The end is near

Finals are upon me again. This semester's dreaded tests of knowledge, skill, and cunning promise to be difficult, but not impossible. I'm still not looking forward to them.

The weather is taunting me. Despite it being winter and despite the night-times being bone-chilling cold, the day-times are sunny, beautiful, and tantalizingly out of reach while I while away at online tutorials and old PowerPoints. Thankfully there's only a few more days until I'm free.  

I got my hair cut again last week. It's shorter than it's ever been, and I love it. My hair finally looks decent, and it's inherent fluffiness works in my favor. The the hairstylist said it gave "volume" and "texture," which I think are good things. The only downside is that I now regularly get mistaken for a boy, especially when I'm in my good hoodie and loose jeans (hey, it's chilly), but that's okay. I think it's a good look and it's really easy to take care of.

It was great to see my family over Thanksgiving. My brother just got inducted into the Arnold Air Society, an honors society for Air Force ROTC, and has grown up and gotten some ripped biceps. He seems to be doing better than I am. My sister is getting really involved at school and is busy practicing for this year's Nutcracker at her ballet studio (She's Fritz - if you want tickets, contact my mom). My parents just got back from Ireland and had some good stories. My grandparents seem to be doing as well as ever.

I'm really looking forward to going home, seeing old friends, and (and this is big) sleeping in. I'll see a lot of you soon! 

Back to My Regularly Scheduled Life

"Is this how time usually passes? Really slowly, in the right order?" - Doctor Who - Vincent and the Doctor

So if you missed my last post, I am in the enviable position of being at Disney Imagineering as an intern in Florida.
Spring can't come fast enough. My paperwork's through, my flight is booked and my housing's been acquired (no, I don't have a specific address yet). Just FYI, as part of that paperwork there were a few nondisclosure agreements, so, like last summer, I'm probably not going to be able to post extensively about what I'm actually doing there, and no, I can't take your ideas even though a Soarin' type ride with a Hercules theme would be awesome.
I just can't wait to be there.

But for the next 1.5 or so months, I'm still stuck in the semi-real-world of academia, with finals, lab reports, and homework, all of which are starting to send me alternatively into extreme boredom and unnecessary stress.  Yes, I'm exercising and yes, I'm eating half-decently. I'm also taking three more classes than full time and two more than the recommended course load, so I'm trying really hard to lie in the bed I've made for myself. It's not comfortable, but they say that nothing worth doing is.

I'm looking forward to going to the grandparents' for Thanksgiving and hearing everyone's stories. As long as we can keep away from politics, it promises to be a great weekend. I'm also looking forward to seeing some of the family that I don't get to see very often.

In other news, my magician buddy has started forcibly dragging me to Magic Cats meetings, so I have a few new rudimentary card tricks and bandanna tricks.

That's all for now - Hope you all have safe and happy holidays.

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!

Here's the story - sometime in late September, I was canvassing Google, searching for internships and the like, and decided to look at Disney's career site. I started scrolling, filtering, looking for something that looked like it fit me, and subsequently threw a generic resume and hasty cover letter into the black hole that was (and presumably still is) their online application site. Since summer internships had not been put up (and I've been told that they are extremely rare), I threw my name into the hat for a generic Engineering Professional Internship at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and for a Construction Management Internship at Disney World. I kinda forgot all about it - it was an extremely long shot, and I wasn't even sure I wanted a Spring position - until a little while ago, when I got a call from a 407 area code. It was an Imagineer from Florida who wanted to "talk to me about my resume" - with less than 2 hours notice.
So we talked, then I talked to him and a couple other people, and briefly, a few women from HR. Two days later, after waiting for months, lo and behold, out of the blue, right between the eyes, [insert favorite cliche here], I got an offer to be part of the Facilities Asset Management team at Walt Disney World in Florida for the spring.

And I've taken it.

I know some of you are shocked, awed, and perhaps a little confused as to why I'd take a semester off school to work when I'm going to be working the rest of my life anyway. I don't usually explain myself, but this is huge, and intensely cool, and so I think I probably should. So, I don't usually do stuff like this, but here's the top ten reasons I'm going to work in Imagineering at Disney World (I will forgo the Buzzfeed style gifset):

10: It's Disney.
Everyone knows Disney, the vast majority of people like Disney, and pretty much everyone respects Disney. It will be an extremely impressive thing to put on a resume, and I've been told that once you have Disney on your resume, that's all any interviewer will want to talk about.

9: It's outside of Arizona
I've been feeling a little stuck at the U of A, and I think a change of pace and a change of climate will do me good. I've never been east of the Mississippi for any extended period of time, so I'll get to experience at least one new culture and will have somewhere new to explore.

8: Everyone else says its awesome
I have a friend who is interning in engineering in Anaheim and is having the time of her life. There are a multitude of blogs, tumblrs, and assorted media mavens who rave about Disney Professional Internships, and even Disney's own marketing seems surprisingly genuine.

7: I can get school credit
Almost any study abroad that I could have done would have netted me 3-9 credits from classes that don't help me graduate. Even the engineering ones mostly give only 3 credits of research units. This will count towards my graduation as a 3- unit technical elective, and therefore be better for me academically than studying abroad - and I'm getting paid.

6: I'm a semester ahead
Since I'm only a single major now, I have some extra time to play around with. If I get all my classes, I can still graduate May 2017 even if I take a semester off.

5: Networking/Mentorship Opportunities
Disney Imagineers are the best in the business, and a lot of them come from other businesses. I'll have the opportunity to learn from the best of the best, and meet some really cool people who could advance my career - not to mention that the interns themselves come from all over.

4: There's a ton of really cool potential projects
A new land based on Avatar, James Cameron's sci-fi movie about blue skinned aliens, is opening soon at the Animal Kingdom. A major revamp on a beautiful hotel (the Wilderness Lodge) is coming up. Soarin' is getting an upgrade. And I could potentially be part of one (or all) of those.

3: I have the tools
From my experience at Bechtel (thank you all), with Rube, with Haunted Dungeon, I have experience managing people, dealing with suppliers, pricing material. and making sure things get done. And anything I don't know, I pick up fast. I'm really good at building stories, at pacing, at getting the psychological payoff I'm looking for, which hopefully means I'll fit right in.

2: It's mine
This was something I searched out for and applied for myself. Looking back, I've noticed that I have a disturbing habit of stealing or absorbing other people's dreams in lieu of searching for my own (e.g. aerospace was and still is more my brother's thing than mine), but I've always wanted to work for Disneyland since I was little. This dream is my own, not my brother's, not my parent's, not my friends', and that slight bit of ownership and autonomy will make me work that much harder and makes it all that much sweeter. Also, it will be a great experience to be somewhere legitimately on my own without the safety net that comes from having grandparents 2 hours away.

1: IT'S DISNEY
Speaking of dreams, this is a company that literally creates them (ever seen Alice in Wonderland?). It's been a huge part of my childhood (and, it could be argued, my semi-adulthood). Just being able to be part of that legacy would be an amazing experience - to create the things that the next generation of Graces will obsess over would be so cool.

