit everyone. Its official title is "Symphony of a Thousand"! It was my last gig in Boulder and quite a lot of fun. I missed half of the rehearsals because I was sick but they let me play anyway. :) I guess I also have an informal performance coming up on June 27th but its in a Barn so I'm not sure it can officially be called a gig. :)




(At the Dress Rehearsal)



(All of us. Well, most of us. The children's choir, 8th soloist and extra brasse ensemble are in the balcony out of this shot.)

Oh! I almost forgot to mention! I performed in a recital at the end of April with a dear friend. We played 4 bass quartets. Two pieces were from Metallica arranged by Apocalyptica and the others were "Prayer" by Bloch and "Adagio for Strings" by Barber. We've decided we are going to record the two latter pieces. We are also going to be performing them in the barn concert I told you about earlier. One of the bass players in the quartet has a friend that holds a concert in his barn every year. I guess he breeds race horses so its a rather large barn. He invites his musician friends over once a year to perform small ensemble pieces. It'll be a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to it. I'm glad I was able to arrange to stay in Colorado long enough to participate.



(My friend Jen and I after her recital)

Well my friends, I'm ready to sign off. I hope you feel a little less neglected. I'm sure with the move coming up, it'll be a few weeks before I will feel the urge to write again. Stay safe!

Quiz About Everything

I just spent an hour posting pictures on facebook. So rather than repeating that process twice in a row I'm going to do this. Don't worry, I'll put my pics up here too soon. Just not right now.

Quiz About Everything!

Rule #1:
If you open this you take it. (feel free to ignore this one if you feel like)

Rule # 2:
You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks

Q&A:
Only answer TRUE or FALSE

Q: Kissed someone on your friends list? True
Q: Been arrested? False
Q: Do you like someone? True
Q: Held a snake? True
Q: Been suspended from school? False
Q: Been fired from a job? False
Q: Sang karaoke in public? False
Q: Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? True
Q: Laughed until you started crying? True
Q: Caught a snowflake on your tongue? True
Q: Kissed in the rain? True
Q: Sang in the shower? True
Q: Sat on a roof top? True
Q: Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? False
Q: Broken a bone? False
Q: Shaved your head? False
Q: Played a prank on someone? True
Q: Shot a gun? True
Q: Donated Blood? True
Q: Had your heart broken? True


"Who was your last?"
just be 100% truthful
THE LAST PERSON THAT:

1. You hung out with? Family for Mother's Day
2. You texted? Bill
3. You were in a car with? Family
4. Went to the movies with? Nathan and his family
5. You went shopping with? Nicole and company
6. You talked on the phone? Nathan
7. Made you laugh? Bill
8. You hugged? My dad
9. You cried with? Don't know. I cry alone.

WOULD YOU RATHER

1. Pierce your nose or tongue? Tongue
2. Die in a fire or get shot? Shot

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY...

1. Sun or moon? Sun
2. Winter or Fall? Fall
3. Left or Right? Right
4. Sunny or rainy? Sunny
5. Where do you live? A Condo
6. Club or pub? Pub
7. Are there 1 or 2 people who you can always trust? Yep
8. Do you want to get married? yes
9. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Twirl
10. What time is it? 12:06 pm
11. Are you afraid of commitment? Not generally
12. Do you cook? occasionaly
13. Current mood? patient

IN THE LAST 48 HOURS HAVE YOU...

