"Pizza's Ongoing Life Thread"?

[AirDancer]

At least the company knows they have to cover your expenses ... not your fault the connecting flight was cancelled, stranding you in Chicago. And yes, most people prefer Midway. Usually, it's easier to arrive & depart on time.

Ah... to have the joy of working at the stadium...... you live a blessed life, my frirend

Good luck with the nuke plant in Michigan. Is it located anywhere near your former stomping grounds?

 

[Pizzaguy]

Thanks and well, yes. The plant is down in Berrien County near Indiana - I am from Hillsdale County only about 70 miles away. I'll be staying in Hillsdale over the weekend and will go see friends. I can keep the company rental car, not sure if they will pay my room for the weekend or not, since I will save them the cost of a round trip by staying up there.

My manager says they will pay for room, meals and rental car if I want to stay. And he's the one who approves of such things, so I guess that makes it official. (We always buy our tickets at the last minute, flight would cost $400 to $1000, so it would cost no more, maybe even less, if I stay the weekend versus flying home).

 

[AirDancer]

What a wonderful opportunity to be able to see friends while you're away from home ... quite the bonus, I'd say.

When will you have to return to Cleveland?

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Thanks and well, yes. The plant is down in Berrien County near Indiana - I am from Hillsdale County only about 70 miles away.

I graduated from Berrien Springs High School in '80. I lived in Baroda. The nuke plant is in Bridgeman straight west down Shawnee Road (?..it's been a long time) from where my folks lived . We moved to the area in my Freshman year of HS from just over the border in Indiana.

My mom used to work in the Ace Hardware there in Bridgeman. My dad was an engineer at Heath Company in St. Joseph. I used to work at Neuchterlein's Camera store in St. Joseph. And the Hardings market there in Baroda before that. These are my old stomping grounds! Oh boy, I miss the place.

 

[Pizzaguy]

What a wonderful opportunity to be able to see friends while you're away from home ... quite the bonus, I'd say.

When will you have to return to Cleveland?

Not sure. Probably two more trips up there this year, before the end of the year, but that's all I can say right now.

 

[Pizzaguy]

I graduated from Berrien Springs High School in '80. I lived in Baroda. The nuke plant is in Bridgeman straight west down Shawnee Road (?..it's been a long time) from where my folks lived . We moved to the area in my Freshman year of HS from just over the border in Indiana.

My mom used to work in the Ace Hardware there in Bridgeman. My dad was an engineer at Heath Company in St. Joseph. I used to work at Neuchterlein's Camera store in St. Joseph. And the Hardings market there in Baroda before that. These are my old stomping grounds! Oh boy, I miss the place.

Well, I've never been there but I HAVE been to Allegan, MI. And I built several HeathKits back in the 70's. (Oh, man, we are REALLY going back now...)

I'll be there for two weeks, starting, maybe, as soon as the week after next! And after that, I'll be back for as many as three or four more weeks by the end of the year.

I flew over the area at 31,000 feet (well, maybe not QUITE at that altitude since we would still be climbing at that point) on Tuesday as I flew from Midway to Cleveland.
It was SO COOL, as I flew along right over Coldwater, Quincy, Jonesville - all towns I grew up in. Once we got east of Jonesville, I could look out and see Jonesville, the old farm I grew up on, etc. I'd never flown over so high, I could see from home all the way past Jackson and Marshall. That is, I could see out the window about all four places I lived in 40 years at one glance. (Jonesville, Moscow, Litchfield and Jackson).

I'd flown over before, when taking lessons in the 80's, but that was only up to 4500 feet - you can't see four counties from that altitude, but you can from 31,000 feet.

 

[Pizzaguy]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, I'm gonna have some good videos now! Got my Olympus ME-15 microphone delivered a few days ago and just now made up a mono-to-stereo adapter and 20 foot cord for it.

Tried it out, and my camera likes it. I THINK I'm finally gonna have good audio in my vides... we'll see how good, maybe, tomorrow.

 

[Pizzaguy]

Did anyone else stay up for the Perseids????

Saw about two a minute - not the best I've seen, but totally worth staying up WAY too late!

 

[Classik]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, I'm gonna have some good videos now! Got my Olympus ME-15 microphone delivered a few days ago and just now made up a mono-to-stereo adapter and 20 foot cord for it. Tried it out, and my camera likes it. I THINK I'm finally gonna have good audio in my vides... we'll see how good, maybe, tomorrow.

I don't like mono to stereo things. I was advising my church to run absolute stereo for our new Musical inst.. They seem not to understand the difference between the two. I'm just a high-qaulity studio kind of person. I won't force them.