So that's why I'm ditching school. If you're going to beg me to stop, it's too late now, and I'm not sorry at all - in fact, I'm excited out of my head - I'm still bouncing off the walls. This is one of the coolest things that ever happened to me, and I'm really looking forward to the experience.

Post Midterms

I really don't want to do homework, and I haven't posted in a while.
So hello, faithful readers, it is I, come to assuage your yearning to relive your college years (or maybe not).

As I mentioned last post, I've had midterms for the past few weeks and have been busy with other projects. Also, my head hasn't really been in a good place, and while it is common sense that one shouldn't blog when angry, I believe the same applies for semi-depression, desperation, and general stressed-outed-ness. The Internet is not just written in ink - ink can be destroyed, mutilated, erased, or otherwise lost forever, whereas online, there's always a cached/time-hopped/obsessively saved version of pretty much everything that has ever been posted. So, yeah, I haven't been posting much.

Despite popular opinion, I happen to be a human girl, not a robot, even though it sometimes seems the other way around.

Since last time - I have survived (most of) my midterms. I've registered for classes next semester (I'm taking it a little easier{hopefully}).I have dropped my aerospace major, and picked up a math minor (so I'm a Mechanical Engineering Major with minors in Spanish and Math, which is more reasonable). I got to see the U of A Repertory Theater's rendition of Cabaret, which was amazing, though the ending was shocking (even though everyone knew it was coming). And then there was Halloween.

Like every year, I helped out with the annual Haunted Dungeon - except this year, it was outside, not in the basements. This year, the maze was a haunted carnival. I played the creepy maniacal magician with a penchant for cutting things in half. I can only honestly say that I scared one group, but I creeped out everyone else and proved an apt distraction for coming jump scares.


Then for Halloween, I went out dressed as Betty Rizzo from Grease, and I had fun.


I'm almost done, and the rest of the year promises to be better. Things are looking up from here!

Back to the Midterms

I haven't posted in a few weeks. I have a valid excuse - midterm season lasts around five weeks each year. Why? In general, there is a variety of testing schedules, with classes generally having between two and five tests a semester. That means that midterms are pretty much continuous during the second and third quarters of the year, which makes things really fun.

I'm kinda at the point where the shiny has worn off college, extracurriculars, people, engineering, even sports. This hasn't been good for my motivation, but I've been muddling through. I know I'm usually upbeat, but it hasn't really been my best semester. I know they say that junior year is hard, but I'm finding that it's cold and merciless, more Hel than Hell. There is no glory in suffering.

Overall, there's really not much to report. I've been doing pretty much same as always - classes, homework, Rube (the first two steps on the machine are mine), little bit of exercise, some late night reading. Coupla rounds of career fair and internship search, a few interviews, nothing concrete. Overall, pretty boring. Again, there is no glory in my suffering. 

When I have something to report, I'll post more. 

In the mean time, I've spared you the flying cars rant, the groaning over the current state of hoverboards, and the distinct sound of thunder and lightning outside my window. 

Happy Back to the Future Day! 

The Gray Underside of My Shininess

I know I make it sound like college is all fun and no work, but the truth is that I work hard. I study a lot. I spend way too much time on lab reports. I assume that most of you would bet bored to death of this blog if I wrote about studying and homework, and I'd rather write about the random fun and funny stuff that happens because I spend the rest of the day contemplating the grand mysteries of the universe that I'm trying to stuff into my brain. So yes, I do work. I do a lot of work. However, sometimes, the work becomes repetitive, tedious, and occasionally boring, and I don't wish to submit you, my dear readers, to the same torment I (mostly) willingly put myself through.

This semester is the one with the duller, theory-filled classes that are prerequisites to the fun classes I can start taking next semester. It's not that the classes I'm taking aren't interesting, because they are, but I'm kinda done with endless analysis of stress-strain curves and triple integrals and assorted matrices just to explain why something breaks when you pull on it. I do have a lab (albeit on Friday night) where I actually get to break stuff, which makes it all a little bit better.

Right now, midterm season has begun, which means late nights shivering by the harsh glow of an LCD screen locked away in a deep dark cave, never to be seen again by man or beast. Or maybe just never be seen by any of the people I call friends or acquaintances. On top of that, I'm getting into the whole job search thing early this year (and the huge school-wide career fair is this Tuesday) so I'm also trying to figure out what I actually want to do with my life, or at least next summer. Bechtel was a great experience, but I want to try something different before I decide to stick with construction. So there's resumes to tailor and cover letters to write too.

Unusual fun stuff that happened this week:
ESPN College Game Day came to campus. I slept in.
I finally got to Pima Air and Space Museum because I have a friend who works there. That was pretty damn cool. They have a full 787 out in the yard, and a shard of moon rock inside one of the hangars.
I played some pretty intense Foosball with my Religious Ed kids - and got handily beat.
I got a new favorite class at the rec - Body Combat. However, I made the mistake of going on a two-ish mile run before a class that was advertised as intense cardio, and wound up really dehydrated. Oops.

And that's really about it.
Check next week sometime between Thursday and Sunday (but not on Friday) for the next thrilling installment of my life and times.

Getting Shot

Yesterday, I was taking a break from studying, sitting and reading a book at my semi-secret spot near the infamous acid green turtle pond, and some guy comes up to me.
"Hey," he says, "I'm Mike. I'm teaching a journalism class, and I was wondering if you'd let me shoot you." I gave him a look. "I mean, I'm trying to teach my students about different video strategies. Do you mind if I take some video?"
I said okay, and I kept reading my book, as per instruction, while Mike monkeyed around with his video phone. I can only imagine how I looked. My short hair was sticking straight up - I had gelled it earlier, but had been playing with it, so I now looked like a poorly drawn manga character. I was wearing an ironic t-shirt and messed-up Bermuda shorts, and was slightly slouched over my latest used-bookstore pop-psych acquisition. My bare feet were crossed in front of me on the bench, scarlet nail polish chipped and sweaty band-aids falling off. My beat-up pseudo-Vans were on the bench beside me, socks haphazardly tucked inside. I can only imagine I looked like the most awful wanna-be hipster in existence.
Mike started taking video, moving from right in front of me, to behind me, to practically in a tree, to the side, and then took some artsy shots with my shoes in the foreground, and then some looking over my shoulder. I was trying really hard not to giggle, so my face probably looked kinda funny too. He filmed for about 10 minutes, said thank you, then walked away. I can finally say that I have been filmed by a professional, and I'll get my 15 minutes of journalistic fame.

(Side note - the book was Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell. The ideas are interesting, but it's somewhat disjointed.)

Other than that exciting adventure, there's not much to report. Midterms are coming up faster than I would like. I'm learning a lot about things that I've never thought about before, like why metals break at 45-degree angles, how to solder, and why plastics in airplane structure are not the best idea. The percentage of females in my classes has dropped from around 20% to around 15%, which was to be expected since the biomedical engineers now have a separate track.

