Hey all, and happy Memorial Day! I swear that I am still alive despite my silence these past... 6 weeks now? Yeesh. Well, at least there's been a good reason for it as work has been cra-zy. Both of my customers had huge events occurring on the exact same day and the build up to it devoured all of my time. Then I jumped on a plane and flew to Florida to spend the next 15 days pulling 11-14 hour shifts every day (except for one Sunday... yay!), and now I am finally back home in Madison.
Still, even though it's been crazy and super busy and likely will continue to be so for the next couple of weeks I've definitely learned a lot. The go live was lots of fun and went a lot smoother than I was expecting, which was a welcome relief. There were lots of high-fives being thrown around the first couple of days as we blasted through issues right left and center. We also got to eat really well while there- macadamia encrusted trout served in a witbier beurre blanc sauce on top of steamed seasonal vegetables anyone?
I also want to give a shout out to my backups for my other customer (who upgraded on the same day Florida went live) for dealing with their issues while I was out of town. I owe them a cake I think...
But, now that I am back in Wisconsin's loving arms life is good. Yesterday I spent at the Terrace enjoying the company of my friends, good quality beer and the much milder weather. Granted, I was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat at the time in the hopes that the sun would peek its head out, but all in all it was good. I have three more days on my four day weekend to rest, rejuvenate, catch up on e-mail and in general get my life back in order. Hopefully I'll be posting more regularly now that things are (hopefully) calming back down, as I've missed this blog and letting you all know how thing are going.
Apologies for no pics- I'll try to rectify that this weekend. Again, happy Memorial Day everyone and I'll be chatting at you again soon!
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Mid-April Update
Hey all, long time no post. Sorry about that. Work has been pretty crazy this past... jeez, month or so now? So I haven't had a lot of time or energy to do any posting, either here or on my 40k blog.
Anyway, my customers are upgrading/going live on the 14th of May which will be... interesting. Right now it means a lot of work getting them prepped for the big day, and then it will mean 10 days pretty much straight of 12 hour days on site, including one ridiculous day of flying back and forth from Madison for Home Day while providing command center support the entire time. So, basically if I can survive through June I'll be good to go, but I still have 6 weeks to look forward to.
But not everything is all doom and gloom. My first performance review ended up well- apparently I'm doing better than average for my time at the job! I also go to teach my first class which was a lot of fun and turned out really well. I also got to go to Chicago to briefly see Des in between attending Adepticon, a big Warhammer 40k tournament/convention. I also went on a go live to Minneapolis and got to see people up there for a day, which was great if not the best timing. Plus, Spring is finally here and it feels GREAT.
So, that's about it. Wanted to let you all know that I'm alive but busy. Posting might be rather infrequent until June, but I'll try to keep this updated somewhat regularly, if for nothing else than to get steam out.
All right... back to work!
Anyway, my customers are upgrading/going live on the 14th of May which will be... interesting. Right now it means a lot of work getting them prepped for the big day, and then it will mean 10 days pretty much straight of 12 hour days on site, including one ridiculous day of flying back and forth from Madison for Home Day while providing command center support the entire time. So, basically if I can survive through June I'll be good to go, but I still have 6 weeks to look forward to.
But not everything is all doom and gloom. My first performance review ended up well- apparently I'm doing better than average for my time at the job! I also go to teach my first class which was a lot of fun and turned out really well. I also got to go to Chicago to briefly see Des in between attending Adepticon, a big Warhammer 40k tournament/convention. I also went on a go live to Minneapolis and got to see people up there for a day, which was great if not the best timing. Plus, Spring is finally here and it feels GREAT.
So, that's about it. Wanted to let you all know that I'm alive but busy. Posting might be rather infrequent until June, but I'll try to keep this updated somewhat regularly, if for nothing else than to get steam out.
All right... back to work!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Anniversary and Certification
I have finally gotten solid proof of completing a certification; behold:
Yeah, I'm awesome. I should also have Inpatient and Mychart finished up today- now there's only STC to go and I'm good to work. Which is a good thing as people from my hiring group are already starting to get customers, and once that happens I'll have no time to do any more training. So gotta get er done!
Also this past week was Ms. Carroll's and I's (mine? my? stupid possessives...) 5th anniversary. Kind of boggles the mind to think that we've been together for 5 years as it doesn't seem so long.
Anyway, we of course had to give gifts to one another. My gift, continuing a theme from last year, was making her some Dr Who miniatures, this time the 11th doctor (Matt Smith) and his companion Amy Pond.
And the complete group for full measure. All of the miniatures (except for the TARDIS) come from Heresy Miniatures, bt dubs.
She probably one upped me, though, by biking out to far away places in the rain to deliver me this:
She even put it in a little basket with Easter grass and wrapped it in plastic. Makes me tear up a bit to think about how good that Nettle Gouda is going to taste paired with the cracked pepper beer...
We also went out to dinner at a fabulous restaurant on the Capitol square called the Blue Marlin and then ended the night with a sold out viewing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Excellent meal, pretty darn good movie and of course amazing company.
We closed out the weekend with modeling (me) and studying (Rachel), though we also had a cozy game night Sunday night. One of the beers that we bought for the game night still has me stupefied; it's called Brown Shugga' from Lagunitas Brewery. It tastes like beer flavored malt syrup, but better than what that description sounds like. It still has a bit of bitter character, but the sweetness is through the roof and the beer itself looks like amber colored glass.
As Lagunitas put it (in very fine print around the bottle), "We believe this Special Ale is Something Unique. Feeding Brown Cane Sugar to otherwise Cultured Brewery Yeast is a'kin to feeding Raw Shark to you Gerbil. It is unlikely to ever occur in nature without Human Intervention. And it looks weird besides. But it has happened and now it's too Late." Truer words never said.
Until next time...
"What ought to be done to the man who invented the celebrating of anniversaries? Mere killing would be too light. Anniversaries are very well up to a certain point, while one's babies are in the process of growing up: they are joy-flags that make gay the road and prove progress; and one looks down the fluttering rank with pride. Then presently one notices that the flagstaffs are in process of a mysterious change of some sort--change of shape. Yes, they are turning into milestones. They are marking something lost now, not gained. From that time on it were best to suppress taking notice of anniversaries."
- Mark Twain's Notebook, 1896
Also this past week was Ms. Carroll's and I's (mine? my? stupid possessives...) 5th anniversary. Kind of boggles the mind to think that we've been together for 5 years as it doesn't seem so long.
Anyway, we of course had to give gifts to one another. My gift, continuing a theme from last year, was making her some Dr Who miniatures, this time the 11th doctor (Matt Smith) and his companion Amy Pond.
