« May 2005 | Main | July 2005 »

Thursday, June 30, 2005

This makes two movie previews

This makes two movie previews that Laurie has pointed to that I've been curious to see and just not looked for! Previews are out for Peter Jackson's next project: King Kong.

Other cool things I have found this evening while surfing (thanks to Mighty Goods):

Magnetic paint! My walls at home could be like my walls at work.

Dinosaur stapler! Rowr.

Kung Fu letter organizer! Hi-yah. Take that, stupid bills.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

July 13!

July 13!

Thursday, June 30, 2005

My favorite bit of conversation

My favorite bit of conversation from our once-in-a-blue-moon group meeting this afternoon (paraphrased):

Ray: "Doug, tell us about exploration stuff."
Doug: "Well, there's a document I'm reviewing that's horribly, horribly written. At one point they refer to the crew as 'animate cargo.'"
Sarah: "Animate cargo??"
Doug: "Yeah."
George: "What's wrong with the word 'crew?'"
Doug: "No idea. Animate cargo. I told them even Ham the Chimp was worthy of more than that."

Thursday, June 30, 2005

There is still talk of

There is still talk of bring a Major League Soccer team to Houston in the near future. They'd play in the Astrodome, or in a smaller stadium that would be renovated. I think it'd be great for the city to have a soccer team. I'd certainly check out a few games each season.

Yesterday Craig Biggio broke the dubious record of being hit by pitches more than any other player. That website has a great disclaimer: Moral disclaimer: The author of this blog does not support or endorse intentionally throwing at Craig Biggio.

I went into the office at my apartment complex this morning to figure out what their latest deals are on leases, since mine is up at the end of August. The woman commented on how I'd been there for a while, which of course made me start thinking. The three-year anniversary of my moving permanently to Houston (and into my current apartment complex) is coming up in a few weeks. I've been in the same job and the same living situation the entire time. It's not as long as I was in college, but it's the longest period of time that I have been in one place in almost 10 years -- since I was in high school.

When I was in middle school and high school, every six months or so I'd get the itch to rearrange all the furniture in my bedroom, just to give myself something new to look at. I like change, but it also scares me; thus I seem to like change best when it is completely under my control.

I've had passing thoughts of moving, but it is such a hassle that it doesn't seem worth it to pack up my stuff and schlep it around just for the sake of new scenery. I've thought of moving to another apartment complex that is better-located for running and biking. I've thought of trying to find a room for rent in a house. I've even thought of buying something, though I have no down payment and am still very hesitant to buy something.

I'd shift the furniture in my apartment, but there's nowhere for it to go!

So I guess I'll renew my lease. They have no deals, except for $200 off the first month if I sign a 12-month lease. That's fairly useless, so I'm thinking of signing up for only another 6 months. I just don't know where I'd go after that.

In lieu of a better "signing deal," they offered to shampoo my carpets if I want. That would definitely be nice. Clean carpets would be a bit of a change...

Thursday, June 30, 2005

YESTERDAY'S SUMMARY: EFX machine, 35:00,

YESTERDAY'S SUMMARY:
EFX machine, 35:00, ? strides
Avg heart rate = 170

I did the elliptical machine last night, but hit the reset button at the end when I actually meant to hit the summary button. Zap went my workout data. I am such an engineer in some aspects; wanting to know the intimate details of my workout is one such area. I feel lost without know exactly how many strides I did, even though it is surely somewhere between 4900 and 5100.

I've been pondering my next athletic goal for a while now. I know I want to do the Houston Half Marathon again next January, but I don't need to (and, let's face it, won't) start seriously training for that until the weather starts to cool off in September and October. I'd like to do the USA 10-Miler again, in early October, and perhaps the marathon warm-up series 20K in late October. Even though I'm not training for the marathon, I'd consider doing the 25K again...but the course was SO boring (three identical 5+ mile loops) that I'm not sure if it's worth doing. If I can do the 20K in late October, which is less than a mile short of a half marathon, that would leave me two and a half months to try to improve my speed. Might be worth doing.

I'd really like to find a triathlon this fall though, I think. I had signed up for the Danskin in Austin three weeks ago, and didn't end up going because I had no one to come to Austin with me, and because I was just lazy. But I was sad to miss it. I like triathlons a lot.

Of course I do have one other tempting goal, and that is to work on speed for a while. The one goal I have yet to accomplish since becoming a runner is a consistent sub-30:00 5K. I've finished under 30:00 twice, and have a bunch of finishes between 30:00 and 31:00, but I'd like to be able to do a 5K a bit faster...

(p.s. Running Chick has a great entry today.)

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

YESTERDAY'S SUMMARY: 15 miles biking,

YESTERDAY'S SUMMARY:
15 miles biking, 55:11 = 16.3 mph
Avg heart rate = 173

I decided to go for a bike ride yesterday afternoon for the first time in a couple months. Summer always spurs me to break out the two-wheeler, as somehow it never seems quite as unbearably hot while biking. There's always a breeze, even if it's self-generated.

The fact that I am 5-6 pounds heavier than I was six months ago hit home at Katie's wedding; when I looked at myself in my dress, I decided that I must be carrying all of those extra pounds around my stomach! I want to lose it, but I'm having trouble lately. Since Christmas, it seems, we have been eating out a lot more, and I have been lazier about exercising.

All fall I was so focused on the marathon that since it's been over, since mid-January, I've felt rather burned out. Running just hasn't been as interesting to me since the marathon. I certainly don't regret doing 26.2, but I think that once it was over, and I didn't have a large goal to look for down the road, I started to feel pretty listless about running.

I started running in December 2001 because I wanted to lose weight, but after I got past the initial "I hate this" feeling (which I'd never managed to get past in my multiple previous attempts to start running) I found that I liked it. Being in a beautiful place like the San Francisco Bay Area certainly helped; everywhere I ran there was something pretty to look at. After six months, I was attached enough to the exercise to keep up with it despite moving to running-unfriendly Houston.

Until recently, it hadn't been a struggle to get regular exercise. In addition to running, I started biking, swimming, and playing softball. I started playing soccer again for the first time since 8th grade, and I started rock climbing again for the first time since early in my co-op days. I love all my activities, and though it may sound cliche, I think becoming involved in so many athletic pursuits has had an incredibly positive impact on my confidence and self-esteem. But lately, exercise and workouts have started feeling more like a chore.