1. Kissed someone? no, I'm sick
2. Sang? no
3. Listened to music? Yes
4. Seen someone you cared a lot about? No
5. Danced Crazy? No
6. Cried? No
7. Like someone you can't have? Nope

Is there anybody you just wish would fall off the planet? Not seriously
How do you flush the toilet in public? normally, then I wash my hands
Do you wear your seatbelt in the car? Always
Do you have a crush on someone? always
Name one thing you worry about running out of? Time!
What famous person do you (or other people) think you resemble? that chick on "That 70's Show"
What is your favorite pizza topping? pepporoni and mushrooms
Do you crack your knuckles? no. But I crack my toes...
What song do you hate the most? "The wheels on the buss go round and round"
Did just mentioning that song make it get stuck in your head? somewhat
What are your super powers? I have RED HAIR, it gives me super powers
Peppermint or spearmint? spearmint
Where are your car keys? good question...
Whose answers to this questionnaire do you want to hear? Whoever's
What's your most annoying habit? breathing loudly
Where did you last go on vacation? Disney World, FL
What is your best physical feature? Errr.. all of them
What CD is closest to you right now? my senior recital and Celtic Woman
3 things can always be found in your refrigerator? milk, cheddar cheese, and bread
What superstition do you believe/practice? knock on wood
Would you rather be a fish or a bird? Bird
Do you talk on your cell phone when you drive? Occasionally
What are your favorite sayings? "Hey kids"
What song(s) do you sing most often in the shower? jazz
If you could go back or forward in time, where would you go? I'd like to see what my kids will look like
What is your favorite Harrison Ford movie? Star Wars
What CD is in your stereo? Piazolla and Amelie
In the car? Rent
What CD will be in your stereo in a few minutes? Probably the same one, I'm too lazy to get up
How many kids do you plan on having? 4-6
What do you do when no one is watching? read, blog, crafts, tv
If they made a movie about your life, what actor/actress would be you? probably that up and coming teenage girl on the new show Castle
Would you rather die in a blaze of glory or peacefully in your sleep? glory
Coffee or Tea? Occasionally I'll have herbal tea, mostly just when I'm not feeling well though
Favorite musician(s)/bands you've seen in concert? none
Favorite bands? molly johnson
Have you ever been in love? Most definitely
Do you talk to yourself? yes. Ususally when no one else is around though

The Last Busy Days of College

A lot has happened in the last few weeks. For those of you who like the condensed version of events, here is a list:

~ Experienced my first "Taste of Downtown Boulder" on a snow/rainy Saturday afternoon in April with my friend Brittany
~ Went to Minnesota for the AIAA Regional Paper/Presentation Conference and took 2nd place in the Team category
~ Went to the Mall of America while in MN... its big
~ Participated in CU's Design Expo for my Senior Project
~ Played in a recital for my dear friend and colleague Jenn
~ Started manufacturing on my Microgravity project
~ Admired the beauty of Spring in Colorado
~ Graduated from College (again) along with all the prescribed celebrations
~ Started rehearsals for this year's MahlerFest (Symphony 8)
~ Got extremely sick and am now currently bed-ridden. It sucks.

Over the next few days I hope to expand on these events and even post some pictures! :) Something that is generally lacking in my posts...

Stay tuned!

Mismatch

Something doesn't quite fit in here....

Bolder Boulder

I have decided to run the Bolder Boulder this year. I just couldn't live with myself if I lived in boulder for 8 years and never did it. Thus, I decided to get my feet slapping against the dirt again so that I can actually make it through all 6.2 miles (10km) without stopping. I went online to find a novice training schedule that would bring me up to a level that would be sufficient. Seeing as how there are only 6 weeks til Memorial Day I figured I would have plenty of time. Unfortunately, all I found was an 8 week schedule. So I thought, "No big deal" I'll cut the first two weeks off and jump right in.

Bad idea!

I've haven't been running religiously since last summer. In fact, I've only been doing 1 - 1.5 mile run every other week. When I added in the strength I have from Ballet and I figured I'd be fine. The training recipe called for a 3.5 mile run my first day (which should have been the beginning of the 3rd week). I knew it was going to be tough but I figured I could do it. I was wrong. I only made it 2.5 miles (with a couple of minutes of walking in the middle) before my back and my knees were screaming at me to stop. I went back to the schedule and it turns out that if I had started two weeks ago, the first run I would have had to do is a 2.5 mile run. So I'm just going to have to accept being two weeks behind and hopefully gain a little ground as I progress through the next couple weeks.

