Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005 :: yum ::
Tuesdays are so nice. I only have one class and one lab, advanced turbines. My 402 class is still off this week for our Airframe Practice Test. Which I just took a little bit ago and got a 97%. This morning I went to lab early to get our engine and parts stand set up. I also used that time to reflect on the friday's lab procedings, so I could email my professor some "suggestions". Yet again I was the only person to bring tools to lab. Prof Thom says I should just deny the guys my tools and tell them to bring their own. Heh, I say if they are using my tools I get to sit around and be the boss. We're ahead of the other two groups. Mainly because we don't have a flange to put over the exhaust section. We also had a quiz in class today over a program on the P&W 4090 and other P&W engines. I had gone through the program a few weeks ago and printed out some of the test questions, so my lab group wanted copies of them, imagine that. Luckily the sheet I printed off were mainly the ones we were quizzed over. After lab I went to the computer lab to finish the 402 shift briefing, which I ended up having to do mine and the other ramp manager's. I also emailed my teacher about my suggestions. I still had about an hout before lecture so I went to Taco Bell to grab some lunch. While driving to Taco Bell, I saw some really beautiful cahnging leaves. So I drove back to the apartment to eat my tacos and grab my camera so I could take pictures after class. When I pulled into the parkinglot here, I saw the UPS truck so I hurried to the door to see if I had a notice- which I did so I grabbed it and took it to the drive to ask if I could still get my package. He had me sign for it- so now I have my new tennis shoes! After lecture I drove around to take a few pictures of the leaves beginning to change. Lorraine and I made dinner together tonight= grilled chicken, home made italian bread, corn and cheesey potatoes... yum
Music in the background: LNOStress level of the Day: 2/10
Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005 :: catch up day ::
wow, I've been away from the computer longer than I thought. It wasn't that I was all that busy this weekend. I was really a just a bump on the couch most of the time. Saturday Lorraine went to Indianapolis to meet up with some friends so I sat around and did my MET homework and looked at my layout for this whirliegig bracket I still need to fabricate. Sunday Lorraine and I went to the animal shelter and took 5 or 6 dogs out for a walk. She was intending to adopt one that day but she figured she should run it by her parents and the landlord first. I however ended up bringing home a foster cat. His name to Kobe, which we hate so we call him Toby. He has an upper respitory infection and has some sneezing fits and a gunky eye. He was a little timid as first and hid behind the toilet, but now he hangs out with us on the couch and sleeps next to me on my bed. Monday was a typical Monday for me. Two labs and two lectures. I got an 80% on my Avionic Exam and an 83% on my MET exam. Both would be considered C's in AVTech grading scale, but the 83% will probably be a B. Today I just have Turbines lab and a quiz in lecture and then my AirFrame Qualification Test is tonight.
Music in the background: noneStress level of the Day: 3/10
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2005 :: The lab from hell ::
I wanted to go to the Homecoming parade last night and I wanted to go to the jazz band concert at the Long Center last night, but 402 saw to it that I couldn't. It actually started before electronics lecture. I saw the other guy I was to be ramp manager with today in lab. We were both 15 minutes early, I went to the computer lab to look at the last labs report and he went to go sit in the classroom to wait for the class to start. So I printed off a copy for me and for him. After lecture we headed to the maintentance manual room off of the main hangar and started to look through the job cards to assign to our seven lead mechanics. It is a little different from last semester. This time we actually have lab (shift) turn over. The morning crew decided to start my hydraulic filter servicing card. Bad move- the hydraulics being locked out pretty much put the whole plane out of commission. When hydraulic systems open you cannot actuate anything that uses hydraulics even if you use the electric motors like with the flaps because it would still cause the hydraulics actuators to move and could cause back pressure. So for our lab we had three or four groups sitting around with nothing to do. Somehow there was pressure induced back into the system and one of the teachers in the wheel well got sprayed with hydraulic fluid. (The teacher and I later brainstormed on this and came up with an idea that the hydraulics were originally depressurized in the AM and closed it back up for the next lab that starts at 230. We thought that maybe thermal expansion of the fuild would have caused the pressure to build back up and if anything had been moved- even the yoke bumped- would have caused the spill). So the ramp manager guy came up and started yelling at me saying I shouldn't let people goof around in the cockpit. Even though I had just checked with the people in the cockpit to see what they were doing which was looking- key word looking at circuit breakers. Then one of the lead mechanics thought it would be a good idea to inflate his latex gloves and pop them inside the cabin, twice. Which I think is what started my headache. The last hour of lab the other ramp manager was aggitated because he wanted to be done in two hours. So overall it wasnt a successful lab by any means. I plan to give the teacher my overall impression and suggestions I have to better the organization.