She probably one upped me, though, by biking out to far away places in the rain to deliver me this:
She even put it in a little basket with Easter grass and wrapped it in plastic. Makes me tear up a bit to think about how good that Nettle Gouda is going to taste paired with the cracked pepper beer...
We also went out to dinner at a fabulous restaurant on the Capitol square called the Blue Marlin and then ended the night with a sold out viewing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Excellent meal, pretty darn good movie and of course amazing company.
We closed out the weekend with modeling (me) and studying (Rachel), though we also had a cozy game night Sunday night. One of the beers that we bought for the game night still has me stupefied; it's called Brown Shugga' from Lagunitas Brewery. It tastes like beer flavored malt syrup, but better than what that description sounds like. It still has a bit of bitter character, but the sweetness is through the roof and the beer itself looks like amber colored glass.
As Lagunitas put it (in very fine print around the bottle), "We believe this Special Ale is Something Unique. Feeding Brown Cane Sugar to otherwise Cultured Brewery Yeast is a'kin to feeding Raw Shark to you Gerbil. It is unlikely to ever occur in nature without Human Intervention. And it looks weird besides. But it has happened and now it's too Late." Truer words never said.
Until next time...
"What ought to be done to the man who invented the celebrating of anniversaries? Mere killing would be too light. Anniversaries are very well up to a certain point, while one's babies are in the process of growing up: they are joy-flags that make gay the road and prove progress; and one looks down the fluttering rank with pride. Then presently one notices that the flagstaffs are in process of a mysterious change of some sort--change of shape. Yes, they are turning into milestones. They are marking something lost now, not gained. From that time on it were best to suppress taking notice of anniversaries."
- Mark Twain's Notebook, 1896
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Finished with app camp!
I'm finally finished with Inpatient Application Camp! Only took about 2.5 months...
Anyway, I still have lots of projects and tests to do before I get my certification, so the upcoming week will be filled with all sorts of fun times. I'm confident though that I'll be able to at least get the lion's share of my training out of the way before I am assigned a customer... which might happen before the end of November. Yay!
Speaking of fun times, this weekend was pretty fun, though accidentally so. Friday was pretty quiet in the apartment, both of us just getting some work done, but Saturday was going to be our big night out. First there was to be bowling with my work friends, then an Olde Tymey Drinking Party at Dwight's where we would have Olde Tymey cocktails and wear Olde Tymey clothes.
Unfortunately there were a few hitches. I went to pick Rachel up from her volunteering/studying on Saturday night but through miscommunication and ridiculous traffic thanks to the Badger game what should have been a 5 minute pick up turned into half an hour. Then actually getting geared up to start our evening took much longer than we anticipated, pushing us back to 8 o'clock before we could even get out the door, tanking our chance at bowling. So we ended up waiting until 9 to head over to Dwight's.
Well, we still had Olde Tymey drinks to look forward to, right? Wrong. Apparently the party had been cancelled the day before but since we were silly and didn't RSVP we didn't end up getting the message. So we stood awkwardly outside of Dwight's place for a few minutes ascertaining this information and jumped back into the car.
We drove for a bit, crestfallen that our magnificent attire would have nowhere to go, so we pulled off into a parking lot to mull our options. We eventually decided to take our awesomely bedecked selves to a local Irish pub and just hang out. Turns out it was very fun- the place was hopping, the drinks were good and we got to actually have a lengthy conversation which is sadly becoming a rarity these days thanks to work and whatnot.
Still, it's a shame that we didn't get to show off ourselves... oh well. There's always next time, and my coat still looks awesome.
Until next time...
"There is probably no pleasure equal to the pleasure of climbing a dangerous Alp; but it is a pleasure which is confined strictly to people who can find pleasure in it."
- A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain
Anyway, I still have lots of projects and tests to do before I get my certification, so the upcoming week will be filled with all sorts of fun times. I'm confident though that I'll be able to at least get the lion's share of my training out of the way before I am assigned a customer... which might happen before the end of November. Yay!
Speaking of fun times, this weekend was pretty fun, though accidentally so. Friday was pretty quiet in the apartment, both of us just getting some work done, but Saturday was going to be our big night out. First there was to be bowling with my work friends, then an Olde Tymey Drinking Party at Dwight's where we would have Olde Tymey cocktails and wear Olde Tymey clothes.
Unfortunately there were a few hitches. I went to pick Rachel up from her volunteering/studying on Saturday night but through miscommunication and ridiculous traffic thanks to the Badger game what should have been a 5 minute pick up turned into half an hour. Then actually getting geared up to start our evening took much longer than we anticipated, pushing us back to 8 o'clock before we could even get out the door, tanking our chance at bowling. So we ended up waiting until 9 to head over to Dwight's.
Well, we still had Olde Tymey drinks to look forward to, right? Wrong. Apparently the party had been cancelled the day before but since we were silly and didn't RSVP we didn't end up getting the message. So we stood awkwardly outside of Dwight's place for a few minutes ascertaining this information and jumped back into the car.
We drove for a bit, crestfallen that our magnificent attire would have nowhere to go, so we pulled off into a parking lot to mull our options. We eventually decided to take our awesomely bedecked selves to a local Irish pub and just hang out. Turns out it was very fun- the place was hopping, the drinks were good and we got to actually have a lengthy conversation which is sadly becoming a rarity these days thanks to work and whatnot.
Still, it's a shame that we didn't get to show off ourselves... oh well. There's always next time, and my coat still looks awesome.
Until next time...
"There is probably no pleasure equal to the pleasure of climbing a dangerous Alp; but it is a pleasure which is confined strictly to people who can find pleasure in it."
- A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain
Monday, November 8, 2010
The past week at work was a bit crazy. I spent a lot of time studying at home and spending 10-13 hour days onsite with early morning tests and late night project work. Fortunately I think most of that crazy work schedule is behind me, at least the working at home bit. From now on I'm resolved to leave my work at work, as it'll take enough of my time away doing just that.
Fortunately I had plenty of ways to relieve stress over the week and over the weekend. On Wednesday I finally got to play a Warhammer 40k game that turned out to be quite fun. I took part in a demo game with an older gentleman (who is responsible for the pic above, btw) and we just had a blast going over the rules and integrating pretty much every single one into our game. Hopefully I'll be doing that more often in the coming weeks, as it's a source of fun that I've been sorely missing.
Rachel and I also recently went to a "Post-Halloween Smug Fest" where we ate dumplings. This was an awesome party, as not only were the dumplings delicious but I got to debate comic books and Star Trek pretty much the whole night. Plus I came away from the party with a borrowed copy of Snow Crash, which I've heard from many people is a book that I really need to get into.
