roll (pitch, yaw) call

Current Mood: hov'ring high in the sunlit silence

Let's shake things up a bit, shall we?

Here's a list of all of the significant airplanes in my life and career.  Not a list of my favorites (that would be a very long list) - but the ones that I have flown or worked on or otherwise interacted with.  They are near and dear to my heart, and even though there are faster or bigger or more dangerous planes out there, they will always be special to me.  With any luck, this list will get a whole lot longer before I'm done.

Cessna 152
In high school I started taking flying lessons, after school and paid for with my part time job.  I flew out of Clermont County Airport (LID), home of Sporty's Pilot Shop.  I completed most of ground school and my first solo flight (which I will never forget so long as I live), but unfortunately I ran out of time and money and didn't finish my training.  Some day, I would love to go back and earn my pilot's license.  This little plane was a single engine, high wing, tricycle gear GA classic and it was perfect - very forgiving, easy to handle, and fun to fly.

Boeing 727
FedEx donated this aircraft to Purdue University so that students in my major could beat the crap out of it learning to fix things, break things, turn things on, and turn things off.  It will probably never fly again, and some of the systems on there are disgusting, but boy if it isn't a hell of a lot of fun to mess around with.  I have crawled in, on, and around this thing all over and just seeing one in the sky makes me smile.

Cirrus SR20
Last semester I took a special maintenance course, and my primary job was taking care of 16 of these very new, very shiny airplanes.  They have an all glass cockpit with new digital displays, the engines have yet to be completely overhauled, and our highest priority was maintaining these to the highest standard - because they were used as the training fleet for our university's flight program.  I got to learn from some very skilled mechanics working on them and they are beautiful!

Boeing 737
This airplane is the flagship of Southwest Airlines, where I currently intern in the Maintenance Department (Technical Publications) as a technical writer.  I've flown in one a few times, and currently all of my work has to do with the systems and structure of these planes.  It is a workhorse, and I suspect most people would not believe the amount of work it takes to approve and ready these for flight every single day.  Gotta keep an eye out for any of the special paint jobs (called liveries) that Southwest is famous for.




Do not ask me to board this plane.



closing in

Current Mood: removed from the bubble

Another semester finished (around the first week of May) at Purdue, which means I am down to just 2 semesters.  One more school year.  My "senior" year, for real.  One last summer break (during which I am happy to be busy with my internship!), one last set of holidays, one last winter break, one last spring break - the familiar school routine I've had since grade school.  Only 2 more sets of finals!

I learned a ton of new stuff.  I'm really glad I took my extra 490 classes - I gained some unique experience doing hangar maintenance, as well as some confidence doing hands-on work in my field.  My fuels class really let me gain a rapport with one of my professors, and I learned some things about the industry that are outside the books, stuff they don't test you on but I feel like helps me understand the big picture.  I even managed to get my best grade in electronics yet, which has always been a struggle for me.

My senior year will be somewhat front loaded, with something like 18 credit hours in the fall and probably about 13 in the spring - I wanted to try and take Air Traffic Control classes, but my schedule would not allow it.  This includes senior design (both semesters), which I've heard horror stories of in terms of time commitment.  I'd like to balance that out a little, but hopefully this way I can spend more time (especially in the spring) on job searching (and A&P prep)!  That's right, honest to goodness, college graduate, real world, time to be an adult and look for gainful employment job searching.  I can't wait!

After 8 years of Purdue (with one more to go), it's time for me to fly.  I have to trust that just like retiring from the Ship of Fools, this is the right move.  There's definitely part of me that's somewhat institutionalized - I love Purdue, and I love knowing exactly where everything is, where to go and who to talk to for anything I need or want, knowing where the best food is, the quickest routes, stuff like that.  Feeling like a king around campus, because I have insider knowledge and my finger on the pulse of what's important.  I have family and friends close by, we have an awesome apartment filled with all of my favorite things - why would I go anyplace else?

Of course, if I go someplace new, I'm sure I can recapture those feelings - it just takes time and effort.  And let's be realistic, when I finally graduate, more than likely we will be moving.  Most of the jobs in my field are in Washington, California, Texas (ugh), Florida, DC, places like that.  As awful as it would be for J to leave her school that she loves and fought so hard to get, the reality is that she'll have an easier time finding a school near my job than vice versa.  I'm not opposed to staying here - if I could find something, or somebody would pay for my grad school, sure, I'm just not sure how plausible that scenario is.

That all said, I'm feeling surprisingly optimistic about the job search (ask me again in a year, haha).  I'm doing very well with my new major, especially grades wise.  My cumulative grades (including that debacle half decade in engineering) have finally been pulled, kicking and screaming, to the floor of acceptable.  My major GPA is rockin'.  My professors like me and know me (one of my professors asked me in March if I had anything lined up for the summer, and when I told him my internship was pending, he told me if it didn't work out he'd "find something for me").  I see my professors in the hall and they say hi to me, and they know my name, which is a great feeling.  Something I didn't even consider when I switched to this smaller program, but definitely something I like.

