Adding things

As you can see, I've added an avatar (they didn't have much to choose from in the non-anorexic category so I've improvised here) and some music. If you'd prefer that the music didn't automatically start, let me know. I like the idea of tunes suddenly appearing, but I do realize that others might not...even if all you have to do is hit the pause button to stop listening. I will warn you that a couple of the songs have a stray F word here and there so perhaps you should keep the volume down at work. Rock out!

Ooooo....Ahhhhhh....

Well, you gotta give China credit. The opening ceremony was flippin' spectacular! I missed the first part, but what I saw was stunning. I'm not sure which I loved more, the above bit with the folks on wires running all around the globe or the bit with the martial artists forming perfect circles as they did their moves (this moment struck my former marching band member's heart). And let's not forget the fireworks! Holy schmoly. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful chunk of explosions. China definitely played to its strengths--fireworks, story telling through dance, music and art, and tons of athletic skill through the wire work and martial arts.

I was really impressed with their ability to have the spectacle encompass the whole Olympic Village. When NBC pulled out for the wide shots of the fireworks, you could see just how much area the fireworks covered, not to mention the light show on the ground (the pool facility looked amazing). The lighting of the torch was inventive and having that little kid who survived the earthquake doing his best to keep up while walking beside Yao Ming gave it a good "weepy" factor.

Can't wait to see what they do for the closer.

Field Trip

Today I got to go on a little field trip to a job site. We are doing the AC for a new medical center downtown. My boss wanted myself and the other new girl to get a chance to see the equipment and duct work before it gets covered up by drop ceilings, etc. Plus, we got to go on the roof to see the massive units.

It's sometimes easier to understand the units we are, or will be, designing if you can see one close up. I was just excited to go out of the office. Plus, I got to wear a hard hat. It was quite a sight to behold.

My friend/teacher Jenny was out sick today so I actually jumped into the unknown and asked one of the two sales reps I'll be working with if there was anything I could do for him. He gave me a copy of an email from one of our contractors who needed a price quote on a vertical unit heater. He told me it would be easy.

10 min. later I'm still trying to find the option in the computer selection system. At this point I'm feeling like an idiot. I page him in his office and ask a question and it turns out I wasn't quite as big a dork as I thought. The selection I'm looking for is called a different name in the computer system. Okay. I find the right thing, start entering my data and realize that I can't come up with some of the info I need. I grab the catalogue and try and find it there. No luck.

I snag the boss guy as he's going past. I tell him I don't know where to find this info...again, feeling a bit stupid. He tells me the info is in none of my supplied sheets. It's something the contractor needed to provide. YEAH! I'm not a complete idiot. He calls the contractor, gets my questions answered and Bob's your uncle, I've generated a proposal on the unit, gotten it approved and faxed that puppy off. WHEE!!! I love comprehension.

Of course, then I try and help my rep with another massive flippin' project and it turns out that I have to do actual math to try and get the numbers to work right with the unit the engineer has selected. We spent 20 min. trying to get just one unit picked out. There are 32 of these units that need to be done. At this point it was after 5, so I'm going to pick it up tomorrow.

I had to leave fairly on time because I needed to take my car to the dealership so they could buff out some scratches on the new car. I wasn't bothered by them, but my Mom got all kinds of OCD about them in the lot so to keep her happy I kept my appointment. Plus, they were supposed to fill up the car when I bought it, but their flunky messed up and didn't do it. They're going to fill it up this time around.

I got a loaner to drive to work tomorrow. I figured they'd give me something similar to what I was driving.

Boy, was I wrong.

I got a flippin' Yukon!!!!! I haven't driven anything this big since I drove my Dad's truck when I moved from home to Bloomington-Normal when I was 22. I practically needed a ladder to get into the thing. I think I'm going to take back roads to work tomorrow.

Finally, Mamma Mia was a hoot! A great, light, Sunday afternoon sort of movie. If you love the ABBA it's definitely worth it. Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Dominic Cooper, the lead chick, Julie Walters...all quite good singers. Pierce Brosnon on the other hand...ehhh...not so much. Still, definitely worth seeing.

I Want To Believe

Hey all. I apologize for being an extremely bad blogger as of late. I'm still trying to get a grasp on my new work schedule. I leave around 7:20am and, depending on traffic, get back anywhere between 5:30 and 6pm. Then it's time to make dinner, eat, go through the mail, remember to watch The Closer...you get the picture.

As you can guess from the photo, I went and saw X-Files: I Want To Believe this weekend. I'm still trying to decide what my opinion of it is. It was great seeing Mulder and Scully again. I really enjoyed seeing what their relationship was at this stage in the characters' lives. It was really David and Gillian's chemistry and how they play off that connection which keeps one interested. I liked the essential story (Billy Connolly (sp) is really great) and the film doesn't drag on time wise, but there was still a little something missing.

It was good that they kept the story away from the series mythology, but because the basic premise was, well, rather basic, the movie felt like a long tv episode. Maybe that is the result of directing or editing style. There were exciting moments and the "thing" that the mystery ends up being about is interesting, but you didn't quite get the sense of impending dread that I think you should have had. For a short movie that didn't seem to drag, the reveal still felt slow moving.

That may have been because a lot of the great character development we get with Mulder and Scully is thoughtful and in some ways, slow. Mulder and Scully's relationship was never about overtly romantic gestures. I mean, it was always such a shock to hear them refer to each other by their first names in the series...enough so that I can remember in which episodes that happened. Big moments were there for sure. I consider saving your partner's life on multiple occasions pretty big. But, their relationship was about subtle looks, gestures and just being together and really getting to know the other person. And, it is/was about faith. Faith in the other person and faith that even though you've seen the worst and darkest things out there, just enough good exists in the world to give you a reason to want to try and be with this person.

I enjoyed the movie because I loved the show. If you aren't familiar with the show, you'll probably be disappointed, because as a thriller it falls just a bit flat. But, if you loved the characters, it is worth checking out. Coulda just used more naked Mulder.

Also saw The Dark Knight and since I'm guessing most of you have also seen it I'll just say that I really liked it. It was beautifully dark and twisted. I did think it could have been just a tad shorter and I would have liked to see more of the Bruce Wayne/Batman identity struggle. At times, it seemed more like a Joker movie that Batman was in. Still, it was very cool.

On to the work front. I'm getting more comfortable with the computer systems there, but I'm struggling with getting the jargon down. I keep expecting to grasp things that take about a year to get down.

I have discovered that skinny girls don't eat. I, on the other hand, do. The two women I work with, one my friend who recommended me for the job and the other is the girl who got the other position, just snack now and again. The other day we were working and it got to be about 12:20 or so and I was just completely dragging. It had been almost 6 hours since I'd had breakfast and I was going sleepy loopy. I kept waiting for someone to call a time out, but they just kept zippin' along. Finally, I think I either couldn't answer a question or I got a bit snippy because Jenny asked if we should break for lunch. Thank God!!! I couldn't get out of there fast enough. New girl seems to mostly snack on candy and Wheat Thins during the day. I just want to tell her that in 10 years that will bite her in the ass, but she's rail thin so my prediction is probably wrong. I sometimes wonder if my body chemistry isn't completely different after the surgery. Who knows.

Off to see Mama Mia this afternoon. I have been forewarned about Pierce B's singing, but love the ABBA so I'm going anyway.