My only motivation for doing anything athletic in these past few months has been to prevent ballooning. When I first started running, I was something like 195 pounds. I was never obese, but I was definitely overweight. Only now do I realize how much heavier I looked then, and how much heavier and unhealthy I felt. I'm still a bit overweight, though I am a zillions time more fit than I was three years ago; I'm probably more fit than I've been in my entire life. But as I get lazy, I'm losing it. The least I've weighed in recent memory was 169 for the first couple days after returning from Peru last September. As soon as I stopped, you know, hiking for 8 hours a day, I immediately climbed back to about 172. Marathon training put on a few more pounds of muscle, which I think have since turned to fat, and I now find my pants fitting not quite as loosely as they used to.

So somehow, I've got to get my motivation back, and start to like working out again. Unfortunately this will be tough to do, with summer and hot, humid weather upon me, but I've got to try.

I think I need a new goal. I'm not interested in doing anything farther than a marathon at this point, so it's got to be something different. I'm thinking maybe an Olympic distance triathlon (1.5k swim, 25 mile bike, 10K run), since all I've ever done are sprint distance races. We shall see.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

I can't sleep. My head

I can't sleep. My head is too full, too many thoughts swirling around.

Today after meeting with 4 of the 5 bosses in my branch, I got the go-ahead to start training for a flight control position in September. It's what I've wanted for three years. I should be more excited.

The bosses are considering switches between ascent and descent people, to give each other an idea of what the other does. I said I might be interested, potentially, but didn't want to commit. I think all they heard was "interested." I listened to the possible ascent tasks, both of which were, until recently, being done by a friend. Who left because she hated her job. I don't want to take over the job she hated.

I want to get married. Not to just anyone, and I am in no rush. But watching my sister last week, and seeing how happy she was at her wedding, and how she couldn't stop smiling if she tried, made me realize that I want the same thing someday. I want someone who makes me that happy. And yet I don't date, and in fact, I tend to chase people away.

I come back from vacation feeling restless. An 8-5 office job is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, or even for the next decade. My dad left his engineering job after 7 years, when he was in his early 30s. Will that be me? I want the courage to live more freely; I dream about picking up and just travelling, and working odd jobs, but I am too scared to give up my security and my salary. And I don't know where I'd begin anyway.

I come back from vacation having been reminded of what an incredible family I have. I miss them. I miss the comfort of very close friends, the ones that expect nothing from me other than what I am. I never have to pull punches. Sometimes there is drama, but it passes. I never have to stop laughing.

I want to go back to Tech for grad school, and not AE. I promised myself I would apply last winter, and I didn't. I find it hard to think too seriously about moving back to Atlanta. It scares me. Often I feel that the city is a living creature that I left on bad terms, and that I do not belong there.

I want to get all these thoughts out of my head for tonight, so that I can sleep.

Monday, June 27, 2005

I recently came across a

I recently came across a list of "You Know You're in Houston When..." Here are some of my favorites:

1. You're on your way to work one FEBRUARY morning and suddenly you're trapped in a traffic jam caused by a chuck wagon and fifty horses with riders and you look around to see that everybody in the cars around you is wearing a cowboy hat.

4. You have to turn on the air conditioning in January, two days after a low of 29 degrees.

6. When you see your neighbor dancing around the front yard, you don't think he's won the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes; you know that he just stepped in a fire ant bed.

14. The "Killer Bees" are not stinging insects, but rather members of the Houston Astros.

19. Spring is not the season, Katy is not the lady, and 1960 is not the year.

22. You've never seen I-45 in any condition other than under construction, and you've lived here for 20-30 years.

27. A 747 with the Space Shuttle riding piggyback has actually flown low right overhead, and nobody paid any attention to it.

28. You know that while saving you money, "Mattress Mac" has amassed more than the U.S. treasury.

Monday, June 27, 2005

home again, home again, jiggity jog

Travelling feels like some sort of time warp. I am back in my apartment and at my desk and a part of my brain feels like my wonderful week at home never happened. This is why I take pictures -- to remember. ;)

I had a fantastic vacation. The wedding was just beautiful. The reception was the most fun reception I've ever been to, because I knew everyone there! I saw old neighbors, family friends, and many relatives. The reception could have been 10 times longer and I still would have been having a wonderful time. My family is the most awesome family in the world.

I am working on my photos, and should have most of them processed tonight. (It was dim enough in the church and reception that many of my photos need levels adjusted and noise removal since I shot at ISO 1600 quite a bit!) In the meantime, Brian posted a few photos on his moblog from the wedding. I like this one where you can see them coming down the stairs at the reception and this one where you can see me on the left as I was probably making eye contact with Katie before she threw the bouquet right at me. Yes, I caught the bouquet, which is even funnier when you hear that apparently the bouquet toss was momentarily delayed as they tried to find me. Awwww. (I was wandering around probably trying to get some water. Every time I tried to walk from one room to the drink room, it took at least 10 minutes because I couldn't help talking to everyone on the way.)

Jen also posted some photos including one of Joel dancing with the wrong sister and one of the 207 roommates.

It's nice to be back in my apartment, but it was nicer to be in Charlotte last week.

OH. Last night I had what could potentially be one of the more embarassing moments of my life. I say "potentially" because I don't know for sure how long I was walking around with a HUGE RIP IN THE BUTT OF MY JEANS. I wore the jeans all day yesterday. I get off the plane in Houston, go into the bathroom, and while pulling my pants back up I notice that the fabric, which was pretty thin, has literally pulled away from the seam and just ripped into a gap about 4 inches long and an inch wide. Thank goodness I had a sweater in my bag to tie around my waist. The whole thing is bizarre and cartoonish. The jeans aren't tight, so I guess they ripped when I bent over or sat down or something. It's not a rip so much as it's just like the fabric was worn out and just came apart -- it's not a hole, just like the weave of the jeans broke down. I would like to think that Carter or Kent or someone in my family would have mentioned it to me if they had noticed that I had, you know, a HUGE RIP IN THE BUTT OF MY JEANS, so I am hoping that they ripped on the airplane and that the only time I walked around flashing anyone was from the plane to the bathroom in Houston.