As for this year's Rube Goldberg machine, we're opening and closing an umbrella in a Blazing Saddles-esqe  Old West Saloon. We have floors and a wall, and the first step is going to be putting a cowboy hat on a peg in the wall. It's all so exciting. I'm looking forward to see how the rest of it turns out.

I'm doing okay. I'm not dead yet, and the chances of survival look good. I'll keep you posted.

Singing in the Rain

This is me not coming home from a football game (we won, if you were curious).This is me, homework-less for the long weekend and looking forward to maybe, just maybe, getting out a little. This is me not getting drenched in the torrential downpour of Tucson monsoon rains that seem to start up every time I step outside, and in turn, not getting sick. This is me, a few hours after I had to go outside, swinging my umbrella and failing to tap dance in the puddles in my thick flip flops, gaining some strange looks from passers-by, and inexplicably getting my shorts wet.

What did I learn from this strange adventure today? I learned that the best way to get attention while walking from the library is to unabashedly loudly sing Gene Kelley's greatest hits while making a mess and not wearing a red shirt on game day. Guilty. Not sorry.

Classes, overall, are going quite well. We're still in the review phase, though if I have to hear about how to add vectors one more time, I might just leave. I have a class in which my high school statistics are finally relevant, which is good because the professor doesn't speak English well. I made the egregious error of signing up for a Friday night lab, so I still have that to look forward to. We're doing something with soda cans.

Most of the stuff I've been learning this year, both in and out of the classroom, is the effect of stress on bodies. I've been trying to get out and exercise - run when the sky isn't falling, do yoga at the Rec, and stuff like that. I feel nowhere near as good as I did over the summer. but college food will do that to a person.    

I am juggling a lot, but after the first week, it doesn't seem like this semester is going to be the hell I was promised that it would be. I'm actually looking forward to going to my 8 AMs. I will survive, and come out with a greater knowledge of materials, math, and fluids.

Third Time's the Charm

For a recap of my summer internship, see the previous post.

After 10 days at home, ten weeks in Washington, and another 5 days at home, I'm back in the dirty T. That's right - school's started again, and I'm an upperclassman. Time flies, does a few loop-de-loops, and smacks your face before you know where to look. I didn't even get to really unpack before I had to go off again. But I did get a chance to cut my hair. No, it's not just tied back.

Looking forward: I've been told by pretty much everyone that junior year is hell. It's already been a bit of a mess because of a bit of a paperwork mix-up and a few extremely boneheaded moves on my part, but most of that mess has been cleaned up and worked out. I haven't even gotten to the academics yet.

A primary issue this year will be stress - the mental and the physical. This semester, my classes are about materials and how to determine their properties. So my classes look like this:
MSE 331R - Fundamentals of Materials, or, Why Polymers/Plastics Are No Good For Most Things
AME 300 - Instrumentation, or, Why Your Thermometer is Wrong
AME 301 - Engineering Analysis, or, The Math You Should Have Learned but We Didn't Teach You
AME 331 - Fluid Mechanics, or, An Extremely Simplified Introduction to the Way Water Moves
AME 324/CE 215 - Properties of Materials, or, This is How You Break Things (and there's a lab!)
MATH 322 - Mathematical Analysis for Engineers, or, AME 301 Plus Theory

I am doing a lot, but I can handle it. I know that I've set myself up for an 8th Circle of hell, but I can do it. (On the other hand, maybe I'm just lying to myself). On top of that, I'm treasurering for the Rube Goldberg Club, staying active at Newman and with SWE, and got suckered into being an Honors Mentor (though I'm kinda just doing that one for the free food). I have this awful problem where I can't say no to things I'm interested in, regardless of time commitment, but somehow, I always make something work.

Yes, I'll be in hell, but stress is part of the job description. I've got some friends, some study buddies, and some enthusiastic (if heavy-accented) professors, so I'm going to knock it out of the park.

I'm feeling like I'm descending into the Pit right now, but I know that I'll find my Virgil and my Beatrice and get out alive. I don't think that I'll need to abandon all hope, but there's no doubt that this will be a difficult year.

Internship in Perspective

Sorry for the long wait between posts, but I haven't had a ton of time to breathe.

TL;DR - yes, I HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE.

I l earned a lot over the summer. I learned things I can put on my resume, like how to read a P&ID (piping and instrumentation diagram) and how to use MathCad. I also learned things that can't go on a resume, like how to get around in a city where you need a car without a car and how to productively bug people. There's also the ever present, extremely ambiguous leadership skills, communication ability, and public speaking that you can pull out of almost any experience, but all joking aside, I learned a lot about those, too.

The last couple of days were slow. I got my performance review, gave my report out again, and got to talk to my lead a bit. The powers that be told me that I did a great job and that I would be welcome back next year - a good finish. My group took me out to pizza lunch on my last day. The very next morning, I flew home - uneventfully. I can say that I had (non-coffee) Starbucks in Seattle (Airport).

Some of my fellow interns who are local to the area finagled a deal where they could stay on through the year. The company wasn't willing to pay for my commute, so that fell through for me.

Overall, I learned a lot about what it means to be an engineer, to be accountable for your work, to not know everything. I met a ton of fantastic smart people, and saw how many different functions are needed to make a project progress.

Outside of work, I got to go paintballing and tubing for the first time. I got to see the Columbia River. I got to experience a bit of the small (okay, small-ER) town feel. I got outside a lot, and ate healthier in the past two months than I had been in the past two years. I got through a TV series (Heroes - I would recommend), and figured out how to get around in a new neighborhood.

So, yes, my summer was awesome. Thanks to everyone who helped get me there1

It's All Nuclear

Here's something I've experienced here in the Washington Tri-Cities area that I definitely won't experience anywhere else - the whole town (okay, three-ish cities) was built on and still mostly runs for one reason - the Manhattan project and its aftermath. For those of you who don't know, the Hanford Site, which is outside of Richland, was the place where the first full scale nuclear reactor was built and was where the plutonium for the Fat Man bomb dropped on Nagasaki was produced. Building this reactor was a massive construction project that was completed in record time with almost complete secrecy which wiped out a lot of the farms and the Native American territory that was there before World War Two. A lot of the structures that were built then still exist out in the middle of miles of scrub-brush-filled desert. And of course, there are the tanks full of 40 million-odd gallons of nuclear waste out there, which I am helping to work to clean up.

But here's the thing - even in town, you cannot forget the town's legacy. For example, Richland High School's mascot is the Bombers. Streets are named Atom, Einstein, Innovation, Leslie, Groves, Fermi. Most non-Bechtel people I've met are from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which helps with processing waste, or CHM2Hill, which manages the tank farms. Most people seem to be pro-nuclear power. I even went to a museum about the geology and history of the place, where they had an exhibit on vitrification where I could point out exactly what I was working on, which was undoubtedly very strange and very cool. Honestly, I'm a bit worried that once all the waste and stuff from the Manhattan Project is cleaned up, there won't be much here afterwards. On the other hand, it is definitely awesome to see that what I am working on has local and historical significance.

