Wednesday, May 12, 2010
It's 7 am; do you know where your chemistry professor is?
So it's early. I finished grading everything last night. Such a relief. I literally was entering grades at the deadline of noon, which I learned of at oh, 10:30 am, last semester, NEVER AGAIN!
So they're not quite finalized but I figured I'd give my kiddos a few hours for any freak out emails begging me to round up or add a few "participation" points and round up. I'm still a new softy, so that does happen occasionally.
Teaching isn't as bad as I thought. The two massive pluses are scheduling and stress levels. The schedule is amazing, and if I didn't teach summers (I am cuz we're broke as a joke and want a house one day) my full time (9 months) pay is spread out over 12 months so I would still have money coming in in the summer for doing nothing. NOTHING! That part sounds sweet. The down sides so far are crappy pay and not a whole lot of job satisfaction. Not that teaching isn't rewarding but as a lab rat, I still have a burning desire to research and be in a lab with test tubes and instruments making chemistry happen. Playing god of my small "world", if you will. Right now that isn't really possible. No money, no space, no instruments all prevent me from research. BUT I can write grants, the students just passed a new fee to pay for a new building and as luck would have it, we share campus with 2 other institutions who both have instruments that aren't constantly being used.
I just wrote a small proposal to NASA as part of their Space Grant program. It isn't much ($6250) but our goal is to build an autonomous robot that will test water to determine potability and also test atmospheric conditions. It was my first official proposal and went over really well. And let me tell you, that's where the money is in academia (as opposed to industry where my friends Acura and Protege who now should be Mazdaaspeed3 I guess, but maybe we'll just stick with Mazda, both PhDs who live and work in Houston and love their jobs but they only get 2 weeks of vacation a year until they've worked there for 2-4 years. No wonder they get paid so much.). But the money is in grants. All faculty get to skim off their grants and it's totally legal. It's actually in the proposed budget! For each grant! Faculty usually get 10-30% of their grants depending on various factors. So they get their salary from the university, which usually has auto pay increases, and then all the grant money. Of course, you have to write the proposals and then get them accepted, and then actually do what you said you were going to do, but you can always worry about that once the money starts rolling in. It's when you buy cars and jewelry for people that the granting agencies get pissed off and call for your head.
Do I see myself still teaching here for the next 20 years like some other faculty? Hell naw. Do I enjoy it now and will continue to enjoy it for the next few years while I write grants, write papers, improve our chemistry department, become a better teacher and scientist while looking for better jobs? Hell yes!
It's still a new job and to avoid getting Dooced, I figured not naming the school was the best idea. Also I'm on probation for the next 2.5 years, after which I think I'm still on some sort of probation thing. They don't have a tenure track, which might actually be a good thing.
Also in freaky deaky Denver spring weather, we woke up to an inch or so of snow. So for those keeping track, it can snow at any time from October to May. It doesn't but it might.
Seth's Wed. To Do:
Taste test the tea I made while writing this to see if it's okay to serve to peeps.
Get a haircut.
Iron regalia for graduation tonight.
Go to retirement party for Calculus prof.
Check email, finish grades, email grades to students who emailed me.
Hang out until graduation starts.
Graduation.
Home.
Also remember a winter jacket cuz it's freakin' cold out there!
Seth's To Do for the next coupla weeks:
Update Linkedin profile.
Play with the cats.
Study the weather patterns to determine if I can actually plant my tomatoes and squash!
Get the backyard pumpkin patch ready.
Prepare for summer classes.
Get outside and enjoy Denver's amazing climate and geography!
Love my wife and make her feel appreciated!
Now that's it's 8 am, let's see if someone does early haircuts. Also it's kinda weird getting used to the Mountain timezone. And a little tip for Central and Eastern timezone residents. Call late at night (for you), do NOT call early in the morning, especially important for East Coast peeps. 10 am is 8 am here. Too early for phone calls.
So they're not quite finalized but I figured I'd give my kiddos a few hours for any freak out emails begging me to round up or add a few "participation" points and round up. I'm still a new softy, so that does happen occasionally.
Teaching isn't as bad as I thought. The two massive pluses are scheduling and stress levels. The schedule is amazing, and if I didn't teach summers (I am cuz we're broke as a joke and want a house one day) my full time (9 months) pay is spread out over 12 months so I would still have money coming in in the summer for doing nothing. NOTHING! That part sounds sweet. The down sides so far are crappy pay and not a whole lot of job satisfaction. Not that teaching isn't rewarding but as a lab rat, I still have a burning desire to research and be in a lab with test tubes and instruments making chemistry happen. Playing god of my small "world", if you will. Right now that isn't really possible. No money, no space, no instruments all prevent me from research. BUT I can write grants, the students just passed a new fee to pay for a new building and as luck would have it, we share campus with 2 other institutions who both have instruments that aren't constantly being used.
I just wrote a small proposal to NASA as part of their Space Grant program. It isn't much ($6250) but our goal is to build an autonomous robot that will test water to determine potability and also test atmospheric conditions. It was my first official proposal and went over really well. And let me tell you, that's where the money is in academia (as opposed to industry where my friends Acura and Protege who now should be Mazdaaspeed3 I guess, but maybe we'll just stick with Mazda, both PhDs who live and work in Houston and love their jobs but they only get 2 weeks of vacation a year until they've worked there for 2-4 years. No wonder they get paid so much.). But the money is in grants. All faculty get to skim off their grants and it's totally legal. It's actually in the proposed budget! For each grant! Faculty usually get 10-30% of their grants depending on various factors. So they get their salary from the university, which usually has auto pay increases, and then all the grant money. Of course, you have to write the proposals and then get them accepted, and then actually do what you said you were going to do, but you can always worry about that once the money starts rolling in. It's when you buy cars and jewelry for people that the granting agencies get pissed off and call for your head.
Do I see myself still teaching here for the next 20 years like some other faculty? Hell naw. Do I enjoy it now and will continue to enjoy it for the next few years while I write grants, write papers, improve our chemistry department, become a better teacher and scientist while looking for better jobs? Hell yes!
It's still a new job and to avoid getting Dooced, I figured not naming the school was the best idea. Also I'm on probation for the next 2.5 years, after which I think I'm still on some sort of probation thing. They don't have a tenure track, which might actually be a good thing.
Also in freaky deaky Denver spring weather, we woke up to an inch or so of snow. So for those keeping track, it can snow at any time from October to May. It doesn't but it might.
Seth's Wed. To Do:
Taste test the tea I made while writing this to see if it's okay to serve to peeps.
Get a haircut.
Iron regalia for graduation tonight.
Go to retirement party for Calculus prof.
Check email, finish grades, email grades to students who emailed me.
Hang out until graduation starts.
Graduation.
Home.
Also remember a winter jacket cuz it's freakin' cold out there!
Seth's To Do for the next coupla weeks:
Update Linkedin profile.
Play with the cats.
Study the weather patterns to determine if I can actually plant my tomatoes and squash!
Get the backyard pumpkin patch ready.
Prepare for summer classes.
Get outside and enjoy Denver's amazing climate and geography!
Love my wife and make her feel appreciated!
Now that's it's 8 am, let's see if someone does early haircuts. Also it's kinda weird getting used to the Mountain timezone. And a little tip for Central and Eastern timezone residents. Call late at night (for you), do NOT call early in the morning, especially important for East Coast peeps. 10 am is 8 am here. Too early for phone calls.
Labels: Acura, Denver, garden, Protege, teaching
Monday, October 20, 2008
100,000 hits!
Thanks to all my visitors for taking me over the 100,000 mark! Hooray!
Protege and Acura were here this weekend. They flew in from Texas (which is still recovering from Hurricane Ike) to come back and visit everyone. They have mostly been busy with work and renovating their "new to them" house. Parts sounded pretty gross. They installed some bamboo flooring themselves and it looked really nice.
We (minus J who was tired) went downtown and hung out with friends. Since I've been writing I haven't hung out with them socially probably since around July, so it was good having real conversations instead of short pleasant exchanges on campus.