We also tried to get some karaoke in over the weekend but kind of failed. We got to sing along with a lot of the people who got to go up on stage but unfortunately I apparently needed to bribe the DJ beyond my $1 entry fee to actually get up on stage and sing. Still, pretty fun, and I learned that apparently you CAN sing death metal karaoke style if you really want to. Cool the first time, kinda sad the second...
I've also started working with a trainer at my gym to build a work out, and I've figured out that I'm pretty out of shape. Hopefully working out 3-5 times a week will change that around as I really don't have the time or opportunity to do much else- guess I'll just have to make the most of it!
Finally, I've been watching AMC's new series The Walking Dead and it's amazing. Granted I'm a post-apocalyptic fanboy and zombie apocalypse tenured professor so take my recommendations with a grain of salt, but I have been blown away with the depth that they've managed to get out of the ol' Undead Apocalypse. The impact of seeing your loved ones turned into ravenous corpses was definitely the focus of the first episode, leading to a lot of emotional scenes as the survivors try to cope with the changes in their world. The "walkers" as they are known in the show are also frikkin' creepy, especially since they still exhibit certain echoes of their past lives- the little dead girl picking up and clutching her teddy bear before trying to eat you, the dead wife coming to her old house every night and trying the door knob... great, chilling stuff. That combined with the great production values makes for some pretty terrifying ghouls.
If you're interested in getting into the series the first episode is streaming on the AMC website- definitely the place to check it out. Unfortunately it looks like they won't be streaming any of the other episodes, but I think most of you know some... "alternative" ways to get your programming so I won't go into that.
Well, that's it for now. Lots of tests and projects this week like last week so wish me luck!
Until next time...
"Each man is afraid of his neighbor's disapproval--a thing which, to the general run of the human race, is more dreaded than wolves and death."
- "The United States of Lyncherdom" by Mark Twain
*Images used without permission from
Fortunately I had plenty of ways to relieve stress over the week and over the weekend. On Wednesday I finally got to play a Warhammer 40k game that turned out to be quite fun. I took part in a demo game with an older gentleman (who is responsible for the pic above, btw) and we just had a blast going over the rules and integrating pretty much every single one into our game. Hopefully I'll be doing that more often in the coming weeks, as it's a source of fun that I've been sorely missing.
Rachel and I also recently went to a "Post-Halloween Smug Fest" where we ate dumplings. This was an awesome party, as not only were the dumplings delicious but I got to debate comic books and Star Trek pretty much the whole night. Plus I came away from the party with a borrowed copy of Snow Crash, which I've heard from many people is a book that I really need to get into.
We also tried to get some karaoke in over the weekend but kind of failed. We got to sing along with a lot of the people who got to go up on stage but unfortunately I apparently needed to bribe the DJ beyond my $1 entry fee to actually get up on stage and sing. Still, pretty fun, and I learned that apparently you CAN sing death metal karaoke style if you really want to. Cool the first time, kinda sad the second...
I've also started working with a trainer at my gym to build a work out, and I've figured out that I'm pretty out of shape. Hopefully working out 3-5 times a week will change that around as I really don't have the time or opportunity to do much else- guess I'll just have to make the most of it!
Finally, I've been watching AMC's new series The Walking Dead and it's amazing. Granted I'm a post-apocalyptic fanboy and zombie apocalypse tenured professor so take my recommendations with a grain of salt, but I have been blown away with the depth that they've managed to get out of the ol' Undead Apocalypse. The impact of seeing your loved ones turned into ravenous corpses was definitely the focus of the first episode, leading to a lot of emotional scenes as the survivors try to cope with the changes in their world. The "walkers" as they are known in the show are also frikkin' creepy, especially since they still exhibit certain echoes of their past lives- the little dead girl picking up and clutching her teddy bear before trying to eat you, the dead wife coming to her old house every night and trying the door knob... great, chilling stuff. That combined with the great production values makes for some pretty terrifying ghouls.
If you're interested in getting into the series the first episode is streaming on the AMC website- definitely the place to check it out. Unfortunately it looks like they won't be streaming any of the other episodes, but I think most of you know some... "alternative" ways to get your programming so I won't go into that.
Well, that's it for now. Lots of tests and projects this week like last week so wish me luck!
Until next time...
"Each man is afraid of his neighbor's disapproval--a thing which, to the general run of the human race, is more dreaded than wolves and death."
- "The United States of Lyncherdom" by Mark Twain
*Images used without permission from
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Epic in the Mist
Before we get to the mistiness, update on the week. I finished learning one programming language last week and am now halfway through another- we move pretty fast around here! I have a pretty good grasp of the languages but today I seemed to be slipping a bit more than usual... not a good sign since I need to take the certification test in these languages in two weeks. Might've been because my old friend Insomnia has been hanging around, but I blame stupidly intriguing game systems and Tom Clancy for that. Stupid interesting things keeping me up...
Also this weekend Rachel and I went to our friend Dwight's house for brunch and it was a delightful experience. Dwight is a guy that we met at an English party even though he is only tangentially related to the department. Now we're hanging out all the time cuz he's a pretty cool guy who knows how to do EVERYTHING. Heck, the man even makes his own Limecello... Anyway, every so often he has a small group of friends come to his house for amazing brunch and conversation, mixing around the group each time to hear more interesting ideas. Really cool concept and the food was delish. Now if I can just get him to fork over the Bread and Beer party pics...
I'm also getting to know my coworkers better, and in pursuit of that goal I'm going to the Madison Brewfest this Saturday. I know, big sacrifice for me :) I'll give you a rundown of the different beers come next week. For now, pics!
These pics came about because the entire campus was wreathed in fog one morning a couple of weeks back. I thought the campus looked really cool, so took some pics. Enjoy!
Until next time...
"Diligence is a good thing, but taking things easy is much more--restful."
- Speech by Mark Twain, 3/30/1901
Also this weekend Rachel and I went to our friend Dwight's house for brunch and it was a delightful experience. Dwight is a guy that we met at an English party even though he is only tangentially related to the department. Now we're hanging out all the time cuz he's a pretty cool guy who knows how to do EVERYTHING. Heck, the man even makes his own Limecello... Anyway, every so often he has a small group of friends come to his house for amazing brunch and conversation, mixing around the group each time to hear more interesting ideas. Really cool concept and the food was delish. Now if I can just get him to fork over the Bread and Beer party pics...
I'm also getting to know my coworkers better, and in pursuit of that goal I'm going to the Madison Brewfest this Saturday. I know, big sacrifice for me :) I'll give you a rundown of the different beers come next week. For now, pics!
"Diligence is a good thing, but taking things easy is much more--restful."