Work is going very well. There have been some exciting moments where I've seen stuff I've been working on has been used at the plant and to make important decisions in town. I did some work on a project for my manager that got presented to some of his bosses, and I became the work-off curve queen. Only problem - my manager just got transferred to work on another building, so I'm going to have to start all over with the new guy, who seems nice enough.

I also did my report out - my final presentation - last week, even though I've still got a while left to go. It went well - I got the most laughs, and I think I impressed upper management. I was slightly blindsided by a question about how much force it takes to haul a space shuttle on the back of a Toyota, but other than that, it went great.

This is probably one of the best places I could have interned because asking questions and being open to answering questions, regardless of position or ability, is highly encouraged. This attitude is important enough that there are even a lot of acronyms associated with it (SCWE*, anyone?), because, on a government job, anything important has an acronym.

I am definitely having a great experience here, and am not really looking forward to going back to school. It's nice only having to focus on a few things at a time, and having everyone actively on the same page working to succeed. Honestly, I'm a different person here than I am allowed to be at school, which is nice. Also, I've heard from pretty much everyone - junior year, especially in engineering, is hell. It's also nice not to have to worry about monsoon rains.

I will be returning to Tucson in a few short weeks, but I still have some time to have a good time here.

*SCWE - Safety Conscious Work Environment - as part of a nuclear safety and quality culture (NSQC), an open work environment where people are encouraged to ask questions and point out potential safety issues without fear of retribution. Opposite of a "chilled" work environment. Yes, I had to get training for this.

Hoists and Cranes and Robot Arms - Oh My!

One of the weirdest things about this internship is not something I even considered going in, and it's simply this -  that everybody seems to be married, or close to it. I'll admit that that should not have come as a surprise to me - I'm working with mostly older people who have been established for a while, but it was still a bit of a shock to go from an environment full of horny college kids to an environment where people ask about your kids. Even the intern who is one cubicle over has a wife and two kids (he is a bit older, though). It's a total change in attitude.

The internship is going well on pretty much every front. My manager likes me, my group lead loves me, and I'm getting a lot of good work done. My lead wonders how I get so much done, but I've gone from juggling a lot of classes in hard majors, having leadership positions in two clubs and being fairly active in two more, and trying to have a social life - to focusing on one or two things at a time and having my social life pretty much handed to me (the other interns are much better at planning stuff to do than I am, and my housemate has connections). Also, I don't have the experience to know how to responsibly procrastinate (yet) and I like what I'm doing much better than the stuff I'm doing at school. So yes, I do good work and I'm enjoying myself immensely. I'm definitely having a good experience

I'm still working mostly with cranes, hoists, and manipulators, and all of those can be more intricate than you'd think, especially if the operator can't be in the room with them. Some of the cranes in black cells, where no one will be allowed after the plant starts up because of intense radiation, have some pretty cool configurations that involve cameras and lasers. When I've visited the site, I've seen that there are two colors of cranes. The yellow cranes are permanent, and the blue ones come out after construction is done. There are a lot more permanent cranes in the buildings than temporary ones. 

Outside of work, I've been pretty active. My housemate is training for a triathlon, so I've been tagging along when she goes to the gym. I'm still biking a lot, more out of convenience than for exercise. I've gone out hiking a few times. Some hikes have been spectacular, some have just been so-so, but it's fun getting out with friends. I've also gone to a few more Tri-Cities Dust Devil baseball games, but they've lost every game I've been at, so I might stop going.

I've gained a guard dog. My housemate has two small poodles, and I've won the loyalty of one, D.O.G. (emphasis on the "O"), by virtue of my generosity with belly rubs and treats. He's quite the funny puppy.  

I missed 4th of July at home. In Washington, I saw some fireworks, and had some awesome ribs and a pint ..... of blueberries (still not quite drinking age). I miss the pageantry, and the awesome fireworks from back home, but nothing can quite compare to those on the coast.

TLDR: I'm doing fine, people like me, I like people, 4th of July at home is better.

Have a great week!

A Hot Summer

It is currently hotter than Tucson right now in the Tri-Cities area in Washington, and it is slated to be over 100 degrees F for the forseeable future. Good thing I did everything there is to do in the Tri-Cities already.

Okay, not really. But it is a small town kinda out in the middle of nowhere where everybody knows your name, even if you haven't met them yet. But... I've hiked Badger Mountain, which is the thing that everyone says to do if you're from out of town. It's a good short hike, and the view is amazing. I went tubing down the Yakima RiverI've gone to see the local minor league (A- rated) baseball team, the Tri-City Dust Devils, and seen their fireworks show. (They lost, but I had fun). I've gone to the newish mall in Kennewick that everyone was excited about a few times and have gone to the movie theater there. I went to go see the B Reactor, whose massive core contains more than 2000 process tubes for converting uranium-235 into plutonium, some of which was dropped on Nagasaki in the Fat Man bomb. That process created the waste we're still trying to clean up. The reactor itself, though, is a technical marvel - built fast and dirty and without any kind of precedent like it.

So... how's the internship going? I'm learning a lot more than I thought I would about business side of engineering (i'm shadowing a procurement team) and about how things as mundane as the difference between "finger-tight" and "tool-tight" can hugely impact safety and efficiency. There's still a ton of paperwork, but that's the nature of the beast. I've been working a lot with cranes, winches, and big pulley wheels while working with a guy who has a Christopher Eccleston accent (Northern English, for those who aren't fangirls), and a redhead, which is pretty cool. I've also got the chance to meet and talk to some of the higher-ups in the project, like the heads of engineering, and the HR people have semi-successfully set up teleconferences in order to introduce us to some of the higher ups in the company. Regardless, I'm meeting a lot of really interesting, extremely intelligent people.

On the side, I've hooked up with my housemate's running group (where I am apparently fast), found both the local used bookstore and the Barnes and Noble (which are depressingly far away [on a bike]), and have been helping care for two dogs (older poodles), so I have definitely kept busy.

Pictures to come as soon as I find my misplaced SD to USB converter. :-/ Sorry folks.

On that note, I will not have any pictures of me on the job. There are all kinds of rules about what I can take pictures of and where I can show it since I'm on a government-funded nuclear project that has already gotten plenty of bad press, and I don't want to step on any toes.

I'm going to try to be better at posting than last summer, but given that I'm not perfect and I'm extremely lazy (especially in the summer), that will be a bit of a challenge.

Anyway, have a good 4th of July, and be sure to shoot off your pyrotechics safely!

Internship Update

It's been a few weeks at the new job and I'm finally starting to see how things fit together.

First off, I've had to learn a new language.If someone in the know asked me what I did, I could tell them that I'm interning with MH for LAW at WTP as part of BNI's NS&E GBU, which translates to interning with Mechanical Handling for the Low Activity Waste facility at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant in Richland, Washington, which is part of Bechtel National Incorperated's Nuclear Security and Environment Global Business Unit.

In plain English, I'm helping design a nuclear containment and decontamination facility. Pretty cool, right?

