I had the opportunity to visit the Phoenix area one week for training, and then come back for a work group face-to-face the next week and so got a little taste of what it's like to travel a lot. I still don't mind it, but I'm happy to be able to "relax" a little at home. For one thing, I *always* forget something important at home.
Highlights of the trip were a visit at the Pueblo Grande Museum and a hike on Camelback Mountain (which is actually closer to Paradise City, aptly named).
Pueblo Grande Museum had only a $5 admission. The centerpiece was the Hohokam Platform Mound, which the museum has attempted to preserve. They also had replicas of adobe houses and a desert garden all along a 2/3 mile trail.
On Camelback Mountain, I took the easy Bobby's Rock Trail, mostly because the trails were really not well-marked and it was really difficult getting back down the mountain in my tennis shoes. I am not a seasoned hiker.
Below is a slideshow of my pictures:
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
In McCainland for Election Day - OR IS IT?
I was in Chandler, Arizona for business last week, and again this week and was bothered by the highway signs. On closer, inspection, I made a harrowing discovery.
Your favorite engineer-in-training has discovered what may be the world's scariest conspiracy: the city of Chandler, which is in Arizona, home of Senator McCain, is the victim of theft by the Obama campaign. See for yourself!
Official Seal of the City of Chandler, Arizona:
Symbol of Hopey Changey Stuff:
I rest my case.
Your favorite engineer-in-training has discovered what may be the world's scariest conspiracy: the city of Chandler, which is in Arizona, home of Senator McCain, is the victim of theft by the Obama campaign. See for yourself!
Official Seal of the City of Chandler, Arizona:
Symbol of Hopey Changey Stuff:
I rest my case.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Halloweenie
Your favorite engineer-in-training celebrated her favorite holiday this past weekend! What a great way to wrap up the stressful month of October.
My company had a huge Halloween party, but I thought it inappropriate to dress up as my Main Costume: Sarah Palin. Instead, since I'm from Ohio, I already had all of the accessories to be a Cowgirl.
Much to my surprise, there were no other cowgirls or cowboys; it's such a popular costume in Ohio; what's the deal? Perhaps your small office party might be a tad awkward, but mingling with hundreds of costumed engineers you've never met certainly takes things to a new level. We had a fortune teller, a haunted "house" (read: haunted lean-to), caricature artists, and a raffle for not one, but FIVE MP3 players. I didn't get an MP3 player, but I got the next best thing - a $5 gift card to Peet's Coffee (Starbucks equivalent).
After work, it was Sarah Palin's time to shine. It's a lot of work to tease hair. I didn't quite get Palin's modest beehive, but it was effective. We started out the night at an Upscale Bowling Alley (300 San Jose), attempted to get into the Agenda Lounge (it was full), and then moved on to my favorite "dive" bar.
The picture with John McCain was a random fellow who approached me on the street. I also encountered many "constituents" who wanted to be photographed with me. Nobody asked for my autograph, however.
As a future note, it is both a bad and a good idea to dress up as a Republican in California. Bad because people were booing me everywhere I went, and good because I didn't have to pay for a single drink all night (except for at the bowling alley).
My company had a huge Halloween party, but I thought it inappropriate to dress up as my Main Costume: Sarah Palin. Instead, since I'm from Ohio, I already had all of the accessories to be a Cowgirl.
Much to my surprise, there were no other cowgirls or cowboys; it's such a popular costume in Ohio; what's the deal? Perhaps your small office party might be a tad awkward, but mingling with hundreds of costumed engineers you've never met certainly takes things to a new level. We had a fortune teller, a haunted "house" (read: haunted lean-to), caricature artists, and a raffle for not one, but FIVE MP3 players. I didn't get an MP3 player, but I got the next best thing - a $5 gift card to Peet's Coffee (Starbucks equivalent).
After work, it was Sarah Palin's time to shine. It's a lot of work to tease hair. I didn't quite get Palin's modest beehive, but it was effective. We started out the night at an Upscale Bowling Alley (300 San Jose), attempted to get into the Agenda Lounge (it was full), and then moved on to my favorite "dive" bar.
The picture with John McCain was a random fellow who approached me on the street. I also encountered many "constituents" who wanted to be photographed with me. Nobody asked for my autograph, however.
As a future note, it is both a bad and a good idea to dress up as a Republican in California. Bad because people were booing me everywhere I went, and good because I didn't have to pay for a single drink all night (except for at the bowling alley).
Friday, October 24, 2008
Donating Blood: ENTER IF YOU DARE!
