A Lady Engineered

2009-05-05T08:49:00.001-07:00

So, I never update this thing except when I am sick, it seems! I have caught the Hansel variant of a virus. Sore throat, and stuffs. Chicken soup, once again.

However, I am at work and functioning, which is good. We have a validation study to do to be sure a rig is ready to run.

I am graduating May 8, Friday, and couldn't be happier. My family, godmother, uncle, boyfriend will all be there. A few of my colleagues from mechanical engineering are graduating too, which is neat. We've done it.

Blog Gadgetry

2009-01-18T19:35:00.001-08:00

I've added an RSS feed to the left, containing my knitting projects on Ravelry. It's basically MySpace for knitters, though think much more organized than MySpace and full of creative, interesting people.

Thanks to some homemade chicken soup (by my awesome boyfriend) and a lot of sleep, I have just gotten over a cold.

Not much else going on thus far this semester, other than I have been assigned to a new project, which so far is going well. Unfortuately I can't speak much of it other than I have a new project - much of it is proprietary. I'm able to use some of my skills from other projects on it, which is great. We also moved a bunch of stuff around in the office recently, which has brought the fridge and microwave closer to us. This means a shorter walk to tea-making, which is good.

Finally, I am graduating this semester, on 9 May, with the ceremony starting at 2 pm. The family is coming up of course, so we will have a celebratory dinner afterwards. We only get five tickets, so that's going to be tight. But I will be walking across that stage with my head held high.

To return to knitting, I'm wondering if I could come up with a stole pattern - that is, for a Catholic priest's vestments. I don't know if there's any kind of official rulebook on that one. I'm thinking of some pretty green ones for Ordinary Time, because there are always ornamented ones for special occasions. Also, green is such a soothing color to work with.

Not much else to report. I've made plans to make it more positive this semester and onward - this involves yoga, swing dancing, and getting to Mass more than just weekly. I saw that a church near UCF offers daily Mass at noon Monday - Friday. That might work. St. Stephen's, near me, offers daily Mass, but it's 7 a.m. Waking up early is still not within my abilities.

Knowledge

2008-10-10T07:33:00.000-07:00

I want to learn more every day than these bunnies want to have a drink.

2008-10-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

NPR has gone off the air. Blast thunder.

I'm writing a senior design report.

I probably won't be blogging for awhile.

I've taken a dive into some deep water. It's full of engineering paper and designs and wind tunnels and turbines.

I still think of everyone.

Victory!

2008-08-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

After six or so weeks of study and one very early morning, the GRE is over and done with for me. I got out with a 730 on math and 720 on English. Very ridiculously balanced, and it'll do me well for fellowships.

For now, it is bedtime.

Film Cooling

2008-08-06T06:50:00.001-07:00

Latest news: done with summer term, and now working with a great PhD student in film cooling! More to follow on this when I have blogging time (ha!)

Quote of the Week

2008-07-25T17:41:00.001-07:00

From my friend Alex:

"Smart people sometimes dumb themselves down just to be stubborn."

What?

2008-07-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Upon getting to campus last week, I saw an image of hosts scattered across the front of the UCF newspaper with the title "Body of Controversy". Out of curiosity, I picked up a paper and began to read the article. The senator was impeached, and several letters to the editor were written about this whole ordeal.

Oh, also: it is NOT a "holy cracker".

Thoughts? I'm upset at the way both parties handled this. Mr. Cook should have referred his friend to a priest or Eucharistic minister if he had questions about the Eucharist; I am sure they would be more than happy to share their knowledge. As for the Catholic Campus Ministry people at the Mass, they should have asked his purpose in not consuming the sacrament. If he resisted answering, a request to return the host should suffice, to my mind. Going back in my Catholic school days, I remember there being a special sink in every church that leads directly to the ground, and this is considered a respectful way to bring leftover hosts to rest. That could have been done with the host in question.

I'm just irritated that such a spectacle was made of the Eucharist.

Windows Update (Update!)