There was talk about them trying to get tickets for the Georgia Tech/Clemson football game, but since we lost to Maryland and then Wake Forest, Clemson's ACC conference win and decent bowl game dreams have gone up in smoke. So we had a wonderfully relaxing Sat. afternoon (seriously I was the only one up before 10 am, well me and the cats) and I had a pleasant Sat. morning where I watched a little TV, straightened the house, walked Leon and then walked downtown to retrieve Tercel because I rode in (we have a paparazzi name for Protege and Acura in "real" life but what could their blog 'razzi name be? Pracura? Actege?) their rented white Sebring convertible since that last Wild Blue (by Blue Dawg Brewery in Baldwinsville, NY apparently bought out by Anheuser-Busch) was an 8% alcohol by volume doozy and I was in no condition to drive home. Yes I realize that I live in South Carolina and drinking and driving is just what people do here, but that doesn't make it right!
So I had a lovely stroll downtown (also side note: they don't allow overnight parking in the new fancy pants Clemson parking deck, so if there is a small chance your car won't make it home, park it on the street, walk, or take the CATbus) about a half hour before kick off. So I hop into Tercel, stop by Starbucks, call the house to see what everyone wants (large black iced coffee, small nonfat Mocha, and a small PSL for J) and then return home to fire up the grill. Flounder, salmon, zucchini, potatoes, all were deliciously and lovingly grilled by yours truly.
Relaxing, football, some F1 qualifying and then it was time for dinner. Actege treated us to sushi that was amazing. Protege commented that the bill wasn't bad but then remembered he was in backwoods SC where the cost of living is low especially compared with big city Houston. We came back and watched National Geographic's Giant Crystal Cave show which is truly freakin' unbelievable. More on that in another post.
Then we went to another friend's birthday party, drank, chatted, played with the dogs at the party, met some new people, then came home, woke up and our guests left. Thanks for visiting! And yes we will come to Houston as soon as we can.
Post previews:
Crystal Cave of the Giants
F1 China Qualifying (and race report once I watch it)
Writing update?
Stolen Obama magnet
Which reminds me that I saw John McCain's quote of "I like being the underdog" on CNN's front page. Uh John? You're an old white guy running for President in America, you'll never be the underdog.
Protege and Acura were here this weekend. They flew in from Texas (which is still recovering from Hurricane Ike) to come back and visit everyone. They have mostly been busy with work and renovating their "new to them" house. Parts sounded pretty gross. They installed some bamboo flooring themselves and it looked really nice.
We (minus J who was tired) went downtown and hung out with friends. Since I've been writing I haven't hung out with them socially probably since around July, so it was good having real conversations instead of short pleasant exchanges on campus.
There was talk about them trying to get tickets for the Georgia Tech/Clemson football game, but since we lost to Maryland and then Wake Forest, Clemson's ACC conference win and decent bowl game dreams have gone up in smoke. So we had a wonderfully relaxing Sat. afternoon (seriously I was the only one up before 10 am, well me and the cats) and I had a pleasant Sat. morning where I watched a little TV, straightened the house, walked Leon and then walked downtown to retrieve Tercel because I rode in (we have a paparazzi name for Protege and Acura in "real" life but what could their blog 'razzi name be? Pracura? Actege?) their rented white Sebring convertible since that last Wild Blue (by Blue Dawg Brewery in Baldwinsville, NY apparently bought out by Anheuser-Busch) was an 8% alcohol by volume doozy and I was in no condition to drive home. Yes I realize that I live in South Carolina and drinking and driving is just what people do here, but that doesn't make it right!
So I had a lovely stroll downtown (also side note: they don't allow overnight parking in the new fancy pants Clemson parking deck, so if there is a small chance your car won't make it home, park it on the street, walk, or take the CATbus) about a half hour before kick off. So I hop into Tercel, stop by Starbucks, call the house to see what everyone wants (large black iced coffee, small nonfat Mocha, and a small PSL for J) and then return home to fire up the grill. Flounder, salmon, zucchini, potatoes, all were deliciously and lovingly grilled by yours truly.
Relaxing, football, some F1 qualifying and then it was time for dinner. Actege treated us to sushi that was amazing. Protege commented that the bill wasn't bad but then remembered he was in backwoods SC where the cost of living is low especially compared with big city Houston. We came back and watched National Geographic's Giant Crystal Cave show which is truly freakin' unbelievable. More on that in another post.
Then we went to another friend's birthday party, drank, chatted, played with the dogs at the party, met some new people, then came home, woke up and our guests left. Thanks for visiting! And yes we will come to Houston as soon as we can.
Post previews:
Crystal Cave of the Giants
F1 China Qualifying (and race report once I watch it)
Writing update?
Stolen Obama magnet
Which reminds me that I saw John McCain's quote of "I like being the underdog" on CNN's front page. Uh John? You're an old white guy running for President in America, you'll never be the underdog.
Labels: Acura, crystals, food, football, J, preview, Protege
Friday, September 26, 2008
When the lights go out in the city
F1 this weekend is in Singapore. Practice might be going on right now. I know qualifying is at 10 am tomorrow morning. Wouldn't that make it nighttime in Singapore? Yes it would! That's why this is a very rare street circuit and the first ever night race for Formula 1 and should be an amazing race. I can't wait. The cars actually drive under the grandstands. Just imagine the sounds of 20 V8 engines revving to 19,000 rpm and then all that sound bouncing off the walls. I'm really looking forward to the race live at 7:30 am on Sunday.
This weekend is my lone autocross. I have taken time off from it because of the writing but am taking a break on Saturday. It is at the Michelin test facility near Greenwood, SC and it's called the Black Lake. It's 1400 x 400 square feet of perfectly black asphalt. It's basically the biggest and flattest area most of us have ever driven and for me might be a once in a lifetime thing, so I couldn't pass it up.
I'll let you know how it goes and I might actually remember to bring the camera and take some pictures. Michelin is so great (merci!) for letting us use part of their tire testing facility and have a few rules to protect their baby. No sharp metal touching the surface. No direct canopy legs on the pavement, no jacking a car up directly on the pavement, etc... Hopefully everyone cooperates and we are allowed back again.
I've been busy at work and didn't get much writing done this week. We did learn that Protege and Acura are coming back for a visit! Hooray! They didn't suffer too much damage to their house but there was some flooding to the first floor. Remind me again why there aren't more houses on stilts in low-lying states? I'm looking at you American coastal areas.
Tonight is wrenching on the car a bit, just checking bolts and replacing some suspension bushings. I need to order a timing belt for Focus. Ford says I can wait until 120,000 miles but I don't trust them and have heard of them snapping soon after 100,000. She hit 99,000 on the way to Ikea ATL last weekend. The new shelf is awesome but it was a tad long and had to jam its way between the front seats for the ride home, so I had to lean forward if I actually wanted to see J.
This weekend is my lone autocross. I have taken time off from it because of the writing but am taking a break on Saturday. It is at the Michelin test facility near Greenwood, SC and it's called the Black Lake. It's 1400 x 400 square feet of perfectly black asphalt. It's basically the biggest and flattest area most of us have ever driven and for me might be a once in a lifetime thing, so I couldn't pass it up.
I'll let you know how it goes and I might actually remember to bring the camera and take some pictures. Michelin is so great (merci!) for letting us use part of their tire testing facility and have a few rules to protect their baby. No sharp metal touching the surface. No direct canopy legs on the pavement, no jacking a car up directly on the pavement, etc... Hopefully everyone cooperates and we are allowed back again.
I've been busy at work and didn't get much writing done this week. We did learn that Protege and Acura are coming back for a visit! Hooray! They didn't suffer too much damage to their house but there was some flooding to the first floor. Remind me again why there aren't more houses on stilts in low-lying states? I'm looking at you American coastal areas.
Tonight is wrenching on the car a bit, just checking bolts and replacing some suspension bushings. I need to order a timing belt for Focus. Ford says I can wait until 120,000 miles but I don't trust them and have heard of them snapping soon after 100,000. She hit 99,000 on the way to Ikea ATL last weekend. The new shelf is awesome but it was a tad long and had to jam its way between the front seats for the ride home, so I had to lean forward if I actually wanted to see J.
Labels: Acura, F1, Focus, Ikea, J, Protege, writing
Thursday, September 18, 2008
We do not like Ike.
I've been a tad remiss in my obituary and natural disaster duties lately, so we'll be catching up today.
Drs. Protege and Acura moved to Houston about 4 months before Ike. Their house looked to be a little higher than most but Houston is still known for flooding. I hope they are doing okay along with their 2 cats and their worldly possessions. We heard from Dr. Acura on Facebook awhile ago but trust their busy getting adjusted to living in Texas, which is where Protege is from. I'm sure Acura is going through culture shock moving from Connecticut to Texas via Clemson.
