Space Camp, Day 2 is winding down and I'm back in my bunk at the Hab for the night.
Another jam packed day. Last night I was debating reviving my standard "up in the morning for some exercise" routine that I generally try to do when I'm traveling (at least traveling in the US. I don't normally do that when I'm on mission trips.) I figured I would see how I felt in the morning.
I didn't sleep great last night (had some trouble falling asleep, which isn't unusual for my first night in a new place), but at around 6am, when Reagan (my roommate) got up, I decided I probably wasn't going to really get any more qualty sleep. So I got up and went for a jog. With the help of my ipod, I jogged around Rocket Park (outside area where all the rockets are) for a bit, did some situps and pushups under Pathfinder (the full scale Space Shuttle complete with SRBs (Solid Rocket Boosters), ET (External Tank) and Orbiter (what people normally call the Space Shuttle) which was built by NASA so that they could practice moving the thing around before they got the real thing.) and then headed back to the Hab to shower and get ready to start the day.
After breakfast (the food's not half bad. It's still cafeteria food, but it's reasonable. Maybe half a step below the food at RYM...and not quite as many vegetables. But they had lots of grapes at both lunch and dinner, so I'm making up for the lack of veggies with lots of fruit.), we trained for the first of our one hour missions. There are four of these and they all lead up to our 6 hour EDM (extended duration mission. Yes, we speak in acroynms here.). For the Alpha mission, I was assigned to the MS2 (mission specialist 2) position. That position is in the orbiter (space shuttle, we're using the Enterprise shuttle. Which is the same orbiter sim that I used when I was came for Level II so many years ago.). The job of MS2 is to work with MS1 (Jeremy from Iowa in this case) and repair a Westar communications satelite. The repair involves replacing two antennas. As we learned many times in training, there are four steps in any repair. Deactivate, repair, reactivate and run a diagnostic. Skipping any part can lead to problems. For the mission, to simulate the weightlessness of space, I got to strap into a sky diving harness and "float" around the cargo bay, helping with the repair, stowing the bad antennas and retrieving the good ones and basically doing a lot of the leg work that MS1, who is on the end of the Canada (robotic) arm can't reach with the arm. MS2 is one of my favorite positions. I love "floating" around the cargo bay. So much fun. So I was excited to get to do this.
After training, we watched the IMAX movie "The Dream is Alive". Narrated by Walter Cronkite, this movie talks a lot about space shuttle missions, some about the training and the people who are involved. It's probably my favorite IMAX movie. So, at this point, I was having a great morning.
Next up was our time at Area 51. We split into two teams of eight people (although not along "track" lines, which worked out okay) and went through a series of low ropes team building activities. My team worked incredibly well together and really frustrated the facilitators a bit, as there wasn't really a lot for us to work on. We were able to complete each "mission" in the alloted time (15 minutes), including completing the final one in under 5 (which Jerry (callsign Jumpman), our main facilitator said was possibly quicker than the time that the facilator team did it in.) I was very pleased with how we all worked together, listened to each other and were able to complete even very difficult tasks. I got to be team leader for one of the missions. That mission was to get our full team, and an injured team member (I called him George, short for George P. Burdell, the Georgia Tech any student) from one platform to another. The platforms are connected by a wire, which you have to haul yourself across while wearing safety harnesses and such. The trick is that there's only two sets of safety equipment and one 50 foot rope. Only one person can cross at a time and George can't be left alone. I think the planning could have gone better, we did have one team member who made a second trip and we had to throw the rope one time. But it still went well. I relied heavily on the skills of my team and our resourcefulness and flexibility to get the task accomplished. And it worked. Area 51 was a lot of fun and I'm glad that we had an opportunity to complete it. I think it helped to bring our team closer together (in many ways. On the final mission we had to move all of our team from one platform to another, but we all had to be on one platform or another, or on the boards crossing the platforms at all times. So we did a lot of standing really close and hugging each other. I think we've got pictures. Hope Jeremy's wife doesn't mind.
Next was lunch, our group photo and a chance to start on the design of our group mission patch. Jason took charge of the mission patch design (he and his wife are here for their 10 year wedding anniversary. They met when they both worked here as counselors.) and while we didn't get the design completely finished in our allotted hour, we came up with something that I think will look great.
Finally it was time for our Alpha mission. Communications problems seemed to plague the whole team and I don't think anyone felt really good about the whole event. Jeremy and I were only able to replace one antennae in the time allotted and, as it was, we still didn't make it back inside the orbiter in time for the landing (we suspend disbelief a lot in the one hour missions, especially when it comes to timeline stuff.). While people were a bit frustrated, everyone still had a good time and we're all looking forward to a chance to improve.
