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!
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