Everybody there has been very nice to me. There are three other interns in my section, and around 20 interns overall here, which is great. They have us doing real work which will actually have some impacts on the construction of the facility. Since this is a government job (the customer is the US Department of Energy), there is an excess of paperwork to do. Every bolthole, screw, and valve has to be documented. It's tedious, but everyone's gotta do it. I've been working on a pretty nifty calculation and sitting in on procurement meetings in addition to all that, though. My boss is awesome and has done a great job of making sure I feel included in what goes on and that I don't get bored.

One of the things that seems extremely different here than any other company I've heard of is the extreme emphasis on safety. Every meeting starts with a safety topic (and everyone seems to have one ready to go), so safety is always in the forefront. Something must be working, because when I visited the site, I saw a sign that said that there had been 175 days since a lost time accident, which is unheard of. (I'm working town, in the office, so I only have had the chance to actually see the site, which is about 20 minutes out of town, one time). Even the surrounding town is very insistent on their street signs and crosswalk buttons and even has caution flags for when people are crossing the street.

So where am I? The office is in Richland, Washington, which is part of the Tri-Cities area, in the South East corner of the state. Despite what you've heard about the rest of Washington, I've traded one desert for another by spending my summer here instead of Tucson - it's still a dry heat. That being said, everything is extremely green and agricultural here. The person I'm staying with even has chickens.

I'm staying out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of nowhere - and it's great. I'm getting in shape really fast. I've been biking around a lot (probably at least 20 miles every weekend) because it's 3 miles to the main road and another 2 to get into town. I've also been paint-balling, gone to the movies and the mall, and done some hiking. I'm enjoying the change of pace.

I have a tendency to forget that I don't live in a bubble. I tend to forget that I didn't get here on my own, that I have a huge support network, that there are so many people helping me succeed. So, thank you all for being there for me, for helping me get this opportunity.

Some info on the plant, and some more info on the plant.

The Adventure Begins

Right now, it’s about three o’clock Wednesday as I write this (you’re probably reading this much later – I don’t trust airport WiFi – too insecure). I’m sitting in Seattle airport in the middle of a three hour layover on my way to Pasco, where I will begin my next great adventure – an internship! In a real company! With real responsibility! In a state I have never been to!

Here's me, funny hat, short hair and all in Seattle:

I am on my way to starting my internship in Richland, WA with the Bechtel Corporation. I have a place to live, people to meet, stuff to do. I am so stoked, a raging bonfire has nothing on me. I’m going to be a mechanical engineering intern, but as of right now, I have no clue what my exact duties are. I’ll let you know as soon as I do – and am allowed.

My flight from my home to Seattle was pretty uneventful. There was only one crying baby (right in front of me!) but it was actually pretty quiet. I sat next to some nice older couple coming to Portland (eventually) and got a few chapters into Pillars of the Earth. Easy-peasy, no problems at all. Makes for quite the boring story, unfortunately. I’m sitting here in Seattle Airport across from a Starbucks. I walked around and found two of them without even leaving the terminal I’m in. Every gift shop is selling obnoxiously pink nightshirts that read “Sleepless in Seattle.” The terminal I’m in right now is doing hops to Canada.

My relax week at home is over. I got to meet up with a couple of buddies and re-explore downtown and (most importantly) catch up on some sleep. I spent some quality time with the siblings and the parents, but the quick turnaround was still a bit of a shocker.

So here I am, starting off on a completely new, almost completely unknown adventure. I will be telling you all about it as it unfolds. I love you all!

.......

Later - I made it. and am staying with an excellent person (with two dogs) and have plans to meet up with other interns! Good night, people. More when I have more to report.

It's Over... It's (Halfway) Done

I realize I haven't been posting consistently for a while, but that's the cheesy beginning of every bad blog.
As of right now, my dear loyal readers, I am half way through college. Yes, you read that right. I have spent two years locked up in a brick institution eating crappy food, crying, and dreaming of escape. If all goes well, I'll only have two more.
So this year, I officially declared a double major in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, finished a minor in Spanish, met a ton of crazy people, saw some cool things, and opened up a whole host of opportunities for next year.

Last week was finals week. I wrote an essay on the dissemination of misinformation all over the net and all over the nation. I did some pretty tricky differential equations. I talked about radiation and heat generation, and the way things move and their aberrations. Also, Othello's impact and his final vindication. And I learned a lot of funky abbreviations.
And I studied circuits. Sorry, couldn't come up with a good rhyme for that.
So that was the past two weeks. Sorry not sorry for dropping my obligation of posting platitudes about the state of civilization and the complication of college life.

But on to good news! This summer I will be working as a mechanical engineering intern for Bechtel's Waste Treatment Plant starting at the beginning of June. I am extremely excited for this opportunity and will make the best of it. I've finally got the call saying that all my paperwork is done, so now I am official!!!

It looks like I had a great school year, and I'm looking forward to next year even more.

A Quiet Reminder that I Exist

I admit that I have been negligent in posting for something like the past month, and for that, I don't apologize because sometimes life gets in the way. Anyway, I am now typing words into a computer, which will get sent between servers hundreds of miles away and back to be eventually be accessed by you all just to tell you that I am alive and well (more or less) and that I am still capable of writing a half decent blog post.

They say that going on the Internet with the intent to post stuff while angry or stressed is the equivalent to going to the grocery store hungry - you tend to overindulge and do things you didn't mean to do and immediately regret.
I have been inundated with stuff I've had to do, from homework, to unending midterms, to making sure that my hall council has enough money to last through the end of the year, all while trying to remember to getting a decent nights sleep and after suffering a surprisingly painful scooter accident that left me with huge purple bruises on my arms for the past few weeks. (They're gone now).

So what have I been up to?

Lots of homework - the two classes that I have that give the most homework seem to have conspired to align their due dates so that it's never ending - as soon as one assignment gets done, it's time to break my brain over the next one. On the other hand, I could tell you the difference between energy, entropy and exergy, so I got that going for me.

Lots of tests - pretty much very class is looking to get that last exam/quiz/test in before finals start, so I spend a lot of time that I am not doing homework locked in a closet with Elementary Electrical Engineering or Khan Academy.

Big final events for clubs -
For Rube Goldberg - We had a great time showing off the machine at the Arizona Science Center despite some mishaps along the way. This coming weekend we're going to Vegas to show off the machine at the Las Vegas Science and Technology festival. Oh, and the machine now actually makes coffee, so that's pretty cool.
For hall council, we had to put on a big end of the year program, so I got to deal blackjack at a casino/dance type event. By virtue of being treasurer, that also means I had to get on everyone about receipts.  

And also - trying to maintain friendships and eventually sleep and run every once in a while.

In other news, I'm next year's treasurer for Rube Goldberg club.

In two and a half weeks, I will be halfway done with college (hopefully). Finals are coming up,  and summer will come. The anticipation and the stress are palpable all across campus.
Wish me luck!

Post Spring Break Post

Spring Break was this past week, and at this point, it's pretty much over.

So what did I do? 

Pretty much nothing, and it was absolutely glorious. I got caught up on sleep, caught up on my shows, and caught up, at least a little bit, with regaining some sanity.

