Onward And Upward

So, many of you already know, so I guess that it's not such a big announcement. I'm leaving my current job. Yup, it's true. I've been doing this Manufacturing Process Engineering stuff now for > 7 years, and fyi, that's a record for me. The previous record "time In job", was 6 Years, in the Robotics Engineering Dept of that Medical Instrument Company. I discovered that it's usually ~ 5 years until I either get bored with the job, or it drives me crazy. I let ya guess which one it was this time. Anyway, leaving is not so bad because..... I already have a new job.... In the same company! What... What....? I didn't actually say I was "quitting", I said I was "leaving my current job". (you guys are sooooo easy). In the past, when I started to go cra...... Ummmmm I mean decided to change jobs, I had to quit the company, but here, the company allows you to change jobs after being in your current job for 1 year. Cool huh? I think so too. I'm still going to be doing Process Engineering, but now it's going to be "Development" PE, instead of "Manufacturing PE". What's the difference? Development is Pure Research and Development, while Manufacturing PE has a secondary "Fab Sustaining" component. So now, it'll be all projects, new technologies, and most important..... No Manufacturing. That was the part that was really driving me..... Ummmmm I mean, that helped me make up my mind. Also, since the person taking over my current position, had it before, I don't need to train anybody, so my release date is.... 1 week from this Friday! The only thing is, I don't believe I will be able to send out my weekly beyond my group anymore, since everything over there is hush hush, Top Secret, so I'm going to have to do something about SOL. The best idea is, I think I'm going to convert it into a BLOG. What's a BLOG? If you are not "Cool Enough" to know, I can't help you, but maybe http//:dictionary.com can help :-) In any case, I expect SOL to live on in some form. After all, I can't disappoint all my fans, right? :-)

To LASIK Or Not To LASIK, THAT Is The Question

I've been thinking recently of "going under the knife". No, nothing is wrong, and I guess if I had to be more accurate, it wouldn't be "a knife" I go under, it would be.... An eximer laser. See, what's generally not known around here, is that I'm almost blind as a bat. Yes, it's true, I've been doing the "contact lens" thing now for > 20 years, and if you happened to see my 20/500 and 20/600 vision "coke bottles", you would understand why. The lenses got to be so heavy, that the nose bridge was starting to leave dents in my nose. We wouldn't want to mess up this handsome face that way.... Now would we? (HEY! Stop laughing, I see you). Anyway, I've have been considering going forward with the Lasik, but there are a few concerns..... First, I don't NEED it. It's not like someone said, "Do this Tom, or in 6 months you'll be blind", because in that case, it would be a no brainer, "Strap me down, and beam me up Scotty", but that's not the case, and I guess I have an issue with people shooting laser beams into my eyes when I don't need to. Plus, my vision is so bad, I would either need a double correction, or else, else get the latest technology, for a cost of $3K...... Per eye. Since I'm not interested in any $499.95 per eye "discount deal", I'd need to go the expensive route. And I know, they've done thousands, so the chance of problems is 1 in 1000, which is good, unless........ You happen to be "The 1", then it would su..... Ummmmm..... I mean..... stink. On the other hand, sticking pieces of plastic into my eyeballs for > 2 decades can't be good either. Sigh.... I don't know, but I think I need to do more research. In any case, I'll be sure to let you know if I have a moment of temporary insanity and decide to join the Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader/Obi Wan Kenobi..... Laser Gang, sometime in the future. Have a great weekend :-)

My Car Is Schizo

I found out something interesting this week about my car. It's..... Schizophrenic. Yup, Dual Personality, Yin/Yang, The Big Brain Split, whatever you want to call it. It's got it. How do I know? It told me. No, I'm not hearing voices, it told me using the 2 line computer display on the speedometer. Usually, it displays the car's computer information, with messages like: Cruise Control On, Gas Mileage, Miles To Empty, Drivers Door Open, Hood Open, Trunk Open, you know, stuff like that. That is..... Until this week. See, last week, my car battery died. At 2.5 years, it held up pretty well under the Arizona "Cook your car battery" temperatures. It took me awhile to get it out, bring it over to Checker Auto for the trade in, and reinstall the new one. By then, the computers memory was wiped. Radio stations gone.... Etc. But something else happened. The cars display no longer speaks to me in English, it speaks..... British! Yup, Yup, I kid you not. How do I know? Isn't British and English the same? Nope. Now, the display does not tell me "Trunk Open", it says.... "Boot Open", and it no longer says "Hood Open", it says.... You Brit fans guessed it.... "Bonnet Open". Thank goodness it still displays the distance in miles, not Kilometers. So.... I guess that my car is no longer "An American", it's "A Britain", and you know what? I think I'm leaving it like that. It's kind of cool, and gives it a certain panache' to the car, don't you think? In any case, I now have an answer for those people who keep trying to insist "It's A Ford". It may sort of look like a ford on the outside, in the rear end, but what I discovered last weekend, is that in it's Heart And Soul.... It's really a JAG :-)

Thoughts On An Arizona Summer

• Did you ever notice that most Az Motorcycle parking is made from concrete? It's because asphalt melts in the heat, the kickstands sink, and the bike falls over.
  
• You can always tell the Arizona newbies. How? They don't have tinted car windows, nor a windshield sunscreen.
  
• Another way to tell? They're the one's walking along the sidewalk in the sun, instead of the shade.
  
• This is probably one of the few places on earth, where, in the summer you'll see long haired dogs...... Shaved. I almost didn't recognize mine at the groomers.
  
• Around here, no matter where you drive, the most desirable parking spaces are not the ones closest to the door, it's the ones under the trees.
  
• Most Arizonans understand why Hawaiian shirts are so popular in Hawaii. It's not the colors, it's the loose (cool) fit. They're very popular here too.
  
• This is one of the few places I've seen where the Real Estate ads note the orientation of the house, as a selling point. North/South is cooler then East/West.
  
• You can't really fry an egg on the sidewalk here in the summertime. It'll burn too quickly.
  
• I'm not sure who invented those "water misters" that keep patio's 20deg cooler then the surrounding area, but whoever it was, they should give them a medal.
  
• Around here in the summertime, you'll often see fair skinned people walking around with open umbrella's. And even though there's not a cloud in the sky, nobody thinks that's a strange thing to do.
  
• All in all, after > 10 years of living here, I long for the days of living back east, and dealing with snow............ PSYCHE! You guys are so easy :-)