2008-07-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, the windows update is fine if you have the particular update to your firewall (ZoneAlarm, Threatfire, etc) to go along with it. Apparently windows thought ZoneAlarm was malicious software (which is a bunch of blarney).

Warning!

2008-07-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

The newest Windows Update (7/9/08) caused me problems getting online, so watch out. I spent an hour on the phone with Earthlink / Brighthouse networks before remembering that a colleague of mine had had that issue yesterday.

Goals

2008-07-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

Goals can be big or small.

My goal for the rest of my career is to help create energy less expensively and more greenly.

My goal for the rest of the semester is to get to feedback on time every class.

I've got braised barbecue beef cooking on the stove. It smells glorious in this house.

Down With the Sickness

2008-07-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm fortunate that I'm not having stomach issues as a couple of my colleagues are, but there is yellow nastiness coming from my nose.

Back when this leaves me!

Convergence!

2008-07-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, now it's time for a real update.

I left my corner of Orlando to go to Mass with a few lovely friends of the family over at Our Lady Queen of the Universe. They hold daily Mass in a chapel decorated with blue stained glass windows depicting the night sky. The Shrine itself is absolutely gorgeous and hearkens back to the days of great cathedrals in Europe. If you're in Orlando visiting I highly recommend a trip over there - even if you are not particularly religious it is a sight to behold. My favorite thing about it in particular is the statue of St. Joseph and Jesus as a child.

Then we had lunch, chatted, and caught up. It was such a blessing to have a little bit of hometown up here, as sometimes I really do miss the friends of family that are pretty much extended family.

I hit the road with a satisfied and full stomach and arrived in Tampa in a bit of a rainstorm. After handing off my car to the valet, I stepped into the gorgeous hotel that the local HGA (Hand Weavers Guild of America) had picked for Convergence. I felt somewhat like royalty being greeted by at least four people and having the help of a bellman to carry up my bags.

That evening was spent having dinner with my boyfriend's Mom and her friends from where she's from. We went to the Columbia in Ybor City - a Cuban restaurant that had been there for just over 100 years! What great food, and an atmosphere that was a visual feast. Our table was in the courtyard, which looked to me like a miniature version of Vizcaya in Miami. I couldn't stop looking up at the porticoes and the elaborate decorations.

I hit the sack early and woke up early the next day to start shopping! After a hearty breakfast at the hotel I registered and was off to the vendor hall. Bought some raw merino wool to practice on as well as some butterscotch colored alpaca. The merino wool will mix nicely with the angora I've got, and the alpaca would likely be good on its own. Alpaca, by the way, is hypoallergenic, something I learned while chatting with one of the owners of Alpaca Junction - really nice couple!

Convergence also had these little one hour things called Art Sparks, so I took the Viking Knitting class to see what that was all about. Well, as it turns out, I am not so handy with jewelry wire. Perhaps one day I will undo the work I did (not so very well) and try my hand at it again. Good thing I've got some needle nose pliers on hand at home.

All in all, it was a great couple days! I'm really glad I had the chance to go and meet such great people. I found myself striking up conversations with people around me quite easily - though the fact that I was wearing my hat of many colors helped!

Affordable Teslas At Last

2008-07-01T08:56:00.001-07:00

In less than four years, you'll be able to buy an affordable electric car!

Convergence updates coming soon.

Convergence

2008-06-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

I just returned from my very first textile and fiber conference! It was loads of fun - giant exhibit hall full of woven and spun eye candy as well as a just as large vendor hall with lots of fibers. I also took a one hour class on Viking Knitting - 'twas frustrating but I am going to give it another go soon. I determined after carefully studying the pamphlet the gal who gave the class gave us that I'd been stitching incorrectly - well, stitching with copper wire, that is!

More updates to come soon. There is a mountain of homework with my name on it - and tests to grade for my students.

Microwaveable Meals

2008-06-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Since I am in the lab most days of the workweek, I've looked for easy lunches to make. Usually this boils down to either going to the student union for food or microwaveable meals. The latter is much cheaper, so it usually ends up happening.

The big problem I have with microwaveable meals is the salt content. Sometimes when eating something from Stouffer's or what have you I find the high salt content easy to taste. Not appetizing and not healthy.

