In Conclusion

Remember the challenge I posted earlier? Well, I managed to convince 19 other people to sign up! Woohoo! I learned that it is hard to convince people to sign up for something that will make them work, and even harder to get them to actually do it. Maybe if I made it a group effort there'd be accountability... I can't bare the thought of leading 19+ people on a hike or a run... Then there are the people who, when set loose, make you run for your money.

At the end of it all, (it's arguably still going on) I set my personal goals nearly perfectly. I was rather impressed; they were seemingly lofty at times, but I pulled it off. And as a result, I shaved about 1:30/mile off of a race time this year. I beat my Lost Lake time by 26 minutes! (All because I have never hiked so much trying to keep up with some of the people on this challenge...)

Half of me is feeling so lazy right now that I really don't want to have to do this next summer, but I think I'll be on the ENSTAR Lost Lake team for the duration of my employment.

Speaking of employment...

I'm so excited to be a priority member of Era Airlines!! I get to board first! On a 30 minute flight. With 19 seats. But I gain flight points faster now!! To fly wherever they do! In Alaska. Mostly on the west coast. yay... I can fly to Bethel, Cordova, Kodiak...

Actually, the last two might be potential options for fishing.

"I don't know how you can do it; going to the same place and doing the same thing everyday?" (someone's remark about my job)

"After nearly 10 years consulting, take my word, this side of the equation is much nicer, it's never the same" (my boss' summary of my job)

I tend to lean towards my boss, (maybe that will get me a raise...) especially considering that I only go to the same place 3 or 4 times a week, and hardly ever do the same thing. Last week, I reported twice to 2 locations, at odd hours, and had monumental challenges to solve. It's really inconvenient when valves don't seal and you're needing the gas shut off...

But, ooo! I saw an awesome physical property. *Rule of thumb: for every 17psi change in pressure of natural gas, there is a 1F degree change in the temperature* If you raise pressure, temperature goes up, and vice versa. So, when you open up a valve with a 560psi pressure differential across it, and the ground temperature is already about 38F, you get a lot of ice.

Then! Throttle back the valve so there is less gas moving through it, and what was iced now thaws. But only where the gas isn't flowing.

What you see below is frost from the cold gas, and what happens when gas goes through a 90 degree bend: it swirls.

Steel Candy Cane

Yeah... I don't see this everyday...

Better than a Good Day at the Office

I often feel remorse for not keeping up on posting, but then I think about how much more important tasks you have and convince myself not to post. To take one for the team. To spare you from the temptation of reading about my life. Know, that it is all for you, loyal readers, that I do not post!

There's the saying: A bad day (insert what you'd rather be doing) is better than a good day at the office.

If you believe that, I believe you need a new job. Maybe make whatever it is you'd rather be doing and make it a job.

In my mediocre life, I just spent a day fishing. We limited out on nearly everything. We caught fish, feasted, caught more fish, drank beer, (you didn't read that, mom) caught more fish... When we limited out, we played catch and release. We fished until the boat cooler was full. Now that you have the idea, note that it's a Wednesday, and both my bosses are with me. It was another day at the office.

All that to say, a good day fishing, on par with a bad day at the office. Sure this is a lot of fun, but if I'm having a bad day at work, it's because I'm being pushed to the max. My superiors all like teaching by school of hard knocks or trial by fire. (Fired scares me in my line of work, btw) But! (there's always a but) It's never more than I can handle. They always tell me "you're young, what are you worried about?" (And great job!) remember, the only way you'll grow is through pushing and stretching.

Plus, I believe that bad days are a mindset. If you think you're going to have a bad day, you're going to have one.

Furthermore, what you choose as a career path, should be what you're passionate about. I met a kid struggling through engineering school. When asked why he chose engineering, his response was "there's no money in a astrophysics degree". Why do that to yourself? I prefer to think there's a job out there, that you could work for 40 years, retire, and be perfectly happy the whole time.

Not sure how I got to this here, but (there's the but again) there's my opinion for what it's worth.

Yeah, I love my job. Everyday is a good day, and right now, there's nothing I'd rather be doing.