Geez.

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Today my sister and my

Today my sister and my new brother-in-law got married. As expected, Katie was the most beautiful bride I've ever seen.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Whew. This vacation is passing

Whew. This vacation is passing far too quickly for my tastes!

The days have been filled with working out, running countless errands with Mom (which isn't as dull as it sounds; we have a lot of fun), doing last-minute wedding preparation, and social events. Leave it to my generally non-social, improper, ill-mannered family to have a pre-wedding week filled with dinners, garden parties, and luncheons! :)

Joel's mother, best man Chris, and Chris's fiance arrived on Monday and came over to the house for dinner. We had these pork kebabs that Mom was making for the first time and they were really yummy. The rest of Joel's family (father, and brothers Carl and Neal) arrived in town yesterday and we all had dinner out at the Yoder's house on Lake Wylie. The Yoders were kind enough to volunteer their lakehouse as a hotel for Joel's family while they're here. The adults chatted while the "kids" played a lot of Battle Tetris and ... some game that's name escapes me at the moment. Sort of like Taboo and hot potato combined.

At the moment we're about to head over to the Easts for a garden dinner party thrown by Mrs. East, the mother of Caroline, one of Katie's bridesmaids. I've heard that her garden is something to behold, so I'm expecting great things.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

TODAY: Walking, 1:10:00 Katie and

TODAY:
Walking, 1:10:00

Katie and I joined Mom on her daily walk this morning, just like I did two days ago. The weather has been great lately, and we enjoyed trekking through the neighborhood. There were a lot of other people out, and some bikers riding the standard 3-mile Queens Road loop.

YESTERDAY:
EFX machine, 30:00, ? strides

I did the elliptical machine over at the church rec wing. They have a different type of elliptical machine, and it surprised me how much different it felt to use it. There was no incline, only resistance and stride length. It took some adjustment, and I felt much more tired after a half hour than I usually do. It's probably good to shake things up!

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

So I've been passed something

So I've been passed something called the musical baton, thanks to Laurie, my Houston photoblogging friend. Here goes.

Total volume of music files on my computer:
Well, I am in Charlotte right now and my computer is of course in my apartment in Houston, so I can't look up exactly how much. So we'll go with my iPod. I have the 10GB version which currently is full of as much as I could fit on there: 9.2 GB, 2193 songs. I probably have another 4-5 GB on my computer that won't fit on my iPod. I'm just waiting for the hard drive on the iPod to die so I can get a bigger one. :)

Last CD I bought:
Momentary Setback, Marc Broussard. I just bought it a couple weeks ago, otherwise I would have had a seriously difficult time remembering the last time I bought an actual CD. I buy most of my music off iTunes now.

Song playing right now:
Nothing at the moment. If I were at work, I'd certainly be listening to something to distract myself, but I'm on vacation baby! To give a half answer to this one, lately I've been listening to new albums by Marc Broussard, Rob Thomas, and Green Day, among many other playlists.

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:

"Carolina in my Mind" by James Taylor because I'm a Carolina girl at heart. For me, this is #1 by a landslide.

"Have You Seen Me Lately" by Counting Crows, because it calms me down when I'm anxious or upset. Specifically, the version from the blue disc of the Across a Wire two-disc set.

"Leaving Town" by Dexter Freebish, because it became the anthem of my angst-ridden senior year of college.

"Sand in my Shoes" by Dido, because it is so true. Life was better before "I knew that I could get on a plane and fly away / from the roads where the cars never stop going through the night / to a life where I can watch the sunset / and take my time." Ignorance is bliss. ;)

"Ave Maria" by David Bisbal, despite the fact that it is a cheesy dance/club number, because after it gets stuck in your head at 4 a.m. on your way to start hiking the Inca Trail, the song kinda grows on you, and forevermore reminds you of fantastic travels.

Passing the baton to:
My sister, enjoying her last three days of bachelorette-ness.
Becca, because she loves blog games and quizzes as much as I do.
Jo, because she'll probably list some Hawaiian music and we can all expand our musical horizons.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

TODAY: 3.6 miles, 38:45 =

TODAY:
3.6 miles, 38:45 = 10:45/mile
Avg heart rate = 179

I ran three laps around the "long block" from the house tonight after dinner. It was dark, but I ran past diners eating outside on East Boulevard, and people sitting on their porches on Floral, and people walking down my street in the twilight. There is something so comforting about running along the streets where I grew up. I know them so well, and yet go such long stretches without seeing them, that I could probably run 10 laps and not get bored. I love this neighborhood. I love my parents' little house, even if it is not really big enough for six now-adults. I love the trees and the hills in Charlotte, and the cleaner air.

I've been getting headaches in the late afternoon. I told Mom today while we were at the post office that perhaps the clean air is too much for me, and that I need to go back to the smog. The guy checking his PO box next to us almost laughed out loud.

YESTERDAY:
? miles, 28:15
Avg heart rate = 179

I ran with Katie. She's too fast for me. ;) She said the route was 3 miles, but there's absolutely no way it was that far because 1) I'm slow and 2) we were talking and 3) there were hills. Probably more like 2.5 miles.

Monday, June 20, 2005

I never feel as interested

I never feel as interested in updating my blog when I'm home. Something about being on vacation, I guess. Whenever I'm here, it seems like I've put my life on pause and as such, can just flow through the days.

Let's see. First of all, the weather is lovely here. I've been told that it cooled down from the heat of last week, but all I know is that here it is nice, and when I left Houston, Houston was not nice. So I am enjoying the weather.

My flight home on Saturday was uneventful, and I arrived home in time to meet Katie and two of her friends for a "bachelorette" dinner before they went out for the night. Yesterday morning we all went to church, then spent a lazy afternoon running errands and taking batting practice. Brian played in his first work softball game last night and wanted some practice. Our first trip down the park ended after about 5 minutes when the lightning and thunder scared us back to the safety of the house. Katie and Joel and I headed out to the Sports Authority where they bought gloves to replace theirs that have mysteriously disappeared, and I bought a bat (I'd been meaning to for a while anyway). By the time we got home, the storm had passed so we headed back down to the park. We all took turns hitting and catching, some of us (Joel, Katie and Brian) with more success than others (me). Joel is the best athlete of the group, and hit 11 balls over the fence. Eleven!