I was 40 minutes late to my appointment to donate blood yesterday, and hadn't been to this location before, at the Cupertino Center."ENTER IF YOU DARE!" read yellow plastic tape stuck to the window. Immediately, I knew that this was where I needed to go to donate my blood. Whoever decorated the Cupertino office of Blood Centers of the Pacific for Halloween had some kind of a sense of humor.
I was disappointed to see no vampiric images splattered on the wall, but the irony of the Dia De Los Muertos theme was clear. Well played, Blood Centers of the Pacific.
I am taking the FE Exam tomorrow in hopes of someday becoming a "real" engineer. I hope that donating blood gives me the good karma I need to pass it :-)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Halloween is my Favorite Holiday
True story. I love the opportunity to dress up in costumes. I'd do it every day, but even though my company does not have a dress code, I'm not sure that that would give a very good impression.
The Joe came to town this past weekend for his fall break, and I was sure to give him the California treatment. This time, we went to see the Golden Gate and it was NOT ridiculously covered in fog. I took him to a few fancy restaurants, we visited Great America with my buddy Andrew, and we went up to Berkeley to visit with the members and pledges of one of our fraternity's newest colonies. Here's my review of some of the weekend's highlights.
The Golden Gate Bridge
The best spot to get an awesome view of the bridge and the San Francisco skyline is from the Battery Spencer at Fort Baker on the northwest point of the bridge. To get to it, you have to go Northbound on the bridge, then go to the next exit, take a U-turn and go toward the bridge, and you'll have to pay a $6 toll to get back to San Francisco, but it's worth it, and much better than parking on the south side of the bridge at that little park where you have to pay $5 to park unless you get one of the 10 or so spots right at the park.. but I digress. Battery Spencer was abandoned in 1943 and not much else has been done to it since then, except for some graffiti covered up by paint covered up by more graffiti, and the parks system put in some "latrines". The nice part about the fact that it's been ignored is that you are free to walk all around and inside the old ammunition storage rooms and barracks. Plus, as I mentioned, you get an awesome view from the top of the hill.
Great America's "Halloween Haunt"
At $39.99 for standard admission and $29.99 for students, that's a pretty good deal for a haunted house. Cedar Point back home in Ohio is owned by the same company, and this was Great America's first year trying the haunted weekend (except, it's called "Halloweekends" at Cedar Point). The decorations were great, and the character costumes were fantastic. The actors used loud noises to effectively startle people - no chainsaws in this park!
There were 5 "mazes" (they weren't really mazes.. there was only one path to go through). The most creative was "Club Blood," which was meant to be a vampire club, complete with sexy vampire "go-go" dancers (read: strippers, but they don't actually take off any clothes... they're just wearing corsets and such). I just know that this was somebody's fantasy, and that's why this was here. "CarnEvil" was awesome because we paid $1 for the paper 3D glasses and it was TRIPPY. We went through it twice because it was so good.
One of the water rides, Logger's Run, which is probably pretty boring otherwise, was turned into a haunted ride called "Camp Gonnagetcha". It was a lot of fun, but poor Andrew took the front of our log and got drenched. Not the best idea for a ride on an October night, even in Cali! Not everybody who got off the ride was as unlucky, however. This isn't a ride that's meant to get you soaking wet... sometimes, it just happens.
There were also 4 "fright zones" but these were basically just walkways that they had actors stand around and jump out at you from the fog.
The lines were ridiculously short on a lot of the rides, and we even caught one several times in a row. We were able to do everything in 4 hours, and it was a great time!
The Pyramid Brewery
This is where we met the Berkeley folks, who were all very cool, by the way. Try the Apricot Weizen!!! The Oregon Honey Beer is a close second.
The Joe came to town this past weekend for his fall break, and I was sure to give him the California treatment. This time, we went to see the Golden Gate and it was NOT ridiculously covered in fog. I took him to a few fancy restaurants, we visited Great America with my buddy Andrew, and we went up to Berkeley to visit with the members and pledges of one of our fraternity's newest colonies. Here's my review of some of the weekend's highlights.
