Jury Duty is over; I did not get selected. (I was curious to serve, though.)
Guests are gone. It was great to see them.
Now it's time to hit the road and get this blog which was intended to be about traveling, back to traveling. Coming up are Houston, Atlanta, DC, Chicago & Wisconsin and I'm dreaming about the Pacific Northwest, California, BVI or Honduras (but only for diving), and I'd like to treat myself to Australia (only $800 if I fly in Oct).
Your thoughts on places to see and check out?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
I’m an Engineer!!!
Classes and exams are over! I’m an engineer!!!
It feels good to be done; it feels great to be an engineer. Clearly the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Most of all, I’m finally getting back to being me. I had withdrawn from socializing as I had alluded in the last post and while it was a good choice it was a tough one too. However, today, I felt myself reconnecting with me - simple things. While cleaning I turned on the TV and there was nothing but trash, so I asked myself, “What did I do before when I cleaned?” It dawned on me that I used to listen to NPR via internet. So, I put it on (I have connected the two surround sound stereo sets so I get great sound in both rooms of the apt) and it “felt like old times”. I love NPR and I have missed it. Again, simple but something I haven’t done in years…spend a few hours listening to the news.
Then, I called an old friend and chatted a bit. We couldn’t get together but it was great to reconnect. Simple but significant.
I also went to Riverside Park to watch the sunset. I hadn’t done that since the last round of exams. There were big boats and small boats. They were what clinched the idea of going back to school for Mechanical Engineering. Tonight there were also helicopters and airplanes (aerospace also being an ME discipline) and it seemed as though all possibilities were open to me.
As a bonus, there was a free mini concert in the park. I remember enjoying those before school started. It feels good to be back.
It feels good to be done; it feels great to be an engineer. Clearly the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Most of all, I’m finally getting back to being me. I had withdrawn from socializing as I had alluded in the last post and while it was a good choice it was a tough one too. However, today, I felt myself reconnecting with me - simple things. While cleaning I turned on the TV and there was nothing but trash, so I asked myself, “What did I do before when I cleaned?” It dawned on me that I used to listen to NPR via internet. So, I put it on (I have connected the two surround sound stereo sets so I get great sound in both rooms of the apt) and it “felt like old times”. I love NPR and I have missed it. Again, simple but something I haven’t done in years…spend a few hours listening to the news.
Then, I called an old friend and chatted a bit. We couldn’t get together but it was great to reconnect. Simple but significant.
I also went to Riverside Park to watch the sunset. I hadn’t done that since the last round of exams. There were big boats and small boats. They were what clinched the idea of going back to school for Mechanical Engineering. Tonight there were also helicopters and airplanes (aerospace also being an ME discipline) and it seemed as though all possibilities were open to me.
As a bonus, there was a free mini concert in the park. I remember enjoying those before school started. It feels good to be back.
Monday, February 9, 2009
If it feels like I've been ignoring you, well...
I have been ignoring you. I have not been doing well. (Not to fret, all in good time, I'll be back to me.) I noticed it about 4 or 5 months ago. Engineering school has taken its toll. I work 80 hrs/week and take one day off per month, if I can get it. (I did a stretch from 26 Aug 08 to Thanksgiving, no break. That will mess with your head. Engineering school is no joke. One dude started the program and by the end, he became a chick. I don't know anything that can hold a candle to that.) And I've been going at it like this for about four years. It's too much. Even for a damned obsessive workaholic demon like me, it's too much. There are a few emails that I've sent out to friends...some were silly, others spastic, some just stupid and I can't unsend them. There were few as I noticed myself not at my best, but anyway, it has been enough to make me shy away from a social setting.
The good news...I'm going to take the summer off. My job search in the last semester of school is terribly superficial. Listen, I've got 95,000 miles on both United and American plus 55,000 on Delta. Roughly, 250,000 miles, when else am I going to use them? (Email me if you want to learn the strategy.) I've friends in Houston and I will try to get interviews with oil companies for when I visit. My big bro in the bay area says, "Let's head to the mountains, the ski chalet is great in the summer time too." My lil' bro in Buenos Aires, Argentina - it's been three years since I've seen him and his wife. Family reunion in July (we're from Chicago but my dad and the boys do an annual fishing trip to the north woods of Wisconsin so they'll coincide) and it would be great to commune with nature and make friends with the mosquitos...I've been way to busy to give blood at the Red Cross, this way, I will have done my part.
