I got an interview with Orbital!!!!
Ok...just had to share.
La Wis Wis
2 months ago
Friday, February 6, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Family Ties
Last weekend my family figured out that it would be a long while until we were all able to be together for another couple years. Rachel will be leaving us in February to serve her mission in Korea (Bustan) and Malea was headed up to school (Mesa State) the next morning. Therefore, at 9:30 pm on a Friday night we took a family photo. Can you name everyone?
Thursday, January 15, 2009
50 Things I Tolerate
My first homework assignment for my "Spacecraft Design" class was to come up with 50 things that I tolerated. I spent so much time brainstorming I thought I'd share. (By the way, 50 is a LOT!)
1. I tolerate long winters (I’m primarily a summer girl!)
2. I tolerate having an old car (1987)
3. I tolerate living with a roommate
4. I tolerate guests wearing shoes in my house
5. I tolerate living far from my family
6. I tolerate having short nails because I’m a musician
7. I tolerate people singing off key at church
8. I tolerate wearing high heels occasionally (they make me a giant!)
9. I tolerate having a messy desk (since I can’t seem to keep it clean)
10. I tolerate my leaky refrigerator
11. I tolerate having an old computer that won’t run new software because they don’t make it compatible with Windows 2000 anymore
12. I tolerate being so busy I have to say no to my friends when they want to hang out
13. I tolerate my mom’s dog (who replaced my childhood dog when he died)
14. I tolerate people who talk loudly on their cell phones in the computer labs
15. I tolerate long waits at restaurants (most of the time)
16. I tolerate when my sister talks to other people when I’m on the phone with her
17. I tolerate those who think they have a hard major when its really chump change next to Aerospace
18. I tolerate classes that I have no interest in (such as Aircraft Dynamics) in order to take the cool classes like Spacecraft Design
19. I tolerate people who inefficiently merge onto the freeway
20. I tolerate drivers of SUV’s who think they are 4 times better than me just because their vehicle is 4 times the size of mine
21. I tolerate bicyclists who are stupid enough to not wear a helmet (Seriously, these people should be taken out of the human gene pool)
22. I tolerate keeping my heat at 67 degrees (F) in the winter to save money
23. I tolerate having to fight my neighbors for parking in order to have the master bedroom in my apartment
24. I tolerate the girls on the other side of campus that have less mass in their brains then they do in their clothing
25. I tolerate people who listen to iPods any time they think they don’t have to communicate with others
26. I tolerate people who call me Katrina instead of Karina
27. I tolerate Pepsi but strongly prefer Coke
28. I tolerate traffic
29. I tolerate sharing a bathroom
30. I tolerate obesity in others
31. I tolerate the fact that my roommate does not clean her hair out of the drain in the shower
32. I tolerate loud drunk people I run into on the street
33. I tolerate people who talk on their cell phones while ordering food at a restaurant
34. I tolerate people who talk on their cell phone while riding the bus
35. I tolerate my mom’s “elephant walking” around the house at 6am when I go home for the holidays
36. I tolerate the pop up window that appears when you plug a thumb drive into a computer
37. I tolerate pop music
38. I tolerate the stained carpet in my apartment
39. I tolerate politicians
40. I tolerate people who sing a song loudly even though its obvious that they don’t know all the lyrics
41. I tolerate the fact that going into Aerospace Engineering limits the jobs I can have mostly to the United States
42. I tolerate the fact that I have books in boxes because I do not have enough bookcases to house them
43. I tolerate outdoor smokers (but not indoor smokers)
44. I tolerate people who dress their pets up in clothes
45. I tolerate any type of solicitors
46. I tolerate having to answer the same medical questions 3-4 times every time I go to the doctor’s office
47. I tolerate when the toilet paper is placed with the unwinding end coming out the bottom instead of the top when I’m visiting someone else’s home