The Golden Gate Bridge
The best spot to get an awesome view of the bridge and the San Francisco skyline is from the Battery Spencer at Fort Baker on the northwest point of the bridge. To get to it, you have to go Northbound on the bridge, then go to the next exit, take a U-turn and go toward the bridge, and you'll have to pay a $6 toll to get back to San Francisco, but it's worth it, and much better than parking on the south side of the bridge at that little park where you have to pay $5 to park unless you get one of the 10 or so spots right at the park.. but I digress. Battery Spencer was abandoned in 1943 and not much else has been done to it since then, except for some graffiti covered up by paint covered up by more graffiti, and the parks system put in some "latrines". The nice part about the fact that it's been ignored is that you are free to walk all around and inside the old ammunition storage rooms and barracks. Plus, as I mentioned, you get an awesome view from the top of the hill.Great America's "Halloween Haunt"
At $39.99 for standard admission and $29.99 for students, that's a pretty good deal for a haunted house. Cedar Point back home in Ohio is owned by the same company, and this was Great America's first year trying the haunted weekend (except, it's called "Halloweekends" at Cedar Point). The decorations were great, and the character costumes were fantastic. The actors used loud noises to effectively startle people - no chainsaws in this park! There were 5 "mazes" (they weren't really mazes.. there was only one path to go through). The most creative was "Club Blood," which was meant to be a vampire club, complete with sexy vampire "go-go" dancers (read: strippers, but they don't actually take off any clothes... they're just wearing corsets and such). I just know that this was somebody's fantasy, and that's why this was here. "CarnEvil" was awesome because we paid $1 for the paper 3D glasses and it was TRIPPY. We went through it twice because it was so good.
One of the water rides, Logger's Run, which is probably pretty boring otherwise, was turned into a haunted ride called "Camp Gonnagetcha". It was a lot of fun, but poor Andrew took the front of our log and got drenched. Not the best idea for a ride on an October night, even in Cali! Not everybody who got off the ride was as unlucky, however. This isn't a ride that's meant to get you soaking wet... sometimes, it just happens.
There were also 4 "fright zones" but these were basically just walkways that they had actors stand around and jump out at you from the fog.
The lines were ridiculously short on a lot of the rides, and we even caught one several times in a row. We were able to do everything in 4 hours, and it was a great time!
The Pyramid Brewery
This is where we met the Berkeley folks, who were all very cool, by the way. Try the Apricot Weizen!!! The Oregon Honey Beer is a close second.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Nerd Metal, Microbrews, and the New Apartment
Thanks to the networking benefits of Theta Tau, I've made some more friends in the area via the Theta Tau California Alumni Club. The weekend prior to this last, I met up with a few of the NorCalifornians and then proceeded on Adventures this last weekend.
Before I get ahead of myself however, I am now mostly settled into my new place. Yes, I know I was only in the previous room for 4 months, but... among other things, the commute was wearing me down. The 13 mile drive could take 90 minutes. Now, I live only about a mile and half away, and can (and do) walk to work. My next endeavor will be to speed up the trip by purchasing a bike.
Friday night, I attended a very fun concert at the gorgeous historic Fillmore in The City (that's what us locals call San Francisco) with Kit & Andrew: Sonic Arctica and Nightwish. Kit's sister calls it "Nerd Metal" because it's heavy metal that is, well, nerdy. It was my first concert since the fated Taste of Chaos Concert of 2007 in Detroit (knocked down by a crowd surfer, I lost my glasses and phone to the crowd - talk about Chaos! - but the Civic Center staff found my still-functioning phone and mailed it back to me). Anyway, this crowd was much less violent, but still very enthusiastic.
I do not understand Mosh Pits.
Sunday, I went with Andrew and his friend Matt went back up to The City for the San Francisco Brewer's Guild "Brews on the Bay" Event. The event was held upon the historic WWII Liberty ship, the Jeremiah O'Brien at Pier 45 with live music by the Raveups (*great* band). I rode Caltrain for the first time to get there and back since beer tastings + driving are not conducive to safety.
My two favorite beers were from the same brewery: Magnolia Brewery's "Cole Porter" and their "Weekapaug Gruit" (I'd never heard of a gruit before - it's a hop-less beer, and they seasoned it with sage and rosemary - very delicious). Magnolia has a very BIZARRE website.
The worst beer sounded like it was going be a bad beer: The 21st Amendment Brewery's "Hell or High Watermelon Wheat". I'm normally a big fan of "fruity" beers, but this one was, for lack of a better description, gross.
Oh, and if you haven't seen this website yet, you totally should.
Before I get ahead of myself however, I am now mostly settled into my new place. Yes, I know I was only in the previous room for 4 months, but... among other things, the commute was wearing me down. The 13 mile drive could take 90 minutes. Now, I live only about a mile and half away, and can (and do) walk to work. My next endeavor will be to speed up the trip by purchasing a bike.
Friday night, I attended a very fun concert at the gorgeous historic Fillmore in The City (that's what us locals call San Francisco) with Kit & Andrew: Sonic Arctica and Nightwish. Kit's sister calls it "Nerd Metal" because it's heavy metal that is, well, nerdy. It was my first concert since the fated Taste of Chaos Concert of 2007 in Detroit (knocked down by a crowd surfer, I lost my glasses and phone to the crowd - talk about Chaos! - but the Civic Center staff found my still-functioning phone and mailed it back to me). Anyway, this crowd was much less violent, but still very enthusiastic.
I do not understand Mosh Pits.
