Capitol Train to Berkely - Aaron and I get a chance to see the world!

DOWNTOWN SAN FRANSICO

The Way Home - or, What happened to Sunday?

It was really quite simple. The plan-- Sunday morning, wake up and get on the 9:15 Bus. What was supposed to be easy trip turned out a lot harder then I thought. Though it challenged me both physically and mentally, I was able to turn it into a blessing.

With a jolt, I was woken at 8:56 by my bodies cry of protest in sleeping past sunrise. Scrambling around aarons dorm room, I collected what few belongs I have and sprint out the door. Running now, I was trying to catch a 9:00 bus that would take me to the 9:15 train. 58, 59, 00… There’s the bus stop corner - I am overjoyed at seeing other people waiting as well. Tension eases, the uncertainty in my figure passes away completely before seeing the oncoming bus, spewing condensation and mist into the frigid morning air. As you’ll learn later, I had used all my cash the day before in touring San Francisco and was now waiting for the bus, drop dead poor. The horror of the situation dawned on me as I stepped up the stairs and plaintively stated my case to the driver. He said, "No." In that moment I knew I could not make it in time. I was going to miss the ride home because of this buses, cash-only fee and no amount of conjouling or begging was going to get me on that bus. I felt like a leper, an outcast -- people were staring at me yet no one offering to help out. Only silence. It was a haunting, one filled with anger and dread. Knowing the nex train was not until 8PM I decided to visit my aunt and after 2 hours of buses, trains and trolley's, I was upon my aunts doorstep. It was a wonderful time, Zoe and I, relaxing on a sunday afternoon. We went out to eat, watched tv, and even took a walk. This was a peaceful time which helped me focus my thoughts about the weekend. I have enjoyed the weekend and will try to visit again soon.

Trains Buses and Automobiles...

10PM - 3PM - A quiet ride

GOLDEN GATE PARK AQUARIUM

Looking Up from Below Aquarium

Jelly Fish

Tropical Jungle Arboretum

Looking Down in the the fish tank. Big sharks and wild creatures!

This week we went on a tour of Ernie Ball Guitars. Much like Taylor Guitars, both in the manufating processes and the price per part.

The only thing that was truly amazing was Buffy. Buffy is a autonomous robot which uses RFID tags to distiguish between guitar body shapes and then buffs the each piece smooth. Buffy knows over 250 coded systems... all of them programed by IME cal poly graduates! Sweet!

CAL POLY INFORMATION and UPDATES: http://ceng.calpoly.edu/annual-reports/2009/

Also, last weekend Cec Chafin and Alex, graciously hosted me for almost the entire weekend. One which I will remember for quite a while. Fun, Fast and Floppy... How did we fit so much in one weekend? Hmmm, and the Home Cooked Food! So GOod!

Well, thats all for now folks! Sorry for not posting more these last two weeks... Midterms really got to me but since the last one was today I'll try to post more on Sunday. Keep your eyes up for the latest updates.

Question: fgadfgjas;fdlgkja;dflkgjalkfdgj;alkfdjglkajs;dgklja;dflkgjdlkjfgad

Answer: Find gold and diamonds for giving Jonathan a silly funny dumb laughing gift. Keeping Jonathan's accordian doesn't fall lightly. Kendra gives Jordan a little kingdom for doing good. Jordan and Levi kayak far down Jason's gorge liking killing antelope. Jordan says dawn glows. Kindly laugh, Jonathan, and dance for lifting kayaks glibly. JD likes kelp. Jump far going always down.

Anonymous said...

For God's awesome day, for glorious joy and simplicity; for days living God's kingdom jetting around; don't forget love, kindness, goodness, joy, and lavishing kind forgiveness. Do go jumping; and live karefully, for days jam, gears lock. Keep at Jesus' side; Do good. Keep lax. Jam accasionally; Don't fight like kids going jeepers. Dance loud. King Jesus forever glorified. Amen. Ditto.

I am speechless. Good Job!

Rain Day - Introducing a Job Fair

This year it rained. This year companies feigned. But this year, there was something I gained.

Day One: A total of 63 companies advertised here at the Cal Poly job fair! Out of the sixteen or so thousand students, only about 200 will have the opportunity to get a job or internship. Thats not a good chance. It reminds me of a day like today, when the rain comes down in torrents, the clouds darken the skies, and a chilling moisture reaches out to everything… leaving nothing dry or untouched. During the past two years little has improved for the job markets and especially for careers in manufacturing, when so many companies are moving there manufacturing plants overseas. Brian, a graduating senior had a ‘my glass is half empty’ mentality. His comments were short and distracted; “I might go back to farming,” he said. I understand the frustration and uncertainty for those in such a situation but I also know that we can make whatever we want of this world by doing whatever it takes. Tomorrow I look forward to showing my resume to companies and experiencing the interview process. Who knows, the darkest side of our world is always the next to get a beam of light, so why not expect a new beginning, a fresh start, an unknown opportunity!

Day Two: I returned with resume printed, suit ironed, and interviews rehearsed. My smile beamed as I strode into the job fair like a knight on a horse. All these employers were looking for ME, waiting for ME, they wanted to hire ME! I was so full of pride at where I was and the experiences I’ve had. Ah, Boeing, let me start there first! “You can do it”, I said to myself. Paper in hand I walked up and offered a hand out in confidence. Like a dream I state my name and my interest in airplanes and engineering. The conversation is general but then we hit on the topic of my private pilot's license. Oh, what excitement effused from this middle aged business manager. Her stories and words of advice went on and on… Finally, exchanging contact cards and moving on, I felt a new confidence and moved on to the next booth. "MHHMMmm, YUM, Dryers Ice Cream!" I exclaimed. “I had no idea you guys did manufacturing!”. Only it was too late to take back my undignified and uneducated introduction. This time there seemed to be short answers for my inquires and I left feeling very foolish indeed.

AHHA! Solar Turbines, now here was a company with which I had knowledge and personal contacts. I walked up, introduced myself and had a wonderful talk with the general manager of the manufacturing facilities site. I could go on about the different people and companies I spoke with, both on a personal and professional level; Apple, Microsoft, Air Force, Phillips, and Boston Scientific. Some seemed promising while others had budget crisis, but all gave me something to think over when I left that room. Free stuff was a major bonus! I even divided it up among my roommates who were excited too. This was an excellent first job fair and I look forward to more in the coming years.

On Tuesday, my IME class went on a tour of 'Spice Center' and we talked about production of this seasonal packaging company. The linear production systems started at one side of the building with the measuring out of material and the mixing of this recipe before packaging. Next it is passed into a completely automated conveyor belt where each can was filled, sealed, and labeled. 40,000/Day! Finally, a team of inspectors measured weight to check if each bottle was within specification.

One Manufacturing task was the study of the least effort required to transport and inspect each product. Also, minimizing repetitive processes like the washing or mixing of the spices. Finally, the engineers are always working on machines and simple time saving devices like the bulk shifter below.

We also learned about perato charts, which are graphs of causes and trends and can be used to pinpoint problems within the system. The techniques in human demographics is a major planning process as they never want one person doing the same job all day. Then there are inspections and trying to get a check as close to the situations as is economically worth while. This was probably the most boring as all it involved was cost estimation and guessing at how much a process is worth.

Over all, I felt good about the small business atmosphere and the focus on lean production. Although this may be suited for an Industrial engineer I did enjoy seeing how they build machines to do all sorts of jobs. This is in fact what I grew up doing... This tour brought back memories about when our family pulled apart used machines and ripped out pneumatics lines just to get a single part to sell or use. I look forward to visiting again, and possibly getting a part time job there.