L minus 7

Well...7 days remain before Endeavour lifts off from Kennedy Space Center on an 11 day mission to the International Space Station. Chances are that this will turn into a 14 day mission. The ISS will provide power to the shuttle which will allow the shuttle to stay a few extra days. So, we're all preparing for the long haul. Shuttle missions are exhausting; more so for those that have to sleep shift. My shift is essentially the "rockstar" shift. I'll try to do what i did the last mission i worked and give you a day by day account of the activities.

Over the past couple of days, i've knocked out a lot of work that i had on my list of things to do. Most of the hard work is done and now it is just doing some polishing. I'm just hoping that we launch on time...otherwise a lot of work gets to be done all over again...that's probably the most frustrating thing about planning a flight...along with flight rules. I HATE flight rules...

In other news, Morgan Ensberg was traded to the San Diego Padres today. I like San Diego...so i'm satisfied with where he ended up. He's back home in california, so i'm sure he'll be happy there. Good Luck Morgan. Interestingly enough, San Diego is the only other Major League stadium that i've been in. I watched the Astros play the Padres back in 98. Astros won that game! San Diego is an awesome town...

The Loss of Two

Houston loses two.

1) Marvin Zindler. If you've been in the Houston area for any amount of time, you've undoubtedly heard the famed line, "Slime in the ice machine." Marvin Zindler has been a iconic figure in the Houston area for longer than i can remember. My parents always watched Channel 13 Eyewitness News (simply cause we never had cable and channel 13 always came in the best.) I don't watch channel 13 news any more, but that does bring me back to my childhood years. Wikipedia has a page on Marvin. Yes, you've made it when you have your own Wikipedia page.

2) The Astros let 3rd baseman Morgan Ensberg go. In the baseball business, it is not uncommon that players move from organization to organization throughout their career. Craig Biggio is a rare case...spending his entire career with the Astros. Morgan has been slumping this season and wasn't getting much playing time. I'm not totally surprised, but it saddening. Morgan is/was one of my favorite Astros players. I'm sure i will follow his progress to which ever team picks him up. Here's Morgan's wikipedia page.

Only As Good As Your Tools

Just as i suspected the right tools make the difference. I went out and bought a proper soldering iron and within 1 minute of having it i had already 2 solders done. What a difference the right tools make. I knew it couldn't be all me. The biggest hurdle i came across was how to do the final wiring. I studied the components and the wiring and i think i wired the beast correctly. I did a check of the pickups and they seem to work like i want them to. I'll give them a full test when we get together for a full band jam. The new pickups seem to be better than the old ones. I might have to do some body work on the guitar though. One of the pickups just isn't sitting quite right...the existing wiring is interfering in the way that it sits. I don't know if it is affecting the sound or not...but maybe i'll fix that next time i change the strings.

I did manage to burn my pinky...luckily it was on the warm up...so the iron wasn't that hot. And that was the only issue today. So, the guitar is back together and the strings are on it...it's been polished and is ready to perform. Perhaps after a few weeks of use, i'll pull the plate off the back and inspect the solder joints to see how they're holding up.

Crappy Tools Make Crappy Results

Ok, i've had it. I've been trying to do some soldering on the guitar today. I've decided that it isn't necessarily my poor soldering skills, but rather the tool i'm using to do it with. Several years ago, i bought one of those Cold Heat (don't buy this product) soldering irons. It appealed to me because it was relatively small, battery operated and cooled down in seconds. I bought with the intent of doing my own guitar upgrades...fast forward a few years and i finally got around to using it. Let's just say that i hope i didn't damage any of the wires as i was trying to use the crappy thing.

Tomorrow, i go out and buy a proper soldering iron. Although, i'm not too fond of those things...*beware childhood flashback* Back in my pyromaniac days i would go in my dad's storage building and get out his soldering iron and melt tin wire into spectacular blobs of splashed metal. I was intrigued by the molten mass and how quickly it solidified... That was pretty fun...right up until i caught a molten blob of tin between my toes. I'm surprised i don't have a scar from that. I'm surprised that dripping molten metal between the toes isn't a practiced torture technique.

Well, enough of that. This morning i went into work to get some planning work done. I did quite a bit today and was satisfied with the results. I still have a lot of work to do, but some of the painful stuff is done. Next week, i'll get the rest of my team to help me out...then it's time to fly!

Will i be rockin' with my newly upgraded guitar? Tune in to find out... (i sure hope so...i'm excited to hear what she'll be able to do. Love-hate will really rock then...

Patience Fades...

It turns out that i don't make a very good guitar tech. I bought some new pickups for the black guitar and decided that i'd try to install them myself. Well, something i picked up from my dad, i took the thing apart without taking a close look at how it goes together. I didn't take very good notes, so there are a there are a few wilres that i'm not sure which set of knobs it goes to. Nothing terrible will happen if i get the wires mixed up...the switch will just work backwards. But that's not the big issue. I'm losing my patience with all the soldering that i need to do. Perhaps i don't have the equipment. i've only managed to get a few solders done...part of it is i don't have enough hands to make it work...and i'm working in a confined place. Well, i lost my patience...so i'm giving up for the night. Tomorrow, i've got some spaceflight work to do...then i'll try to complete the guitar upgrade project.

