We're Going To Have To Let You Go...

(a photo of the area where I used to work, taken that day)

Two weeks ago, I walked in late to work on a Monday (I was weaseling my way out of jury duty) and found the rest of my company (all four of them) in the usual Monday meeting. As I walked in and said, "Hi" I received an odd response, one person choked out a good morning. I figured they were just surprised to see me so early as I said I would be out for jury duty.

I sat down, participated in the remainder of the meeting, as usual, and returned to my desk. I cranked out some work (I was very productive that day) until lunch time came around. I called in a Turkey Cobb from Con Pane (some of the best sandwiches in town) and got ready to go pick it up when my project manager suggested that I cancel my lunch order and he could take me to lunch. This seemed odd as we usually went to lunch on Fridays, and he never took me lunch, we went and got lunch together. This seemed odd but I didn't think much more of it.

As we were driving to get some fish tacos from Blue Water Grill (best grilled fish tacos, period) I noticed, in my peripherals, that my project manager was looking at me a lot. It seemed as if he was trying to gauge my mood or get some sort of feedback from me. I thought this was odd but just kept acting as I normally would.

I stepped up and ordered my food and so did my project manager and he pulled out the corporate card. I asked, "oh, it's on the company today?" and he responded with a simple, yet uneasy, "yeah." I walked over to use the restroom while he finished paying. I used the toilet, washed my hands, paused, looked at myself in the mirror and said out loud, "I'm getting fired."

I went out and joined my project manager at the table. We made a little small talk and when we hit a small lull in the conversation, he started in with, "I'm sure you know why we're here." It was pretty generic, but very fitting. We sat and talked for a long while, it was a very positive meeting and I took a lot away from it. I went back to the office, signed the paperwork with my boss, and then was asked to pack up my things and leave that day.

Overall this is a positive thing. I was looking to move on soon and this puts me in a better place financially than if I had quit. Positives aside though, it was a very surreal experience. For much of it (after lunch), I felt very detached from the process, it was as if I was observing what was happening, rather than being a part of it. For over two years they trusted me in foreign countries, a company cell phone, and a company credit card, yet, they spoke of my departure as if I was never trusted to return to the office (even if for a visit). If I forgot anything, just e-mail someone and they could get it for me. I understand they have to protect themselves, but it felt as if I was being voted off the island, rather then respectfully discharged.

Above all though, the oddest thing about it all is a loss of identity. I am no longer a Design Engineer for an environmental company, I am defined by the other things (volunteer, unemployed engineer, etc.). No matter how much you may not like your job, it is still a huge part of who you are and to lose that identity was probably the biggest adjustment of all.

That being said, here's to bigger and better things!


|¢ontinue|

Bloomingdale's Men's Spring 2009

The Bloomingdale's Men's Spring Catalog for 2009 came in my mail box in the past couple weeks and between the science nerd/engineer that I am, and the well-dressed fashionable person I wish I was, I enjoyed thumbing through this catalog a lot.



The locations for the photos included the Hoover Dam and the El Dorado Valley dry lake in Nevada. The locations provided a nice juxtaposition of the sleek stylings by the likes of Hugo Boss, Velntino and John Varvatos, and the old industrial technology of a hydroelectric plant built in the 1930s (as well as a dry river basin).









When the New York Times Fashion Magazine came out with the spring fashion recently and didn't do too much for me. Between the sport coats over shorts (never been a big fan) and the poofy dress-like shorts, I was not too excited by most of the styles or the possibility that some of them could make it to mainstream fashion. I do, however, respect the fashion presented in the magazine, I understand that while Bloomindale's is trying to make money, the NYT fashion magazine is trying to push the boundaries of fashion. Truth be told, many of these ideas have or will come to fruition in mainstream fashion (see sport coats over shorts).




Some highlights, product-wise, for me (a guy in jeans, t-shirt, and a hole-y pair of socks) have to be the Burberry brown wool suit, the selection of socks (step your small details game up), Theory grey suit, John Varvatos plaid convertible jacket, Aquascutum LTD aquamatic packable raincoat, and the Sutor Mantellassi Off-white/orange weekender bag.