 

[Pizzaguy]

I don't like mono to stereo things. I was advising my church to run absolute stereo for our new Musical inst.. They seem not to understand the difference between the two. I'm just a high-qaulity studio kind of person. I won't force them.

I COULD get another mic and do stereo recordings, but what I'd probably do is put a mic near the rear tires/exhaust and the other mic inside to catch conversations - so it wouldn't be stereo, anyway.

The advantage to running the mic to both channels is that the impedances are all wrong by running the mic to two inputs - and this knocks the level down which, in the case of the Hero2 camera and the Olympus mic - is a good thing. It sounds better. In fact, I am considering adding a pad to knock it down even more.

 

[Pizzaguy]

And I have an 8AM appointment for psychological testing next Monday !!!

 

[Pizzaguy]

My job is getting interesting, I fly up next week for week one at the Nuclear plant. I guess I passed the background and credit checks today, because they emailed me the syllabus for next week and assigned some homework to be done online in the next three days to bring me up to speed.

On Monday, I start the journey to what THEY call "uncontrolled and unsupervised" access to the whole nuclear generating plant including to the reactor/plant control room (you know, like where Homer Simpson works).

Monday is psychological/drug/alcohol testing and safety training. Tuesday is "site indoctrination and dynamic learning".

 

[AirDancer]

Exciting days & news, PizzaGuy! Congrats!

Just don't eat any poppy-seed muffins this weekend ...
And if happen to see Homer.... I suggest you tell your boss that the plant is about to blow, and get home as quickly as you can !

 

[Pizzaguy]

Yea, the trip from last week was my first attempt at writing a trip report and showing the boss what I know and what I can do.

Ever since Monday, when I gave him my trip report - everything is different between us. I FINALLY impressed him and he even said so to my face - about an hour later, after telling me for three months that I could not handle it, he gave me the Nuke plant job. Period.

He told me today, "I know you don't 'get it', but you are gonna be flying back and forth up to that plant so much in the next year, you are gonna learn to sleep on the plane."

I also have the Cleveland project, but it's about 1/10th what this one will be. Both have to be done by the end of the year, but he says the nuke job will carry over for months... says nukes always do.

 

[AirDancer]

Sounds like solid job security .... and it also sounds like you might have to hire someone to go to your home once a week to dust ... doesn't sound like you'll be home all that much

 

[Pizzaguy]

I was gone three out of four weeks in March - but havent traveled much since till last week. NOW it looks like that "60% travel" in my offer letter will be an average - cause boss says it's going well over that for the rest of the year.

Fine with me, I like the travel and I like the job on the road. I also like eating out every meal and not paying for it myself! ;)

I did some praying about a month ago... things have so changed since then.

 

[Classik]

My job is getting interesting, I fly up next week for week one at the Nuclear plant. I guess I passed the background and credit checks today, because they emailed me the syllabus for next week and assigned some homework to be done online in the next three days to bring me up to speed. On Monday, I start the journey to what THEY call "uncontrolled and unsupervised" access to the whole nuclear generating plant including to the reactor/plant control room (you know, like where Homer Simpson works). Monday is psychological/drug/alcohol testing and safety training. Tuesday is "site indoctrination and dynamic learning".

And Wednessday is: Pizzzzza about ready to roll ;)

 

[Classik]

Sounds like solid job security .... and it also sounds like you might have to hire someone to go to your home once a week to dust ... doesn't sound like you'll be home all that much

That is very necessary....otherwise those mice would occupy his paradise

 

[reba]

Will he? wont he ? stayed tuned.... for new and exciting details....

 

[Pizzaguy]

Just spent the week at a nuke plant. Two days of training, testing and even a "lab" where we demonstrated our knowledge of how to work safely. I now have a badge and am officially cleared to enter the plant unescorted.

I saw stuff I have never seen before. Like a one GIGAWATT generator (actually walked right by two of them, both running 100% output). Oddly, the plant is HUGE, and it is all there to turn a generator that would fit in a three car garage! :

It is an amazing place. And it can power a CITY of 1.25 million people all by itself. (Or in this case, it can power a vast part of the state of Michigan). All with a plant that occupies what must be less than 50 acres. And no pollution except the heat it sends into the air.

Anyway...
I also saw (and am going to help replace) the most complicated distributed antenna radio system I have ever seen. And I'm doing it twice, since they have redundant radio systems - totally redundant. (If I say "redundant" enough, am I being redundant?)

The PM wants me to come come back on Monday, but my flight was tomorrow (saturday) so my manager told me I can stay all weekend. So............. In return for doing about five hours of work on my computer this weekend, I get three days in the town I grew up in at company expense! Meals, car rental, hotels, laundry, etc. - all covered. (My home town is about 65 miles from the plant.)

Best part is, the weather here is WONDERFUL.