After our mission we had our introduction to scuba diving lecture and dinner. Then the two tracks split. The pilots went to scuba and the mission specialists (that's me) went over to Aviation Challenge to fly the simulators and ride the centerfuge. The AC sims are more difficult to fly than the JSF simulator. The stick is very much a motion as opposed to a force stick. And the aircraft (an F-18 F) seems very underdamped. So the controls were touchy. I did manage to fly reasonably well, not crash and accomplish a landing on a real runway (didn't go into the grass at all). Although I flew past the runway a lot of times and, at one point, got frustrated and decided to fly out over the ocean and do a few maneuver blocks to vent some of that. My time in the JSF sim and just my general understanding of how airplanes fly and what's important was very helpful. Not everyone enjoyed it quite so much, although everyone was laughing at the end of our time.
I decided not to ride the centerfuge. I've done them before and I just don't enjoy the experience, especially not the minor queasiness after the ride is over. But others did enjoy it. We had a bit of time after we got done at the centerfuge and we got a bit of a tour of some of the aircraft on static display at AC. I had never been able to get up close to a harrier before, so that was a neat experience for me. I also got to see an F-111 and an A-6 Intruder (which is what my senior design aircraft was very similiar to). That specific A-6 had a confirmed kill of a Russian Mig....something...37? in the Vietnam war. Jason (callsign Tiller) was very knowledgable about the aircraft and you could tell military aviation is a passion of his. So that was a neat time. And that ended the day's activities.
Some thoughts on the day and the week.
- The program that I'm going through is definitely less academic than it was on my previous trips. This might be better for kids, but I don't think it's as good for adults.
- One hour does not seem long enough for a short mission, especially for early in the week when there are communications and logistics issues to be worked out. On previous trips, I believe these missions were two hours.
- Area 51 is very cool. They've done a great job with building this area and the facilitators are top notch. Apparently this area was completely rebuilt last year.
- Casey our night counselor and Valerie our day counselor are both great. They hang out with us, keep track of us, listen to our issues and do everything they can to give us the best experience possible. You can tell that they love their jobs and especially like hanging out with adults.
- Our team is starting to come together more. There are definitely different groups who click better than others. But we all seem to work together well and enjoy each other's company. There's no real dominating personalities and no major annoyances.
- We do have one team member, April, who has some special needs. She's functioning on probably the level of a late elementary school student. But she's doing well. Everyone is working well with her, some more actively than others, and the counselors are helping out tons. I think it's helpful that we've got two female counselors, both of whom have worked with the younger age groups in the past. We are having to make some allowances, especially in terms of mission positions (she's very afraid of heights and would not do well in the orbiter), but the staff is working hard on that and everything is going well.
- I had a lot of expectations coming into this week. Some of them are being met, others are not. So far, this week hasn't been better than RYM last year and probably not quite as good as RYM this year. But it's still a lot of fun and I'm having a great time.
And that's it for another day here.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Space Camp - Day 1
So, apparently the idea that's floating around the internet that there's only wireless internet in the cafeteria at Space Camp is outdated. Cause here I am, sitting in my bunk in the Hab connected to the web merrily (and sleepily) blogging away.
In some ways, it's hard to believe that I'm here. Space Camp! Wow. So many thoughts going through my head, so many emotions and so much. But, first let me go back to this morning....which, in typical, jam packed Space Camp style seems like soooo long ago.
This morning, no worries meeting Brad, Caroline, little Eliza (so cute with such huge blue eyes that seem intent to take in the whole world that is around her) Tubbesing and getting to church. We worshipped at Central Pres, an EPC (Evangelical? Presbyterian Church) congregation. I don't know a lot of the history of the church or the congregation, but the building looked like it had been there a while and I was told that the congregation left the PCUSA not terribly long ago. Brad preached an excellent sermon on Hosea 14 and didn't shy away from the fact that we're all like Gomer, the prositute, running towards everything that's not God looking for satisfaction and fulfillment. And then outlining how simple and joyful repentance and returning to the Lord is. Great stuff. If Brad isn't podcasting his RUF large group messages, he really should be. There was a minor event during the service with a medical issue with an older gentleman in the congregation. Paramedics were called, but the gentleman walked out with them, which can't be a bad thing.
After worship, we all went over to the home of some friends of the Tubbesings for lunch. This was an unexpected treat and the food was excellent topped off by an amazing lemon creame pie. Good conversations with God's people, there's little better way to spend a Sunday dinner. Although we weren't able to hang out for too long. I needed to get to camp for check-in and Eliza was getting sleepy.
When I arrived at camp I was struck by the feeling of excitement and almost disbelief. Here I was, walking through the same doors I had 15 years prior with about the same feelings. After so many months of planning and anticipation, I was finally here at Space Camp. Whoo with an extra helping of Hoo only began to explain my feelings. I got checked in and started to settling to room 420, which will be my home base for the next week. I noticed some things that have changed pretty quickly. There's an extra (bottom) bunk and some extra seating space in the rooms. And the age of the building is showing. But, after almost 20 years of campers coming through almost year round, I guess this shouldn't be surprising. I met my rommate, a young woman who lives in Atlanta and works as a script supervisor in the film industry. I learned that the script supervisor is the person who, among other things, makes sure that all the props that a scene calls for are available to the actors for the scene which is being shot. It sounds like an interesting job. After wandering about the complex for a bit, we met the rest of our team and the whirlwind started.