Some of my classmates have gotten internships at some places I'd love to work (Lockheed, Rolls Royce, Gulfstream, etc.).  So it can definitely be done!  I just have to buckle down, put my head down and power through.  One more year of classes, books, and exams.  One last year to do all the Purdue stuff I've put off (not that much), and then graduate.  Oh, and take my A&P test  *shudder*.  Plus, I have got to stop paying for school and start paying down loans.  That's...that's all I'm going to talk about that subject for now.

This May has been so weird.  Seniors in my major are leaving, and I had just started to feel like I was getting to know them.  Now I'm going to be those seniors.  Another group of people (all majors, lots from the improv club and Ship of Fools, little siblings of people I started college with) graduating, some of which started schools years after I did, and now I've watched the grow up and now it's time to say goodbye.  I'm extremely proud of them and happy for them, but there's a tiny bit that stings.  Something about seeing them come and go, instead of being the one leaving.  Seeing Facebook blow up with statuses and pictures of caps and gowns and sappy goodbyes.  I have plenty of great stuff to take from my time at Purdue already, and I'm sure I will look back on my time here fondly, but right now I see a lot of frustration, wasted time and opportunity, and spinning wheels on my part.  Never, never thought I'd be one of those old guy students who spent more than 4 (even 5) years to finish his undergrad degree.


UGH.  Gotta push those stupid feelings away and get down to business.

be careful what you wish for

Current Mood: still somewhat aghast

Yesterday afternoon I was at work. I had just completed a routine lay up (layers of composite materials put under vacuum) and was mixing the two part resin to inject into the part which would complete the process. My boss (Prof S) came up to me with what he called "bad news".

He's a pretty sarcastic, joking kind of guy so I didn't even stop what I was doing. Then he proceeded to tell me that the higher ups, the powers that be, have stopped our research project.

I laughed, and asked him what new project we'd be switching over to. That's when he told me that was it. Funding stopped, project canceled, done. Zip, zilch, bagel. Nothing to switch to, no warning, scale down, or trail off, just stop what you are doing and go home, because there's no more research to be done here. No hours to be worked or money to be made, because it's all gone.

When the job was first presented to me (about a year ago) I was told it was dependent on funding, but I thought once the semester started we'd be in the clear until probably summertime? Apparently, not. Felt like the rug was pulled out from beneath me.

I can look at this from a few different angles-

Projects in aerospace can be somewhat ephemeral. Especially small budget college research groups in a time of defense budget cuts. Even larger programs can and do get canceled, sometimes with little or no warning. Better get used to that, if this is supposed to be my field. I've never had a job vanish like that- I always quit on my terms, usually because I was moving or for school.

All that time and effort I spent re-arranging my schedule and rides to fit in 20 hours of lab work? SUDDENLY FREE TIME. My classes are getting harder, so I should have more free time to study and do group work. Still, do I fill that free time with sleep, video games, and flex time for school (I picked up extra classes this semester, so that's helpful...)

Or do I immediately look for another job? Not much at the airport now, and I don't really have transportation to get to a more normal job (cashier, waiter, etc.), even if I could find one and if they were flexible with my schedule. Last time I job searched, it was pretty bare bones (although, in a roundabout way, not having a job helped me have time to do well in school which led me to this job...)

Is it too late/do I want to try and find a class to TA? I don't particularly like teaching. I would have to TA a full semester for credit before I could get paid at some point in the future.

Those summer internships I applied/want to apply for? Here's hoping they pan out! Could/should/would I go back to summer conferences if not?

I wasn't making a TON of money, and I'm not in danger of becoming homeless or anything, but it sure was nice contributing to the finances and being able to go out to eat and buy gifts and such without worrying. So here comes the money worry (again). I just want to be done with school so I can get a job and make real money, full time.

I was getting a little burnt out at work from the work, and at the same time really starting to like my coworkers. Former problem solved, latter - well, at least I'll still see these guys around school.

In the past months, I usually had not worked the full 20 hrs/week possible, usually because I was too tired, had too many classes or studying or exams or improv or places to be to really hit that mark. And I was okay with that, again, a little bit of burnout. Now...now I'm done. Do I regret not working those hours? Would that little bit of money made a difference? Am I going to need it later? Would I have learned something in those hours? Could I have done more?

*headdesk*

Can't imagine what my life would be like right now if I was single, working a real job, and suddenly had no job for reasons beyond my control. I would be a basket case. Whole lot more respect for people out there who have to deal with this kind of crap.

worky work and the funky bunch

Current Mood: *headdesk*

Trying to take a bite out of the backlog of "one post a month" goal...

In just a few short weeks I'll have been at my research assistant job 1 full year. Yay! No more "rookie".