Other invites so far include Atlanta, DC and San Diego. I'll certainly be spending time in Chicago. Those miles could get me a trip to Europe too. And until this blog post, I only mentioned it to a few people.
I would love to lay around my apartment and just read books that have nothing to do with engineering. Then, I'll read the chapters in the engineering books that were complicated and the prof didn't get to. I really do love engineering but it will be on my terms. And I'll do the crossword every day.
I've got the money to do it, plus a couple of part time things that are very flexible. The timing is right. And the last time I left a job and took time off, the HR guy said to me when I started having a sort of buyer's remorse, "Martin, if the only reason you can think of to not do it is because it's crazy, then you're crazy not to do it."
And well, I need a freakin' break. All that I've endured headaches, nose bleeds, shingles, sleep deprivation, group projects with a bunch of 20 year old kids - ooohhh thank god that they freakin know everything, that way nothing gets freakin done!
Ahhh, some down time would be nice. Just chill...yeah. Maybe I should get a Jamaican accent to help me round out the slow pace and calming feeling.
If I don't find anything before the next school year, I'll take an AutoCAD class and a friend wants us to take welding, so then as a student I can keep my health insurance. Also, the 4th qtr can be a tough time to find a job. The holidays wipe out a month and companies look to just get by until new budgets start in the new year. Sucks that it may be pushed off but that's life. And, and... that's probably the worst that could happen. Ha!!! Why work?
The good news...I'm going to take the summer off. My job search in the last semester of school is terribly superficial. Listen, I've got 95,000 miles on both United and American plus 55,000 on Delta. Roughly, 250,000 miles, when else am I going to use them? (Email me if you want to learn the strategy.) I've friends in Houston and I will try to get interviews with oil companies for when I visit. My big bro in the bay area says, "Let's head to the mountains, the ski chalet is great in the summer time too." My lil' bro in Buenos Aires, Argentina - it's been three years since I've seen him and his wife. Family reunion in July (we're from Chicago but my dad and the boys do an annual fishing trip to the north woods of Wisconsin so they'll coincide) and it would be great to commune with nature and make friends with the mosquitos...I've been way to busy to give blood at the Red Cross, this way, I will have done my part.
Other invites so far include Atlanta, DC and San Diego. I'll certainly be spending time in Chicago. Those miles could get me a trip to Europe too. And until this blog post, I only mentioned it to a few people.
I would love to lay around my apartment and just read books that have nothing to do with engineering. Then, I'll read the chapters in the engineering books that were complicated and the prof didn't get to. I really do love engineering but it will be on my terms. And I'll do the crossword every day.
I've got the money to do it, plus a couple of part time things that are very flexible. The timing is right. And the last time I left a job and took time off, the HR guy said to me when I started having a sort of buyer's remorse, "Martin, if the only reason you can think of to not do it is because it's crazy, then you're crazy not to do it."
And well, I need a freakin' break. All that I've endured headaches, nose bleeds, shingles, sleep deprivation, group projects with a bunch of 20 year old kids - ooohhh thank god that they freakin know everything, that way nothing gets freakin done!
Ahhh, some down time would be nice. Just chill...yeah. Maybe I should get a Jamaican accent to help me round out the slow pace and calming feeling.
If I don't find anything before the next school year, I'll take an AutoCAD class and a friend wants us to take welding, so then as a student I can keep my health insurance. Also, the 4th qtr can be a tough time to find a job. The holidays wipe out a month and companies look to just get by until new budgets start in the new year. Sucks that it may be pushed off but that's life. And, and... that's probably the worst that could happen. Ha!!! Why work?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas in Paris
My inspiration for this blog was to tell of my travels which were made easier when my sister Alison got a job at Continental Airlines. As the story goes...