Bittersweet News

Tor has official announced the release date for the next Wheel of Time book.

http://us.macmillan.com/NewsDetails.aspx?id=12669&publisher=torforge

On one hand, I'm realy excited to see more of those beloved characters. On the other,I'm bummed they are splitting it into 3 novels. It'd be nice to finally read the end. I'm also not very happy about the idea of a movie. Especially after seeing what they did to "The Sword of Truth."

Unique Names

I am a big advocate of unique names.

I have a certain pity for individuals who are so accustomed to hearing their name when they aren't the one being addressed that they don't even look up. I, on the other hand, look up whenever I think I might have heard anything remotely like my name. For example, I have a sister named Malea. Our names don't exactly rhyme but they sound similar enough that sometimes I respond under the assumption that I was the one addressed.

(There are also the (frequent) occasions when a family member (i.e. mom) uses the wrong name and it saves time just to respond.)

Another example of times when its fun to have a unique name is when you go to google and search for yourself. For me, the first 2 complete pages are entries that are directly connected to events in my life. (Even though you would think they were two different people! Engineering and music?!?!) But there are those of you out there that can do a google search for yourself and not find anything that is connected to you until the atleast the 5th page of results.

I ran a little experiment. I inserted the name "Julie Smith" through the search engine just for kicks and giggles. Its a name I pulled out of a hat. The top few hits were a website for an author. But the results quickly begin to vary from a state farm agent to a jewelry maker to a travel photographer. Obviously, they are not the same person.


The only downfall of having a unique name is not being able to find your name in the keyring selection at a miscellaneous gift shop while vacationing in some location where the local population is dominated by tourists. Actually, on second thought, that's not a downfall...

I guess the point of the story is that I like my name. I like having my own identity in a world of almost 7 billion people. I'm grateful for the time my parents took to figure out a name that fit me and that isn't common or redundant. I plan on doing the same for my children.

Catch Up Thoughts

Although, I enjoy writing my blog, I fear that I have less readers than I could count on one hand. Regardless, its the closest thing I have to actually writing a journal so don't fear that I will quit.

As previously announced, I have landed a job in Chandler, Arizona. Assuming my background check and whatnot is up to par, I will be starting on July 6. My official job title is an Associate Mechanical Engineer in the Design, Integration and Test (DI&T) group of the Mechanical Department at Orbital Sciences Corp. That's a fancy way of saying that I get to design and test mechanisms used on rockets. :)

I will have most of May and June to sit back and detox from 8 years of school. Ideally, I would spend a week or two after graduation in Florida for the Shuttle launch currently scheduled for 12 May. Then spend a couple weeks preparing for Houston, going to Houston for microgravity, then heading off to visit friends either in Germany or Chicago or San Francisco, then packing up my stuff and moving it to Phoenix. Of course, in the real world one must think of how to fund such dreams. Come July, I'll have the funds to make such glorious plans (and not the time), but until then I am still a poor student wishing for more money.

GEEK ALERT!!!

Some of you can sense the irony of me moving to Phoenix from my role-playing days. For those of you out of the loop, my defining character's name was Faile "Phoenix" Zarine: a Commander in the Empire, highly trained in the art of spying.(Those of you who know the Wheel of Time and are snickering...the name is not my fault!) Somehow she ended up being a double-agent for the Rebellion against Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. (Yes, this was a Star Wars game.) Not because she believed the Empire was the epitome of evil but because she believed that the leaders of that great government were corrupt. Which put her end-goals very close to the goals of the Rebellion: assassinate the leaders of the Empire.

Phoenix had a very special gift. She used what was called a "Force Artifact" to command fire. How was this accomplished? Like all good stories, she was in the center of a forbidden romance. His name was Lan Therin; crowned-prince and jedi-knight of the planet Thera destined to marry for political gains. (Now you Wheel-of-Timers are groaning...sorry!)