Things are a bit different than what I expected. When I first started I was pretty worthless, mostly cleaning the lab and doing gruntwork for the upperclassmen that already worked there. I tried to find ways to be useful, but scheduling problems and lack of access (seemed like I was the only one who didn't have a lab key?) made progress very difficult. I felt a little bit like a loner, to be honest.

Then after gritting things out for a semester, it seems like everything changed. I didn't apply for a University Residences job (breaking a 5 year streak) and instead worked full time at the lab for the summer. Most of the older students left, and three new guys (my age, sort of) joined. I knew them a bit from class, but I wasn't that close to any of them.

Summertime, we busted our asses. We gutted the lab next door, cleaned and re-tiled it, moved equipment, and painted everything. Got some funding for new machines and got some donations/expert advice from a company in Indy that does composites. Made a ton of projects and some of them were great, others crashed and burned. Working there M-F 9-5 was a different beast - much more productive but very tiring. Got to know my coworkers a lot better - we all get along quite well and don't have problems like the previous employees did, apparently (I heard there was a girl involved, and things got messy...).

From the way Professor S. talked about things when I was hired, I thought I might be doing some engineering type things, working on papers and equations. Reality? Not so much. I pretty much do the same things as everybody else, and I guess that's okay, I don't know that I would really be qualified to do composites engineering stuff right now anyway. Sometimes I get a little hesitant at work because we change what we are doing so frequently, it's hard for me to get used to a routine. Our projects are very iterative, but with small changes, and sometimes I have a hard time keeping track of it all.

Because of my class schedule I don't work as much as my supervisor and Professor S would like, and sometimes I can't tell if they're just joking with me or not about a lot of things. Also I missed the chance to TA for our composites class (the very class I took last fall that led to me getting this job), though I may be a part of an Advanced Composites class in the works next year?

At any rate, most of projects are progressing pretty well. I like my teammates a bunch, even though they're much different than me (totally guy's guys, waaay different music [dubstep??], things like that). There was talk of trying to patent one of our projects, but the fervor of that seems to have died down...

Anyway, unless something majorly unexpected happens, I should have this job next semester as well. Beyond that, well, I'd love to have an internship, something different for the summer. I'll be applying to a few places, but if not, I'll try to work there again in the summer. I don't know that composites are what I want to do for the rest of my life, but it's a big area of development for aviation so I know it'll be great for my resume when I graduate. Also I think my mechanical/shop skills have improved simply by being there, which is good too.

I am getting pretty worn down some days, though. Between class and work I'm at school pretty much from 8am to about 6 or 7pm most days, sometimes longer. I feel like I live at the airport! Now I have a bit of spending money, but the apartment is a mess and I don't have the free time I would like to relax at home. Good thing I retired from the Ship of Fools, eh?

Not a very coherent post, but for anybody trying to keep up with my life maybe that's something.

start with the corners, then fill out the border

Current Mood: waiting/anticipating

What a whirlwind week it has been. Well, weekend, really.

First off, the big news - after weeks and weeks of applications, applications, scanning and writing, more applications, and a few interviews, Jenny was offered a job on Friday. She will be teaching 2nd grade in her own classroom at a school here in town. That is pretty much the very best case scenario that either of us could have hoped for- no co-teaching, not on the other side of the state, not even moving grade levels. She likes the principal, they have a Science Club, and did I mention it is seriously close? Closer than her current school. I know she will kick ass there and I'm not an especially sunny optimistic guy but I have to believe that the two years she has spent at her old school has helped her prepare for her first year on her own. It'll probably be tough in the fall, with lots of extra time spent at the school, but we got through student teaching okay so I think we'll be okay. This school does not have the extra school hour her old one did, and it's in a different district - old school was high poverty, high mobility and lots of intervention... new school is likely to be overeager parents and professor's children, so I think things are about to be flipped upside down.

Many many thanks go to everybody who helped Jenny look for job openings everywhere, and I can't believe how awesome her old bio professor has been going to bat for her with the local administrators.

ANYWAY. Now that Jenny has a job and it's in town, we are green lights for finding a new place to live. We have to be out of current apartment in 25 days, so looking for a new place ASAP. So we're moving, losing a roommate, and moving some of Jenny's teaching things to her new room.

Wedding stuff is getting crazy. Yesterday was 4 weeks until wedding and we still have a checklist of just about 95 things to do. Take a day off work to go to the courthouse and apply for a license. Get rings, tuxes. Finalize rehearsal dinner plans. Pick songs to get to DJ. And so on. If you've been married recently, you probably know *exactly* what I'm talking about. I'm sure we'll get it all done, but geez. I'm not nervous to get married, but I'm hoping everything goes well the actual day of the wedding. WEDDING WEDDING WEDDING. Feels like that's all I talk about sometime.

We were so worried about job stuff that we'd put off really doing stuff like getting the a/c fixed in our shared car, or planning a honeymoon, so that stuff is back on now. Y'know, like we don't have enough going on...