In obituary news, Bernie Mac, comedian, father, movie star and great man, passed away on August 9 died from pneumonia and complications due to his diagnosed condition of sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissue. He was only 50. One of the first times I saw Bernie Mac was on the Original Kings of Comedy. He came on with his big eyes, foul mouth and poignant observations and I was blown away. You could tell Bernie didn't take any guff and would make damn sure you knew it. Years later J and I had the pleasure to watch him play himself on the Bernie Mac Show. He might be more well known for his movie appearances, Friday, Oceans Eleven and Twelve.
Bernie is survived by his wife, Rhonda McCullough; their daughter, Je'Niece; and a granddaughter, Jasmine. You will be sorely missed, Bernie Mac.
In racing obituary news, the first American to ever win a Formula 1 race and Formula 1 driver's championship, Phil Hill, passed away on August 28. He was 81 and passed due to complications with Parkinson's disease.
Drs. Protege and Acura moved to Houston about 4 months before Ike. Their house looked to be a little higher than most but Houston is still known for flooding. I hope they are doing okay along with their 2 cats and their worldly possessions. We heard from Dr. Acura on Facebook awhile ago but trust their busy getting adjusted to living in Texas, which is where Protege is from. I'm sure Acura is going through culture shock moving from Connecticut to Texas via Clemson.
In obituary news, Bernie Mac, comedian, father, movie star and great man, passed away on August 9 died from pneumonia and complications due to his diagnosed condition of sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissue. He was only 50. One of the first times I saw Bernie Mac was on the Original Kings of Comedy. He came on with his big eyes, foul mouth and poignant observations and I was blown away. You could tell Bernie didn't take any guff and would make damn sure you knew it. Years later J and I had the pleasure to watch him play himself on the Bernie Mac Show. He might be more well known for his movie appearances, Friday, Oceans Eleven and Twelve.
Bernie is survived by his wife, Rhonda McCullough; their daughter, Je'Niece; and a granddaughter, Jasmine. You will be sorely missed, Bernie Mac.
In racing obituary news, the first American to ever win a Formula 1 race and Formula 1 driver's championship, Phil Hill, passed away on August 28. He was 81 and passed due to complications with Parkinson's disease.
Ferrari’s president Luca di Montezemolo sent his condolences: “I, as well as all employees of Ferrari are extremely saddened by the news of the passing of Phil Hill, a man and a champion who gave so much to Ferrari and who has always greatly represented the company’s values inside and outside the racing track. Phil Hill raced and won many competitions both with prototype cars, like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring, won three times each, as well as with F1 single seaters.Here is the memorial booklet (in pdf) from his website. Phil Hill is survived by his wife Alma, son Derek, daughters Vanessa and Jennifer, and four grandchildren. I hope today's American drivers carry on your legacy of racing all over the world as fast as they can go.
With our car, Phil won the Formula One Championship title in 1961 as the first American-born to reach this result. Phil and I have always kept in touch throughout the years and I know I will miss his passion and love for Ferrari very much. My deepest sympathies are with his wife Alma and son Derek in this sad moment.”
Labels: Acura, F1, natural disaster, obituary, Protege
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Why must Wednesday have a hump?
A friend from high school tracked me down on Facebook and I also became friends with my high school math teacher who now lives somewhere in GA, both from my time in this country. So more bonus points to Facebook for helping us all stalk people from our past. As a side note, he lives in Westbury which is east of Brooklyn on Long Island, so he might get a visitor at some point in his future. Yes, I'm still jealous of those who get the amazing opportunity to live in and around the Big Apple. My current reasons have been the World Science Festival and Come Out & Play 2008. Both great community activities that are both educational and fun and encourage people to be out and about.
Writing the dissertation is still coming along but not as fast as I'd like.
J and I have planted a garden again this year, squash, tomato, sweet basil, sage, thyme and some donated Ivy from Drs. Protege and Acura who we still have yet to hear from since they moved to "Don't Mess With" Texas.
For lunch today, Clemson invites us to have pizza with the president, so free lunch of what will most likely be Papa John's pizza and a chance to chat with Pres. and Mrs. Barker. What that means to me is I didn't have to pack a lunch and if I have anything to discuss with Barker, I can do that today. I don't think he can give me a PhD now, so I don't have much to speak with him about.
I'm still having trouble not finishing sentences with prepositions because I'm not really trying to stop and bad habits are hard to break.
I walked to school today. Walked right past gas being sold for $3.89/gallon which is cheap compared to the rest of the country but I paid $3.79/gallon and used exactly none of that to get to work. Hooray! I'm saving money and the planet! (Hahahaha! Whenever I hear someone pat themselves on the back like that I always think about South Park's smug cloud episode) Yes, I missed the CATbus and that's why I walked to school. I always underestimate how long it takes to walk from our house to the bus stop. I'll catch it one day. Luckily it wasn't too hot today, I think the high is supposed to be in the upper 80s, as opposed to upper 90s like it was Mon. and Tues.
Also a huge thanks to REI and its' convertible Sahara pants. The REI near downtown ATL (1 of 4! and AL nor SC still have one!) gladly traded me $28 for a pair of those pants and they came in handy today. My legs were a bit steamy after the short hike over the fence and through the neighboring Tom Winkopp student housing complex and once I realized that I missed the bus (cue the hit 1992 song by everyone's favorite Kriss Kross) and I knew a 30 minute walk was ahead of me, I promptly converted my pants into shorts! Hooray! My extra white legs appreciated the extra air they received from the conversion and now that I'm at work and cooled off, I can convert them back into OSHA approved lab ready long pants. Thanks REI and chemistry for giving us synthetic fabric!
Writing the dissertation is still coming along but not as fast as I'd like.
J and I have planted a garden again this year, squash, tomato, sweet basil, sage, thyme and some donated Ivy from Drs. Protege and Acura who we still have yet to hear from since they moved to "Don't Mess With" Texas.
For lunch today, Clemson invites us to have pizza with the president, so free lunch of what will most likely be Papa John's pizza and a chance to chat with Pres. and Mrs. Barker. What that means to me is I didn't have to pack a lunch and if I have anything to discuss with Barker, I can do that today. I don't think he can give me a PhD now, so I don't have much to speak with him about.
I'm still having trouble not finishing sentences with prepositions because I'm not really trying to stop and bad habits are hard to break.
I walked to school today. Walked right past gas being sold for $3.89/gallon which is cheap compared to the rest of the country but I paid $3.79/gallon and used exactly none of that to get to work. Hooray! I'm saving money and the planet! (Hahahaha! Whenever I hear someone pat themselves on the back like that I always think about South Park's smug cloud episode) Yes, I missed the CATbus and that's why I walked to school. I always underestimate how long it takes to walk from our house to the bus stop. I'll catch it one day. Luckily it wasn't too hot today, I think the high is supposed to be in the upper 80s, as opposed to upper 90s like it was Mon. and Tues.
Also a huge thanks to REI and its' convertible Sahara pants. The REI near downtown ATL (1 of 4! and AL nor SC still have one!) gladly traded me $28 for a pair of those pants and they came in handy today. My legs were a bit steamy after the short hike over the fence and through the neighboring Tom Winkopp student housing complex and once I realized that I missed the bus (cue the hit 1992 song by everyone's favorite Kriss Kross) and I knew a 30 minute walk was ahead of me, I promptly converted my pants into shorts! Hooray! My extra white legs appreciated the extra air they received from the conversion and now that I'm at work and cooled off, I can convert them back into OSHA approved lab ready long pants. Thanks REI and chemistry for giving us synthetic fabric!
Labels: Acura, CATbus, chemistry, Protege, REI, review
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
And I thought it was real like pro wrestling, but it's fixed like boxing.
-Fry expressing his disappointment that ultimate robot fighting was rigged, from the "Raging Bender" episode from Futurama's 2nd season.
I'm actually going into Arrested Development withdrawal. I heard someone quote the show and had no idea who said it or what show it was from. Yes it's possible that they misquoted, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
So Dr. Acura and Dr. Protege are both officially PhD holders. They're flying off to Houston to look at houses and Dr. Acura has an interview with one of her bosses.
J had a serious Office Space moment yesterday. She had trouble with one of her tests and 3 or 4 bosses came to her to talk about it. Yes, she received the memo and understands the policy and just forgot this one time to put a cover sheet on her TPS report.