Her Majesty the Queen insisted he marry Senator Ianya Araughtnivallia Adeti. (Sorry for butchering the spelling Amy!) When she declined it was then thought he would marry Princess Elaina from a planet whose name I can't remember. (Even though its the planet Faile eventually died on...) All the while, Lan's heart belonged only to Faile.

The "Force Artifact" Faile used was a Ruby Ring (her once-engagement ring) that converted love into fire...literally. It was her love for Lan that allowed her to control fire. She used this power to help free Thera and the Rebellion from the evil wrath of the Empire Leaders.

Wow, I kinda got side-tracked...back to the topic.

END GEEK ALERT!!!

I'm moving to Phoenix. And Faile was such an important part of my social life for over a year. It was a time where I had great friends and I was surrounded by kind and generous people. Life is not the same with out them. Although, I personally am not a fan of hot climates, the Faile side of me will help me adapt. I've been doing a little research on the Phoenix area to figure out the best place to live. I was thinking I'd like to find something near the Phoenix South Mountain Park. If anyone of you knows something I don't, let me know!

Now, from hot to cold, yesterday we had a typical late-March snow storm. According to 9 News we received, from Mother Earth, a total of 18 inches of snow yesterday. It's glorious! All winter its been in the 50s, 60s and 70s and we finally got some decent snow. I'll miss these March storms in the future. Perhaps I'll take some pictures later on today when I trek out to go get my car. (Which I abandoned about a mile away.) Of course, as per usual, the storm came during Spring Break. So there was no official time off of school. Bummer.

Speaking of school, there are precisely 41 days until I graduate. When I think of all the things I need to accomplish in those 41 days, I start to get a headache.

The Wait is Over

I found out today! Ladies and gentlemen, I got the job!!! And I'm worth more than I thought!

Its decision making time...

Waiting

Last Friday I contacted a company that I interviewed with two weeks prior. I asked them where they were in their hiring process. (Though my wording was substantially less clever due to nerves). They said that they were finishing up the final round of interviews that day and that they would get back to me "early next week." Well, its early next week already and the waiting is killing me. I don't have cell service in the shop (where I spend all of my time when I'm not in class) and therefore will most definitely miss the phone call. So I've been making hourly trips out to the court yard to check my voice mail. Nothing yet. I'm beginning to second guess putting a high number as my salary preference and keep playing over in my mind the things I said in the interview that were not so brilliant. glub.

I actually thought about not posting this entry simply because if I didn't get the job it would make it even worse. But because this is the foremost thought on my brain I could not not write anything. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that I would write a blog about it and if I didn't get the job I would simply delete the entry and hope that no one had read it. So please save your comments til I post a "yah" or "nah" to preserve my bubble of reality. Thanks!

Success

After 6+ months I finally took the time to figure out how to properly change my background. Yea, for procrastination!

Sparkles

It took me a whole Sunday to get my room clean. Usually, I just throw my clothes in the washer and my room somehow comes out clean. But its been gradually growing stacks of random paper in every available space. And when I mean "every", that includes the floor. So I finally decided to take the day and go through 98% of the miscellaneous stacks and throw/file stuff away accordingly. I even went through my closet!

I can now breathe!

Jinx

I checked the news this morning and it turns out that one of Orbital's rockets crashed this morning a few minutes into launch.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/02/24/nasa.launch/index.html

Although things like this are never funny, I do have to mention the irony of the situation. As many of you know, I was in Arizona last week interviewing with their Launch Systems Group. One of the questions I asked them during my interview was if they personally worked on a mission that had had a major a failure. Every one of the people that I asked commented on how they had never been on anything that had failed during mission and that the track record at Orbital was extremely good.

I think I jinxed them...

Just Another Day

I've decided to share with you a typical day in my life. On Friday the 13th of February, I carried my camera around all day with the intention of sharing those precious moments that make up my life right now. I wont be Offended if you find it boring and decide to walk skim over this post. But Since I have no charming stories about my fictitious children and no stories to share about my non-existent "newly wed" status (hehe), I figured I'd show you that having a life outside of those things is not necessarily all bad - well, at least for me.