This weekend Jenny's family threw us a cookout/bridal shower. I guess co-ed showers are becoming the norm these days but it was really great - she has a giant family and they all pitched in to get us some really nice things. My mom and grandma were the only ones who could make it, so I felt like my family was a little under-represented. But I guess in 4 weeks it will also be my family too, right?

Job stuff has settled down somewhat, which is good. I feel like I'm kinda getting into a groove, getting used to the hours and the tempo and stuff. I don't know that I've made any world-changing discoveries (yet) but I think I'm pretty consistently working through the assignments and projects my boss gives me. It's very different than working there in the summer - during the spring I was trying to grab a few hours here and there and it felt like it was hard to get anything done. Now, I have 8 hours in a row plus 4 other guys there so it's much more productive. We goof off a little bit and Fridays are mostly clean-up days, but I get along pretty okay with the other dudes. I'm pretty sure I will keep working there in the fall.

Super ready for football to start back up again. I hope the CBA talks continue in time for the offseason to get back on track.
Pretty ready for school to start in the fall, too. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 4 more semesters. 2 years. Gonna try to find an internship for next summer, too. Building my resume up so that hopefully when I'm all done here somebody will look at me and say "that's the guy I want to design/invent/maintain/repair my airplane/rocket/spaceship". Or something like that...

welcome to the rest of your life

Current Mood:

I like to think I'm a pretty mature guy, pretty grown up in my actions and deeds. But the truth remains that many days I still feel like a kid. I get the feeling that might change this summer though.

Tomorrow's my 25th birthday. Now, around my mid teens my birthday started to feel like much ado about nothing, in that the day itself didn't mark any sort of significant change in my life. I never felt any older than the day before. Other than the big milestones (18, 21) nothing *really* changed and even when it did, I rarely took notice. I didn't go out on my 21st (not that I'm complaining - I just don't care that much about alcohol I guess). And tomorrow's not much different, but I'm now halfway through my 20s, and that marks me as a quarter century old. That feels pretty old to me. Not OLD old, but certainly not a kid anymore, right?

I'm about to start my 8th year of college. UGH. I'm getting "Adult Continuing Education Plans" emails in my inbox instead of "Beware the dangers of drinking". I don't stay out late and today - A Saturday of a Three Day Weekend - I got up before 8 am, voluntarily. I try to eat better and sleep regularly. Just about everybody I started school with in 2004 is graduated, dropped out, gone to grad school, has a Real Job, and/or has a family - something different than perpetual undergraddom like me.

I'm getting married in a little less than 2 months. That's a grown up thing, right? I've been with Jenny for five and half years, so long that the idea of getting married doesn't really seem like that big of a change (which is something I like, means I'm not freaking out or worried about it). We're just gonna keep on doin' our thing after tying the knot, I imagine. Still the same people you guys like, I hope. If I completely change and become a different person that sucks, tell me please? Most of the wedding details have been settled but we have more work to do... just about every weekend from now until then is booked with some kind of wedding thing so I have my summer pretty well planned out.

Last summer I "worked" "40 hours" at a "full time position" but to be honest I was in a salaried position and got my work done just fine by being in the office from about 1-4pm. I wasn't slacking, but it wasn't a very demanding job. It was pretty rad. Now? Now I WORK forty hours, Monday-Friday from 8-5 at the Composites Lab. Like clockwork. And it is exhausting. I'm not trying to say I have the worst job or anything (far from it) but I don't know how people work 60,70, or 80 hour workweeks without going crazy.

All in all, baby steps, methinks. But I get the sneaking suspicion this is a turning point in my life, and I may look back on this summer as a blurry jumbled "line" dividing something resembling adolescence/early adulthood with the next vague and uncertain stage of life (adulthood? mid-life?).

*Edit* ^ugh. that sounded really dumb, didn't it?

in which some of my choices are beginning to bear fruit

Current Mood: it is snowing outside. WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED?

GRAH. New year, filled with the same optimism, promises, and hopes of an arbitrary day we celebrate. Anyway, I know I've been slacking when it comes to updating here but I still cling to the hope that it's something meaningful. Even though lately I've been wondering the wisdom of spending too much time cataloging and analyzing and dissecting and listing and reposting everything, especially the minutiae and mundane things that make up most of, let's face it, mine and most other's lives. That's not to say that self reflection isn't useful (far from it), but I have to think that parroting back somebody else's work (art, music, film, whatever) is not in and of itself the same as creating your own work - good bad or awful, there is some value to the process, the struggle, the desire and effort to form a thing that was not there previously, combining and synthesizing colors and patterns, sounds, movements, shapes, concepts WHATEVER into something unique and previously nonexistent.

So my brain is filled with plenty of random chaotic thoughts, neuroses, just like everybody else. Right now I'm having trouble sleeping despite trying harder than ever to stick to a routine - go to bed around 11, get up around 7 (admittedly I've been much better this break than I ever have, but still, it's getting worse with school starting back again on Monday).

