Updates...
Work has been going better lately. I got involved with an independent project with one of the senior engineers. Won't bore with the details, only insiders would actually know what I was talking about. I come in for a few hours on my off days and work on it. So far so good - it's exposing me to some different aspects of my job that thus far I haven't gotten much exposure to, which is good - it'll broaden my knowledge. I've been busy with some classes in Statistical Process Control (incredibly interesting - and yes I am serious) as well as some classes upcoming about how DRAM, NAND Flash, and CMOS imagers all work - as well as how we build them to the design specs. Cool stuff. I'm excited about it. They also have an apprentice program, where you shadow a more senior engineer that's in charge of one aspect - either a certain step in the manufacturing process or a certain piece of equipment that we use and learn more in depth about how that stuff works. I had an opportunity to get into this last week but they took someone new that had previous tool experience. However, my boss told me that my name came up as a potential person to get into that program, which was cool. I should be next in line (or close to the front) when an opening comes up next.
Okay, enough about work. Kim is coming out next weekend!!! She'll be here Thursday night through Sunday morning. Following that in another 3 weeks we'll meet for a week in Niwot, CO at her parents for Thanksgiving. Then only another 3 weeks until I'll go back to Iowa for a couple days for her graduation, then up to MN for a few days before Christmas. Yay! We're past the halfway point of having to be apart, which is cool.
I got together last night with some friends from work for tacos and conversation. One of the other ladies brought a large jug of Sangria - I think it was at least a gallon of it... I just had a few glasses of wine, but between a couple people half of that was gone by the end of the night. It was a fun evening.
I ordered some tulip bulbs from Brecks, a distributor in Holland - had a coupon and they were on sale, so got 70 bulbs for $11 including shipping. Comparing prices in the stores these were about 2-3 times as much (if I had paid full price), but the quality seems better, they're from Holland, and they're guaranteed for life if they don't work or something. I started digging small holes (6" down) to plant a ring around the tree in the middle of the yard. It was tough because the tree roots were in the way and I was using a small hand trowel. I needed a break after I got about half of the circle dug. Kim's mom gave me a great tip - she had bought a small auger attachment for a power drill. It's 2.75 inches in diameter, which is just the right size to plant a bulb. I found one at Lowe's for $18, and it worked GREAT - much easier than digging by hand. It gets stuck on roots and rocks, so you have to clear those out of the way, but it's a huge time (and back) saver. I just finished the tree tonight before dark, so I'll plant a couple rows on the right side of the porch tomorrow afternoon. Should look nice next spring. The petunias in the front yard are exploding once again with flowers. They looked like they were dying off a few weeks ago, but they sprung back to life amazingly.
Okay, enough about work. Kim is coming out next weekend!!! She'll be here Thursday night through Sunday morning. Following that in another 3 weeks we'll meet for a week in Niwot, CO at her parents for Thanksgiving. Then only another 3 weeks until I'll go back to Iowa for a couple days for her graduation, then up to MN for a few days before Christmas. Yay! We're past the halfway point of having to be apart, which is cool.
I got together last night with some friends from work for tacos and conversation. One of the other ladies brought a large jug of Sangria - I think it was at least a gallon of it... I just had a few glasses of wine, but between a couple people half of that was gone by the end of the night. It was a fun evening.
I ordered some tulip bulbs from Brecks, a distributor in Holland - had a coupon and they were on sale, so got 70 bulbs for $11 including shipping. Comparing prices in the stores these were about 2-3 times as much (if I had paid full price), but the quality seems better, they're from Holland, and they're guaranteed for life if they don't work or something. I started digging small holes (6" down) to plant a ring around the tree in the middle of the yard. It was tough because the tree roots were in the way and I was using a small hand trowel. I needed a break after I got about half of the circle dug. Kim's mom gave me a great tip - she had bought a small auger attachment for a power drill. It's 2.75 inches in diameter, which is just the right size to plant a bulb. I found one at Lowe's for $18, and it worked GREAT - much easier than digging by hand. It gets stuck on roots and rocks, so you have to clear those out of the way, but it's a huge time (and back) saver. I just finished the tree tonight before dark, so I'll plant a couple rows on the right side of the porch tomorrow afternoon. Should look nice next spring. The petunias in the front yard are exploding once again with flowers. They looked like they were dying off a few weeks ago, but they sprung back to life amazingly.