This week, there is only one full adult team, 16 trainees. We range in age from early 20's through almost (or fully) retired. Lots of occupations. Bruno is another guy in the film industry. He does a little bit of everything in a small production company working on education type films. After four years in the Navy right out of college, Lucy now works at a think tank outside of DC. Buck Rogers (no kidding) spent time in the Army and now lives in Alaska. I know he's got lots of stories to tell and I'm looking forward to hearing about them. There's a married couple who met here as counselors and are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. At least three people are here on birthday or Christmas present trips from their family. This is Bill's 11th trip to Space Camp. He's kinda quiet and I haven't had an opportunity to speak with him too much. There's a guy from outside of Seattle (I'm still learning names) who works at Boeing on the finance side. Sounds like about a third of the team has been here before (so much for the prereq being required for this program, but that's fine).
As for the activities, we've had a lot of tours of the buildings and areas, introductory lectures and some time to get to know each other. The information has come fast and furiously and with everyone still being kinda travel shocked (many had been up since the very wee hours of the morning, and often in different time zones), we were all dragging after dinner. Speaking of dinner, the food was pretty good. BBQ pork (or chicken). Not great, but reasonable for a cafeteria. There's a special line for "adult food" which we've been told we should take advantage of (okay, works for me. :) ).
Some first impressions of the week.
- The program here has gotten less academic than the last time I was here. There seems to be more focus on hands on activities and everything leading up to the missions rather than the more academic nature of learning about the shuttle systems and more of the mechanics of space travel.
- There's less division between the tracks (pilot and mission specialist). Mostly it's the different mission positions and dividing up for scuba and time at Aviation Challenge (the sister program to Space Camp which focuses more on military aviation).
- There's a different feeling between the campers than when I was in high school. We're taking longer to bond as a team, although we're starting to. I think this is because we all come from more diverse backgrounds than high school kids do, we've all had so many different experiences and we've all got different motives and expectation for and about this week. I think tomorrow's activities including time at Area 51 (and leadership reaction/challenge/low and high ropes course. I've heard it called all three things) will help a lot of that. I think it's partly also because with the tracks doing more together, it's a larger group. So there's 16 of us rather than 8.
- This place is still one of the coolest places I've ever been and it's going to be an amazing week.
That's all for now. Not too many pictures yet and I haven't downloaded them off my camera. I'm still a little travel shocked and will be heading to bed soon. Maybe tomorrow.
In some ways, it's hard to believe that I'm here. Space Camp! Wow. So many thoughts going through my head, so many emotions and so much. But, first let me go back to this morning....which, in typical, jam packed Space Camp style seems like soooo long ago.
This morning, no worries meeting Brad, Caroline, little Eliza (so cute with such huge blue eyes that seem intent to take in the whole world that is around her) Tubbesing and getting to church. We worshipped at Central Pres, an EPC (Evangelical? Presbyterian Church) congregation. I don't know a lot of the history of the church or the congregation, but the building looked like it had been there a while and I was told that the congregation left the PCUSA not terribly long ago. Brad preached an excellent sermon on Hosea 14 and didn't shy away from the fact that we're all like Gomer, the prositute, running towards everything that's not God looking for satisfaction and fulfillment. And then outlining how simple and joyful repentance and returning to the Lord is. Great stuff. If Brad isn't podcasting his RUF large group messages, he really should be. There was a minor event during the service with a medical issue with an older gentleman in the congregation. Paramedics were called, but the gentleman walked out with them, which can't be a bad thing.
After worship, we all went over to the home of some friends of the Tubbesings for lunch. This was an unexpected treat and the food was excellent topped off by an amazing lemon creame pie. Good conversations with God's people, there's little better way to spend a Sunday dinner. Although we weren't able to hang out for too long. I needed to get to camp for check-in and Eliza was getting sleepy.
When I arrived at camp I was struck by the feeling of excitement and almost disbelief. Here I was, walking through the same doors I had 15 years prior with about the same feelings. After so many months of planning and anticipation, I was finally here at Space Camp. Whoo with an extra helping of Hoo only began to explain my feelings. I got checked in and started to settling to room 420, which will be my home base for the next week. I noticed some things that have changed pretty quickly. There's an extra (bottom) bunk and some extra seating space in the rooms. And the age of the building is showing. But, after almost 20 years of campers coming through almost year round, I guess this shouldn't be surprising. I met my rommate, a young woman who lives in Atlanta and works as a script supervisor in the film industry. I learned that the script supervisor is the person who, among other things, makes sure that all the props that a scene calls for are available to the actors for the scene which is being shot. It sounds like an interesting job. After wandering about the complex for a bit, we met the rest of our team and the whirlwind started.