Music in the background: noneStress level of the Day: 3/10
Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005 :: Skunk Works ::
So Lockheed Martin is at the airport trying to recruit some AOT students for there Skunk Works in Palamida, CA operations. Not quite black world stuff yet, but still secretive enough that she couldn't say what aircraft we would be working on. Yep, we're talking security clearance stuff, neato huh? So I figured what the hell, the worst they can say is no. And like my 400 professor says, practice interviews. Who knows, but atleast later I won't say "what if I had..."
OMG, I'm going out of my mind. Last night I was put through a Chinese Water Touture Test of sorts. Just as I was going to bed at 1230 am, the smoke detector starting beeping because I'm guessing the battery is too low. I have no new batteries nor do I have anything tall enough to take out the old battery to stop its infernal beeping. So I had to go through the whole night of its uneven interval beeping. It's 530 pm now and it's still beeping. It's like a tap with a hammer slowly cracking my sanity. It's on the ceiling in the hallway, so it's the high frequency beep and its echo. aahh
Music in the background: noneStress level of the Day: 4/10
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005 :: Pie in your eye ::
Megan, you should have just put the pie on his chair =P
Music in the background: movieStress level of the Day: 4/10
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005 :: it's wednesday ::
Why should hooking up a wireless router be so complicated? How come my computer must be connected through ethernet? Why can't I keep using the USB? GR. So I went out to buy a friggin USB cable so I can get the wireless up finally and I come to find my new computer doesnt have an ethernet card just your regular run of the mill modem, BAH! I don't have time for this now. I have an avoinics test tomorrow that I need to study for; I don't want to be opening up my computer and adding equipment-- if that's even possible- who knows if the new dell has more hardware slots. ANYWAY, Lorraine got stuck at Newark due to maintenance problem (ironic since she's an A&P mechanic) and then by weather. So she will try again tomorrow. Sterk said to take the day off from welding and wait up for Lorraine. I could definitely use the time anyways. Work today was normal... an enormous pile of mulch awaited my spreading and I had to take mure brush to the soilmakers. In the dreaded 402 lab, our teachers tried to demonstrate the importance of communication. Theirs was the non-verbal type. We had to assemble a jumbled news paper in order without talking. Ok good our group was second done. The next waws an example of breaking a bigger project into smaller bits. We had to recite the alphabet backwards. Unforetunately, the teachers don't realize some people already have that memorized. I was the rep for my group to recite. The next task was to demostrate groups working together, again with no verbal communication. This time we had actual maintenance pages from the Boeing 737 and each group was assigned a small part of a chapter. All the chapters were mixed together and each group got about 10 pages of jumbled manual pages. You had to sort out your pages and go over to other groups for your pages. We were assigned SMR pages. When we started, we looked through all the page titles and they were all SMR pages. Confounded, we kept sorting but got no where and other groups were coming over a taking pages we though were ours. After we had three pages left of our ten, I went up to the teacher and asked if we were really supposed to be looking for SMR pages becuase they all said that. Ha, it was a miscommunication on the teacher's behalf. We were supposed to look for CMN- I dont know exactly what the acronymns stand for I guess they're Boeing terms. Damn, just remembered I need to return my Blockbuster movies too.
Music in the background: noneStress level of the Day: 5/10
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005 :: Lingering hours of freedom ::
So whaddya think? Does it look professional? Ha good, cuz I didn't do it, lol. Only thing I do not like is all that wasted space on the right side and this narrow column for writing. I can jabber on for quite a bit and this narrow space for writing will make it seem even longer. I may have to tinker with the html coding and see if I can enlarge this area. With all my luck it will be in the css coding and I'll just get lost. I finish my job card awhile back and filled out my Airman 8610 form to start my A&P testing when it come time. Now I've just been chillin on the couch as I have been all weekend. Thank goodness tomorrow is payday because the cupboards are getting bare! No 730 class in the morning but I still have to go to work at 930ish. Then 130 lecture/review for Thursday's Test and 402 lab. Midnight now, gonna finish up a movie and head to bed.
Music in the background: movieStress level of the Day: 4/10