I hesitated to really bring this up back when it was a nascent idea, but also on Monday I start a new job. That's right! Not long ago I wrote this huge post about my work history and how I wish it was different, and lo and behold last semester I was kicking ass in a class - in part because I've switched to an easier major, in part because I'm not an alcohol fueled freshman dumbass, in part because I actually bother to try.

At any rate, I was doing well in my composite materials class. The first exam, the professor had an open challenge: anybody who could get a perfect score he would treat to lunch. Depending on when you asked me, I would say I either managed to get most of them correctly because I studied and the rest I guessed correctly, or I managed to make that professor pay for that slice of hubris. At any rate, the scary House-ian professor made good on his deal and took me to Pizza Hut and we had a lovely sit down. I told him of my numerous years of struggle in AAE and some about my time at Purdue. He tried to tell me that was normal - after all, his top grad student spent two whole years in AAE. His jaw hit the floor when I told him it took me almost 5 years to switch. But he seemed encouraged and told me to keep up the good work, that he might have an opportunity for me at some point in the future.

I was stoked, but tried to be realistic and not get my hopes up. After all, I was the same student in AAE, just as motivated and personable, and those classes kicked my ass and those professors barely knew my name.

Fast forward to the end of last semester-

side bar, Jenny says I still have a lot of insecurity and fear left over from AAE and I'm inclined to believe... it's now January 6th, spring classes start in 4 days, grades have been out for about 2 weeks and I'm still terrified to look at them even though all indications are that I did very well in my classes

- and my prof (let's call him Prof. S) pulls me aside at the end of lab and tells me he would like to offer me a job. ! I met him with the next week for the details:

*I will be working in the Aerospace Composites Lab at Purdue under Professor S.

*I will be a Research Assistant, working on his various projects that deal with aerospace composite structures.

*His primary project is a special repair gel for Marine Corps helicopters that cures in UV light, which negates many of the expensive/time consuming/tricky requirements of standard repairs. His assistants are helping him test this material to see if it is as strong as conventional repairs.

*I will be making some pretty solid money, 20/hrs a week. The position is for spring and fall, for now.

What else to say. Like I said, I start next week. There is a good chance Prof. S has a spot for a summer internship for me, but we'll have to see how that will mesh with my summer plans for getting married. For now, I'm just happy there's a chance. This is a real Aero Job.

Of course I can't just be happy about something, or proud, or confident, and this is no exception. Prof. S and his Main Grad Student both are kind of intimidating to me. Make that very intimidating. And I did well in the class sometimes because I have already taken two classes on a computer program we used, or lab TAs helping us in lab used my part as an example, etc. Professor thinks I'm some sort of engineering math whiz, which I don't think that I am. So we'll see what sort of work I actually am asked to do.

Not to mention I hate working and schooling at the same time. I've done it before (res. hall main office) and it really sucks sometimes. And that was more like 10 hours/week in a cushy office where I could usually do homework. So here's hoping my 6 more credit hours this semester plus 20 work hours any other thing I might do don't pull down what might be my excellent grades from last semester?

So here's to next week... with cautious, footnote laden optimism?

work

Current Mood: kinda bored, actually

I think I read somewhere that the average adult has seven jobs in the course of their lifetime. If that's the case, then I think I'm stuck on number two.

Growing up I definitely did house work and yard work for family and neighbors to make a few bucks, mostly cutting grass. I also did stuff like edit reports and design word art brochures for my dad's home business, which netted a few bucks here and there.

It wasn't until high school that I had my first legit have-a-paycheck kind of Job. With a capital J. I had an interview, I learned my social security number, that sort of thing. That was when I worked in the kitchen at Mt. Washington Care Center, washing dishes and serving elderly folks. It was satisfying, in a way, for a few different reasons - it was physical and I got stronger, I ate well for free, helped me pay for my car, it was a good break from my tough AP courses, and I got a lot of satisfaction proving to everybody there that this 15 year old kid could do anything they could, and usually faster. Not to mention it was good to have some spending money, and I felt like it was the right thing to do in high school before college - I really bought into the whole Honor Society/Working Teen/Academic All Star kinda mentality hoping it would help me get into a good school. And I did, so I'm not complaining. It just seems odd to me now that I worried so much about certain things then, and now it's a totally different set of values and headaches.

That job was part time. I was mainly in school, so I worked a few weeknights and usually one weekend night. I usually ran the dinner shift, which was about 4pm to close (around 9pm). Still, I made pretty good money!

Probably the best motivation for MWCC was that that job let me afford flight lessons. I didn't finish - I got my solo and then had to stop - but boy I had a lot of fun with that. Can't wait to get back to doing that someday. Y'know, when I don't have gazillions of dollars in student loans to pay back.