This week, there is only one full adult team, 16 trainees. We range in age from early 20's through almost (or fully) retired. Lots of occupations. Bruno is another guy in the film industry. He does a little bit of everything in a small production company working on education type films. After four years in the Navy right out of college, Lucy now works at a think tank outside of DC. Buck Rogers (no kidding) spent time in the Army and now lives in Alaska. I know he's got lots of stories to tell and I'm looking forward to hearing about them. There's a married couple who met here as counselors and are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. At least three people are here on birthday or Christmas present trips from their family. This is Bill's 11th trip to Space Camp. He's kinda quiet and I haven't had an opportunity to speak with him too much. There's a guy from outside of Seattle (I'm still learning names) who works at Boeing on the finance side. Sounds like about a third of the team has been here before (so much for the prereq being required for this program, but that's fine).
As for the activities, we've had a lot of tours of the buildings and areas, introductory lectures and some time to get to know each other. The information has come fast and furiously and with everyone still being kinda travel shocked (many had been up since the very wee hours of the morning, and often in different time zones), we were all dragging after dinner. Speaking of dinner, the food was pretty good. BBQ pork (or chicken). Not great, but reasonable for a cafeteria. There's a special line for "adult food" which we've been told we should take advantage of (okay, works for me. :) ).
Some first impressions of the week.
- The program here has gotten less academic than the last time I was here. There seems to be more focus on hands on activities and everything leading up to the missions rather than the more academic nature of learning about the shuttle systems and more of the mechanics of space travel.
- There's less division between the tracks (pilot and mission specialist). Mostly it's the different mission positions and dividing up for scuba and time at Aviation Challenge (the sister program to Space Camp which focuses more on military aviation).
- There's a different feeling between the campers than when I was in high school. We're taking longer to bond as a team, although we're starting to. I think this is because we all come from more diverse backgrounds than high school kids do, we've all had so many different experiences and we've all got different motives and expectation for and about this week. I think tomorrow's activities including time at Area 51 (and leadership reaction/challenge/low and high ropes course. I've heard it called all three things) will help a lot of that. I think it's partly also because with the tracks doing more together, it's a larger group. So there's 16 of us rather than 8.
- This place is still one of the coolest places I've ever been and it's going to be an amazing week.
That's all for now. Not too many pictures yet and I haven't downloaded them off my camera. I'm still a little travel shocked and will be heading to bed soon. Maybe tomorrow.
Overflowing with blessings
This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
That "us" there very much includes me. And I think I needed that little reminder. It is true that the hotel I'm staying in is not quite of the standard that I'm used to and the people I've been dealing with are also different than those I generally interact with. But it is also true that I have the resources to take this vacation including coming out a day early, staying in a hotel, getting a cab (or two) to this hotel, buying some food, taking hte time off work and everything else and, really, when I'm honest with myself, financially I won't even really feel this. But, beyond the material blessings that I've been given that have allowed me to do this trip, I'm also getting a chance to worship the one true, creator God this morning, with a family of believers. And that's all made possible thanks to a guy I've never met who's going out of his way to provide me transportation and, oh yeah, he's preaching this morning too. I have a family back home who will miss me this morning and will be praying for me, others who are taking care of my house and cats while I'm gone. And so many other things. Sometimes I get so wound up in worrying about how things aren't going exactly how I think they should that I forget how amazingly blessed I am.
This morning I was reading John 1. Jesus calls his first disciples in John 1:35-42. They ask where Jesus is staying, he says "Come and you will see." Later, Philip and Nathanael are talking about Jesus and Nathanael asks if anything good can come out of Nazareth. Philip responds "Come and see.". I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me this day and this week. Oh that I would be open to the adventures and challenges He's laid before me and that, regardless of how tired and cranky I get (how cold the Hab is, how bad the food is), that I would remember tha amazing blessings that He continues to pour out on me.
That "us" there very much includes me. And I think I needed that little reminder. It is true that the hotel I'm staying in is not quite of the standard that I'm used to and the people I've been dealing with are also different than those I generally interact with. But it is also true that I have the resources to take this vacation including coming out a day early, staying in a hotel, getting a cab (or two) to this hotel, buying some food, taking hte time off work and everything else and, really, when I'm honest with myself, financially I won't even really feel this. But, beyond the material blessings that I've been given that have allowed me to do this trip, I'm also getting a chance to worship the one true, creator God this morning, with a family of believers. And that's all made possible thanks to a guy I've never met who's going out of his way to provide me transportation and, oh yeah, he's preaching this morning too. I have a family back home who will miss me this morning and will be praying for me, others who are taking care of my house and cats while I'm gone. And so many other things. Sometimes I get so wound up in worrying about how things aren't going exactly how I think they should that I forget how amazingly blessed I am.