I begin each morning waking up to my roommate turning on the shower a few minutes before 8am. And its not until much later that she emerges from the bathroom with dried hair and makeup. On this particular morning, nothing was different. That means that I waited for her to finish so I could use the toilet. (which can sometimes comes close to an act of torture). Because I'm a peacemaker, I'm keep my mouth shut and just wait.



Because this was a Friday, I had no classes to attend. Lucky me. Except that means that I'd be busy all day in the machine shop. I needed to be prepared so I made myself a hearty breakfast. (Unfortunately, this blog idea didn't occur to me until after I ate it, hence the pic.) I had a Belgium waffle with blueberry sauce, orange juice and strawberries on the side.




After getting ready, I caught the bus to campus which is about 1.5 miles away...



...and arrived at the Aerospace Machine shop where I would spend the next 8.5 hours of my life.



I started working by cutting a stock piece of HDPE down to the size for the mold I was going to create. If you look carefully, you'll notice that its actually two pieces bonded together by 3 pieces of tape. This will become a problem later. Problematic - but not unforeseen.



As you can see, as soon as I started machining it, the two pieces came apart. This happened numerous times, creating many frustrated sighs and some not-so-happy thoughts. Maybe it was the fact that it was Friday the 13th.



We finally ended up using double-sided masking tape and bolting the center together with two 1/4-20 bolts so that it wouldn't happen again. Shortly after lunch time, we ran into another problem. We didn't have a tool that could create the shape we wanted without A) the tool breaking or B) the holder of the tool colliding with another piece of the mold. To solve this problem we raided the tool cabinet for something that would work. Here is the tool we lovingly called "Bigboy" and "Bigboy" hard at work. (No camera tricks here boys and girls!)




Once that was under way, I was finally able to pop over to the B-School (Engineering code for Business School... get it?... B-school...hehe) to get some lunch. Notice I didn't say that I went to lunch... I said "get". I brought it back and continued working in the shop. Corn chowder and Boulder Sea Salt and Pepper chips (the best chips ever!)



Over the next couple hours we got the mold finished, but of course, like a true engineer, I had to document the day in my notebook before I could officially call it done. The time was already fast approaching 5pm. (Notice the safety glasses. Safety First!)



Ok, now I can call it finished.



I made my way to the composites lab with my newly made funnel mold to hand-off to my Project Manager. When I got there, I found him finishing up a lay-up and I figured I'd help out. What I thought would take 10 minutes turned into a 1.5 hour endeavor to solve a problem with the bag not wanting to stay sealed under vacuum. After several attempts, we were able to fashion a two layered bag. One inside and one outside the cylinder sealed with putty tape. Here's the finished product. (Well, technically it won't be complete 'til Saturday or Sunday...but you get the idea.)



Once that was done, I left my PM to clean up the mess and went to catch the bus. The time was already around 6pm and I had completely missed the sunshine for the day. :(



After being on my feet for most of the day, my feet were swollen and I needed to re-introduce that blood supply to the rest of my body. So after eating left-over pizza, I put my feet up and watched an episode of "The Simpson's."



Once I felt as though I were a little re-energized I headed over to the Institute (even though it was snowing) for some Friday Fun: indoor four-square and Settlers of Cataan. Actually, I ended up doing neither and sand Broadway hits with a friend at the piano for most of the night.



Afterward, I went home and collapsed into a deep slumber just to be woken up this morning to the sound of the shower turning on. Life sure has a weird sense of symmetry.

I hope you enjoyed my day. It was as typical as they come these days. So I hope I didn't bore you too much. I left most of the mundane happenings out. I know I could have done better on the photography side, but you get the idea. My life isn't very artistic these days. Maybe I'll do this again sometime but on a day with classes. That is, if I don't get to many people telling me they fell asleep while reading.

Keep in touch!