Today I picked up my bridesmaids dress, altered and ready to go. I'm not totally happy with it because one of the straps is still a bit loose. The lady looked at it and said if she took it up any more, it wouldn't be even with the other strap. She was right, so I didn't have her do anything else, but it's still annoying. Whenever I see people having to pull up their dress straps, I always think that they should have just gotten something that fit right! Now I'm going to be that person. Maybe one of my shoulders is just not level or something. Who knows.

Katie and I went for a run this afternoon at 2:30. It was hot, but not too bad. I can't imagine going for a run at 2:30 in Houston without ending up in the hospital with heatstroke. After running I mowed the backyard. It was strange; I must be one of the only people in the world who has only mowed the lawn a dozen times or so in my life, if that. My mom loves doing that particular chore, and so I'd never really done it. The backyard is tough to mow! It's two levels with a hill in the middle and full of all sorts of weird corners and turns.

Ah, off to relax some more.

Saturday, June 18, 2005

I'm going to Charlotte today!

I'm going to Charlotte today! Yay!

Friday, June 17, 2005

This afternoon I had signed

This afternoon I had signed up to volunteer at a robot competition out at the NBL (Neutral Buoyancy Lab, a.k.a. big freaking astronaut swimming pool). Becca and I showed up at 1:00 only to find that there were actually more volunteers than needed, and we were just standing around making sure people were wearing safety goggles and had closed-toed shoes. I know this is a necessary function, but do you need 8 people to do it? No. We asked if there was anything else to help with, and they didn't have anything. So, feeling only slightly guilty, I asked if it would be ok for me to go back to my office. They said sure, so here I am, about to finish up a brief analysis and watching the phone hope hope hoping that my potential angel from Langley will call me and tell me that my Monte Carlo sim is set up and ready to go. Hope hope hoping.

This has been a crazy busy week. It never fails that just as I am about to leave on vacation, I find a pile of work that needs to be done before I leave. However, I won't complain too much because it feels good to be busy for the first time in a while. Really good. And I am in a much better mood than this time last week when I was still arguing with the Stardust simulation.

Yesterday afternoon I gave a presentation to all of my management as well as a fair number of my peers about the Mars work that I am currently doing. It was part of a new thing my division and our contractor counterparts are starting, an "educational engineering exchange" where people present different things that they're working on just so everyone can get a better idea of what's going on across our large organization. It's a cool idea, even though after yesterday I think there are a few kinks to work out. I volunteered to present because 1) I thought it was going to be at the end of July and thus would be good practice for the conference I hope to go to in August and 2) because I figured "why not just be a guinea pig?"

It went pretty well, and I enjoyed the ego trip I got by realizing that as much as I might complain about my job, I am actually working on way cooler stuff than others. At least in my opinion. ;) The project I presented, in one sentence, is: using neural networks to determine whether a Mars precision lander is on a trajectory that will crash or not, and if it is going to crash, call an abort such that the lander can be saved by sacrificing landing target accuracy. It is a really interesting project even though I have been lazy thus far about taking it to the next level.

The pitch went fairly well. I haven't given it enough yet to really have the routine down, and since neural networks aren't the easiest concept to pick up in the span of 3 minutes, I'm not sure how well I really got the message across. I felt rather tongue-tied. But most people said it went fine, and last night as Jen, Becca, Cari and I ate at Mely's, a man I didn't recognize actually came up to our table and said "I really enjoyed your presentation this afternoon." So that was random and surprising and nice.

For volunteering to present at the first of these meetings, my branch chief decided to give me a K-88 award (i.e. I get to use his reserved parking spot, K-88, for a week; minor thing, but nice all the same).

Last night I had softball and the game was totally bizarre. It was the weirdest game I personally have ever had. First of all, I was alternating between catcher and first base and I had the hardest time, you know, catching the ball. I missed so many balls I should have caught. Second, I walked three times. I never walk because I'm really bad at judging the ball so I usually just swing away. But I walked three times. On my third time up, Russ (the ump) even gave me an extra pitch in an attempt to let me hit a ball, but the pitch was wide. For some reason, the girl just couldn't pitch a strike to me, so I went 0-for-0 with a run scored. Bizarre stat line.

Finally, after my second walk, I got caught in a run-down between second and third. Nick (not Saadah) had hit the ball and it went to the center fielder, so I stopped at second thinking he would throw to second. He threw home instead, but I stayed at second because I didn't have time to make it to third. THEN I turned around to see Nick basically on top of me. He just hadn't seen me at second base, and had kept running. So he ran back towards first, and I thought they tagged him out, so I started walking toward the dugout (would've been the third out), but then I guess they hadn't tagged him out, so I started running to get to third, but the ball got there first. It was a very bizarre play, aided by the fact that Jason, third base coach extraordinaire, just sorta stood there dumbfounded. ;)

Tonight I stupidly said I'd play soccer as a sub for my coed team, so not only do I have to go out instead of packing to go home tomorrow, but I also have to play soccer in the FRIKKIN HOT weather. It is really disgusting humid and hot outside. The heat index at 2:00 was 104. And it's only June.

My potential angel from Langley had not called me back yet. :(

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Last night I had four

Last night I had four rather attractice future Air Force officers riding to the movies crammed in the back of my car. Woohoo!

They are here for a four-week internship and have no cars. The Air Force is putting them up in the Hilton, provides them with a shuttle to work, and even packs them boxed lunches! Wow. Talk about being taken care of. Anyway, they wanted to go see Batman Begins, and Gavin, Becca and I wanted to go see Batman Begins, and so we all did.

I think I may have already mentioned this, but last week I heard the DJs on the radio talking about this new Batman movie. They'd seen an advance screening and were raving about it, saying it was as good as the original. I didn't really believe them, but I had hope. Turns out they were right! Batman Begins won't win any Oscars, but it is really good and very entertaining. Here are 10 reasons why:

1. Christian Bale. He's hot.
2. There are glaciers and mountains at the beginning.
3. I was able to watch Katie Holmes without remembering how grossed out I am by the Tom Cruise thing.
4. Gary Oldman is a good guy!
5. As much as I adored the old Alfred (and I did adore him, don't know why they changed actors), I must say that Michael Caine makes an outstanding Alfred as well.
6. That awesome main samurai from Last Samurai is in it.
7. Christian Bale is hot.
8. Morgan Freeman is awesome, even in a relatively small supporting role.
9. You get to see Batman getting all his cool gadgets and building the Batcave.
10. Did I mention that Christian Bale is hot?