Writing is coming along. I need to up my writing time on the weekends and once I'm done teaching lab (next week is the last day), I hope to up my writing time on the weekdays too.
Cleaning the apartment will happen this weekend. My folks are coming into the country and then into town next Thursday and they'll be here through the weekend. They'll hop the train to the 'Ham early Sun. morning. I think the train leaves here around 6 or 6:30 am.
If anyone is going to be in the area this Saturday, the Clemson Sports Car Club is having a car show on Saturday. It should be fun but obviously we would much rather have an autocross but the head parking Nazi took care of that plan. I'll get pics on Saturday and hopefully show you why we can't autocross in that lot anymore, or at least not a fun course.
I'm actually going into Arrested Development withdrawal. I heard someone quote the show and had no idea who said it or what show it was from. Yes it's possible that they misquoted, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
So Dr. Acura and Dr. Protege are both officially PhD holders. They're flying off to Houston to look at houses and Dr. Acura has an interview with one of her bosses.
J had a serious Office Space moment yesterday. She had trouble with one of her tests and 3 or 4 bosses came to her to talk about it. Yes, she received the memo and understands the policy and just forgot this one time to put a cover sheet on her TPS report.
Writing is coming along. I need to up my writing time on the weekends and once I'm done teaching lab (next week is the last day), I hope to up my writing time on the weekdays too.
Cleaning the apartment will happen this weekend. My folks are coming into the country and then into town next Thursday and they'll be here through the weekend. They'll hop the train to the 'Ham early Sun. morning. I think the train leaves here around 6 or 6:30 am.
If anyone is going to be in the area this Saturday, the Clemson Sports Car Club is having a car show on Saturday. It should be fun but obviously we would much rather have an autocross but the head parking Nazi took care of that plan. I'll get pics on Saturday and hopefully show you why we can't autocross in that lot anymore, or at least not a fun course.
Labels: Acura, Arrested Development, autocross, cars, Futurama, Mom and Dad, Protege
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Hey
A coworker and I were out at the research park this morning using the electron microscopes. They're really cool but I'm not sure I could use them everyday. If I could still make my own samples in lab and then analyze them, that would be cool.
I'm still here. Still in school. Still trying to get out. Still forcing myself to write. Still hoping everything will work out in the end.
Acura successfully defended yesterday. Protege defends next Monday. So Dr. Acura and soon to be Dr. Protege will move to Houston to start their post grad lives, while J and I are still stuck here and it's pretty much 100% my fault. I'm trying not to dwell on that fact too much and just focus on doing quality research and quality writing, but it's tough.
We're planning a trip to Orlando sometime this summer and with gas the way it is, it's almost cheaper for us to fly and that isn't taking into account the 8-10 hour drive we save ourselves and the car. Flying it is. We just need to book the tickets.
Sorry I haven't been very educational or insightful recently. Basically all my mind goo is going towards my work and writing, so there isn't much left for my blog.
BYE!
I'm still here. Still in school. Still trying to get out. Still forcing myself to write. Still hoping everything will work out in the end.
Acura successfully defended yesterday. Protege defends next Monday. So Dr. Acura and soon to be Dr. Protege will move to Houston to start their post grad lives, while J and I are still stuck here and it's pretty much 100% my fault. I'm trying not to dwell on that fact too much and just focus on doing quality research and quality writing, but it's tough.
We're planning a trip to Orlando sometime this summer and with gas the way it is, it's almost cheaper for us to fly and that isn't taking into account the 8-10 hour drive we save ourselves and the car. Flying it is. We just need to book the tickets.
Sorry I haven't been very educational or insightful recently. Basically all my mind goo is going towards my work and writing, so there isn't much left for my blog.
BYE!
Labels: Acura, Orlando, Protege, writing
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Vile weed!
- Newman's comment about the steamed broccoli he just had to eat, from the Kenny Roger's Rosters episode of Seinfeld, one of my favorites because Mark Roberts plays a character named "Seth", and cuz it's hilarious.
Now for the exciting finish to the Protege/Acura Asheville Wedding Story:
(Need to catch up? Part I and Part II.
J left her dress at Subaru's hotel room on accident so I have to run her over there so she can get ready but it works out cuz I need to pick up Subaru anyway. We get there and everyone is ready to go when I get a call from the friends we're staying with. I forgot my tux shoes on his truck outside. shit. But he and his wife are going out for dinner anyway and can meet us at the entrance to the Biltmore. I was just wearing flip flops to try and stay comfortable but that plan definitely bit me in the ass. They arrive, say hey to Subaru (they met a few times down in Clemson) and then flit off to their sushi dinner. I slap on the shoes and hightail it to the Inn. We arrive just in time but I'm thirsty, crazy thirsty. We snap a few pics and notice that they brought some water and umbrellas down for the wedding guests. I wasn't sure if I wanted to drink that water since it was for the guests and I was an usher/groomsmen, so I ran back up to the Inn and asked the head guy in charge (who was killing me all night because his jacket was too small and the material was straining at the buttons, just waiting for an acceptable target at which to launch itself.) He was very cordial and whipped up a jug of ice water and several cups lickety-split. HUGE thanks to that man! I had a couple glasses of water and felt much much better. Chatted with Protege's mom and dad and sister who I would be recessing with since she was a bridesmaid.
The wedding guests started to arrive and we decided it was showtime. We walked down to the chairs on the Vista and waited to escort the wedding guests to their seats. Someone accidentally reserved 3 rows for family instead of 2 rows so we had to scare up some extra seats real quick but no big deal. The ceremony was gorgeous. Acura came down the aisle unescorted for various reasons and it was a lovely ceremony. They lit the unity candle, exchanged the rings and were officially part of the married couples club. We hung out and took a couple more pictures and then headed off to the reception. I got to see an old roommate whose wife is now pregnant and craving salad, cucumbers and soup. The open bar was wonderful and many drinks were had by all, too many drinks were had by some. Dinner (in order of arrival) was crab cakes, salad, petit filet of beef with herb chicken and mashed potatoes, and wedding cake. Then the DJ upped the volume and the dance floor was open. I wasn't dancing initially but finally got out there. It was fun with lots of people of many ages dancing and flailing about. I took off my tux jacket and eventually rolled up my sleeves because I was sweating up a storm. The funniest (grossest) part was when a certain chemistry faculty member and his wife were dancing near J and I. I caught a whiff of something and seriously thought someone had shit their pants. I wasn't sure what to do so I danced J away from that area. Then I see the faculty member's wife run away from him with a look of pure disgust on her face. Then the stench cleared out a full half of the dance floor. If it hadn't smelled like death, it would've been very funny.
We got shut down at 11 pm and everyone went their respective ways, some in cabs, some in cars and some were fortunate enough to be staying at the Inn and just had a short elevator ride to their hotel room.
J and I made it to our friend's home safely and after I showered, I fell into a deep sleep. I woke up about 9:30 and caught the tail end of the Brazil/Norway women's cup game in full HD. Ah. I can't wait to get one of these. Everyone else woke up and after some Burnout on the 360, we went to brunch at Mayfel's where I had some delicious bacon, biscuits and gravy, grits and some scrambled eggs, just what the doctor ordered. J got the muffuletta sandwich which had too many types of meat and the olive tapenade was not what my stomach wanted at that moment in time. But it was good. We wanted beignets for dessert but our waitress failed to mention that the kitchen was closing so we settled on the key lime tart and our friend's chocolate mousse cake was unbelievable. It was a good mousse on a brownie topped with chocolate. I would highly recommend it.
Then we went back to their house and I loaded up the car and left. We only forgot Protege and Acura's housekey and J's cell phone charger, but we received them in the mail on Tues.
I'll be back tomorrow for the recap of "Mexican Sunrise" and what J left in Birmingham.
Now for the exciting finish to the Protege/Acura Asheville Wedding Story:
(Need to catch up? Part I and Part II.