My second Job was when I got to Purdue. Towards the end of my freshman year I started working at the front desk of one of the residence halls. It was pretty easy stuff - answering phones, sorting mail, alphabetizing files and putting stickers on packets. The kind of gruntwork that makes the machine that is college turn, y'know? I got some cool stuff out of it, like free magazines.

I didn't make a ton, in part because I got paid less and I was still working very much part time. It got hard to balance school and work- I could sometimes do homework while I was there, but especially when I moved out of the building the travel time got to be a pain in the butt. Most of my big expenses like books and tuition were from loans (I couldn't make that much even if I worked double full time), so my money was mostly fun money. I usually ended up working all weekend, which kinda sucked. I listened to a lot of Purdue football games on the radio.

Summer conferences could be considered my third Job, but it shares so much in common with Student Office Staff (Job 2) - same employer, mostly same locations, same bosses, that if anything it's like Job 2.5.

At any rate, I've been spending my summers working for University Residences since (...got to school fall 04, first summer home, then...) 2006. At first I was an Operations Assistant (OA) for several years, living in the buildings on my own floor mostly by myself. I went on rounds, worked the check ins and check outs like a hotel, helping the groups coming and going through our halls have a good stay. I got to know a lot of people like Purdue administrators but also some of my good friends. The pay is pretty great, plus I get food and housing on top of it all, which is probably the main reason I keep coming back. It's also pretty easy - it's considered a "part time" job, but most of the hours are just being on call, so I can hang out in my air conditioned room and play video games and get paid to do it.

Then last summer I got promoted midway through the summer to be Senior Assistant (SA) Staffing. My SA left to take a job elsewhere, and I got moved up to take her spot. I was in charge of schedules, mostly, since a lot of the work had already been done by Lisa. I was now The Guy who Took Care of Things when they Went Wrong. Still, I mostly cruised to the end of the summer and thought I'd do that again this year.

Instead, I got brought back, but as an SA Billing. This was a bit of a change of pace for me. For ones, it's definitely a full time 40 hour position. My boss is pretty good about letting me fix my hours as long as I get my work done, which is great, since I don't sleep well. I usually come in around lunchtime and stay to the end of the day, and then I have occasional weekends where I have to come in (like right now). Working for conferences for so long really gives me a step up as a Biller, since I know what's going on.

I have an office. I go there and sit at a computer and play with names and numbers. Before every conference I have to get the roster and contract details into special software (CP5). Once the group is in house I track the meals they eat from reports we get. Then the conference leaves and I get a report of all the nights they stayed, any damages or charges, and I put together a giant bill. It gets audited internally then by the conference, then I send it to some office on campus so the University gets paid (and I do mean get paid, these contracts are usually at least several thousand dollars).

I'm making a lot more now (which is SUPER nice). Enough that I can actually pay for some things like rent and loan payments. I'm One of The Guys that gets called when there is a Problem. I work (mostly) M-F 9-5, instead of 3 or 4 days a week from noon-2 then 7pm in the building until 7am with rounds at 9 and 11 or somesuch. I handle important data and get in trouble when it's not right. I don't get to manipulate my schedule to take a week and a half off like I did as an OA. It's very different.

Admittedly, it's nice not living and breathing conferences like I was as an OA, because that really got tiresome after a while. And if I'm really good and stay on top of things, I don't get in trouble or called in after hours. More money is very nice. I wish I had a car, but don't want to pay for gas, repairs, insurance, or even a car payment. For now I learn to use the bus and plan my schedule around Jenny's work, which is for now very fortunately close and conveniently located.

All of the Purdue stuff has taken me pretty much all across the residential half of campus. By the time I'm done here I probably will have worked in just about every building we have. I've been here so long that the guys I used to make fun of for being the old guys like Kyle and Scott are now asking me when I'm about to graduate, yay.


Blah blah blah old news. What about the future?

It feels like my whole life, but especially my entire school career has been aimed towards ending up in some sort of aerospace field. I was on track until like, my third year of college when everything kind of fell apart.

One summer I almost had Job 3. I got a position for a research fellowship in the Aerospace Engineering department working for a really cool professor on a UAV project. Unfortunately, I a lot of trouble with the whole balancing-work-and-school department (sensing a pattern?) and had to drop out.

That was probably the closest I've gotten to working in the field I want to be working in. Sure, I've got some kind of employment right now, which is more than some people have right now, so I'm trying not to complain. But the fact that I've switched majors and struggled a lot in school means I haven't even gotten close to getting a "career" off the ground (heh, NPI).

I didn't have a 4.0 my freshman year, so I don't have an internship or Co-Op position to get my foot in any doors. It is only recently, with my mom's new husband Scott that I even have a remote tie to the aerospace field. I just feel like a dumb college student on the outside, looking in. Somebody who hasn't graduated yet and is watching his more intelligent peers move onto grad school or get jobs doing super cool stuff. Or worse, watching somebody younger do those things (*through gritted teeth* congratulations, guys, I'm so happy for you).