Do I plan on dropping the money to buy this stuff full price as it comes out? No way, but it sure is nice to look at and appreciate none the less.

|¢ontinue|

The Lightning - The Supercar Of The Future

The Lightning Car Company, recently revealed what could be the super car of the future. With the rising concern of global warming and the success of the recently released Tesla, electricity might be the new direction for super cars to go. The Lightning sports new battery technology that can be recharged in as little as 10 minutes and has a battery life of 12+ years. With an efficient electric motor powering each wheel independently, it means fewer moving parts in the car. Few moving parts results in less energy loss and significantly less need for servicing (the dealerships will hate that).




The styling is clean, undoubtedly British, and beautiful if you are a fan of the likes of Jaguar and Aston Martin. Boasting a bhp equivalency of 700+ and a 0-60 in 4 seconds, this will be an excellent car for the people who need more car than the Tesla, or the collector who want another pony in the stable. With a release currently planned for UK only, it will be interesting to see if it ever hits our shores.




|¢ontinue|

What I Have Learned as an Engineer: The Construction Site

As a young engineer, you get a pretty decent amount of shit from some of the older engineers. It's normal for a newbie in any field to get this but step onto the job site where contractors are building your equipment, and it's a whole other ball game.

One of the things that bugs contractors the most is having an engineer (especially fresh out of college whose experience is usually solely theoretical) who has never changed a tire, much less coordinated the construction of a major plant, come up to him and try to tell him how to do his job. My first bit of advice is to speak as little as possible, this provides less opportunity for ridicule. Once you have internalized that, I've got 5 simple tips to make walking onto the job site easier.

First off you will need a hard hat. Whenever you go anywhere that will require a hardhat, they will have them to borrow. Besides the obvious problem with borrowing one, that it might be used by 100 other people who have sweat in it, another problem is everyone will know you borrowed it, it's cheap, you didn't bother taking the time to fit it correctly and it looks awkward.

When you go to buy one for yourself, make sure you steer clear of the fiberglass ones, although they look nice, they are usually reserved for the foreman on site. My suggestion when buying a hardhat is to go with one like the one pictured. General contractors are generally pretty patriotic people (just look at their trucks or websites, the use of American Flags will have you seeing stars and stripes when you close your eyes). As Stephen Colbert has taught us, nothing screams patriotism like American Flags and Bald Eagles. A hat like this will get smiles and compliments from tons of people and will make them warm up to you. This will make discussions with them a lot easier because they will feel like you're one of them. Keep in mind, this is the hardhat you keep in the front seat and polish at the end of the day, not throw in the trunk. Normally a hardhat should be beat and worn but a hardhat like this needs to be cared for and respected.


The Second thing you'll need is Steel Toed Boots. Now I KNOW you will want to cop those titanium-toed boots, or those low top lace-ups. Who wouldn't, they are light and they breathe. The thing is, nobody wears them, you want to go with something more like that on the left. They are simple. they are leather and they do the job. I am not saying you shouldn't find a pair that is comfortable, but just keep the style simple and similar to the others.

Once you have the bought the shoes, I would recommend wearing them around for a while before stepping on site. Once you have water sealed them, rub dirt all over them and then clean it off, I would recommend doing this at least a dozen times (and I mean really work the dirt into the shoe). After you have done this, walk down to your local hardware store and wander down the isles, dropping anything you can find on them: hammers, 2x4's, a kitchen sink, whatever. Once you have done this, you are ready to take em on site.



The next thing you should pick up is a good piar of safety glasses. These should look a lot like sporty sunglasses, not like the ones your dad wore in shop class.






The final tool you will need is a good tape measure. Resist temptations and stay away form the ultrasonic, laser guided or the battery powered ones. The batteries will run out and you will never replace them. A solid, 25' long measure is probably the most you'll need. It's very important that you know how to use this properly. I would practice with this pretty regularly until you are a pro. Go around and measure everything in your house at least 3 times. Measure every crack and crevice. Hell, get your roommate involved and have them ask you to measure random things. You need to do this so when someone on site asks you for a length, you can draw that thing off your belt and slide it into position quicker than they can grab a pen.


My last tip is to take some hands-on classes (welding, shop class, electrical, anything). Stay away from inspector classes. The only thing a General Contractor hates more than "Made in China" is an inspector. You need to have some hands on experience so that you are comfortable out there whether you are handing someone a tool or yanking a piece of equipment apart. The last thing you want to do is giggle when someone asks you to hand them a pair of dikes...


|¢ontinue|