The Terror(er) of Baton Rouge

THIS is the reason I had to leave work. I had left him at the vet for shots, checkup, and investigation of a lump on his back. Due to his unusually "agressive" nature, I was forced to come back so I could hold him secure and the vet could just TOUCH the lump on his back (which by the way is a benign lump and does not hurt the cat).

P.S. For those of you who I will be seeing at Christmastime, I have a funny funny (read, horribly embarrasing for me) story from work to share with you.

Big Bang Theory

For those who did not watch Big Bang Theory on ABC tonight, you must see this show. Where else can you experience calculus jokes on a primetime network TV show? Would be interested in comments on what others thought so post on your respective blogs.

Writing is Tough

After reading a book recently that I really liked (by Candace Bushnell, Trading Up) I went out and bought one of her earlier books (4 Blondes) only to be extremely disappointed. It was nothing like the first one I read. You can clearly see her development as an author between the two. So naturally the first thing that came to mind after finishing 4 Blondes was "You could do that!" Meaning, I could write my own book of the same caliber as that one.

Let me tell you though, it was HARD. I typed my story (1 Blonde) for what felt like forever, developed my characters until I felt like I'd known them since they were born. I finished about a third of the story I had in mind. Then I look at the bottom of my Word window and see that I am on page 4 of 4. I was forced to retire 3 days into my new career as author. I blame it on my efficiency from living in the email age where people only want to read about 5 lines at a time and will delete an email if it requires scrolling down.

So Candace Bushnell, I apologize for giving your earlier book an unflattering review because even though Trading Up was much better and I am a way overconfident author wannabe, you still did better than I could on 4 Blondes. Maybe better subject matter will help you out next time, like brunettes.

Always Working

Just got back last Monday from a week-long trip to Belgium for work. And I was fortunate enough to be able to take off the weekend to do touring as well. I could totally live in Belgium - they have such a laid back attitude and they have lots of lambics! (For those who don't know lambics are fruity, tart beers that are produced by spontaneous fermentation from exposure to the wild yeasts and bacteria in the air of the Senne valley. They are sold in U.S. too, though not nearly as cheap but I would highly recommend trying one if you have never.)

My absolute favorite part was the architecture. No two buildings looked alike and they were so different from what you see around here


The rental cars did leave a little something to be desired, but at least they made parking easy.

For the first time in about 4 weeks....

"You Can't Travel - You're a Chem E!"

So I may have been told by a very observant blog reader. Luckily I think one of the most strict of the Chem-E police is buying a house right now so I should be OK. But let me tell you, if you work it right, you can be a Chem-E and travel too even though there is a lot of things you leave behind, such as:

- Morning, afternoon, and late afternoon meetings. How else are you supposed to talk about all of the things you should be doing? And what better place to call out a coworker? For a one week trip, that's at least 20 valuable opportunities lost.

- Safety Moments. How would I remember to drive carefully on the road if someone were not to bring up a new traffic accident for every start-of-meeting "Safety Moment"?

- Electrical arc flashing. Learning firsthand the answer to the question, "What is that bright light and popping sound from over there?"

- Guys in boxers. Apparently a legitimate way to protest being given insufficient uniforms is to show up to work without one.

- Learning how to drive a forklift. Rear wheel drive is tricky on those things - I think it is a bad sign if on your first attempt to lift a pallet of metal drums you spear it at a 20 degree angle and hear the cracking of pallet wood.

This is a mere sample of the incredible responsibility I give up each and every time I leave work on a frivolous vacation. This is why travel is assuredly a frowned-upon activity for chemical engineers. And this is why I always leave behind my contact information.

International Companies Rule!

So I got to go to Canada for the first time, for training. It was an intensive 3-day course in Marketing - learning how to provide what the customer wants without putting yourself out of business (solid concept, yes). The cool part was that this training was held on a company-owned island in Canada right outside of Detroit. There are three or four lodges, each housing about 10 people, and you stay on the island the whole time. It started out a little rocky - the weather was bad so I was dropped off alone on the island in the rain on Sunday evening with an "I'll be back eventually with the others but I'm not sure when" from the boat captain. The ominous laugh may or may not have been imagined. And then I was on my own for the next several hours until 3 others showed up and we were able to play some poker. The island also was equipped for multiple miscellaneous sporting activities. Here is a view from my bike trip around the island.