J left her dress at Subaru's hotel room on accident so I have to run her over there so she can get ready but it works out cuz I need to pick up Subaru anyway. We get there and everyone is ready to go when I get a call from the friends we're staying with. I forgot my tux shoes on his truck outside. shit. But he and his wife are going out for dinner anyway and can meet us at the entrance to the Biltmore. I was just wearing flip flops to try and stay comfortable but that plan definitely bit me in the ass. They arrive, say hey to Subaru (they met a few times down in Clemson) and then flit off to their sushi dinner. I slap on the shoes and hightail it to the Inn. We arrive just in time but I'm thirsty, crazy thirsty. We snap a few pics and notice that they brought some water and umbrellas down for the wedding guests. I wasn't sure if I wanted to drink that water since it was for the guests and I was an usher/groomsmen, so I ran back up to the Inn and asked the head guy in charge (who was killing me all night because his jacket was too small and the material was straining at the buttons, just waiting for an acceptable target at which to launch itself.) He was very cordial and whipped up a jug of ice water and several cups lickety-split. HUGE thanks to that man! I had a couple glasses of water and felt much much better. Chatted with Protege's mom and dad and sister who I would be recessing with since she was a bridesmaid.
The wedding guests started to arrive and we decided it was showtime. We walked down to the chairs on the Vista and waited to escort the wedding guests to their seats. Someone accidentally reserved 3 rows for family instead of 2 rows so we had to scare up some extra seats real quick but no big deal. The ceremony was gorgeous. Acura came down the aisle unescorted for various reasons and it was a lovely ceremony. They lit the unity candle, exchanged the rings and were officially part of the married couples club. We hung out and took a couple more pictures and then headed off to the reception. I got to see an old roommate whose wife is now pregnant and craving salad, cucumbers and soup. The open bar was wonderful and many drinks were had by all, too many drinks were had by some. Dinner (in order of arrival) was crab cakes, salad, petit filet of beef with herb chicken and mashed potatoes, and wedding cake. Then the DJ upped the volume and the dance floor was open. I wasn't dancing initially but finally got out there. It was fun with lots of people of many ages dancing and flailing about. I took off my tux jacket and eventually rolled up my sleeves because I was sweating up a storm. The funniest (grossest) part was when a certain chemistry faculty member and his wife were dancing near J and I. I caught a whiff of something and seriously thought someone had shit their pants. I wasn't sure what to do so I danced J away from that area. Then I see the faculty member's wife run away from him with a look of pure disgust on her face. Then the stench cleared out a full half of the dance floor. If it hadn't smelled like death, it would've been very funny.
We got shut down at 11 pm and everyone went their respective ways, some in cabs, some in cars and some were fortunate enough to be staying at the Inn and just had a short elevator ride to their hotel room.
J and I made it to our friend's home safely and after I showered, I fell into a deep sleep. I woke up about 9:30 and caught the tail end of the Brazil/Norway women's cup game in full HD. Ah. I can't wait to get one of these. Everyone else woke up and after some Burnout on the 360, we went to brunch at Mayfel's where I had some delicious bacon, biscuits and gravy, grits and some scrambled eggs, just what the doctor ordered. J got the muffuletta sandwich which had too many types of meat and the olive tapenade was not what my stomach wanted at that moment in time. But it was good. We wanted beignets for dessert but our waitress failed to mention that the kitchen was closing so we settled on the key lime tart and our friend's chocolate mousse cake was unbelievable. It was a good mousse on a brownie topped with chocolate. I would highly recommend it.
Then we went back to their house and I loaded up the car and left. We only forgot Protege and Acura's housekey and J's cell phone charger, but we received them in the mail on Tues.
I'll be back tomorrow for the recap of "Mexican Sunrise" and what J left in Birmingham.
Labels: Acura, Protege, restaurant reviews, Subaru, wedding, weekend
Monday, September 17, 2007
It's on!
I'll get to my review of the DJ Tiesto show at the North Atlanta Trade Center in Norcross, GA last Friday night (Saturday morning) on September 14th in a second.
First I want to tell you about the fight/accident that almost happened as J and I were going to Miyabi's for a kick ass sushi dinner.
We're waiting patiently right here:
View Larger Map
Perfect! Thanks Google Maps and your crazy satellites!
We're waiting in the left hand turn lane facing the right side of that image, waiting to turn into the on-ramp at the top of the image. We're #4 car in line. #1 is a very pretty big Benz AMG coupe, CLK or something, #2 is a Camry or something, and #3 is a very pretty champagne Audi A4 2.0L Turbo. Light turns green and the AMG is off! I see him turn into the mini on-ramp, roughly in the middle of the image. But out of my right peripheral vision I see some big white truck towing a small trailer come FLYING into the picture! Shit! The AMG slams on its brakes and comes to a complete stop. I look for a YIELD sign on our side but then realize that if we yielded that we would block traffic and that would make no sense. So this stupid truck is in a big 'ol hurry and not paying attention. What a deuche.
But wait! The truck comes to a complete stop too and the guy gets out of his truck! Fight? Fight? Fight! But it wasn't meant to be. The AMG guy stayed in his comfy leather lair and just yelled some insults out his window. Boring. Oh no! #2 and #3 in line came to complete stops too! WTF! Go around! Later J would say that she thought #2 and #3 were too close and couldn't go around. Rookie mistakes. Me being the more competent driver have left plenty of maneuvering room in between the A4 and Tercel. I lay on the horn and realize that isn't going to work. Traffic in both lanes is at a standstill. I'm not sure if they're just stupid or are waiting to see a fight that isn't going to happen. I drop Tercel into first and tear around all the cars just sitting at the entrance to the on-ramp. Still on the horn and give the two stupid fight teases a nice one finger salute as I tear on by.
Ah, good times.
DJ Tiesto was pretty impressive. The venue was a tad lackluster. Concrete floors, a few concession stands ($7 Jagr shots), and a very nice light display up front and in the middle of the crowd was a large structure with some more lights. Good security, lots of restrooms and smoking was allowed inside since it's a private venue.
Doors opened at 10 and I was in no hurry to go stand in line. It was a nice night and I knew Tiesto wouldn't go on until at least midnight. They finally convinced me to get in line at 10:30 and it moved fairly quickly. Once inside and affixed with the proper 21+ wrist band (which the guy made entirely too tight) we went to the bar and got some libations. They had neat little Jager bomb glasses (which is a shot of Jagermeister and Red Bull) that had the Jager (straight from a Jagerator) in the middle isolated from the surrounding moat of Red Bull. Neat idea even if it only holds no more than 1/4th a can of Red Bull, which I guess is the point. Profit profit profit.
Hung out and danced some (the opening DJ was okay), walked around the venue, people watched. The demographic was fairly unique. Mainly white with a few African-Americans, Oriental and Hispanics, all within the 18-49 demographic. Definitely an eclectic mix of people from all walks of life.
About 1 am they announced that DJ Tiesto was about to take the stage. Everyone started making their way towards the stage. We made it into the middle and had a good view of the stage. He comes out and has a spoken word intro for his Elements of Life set. It was a good mix of beats and lights. The visuals of people in Ace bandages got a little old after the first hour and a half and I think everyone felt the crowd coming down about 2:45 or so. The lights go out again and Tiesto kicked it up a notch. The next hour of music was absolutely phenomenal. The crowd was into it the entire time and it felt like we had been abandoned when he left the stage at 4 am. It was such an amazing show. I'm glad Atlanta had a show like that and can't wait for others. The opening DJ came back on and we got out of there as fast as possible.
The cool morning GA air was such a relief after the heat of thousands dancing for hours on end. The water we stashed in Focus for afterwards saved our lives.
J and I went with Protege and Acura (who are getting married this Saturday!) and Protege was telling me that there was some drama going on near the one set of bleachers that were set up. People ODing and spasming on the concrete. Glad I missed that. During the show, J and I danced, kissed, hugged, walked around, stood swaying to the music to cool down (it was a good 10 degrees cooler outside the main mass of people) and danced some more. We definitely worked off the Chipotle dinner we had all enjoyed earlier in the evening.
Shit! Which reminds me. After dinner, we went to Green's on Ponce de Leon in downtown? midtown? Atlanta. For starters let's look at the keg list from Georgia. Nice huh? Lots of selection to please any beer drinker. Now lets look at the keg list from South Carolina. Oooh, I can special order Amstel Light? Score! Just another reason why SC sucks.
They had a walk-in Belgian beer cooler/humidor. So many different amazing beers. They had cases of SweetWater, but no Blue, which made me blue. They had the large (750 mL) bottles of Lambic in 5 different flavors. High gravity beers, barleywines, meads, honey wine, ales, porters, stouts, pilsners, all hand-crafted for your enjoyment. It would take months to drink your way through this place. Maybe a liver or two. We picked up 2 big Lambics, I picked up a 750 mL of Ommegang Abbey Ale, and a 750 mL of Grand Marnier because it's delicious and was on sale for $30.