My sister left her job in Denver to live in Paris. She lived on a student visa for years and finally decided to get a job. She called me to ask for me to be a sounding board; it was uncharted waters. She got her act together. It's not easy in a foreign country but she's smart, a good accountant and is very professional. Still there were moments of doubt as we started into the process at the beginning of the summer of 2006. But by the end of the summer she had three job offers and was then asking for advice on which job to take, plus she was very clever in negotiating an addition 20% on to the salary on the offer she did take...after all she was in demand. She took the job with Continental Airlines. As she is single, she gets to choose a "designated spouse" for travel benefits, and I was her choice.
I was going to visit her at Christmas last year. It was last minute but no problem for us, sometimes we book less than 24 hours in advance. So, I'm on the phone with Alison and sorting out plans. Economy was oversold and the only seats were in Business/First. Alison said to me, "Just pay the difference, it is so worth it. The steak is this big." "That big," I joked into my phone. Yeah it's great. I had another this time, but it wasn't easy. Paris was overbooked so I went via Brussels, but I did get first class, great steak, good conversation with the gay Episcopal Minister and Theology professor (whose 30 year partner, wow!, was working the flight), and it's so much easier to sleep in those big chairs with space to stretch out. You're practically horizontal.
A couple of years of free champagne, thick steaks and hopping about, I was back in Paris. Alison is a great host, she loves to have friends over. I love small gatherings but don't have the knack for hosting. We talk menu, decide, she's very good at certain things and I charm the guests, then we change places when she's done and I take over the kitchen.
She's got great friends in Paris. I don't think she'll ever leave. (I tell my story about how I feel so at home in NYC, to me Alison is the same about Paris. She says she'll be in Denver again someday, but her heart will always be in Paris in someway. As Heminingway said...Paris goes with you as it is a "Movable Feast", great read.)
Alison is very American, yet has taken to the French mannerisms and savoir-vivre.
Florence et moi, dans la cuisine. (That's not a stain but a lens-light thingy.)
Letting loose, being silly: Anastasia, Martin, Marine, Katherine, Florence, Samir, plus Alison.
What a great Christmas eve! Lovely and lively conversation, beautiful people ... happiness can be so simple.
My sister left her job in Denver to live in Paris. She lived on a student visa for years and finally decided to get a job. She called me to ask for me to be a sounding board; it was uncharted waters. She got her act together. It's not easy in a foreign country but she's smart, a good accountant and is very professional. Still there were moments of doubt as we started into the process at the beginning of the summer of 2006. But by the end of the summer she had three job offers and was then asking for advice on which job to take, plus she was very clever in negotiating an addition 20% on to the salary on the offer she did take...after all she was in demand. She took the job with Continental Airlines. As she is single, she gets to choose a "designated spouse" for travel benefits, and I was her choice.
I was going to visit her at Christmas last year. It was last minute but no problem for us, sometimes we book less than 24 hours in advance. So, I'm on the phone with Alison and sorting out plans. Economy was oversold and the only seats were in Business/First. Alison said to me, "Just pay the difference, it is so worth it. The steak is this big." "That big," I joked into my phone. Yeah it's great. I had another this time, but it wasn't easy. Paris was overbooked so I went via Brussels, but I did get first class, great steak, good conversation with the gay Episcopal Minister and Theology professor (whose 30 year partner, wow!, was working the flight), and it's so much easier to sleep in those big chairs with space to stretch out. You're practically horizontal.
A couple of years of free champagne, thick steaks and hopping about, I was back in Paris. Alison is a great host, she loves to have friends over. I love small gatherings but don't have the knack for hosting. We talk menu, decide, she's very good at certain things and I charm the guests, then we change places when she's done and I take over the kitchen.
She's got great friends in Paris. I don't think she'll ever leave. (I tell my story about how I feel so at home in NYC, to me Alison is the same about Paris. She says she'll be in Denver again someday, but her heart will always be in Paris in someway. As Heminingway said...Paris goes with you as it is a "Movable Feast", great read.)