This morning I was reading John 1. Jesus calls his first disciples in John 1:35-42. They ask where Jesus is staying, he says "Come and you will see." Later, Philip and Nathanael are talking about Jesus and Nathanael asks if anything good can come out of Nazareth. Philip responds "Come and see.". I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me this day and this week. Oh that I would be open to the adventures and challenges He's laid before me and that, regardless of how tired and cranky I get (how cold the Hab is, how bad the food is), that I would remember tha amazing blessings that He continues to pour out on me.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Now I remember why I'm a hotel snob
Rue's great big summer vacation - Part III* - The Story So Far (To borrow a phrase from J.C. Hutchins and the 7th Son Podcast, which I highly recommend).
- Shuttle to the airport from my friend Fred, complete with a bit of time to catch up and hear what's going on his life - Check.
- Flight from DFW to HSV** with a pseudo upgrade to a row to myself on the A/B side of the Super 80 (that would be the side with just two seats) - Check.
- Claiming my baggage at HSV - Check. No worries. The airport was all but deserted with the exception of the people from my flight. I saw I think four other small regional jets parked at gates. No other noticable air traffic in the area. I'm not used to flying into such small areas.
- Cab to the hotel...this is where it starts to get interesting.
As HSV is a fairly small airport and this is a holiday weekend, cabs were fairly scarce I had to wait a bit for a cab. Not a huge deal. The guy who was there (and already had a fare) called for one and in just over 10 minutes one arrived. I passed the time singing show tunes to myself. I have no idea why I sing show tunes when I'm waiting at the airport, but I do. Personals, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, a bit of Les Miserables. I didn't get into Tommy but that would have been next. When my cab arrived I was less than impressed with the driver. Let's just say that it's a good thing driving a cab isn't rocket science. But, she seemed a capable driver. And we drove past the Space and Rocket Center (Rocket park was all lit up. It was a beautiful sight. There's a new space education center that looks very shiny. I had my nose all but pressed up against the window as we passed). So, I got to my hotel, paid the fair and collected my gear. I mentioned I had a reservation and stated my name for the desk clerk and he was a bit perplexed. Seems they were all full for the night. And that there are three La Quinta Inns on University in Huntsville. And I got dropped off at the wrong one. The friendly desk clerk called to the corrected hotel, verified my reservation and then called the cab company. About 20 minutes later (after another call by the friendly desk clerk) a cab showed up...from a different company. The desk clerk (I really should have gotten his name) talked to the driver, verified that he was called to take me to the other hotel and then gave me cash for the cab fare (which was more than I was hoping for. I figured I was going to have to pay and then spend some time on the phone with the cab company.) So, I got to the correct hotel and the equally as friendly desk clerk informed me that the hotel was overbooked and they had put me into the Holiday Inn down the street....and just as my brain was processing this information (I was still a bit travel shocked), I noticecd my cab driving away. The friendly desk clerk explained the situation again and tried to call me another cab. Apparently that was going to take an overly long amount of time. So, he stared at the computer, clicked around a bit and found me a room that was open. It was smoking, so I asked if I could check it out before I agreed. Turned out that the smoking status didn't matter. The room hadn't been made up and still had leftover pizza from the previous guest. So, my friendly front desk agent clicked around some more and found me another room, also smoking, but he said he's check it out for me. By this point I was almost ready to take just about any room, as long as it wasn't actually on fire. The room was good to go and I signed the paperwork and got the key. I don't quite understand how at least two rooms could be open if they were oversold by 15 rooms (as the friendly desk clerk told me), but maybe it was just nonsmoking rooms. In any event, I'm going to have to take some ibuprophen tonight before I turn in, as the smoke is starting to mildly bother my eyes. But it's a room and it's only for one night. And hopefully the people frolicking in the pool will head to bed soon.
But, tomorrow is another day and I'm confident it will go well (as long as Brad can find my hotel in the morning...)
*Part I was RYM Colorado in June. Part II was the mission trip to Reynosa in July.
**HSV - Huntsville International Airport. Which, apparently like every other airport I've flown into, out of or through in the past I don't know how many years, is doing interior renovations. But it's a cute little airport and easy to get around in.
- Shuttle to the airport from my friend Fred, complete with a bit of time to catch up and hear what's going on his life - Check.
- Flight from DFW to HSV** with a pseudo upgrade to a row to myself on the A/B side of the Super 80 (that would be the side with just two seats) - Check.
- Claiming my baggage at HSV - Check. No worries. The airport was all but deserted with the exception of the people from my flight. I saw I think four other small regional jets parked at gates. No other noticable air traffic in the area. I'm not used to flying into such small areas.
- Cab to the hotel...this is where it starts to get interesting.