- Speech by Mark Twain, 3/30/1901
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
UGM!
So this past week was the User's Group Meeting, where thousands of our customers descended on us for a week of entertainment and classes. The employees of Epic, in the meantime, are called to volunteer and- and I hesitate to mention this heinous crime- wear business casual. Hence the tie and vest in the pic above.
Speaking of dressing up, apparently some employees celebrate Formal Friday, because every other day is a casual day. I think I might play along with that one...
Anyway, I volunteered for a lot of different positions. I got to help do costuming for the big musical production (in which many musicals were parodied by switching the focus to Epic software, but still quite good and funny), play lunch catering host (and get to steal lots of tasty food!), and play traffic cop. Hence the yellow vest above. Most of this last job was rather boring, but one thing made up for it:
Golf carts. Buzzing around the campus, driving anywhere I please (even on sidewalks) was awesome. Every single person I saw driving a golfcart had a smile on his or her face, and for good reason. It's full of yippee!
I also attended a few classes and learned a bit of what to expect from a go live and what can go wrong then and thereafter. So I have a bit of an idea of what's coming, though I'm sure the actual thing will be much different. Oh well, sounds like fun!
Until next time...
Do your duty and repent tomorrow.
- Mark Twain Speaks, Paul Fatout; More Maxims of Mark, Johnson, 1927
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Epic, Week 2
Week 2 at Epic proved to be a bit more interesting. We took a course called Epic 360 which familiarized us with how work flows through a clinic and a hospital and how our software allows the clinicians and staff to do their jobs. It was pretty cool finally getting to understand all of the medical lingo which I am sad to say that I never learned from the doctor in my family. Thanks Dad.
We were also exposed to how Epic handles tests around here- fast and quick! We started our course on Tuesday and wrapped up with an exam on Friday, which thankfully I passed. Half an hour later we started our MyChart Fundamentals course which wrapped up that day. If it weren't for the Users Group Meeting this week I may have taken the test on Monday, but thankfully I have a bit more time to prepare.
This week's photo tour is going to one of the featured perks of the Epic campus: the treehouse! Called Endor, my office mate Laura and I decided to take a break from MyChart studying to take a quick jaunt and explore it.
The treehouse was constructed from leftover wood from Campus 1 construction as a cool place to have meetings.
There's a second floor!
A little dark, but that's a swing chair/hammock there on the second floor.
There's also a path that goes underneath the treehouse...
... and leads to Pelennor Fields! And yes, that is the name.
And a campsite...
... complete with outlet. The BEST kind of camping!
Until next time...
"There is nothing that training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach or below it. It can turn bad morals to good, good morals to bad; it can destroy principles, it can recreate them; it can debase angels to men and lift men to angels. And it can do any of these miracles in a year -- even six months."
- "As Regards Patriotism" by Mark Twain
We were also exposed to how Epic handles tests around here- fast and quick! We started our course on Tuesday and wrapped up with an exam on Friday, which thankfully I passed. Half an hour later we started our MyChart Fundamentals course which wrapped up that day. If it weren't for the Users Group Meeting this week I may have taken the test on Monday, but thankfully I have a bit more time to prepare.
This week's photo tour is going to one of the featured perks of the Epic campus: the treehouse! Called Endor, my office mate Laura and I decided to take a break from MyChart studying to take a quick jaunt and explore it.
The treehouse was constructed from leftover wood from Campus 1 construction as a cool place to have meetings.
But it's not just office space.
There's a second floor!
And even a secret third floor with a trap door!
A view of Deneb from the rear
Until next time...
"There is nothing that training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach or below it. It can turn bad morals to good, good morals to bad; it can destroy principles, it can recreate them; it can debase angels to men and lift men to angels. And it can do any of these miracles in a year -- even six months."
- "As Regards Patriotism" by Mark Twain
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Epic, Week 1
I'm starting on my second week at Epic so I thought I would let you all know how it's been so far. The first week was mostly orientation into Epic's corporate culture as well as the physical campus of Epic itself. You know those pics I had up a week earlier? That was only 1 half of the campus! There's an entire other half here, even crazier than the first!
Anyway, we didn't get to learning how to use the software until this week, and so far it seems pretty self explanatory. Granted, I'm still getting a grasp of the technical terms and the flow of work from clinic to hospital but the trainers have been doing a good job getting us to not only understand the technical side but also the wider world of healthcare and how they interact.
We also had what is known as a Home Day on Monday, where all the Epic employees in the States get together for a big meeting. We can actually fit all 4,000+ employees quite easily in our huge 5,400 seat theater, though this won't even be big enough to fit all of us and the guests for UGM- though I'll get into that more in a couple of weeks.
For the next couple of weeks I'll try to take pics of a different building. We'll start with the one that I've been assigned to, Formalhaut, which is NYC themed. I'm on the ground floor (themed as the subway) with an excellent view of the treehouse. My officemate seems very nice and I'm getting along well with the other new hires here. They're ramping up our course schedule very quickly and I'm busy most of the time, but I guess that means I'll never be bored.
So, Formalhaut:
Anyway, we didn't get to learning how to use the software until this week, and so far it seems pretty self explanatory. Granted, I'm still getting a grasp of the technical terms and the flow of work from clinic to hospital but the trainers have been doing a good job getting us to not only understand the technical side but also the wider world of healthcare and how they interact.
We also had what is known as a Home Day on Monday, where all the Epic employees in the States get together for a big meeting. We can actually fit all 4,000+ employees quite easily in our huge 5,400 seat theater, though this won't even be big enough to fit all of us and the guests for UGM- though I'll get into that more in a couple of weeks.
For the next couple of weeks I'll try to take pics of a different building. We'll start with the one that I've been assigned to, Formalhaut, which is NYC themed. I'm on the ground floor (themed as the subway) with an excellent view of the treehouse. My officemate seems very nice and I'm getting along well with the other new hires here. They're ramping up our course schedule very quickly and I'm busy most of the time, but I guess that means I'll never be bored.
So, Formalhaut:
Until next time...
"There is one thing very sure--I can't keep my temper in New York. The cars and carriages always come along and get in the way just as I want to cross a street, and if there is any thing that can make a man soar into flights of sublimity in the matter of profanity, it is that thing."
- Letter written to San Francisco Alta California, June 5, 1867 by Mark Twain
- Letter written to San Francisco Alta California, June 5, 1867 by Mark Twain
Thursday, July 1, 2010
EPIC News!