Sunday, I went with Andrew and his friend Matt went back up to The City for the San Francisco Brewer's Guild "Brews on the Bay" Event. The event was held upon the historic WWII Liberty ship, the Jeremiah O'Brien at Pier 45 with live music by the Raveups (*great* band). I rode Caltrain for the first time to get there and back since beer tastings + driving are not conducive to safety.
My two favorite beers were from the same brewery: Magnolia Brewery's "Cole Porter" and their "Weekapaug Gruit" (I'd never heard of a gruit before - it's a hop-less beer, and they seasoned it with sage and rosemary - very delicious). Magnolia has a very BIZARRE website.
The worst beer sounded like it was going be a bad beer: The 21st Amendment Brewery's "Hell or High Watermelon Wheat". I'm normally a big fan of "fruity" beers, but this one was, for lack of a better description, gross.
Oh, and if you haven't seen this website yet, you totally should.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Who Hits a Bear?
Not me, of course! I'll get to that story momentarily.
This past weekend, for Labor Day & the nearby birthdays of two of my three younger sisters, I flew home to Ohio to visit my family & friends. It was my first visit home since moving out here, and it was not without its always exciting challenges.
The San Jose Airport has free wifi! Other airports - take note.
I flew in to the Detroit Airport early Saturday morning. My dad, who usually transports me to and from these airport adventures, was in Connecticut visiting a sick relative, so instead, I was greeted by my mom & big brother Corey. We drove home to Toledo and no sooner did we open the car door, my dad called my mom's cell phone.
"I hit a bear. I can't believe I hit a bear!"
He was driving through Pennsylvania on his way back home when a black bear ran out in front of him. With a semi-truck right behind him, he could not exactly slam on the breaks, so he slowed down and braced for impact - which there was.
The beautiful 2-yr-old Chevy Cobalt could not stand the test of a 250-lb Pennsylvania Black Bear. Car is totaled! Bear, unfortunately had to be euthanized as he was badly injured, but not killed by the crash.
It did give us a chance to spend more time with sister Erin's fiance, however, as he volunteered to drive me, my mom, and Erin out to pick up my stranded dad. The poor guy!
That night, I relived my college days with my college friends. The next day, Joe and I drove out to Cleveland to visit his family and watch the Cleveland Air Show from the comfort of the Goodtime Cruise ship.
I also got the chance over the weekend to spend time with my ever-growing baby niece. At nearly 11 months, she is developed enough to be a danger to herself and small furry animals. The cats and ferrets, however, don't seem to mind the attention.
The only other adventure of the trip which I'll mention was a late plane causing a tight transfer between flights causing my lost luggage; however, United graciously had my luggage delivered the very next day to my house without incident.
It was a great weekend; one that reminded me both of why I wanted and wanted not to leave Ohio. If only I could take with me some of my beloved Ohioans :-)
This past weekend, for Labor Day & the nearby birthdays of two of my three younger sisters, I flew home to Ohio to visit my family & friends. It was my first visit home since moving out here, and it was not without its always exciting challenges.
The San Jose Airport has free wifi! Other airports - take note.
I flew in to the Detroit Airport early Saturday morning. My dad, who usually transports me to and from these airport adventures, was in Connecticut visiting a sick relative, so instead, I was greeted by my mom & big brother Corey. We drove home to Toledo and no sooner did we open the car door, my dad called my mom's cell phone.
"I hit a bear. I can't believe I hit a bear!"
He was driving through Pennsylvania on his way back home when a black bear ran out in front of him. With a semi-truck right behind him, he could not exactly slam on the breaks, so he slowed down and braced for impact - which there was.
The beautiful 2-yr-old Chevy Cobalt could not stand the test of a 250-lb Pennsylvania Black Bear. Car is totaled! Bear, unfortunately had to be euthanized as he was badly injured, but not killed by the crash.
It did give us a chance to spend more time with sister Erin's fiance, however, as he volunteered to drive me, my mom, and Erin out to pick up my stranded dad. The poor guy!
That night, I relived my college days with my college friends. The next day, Joe and I drove out to Cleveland to visit his family and watch the Cleveland Air Show from the comfort of the Goodtime Cruise ship.
I also got the chance over the weekend to spend time with my ever-growing baby niece. At nearly 11 months, she is developed enough to be a danger to herself and small furry animals. The cats and ferrets, however, don't seem to mind the attention.
The only other adventure of the trip which I'll mention was a late plane causing a tight transfer between flights causing my lost luggage; however, United graciously had my luggage delivered the very next day to my house without incident.
It was a great weekend; one that reminded me both of why I wanted and wanted not to leave Ohio. If only I could take with me some of my beloved Ohioans :-)
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