Since Kashi microwaveable meals were buy one get one free at Publix this week, I decided to try them. One was Rosemary Chicken and the other was Southwest Chicken. Both were delicious - they are a chicken meal served on a base of rice and other grains with sauce and vegetables. The Southwest one had black beans, corn, pepper, and onion while the Rosemary had pea pods and baby portabello mushrooms. So, you get a good square meal in (though it is served in a bowl).

The sole downside is price. In this area, they're $3.59 a box, so if you can find a store that offers a buy one get one free occasionally on them it'll be a bit less expensive. About $1.80 for each is quite a bit better!

What other healthy but also delicious microwaveable options are out there?

Pretty

2008-06-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

This makes me want to dress like it's 1940 or 1950 every day. ModCloth has a great many cute things, but their sales look like the best option right now :)

In other news, I am headed to Our Lady Queen of the Universe Shrine on Thursday to surprise a special family friend and meet with other friends of the family I haven't seen in ages. Then it is off to Tampa for Convergence 2008 - a gigantic fiber arts festival!

Food Blogging

2008-06-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

As if I needed more evidence that oregano is quite a superior herb. It's stupendous in spaghetti or salads and adds just the right amount of extra flavor to a slice of cheese pizza...and helps preserve ancient salad dressing.

I don't know that it would add a good flavor to this salad I found from 101 Cookbooks, but there's a fair amount of garlic in it for those of us who enjoy the Italian herbs / spices. The recipe calls for tofu, but if you do put it in be sure to cook it in something before adding it, otherwise it tastes somewhat like a damp cotton cloth. (Trust me on this one). Next time there will most likely be another veggie substituted for the tofu instead, perhaps something of the pepper family. Now that I look at the photo of the recipe, perhaps some red cabbage would do the trick - a little crunch with a light flavor. Perhaps bok choy would be another good alternative.

I need to rescind that recipe recommendation. After eating the leftovers, I got to experience a nasty stomach sensation. DUD.

Woah now

2008-06-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Stumbling upon this gadget guide for various ages of children, I realized just how much technology has infiltrated our culture.

I understand that children need to become familiar with technology. Back in the late 80's, when PCs were coming into home use, my dad went out and bought one. The monitor displayed in one shade of light gray blue, and multiple shadings indicated different colors when one was playing games. The printer was dot matrix and screamed like a banshee when spitting out documents. Gradually our household computer evolved from this simple arrangement to 3.25" floppies and ultimately a CD-ROM drive. After that it was better processors, more RAM. I tell this story because I do recognize that having this computer around was important, as my younger brother and I were beginning to use computers at school and increasingly for our schoolwork.

However, I don't think that 6 or 7 year olds should be playing video games. This is probably a product of my upbringing, but I remember being encouraged to read and play outside when the weather permitted when I was that age. Being a child is so important, and play is where children learn to share and make friends. I remember hanging out with the neighborhood kids and running around the block on our bicycles, then swimming at whoever had a pool.
When I talk to friends I've met at college and back in high school, their childhood memories involve being outdoors, active, making friends, going to the beach... not sitting in front of a TV or computer.

That being said, I do own an average amount of technology for an American my age. Desktop and laptop computers, a cell phone, a printer / scanner, and a television with cable are the main components of that for me. But, I have learned that their use must be limited. This must also be the case with children - they need to learn that technology is a tool or a means to an end, but not life itself.

Alphabet

2008-06-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

Deanna tagged me on this a few weeks ago, so I am obliging late:

A: Anxious at times
B: Brother, a great companion
C: Cook a lot and experiment there
D: Daily prayer
E: Engineer
F: Friends that are wonderful
G: Grateful for this day
H: Have a plan for my career now :)
I: Indecisive, sometimes
J: Jump into waves with my boogie board
K: Knowledgeable
L: Loved
M: MonBon
N: Named for a good role model (Monica of Hippo)
O: Overachiever, for better or worse
P: Parents who rock
Q: Quiet mostly
R: Raise the roof on occasion
S: Swing dancer
T: Thankful for all my blessings
U: Understanding
V: Voter
W: Want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike...
X: eXuberant
Y: Yoga lover
Z: Zulaikha, when I am at a Renaissance reenactment

Want to be famous?