After our sushi dinner we shopped at Whole Foods which had a very decent beer selection (even though I couldn't buy any because it was Sunday, yes another reason SC sucks, although there are lots of other states that don't sell alcohol on Sunday) and they even had the big Lambic but not the selection of flavors. So it looks like Whole Foods on Woodruff is my new favorite beer supplier.
First I want to tell you about the fight/accident that almost happened as J and I were going to Miyabi's for a kick ass sushi dinner.
We're waiting patiently right here:
View Larger Map
Perfect! Thanks Google Maps and your crazy satellites!
We're waiting in the left hand turn lane facing the right side of that image, waiting to turn into the on-ramp at the top of the image. We're #4 car in line. #1 is a very pretty big Benz AMG coupe, CLK or something, #2 is a Camry or something, and #3 is a very pretty champagne Audi A4 2.0L Turbo. Light turns green and the AMG is off! I see him turn into the mini on-ramp, roughly in the middle of the image. But out of my right peripheral vision I see some big white truck towing a small trailer come FLYING into the picture! Shit! The AMG slams on its brakes and comes to a complete stop. I look for a YIELD sign on our side but then realize that if we yielded that we would block traffic and that would make no sense. So this stupid truck is in a big 'ol hurry and not paying attention. What a deuche.
But wait! The truck comes to a complete stop too and the guy gets out of his truck! Fight? Fight? Fight! But it wasn't meant to be. The AMG guy stayed in his comfy leather lair and just yelled some insults out his window. Boring. Oh no! #2 and #3 in line came to complete stops too! WTF! Go around! Later J would say that she thought #2 and #3 were too close and couldn't go around. Rookie mistakes. Me being the more competent driver have left plenty of maneuvering room in between the A4 and Tercel. I lay on the horn and realize that isn't going to work. Traffic in both lanes is at a standstill. I'm not sure if they're just stupid or are waiting to see a fight that isn't going to happen. I drop Tercel into first and tear around all the cars just sitting at the entrance to the on-ramp. Still on the horn and give the two stupid fight teases a nice one finger salute as I tear on by.
Ah, good times.
DJ Tiesto was pretty impressive. The venue was a tad lackluster. Concrete floors, a few concession stands ($7 Jagr shots), and a very nice light display up front and in the middle of the crowd was a large structure with some more lights. Good security, lots of restrooms and smoking was allowed inside since it's a private venue.
Doors opened at 10 and I was in no hurry to go stand in line. It was a nice night and I knew Tiesto wouldn't go on until at least midnight. They finally convinced me to get in line at 10:30 and it moved fairly quickly. Once inside and affixed with the proper 21+ wrist band (which the guy made entirely too tight) we went to the bar and got some libations. They had neat little Jager bomb glasses (which is a shot of Jagermeister and Red Bull) that had the Jager (straight from a Jagerator) in the middle isolated from the surrounding moat of Red Bull. Neat idea even if it only holds no more than 1/4th a can of Red Bull, which I guess is the point. Profit profit profit.
Hung out and danced some (the opening DJ was okay), walked around the venue, people watched. The demographic was fairly unique. Mainly white with a few African-Americans, Oriental and Hispanics, all within the 18-49 demographic. Definitely an eclectic mix of people from all walks of life.
About 1 am they announced that DJ Tiesto was about to take the stage. Everyone started making their way towards the stage. We made it into the middle and had a good view of the stage. He comes out and has a spoken word intro for his Elements of Life set. It was a good mix of beats and lights. The visuals of people in Ace bandages got a little old after the first hour and a half and I think everyone felt the crowd coming down about 2:45 or so. The lights go out again and Tiesto kicked it up a notch. The next hour of music was absolutely phenomenal. The crowd was into it the entire time and it felt like we had been abandoned when he left the stage at 4 am. It was such an amazing show. I'm glad Atlanta had a show like that and can't wait for others. The opening DJ came back on and we got out of there as fast as possible.
The cool morning GA air was such a relief after the heat of thousands dancing for hours on end. The water we stashed in Focus for afterwards saved our lives.
J and I went with Protege and Acura (who are getting married this Saturday!) and Protege was telling me that there was some drama going on near the one set of bleachers that were set up. People ODing and spasming on the concrete. Glad I missed that. During the show, J and I danced, kissed, hugged, walked around, stood swaying to the music to cool down (it was a good 10 degrees cooler outside the main mass of people) and danced some more. We definitely worked off the Chipotle dinner we had all enjoyed earlier in the evening.
Shit! Which reminds me. After dinner, we went to Green's on Ponce de Leon in downtown? midtown? Atlanta. For starters let's look at the keg list from Georgia. Nice huh? Lots of selection to please any beer drinker. Now lets look at the keg list from South Carolina. Oooh, I can special order Amstel Light? Score! Just another reason why SC sucks.
They had a walk-in Belgian beer cooler/humidor. So many different amazing beers. They had cases of SweetWater, but no Blue, which made me blue. They had the large (750 mL) bottles of Lambic in 5 different flavors. High gravity beers, barleywines, meads, honey wine, ales, porters, stouts, pilsners, all hand-crafted for your enjoyment. It would take months to drink your way through this place. Maybe a liver or two. We picked up 2 big Lambics, I picked up a 750 mL of Ommegang Abbey Ale, and a 750 mL of Grand Marnier because it's delicious and was on sale for $30.
After our sushi dinner we shopped at Whole Foods which had a very decent beer selection (even though I couldn't buy any because it was Sunday, yes another reason SC sucks, although there are lots of other states that don't sell alcohol on Sunday) and they even had the big Lambic but not the selection of flavors. So it looks like Whole Foods on Woodruff is my new favorite beer supplier.
Labels: accident, Acura, beer, concert, Protege, weekend
Monday, July 16, 2007
Wiitournament
A games and activities parties went down Friday night at Protege and Acura's house. We mourned for Acura because Connecticut finally caught up with her and was going to make her pay a big fine for not having her car inspected since 2004, so she lost her CT plate and had to become one of us and get a SC license plate. If you're worried about passing inspection or if your car is street legal, bring it to SC, we'll put anything on the road!
I've finally resigned myself to referring to myself as a South Carolinian. I've lived here long enough and have the license that is about to expire to prove it. I was hoping that I would be gone before I had to renew it on my birthday this year but it wasn't in the cards.
I traded in my Xbox and accessories and picked up Resident Evil 4 for the Wii. So far I'm only being chased by angry townspeople and it's already scary. Not even one zombie or monster yet. I freed a wolf that was in a bear trap so helpfully he'll come back and help me out. You can't strafe (meaning walk sideways) in the game so you have to walk straight ahead into the room and then look around. Not the most reassuring way to enter a room.
The house and mini-yard are coming together. I cleared out some weeds and crappy plants from out front on Sunday and was rewarded with a large blister that immediately opened up and stings. I put some antibiotic cream on it so maybe it'll heal faster.
Now that Facebook is open to everyone, lots of people have tracked me down. A handful of bloggers, Doc in the Box, Princess of Power, Rally Girl Amy ,the Evilest Julie I know, a long lost high school friend and some high school classmates and teachers are on the list. The long lost high school friend I hadn't spoken for at least 7 years. His family moved from the DR to Mississippi and we visited them from Birmingham once while they were there and that was the last time. He actually works for a large clothing store that is near 4th Avenue and whose headquarters is in NYC but there main operations center is in Jackson, MS. I guess real estate is cheaper in MS than NY. Imagine that.
If you're on Facebook and would like to be my friend, you can email me for my last name or you can tell me yours or you can just find me, searching Seth and clemson would probably be a great start.
Errands to run today, group meetings to present in and lab notebooks to get up to date, so Seth away!
I've finally resigned myself to referring to myself as a South Carolinian. I've lived here long enough and have the license that is about to expire to prove it. I was hoping that I would be gone before I had to renew it on my birthday this year but it wasn't in the cards.
I traded in my Xbox and accessories and picked up Resident Evil 4 for the Wii. So far I'm only being chased by angry townspeople and it's already scary. Not even one zombie or monster yet. I freed a wolf that was in a bear trap so helpfully he'll come back and help me out. You can't strafe (meaning walk sideways) in the game so you have to walk straight ahead into the room and then look around. Not the most reassuring way to enter a room.