Seriously, it's a good flick.

We went to the Star Cinema Grill for the second time, and tried the dinner food. I had a pizza, and Becca and I split a bottle of wine. Lovely. I think we may be going to this theater more and more often. The tickets are actually 50 cents cheaper than the Cinemark, you don't have to order food if you don't want to (so that makes the price the same as regular movies), if you do order food then it's reasonably priced, and -- best of all -- there are no pre-teens running around, giggling, and wearing far-too-skimpy outfits. Yes, it's official, I am old.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

I totally need some of

I totally need some of this. Just think how cool and rugged my Xterra will look!

In keeping with yesterday's post: RENT movie blog!

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

EFX machine, 35:00, 5520 strides

EFX machine, 35:00, 5520 strides
Avg heart rate = 177

The weather outside yesterday was simply stifling. There is no other word to describe it: stifling. There was no way anyone could have gotten me running outside, so I headed again to the elliptical machine. I have a feeling I will be in that exercise room a lot this summer. At least they now have three TVs, so I can usually watch what I want to. Last night I watched the Astros, who started losing when I left. Poo.

I did go back to the doctor on Monday. I didn't end up writing anything here because, fortunately, there wasn't much to report! He looked at the MRI and my knee is just inflamed. The lump on my knee is just fluid and inflammation, and scoping it would do nothing to help. He offered to give me a cortisone shot and said that might break it up a little faster, but said I could also just wait it out. So I decided to wait it out. He said to come back in September or so if it's still bothering me, and to continue wearing the brace to help take some of the pressure off the joint.

So, we shall see if it gets better! I guess it just needs time...

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Saw this link on Laurie's

Saw this link on Laurie's blog. I remember hearing that it was being made into a movie, but I had totally and completely forgotten about it. It comes out in November and stars much of the original Broadway cast -- the original Mark and Roger, Collins and Angel, Maureen, and Benny.

By now, those of you who care will know what I'm talking about: RENT!

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

It is steamy outside. Hot.

It is steamy outside. Hot. Sticky. I can't stand it. You can't do anything in this kind of weather except sit around in the shade and cool of an air-conditioned building. Breathing the air is hard, because you're slightly afraid you might drown. I have no problem with Houston: the city. It's Houston: the climate that needs to change.

Work continues to be, well, work. Often I feel like I am talking to a brick wall. I talk, but no one listens to my concerns. Every day I think about doing other things. I've lost patience, I've lost motivation, and I don't really know what to do about it. On Sunday, one of the models at the photo class I took commented on how cool it must be to work at NASA. I just smiled and said "yeah."

Today I get to take two papers (well, one paper and one abstract) through the export control process. Both should have gone through months ago, so I expect to get yelled out and I am not looking forward to it at all.

HOWEVER. On Saturday I get to go home and spend a glorious week away from Houston and away from work and having lots of fun with my sister's wedding! Hurrah. I have a lot to do between now and then including: finding/ordering silver sandals, making sure I have enough cute dressy outfits for all the wedding lunches and dinners, cleaning my apartment, preparing photos for the Katie/Joel reception poster thing, and attempting to camoflage my unsightly farmer's tan lines before getting in the bridesmaid dress.

Monday, June 13, 2005

If I don't get to

If I don't get to go to the AIAA conference to present my paper, I am going to be SERIOUSLY UPSET. That's all I have to say about that for the moment.

I already mentioned Saturday's baseball game, so I guess I'll give the rest of the weekend summary. Friday night a bunch of us finally checked out a new dinner theater in the area. They've taken out every other row of seats and put in tables and given the waiters room to walk past with food and drinks. We saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which was entertaining and amusing, but went to the 10:15 show so it was far past dinnertime. I ordered a coke float as dessert, and it was sadly lacking in ice cream. Oh well. We'll have to check out the actual dinner food sometime. Before the movie, I went over to Seabrook to experiment with taking photos of the fireworks. It turned out pretty well, as you can see if you check my photoblog today. ;)

Yesterday was a day full of photography! I left my apartment at 5:45 a.m., returned at 11:00, left again at 1:30, and didn't get home until past 10:00. I am tired today as a result. First, I drove way the hell over to Sugar Land to shoot the Tejas Triathlon (sprint distance -- half mile swim, 13 mile bike, 5K run). The race started at 7:00, so I needed to get there by 6:30, which meant leaving at the afore-mentioned 5:45. I shot swimmers coming out of the water, and runners, and then some post-race party stuff and earned enough to buy the battery grip for my 20D. Yay!

Yesterday afternoon I took a casual photo class on studio lighting, how to set it up, and how to use it. It was being taught by a local photographer who also participates in the online Texas photo forum that I frequent, and it was pretty cheap, so I figured: why not? After my first attempt at portraits a few weeks ago, I could use the help. It was a pretty good class that lasted 8 hours (three longer than scheduled, at our request), but I had a few mixed feelings. First of all, it was a class, and since I tend to learn by doing, especially when it comes to photography, the first half of the class was all sort of "in one ear, out the other" for me. I didn't really start to see what he was talking about until we actually set up some lights and had a model posing and starting taking photos.

If anything, I probably could have used an even more basic class, covering things like "this is a strobe, this is a hot lamp, this is how you use them" and I definitely could have used a more "this is how to pose people, this is what looks good, these are the things to watch out for" class. In the end, it was educational if a bit frustrating (and if it left me feeling pretty dumb), and it was worth the time. I even got a couple good shots that I'll post over the next few days on the photoblog.

I guess the biggest thing for me personally is that I'm not sure if portrait/studio photography is something I'm interested in. I don't really think it is, except on a limited basis. (Sports photography is my current pipe dream, and sports photography is, yeah, pretty much nothing like portrait photography.) I found myself losing interest in how to set up the lights, and thinking "enh, I'll just wait until they set them up, and then I'll have fun actually taking the shots!" I wanted to shoot, not set up. Personal preference, I guess.