2008-06-18T08:55:00.001-07:00

Follow these steps.

Return Soon

2008-06-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile - with graduations and wedding anniversary celebrations there's not much blogging time. I'll return soon, though.

21 May

2008-05-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Mr. T!

Whales

2008-05-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Whales have always fascinated me, particularly humpback whales. They are so huge yet move through the ocean with grace. A fond memory I have of a visit to Cape Cod is going on a whale watch and seeing a few of them splashing around in the north Atlantic. Granted, you can see a whale at Sea World or a similar theme park, but there's nothing quite like seeing a several-ton animal thrash about in the open ocean. I remember wondering at the time of the whale watch if it's fun for them...building up speed, shooting up past the surface, then coming down into the water and making a magnificent splash.

Interestingly, the nubbings on their fins have inspired an engineer to build a better blade. These new blades can get up to 20% more power out of the wind, according to the article. It'll be interesting to see how these blades impact the green energy movement, since their design contradicts the earlier theory that smooth blades are best.

Rihanna vs. Madonna

2008-05-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

Oh, How about a round of applause, Yeah
A standing ovation
Oooooo, Yeah
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

You look so dumb right now
Standing outside my house
Trying to apologize
You’re so ugly when you cry
Please, just cut it out

[Chorus]
Don’t tell me you’re sorry cuz you’re not
Baby when I know you’re only sorry you got caught
But you put on quite a show
You really had me going
But now it’s time to go
Curtain’s finally closing
That was quite a show
Very entertaining
But it’s over now (But it’s over now)
Go on and take a bow

Grab your clothes and get gone (get gone)
You better hurry up
Before the sprinklers come on (come on)
Talkin’ bout'
Girl, I love you, you’re the one
This just looks like a re-run
Please, what else is on (on)

[Chorus]
And don't tell me you’re sorry cuz you’re not
Baby when I know you’re only sorry you got caught
But you put on quite a show
You really had me going
But now it’s time to go
Curtain’s finally closing
That was quite a show
Very entertaining
But it’s over now (But it’s over now)
Go on and take a bow

[Bridge]
Oh, And the award for
The best lie goes to you (goes to you)
For making me believe (that you)
That you could be faithful to me
Let's hear your speech, Out

How about a round of applause
A standing ovation

But you put on quite a show
Really had me going
Now it’s time to go
Curtain’s finally closing
That was quite a show
Very entertaining
But it’s over now (But it’s over now)
Go on and take a bow
But it’s over now

Sorry Rihanna, you can't beat the Queen:

Take a bow, the night is over
This masquerade is getting older
Light are low, the curtains down
There's no one here
[There's no one here, there's no one in the crowd]
Say your lines but do you feel them
Do you mean what you say when there's no one around [no one around]
Watching you, watching me, one lonely star
[One lonely star you don't know who you are]

Chorus:

I've always been in love with you [always with you]
I guess you've always known it's true [you know it's true]
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye

Say good-bye [bye bye], say good-bye

Make them laugh, it comes so easy
When you get to the part
Where you're breaking my heart [breaking my heart]
Hide behind your smile, all the world loves a clown
[Just make 'em smile the whole world loves a clown]
Wish you well, I cannot stay
You deserve an award for the role that you played [role that you played]
No more masquerade, you're one lonely star
[One lonely star and you don't know who you are]

(chorus, repeat)

Say good-bye [bye bye], say good-bye

All the world is a stage [world is a stage]
And everyone has their part [has their part]
But how was I to know which way the story'd go
How was I to know you'd break
[You'd break, you'd break, you'd break]
You'd break my heart

I've always been in love with you
[I've always been in love with you]
Guess you've always known
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye

(chorus)

Say good-bye [bye bye], say good-bye
Say good-bye

Sometimes, you can't outdo the classics. Does anyone do anything original these days?