Yesterday morning started out like any other morning. There was an unusually blue sky and the weather was rather enjoyable, but since I slave my day away in darkness underneath the Advantage Center these particulars were, quite literally, window dressing. No kids showed up to my classes as I had predicted since summer school started this week, so I had my YJCs cleaning up the lab in anticipation for the Corps Day that will take place here at the end of the week. On a side note, this is the first time that I can see the runner along the floor of the back wall of my office in about a year, and my desk top (analog, not digital) has more empty space now than filled. Yay!
I got a call around 11:00 that went straight to message through the interesting telemetry that the lab presents to cell phone signals. I ignored it till I had finished setting out my next batch of instructions then checked it.
Area code 608? That's from Madis-
I quickly dialed my voicemail, my heart beat rising a bit. Perhaps they just had trouble contacting one of my references... I know that one of them in particular is getting ready to have a baby, which might have caused some kind of complication with my application. It was my HR contact from Epic, saying (in his usual aridly dry and strangely punctuated humorous way) that he had something exciting to discuss with me.
Letting my YJCs know that I might be squealing like a little girl presently I closed the door to my office and dialed my contact's number. He picked up on the first ring. He started off by saying that Epic was prepared to offer me a position and that they were excited to have me on board.
I did a fist pump.
He then jumped into the benefits, which I had heard already and had in paper form from my onsite interview. I knew most of them by heart, but adding in covering the expense to move me to Madison?
I started my happy dance. My YJCs looked up, shook their heads, and continued to work.
We then started talking about when I could start. August 2nd was bandied about, but we decided that September 7th (or even later if necessary) was the ideal time for me to start. Giving me about 2/3s of a month between my current job and the Epic one.
The happy dance picked up some angular momentum.
While I said that I would accept the position, he wisely informed me to wait till I heard the pay. "I mean, you probably don't want to agree if we offer you two dollars and a ham sandwich... though it'll probably be a bit more than two dollars and a ham sandwich."
I sagely said sure, reversing the direction of the happy dance's angular momentum but not its intensity.
He said to call him back after I had heard the offer, then bid me adieu.
I exited the lab and did a slow mo Tiger Woods fist pump. Then went to lunch and got back to work.
Three hours later someone from payroll called me. She said a number.
My happy dance started back up again as I tried not to make a sound.
YAY! I CAN HAS JOB!
I got a call around 11:00 that went straight to message through the interesting telemetry that the lab presents to cell phone signals. I ignored it till I had finished setting out my next batch of instructions then checked it.
Area code 608? That's from Madis-
I quickly dialed my voicemail, my heart beat rising a bit. Perhaps they just had trouble contacting one of my references... I know that one of them in particular is getting ready to have a baby, which might have caused some kind of complication with my application. It was my HR contact from Epic, saying (in his usual aridly dry and strangely punctuated humorous way) that he had something exciting to discuss with me.
Letting my YJCs know that I might be squealing like a little girl presently I closed the door to my office and dialed my contact's number. He picked up on the first ring. He started off by saying that Epic was prepared to offer me a position and that they were excited to have me on board.
I did a fist pump.
He then jumped into the benefits, which I had heard already and had in paper form from my onsite interview. I knew most of them by heart, but adding in covering the expense to move me to Madison?
I started my happy dance. My YJCs looked up, shook their heads, and continued to work.
We then started talking about when I could start. August 2nd was bandied about, but we decided that September 7th (or even later if necessary) was the ideal time for me to start. Giving me about 2/3s of a month between my current job and the Epic one.
The happy dance picked up some angular momentum.
While I said that I would accept the position, he wisely informed me to wait till I heard the pay. "I mean, you probably don't want to agree if we offer you two dollars and a ham sandwich... though it'll probably be a bit more than two dollars and a ham sandwich."
I sagely said sure, reversing the direction of the happy dance's angular momentum but not its intensity.
He said to call him back after I had heard the offer, then bid me adieu.
I exited the lab and did a slow mo Tiger Woods fist pump. Then went to lunch and got back to work.
Three hours later someone from payroll called me. She said a number.
My happy dance started back up again as I tried not to make a sound.
YAY! I CAN HAS JOB!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Musings
So I'm currently sitting in my favorite bar (Nomad World Pub) starting my second beer of the day. The Paraguay-Japan game has been fairly lackluster so far and the bar is pretty empty- maybe 9 people including myself out here since 9:00 cheering on Japan, Paraguay or simply the game itself. I've had my laptop out, like many times before, except this time I have few distractions. The game is on halftime right now and music is playing, and I can finally sit down and write a blog post.
This past month has been pretty hectic. Work has ramped up as it always does during the summer, and this time I have two employees to help me out. They're hired through the Youth Job Corps of St Paul and I've been having mixed success with them. One is a natural at any task that I give him, while the other is a bit more of a challenge. I knew this from the outset, though- the YJC program is half intended to help me and half supposed to be me giving the YJCs valuable work and growth experience, which is always a good thing for a resume I hear.
I don't understand how my classes are going, as it seems to be fits and starts. My Adult classes have had their members grow by magnitudes over the past two weeks, though actual attendance is still touch and go at times. The YJCs have really helped this out, providing translation and outreach for me. Unfortunately I also need to make sure that they have something to do all the time, which can be tricky when all I want to do is plan the next lesson or send out some e-mails. Outreach time I guess?
I've also gotten a new projector, and it is a GODSEND. Suddenly I don't have to be sitting right next to a student to show him or her how to perform a particular task- I can just show it to the class entire on my projector! I can also now manage large class sizes, which is fantastic, and have real class discussion about what I am showing on the screen (which is a glorified bed sheet. Budget budget budget... where hast thou gone?).
My kids classes, though, are not doing so hot. I thought that a class designed around the world cup would be a GREAT class for a predominantly immigrant population. But summer school and the early morning hours that are all that I have to use have apparently sapped all the will out of the children and teens, even if I promise them free food. I can get them to show up on Thursdays for the game and free time, but even then they don't watch the game. It's all about the lab time.
But all is not dark in my life- I had an onsite interview with Epic a week ago that I think went pretty well. I could wax poetical about their philosophy, work space and possible pay for hours (and will if you ask me!), but we'll sum it up this way:
1. You can book a meeting IN A TREEHOUSE.
2. They theoretically want to pay me in real, American currency.
3. Except for a few people outside the company I have heard nothing bad about them.
4. They have a very focused environmental policy and are one of the most bike friendly companies in one of the most bike friendly cities in America.
5. On the coffee table in the HR department they had several books, including a Calvin and Hobbes anthology, How to Be a Villain, and The Pop-Up Book of Phobias.