It's my fault, I guess. I don't want to blame the world for the fact I'm working at Purdue this summer and probably will next summer, instead of being on some Tiger Team at NASA staying up late trying to build an air filter from socks and a flight manual to save some astronauts.

I guess I'm just feeling a little discouraged lately. I hope I can get my new major on track this fall and start steering it away from summer conferences, towards something - anything - related to airplanes and rockets. Something I can label Job 3 and be proud it's the start of my adult career, not just some thing that works because I'm still at/in school. Something that pays the bills and loans, something that starts putting together a plan for insurance, for retirement, for a car and wedding and a house and maybe even a family.

accelerated

Current Mood: behind

MAN school caught up with me quick.

I'll spare you all the play-by-play of each day, but here's the summary:

MA 266 (differential equations) - again
AAE 301 (signals and systems analysis)
AAE 352 (structures II)
AAE 352 lab
CGT 226 (computer modeling - part modeling and advanced surface design)

13 credit hours.

Same old, same old, really. Difficult classes, I feel like I'm in over my head, the math involved blows my mind. I feel really...sluggish getting used to the routine, the workload, etc. Not crazy about trying to pass DE again, but what am I gonna do? Worried about student loans. Of course it wouldn't be a semester at Purdue for Ryan without problems with scheduling, registration, and student loan acceptance. a;sljdf;aljdf

On a scale of 1-1o, with 1 being Ferris Bueller's Day Off and 10 being Alexander's Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, my schedule looks like:

Monday: 6
Tuesday: 4
Wednesday: 9 (5 classes spanning 7:30am to 5:30pm)
Thursday: 2
Friday: 7

A lot of my aero professors are downright crazy, but it's balanced by a generous amount of oh my god these guys are so smart. I also regret letting all my knowledge of CATIA atrophy over several years since CGT 163.

New apartment is nice, even though I kinda hate trekking up Chauncey Hill. Especially 3x a week at 7 in the morning. I am not used to early classes like this!

Improv is good. I've already seen a lot of familiar old faces, and it looks like we've got a good recruiting class, which couldn't come at a better time for us.

Several job fairs are coming up next week and I suppose it's high time for me to buckle down and try to seriously get myself out there and find some sort of internship for next year. If nothing else I do not want to work for university residences again (not that it is a bad job, I just don't think I can do it again). Side thought...the longest I've had any job so far was about 3 years and each time I started to get pretty stir crazy. I hope that if/when I get into my preferred "field"I will be more content and won't feel the need to jump around so much.

Lastly, Andy Ober gave Jenny and I some last minute freebies to go see another preseason game - Bengals @ Colts a week ago. So we got to see Lucas Oil Stadium up close and personal, and the Bengals won (something I am worried about not celebrating a lot in the coming months). That said, my new favorite Bengal is Corey Lynch - not just because he makes a great impact on our D, but he's also a rookie from Appalachian State. Which means he was part of the David team that brought down Michigan last year at the Big House, apparently starting a tradition.

:D Football season!

avoidance

Current Mood: procrastination

Technology good: summer has barely begun, but I've got an really powerful central a/c unit all to myself. My [old] apartment has a shitty window unit that barely keeps the living room cool, much less my room. My current room for the summer...I can make it downright chilly. I am thankful for that.

Technology bad: I think I may have damaged my speakers? My nice [relatively] new ones. Yesterday I was rocking out something fierce, and some of the higher notes have a really odd twine to them (it's hard to describe). Temporary solution: turn down the volume, which I will have to do soon anyway once the building gets more occupied. Also, note to self: do not listen to offensive songs when building gets more occupied. Possible but unlikely long term solution: buy newer, more powerful speakers?

Technology good: I am borrowing Jenny's roommate's mini-fridge for the summer. I'm trying to cut down on the number of things I own, so this doesn't count against me. While it is not a necessity, it's a nice thing to have sometimes. :D I miss my full apartment kitchen, dirty dishes and all.

Technology bad: No car. 95% of the time, not a problem, 5% of the time, a really big problem.

Technology good: Future apartment has a DVR and cable TV. This means that I should never miss out on my favorite shows again.

Technology bad: I'm gonna watch so much TV...

Technology good: Maybe I'm just more web savvy, but I don't know how much longer DVRs are needed. Seriously, I remember 6 months ago trying to find old TV episodes online was basically torrenting, hoping like hell somebody was hosting it for free on some obscure site, or watching it in 8 parts on YouTube before it was removed. Maybe the writer's strike really did something, but now there's much more accessible content online for TV - sites like TVLinks or Hulu, (or even more legit sites like NBC.com) and I really don't mind the ads. I really don't. So help me god, though, if it has to buffer excessively, or keeps skipping and freezing, or something like that, I'll go right back to finding better, ad-free solutions.