Okay, I did a little more than that. I got some internship and scholarship applications done, got a bit of a start on my homework, and, of course, went to the Tucson Festival of Books for the first weekend and had a lot of fun, so I wan't completely degenerate and wasteful with my spring break (only mostly so).

One thing that was fantastic about break was that there was almost nobody in the dorms or on campus. The stillness and the quietness were the antithesis of the normal hustle and bustle and were quite nice, for a change. It was also refreshing to have the room to myself for a little bit. I also got to know the people who stayed back fro break a bit better. We all hung out in the kitchen and shared food and stories, and I got to meet some of the hermits who rarely, if ever, leave their rooms. 

Coming up - more tests, more insanity, more work, more craziness. I'm going to have to bust my butt this second half of the semester to get my Thermodynamics grade up.

Also, if anyone is in Phoenix area next weekend, on March 28th, from 9AM to 3:30PM, UA Rube is going to be at the Arizona Science Center showing off our amazingly beautiful Rube Goldberg machine. I'm super excited about that. Come check us out.

I've also started looking at classes for next year. I have officially declared for a double major in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.  I get to start taking the fun stuff next semester, like Fundamentals of Materials, which includes a lab where I get to break stuff, and Dynamics of Machines, where I get to learn about why we make things like we do. Next semester I will probably also take the maximum number of units and will probably have early classes every day. So I have that to look forward to.

Song of the week - I'm still on the Irish (okay, Scottish) kick, and i'm feeling slightly vengeful so this week's song is the Proclaimer's "500 Miles (I'm Gonna Be)" which is guaranteed to get stuck in your head.

Yay Break!

It's been a while since I posted, I realize, but I'm not gonna apologize because in the past two weeks, I have had essays, projects, and tests in all six of my classes and some other unrelated stuff thrown on top. Academics comes first, always, and, although I love you guys, blogging is not a top priority.

So right now, it's Spring Beak and beautiful here. The rain clouds are staying nicely on the horizon and the temperature has stayed between 70 and 80 degrees in the past few weeks. I am still at school, jamming through applications of all sorts and trying to teach myself MATLAB, a program for matrix and statistical analysis.The dorm is a ghost town, but it's nice to have the room to myself for a little bit.

Going roughly backwards to catch up -
This past weekend was Super Pi Day (3-14-15, especially at 9:26:53) and the Tucson Festival of Books. Once again, the entire Mall was devoured by four-legged white tents, people over the age of 50, and under the age of 10. I did raid the used book tent and got me some new reading material. I also got to see Dave Barry (who is hilarious without even trying) and a few panels of sci-fi/fantasy authors. One of those panels included the current president  of the Vatican Observatory, Br. Guy Consolmagno, who was a great speaker on separating fact from fiction. I also got more than my share of delicious fry bread, which I've only seen in Arizona.

Last Thursday, a guy from Raytheon came by and did a demo on how the technology from the quick-changing front ends of race cars could be applied to quickly changing the front end payload on MALDs, which was very cool.

Last Tuesday, the U of A held a "Last Comic Standing" style stand-up competition, which was worth going to. For the vast majority of comics. it was painfully clear that stand-up was not their forts (most were pulled from on campus improv teams), but it was funny nonetheless.

I hosted two girls two weekends ago for Suite with SWE. That was pretty fun, though I think I freaked them out a little when I took them to my Thermodynamics class.

Two Saturdays ago, I got to see the dance program perform their spring show. They were amazing, as usual, and did some very unusual exceptional things with their bodies and with the stage.

Other than that - eat, sleep, study, Rube. Pretty basic, kinda boring, and a little stressful.

For those of you who happen to be in the Phoenix area, we're bringing our Rube Goldberg machine to the Arizona Science Center on Saturday March 28th, and everyone is stoked to be there. We're also going to take it to Vegas near the end of the school
 year for the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival. So everyone is even more stoked for that.

I think that just about catches me up.

Song of the week - since it is St. Patrick's Day as I'm writing this, the song of the week is "Oscail an Doras" from Riverdance. (Open the doors)

Crazy

It's about to get really crazy starting in about an hour after I start this post, so, in light of my negligence over the past few weeks, I'm posting early. Yay.

Nothing much really happened last week - I've just been busy with homework and school stuff.

But! In about an hour after this, I will have two back to back tests, one on basic linear differential equations, and one on basic circuit elements.
If that's not enough fun, Raytheon, a semi-local missile company, is hosting a series of lectures. The last one was on missile components, but this one is on aeronautics and I really want to go. The only problem is that it's all the way across campus and fifteen minutes after my second test.
Then, pretty soon after that, I have a Rube Goldberg meeting where some big announcements are going to be made. (That's going really well - we finally fixed our blender and our toaster).
Then homework.
That's Thursday.

Tomorrow, I'm going to wake up early and do yoga. Then I've got class most of the day. Later, I've got a meeting for volunteers at the College of Optical Sciences Laser Fun Day, where I volunteered to help at an exhibit on health applications of lasers, specifically, on astigmatism. I should do all my homework that day. I'm also going to try to go to the fish fry at the Newman Center.

On Saturday, I'm going to pop in early to Rube, take a coupla pictures, and bust my butt over to the Optical Sciences building to the Laser Fun Day. I'll try out the laser maze and do my thing for most of the day. Then I've got to chill, clean my room, and be productive. Later, I'm going to see "The Color Wheel," a production by the UA Dance program, which I will subsequently have to write an essay on.

Finally - Sunday - I'm going to get up earlierish to go to church. Then, I volunteered (I just can't say no) to helping out with Suite with SWE again for most of the day. So I get to lead high school girls around campus and letting one sleep in my dorm room for the night. The next morning, I'm taking a couple with me to my Thermodynamics lecture to see if it scares them off.

So yes, hectic weekend, thus the earliness. I'm doing okay, getting through it all, eating better than nightly ramen, exercising every once in a while. Thanks for all the birthday wished, I had a good one.

Song of the week - "Everything is Awesome" from the Lego Movie by Tegan Sarah and just cuz I missed the Oscars. You're welcome. Good luck getting it out of your head.

Catching my Breath

It's been a bittersweet sort of past two weeks.

Richard Ruiz, who was one of my professors my freshman year, just died. He taught my Honors colloquium on crosswords and was a really extremely nice guy. He was extremely passionate about linguistics and would always joke that we never really did any work in his class - and I'll admit that his class was a lot of fun. He would still say hi to me when I passed him in the hall. He will be missed.

The tests have started - but without their usual vengeance. I have a collection of extremely lazy/nice professors who have a tendency to assign problems straight from the book - and then declare the test open book. I'm not complaining at all. It's was a rather pleasant surprise. But unfortunately, not all of them think like that.

My birthday was pretty fun - I went to see Big Hero Six (finally) and we got a perfect run on the machine.

Reason for last week's post - I'm searching for a summer internship and I don't feel like I'm doing anything right, even though I've got my resume checked too many times, my elevator speech is polished (until it has to be used), and I've done my research, sometimes to the detriment of other things. Any tips, companies I should apply to, or anything else would be much appreciated.