As HSV is a fairly small airport and this is a holiday weekend, cabs were fairly scarce I had to wait a bit for a cab. Not a huge deal. The guy who was there (and already had a fare) called for one and in just over 10 minutes one arrived. I passed the time singing show tunes to myself. I have no idea why I sing show tunes when I'm waiting at the airport, but I do. Personals, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, a bit of Les Miserables. I didn't get into Tommy but that would have been next. When my cab arrived I was less than impressed with the driver. Let's just say that it's a good thing driving a cab isn't rocket science. But, she seemed a capable driver. And we drove past the Space and Rocket Center (Rocket park was all lit up. It was a beautiful sight. There's a new space education center that looks very shiny. I had my nose all but pressed up against the window as we passed). So, I got to my hotel, paid the fair and collected my gear. I mentioned I had a reservation and stated my name for the desk clerk and he was a bit perplexed. Seems they were all full for the night. And that there are three La Quinta Inns on University in Huntsville. And I got dropped off at the wrong one. The friendly desk clerk called to the corrected hotel, verified my reservation and then called the cab company. About 20 minutes later (after another call by the friendly desk clerk) a cab showed up...from a different company. The desk clerk (I really should have gotten his name) talked to the driver, verified that he was called to take me to the other hotel and then gave me cash for the cab fare (which was more than I was hoping for. I figured I was going to have to pay and then spend some time on the phone with the cab company.) So, I got to the correct hotel and the equally as friendly desk clerk informed me that the hotel was overbooked and they had put me into the Holiday Inn down the street....and just as my brain was processing this information (I was still a bit travel shocked), I noticecd my cab driving away. The friendly desk clerk explained the situation again and tried to call me another cab. Apparently that was going to take an overly long amount of time. So, he stared at the computer, clicked around a bit and found me a room that was open. It was smoking, so I asked if I could check it out before I agreed. Turned out that the smoking status didn't matter. The room hadn't been made up and still had leftover pizza from the previous guest. So, my friendly front desk agent clicked around some more and found me another room, also smoking, but he said he's check it out for me. By this point I was almost ready to take just about any room, as long as it wasn't actually on fire. The room was good to go and I signed the paperwork and got the key. I don't quite understand how at least two rooms could be open if they were oversold by 15 rooms (as the friendly desk clerk told me), but maybe it was just nonsmoking rooms. In any event, I'm going to have to take some ibuprophen tonight before I turn in, as the smoke is starting to mildly bother my eyes. But it's a room and it's only for one night. And hopefully the people frolicking in the pool will head to bed soon.
But, tomorrow is another day and I'm confident it will go well (as long as Brad can find my hotel in the morning...)
*Part I was RYM Colorado in June. Part II was the mission trip to Reynosa in July.
**HSV - Huntsville International Airport. Which, apparently like every other airport I've flown into, out of or through in the past I don't know how many years, is doing interior renovations. But it's a cute little airport and easy to get around in.
All Systems Go!
My gear is packed. My travel plans are confirmed. The house is tidied up. I've dealt with all the bills and pressing emails. My RSS reader is more or less clear. The mail and paper are on hold. I'm ready to go. It's been over half a year in the making (I registered for camp in early January) and the day of my departure is finally here. In about an hour my friend Fred will be picking me up to take me to the airport. I'm going to church with the Brad Tubbesing, the RUF guy at University of Alabama - Huntsville, and his family tomorrow. I don't know them, but when I blindly emailed him explaining that I was going to be in town and was looking for a ride to church, he was more than happy to help me out. So, I'll get to meet him and his wife and young...I think it's daughter, might be son...I know it's one of those two, tomorrow morning when they pick me up from the hotel. After worship, they'll drop me off at camp in time for check-in and then it's six whirlwind days of pretending to train like an astroanaut. I'm excited...in an opening night of a theater production way (lots of energy, trouble focusing on anything, overly happy, etc). Been a while since I've felt like this before a trip. And it's kinda fun to be excited about traveling again. I think work travel kinda spoiled the wonder of going off to a different place for me. Between not going many places that aren't the most fun and doing it regularly, the novelty and joy of travel has kinda been lost on me for a while. Maybe this will help bring it back. Maybe not. It doesn't really matter. I'm going to Space Camp!!!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
T-13 Days and Counting
Two weeks from now I will exchange the comforts of my home for a bunk in the US Space Camp's Habitat 1 as I start my week long adventure as a trainee in the Adult Advanced Space Academy program. For six days I'll be as close as it gets to training like an astronaut. I'm doing the mission specialist track which includes learning about the engineering and design of the space shuttle and international space station. I'll go through lectures and training; team building exercises; take a spin (literally) in the centerfuge; possibly get to fly the high performance jet simulators (I think they're still F-14s, but I'm not certain. This isn't all that exciting for me, as I occasionally get to spend time in the F-35 simulators at work); learn to work in simulated microgravity in the Underwater Astronaut Trainer (UAT, a 22 foot deep scuba diving tank); rotate through positions in the shuttle, station and mission control room during simulated missions during which I hope to get to go "play outside" and do an EVA (extra-vehicular activity) to repair and/or build something (usually a satellite, solar panel or something on the shuttle or station itself. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the standard anomalies includes fixing a damaged thermal tile on the shuttle.) and, at the very end, participate in an extended duration simulated mission (somewhere between 12 and 24 hours).