Monday, June 13, 2005

EFX machine, 45:00, 7062 strides

EFX machine, 45:00, 7062 strides
Avg heart rate = 183

I did my longest stint to-date on the elliptical machine on Saturday, figuring it was time for a >30 minute workout. It was very satisfying. I am still toying with the idea of going to Atlanta for the 4th of July to run the Peachtree, so if I do that I'm going to have to be prepared to run a 10K. I haven't run that far since...mid-March? Yeah. Mid-March. I could finish it now no problem, but it'd be more pleasant if I prepare at least a little.

My Peachtree number came in the mail, I'm in the 20,000s. I was in the 20,000s last year as well; that's where they put you if you make the effort to submit a certified 10K time, but it's slower than 55:00. (Mine is the 1:03:09 I ran in the Rodeo Run last February.) Chrissy apparently submitted a fast enough time that she got a chip! Wow. :) She's in the 10,000s, James is in the 20,000s. If I don't end up running, I've promised Alex that he can have my number.

This afternoon I head to the doctor again to see what he says about my knee after having looked at the MRI...

Saturday, June 11, 2005

I say this ever so

I say this ever so cautiously, but...I think the Astros may finally be turning things around, and showing signs of life. Debbie, Jason and I hit the ballpark tonight for Nolan Ryan figurine night and interleague play (the Blue Jays were in town) getting there early to watch batting practice (I got a bunch of good photos!). The game was going well, Clemens pitching beautifully for seven innings and only giving up one run to lower his 1.67 ERA a bit more. Brad Lidge came in for the top of the 9th to close out the 3-1 win...or so we thought. He blew the save. Tied 3-3. The stadium went quiet. Yet again, there would be no win for the Rocket, and the Astros would again fall as they have so many times this season already.

But then, Morgan Ensberg saved the day! Three-run homer! Bottom of the 9th! Walk off, baby! Astros win, 6-3!

Friday, June 10, 2005

Yesterday I skipped out of

Yesterday I skipped out of work early with Jen, Gavin, Becca and Cari to head to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to see Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: The Exhibition. It's an exhibit full of props, scale models, costumes, weapons, jewelry, makeup, prosthetics, and other tidbits from the three movies, as well as lots of videotaped segments describing different aspects of the films (many of which can be found on the DVD extras). Despite being a bit overpriced, it was pretty darn cool. I am amazed at how much time must have gone into making everything -- from the costumes to the swords to the jewelry -- so exquisite, so intricate, and so authentic.

(Sadly, cameras were not allowed, except in the lobby where there were two statues of the Argonath.)

After seeing the exhibit, and listening to the soundtracks all day today, I was of course inspired to come home and put in the first disc of Return of the King on DVD. I haven't actually watched the extended version yet, so it's about time I got around to it. I'm about to watch a bit of the second disc before I have to head out to meet some people for Friday night activities, but I'm sure I'll finish the whole thing before I head to bed tonight.

Watching it again, for only the third time since the theater, I'm struck by what an absolutely incredible bit of movie-making this is; indeed, all three movies. I can't comprehend how much effort must have gone into making them. I wasn't even a huge Lord of the Rings fan a few years ago; I didn't even read the books until I heard the movies were coming out and figured I should know the story going in, you know, the books being classics and all. Of course I loved them.

I think Return of the King is maybe the best movie I have ever seen. Ever.

Friday, June 10, 2005

Whoa. This thing is freaky!

Whoa. This thing is freaky! (Thanks Christina for the link.)

Hee hee hee. Free Katie!!

Friday, June 10, 2005

Payscale-gate continues! My division chief

Payscale-gate continues! My division chief just came in to chat with me about it. Apparently Becca and I are the most immediately affected in our division, since we're both up for promotion in August. (Becca started exactly 6 months earlier with her bachelor's degree than I did with my master's degree, which works out to both of us having the same promotion dates.) Management doesn't know if they can do anything, but it's nice to know that my management is upset on my behalf.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

I am currently dealest with

I am currently dealest with the most finicky damn simulation EVER CREATED BY MAN. It is not fun. I do not enjoy doing this. I do not find it "challenging" or "worthwhile" or even "useful." I just find that it makes me want to gouge out my eyeballs so I don't have to look at it anymore. I was here late last night trying to make it work, and at the end of the day it was going into orbit. At least when I started it was hitting the ground. (It's supposed to hit the freaking ground.)

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Here's an interesting NY Times

Here's an interesting NY Times article about one photojournalist's feelings and experience with the digital vs. film debate.

And for the second link to Dooce in two days, check out her slideshow from a recent trip to South Carolina. She takes good photos, but more interesting to me is wanting to know what she does to give them all that orangey glow.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

EFX machine, 33:00, ~5150 strides

EFX machine, 33:00, ~5150 strides
Avg heart rate: 175

I was disgustingly sweaty after doing the elliptical machine yesterday, so it was fiiting to come home and see this in Runner's World, in response to a question about whether people who are in great shape sweat less (as the rumor goes):

"Runners who aren't drenched at the end of a workout may indeed be more fit, but their inability to wring out their shirt is most likely because they weren't working at as high an intensity as others who are running the same pace or distance. If a beginner and an experienced runner go for a run together, the beginner with undoubtedly perspire more than the experienced one because he'll be working harder...

Actually, well-conditioned runners start sweating earlier in a run than their nonrunning friends do. Their bodies are better trained to regulate their core temperatures, so they'll perspire at lower body temperatures.

Fitness level isn't the only thing that determines how much runners sweat. ... Genetics play a role, too: Some people just have more sweat glands."

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Woohoo, astronaut spies!! I love,

Woohoo, astronaut spies!!

I love, LOVE, the fact that in the last photo in Dooce's latest entry, Chuck the dog is wearing barettes.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Some days I really wonder

Some days I really wonder why I became an engineer. Why did I think I could compete with other engineers when it comes to pure, engineering intelligence and capability to understand concepts? It's only now, as I try to learn about what I work on, that I realize that what got me through six years of engineering education was not an innate or intuitive understanding of the way things work; it was simply brute force, rote memorization, and the ability to regurgitate formulas on command.