Alison is very American, yet has taken to the French mannerisms and savoir-vivre.
Florence et moi, dans la cuisine. (That's not a stain but a lens-light thingy.)
Letting loose, being silly: Anastasia, Martin, Marine, Katherine, Florence, Samir, plus Alison.What a great Christmas eve! Lovely and lively conversation, beautiful people ... happiness can be so simple.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Can I Overcome B.O.?
A few weeks back I got an email from Beth that made me laugh so hard. She informed me that if you search "Barack Obama" on Facebook, I came up third. Well by the time I read the email and tried it myself, I was down to fourth.
Today, I'm up to second. What would it take to overcome the man himself? How can I overcome BO? How can I better a man who raised a record $750 million?
I need to make a mistake. I mean a monstrous f*!k up such that the US government will give me $750 billion ... that's with a b, so that I can out spend the BO.
What do you suggest?
Thank you for your support,
Eebie
PS: Is it because I live in a NYC, in a blue state that I never heard any cheezy jokes before about his initials being BO?
Today, I'm up to second. What would it take to overcome the man himself? How can I overcome BO? How can I better a man who raised a record $750 million?
I need to make a mistake. I mean a monstrous f*!k up such that the US government will give me $750 billion ... that's with a b, so that I can out spend the BO.
What do you suggest?
Thank you for your support,
Eebie
PS: Is it because I live in a NYC, in a blue state that I never heard any cheezy jokes before about his initials being BO?
Friday, October 17, 2008
Tagged by Coffey...
I'm so busy, still, not much more to go to finish school, Beth nicely roped me into another blog, this time it's a one word "question"...
1. Clothes? Being back in school I decided not to spend any money on clothes and just wear out what I have. When I get a real job, I will toss them and buy a new wardrobe. (I must say I do leave a lot behind in Honduras.)
2. Furniture? Best place to shop – the streets of Manhattan’s Upper West Side. On garbage night, these people lay out some good shit on their curb. I picked up some nice chairs, organizing bins for my closet, vacuum cleaner (needed a cleaning – ironic – but I got it working nice), and all sorts of stuff. Plenty that I say, "Looks great, I've no place to put it. (Therefore I don't need it.)" Best find = 250GB external hard drive.
3. Sweet? Great expression for something that was great, excellent, wonderful…
4. City? That’s where I live…in the city and New York City is the city. But even for NYC, Manhattan is the city. If you live in Brooklyn and you say you’re going out in the city, everyone knows that means Manhattan.
5. Drink? Yes, too much. I love beer. I really like wine and stay away from the hard stuff. My saving grace is that when are exams are over and I’ve celebrated their departure, I stop.
6. Music? I love it all. My collection has tango, heavy metal, fado, teenie pop, bossa-nova, rock, blues, opera, lots of musicals, mariachi, plenty of jazz, and the list goes on.
7. TV Series? Numbers, CSI, Law & Order, etc. All those crime investigation shows. I especially like Numbers as it explores math and Judd Hirsh went to my school.
8. Film? As vast as my music selection: Star Wars, Cinema Paradiso, La Reine Margot, Anything Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro or Al Pacino, Au Revoir Les Enfants, Chariots of Fire…
9. Workout? I love it when work is out and I can go home. I haven't jogged in the park in months. I miss it. There was a time not more than a year ago I could run a 5:40 mile.
10. Pastries? Mille Feuille (Napoleon); I love them. But a simple croissant can be just as heavenly.
11. Coffee? Oil slick. The Exxon Valdes was a terrible disaster, I brought a straw.
1. Clothes? Being back in school I decided not to spend any money on clothes and just wear out what I have. When I get a real job, I will toss them and buy a new wardrobe. (I must say I do leave a lot behind in Honduras.)
2. Furniture? Best place to shop – the streets of Manhattan’s Upper West Side. On garbage night, these people lay out some good shit on their curb. I picked up some nice chairs, organizing bins for my closet, vacuum cleaner (needed a cleaning – ironic – but I got it working nice), and all sorts of stuff. Plenty that I say, "Looks great, I've no place to put it. (Therefore I don't need it.)" Best find = 250GB external hard drive.