48. I tolerate having to switch computers any time I need to use Office 2007
49. I tolerate not having a soundcard on my most “up-to-date” computer
50. I tolerate ice in my water at restaurants even when I specifically asked for none
1. I tolerate long winters (I’m primarily a summer girl!)
2. I tolerate having an old car (1987)
3. I tolerate living with a roommate
4. I tolerate guests wearing shoes in my house
5. I tolerate living far from my family
6. I tolerate having short nails because I’m a musician
7. I tolerate people singing off key at church
8. I tolerate wearing high heels occasionally (they make me a giant!)
9. I tolerate having a messy desk (since I can’t seem to keep it clean)
10. I tolerate my leaky refrigerator
11. I tolerate having an old computer that won’t run new software because they don’t make it compatible with Windows 2000 anymore
12. I tolerate being so busy I have to say no to my friends when they want to hang out
13. I tolerate my mom’s dog (who replaced my childhood dog when he died)
14. I tolerate people who talk loudly on their cell phones in the computer labs
15. I tolerate long waits at restaurants (most of the time)
16. I tolerate when my sister talks to other people when I’m on the phone with her
17. I tolerate those who think they have a hard major when its really chump change next to Aerospace
18. I tolerate classes that I have no interest in (such as Aircraft Dynamics) in order to take the cool classes like Spacecraft Design
19. I tolerate people who inefficiently merge onto the freeway
20. I tolerate drivers of SUV’s who think they are 4 times better than me just because their vehicle is 4 times the size of mine
21. I tolerate bicyclists who are stupid enough to not wear a helmet (Seriously, these people should be taken out of the human gene pool)
22. I tolerate keeping my heat at 67 degrees (F) in the winter to save money
23. I tolerate having to fight my neighbors for parking in order to have the master bedroom in my apartment
24. I tolerate the girls on the other side of campus that have less mass in their brains then they do in their clothing
25. I tolerate people who listen to iPods any time they think they don’t have to communicate with others
26. I tolerate people who call me Katrina instead of Karina
27. I tolerate Pepsi but strongly prefer Coke
28. I tolerate traffic
29. I tolerate sharing a bathroom
30. I tolerate obesity in others
31. I tolerate the fact that my roommate does not clean her hair out of the drain in the shower
32. I tolerate loud drunk people I run into on the street
33. I tolerate people who talk on their cell phones while ordering food at a restaurant
34. I tolerate people who talk on their cell phone while riding the bus
35. I tolerate my mom’s “elephant walking” around the house at 6am when I go home for the holidays
36. I tolerate the pop up window that appears when you plug a thumb drive into a computer
37. I tolerate pop music
38. I tolerate the stained carpet in my apartment
39. I tolerate politicians
40. I tolerate people who sing a song loudly even though its obvious that they don’t know all the lyrics
41. I tolerate the fact that going into Aerospace Engineering limits the jobs I can have mostly to the United States
42. I tolerate the fact that I have books in boxes because I do not have enough bookcases to house them
43. I tolerate outdoor smokers (but not indoor smokers)
44. I tolerate people who dress their pets up in clothes
45. I tolerate any type of solicitors
46. I tolerate having to answer the same medical questions 3-4 times every time I go to the doctor’s office
47. I tolerate when the toilet paper is placed with the unwinding end coming out the bottom instead of the top when I’m visiting someone else’s home
48. I tolerate having to switch computers any time I need to use Office 2007
49. I tolerate not having a soundcard on my most “up-to-date” computer
50. I tolerate ice in my water at restaurants even when I specifically asked for none
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Break a Waste?
Today is the last day before I have to re-admit myself to my final semester as an undergraduate student. Looking back over the last 3 weeks I'm curious as to where my time went. I had plans to apply for jobs and finish quilting projects and finish unpacking my apartment and write a bunch of software for senior design and visit family and go hiking and catch up with friends. And yet, only a small percentage of that list was actually completed.
I can sit around wishing I had gotten all that stuff done and pretending that I don't know where the time went or I can fess up and let you all know exactly what I did with it. I wasted it. Utterly and completely.
But here's whats strange. A part of me claims that I wasn't wasting time. I was re-charging my batteries. It was a waste in the sense that I could've had all sorts of stuff done. But it wasn't a waste because I can now recognize that it was a waste. Ugh, I'm so confused. Was it wasted, or wasn't it?
Opinions?
I can sit around wishing I had gotten all that stuff done and pretending that I don't know where the time went or I can fess up and let you all know exactly what I did with it. I wasted it. Utterly and completely.
But here's whats strange. A part of me claims that I wasn't wasting time. I was re-charging my batteries. It was a waste in the sense that I could've had all sorts of stuff done. But it wasn't a waste because I can now recognize that it was a waste. Ugh, I'm so confused. Was it wasted, or wasn't it?
Opinions?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
WE'RE IN!!!
I just thought I'd take a moment and share some good news! My team and I got selected to fly ourselves and our scientific experiment on NASA's KC-135 or better known as the "Vomit Comet." This aircraft is capable of flying 30-40 parabolas that simulate 20-30 second intervals of a zero-g environment (i.e. weightlessness). Every year NASA has a competition for Undergraduate students to submit a proposal for a weightless scientific experiment. Yesterday we found out that we have been selected for flight! We will build and test our test apparatus this semester and then fly sometime in the Spring or early Summer out of Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Here is a link to a video that explains the competition better that I ever could.
http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov/theProgram/video/video.cfm
For those of you interested, our experiment is to conduct a study of the coupled mode oscillations of a Wilberforce Pendulum. Basically its just a spring-mass system that oscillates between linear and rotational motion. Here is a link to a video on youtube.com of this pendulum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S42lLTlnfZc
For our experiment we are trying to constrain the bending moment so that the second mode can occur in a zero-g environment. If you want more info you can ask. I think I've said enough to satisfy most people's curiosity. :)
And just to clarify, YES, I get to ride on the vomit comit!