Days like this make me think I might have been much better off in photography or writing or design. I decided in 9th grade that I would study engineering. I decided early enough that I don't even know what my backup plan would have been.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

So I guess I can

So I guess I can blame my dad for being a bit overweight, since he has us drink so much milk when we were kids... ;)

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

First of all, congrats to

First of all, congrats to my internet running friend Cassie, who ran her first marathon in San Diego on Sunday. Hooray! Though with her IT band problems, she may be joining me in the MRI room. :(

I went climbing last night for the first time in a while, and after two hours my knee was throbbing a bit and painful to the touch. Here's an experiment you can do at home to understand exactly what is hurting: Stand up. Lift your left leg off the ground. Now squat as low as you can on your right leg (starting to look very Karate Kid-ish), and then push yourself back up to a standing position using just your right leg. It's that type of motion -- using my leg to push myself up, a perfect example of which is going up stairs -- that hurts my knee. Well, that motion and the impact of running.

I guess I should have the MRI and see what needs to be done, eh? I just don't want to have surgery. Surgery = bad. I mean, I can still walk! And run! And play soccer and bike and rock climb! How can my knee be damaged badly enough that I might need surgery? I've very much enjoyed my 27 years with no cutting into any joints or organs, thank you very much.

Sigh. Well. Hopefully I won't need it.

Climbing was fun though. I haven't been regularly enough for long enough now that I have basically reverted to where I was a year and a half ago. In other words, I have no skills. I have no muscle endurance. I have no strength. So I gotta build all that up again.

Monday, June 06, 2005

The doctor has requested an

The doctor has requested an MRI on my knee. This does not make me happy 1) because MRIs are expensive (even though I'm sure insurance will cover most of it) and 2) because I feel silly going through all this doctor stuff for a knee that hurts, but not so much that it stops me from running or walking or doing anything.

Anyway. I go for the MRI tomorrow, then back to the doctor next Monday. The MRI will tell him whether it is knee goop that can be dissolved with a cortisone shot (ooh, how Jeff Bagwell of me), or whether it is scar tissue that should be "scoped" which is short for "arthroscopic" which means "cleaning out knee gunk after cutting into your knee." I have never had surgery on anything before in my life, so I really do not like the sound of the second option.

Stupid knee.

Monday, June 06, 2005

DAMMIT. I just had a

DAMMIT. I just had a whole entry written and lost it. Stupid backspace serving as "back" button.

GRRRRRRR.

I mentioned last week that I have started getting a fair amount of comment spam, to the tune of maybe a dozen a day. More on my photoblog than here, but still. Last night I finally got around to correctly installing MT-Blackist. (I say "correctly installing" because I tried once before but used the old installation instructions with the new version and it didn't work. Oops.) MT-Blacklist is a Movable Type plugin that blocks comment spam and it is awesome. In little more than 12 hours, it has already blocked 8 comment spams! Hooray.

On to the weekend recap. Friday night was the "Management Shuffle" party after work. There was a smaller crowd that left earlier, a departure from the usual work party modus operandi, though it probably has something to do with the fact that the party wasn't announced until like Wednesday or something. We all left around 7:30 for dinner (Mexican) at Anita's. I hadn't been there in at least a year. It was pretty good; I had shrimp enchiladas and a margarita and both were ok. Not fantastic, but not bad.

Saturday morning was the hot and humid 5K, and Saturday evening a bunch of us celebrated Paul's birthday at Putt-Putt. Imagine our amusement when Sonia, who had told Paul they were going out to a nice restaurant, walked up with Paul, dressed in a nice shirt and tie and blindfolded. Needless to say, he was not expecting Putt-Putt. We all played a round and then decided that it was absolutely necessary that all 14 of us play a round of bumper boats. It turns out that you get a lot wetter doing bumper boats than one would think, probably because we're heavier than little kids and thus displace more water. By the time I got out of my boat I was soaked and dripping water everywhere. I dried out a little while hitting a few balls at the batting cages with Debbie and Cari while the rest played Laser Tag, then stopped by the apartment to change into drier clothes before dinner at Angelo's.

I came home and started the US-Costa Rica World Cup qualifier that I'd Tivoed. I love Tivo! Landon Donovan scored two goals, Kasey Keller made at least three amazing saves, and Brian McBride nabbed a rebound at the end of the game to make it a 3-0 win for the USA. I celebrated by going to bed immediately and sleeping for 12 hours. I don't know what's with my insane sleeping habits lately, but I must be catching up for something.

Yesterday went by quickly, which usually happens when I sleep until noon. I went geocaching with Debbie and we found six caches in 2.5 hours -- talk about efficiency! I don't think we spent more than 30 seconds looking for any of them, though one was quite tricky and I likely never would have found it without Debbie. She knows all the tricks though, and spotted it immediately. It was hot out, but not too bad.

I followed geocaching with a trip to get a pedicure with Becca. This pedicure place is not so good at keeping people who walk in together next to each other, or even on the same schedule, so I didn't really get to talk to Becca since that would have involved shouting across the room. Instead, I read Elle Girl, a version of Elle aimed at teenagers. It was very entertaining, both in subject matter (such as: "Name Your iPOD. Instead of 'Where's my iPod?' doesn't 'Mom, have you seen Bob?' sound better?") and in writing style ("for reals" and "We don't mention basics like jeans and Converse because, well, obviously."). There was even an interview with Captain Oats (Seth's toy horse on the O.C.) and a featured t-shirt emblazoned with "If Found, Please Return Me To Orlando Bloom".

It was very amusing.

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Summer Kick-off Fun Run 5K

3.1 miles, 34:21 = 11:05 min/mile
Avg heart rate = 189

Two words: HOT and HUMID. I finally did the Summer Kickoff 5K yesterday for the first time since moving to Houston. Despite the fact that it's less than 5 miles away, I'd always had some reason for not doing it. Probably the weather!!

Debbie ran it with me as well. We did a 10:45 first mile, a slightly faster second mile, and then I slowed to maybe 11:30 for the final mile and another minute for the last 0.1. Debbie pulled away from me at the end and finished about 30 seconds faster. I just couldn't follow her, as I was tired, dehydrated (I'd had two beers and a margarita Friday night, and didn't drink enough water before bed), and feeling the beginnings of the tingle of heat exhaustion. But it was a nice run with a nice crowd, and they had great food afterwards. Sandwiches, ice cream, the works! I didn't partake in much except water and a coke, but they had all sorts of good stuff.