The house and mini-yard are coming together. I cleared out some weeds and crappy plants from out front on Sunday and was rewarded with a large blister that immediately opened up and stings. I put some antibiotic cream on it so maybe it'll heal faster.
Now that Facebook is open to everyone, lots of people have tracked me down. A handful of bloggers, Doc in the Box, Princess of Power, Rally Girl Amy ,the Evilest Julie I know, a long lost high school friend and some high school classmates and teachers are on the list. The long lost high school friend I hadn't spoken for at least 7 years. His family moved from the DR to Mississippi and we visited them from Birmingham once while they were there and that was the last time. He actually works for a large clothing store that is near 4th Avenue and whose headquarters is in NYC but there main operations center is in Jackson, MS. I guess real estate is cheaper in MS than NY. Imagine that.
If you're on Facebook and would like to be my friend, you can email me for my last name or you can tell me yours or you can just find me, searching Seth and clemson would probably be a great start.
Errands to run today, group meetings to present in and lab notebooks to get up to date, so Seth away!
Labels: Acura, Facebook, Protege, Wii
Monday, July 02, 2007
It's gonna be a scorcher!
This weekend was awesome.
Drive down to the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds (GCF), get a few practice starts with the drag racing style timing lights, (sorry, I was talking with the energy co. to get the power off at our old place, not that you could sense the pause in the typing), get the car teched and ready to race, we also had to have several stickers on our cars since it was a national event, we got around actually sticking them on the cars by putting them on magnets so they're nice and removable.
After that we went over to Fish Lake to camp. The sun was down and it was nice and cool. We hung out, had some beers (Sweet Water Blue which is unavailable in SC) and then it started to rain. Crazy rain with flashes of purplish cracks of light. There were a couple that were definitely too close for comfort. At the start of the rain we huddled under a tree (there were 4 of us, Protege, Subaru, myself and Suby's co-driver) and then it soaked the tree and started really coming down so we ran to the safety of Focus, rolled down the windows and stuck an umbrella out the windows so we could have a breeze. My tent kept me dry for most of the night except for a small pool at the foot of the tent.
We would arrive the next day and get 6 qualifying runs, 3 from each side (remember it was a Doublecross so there were 2 cars on course with a mutual finish line and different starting lanes) and we wouldn't know how well we did until that evening. I qualified 120 out of 137, Protege was 119, Subaru was 109 and his co-driver was 104. It isn't that we're that bad, it's that everyone else was that good. This was a national event that you can win some decent money at so the good drivers come out of the woodworks. My goal was not last in my class and I was 3rd to last and I was very pleased with how Focus was handling and my driving.
They had a cook-out that evening with brats and hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches and they even provided beer. It was from the Atlanta Brewing Company. Their Peachtree Pale Ale was waaaay too hoppy and bitter for my taste but their Blonde Ale was freakin' phenomenal.
That night we stayed at the Best Western in Lawrenceville. Nice rooms but the guy working the night counter was having a bad day. He didn't tell us any of the features of the hotel (like breakfast would be in the room behind us from 6-9 or that you could get pool towels from the front desk) but was a nice guy besides that.
Woke up at 6 am AGAIN and made our way back to the GCF. I was paired up against a stripped down old Civic in E Prepared, which means it was light and fast and on racing slicks. The point of the drag lights at the start was to make the event more fair. If I would've gone up against that Civic straight up on my street tires in STS (Street Touring Stock) I would've been destroyed, so they offset the lights depending on your class. So I had a few second headstart over the Civic. It was a good run, slow in, fast out, smooth, smooth, smooth, FINISH! Crap, he beat me, but I hear over the PA system that he hit a cone. I won! Then I raced a very fast S2000 and lost by several seconds. It's a double elimination bracket so I get another shot to keep racing that day. I'm up against a new 2007 Mazda MX5 (Miata) that is stock except for race tires. This is gonna be close. We pull up to the line and I get a few tenths of a head start. Coming around to the finish and....I lost. Poo. The one consolation is that it's still early and I can go ahead and changed my tires in the shade and get the car mostly packed before I have to show up for my work assignment.
You have to see this hat I bought for this event. I've always wanted a hat that will keep my face and neck shaded. A baseball cap isn't going to cut it. So I stopped by REI (the one in Buford near the Mall of Georgia) since it was on our way. Sunglasses and a hat on sale and $43 later I'm on the road with eye, head and neck protection from the sun. The other guys teased me about my big hat, saying I looked like an explorer, but they didn't think it was so funny on the second day and I was barely sunburned on my face and neck.
So much fun and I have so much to learn and so much to do to my Focus if I really want to be nationally competitive but that isn't my goal. I'm a rally driver. I want to get sideways in the dirt and fly past trees at 60 mph. Autocross is just a hobby and seat time until I get my rally car. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.
Whoops, almost forgot. My friend Derek was able to come down from his house near Suwanee and watch a few of my qualifying runs on Sat. morning. I hadn't seen him since he was in our wedding last Nov. I had hoped at least one ATL blogger could've made it but I understand that you were busy and had other things to do.
Drive down to the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds (GCF), get a few practice starts with the drag racing style timing lights, (sorry, I was talking with the energy co. to get the power off at our old place, not that you could sense the pause in the typing), get the car teched and ready to race, we also had to have several stickers on our cars since it was a national event, we got around actually sticking them on the cars by putting them on magnets so they're nice and removable.
After that we went over to Fish Lake to camp. The sun was down and it was nice and cool. We hung out, had some beers (Sweet Water Blue which is unavailable in SC) and then it started to rain. Crazy rain with flashes of purplish cracks of light. There were a couple that were definitely too close for comfort. At the start of the rain we huddled under a tree (there were 4 of us, Protege, Subaru, myself and Suby's co-driver) and then it soaked the tree and started really coming down so we ran to the safety of Focus, rolled down the windows and stuck an umbrella out the windows so we could have a breeze. My tent kept me dry for most of the night except for a small pool at the foot of the tent.
We would arrive the next day and get 6 qualifying runs, 3 from each side (remember it was a Doublecross so there were 2 cars on course with a mutual finish line and different starting lanes) and we wouldn't know how well we did until that evening. I qualified 120 out of 137, Protege was 119, Subaru was 109 and his co-driver was 104. It isn't that we're that bad, it's that everyone else was that good. This was a national event that you can win some decent money at so the good drivers come out of the woodworks. My goal was not last in my class and I was 3rd to last and I was very pleased with how Focus was handling and my driving.
They had a cook-out that evening with brats and hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches and they even provided beer. It was from the Atlanta Brewing Company. Their Peachtree Pale Ale was waaaay too hoppy and bitter for my taste but their Blonde Ale was freakin' phenomenal.
That night we stayed at the Best Western in Lawrenceville. Nice rooms but the guy working the night counter was having a bad day. He didn't tell us any of the features of the hotel (like breakfast would be in the room behind us from 6-9 or that you could get pool towels from the front desk) but was a nice guy besides that.
Woke up at 6 am AGAIN and made our way back to the GCF. I was paired up against a stripped down old Civic in E Prepared, which means it was light and fast and on racing slicks. The point of the drag lights at the start was to make the event more fair. If I would've gone up against that Civic straight up on my street tires in STS (Street Touring Stock) I would've been destroyed, so they offset the lights depending on your class. So I had a few second headstart over the Civic. It was a good run, slow in, fast out, smooth, smooth, smooth, FINISH! Crap, he beat me, but I hear over the PA system that he hit a cone. I won! Then I raced a very fast S2000 and lost by several seconds. It's a double elimination bracket so I get another shot to keep racing that day. I'm up against a new 2007 Mazda MX5 (Miata) that is stock except for race tires. This is gonna be close. We pull up to the line and I get a few tenths of a head start. Coming around to the finish and....I lost. Poo. The one consolation is that it's still early and I can go ahead and changed my tires in the shade and get the car mostly packed before I have to show up for my work assignment.
You have to see this hat I bought for this event. I've always wanted a hat that will keep my face and neck shaded. A baseball cap isn't going to cut it. So I stopped by REI (the one in Buford near the Mall of Georgia) since it was on our way. Sunglasses and a hat on sale and $43 later I'm on the road with eye, head and neck protection from the sun. The other guys teased me about my big hat, saying I looked like an explorer, but they didn't think it was so funny on the second day and I was barely sunburned on my face and neck.