Here is a link to a video that explains the competition better that I ever could.
http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov/theProgram/video/video.cfm
For those of you interested, our experiment is to conduct a study of the coupled mode oscillations of a Wilberforce Pendulum. Basically its just a spring-mass system that oscillates between linear and rotational motion. Here is a link to a video on youtube.com of this pendulum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S42lLTlnfZc
For our experiment we are trying to constrain the bending moment so that the second mode can occur in a zero-g environment. If you want more info you can ask. I think I've said enough to satisfy most people's curiosity. :)
And just to clarify, YES, I get to ride on the vomit comit!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
My 3 Picture Vacation
For being out of town for two weeks I only took a measly total of 3 pictures. I guess its because I was hanging out with family and I usually don't think to take pictures. To give you a brief overview I spent about a week with my folks in Colorado Springs and then went to Utah for a few days to visit my grandparents. While in Utah I did the touristy Temple Square routine with my aunt. But I forgot my camera (of course). We saw all the big attractions; the Tabernacle, the Conference Center (the stage was still decorated for the Christmas Season), the Relief Society Building, the Assembly Hall, the Church History Museum, etc. It was fun!
Here are the three photos of my two week vacation. Two of them are of my second nephew who is two cute for his own good and one is of me and my Grandparents. My grandma just turned 92 yesterday and my grandpa is 95?. (I'm not sure if that's right.)
In addition, here are some other random pics I keep meaning to post. This one is of my Christmas Tree that I got to enjoy for the two days before I went home for Christmas.
Here is a picture of the Flat Irons from Farrand Field after our first major snow storm of the year and another of all the deserted bikes the storm caused.
Here are the three photos of my two week vacation. Two of them are of my second nephew who is two cute for his own good and one is of me and my Grandparents. My grandma just turned 92 yesterday and my grandpa is 95?. (I'm not sure if that's right.)
In addition, here are some other random pics I keep meaning to post. This one is of my Christmas Tree that I got to enjoy for the two days before I went home for Christmas.
Here is a picture of the Flat Irons from Farrand Field after our first major snow storm of the year and another of all the deserted bikes the storm caused.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Fantasy
As most of my friend's know, I am seriously into reading fantasy novels. Among my favorites are "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind, "The Wheel of Time Series" by Robert Jordan, and most recently the "Mistborn Trilogy" by Brandon Sanderson. Why mention this? Simply put, I want to share some random thoughts about the a fore mentioned books. If you're not a fan of these books you might want to skip to the next post to avoid being bored.
"Wizard's First Rule" is actually the first book in a long series called "The Sword of Truth". Unfortunately, the series as a whole gets relatively repetitive with the author's themes being so closely related between books. He gets on his soap box and never dismounts leaving us to have to skip several pages (sometimes chapters) in numerous places in each book simply to avoid having to read the same thing over and over again. However, if your looking for a good book that stands on its own, "Wizard's First Rule" does exactly that. The rest of the series is good, but not worth wading through the muddy swamp of opinion the author lays out for you.