The interview lasted from 9:15-3:30 and had quite a few parts. First there was a tour of the campus, then an introduction to my potential job (Technical Services- trouble shooter and integrator of stuff into hospital mainframes), then the actual interview. First was a series of situations, which I did well except for the first question. Second was a standard interview, including the excellent question of "What is a common misconception about you?" Third was me vainly trying to remember how to pseudo-code to answer several questions, but that part apparently won't make or break me, especially since I've had two classes in a language that isn't terribly useful to modern day programming.
I came away very hopeful, and they said that they would let me know their decision within two weeks. It's one week now, so I'm starting to get a little nervous, but hopefully they will let me know soon and in the affirmative.
Sorry if that was a bit rambling- probably the beer is having some interesting effect on my literary style, and I do have a lot to talk about. It's definitely a time of great change right now- old friends are fleeing the city, my employment of the past two years is ending in about two months, and I have to think about moving to a new city, a new state, and a place where I know no one. I haven't had this big of a change since I left high school to start college, and it's a bit scary. I've grown comfortable in my current position, but it's probably time for something new. Six years is a long time- a quarter of my life so far- but it's probably time. Time for something new.
Next time, some more looks at my experience of this World Cup.
Until next time...
"When your watch gets out of order you have a choice of two things to do: throw it in the fire or take it to the watch-tinker. The former is the quickest."
- Following the Equator, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar
This past month has been pretty hectic. Work has ramped up as it always does during the summer, and this time I have two employees to help me out. They're hired through the Youth Job Corps of St Paul and I've been having mixed success with them. One is a natural at any task that I give him, while the other is a bit more of a challenge. I knew this from the outset, though- the YJC program is half intended to help me and half supposed to be me giving the YJCs valuable work and growth experience, which is always a good thing for a resume I hear.
I don't understand how my classes are going, as it seems to be fits and starts. My Adult classes have had their members grow by magnitudes over the past two weeks, though actual attendance is still touch and go at times. The YJCs have really helped this out, providing translation and outreach for me. Unfortunately I also need to make sure that they have something to do all the time, which can be tricky when all I want to do is plan the next lesson or send out some e-mails. Outreach time I guess?
I've also gotten a new projector, and it is a GODSEND. Suddenly I don't have to be sitting right next to a student to show him or her how to perform a particular task- I can just show it to the class entire on my projector! I can also now manage large class sizes, which is fantastic, and have real class discussion about what I am showing on the screen (which is a glorified bed sheet. Budget budget budget... where hast thou gone?).
My kids classes, though, are not doing so hot. I thought that a class designed around the world cup would be a GREAT class for a predominantly immigrant population. But summer school and the early morning hours that are all that I have to use have apparently sapped all the will out of the children and teens, even if I promise them free food. I can get them to show up on Thursdays for the game and free time, but even then they don't watch the game. It's all about the lab time.
But all is not dark in my life- I had an onsite interview with Epic a week ago that I think went pretty well. I could wax poetical about their philosophy, work space and possible pay for hours (and will if you ask me!), but we'll sum it up this way:
1. You can book a meeting IN A TREEHOUSE.
2. They theoretically want to pay me in real, American currency.
3. Except for a few people outside the company I have heard nothing bad about them.
4. They have a very focused environmental policy and are one of the most bike friendly companies in one of the most bike friendly cities in America.
5. On the coffee table in the HR department they had several books, including a Calvin and Hobbes anthology, How to Be a Villain, and The Pop-Up Book of Phobias.
The interview lasted from 9:15-3:30 and had quite a few parts. First there was a tour of the campus, then an introduction to my potential job (Technical Services- trouble shooter and integrator of stuff into hospital mainframes), then the actual interview. First was a series of situations, which I did well except for the first question. Second was a standard interview, including the excellent question of "What is a common misconception about you?" Third was me vainly trying to remember how to pseudo-code to answer several questions, but that part apparently won't make or break me, especially since I've had two classes in a language that isn't terribly useful to modern day programming.
I came away very hopeful, and they said that they would let me know their decision within two weeks. It's one week now, so I'm starting to get a little nervous, but hopefully they will let me know soon and in the affirmative.
Sorry if that was a bit rambling- probably the beer is having some interesting effect on my literary style, and I do have a lot to talk about. It's definitely a time of great change right now- old friends are fleeing the city, my employment of the past two years is ending in about two months, and I have to think about moving to a new city, a new state, and a place where I know no one. I haven't had this big of a change since I left high school to start college, and it's a bit scary. I've grown comfortable in my current position, but it's probably time for something new. Six years is a long time- a quarter of my life so far- but it's probably time. Time for something new.
Next time, some more looks at my experience of this World Cup.
Until next time...
"When your watch gets out of order you have a choice of two things to do: throw it in the fire or take it to the watch-tinker. The former is the quickest."
- Following the Equator, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Epic
Hey all, long time since I've posted. Lots of stuff has been happening such as:
- went to see M. Butterfly at the Guthrie thanks to Rachel's parents- it was an awesome show!
- saw Iron Man 2, which was silly-awesome as I expected it to be.
- went on a trip to Wisconsin with my CTEP people and had a nice day helping out on a farm and then spending the night in a cabin.
- have been doing a lot of planning for the summer at work, including what will hopefully be a youth curriculum based on the World Cup
- saw a movie called The Secret of Kells, which was an animated film about the Book of Kells
But besides all of this I have been applying at a place called Epic, which makes software for large and medium sized hospitals and other medical firms. Everything about the place screams "mini-Google" to me, from the drive to have a creative and hard working environment to the plethora of quirky perks, including a room full of toys, onsite oil changes and dry cleaning, employee common interest groups and bike trails leading to the campus that are cleared of snow by 4:30 in the morning. Plus, if for some reason I end up working there for 5 years I get a 4 week paid sabbatical to go... well, anywhere! And they foot the travel bill! They also have a huge drive towards sustainability and are situated on 500 acres of farmland and... yeah, they sound awesome.
I'm currently in the middle of applying for the technical writer (or "word artist" as they call it) position, which sounds like something right up my alley. The interview process, though, appears to be a bear. The steps I have gone through already are the application, a personality test, a phone interview and now I am apparently being scheduled for written tests. I assume there will also be an onsite interview as well. Still, from what I've heard they take care of their people once you get in, so I'm excited to have made it this far.
I'll keep you all informed in the future on how the job front goes. I'm beginning to look at a few other options with Rachel's help, but I really, really hope I get this job.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Minnesota Governor Portraits: A Comparison Study
So today for our Corps Day we went to the State Capitol and as part of the day's activities we took a tour around the capitol building. The architecture of the place is amazing and very impressive, but the greatest part of the tour was seeing the governors' portraits.
Every former governor gets one made and they can have it in any style that they wish. Let's begin with one of our favorite former governors, Jesse Ventura.
