I cant do work w/o my design group

hi all!

So I figured I would follow in Jasons footsteps and give a little update post, which everyone else should do!  So anywayyyy, me and Carly and Derrick all got back from SA, which was really awesome and you should all check out our pics on facebook.  

so since i got back, i have officially moved to washington.  i have a 2 bedroom apartment (all alone!) in the center of downtown bellingham, which is exactly where i wanted to live.  I got all my furniture and set everything up and even got cable and internet yesterday!  it is totally a big kid apartment.  It is also right across the street from the farmers market!  and really close to canada/vancouver, which is sweet.

I also started work this past monday, and it has been interesting.  I got assigned a few units; sulfur recovery, amine regeneration, and waste water strippers.  Apparently the sulfur recovery unit smells really bad, like rotten eggs.  And it looks like someone puked sulfur all over them, its crazy.  and everything is so big, like when we did design on that shit, i never really thought about how big it all was, but its really cool!

In terms of work, i like, havent done anything productive.  I have no idea what is going on, and my boss "doesnt like dealing with people" so he hasnt really spoken to me yet.  but everyone else in the office has been real friendly and helpful.  Ive already used PFDs, plot plans, and P&I Ds.  We also talked about crack spreads (coker dist groups!) in our morning meeting this morning.  So i ordered my jumpsuits and jackets and stuff with my name on, and i already got my hard hat, H2S leak detector, safety glasses and steel toed shoes.  i feel like a little kid pretending that im an adult or something.  Well im getting to distracted to write anymore.  i hope you are all doing wonderfully and come to washington, youll love it!

missing you all,

Jaime

Under the seaweed it's always greener...

Greetings Fellow ChemEs,

As the group elder, I feel it is only right that I relay all that has happened to me on the cusp of my 22nd and 23rd years of life.

As I prepared to leave for a voyage of 10 days and 9 nights beginning at port in the Earthly bound tourist trap, Atlantis, my ACS superior informed me that I shall be working in West Point, PA at Merck. (This will only occur if an interview scheduled for this Wednesday goes well.) Leaving for the Bahamas with that knowledge, I could finally enjoy myself.


After three days, my family rendezvoused with the other travelers at the catamaran which assumes the name "Aqua Cat". The voyage was an attempted replacement of a trip made many times before on a vessel whose birth was Ft. Lauderdale and whose destination was Bimini. There, we had many encounters with cetaceans more commonly known as spotted dolphins. However, upon reaching the ship, we were informed that dolphins were rare in these parts of the Caribbean. Alas, this trip had transfigured itself into a snorkel and beach adventure, with a little SCUBA.

The following are some of the encounters that I had:

- Thunderball Cave: A grotto formed from limestone was the filming location of one of Sean Connery's better Bond Films: Thunderball. The grotto formed by a reaction we may be familiar with: limestone + H2O --> Carbonic Acid + calcium (aq)

- A cocaine smuggling plane wreck belonging to Pablo Escobar: As seen in the movie Blow, Escobar was at one time responsible for a significant portion of the cocaine in the US. This plane crashed due to being too heavy. An interesting fact is that the plane would have a twin with identical markings take off from Miami and cross paths. When the plane full of drugs landed, no one questioned its contents, as it had just taken off from Miami and couldn't have possibly traveled to and from the islands.


- Reef Shark feeding (Called Golden Grotto Sharks in Thunderball): While SCUBA diving, I was able to watch these sharks attack a chum ball. While the sharks are aggressive, their mouths are sized for small fish, so as long as you keep your fingers by your side, you need not worry.

- Remoras: While drift snorkeling through a reef with the occasional nurse sharks and barracudas, I found these ever ready scavengers checking out the bigger fish in case they have any extra food floating around. The fish actually swims upside down, to be able to attach to the bottom of the bigger creatures (though the turtles are not too keen to have hitchhikers).


- Southern Atlantic Stingray: This bottom feeder can kill if his poisonous barb sticks you in the wrong place.


- Swimming Pigs: More like wading pigs, the reason why they were on a island is still uncertain to me, but the creatures were wild enough to scare those watching and tame enough to eat food we brought for them.

- Bahamian Iguanas: More feeding of animals, this time a reptile with claws.

- Bananaquits (small yellow and black bird) : Feeding sugar to these little finch-sized birds from the palm of my hand...just amazing. The only feeding this trip that didn't scare people.

- Sand Dollars: Below you will see the dead skeleton of this urchin-like creature surrounded by its furry living counterparts


- Sponges: I just really liked this photo. I call it: "Sponges on Death Bed"...the simplest of animals, yet such amazing structures. (This is not photoshopped.)


Well, tomorrow I begin planning my moving in and the next step in life. It makes me sad to think that most of you have already started. Why can't we have a 5th year in ChemE called "all the time we would've had, but didn't because of our major" (maybe a little shorter name would be better).

Until my next entry, I bid thee adieu.

Humbly yours,
J. Bro