I mention this because they have recently turned the first book in to a TV series called "Legend of the Seeker". I always have reservations when it comes to putting the written word of fantasy into a movie/TV form. Sometimes it can be done mostly right ("Lord of the Rings") and sometimes can be done not so well ("The Golden Compass"). So far they have only aired 7 episodes. Of course since I don't watch TV anymore because of the commercials I watched them at www.hulu.com (I think all 7 episodes are still up). My first impression is that they made a terrible mistake in casting the character of Zedd. For one thing he is way too tall. For another, he doesn't speak with the same inflection in his voice as he does in the books. And his accent doesn't make any sense. On the other hand, Kahlan is a perfect match! She is poised and confident and lonely as in the books. I only wish her hair were a little longer. I'm a little distressed that they did away with the cultural reference of the length of your hair being a symbol of your the level of your station in the Midlands. It was one of the many details that made the world so unique. As far as Richard is concerned, I'm on the fence. At times I am convinced but then the actor makes some bad choices and shows you how truly green he is as an actor proving he is a little too inexperienced to handle such an important role. Who knows, if the series is allowed to hang on for a little longer he might grow into the role. Although, I'm not hooked on the show, I am curious to see if they get a large enough fan base to keep it going. http://www.legendoftheseeker.com/
"The Wheel of Time" series has been and probably always will be my favorite series of books. They are the books that I discovered the joy of reading and the joy of exploring a new world. I hope no one EVER puts these books onto any kind of screen. It belongs in the imagination of the reader. Since Robert Jordan passed away in September of 2007, the completion of the series has been passed on to the little known writer Brandon Sanderson. Seeing how he was chosen to complete my favorite series ever, I decided to try out his books. "Elantris" and the "Mistborn" series are the most well know of his bare handful of published books. I won't talk about them individually but I thought it might be prudent to mention a few things about his last released novel the final volume of the Mistborn series "Hero of Ages." There are two things I'd like to say. The first is that when I finished the book, initially I was a little upset by the ending. That is, until I realized it couldn't really end in any other way. It was the right ending for the story. The other thing I wanted to mention was how impressed I was by the linear thought patterns of the characters. Each character figures out what they need to figure without it needing to be a stretch or a too obvious. One epiphany led to the next in a very logical manner. This is not easy to do folks! I certainly have read my fair share of books that did not have believable thought processes in its characters. (The most obvious of which was Grand Admiral Thrawn in the only Star Wars Trilogy worth reading by Timothy Zahn.) I can't wait until the last Wheel of Time book is published next year. I have a feeling I will be taking two days off of work to read it. :)
"Wizard's First Rule" is actually the first book in a long series called "The Sword of Truth". Unfortunately, the series as a whole gets relatively repetitive with the author's themes being so closely related between books. He gets on his soap box and never dismounts leaving us to have to skip several pages (sometimes chapters) in numerous places in each book simply to avoid having to read the same thing over and over again. However, if your looking for a good book that stands on its own, "Wizard's First Rule" does exactly that. The rest of the series is good, but not worth wading through the muddy swamp of opinion the author lays out for you.
I mention this because they have recently turned the first book in to a TV series called "Legend of the Seeker". I always have reservations when it comes to putting the written word of fantasy into a movie/TV form. Sometimes it can be done mostly right ("Lord of the Rings") and sometimes can be done not so well ("The Golden Compass"). So far they have only aired 7 episodes. Of course since I don't watch TV anymore because of the commercials I watched them at www.hulu.com (I think all 7 episodes are still up). My first impression is that they made a terrible mistake in casting the character of Zedd. For one thing he is way too tall. For another, he doesn't speak with the same inflection in his voice as he does in the books. And his accent doesn't make any sense. On the other hand, Kahlan is a perfect match! She is poised and confident and lonely as in the books. I only wish her hair were a little longer. I'm a little distressed that they did away with the cultural reference of the length of your hair being a symbol of your the level of your station in the Midlands. It was one of the many details that made the world so unique. As far as Richard is concerned, I'm on the fence. At times I am convinced but then the actor makes some bad choices and shows you how truly green he is as an actor proving he is a little too inexperienced to handle such an important role. Who knows, if the series is allowed to hang on for a little longer he might grow into the role. Although, I'm not hooked on the show, I am curious to see if they get a large enough fan base to keep it going. http://www.legendoftheseeker.com/
"The Wheel of Time" series has been and probably always will be my favorite series of books. They are the books that I discovered the joy of reading and the joy of exploring a new world. I hope no one EVER puts these books onto any kind of screen. It belongs in the imagination of the reader. Since Robert Jordan passed away in September of 2007, the completion of the series has been passed on to the little known writer Brandon Sanderson. Seeing how he was chosen to complete my favorite series ever, I decided to try out his books. "Elantris" and the "Mistborn" series are the most well know of his bare handful of published books. I won't talk about them individually but I thought it might be prudent to mention a few things about his last released novel the final volume of the Mistborn series "Hero of Ages." There are two things I'd like to say. The first is that when I finished the book, initially I was a little upset by the ending. That is, until I realized it couldn't really end in any other way. It was the right ending for the story. The other thing I wanted to mention was how impressed I was by the linear thought patterns of the characters. Each character figures out what they need to figure without it needing to be a stretch or a too obvious. One epiphany led to the next in a very logical manner. This is not easy to do folks! I certainly have read my fair share of books that did not have believable thought processes in its characters. (The most obvious of which was Grand Admiral Thrawn in the only Star Wars Trilogy worth reading by Timothy Zahn.) I can't wait until the last Wheel of Time book is published next year. I have a feeling I will be taking two days off of work to read it. :)
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