Retrospective

Current Mood: excited

Hey guys! I am less busy now that it is summer. I've moved back into University Residences (Earhart Hall) and will once again be a summer Operations Assistant for conferences. I am more or less a summer RA until August. I'll be on duty a few nights a week - required to stay in the building, doing rounds, check ins/outs, etc. I will probably try to take a summer class.

In August I move into my new apartment with Greg and Chad - I'm pretty excited about that. Woo! Pool! Washer and dryer! Bigger bedroom!

I'm going to try to write in here more, as well. If any of you still care to read, I'm also going to be updating my NaNoWriMo story from last year - starting tonight! I aim to update both blogs at least once a week. Speaking of blogs, I got an actual phone call from Allister today, and it was a fantastic surprise - thanks man!

Along with my class, books, video games, and work, I'm gonna try to stay busy.


It's a bit of a blast from the past to go back to the residence halls each summer, now that I've been in the apartment. I don't cook or clean, and I'm back to using my freshman shower caddy and my sandals have been pressed back into service as shower shoes. It's a bit odd. Fortunately, Jenny is working in the hall across the street and the rest of the staff is really nice. I have a very firm grasp of the job at hand.

This May marks the end of four official years at Purdue - and I'm at least one year (probably more) away from my degree. I'm trying really hard to accept that as okay and enjoy it, instead of worrying and beating myself up. It has been a very long road, with more to go, but I have overcome a lot to even be where I am.

crazy sevens

Current Mood: funky

I think NaNoWriMo completely burned me out on writing, seriously. I haven't updated my NNWM story since a few days before the end of November (and I feel kinda bad, because quite a few people bothered to read it, and I'm guessing they're sick of checking for non-existent updates).

Worse, things on my writing front aren't going to improve anytime soon. About the only thing I write about in *this* blog with any regularity is football, and fantasy football ends this week, college bowls by the first week of January, and this is the penultimate week of regular season football. I am sad for that.

I'm leaving to go home in a few hours, and I'll be back to Purdue probably around the end of the year. I'm not addicted to the internet like Current Roommates Alex and John, so I won't take my computer home (that's a pain in the ass anyway, though I really do need to break down the 'ol compy and dust 'er off). Basically, I won't be updating much for a while at home.

On top of all that, this upcoming semester (starting January 7th) is probably one of the most important of my collegiate career. I need to seriously buckle down and overcome some academic roadblocks I've been struggling with for quite some time.

My rough attempt at a plan involves not working (already quit my job), scaling back my role at the improv club (read: less worrying over details/let new guys step up), and take out more student loans to worry less about money. The last one is almost paradoxical, but from last semester I think it is worth a try. There are some other things, but I don't want to list them here.

Also, on the proactive side of life, I need to start finding something to do this summer. I can easily go back to my old job as a summer conference assistant, but that's a step backwards and I'm getting sick of it. I want to do something engineering, something I am proud to put on my resume...but that's easier said than done with my gpa.

I tell myself to cut some slack because I'm stretching myself academically like whoa, but still...nobody to blame but yours truly. Get it together, Ryan.


Space is limited
In a haiku, so it's hard
To finish what you

-T.M

amateur AND prolific

Current Mood: anxious

As the midpoint of October passes, I find myself contemplating participation in this year's National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short (an idea I've toyed with before). The basic idea is that many people would like to write a novel at some point, but either never start or quit easily because of lack of commitment, motivation, endless editing, desire for perfection, and other reasons. NaNoWriMo seeks to throw all that out the window and impose an arbitrary deadline - 30 days of November to write 50,000 words of new fiction in hopes of motivating people to finish, not to worry about quality. I think it's a novel idea. I find myself with a little bit of extra time this fall (and I'm a bit crazy), so I could give it a shot? I've got a few ideas for some stories, I enjoy writing and I wouldn't mind testing my endurance, story planning skills, and my wrists. I have until the end of this month to decide, knowing full well I'd probably blog less (and those posts would probably just be word count updates). I think I would start another blog just for this, so you could read along.

Thoughts? Like giving blood, I think this is something that's easier with support, so if any of my readers want to join along, that'd be great!

Also, I am addicted to the NaNoWriMo forums. The variety of general questions for aspiring novelists is fascinating.

...

On a semi-related note, I am chomping at the bit to hear back from a woman about a possible new job. I've been looking for a new one that I don't hate since leaving my previous job as Student Office Staff at Hillenbrand (which is Jenny's new job, actually). If something comes of it, I'll write more.

...

More stupid Bee Movie shorts in my The Office commercial breaks this week. Didn't really matter, since tornado warnings in the area cut out about 1/3 of the episode. I'm trying not to complain, though, since there really was significant weather. A tornado apparently touched down a few miles south of here. We set up the emergency broadcast system for a reason, no?

Also, if anybody wants a free one month trial to Netflix, I've got the hookup.