For those of you who haven't heard me talking about this for the last nine or so months, to say that I'm very excited would be an understatement. I've been to space camp before. I went through what was then called Academy Level I when I was in junior high and attended Academy Level II twice when I was in high school. They were all amazing experiences. The programs themselves are amazingly fun. There's so much to do and to learn and almost all of it is hands-on, interactive experiences. The schedule is almost non-stop and the staff is incredibly well trained. With the exception of the mediocre food and incredibly cold rooms in the Hab (I've heard neither has changed much), Space Camp is one of the most amazing places I have ever been.
But, beyond the camp itself, one of the things that I remember and enjoyed the most about my times at Camp were the people that I met. It should surprise no one that I was a pretty big geek in junior high and especially high school (and I have no illusions about the fact that I still am). I had a hard time fitting in and didn't have a lot of friends. Then, when I went to camp, I found myself surrounded by people who were so much like me. These people were interested in the same geeky stuff I was into. They were smart and not ashamed of that fact. Despite not knowing each other before the first day of camp, we found that was had so much in common that, we quickly became teammates and, in some cases, close friends. I still have some pictures from one of my weeks at camp on the wall in my office. And I can't help but smile whenever I look at them.
I'm hoping that in two weeks I'll be in the middle of another experience like that, at an amazing place, surrounded by other similiarly minded people, willing to put our lives on hold for a week to go off and pretend to be astronauts. It's like geek fantasy camp and I'm so looking forward to it.
For those of you who haven't heard me talking about this for the last nine or so months, to say that I'm very excited would be an understatement. I've been to space camp before. I went through what was then called Academy Level I when I was in junior high and attended Academy Level II twice when I was in high school. They were all amazing experiences. The programs themselves are amazingly fun. There's so much to do and to learn and almost all of it is hands-on, interactive experiences. The schedule is almost non-stop and the staff is incredibly well trained. With the exception of the mediocre food and incredibly cold rooms in the Hab (I've heard neither has changed much), Space Camp is one of the most amazing places I have ever been.
But, beyond the camp itself, one of the things that I remember and enjoyed the most about my times at Camp were the people that I met. It should surprise no one that I was a pretty big geek in junior high and especially high school (and I have no illusions about the fact that I still am). I had a hard time fitting in and didn't have a lot of friends. Then, when I went to camp, I found myself surrounded by people who were so much like me. These people were interested in the same geeky stuff I was into. They were smart and not ashamed of that fact. Despite not knowing each other before the first day of camp, we found that was had so much in common that, we quickly became teammates and, in some cases, close friends. I still have some pictures from one of my weeks at camp on the wall in my office. And I can't help but smile whenever I look at them.
I'm hoping that in two weeks I'll be in the middle of another experience like that, at an amazing place, surrounded by other similiarly minded people, willing to put our lives on hold for a week to go off and pretend to be astronauts. It's like geek fantasy camp and I'm so looking forward to it.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Sunday, Random Sunday
I think my birthday celebrations are officially over. Over the course of this weekend, I had five gatherings of multiple people, two of which were actually in honor of the day of my birth and my birthday was celebrated at another two. I've had a lot of cake, some ice cream, an amazing chocolate silk pie (even better than the chocolate creme pie I remember getting at Bishops in the mall in Janesville, Wisconsin every time we went to visit my dad's family when I was growing up) and gotten to hang out with a lot of great people. I know I said it in my last post, but it still amazes me how much God has blessed me with the community that He has placed me in here.
All that said, as an introvert, having this much time hanging out with lots of people, especially the gatherings where I didn't know as many people, has worn me out. I enjoy getting to spend time with people, furthering relationships with those I don't know well and meeting new people. But it does take a bit out of me. I'm looking forward to getting back to work where I can put my headphones on, deal with people sparingly and database the day away. I'm not sure what it says that I'm looking forward to some intense databasing (since it is one of the more mundane tasks I'm involved with at work), but it's part of what I do and I figure looking forward to it is a good thing. Plus, I didn't get to listen to Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me yesterday, so I'm looking forward to the podcast tomorrow.
I've got a crazy week this week. Multiple church events with the youth and the women's ministry, lots to do to finish getting ready for the mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico next week, work, eating, sleeping, time at the gym, not completely ignoring the cats, etc. I am so thankful that I've got an off-Friday this week or I don't think I'd be able to get everything done.