Friday, June 03, 2005

Softball got cancelled last night.

Softball got cancelled last night. Softball tends to get cancelled a lot, since apparently we can't play if the fields have had even a DROP of water on them within three days before the game. It's a bit annoying.

So Cari is buying my 10D. I am always hesitant to sell things to friends; is that weird? And my hesitancy goes up with the cost of the item. I guess my worry is just that if all of a sudden the item were to break, I'd feel bad about it. But I don't anticipate that happening, and it's way easier to sell to Cari than to do the eBay thing. :)

I have a few things on tap for the weekend...let's see...there is a party after work today to celebrate the recent management shuffle (my branch chief moved up to deputy division chief, another branch chief moved over to my branch), so that should be entertaining. Though at the last party, the old division chief (now retired) did a keg stand, and I think the chances of that happening again are slim to none. After the party, if it winds down at a reasonable hour, I am thinking of heading over to Kemah. They are having fireworks at 9:30 every Friday this month, and I'd like to try to get some photos.

Tomorrow morning Debbie and I are running the Summer Kickoff 5K in League City. I've thought about running this race every year, because it's one of the few that are held less than 10 miles from my apartment (thus meaning I don't have to drive half an hour to get there!), but for various reasons I've never done it before. Should be fun, even though I'm not expecting much in the way of a fast time!

Tomorrow night is a bday party, and then I don't have anything scheduled for Sunday...at least I don't think so.

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Big Brother is watching

My apartment building, via Keyhole, a software tool I'm evaluating for work.

Thursday, June 02, 2005

My new Canon 20D came

My new Canon 20D came yesterday. I am so excited! I haven't had time to do my own tests yet, but I dug up these two graphs from Digital Photography Review (DPReview) to illustrate the primary reason I decided to go ahead and upgrade:

Here is a chart of the performance of my 10D while shooting for 30 seconds in continuous mode:

See how it will do a lovely 3 frames-per-second for 3 seconds, and then slows down to only a frame per second and then slows down even more? That type of behavior is bad for race photography! I can get 34 shots in the first 30 seconds, but in the 30 seconds following that I'd be lucky to get 15-20 shots.

Now here is the chart for my 20D, again shooting for 30 seconds in continuous mode:

Five frames-per-second for 36 shots! Then 1.7 fps! Then about 1 fps after that. 76 shots in 30 seconds, that's more than twice as many as the 10D! I can get 76 shots in the first 30 seconds, and at least 30 more in the next 30 seconds. (Not to mention that I will probably not actually shoot 5 fps because shooting that fast isn't necessary for a race; not using the 5 fps means that the buffer will not get bogged down as quickly and I can probably average 60-80 shots per minute indefinitely.) Beautiful. And the 20D has a faster write speed, which means the buffer will clear faster. That means the camera will be quicker to "recharge" each time I have even a 2-3 second break between runners.

I can't wait to shoot my first race with my 20D!

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Woohoo, I'm on Jen's photoblog

Woohoo, I'm on Jen's photoblog today! :)

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Payscale-gate (as Nick has taken

Payscale-gate (as Nick has taken to calling the current change in our pay scale that doesn't affect our current salary but affects my next promotion, and as such, all promotions after that for basically the rest of my career) continues. A coworker put together a nice spreadsheet showing the effect of the change and how our accumulated income will change over the next 5+ years. I've spoken to my group lead and my HR rep about it, and next in line on my "talk to" list is my branch chief. According to my HR rep, there are approximately 350 JSC employees affected by this change. It's a fairly small number, so maybe that's why they don't seem to care.

The thing that really sucks is that I don't think there's anything that anyone at NASA can do. It's a government regulation. The Office of Payment and Management tried to slip the change in under the radar to HR, who then tried to slip it in under the radar to us. In the end, it saves the government money, or at least allows them to shuffle money that should have been our salaries to something else.

Woohoo, my missing money is gonna build another bomber!

Ugh.

Thursday, June 02, 2005

YESTERDAY'S SUMMARY: EFX machine, 5196

YESTERDAY'S SUMMARY:
EFX machine, 5196 strides, 33:00 min
Avg heart rate = 173

My legs were surprisingly sore after Tuesday night's run. It made me glad that I'd at least gotten back out there, even if I chose to retreat to the cool air and the entertaining TVs of the exercise room.

There are three EFX machines in the room, two older and one newer. The newer one is of course the most desirable, because it is silent, while the other two creak and squeak with each step. Alas, the newer one was already in use, so I creaked and squeaked my way through 5000+ strides while watching the beginning of the Astros game. They ended up winning! They've won two series in a row! Amazing.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Happy Birthday Katie and Brian!

Happy Birthday Katie and Brian! My "little" brother and sister are 22 years old today.

We went out to Mely's last night for Melanie's going-away dinner. She quit her job in the Ascent Group (counterpart to the Descent Group I work in) a couple weeks ago after almost a year of being very unsatisfied, and is leaving Houston entirely. Today she's driving to El Paso, then on to San Diego, then up the west coast until she gets to Seattle, where she is interning with Jen's company for the summer before going back to grad school at MIT this fall. It will be a little sad not having her around, living in my apartment building and keeping me company in my office while grunting at the FADS terminal.

Today I woke up to a rare morning thunderstorm. I opened the blinds, pulled back the curtains, and just laid in back watching the rain and lightning and listening to the thunder for a while. Despite all the flashes and noise, to me there's something very calming about a thunderstorm. It put me in a good mood...

...until I drove to work and had to wait in a line of cars halfway down Saturn to get in the front gate because the security guards had one lane open earlier, and traffic was still suffering from the residual backup. I know that they do it so, you know, we don't have any security guards getting struck by lightning and all. But I can usually get from my garage to my desk in 10-12 minutes. Today it took half an hour. That sort of dampened my good mood.

So I am starting to get significant comment spam..."significant" meaning that I've had to delete probably 15-20 spam comments from this site and my photoblog within the past 24 hours. Time to figure out the MT-Blacklist plugin, I guess.

Everyone is getting their own domain names! Most recent are Christina and Chris. I love it. These days, with registration and hosting available so cheaply, there's really no reason not to have your own little corner of the web.

I went running last night, as you can see from the previous post. It was hot.