Pretty imposing, no? Now let's look at the portrait that is directly next to his:
Gov. Arne H. Carlson. Bit of a difference, eh?
Until next time...
The government is not best which secures mere life and property -- there is a more valuable thing -- manhood.
- Mark Twain's Notebook
Every former governor gets one made and they can have it in any style that they wish. Let's begin with one of our favorite former governors, Jesse Ventura.
Gov. Arne H. Carlson. Bit of a difference, eh?
Until next time...
The government is not best which secures mere life and property -- there is a more valuable thing -- manhood.
- Mark Twain's Notebook
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Technicolor Cardboard Dreams
For our Corps Day this past Friday we headed over to the building of the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, a local channel, and got to play around with cameras. We were split into groups and were tasked with coming up with a movie that could be planned in 30 minutes, shot in an hour and edited in two and a half hours. We were also all given a genre, a prop, and a line that had to be included in our film.
For me:
Genre: Experimental
Prop: Cardboard Box
Line: "I'm glad that we have technology on our side."
Thus was born Technicolor Cardboard dreams, starring yours truly:
Until next time...
"...a good and wholesome thing is a little harmless fun in this world; it tones a body up and keeps him human and prevents him from souring."
- Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain
For me:
Genre: Experimental
Prop: Cardboard Box
Line: "I'm glad that we have technology on our side."
Thus was born Technicolor Cardboard dreams, starring yours truly:
Technicolor Cardboard Dreams from CTEP on Vimeo.
Until next time...
"...a good and wholesome thing is a little harmless fun in this world; it tones a body up and keeps him human and prevents him from souring."
- Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Another week
Work at Skyline has been a little... crazy this week. Not that it isn't ever NOT crazy, just crazier than usual. It started raining this week (yay Spring!) which has driven all the kids and teens stir crazy. Youth lab on Monday and Wednesday was simply insane- I probably had 5-6 people waiting for computers at all times (for reference, there are only 10 total), everyone was complaining because the Internet was running slow in the lab, and enough people refused to give up their computers when their time was up to make me consider simply closing the lab and sending everyone home. Plus, when they finally leave the entire place is a mess and I have barely time to prep for my evening classes.
Speaking of which, my second round of evening classes ended with roughly 2.5 people in it. Not bad considering the 1st round, but I keep on wondering if my lessons are sticking. I know that there is a large language barrier that I have only partially been able to cross, and the higher concepts of what we are doing are definitely out of reach. But I hope that the little things- how to access programs, how to enter web addresses, how to shut down the computer- managed to worm their way in somehow. I know that it will require gentle prodding, but I can always hope...
This will be especially interesting as my next round of classes are not going to be directed at my current students. I've been really interested in teaching an Excel course for some time now and evening courses are probably the best way to do them. Hopefully my students can switch to early/mid afternoon without much trouble to keep up their learning, but we'll see.
Anyway, to deal with all of my crazy kids I am going to be enacting some new rules that will take effect on Monday the 22nd. Since I'll be off in Madison this Sunday-Tuesday and we have a retreat on Wednesday it'll be my first full week since I resolved to take action. We'll see if there is rioting in the streets :)
And yes- Rachel and I will be visiting Madison starting this Sunday! I'll be looking around town to scope it out while Rachel is doing her grad student thing, so hopefully it should be fun and informative.
That's all for now- until next time...
"The proverb says that Providence protects children and idiots. This is really true. I know because I have tested it."
- Autobiography of Mark Twain
Speaking of which, my second round of evening classes ended with roughly 2.5 people in it. Not bad considering the 1st round, but I keep on wondering if my lessons are sticking. I know that there is a large language barrier that I have only partially been able to cross, and the higher concepts of what we are doing are definitely out of reach. But I hope that the little things- how to access programs, how to enter web addresses, how to shut down the computer- managed to worm their way in somehow. I know that it will require gentle prodding, but I can always hope...
This will be especially interesting as my next round of classes are not going to be directed at my current students. I've been really interested in teaching an Excel course for some time now and evening courses are probably the best way to do them. Hopefully my students can switch to early/mid afternoon without much trouble to keep up their learning, but we'll see.
Anyway, to deal with all of my crazy kids I am going to be enacting some new rules that will take effect on Monday the 22nd. Since I'll be off in Madison this Sunday-Tuesday and we have a retreat on Wednesday it'll be my first full week since I resolved to take action. We'll see if there is rioting in the streets :)
And yes- Rachel and I will be visiting Madison starting this Sunday! I'll be looking around town to scope it out while Rachel is doing her grad student thing, so hopefully it should be fun and informative.
That's all for now- until next time...
"The proverb says that Providence protects children and idiots. This is really true. I know because I have tested it."
- Autobiography of Mark Twain
Friday, February 19, 2010
Never Turning Out Quite Like It Should...
I started evening classes this week, and boy was I prepared. I had tons of handouts printed, a Somali speaking volunteer lined up, and an actual, professional grade lesson plan prepared. I even made sure that I could have cookies and tea on hand so that we could have a nice discussion as the students looked over the material I had prepared. On Wednesday I had scheduled the beginning of a two-part class to teach residents the very basics of how to use a computer, i.e. mouse and keyboard. Last week I managed to sign 18 people up for this course, 18 for a computer lab that only has 10 stations. I figured that, statistically, I would have 5 people show up, even with reminders.Which would be fine.
Turns out that 6 people showed up, but not quite in the way that I had planned. Two of my teens decided to help me out, which I now thank my lucky stars for, as the show got started even before my open lab had finished. Two of my students showed up at 6:10 because they thought that the class started at 6:00 (it actually started at 6:30), so they were standing around for 20 minutes while I was still cleaning up and getting all of my stuff in place. The rest of the class trickled in between 6:30 and 6:40, which was when I decided to start class.
Three of the students were there for the class that I was prepared to give. Two were there for the class that was starting next Wednesday. And one was there who had apparently not even read the brochure, as he was far too advanced. None of them wanted to eat cookies or drink tea.
Sigh.
Still, everything turned out OK on Wednesday. My two teens plus my scheduled volunteer took care of the three students who were there for the actual course while I took care of the two week-early members. Even then things didn't turn out like I had wanted. The three went through their material at lightning speed, much faster than any of my other Somali speakers had gone in the past, so we ended up doing two lessons for the price of one. My other two students were at very different competency levels- one took to everything very easily while the other I believe was just barely following along.
My sixth student just sat at his computer and read Somali news the entire time. He promised to come back on Thursday to do a real course.
Fast forward to Thursday night, when I have scheduled my drop-in/1-on-1 tutoring class. My straggler student shows up, I help him out for maybe 15 minutes, and he spends the rest of the hour checking out Somali news. I had two other students signed up, but neither showed up.