Songs of the 2 weeks:

Boston -  Peace of Mind

Third Eye Blind - Semi-charmed Life

Unsendable Cover Letter

Dear Sir, Madame, or otherwise inclined,

I am somewhere between a sophomore and a senior at the University of Arizona studying a major with too many syllables, minoring in Spanish. I found out about this position through suggestions of slightly connected family members and/or judicious Googling, and I would like you to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HIRE ME for this job.

Since I Googled your company, I have found that it aligns with my interests in making money and staying busy. I have experience in making money from previous jobs, and in staying busy from schoolwork and avoiding chores at home. I could fill this space with unrelenting butt-kissing, but I think you probably get enough of that already. However, I promise you I have researched your company thoroughly and that I would fit in absolutely perfectly - no doubt about it. Your company culture aligns exactly with my values. When hired, I will do whatever you want me to (within reason, of course) because I am always a team player.

I am analytical, detail-oriented, and action-forward. I am also damned smart, funny, and good-looking. Considering that you are probably an engineering company, I have one of the attributes you constantly fail to find in first time job candidates - namely, I am FEMALE. I know the glass ceiling is cracking, but I can give your company the appearance of its disappearance. That being said, I can handle a paddle bit better than most guys, so nobody better mess with me - at least not too much. However, my extensive pop culture knowledge and constant smart-assery will help me fit in with any team of shy nerdy males. I can handle working alone or working in groups, and I even won some really cool award for teamwork once. I can bring diversity to your (probably) pretty homogeneous group.

In conclusion, PLEASE HIRE ME! I'm a nice person. I'm really hoping you call or email me first, but I will call you as soon as I work up the guts. I am looking forward to talking to you soon. Thank you for your kind, benevolent, amazing, unbelievable amount of consideration.

Sincerely,
Regards, with all due respect,
Best,

P.S. I make killer chocolate chip cookies ☺. PLEASE HIRE ME!

Automation

Just so you all can rest easy - the classic, sci-fi robot revolution will not happen until robots can autonomously build themselves - and know why they should build themselves. Why? Because without knowing how to replicate, they will break down after a usually known time, and, unless they are extraordinarily well built and maintained, that time is usually within a human lifetime. Even with advancing AIs such as Siri, Google's self-driving cars, or even Watson, the computers that drive today's machines still, for the most part, basically follow the (somewhat annoying) first rule of computer programming - the machine will only do what you tell it to. Without the ability to understand and synthesize why something happens, computers lack the ability to solve problems outside of their (often carefully curated) experience. Without that ability, a landlocked robot will not be able to function near an ocean; a cellphone can't deal with a fire; a machining tool can't do more than drill.

So sleep easy, all, knowing that the robot revolution will not happen yet - unless we create a learning, creating, self-aware AI, which, at that point, is basically human anyway.

Yes, we're talking about that in one of my classes. And damn, if it isn't right up my alley.

So I went speed dating for the first time this week. No, I'm not looking for anything serious, but it seemed like it would make for an entertaining evening. (What did they call it? Analog Tinder :P) I met some interesting guys, but none really caught my eye. The vast majority of the people there had never done anything like it before, and so the conversations tended to be a little awkward. In almost every case, there seemed to be this strange pause where both of us tried to decide who would take the lead in the conversation. Some of my friends were there, and it was almost a relief when they came to my table because I could breathe for a moment. I'm glad I went - it's not a bad story.

What else? The construction of the Rube Goldberg machine is D-O-N-E done and we are now working on troubleshooting and making it showable. The frame has been stained, the walls have been painted, and the toast has been loaded.

And finally, I survived round 1 of Resident Assistant interviews. Looking forward to round 2.

Last but not least - song of the week is Styx's "Mr. Roboto." See above. 

Systems

A closed system is a system where mass cannot enter or leave the system. The only changes in internal energy come from heat transfer (radiation, convection, or conduction) or from work being done on it.

Sometimes college seems like a closed system - you see the same people day in and day out, new things come in in the the forms of information transfer (social media, news, television) and work by outside agencies. In reality, it's more like a fixed volume (open) system - there are people, ideas, mass, matter flowing in and out all the time in the same area, constantly changing the energy present here.

Also, entropy is always pretty evident.

If you can't tell, I'm enjoying my thermodynamics class. *bows, walks off stage*

But wait, there's more!!!

I finished my seasonal job at the Bookstore because now pretty much everyone has the textbooks they need. The pay was decent, but, while the minutes were good, the hours were awful. It was pretty fun while it lasted. I met some interesting people and got to venture into the mysterious realm of bookstore backstock.

It's raining. The street behind my dorm is a river. Sigh.

I got a tour of the Poetry Center with my Humanities class. As part of the tour, we did a writing activity. Mine is in the post below, slightly edited. That was fun and interesting. Apparently we have one of the largest modern poetry centers in the nation, which is pretty cool.

I've picked up yoga. I am not flexible. Namaste with it and get flexible. It really helps me get up in the mornings.

I interviewed for a position as an RA next year. I think it went okay, but I didn't do as good a job as I could have connecting my stories to the job. One moment I am particularly proud of - in response to the inevitable "Why should we hire you?" I answered "I'm the best at what I do - and what I do is pretty nice." (From X-Men Origins - Wolverine - ish) I'm feeling pretty confident that I'll make the next round.

Song of the week, in honor of my interview, is Weird Al's "Mission Statement" - yay buzzwords!

On Tucson

***At a visit with a class to the UA Poetry Center, I wrote a poem based on Tucson and Cathy Park Hong's "Ballad in O". Yes, it was an assignment, but I kinda like the result.***

Well, I'll tell you
The sand and the sun burn hot
While the people move fast,
Heads down,
Hands out,
Holding more bright lights and thumbing away.
The cacti stand idly by
Continuing their slow growth
As they have for ages and centuries past,
Arms raised, pleading to an unrelenting yellow star.
I see them, and I see you
In this red brown misbegotten city
Of a college town,
And it's beautiful and ugly and glorious in the same glance.
I am but a traveler here, stuck
By the endless beach with no ocean in sight.
Won't you look up, see not the dusty array
Of squat buildings and black asphalt,
But see me,
Standing,
Walking,
Talking,
Wanting to see some hope,
Some kindness,
Some love
Here.
Well, I'll tell you this -
It's always there -
Invisible, waiting, hiding -
Here.

There Ain't No Rest

It's over. It's done. The first (almost) full week of school - - - is done. (*collapses*)

Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit over-dramatic. This week wasn't really that bad. It was a bit of an adjustment, as it always is coming back from a break. They say there is no syllabus week in engineering, and that's true for the most part.

So what have I been doing?

I've been working at the bookstore almost every day after class, which is tiring but pretty easy. I stock books and direct people to where stuff is. People are surprisingly polite to me - the worst I've got is some even voiced passive aggressive ranting about how people don't like how the bookstore is laid out or the prices of textbooks, which, arguably, are way to high. So it's been pretty good - I get treated well, the pay is not awful, and I get a bit of a brain break.