Air Travel Ain't Easy

As I boarded the plane to Atlanta to eventually fly into Indiana for the weekend, I breathed a sigh of relief that (1) the plane was actually at the gate and (2) I was actually boarding it. This is usually a good sign that your air travel is on the right track. But I was too happy too fast. Within mere minutes - about 25 of them - of sitting down, I detected a problem: the plane was not moving. In another 5 minutes, the pilot enlightened the passengers that the left engine would not start. I find it hard to believe that this could be such an obstacle to our flight but apparently it was. So we had to deplane (is that officially a word yet?) and because Indiana is not an easy place to get to on 4th of July weekend and my connecting flight was leaving without me, I had to rebook for 6 am the next morning.

The next day I made it to Atlanta OK but on the flight to Indiana I again found myself sitting on an unmoving plane. Incurable optimist I thought it might be something as simple as a broken toilet that would be no big deal. Apparently there is no such thing as telling adults to "just hold it" for an hour and 20 minutes, so we spent approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes sitting on the plane waiting for the toilet to be fixed so we could take off. AND in their brilliance, the flight attendants, sensing that their patrons may be uncomfortable sitting for such long periods of time with the fate of our toilet still in limbo, were thoughtful enough to pass out copious amounts of WATER to the passengers.

Eventually I did make it to my destination, and luckily the trip home was uneventful.

Facebook Conspiracy

Since when did everyone get on Facebook? After being specifically asked to join by our dear friend Lydia (who incidentally is now both engaged and expecting), I decided to try Facebook too. And suddenly out of nowhere, all of these people I have not seen or talked to in years are on there and we are now Facebook Friends. It's pretty cool. Although at the same time, I now feel immense pressure to have more Friends or risk of losing credibility in the facebook world. So far I have about 19 friends and I felt pretty good about myself until I see that Mike Hollander has NINETY-SEVEN. This seems rigged to me, but I haven't begun my official investigation yet so I will not comment.

My Legacy at Work

I am lucky enough to already know what my legacy at work will be: Meeting Czar. Apparently I am the only individual willing to cut off extraneous conversation to hold to a time schedule. Just today I respectfully declined to facilitate a meeting that was not mine and I heard a distressed voice say "Amanda's not facilitating? We're doomed!"

Could be worse. Most engineers get a piece of equipment they have installed named after them, and usually only if it is something that does not work. "Oh yeah that's the Jessica line" or "Jan's valve." I've managed to avoid this so far, but if anyone ever says "Amanda's distillation column" you know I'm in trouble.

P.S. Last minute update, there is a NEW MEMBER of the blogging group. Marie M M. Check out her link to the right.

Zion National Park

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit relatives who live outside Zion National Park (Utah) with my dear sister Mary Jean.

Some interesting things:
- They actually have a beer called Polygamy Porter with the catch slogan "why have just one?"
- Mary Jean took the slogan literally (ok maybe this part is not true)
- Zion National Park will not allow cars during peak season - all traffic is via a propane shuttle which makes the park cleaner and feel less crowded
- We hiked a 2.5-mile trail called Angel's Landing where for about 200 feet we were on a rock ledge with a straight drop down on both sides and only a single chain to hold
- As everyone on the shuttle ooh-ed and ah-ed over some wild turkeys in the park, all I could think was how much my coworkers would wish it was hunting season.

In all seriousness, Zion was one of the most beautiful places I have been.

Initiating a Blog

Having been recently inspired after a blogging discussion at Outer Banks (the 2007 version), I figure it is time for me to enter the technological age. This is my start. I don't expect to make it anywhere higher than "Disappointing" on Pennoch's list for at least the next 5 months but hey at least I hope to make it on the list!

Amanda