Sigh.
Neither was particularly bad, but neither was particularly what I wanted, either. Then again, that's kind of what Skyline does to carefully wrought plans...
Until next time...
"I'll forget the Lord's middle name sometime, right in the midst of a storm, when I need all the help I can get."
- Mark Twain, a Biography
Turns out that 6 people showed up, but not quite in the way that I had planned. Two of my teens decided to help me out, which I now thank my lucky stars for, as the show got started even before my open lab had finished. Two of my students showed up at 6:10 because they thought that the class started at 6:00 (it actually started at 6:30), so they were standing around for 20 minutes while I was still cleaning up and getting all of my stuff in place. The rest of the class trickled in between 6:30 and 6:40, which was when I decided to start class.
Three of the students were there for the class that I was prepared to give. Two were there for the class that was starting next Wednesday. And one was there who had apparently not even read the brochure, as he was far too advanced. None of them wanted to eat cookies or drink tea.
Sigh.
Still, everything turned out OK on Wednesday. My two teens plus my scheduled volunteer took care of the three students who were there for the actual course while I took care of the two week-early members. Even then things didn't turn out like I had wanted. The three went through their material at lightning speed, much faster than any of my other Somali speakers had gone in the past, so we ended up doing two lessons for the price of one. My other two students were at very different competency levels- one took to everything very easily while the other I believe was just barely following along.
My sixth student just sat at his computer and read Somali news the entire time. He promised to come back on Thursday to do a real course.
Fast forward to Thursday night, when I have scheduled my drop-in/1-on-1 tutoring class. My straggler student shows up, I help him out for maybe 15 minutes, and he spends the rest of the hour checking out Somali news. I had two other students signed up, but neither showed up.
Sigh.
Neither was particularly bad, but neither was particularly what I wanted, either. Then again, that's kind of what Skyline does to carefully wrought plans...
Until next time...
"I'll forget the Lord's middle name sometime, right in the midst of a storm, when I need all the help I can get."
- Mark Twain, a Biography
Monday, February 8, 2010
Max, Destroyer of House!
On Friday, I used a claw hammer and a crowbar to destroy a house.
OK, well, maybe I only used a claw hammer and a crowbar to destroy a part of a house.
OK, well, maybe I also got to use power tools in addition to a claw hammer and a crowbar to destroy a part of a house.
Or maybe I should start from the beginning...
On Friday I had a corps day in which we partnered with Habitat for Humanity to help remake a house that had fallen into condemned status. Most of the work that we were doing that day was demolition- knocking out walls, tearing out ceilings and other diverse delightfully destructive deeds. I chose to split off from the main group and partner with a regular volunteer named Dave to set about dismantling the bathroom on the second floor.
Dave (pictured above) is a Vietnam vet who also worked for the government for a time and likes to explain that he has secret clearance thanks to his time in both areas, and I am inclined to believe him. He definitely had some... interesting opinions on certain things, but he also definitely knew his stuff and the importance of his job at Habitat. Construction/demolition is simply what he likes to do in his retirement when he is not trying to find solutions to the problems of the world with his war buddies. We had a good time taking out sinks, showers and cabinets in the morning and smashing walls with claw hammers, crowbars and power saws in the afternoon.
Speaking of that, before:
After:
There was a lot of clean up.
Taking apart the house was a lot of fun. I got to get a lot of good exercise and use a lot of tools. It really makes me miss doing theater tech back in college and having the opportunity to both build and dismantle things on a macro scale (as opposed to the micro that I talk about on my other blog). Getting to repair and build things is definitely something that I want to get back into in the future- I might even start volunteering regularly with Habitat next year to start building up my repertoire of handyman skills.
Other things that were entertaining about the day:
-all of the little mementos that were left from past occupants. A lot of the, umm, "insulation" in the upper floors of the house was made out of old newspapers, some from as far back as the 1920s and 40s.
-the most awesome tool in the world:
It's basically a large magnet on a stick, but who cares! It's awesome!
-Mystery Gum! With Mystery Packaging!
So yeah, I had fun. Manual labor is always a nice change of pace.
Until next time...
"...it is less trouble and more satisfaction to bury two families than to select and equip a home for one."
- Mark Twain's Autobiography
OK, well, maybe I only used a claw hammer and a crowbar to destroy a part of a house.
OK, well, maybe I also got to use power tools in addition to a claw hammer and a crowbar to destroy a part of a house.
Or maybe I should start from the beginning...
On Friday I had a corps day in which we partnered with Habitat for Humanity to help remake a house that had fallen into condemned status. Most of the work that we were doing that day was demolition- knocking out walls, tearing out ceilings and other diverse delightfully destructive deeds. I chose to split off from the main group and partner with a regular volunteer named Dave to set about dismantling the bathroom on the second floor.
Dave (pictured above) is a Vietnam vet who also worked for the government for a time and likes to explain that he has secret clearance thanks to his time in both areas, and I am inclined to believe him. He definitely had some... interesting opinions on certain things, but he also definitely knew his stuff and the importance of his job at Habitat. Construction/demolition is simply what he likes to do in his retirement when he is not trying to find solutions to the problems of the world with his war buddies. We had a good time taking out sinks, showers and cabinets in the morning and smashing walls with claw hammers, crowbars and power saws in the afternoon.
Speaking of that, before:
After:
There was a lot of clean up.
Taking apart the house was a lot of fun. I got to get a lot of good exercise and use a lot of tools. It really makes me miss doing theater tech back in college and having the opportunity to both build and dismantle things on a macro scale (as opposed to the micro that I talk about on my other blog). Getting to repair and build things is definitely something that I want to get back into in the future- I might even start volunteering regularly with Habitat next year to start building up my repertoire of handyman skills.
Other things that were entertaining about the day:
-all of the little mementos that were left from past occupants. A lot of the, umm, "insulation" in the upper floors of the house was made out of old newspapers, some from as far back as the 1920s and 40s.
There was also some masking tape still left up on a wall of one of the rooms talking about all of the security protections that were in place to protect weapons. More masking tape was underneath this one displaying the types of weapons stored here, including swords, knives, guns, and FINAL DEATH (unintelligible) MOVE, all in a childish scrawl. I'll try to put my video of it up later, but blogger is being stupid right now.
It's basically a large magnet on a stick, but who cares! It's awesome!
-Mystery Gum! With Mystery Packaging!
So yeah, I had fun. Manual labor is always a nice change of pace.
Until next time...
"...it is less trouble and more satisfaction to bury two families than to select and equip a home for one."
- Mark Twain's Autobiography
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