I'm having trouble finishing books at the moment (the title says "random", so here's some of the random stuff). I've started a couple of books.
Chris Kraft's autobiography about his work in the US space program, particually setting up and running mission control starting with the first few space launches, through the early part of the space shuttle program: Flight, My Life In Mission Control, a book my friend Mike mentioned on his blog which I could say I bought to see if my nephews might like it, but really I bought because it looked really cool to me: The Dangerous Book for Boys and a book that I'm reading as "homework" for the women's ministry leadership board at church: Women's Ministry in the Local Church. I think I'm supposed to have the first two chapters read by our meeting on Thursday. I've read about half the first chapter. None of these has been holding my interest recently. I'm not certain why, but I've been craving a good, fictional story. The rational part of my brain wants to finish these books before I get started with something else, especially since I plan to dive into the new Harry Potter book very soon after it comes out. But the other part of my brain just wants to a good yarn. Maybe it's because I'm not getting as much exposure to serialized television shows right now (although I am working through the first season of Angel and watching the reruns of Bones.) I don't know. It's not like I have don't have stack of books waiting for me to read them, and people offering to loan me more or regularly recommending other books I should read. Maybe I should just give in and pull something out of the "to be read" stack. But I just hate to be trying to read four books at the same time. On the other hand, I will be spending around 20 hours on a bus next week. So that should give me a couple of good chunks of time to get some reading done.
I'm also upset with Fox. They've twice now pulled the final two episodes of Drive from their schedule. I know there will be no resolution, since the show was mercilessly cancelled after airing only four episodes (over a span of just eight days. < Insert rant about the lack of wisdom of whoever's in charge of Fox network's programming. > < Insert sympathy rant from fellow Browncoats >). And I know they won't be tremendous telelvision. Maybe it's just my craving for more stores, but, I still want to see those final two episodes that have been shot.
And now, it's about time to finish getting ready for the morrow and head to bed. Another work week awaits with all of it's promises, challenges and responsibilities. But first, a time to rest...and maybe start another book.
All that said, as an introvert, having this much time hanging out with lots of people, especially the gatherings where I didn't know as many people, has worn me out. I enjoy getting to spend time with people, furthering relationships with those I don't know well and meeting new people. But it does take a bit out of me. I'm looking forward to getting back to work where I can put my headphones on, deal with people sparingly and database the day away. I'm not sure what it says that I'm looking forward to some intense databasing (since it is one of the more mundane tasks I'm involved with at work), but it's part of what I do and I figure looking forward to it is a good thing. Plus, I didn't get to listen to Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me yesterday, so I'm looking forward to the podcast tomorrow.
I've got a crazy week this week. Multiple church events with the youth and the women's ministry, lots to do to finish getting ready for the mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico next week, work, eating, sleeping, time at the gym, not completely ignoring the cats, etc. I am so thankful that I've got an off-Friday this week or I don't think I'd be able to get everything done.
I'm having trouble finishing books at the moment (the title says "random", so here's some of the random stuff). I've started a couple of books.
Chris Kraft's autobiography about his work in the US space program, particually setting up and running mission control starting with the first few space launches, through the early part of the space shuttle program: Flight, My Life In Mission Control, a book my friend Mike mentioned on his blog which I could say I bought to see if my nephews might like it, but really I bought because it looked really cool to me: The Dangerous Book for Boys and a book that I'm reading as "homework" for the women's ministry leadership board at church: Women's Ministry in the Local Church. I think I'm supposed to have the first two chapters read by our meeting on Thursday. I've read about half the first chapter. None of these has been holding my interest recently. I'm not certain why, but I've been craving a good, fictional story. The rational part of my brain wants to finish these books before I get started with something else, especially since I plan to dive into the new Harry Potter book very soon after it comes out. But the other part of my brain just wants to a good yarn. Maybe it's because I'm not getting as much exposure to serialized television shows right now (although I am working through the first season of Angel and watching the reruns of Bones.) I don't know. It's not like I have don't have stack of books waiting for me to read them, and people offering to loan me more or regularly recommending other books I should read. Maybe I should just give in and pull something out of the "to be read" stack. But I just hate to be trying to read four books at the same time. On the other hand, I will be spending around 20 hours on a bus next week. So that should give me a couple of good chunks of time to get some reading done.
I'm also upset with Fox. They've twice now pulled the final two episodes of Drive from their schedule. I know there will be no resolution, since the show was mercilessly cancelled after airing only four episodes (over a span of just eight days. < Insert rant about the lack of wisdom of whoever's in charge of Fox network's programming. > < Insert sympathy rant from fellow Browncoats >). And I know they won't be tremendous telelvision. Maybe it's just my craving for more stores, but, I still want to see those final two episodes that have been shot.
And now, it's about time to finish getting ready for the morrow and head to bed. Another work week awaits with all of it's promises, challenges and responsibilities. But first, a time to rest...and maybe start another book.
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