We've jumped right into relevant stuff in most of my classes. I'm learning about thermodynamic systems, funky coordinate systems, skeletal alignment, Vitruvius, fish populations, 1920's movies, and Ohm's Law (again). I've had to work hard to keep up with homework and everything, which has been a gargantuan task unto itself.

Rube Goldberg has also started up again, which is great. We're not going to Ohio this year, but we will show it off locally. Biggest new step involves an air pump, tubing, and magnets and looks amazing.

Along the way, this week alone, I applied to be a Resident Assistant for next year (good vibes/prayer welcome), got Safe Zone certified, and read all the books for one of my Gen Eds.

All in all, I don't think it's going to get much worse. I think I just got thrown into the deep end and will probably stay there for the rest of the year. It's kind of a sink or swim situation. That said, I'm looking forward to the rest of the year.

But as of right now, I'm still "White and Nerdy" by Weird Al.

And So It Begins

This is it! I'm back at school with a full course load and a seasonal job at the bookstore. Yes, I am insane (but you all knew that), yes, I am a little daunted (but who wouldn't be?), but I am not partially, not cautiously, but completely and totally optimistic. Chances are good I won't have much of a social life, but I've never really had much of one, anyway, so I'm not missing out on a lot.

This semester, I am being taught by a cast of characters including a troll (in all senses of the word), Sean Connery after 20 years in America, Mr. Smee, a re-tired Southroner (he worked for Bridgestone), the can design guy from Monster's University, and a humanities professor. This semester will definitely be interesting.

I mentioned earlier I have a seasonal job at the bookstore. I have been really busy this week and putting in a lot of hours because I can and because it's really busy there right now. I'm working textbooks on the floor, which mainly involves helping people find books, restocking the shelves, and making things look pretty. It's pretty fun, and really interesting - you wouldn't believe the kinds of classes that are taught here. There's stuff on the rise and fall of capitalism in America next to Latin American Erotica next to an introduction to rocket engines and all sorts of other fascinating books. I'm also making some money and meeting some interesting people, and that's good, too.

In engineering, they say, there is no syllabus week. So far, I've found that to be mostly true - I've already got homework due next week. "On what?" you may be asking, "You've only had three days of class!" Good question. Pretty much all my classes are hitting the ground running - we're leaned about how to create differential equations, defined systems in thermodynamics, gone over some basic kinematics in dynamics, and have readings to do in my gen eds. I mean, engineers are supposedly all about efficiency. Why wait?

This is the semester that really begins the major specific courses, and most of my classes are at least 75-80% male, which was expected. My only female instructor is my dance teacher (I'm taking an Introduction to Modern Dance). These are the classes where we learn how (not) to blow things up and how things really move and work together. I'm also finishing up my gen eds this semester.

With all that, I'm still in Rube Goldberg (it's cathartic) and SWE and hall council, though if things get tough, and they will, I'll pare it back.

So right now I'm feeling in the middle of "Bear Down" and "Here It Goes Again." Wish me luck, Imma need it.

Spring 2015 Class Overview

I am going to go insane next semester - I'm taking 19 units, about half of which are reputedly difficult classes. That's okay, though - I need to be busy, or I end up doing nothing. So, in order of appearance, here's the rundown of what I'm taking this semester.

First up - AME 230 - Thermodynamics.
English translation - stuff gets hot.
This one promises to be interesting, despite the fact that thermodynamics was my least favorite subject in high school physics. The guy who teaches it is an expert in cryogenics, so that should make it interesting. He also has not figured out how to use the school's online portal because he keeps emailing random stuff to me.

Next - HNRS 200 - Thinking Critically About New Media.
English translation - writing about stuff that has been invented in the past 20 years (I think).
Despite it having the longest unabbreviatable title of any class I'm aware of, I'm really looking forward to this class because it's description promises that it looks at music and video game technology among other things. The professor is a founder of a subversive webzine and is supposed to be a really cool guy.

And later - AME 250 - Dynamics.
English translation - stuff moves.
The professor here is (or was?) "on loan from Raytheon." I'm told this class seems deceptively easy because it is another applied physics course, but this time, it's the stuff that everyone thinks they understand. Should be interesting.

Also, Math 254 - Ordinary Differential Equations
English translation - really fancy math.
Supposedly, the math difficulty level peaks at vector calc, so this class should be many times easier. My friend who is a math major swears the professor of this class is the "best guy ever."

And on my odd days - DNC 152A - Intro to Modern Dance
English translation - really fancy walking
My sister loves modern dance, and I liked taking a dance class last semester. Despite it being an 8 AM class, it promises to get me up and moving and learning about a new way of moving my rigidly inflexible body.

HNRS 160D2 - Experiences in the Humanities
English translation - writing about art and stuff
This class is focused on art outside the classroom, including local theater and art exhibitions. The professor has written plays and is supposed to be infinitely cool, and this class is supposed to be supremely easy.

And finally, ECE 207 - Elements of Electrical Engineering
English Translation - Yay circuits!
Promises to be harder for me than physics electricity and magnetism lab because I probably wont get a chance to play with the components. It seems kinda boring, and the teacher gets bad reviews,  but I gotta take it.

So that's the stuff I'm going to be ranting about in the weeks to come.

Catching up

I apologize for neglecting the blog for so long. I was... voluntarily eaten by an anaconda (no, too drastic). I was... called in as a witness in a court case on satire (oh wait - that was in 1988? Oh well). Well, maybe I was just recovering from a vicious attack by flying monkey ninjas (those don't exist? Dammit, I'm trying to make a good excuse!)

Regardless, your usual weekend entertainment is back and rolling after surviving finals, an adventurous cross-state car trip, and excesses of sugar. (Those are all real).

So what has yours truly been up to since my last serious post?
There was Thanksgiving (damn, that was a long time ago). I got to see my not-so-little cousins and my grandparents, and was exceedingly well fed.

There was that final push in the last few weeks of school in which little of note happened, save studying (there's a reason there's 'dying' in there) and a rush to finish the mechanics of the Rube Machine. It's pretty much done barring an easy electrical step that necessitates Christmas lights, which everyone knows.go on sale after Christmas.

Then, finally, finals. I only had three during finals week, but one was about as late as it could have been. I got above a 3.0 GPA and had one of my best semesters so far (no C's!). Dance final was to Footloose.

The trip down back home was eventful - me and the two guys I drove with came up with a plan to make car surfing and self-cleaning closets a reality, and then we blew two tires and had to hobble back to Blythe on one spare and one bad tire. What should have been a 7ish hour drive turned into a 13 hour adventure.

Winter break - got to see a few friends and decorate gingerbread houses courtesy of my amazing mother. I also got to see some family that I don't get to see very much, especially since I 'm in Arizona most of the time.

The final Christmas Eve shrimp tail tally - 33.

And now, I'm sitting back in the good old U of A main library, typing away, in the calm before the storm. I got a job wrangling wild textbooks at the Bookstore, and the people there seem pretty nice, the hours are okay, and (this is huge) I get a discount on textbooks.

Aaaaand, there you have it. I'm considering posting a few extras to make up for lost time (see previous post).

Keep it real, y'all. Grace out.