3. Sweet? Great expression for something that was great, excellent, wonderful…
4. City? That’s where I live…in the city and New York City is the city. But even for NYC, Manhattan is the city. If you live in Brooklyn and you say you’re going out in the city, everyone knows that means Manhattan.
5. Drink? Yes, too much. I love beer. I really like wine and stay away from the hard stuff. My saving grace is that when are exams are over and I’ve celebrated their departure, I stop.
6. Music? I love it all. My collection has tango, heavy metal, fado, teenie pop, bossa-nova, rock, blues, opera, lots of musicals, mariachi, plenty of jazz, and the list goes on.
7. TV Series? Numbers, CSI, Law & Order, etc. All those crime investigation shows. I especially like Numbers as it explores math and Judd Hirsh went to my school.
8. Film? As vast as my music selection: Star Wars, Cinema Paradiso, La Reine Margot, Anything Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro or Al Pacino, Au Revoir Les Enfants, Chariots of Fire…
9. Workout? I love it when work is out and I can go home. I haven't jogged in the park in months. I miss it. There was a time not more than a year ago I could run a 5:40 mile.
10. Pastries? Mille Feuille (Napoleon); I love them. But a simple croissant can be just as heavenly.
11. Coffee? Oil slick. The Exxon Valdes was a terrible disaster, I brought a straw.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Back to Honduras...
I've been out of the loop as I've been busy preparing for our next trip. We've got a good group of 10 enthusiastic and smart people, so we're looking good.
Someone found our first project on Google Earth. A bit to the upper right of the center is the construction of the tank; the picture was probably taken 1/2 way through.
Here's the skinny on the next projects...
La Nueva Suiza
The work in La Nueva Suiza continues as most of the homes do not have chimneys, so the smoke from the stove/oven remains in the kitchen.
There is no electricity, but now that the dam and tank are working and managing the water, there is actually more water than they need. The overflow can power a generator to produce electricity.
Las Chicas
Currently Las Chicas has a small tank but has serious problems with water distribution. The community is quite poor and has difficulty raising funds. At the same time the tank has no lid, is covered with mold and has no chlorinator.
There is no electricity in Las Chicas. There are two options: the town is 300 m from an electricity distribution pole or an off grid solution like La Nueva Suiza is a possibility.
Many of the homes do not have proper latrines. Gray water and waste management area serious problems. Some of the homes do not have "pilas" or a water basin (25-30 gallons) that are used as the water management center for all homes – washing clothes, dishes, bathing and everything water, they are essential.
Tegucigalpita
A fairly large community of 4,500 people,they have more resources. We see our role more as the pure consulting engineer. They need the big picture, the calculations, the plan for water usage, conservation and management for the next 10 years.
Someone found our first project on Google Earth. A bit to the upper right of the center is the construction of the tank; the picture was probably taken 1/2 way through.
Here's the skinny on the next projects...
La Nueva Suiza
The work in La Nueva Suiza continues as most of the homes do not have chimneys, so the smoke from the stove/oven remains in the kitchen.
There is no electricity, but now that the dam and tank are working and managing the water, there is actually more water than they need. The overflow can power a generator to produce electricity.
Las Chicas
Currently Las Chicas has a small tank but has serious problems with water distribution. The community is quite poor and has difficulty raising funds. At the same time the tank has no lid, is covered with mold and has no chlorinator.
There is no electricity in Las Chicas. There are two options: the town is 300 m from an electricity distribution pole or an off grid solution like La Nueva Suiza is a possibility.
Many of the homes do not have proper latrines. Gray water and waste management area serious problems. Some of the homes do not have "pilas" or a water basin (25-30 gallons) that are used as the water management center for all homes – washing clothes, dishes, bathing and everything water, they are essential.
Tegucigalpita
A fairly large community of 4,500 people,they have more resources. We see our role more as the pure consulting engineer. They need the big picture, the calculations, the plan for water usage, conservation and management for the next 10 years.
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