So much fun and I have so much to learn and so much to do to my Focus if I really want to be nationally competitive but that isn't my goal. I'm a rally driver. I want to get sideways in the dirt and fly past trees at 60 mph. Autocross is just a hobby and seat time until I get my rally car. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.
Whoops, almost forgot. My friend Derek was able to come down from his house near Suwanee and watch a few of my qualifying runs on Sat. morning. I hadn't seen him since he was in our wedding last Nov. I had hoped at least one ATL blogger could've made it but I understand that you were busy and had other things to do.
Labels: autocross, camping, Doublecross, Drift Atlanta, Focus, Protege, Subaru
Sunday, March 11, 2007
I usually prefer Icees.
Skiing was excellent yesterday. We went to Sugar Mountain, which is near Banner Elk, NC. Our chemistry grad student organization paid for transportation and lift tickets and if you helped out with concessions and selling goggles, they even paid for your rentals too. Just a little incentive to get people to help out, which is surprisingly difficult considering the pluses.
I got conned into driving one of the 3 12-passenger vans, but luckily Protege and the talented and lovely J were also in my van. And also some new characters, of which the husband works near me and the wife graduated from dear ol' Clemson, who we'll refer to as their given paparazzi name, Gregber. And a Chinese couple and an Austrian post-doc. I would tell you where everyone sat on the way up and back, and I might've even done it in an interesting way, but I don't have the time or want to right now, but J rode shotgun on the way up and was navigating while she wasn't asleep.
The behemoth of a van had a radio complete with tape deck. No one had any cassettes on them, so we went all radio, all the time. If I had known ahead of time I might've [huh, we had a discussion about this very thing and I claimed to have never heard it. Gregber said that someone said "might could" as in "I might could go get some dinner at Shoney's tonight". And I just used "might have". Is this a regional thing? Am I crazy?] gotten a cassette adapter for J's new shuffle. I think.
We left 6 minutes late which was impressive. I find as I get older, most people get more responsible than say, high schooler. On the road, no breakfast for me cuz we got up at 5:20ish to leave at 6:06.
Get on the road. Speed limit or just 5 over. Another guy in the dept. got a wreckless endangerment ticket in VA for going 77 in a 70 in one of these big vans, so that is clouding my thoughts and restraining my normally heavy right foot. That and it's got some sweet cruise control action which takes all the pressure off.
I'm hungry. I should've made a to-go bagel but didn't. It's okay, I wanted to stop at a gas station and stock up on some portable snackage for the slopes. I wasn't really planning on stopping for lunch to get maximum ski time, but it happened anyway. Fortunately there was a McDonalds connected to the gas station and since it's a road trip the "no eating out during Lent" is put on hold. We're still here so I guess She didn't mind too much.
Back on the road, pass the other van and make it to the lodge in about 3 hours and change. Not bad. Tickets, change clothes, ski pants, ski boots, jacket up, gloves on and then walk over to the nice easy green slope. Crap, I remember doing this but it's been a year. Pizza, french fries. At least I remember that and that mostly gets me down the first time. The next time up I'm watching people and trying to get tips. Oh yeah! Keep your skis together when you're carving. Ah, ok, it's all coming back. Hey there's J on the lift! I'll catch her next time down. She was supposed to get a group lesson but missed the start by 5 minutes, but they're every hour, on the hour, so no biggie.
We ski the green slope a few times, snuggle on the lift going back up, then I ask if she's ready to move to another slope. The middle lift goes to the very top of the mountain but has an easy drop-off and an intermediate drop-off on the way up. If you'll remember from last year's adventure, this is where we had some trouble (also please excuse the spelling and grammar errors in the linked post) so I made sure we both knew when to get off and how. Success! We stayed on this slope for a bit and then I think we ate lunch. Decent food, decent prices. Nothing pro sports/amusement park expensive. Reenergized we got back out on the slopes. A few more times on the harder green slope and then I asked if she wanted to go further up the mountain. It's faster and steeper but no black diamonds, so it's a good challenge. She concedes and we head up. Man it's scary going that fast, but sometimes you just have to do it. It's really scary carving at those speeds but it's the only way to slow down. Pizzaing hurts too much and falling would hurt more, so you have to rely on your technique and hope it works.
I didn't really have any bad falls, but I did fall. One guy that went with us hit a tree! Yeah, a freakin' tree. I guess he's okay, he was still on the slopes after it happened so I guess it wasn't too bad. No bad accidents and every made it off the mountain alive.
Thankfully Protege offered to drive some, so I got us out of the mountains and he took over at the interstate.
Excellent trip and I wish I could ski more often and maybe on some fresh snow created by nature and not a hose and a fan.
I got conned into driving one of the 3 12-passenger vans, but luckily Protege and the talented and lovely J were also in my van. And also some new characters, of which the husband works near me and the wife graduated from dear ol' Clemson, who we'll refer to as their given paparazzi name, Gregber. And a Chinese couple and an Austrian post-doc. I would tell you where everyone sat on the way up and back, and I might've even done it in an interesting way, but I don't have the time or want to right now, but J rode shotgun on the way up and was navigating while she wasn't asleep.
The behemoth of a van had a radio complete with tape deck. No one had any cassettes on them, so we went all radio, all the time. If I had known ahead of time I might've [huh, we had a discussion about this very thing and I claimed to have never heard it. Gregber said that someone said "might could" as in "I might could go get some dinner at Shoney's tonight". And I just used "might have". Is this a regional thing? Am I crazy?] gotten a cassette adapter for J's new shuffle. I think.
We left 6 minutes late which was impressive. I find as I get older, most people get more responsible than say, high schooler. On the road, no breakfast for me cuz we got up at 5:20ish to leave at 6:06.
Get on the road. Speed limit or just 5 over. Another guy in the dept. got a wreckless endangerment ticket in VA for going 77 in a 70 in one of these big vans, so that is clouding my thoughts and restraining my normally heavy right foot. That and it's got some sweet cruise control action which takes all the pressure off.
I'm hungry. I should've made a to-go bagel but didn't. It's okay, I wanted to stop at a gas station and stock up on some portable snackage for the slopes. I wasn't really planning on stopping for lunch to get maximum ski time, but it happened anyway. Fortunately there was a McDonalds connected to the gas station and since it's a road trip the "no eating out during Lent" is put on hold. We're still here so I guess She didn't mind too much.
Back on the road, pass the other van and make it to the lodge in about 3 hours and change. Not bad. Tickets, change clothes, ski pants, ski boots, jacket up, gloves on and then walk over to the nice easy green slope. Crap, I remember doing this but it's been a year. Pizza, french fries. At least I remember that and that mostly gets me down the first time. The next time up I'm watching people and trying to get tips. Oh yeah! Keep your skis together when you're carving. Ah, ok, it's all coming back. Hey there's J on the lift! I'll catch her next time down. She was supposed to get a group lesson but missed the start by 5 minutes, but they're every hour, on the hour, so no biggie.
We ski the green slope a few times, snuggle on the lift going back up, then I ask if she's ready to move to another slope. The middle lift goes to the very top of the mountain but has an easy drop-off and an intermediate drop-off on the way up. If you'll remember from last year's adventure, this is where we had some trouble (also please excuse the spelling and grammar errors in the linked post) so I made sure we both knew when to get off and how. Success! We stayed on this slope for a bit and then I think we ate lunch. Decent food, decent prices. Nothing pro sports/amusement park expensive. Reenergized we got back out on the slopes. A few more times on the harder green slope and then I asked if she wanted to go further up the mountain. It's faster and steeper but no black diamonds, so it's a good challenge. She concedes and we head up. Man it's scary going that fast, but sometimes you just have to do it. It's really scary carving at those speeds but it's the only way to slow down. Pizzaing hurts too much and falling would hurt more, so you have to rely on your technique and hope it works.
I didn't really have any bad falls, but I did fall. One guy that went with us hit a tree! Yeah, a freakin' tree. I guess he's okay, he was still on the slopes after it happened so I guess it wasn't too bad. No bad accidents and every made it off the mountain alive.
Thankfully Protege offered to drive some, so I got us out of the mountains and he took over at the interstate.
Excellent trip and I wish I could ski more often and maybe on some fresh snow created by nature and not a hose and a fan.
Who Links Here