Hopefully, i can give you a good report on the progress of the guitar upgrade tomorrow.
I'll recharge my patience...

Definition of Cute

If this isn't cute, i'm not sure what is...My Godson bustin' a move. The kid has more moves than i do...I'm told that those are all his moves and he went on 3 songs straight before tiring. Definitely brought a smile to my face.

Such a ham...

I think i'm going to upgrade the all black guitar this weekend. She's got a great sound already, but i think there is room for improvement. Love-hate should sound much better with new pickups. Following my flight, i'm going to start devoting more time to Finding Reason. We need just a few more songs and then we'd be ready to perhaps be an opening band or perform short sets. I might also start buying some painting supplies for the cosmetic makeover for the studio.

Get yer groove on...

Death Kitty

Ok, this is one cat that i definitely would not want near me. Death Kitty.

Man, i'm tired. It's been a long week...and there are still two days left of the week. Less than 13 days away from the mission...so much to do. The good news is that i'm "proficient" now. It's really a relative term, but i'm supposedly proficient at my job now. Another 18 months shall pass before i have to go through that again.

The rains return...

Another Astros ADCO Aggregate

Sorry, i can't resist the urge to use alliteration (technically alliteration is the repetitive use of consonant sounds...i digress). Anyway, tonight was 'ADCO' day at the ballpark. It so happens that it was also NASA night at Minute Maid. The crew of STS-120/10A (the mission after mine) threw out the first pitch.

Today, Craig Biggio announced his retirement following this season. I think we all knew that it was coming. He's headed for the Hall of Fame so there isn't much use in using up the body to achieve something that is already inevitable.

The crowd gave a standing ovation to Biggio as he stepped to the plate for the first at bat. And to treat the crowd, Biggio hit a grand slam to put the Astros in the lead for the rest of the game. Astros beat the Dodgers, 7-4.

There were lots of cameras flashing around, so i'm sure you'll see some pictures from the night on some of the other ADCO blogs.

It was a pretty entertaining night...and with that i'm calling it a night...

Expedition 14 Crew Debrief

Tonight was the Expedition 14 Crew debrief at Space Center Houston. LA and Suni treated the nearly packed crowd to some of their thoughts on their 7 month stay onboard the ISS. We saw some neat video footage (some that i had never seen before). It seems like so long ago that i was the Increment Lead...my increment ended in April. Those were certainly some good times.

Following the Space Center Houston debrief, some of us ended up at Boondoggles for a late evening treat. After signing autographs, LA joined us at Boondoggles. Suni was doing some family related things and couldn't make it. I'm sure there will be other opportunities to do that.

Finding Reason...let's see, haven't talked much about that lately. We're much too busy right now. I have a some ideas rolling around in my head, i just need to find time to do something about that...i don't expect any of that until after my flight. Just know that we are still working on things and are making progress. It's slow, but it will be sweet.

Over already?

Why do the weekends seem to be so short? Work starts up again tomorrow. Actually, i've been doing a little work over the weekend. The good news is if everything goes on time, i'll be relaxing a month from now. There may be some residual clean up work to attend to, but the majority of the work will be done.

I've got a case of "new-car-itis". I don't know if i can wait till the december time frame for a new vehicle. Actually, i'll probably have to wait till the new year, since i'll be in Moscow in December. Hopefully i won't have to get on a waiting list. I don't know if i have enough patience for that. My patience is being tested as it is.

I was able to get the backyard mowed today before the rains came. I was also able to grill up some hamburgers. Then the rains came. I think there may be some respite from the rains for the next few days. That just means it's going to get hot!

Hope you enjoyed your short weekend!? Have a good week!

Thirty Eight Years

This is what the moon looked like 38 years ago on July 21, 1969, the day man first walked on the moon! The weather cooperated with us today and gave us the opportunity to view the moon. The above picture was hand-held. I was too lazy to pull out the tripod. So, according to the metonic cycle of the moon, this is what it looked like 38 years ago. Do you remember what it looked like? Only three men know what the earth looked like on this night...as they looked out and saw the earth. What a sight that must've been!?

I hope to be a part of the next group of engineers/flight controllers that help put man back on the moon.

In the words of Sinatra, "Fly me to the moon..."

Clay Anderson's Quotes from Space

Not quite "Jack Handy's Deep Thoughts" but probably more entertaining. Clay Anderson is the American astronaut on board the ISS as apart of Expedition 15. I mentioned Clay last year in one of my posts. Clay was a backup crew member for Expedition 14. Anyway...Clay is a unique individual that has a special way of putting things.

My favorite quote for today was: "Are you having more fun than a bow-legged possum in a slick ditch?"

I'm not really sure what that means...

Metonic Cycle

I learned something new today. I thought it was neat, so i'm passing it along to you. The moon has a metonic cycle. The metonic cycle repeats every 19 years. (This was the first link that came up on a Google search) Thirty eight years ago (tomorrow) man landed on the moon for the first time. 19 X 2 = 38. So, tomorrow, if you are blessed with good weather, you will be able to see the moon as it appeared on July 21, 1969. The moon will be in the same phase and same location in the sky as it was on the day that man landed on the moon. If you were lucky to be around during that exciting time and you remember what the moon looked like on that day...you'll get to see it again.

Pretty interesting stuff! Unfortunately, i don't think i'll see the moon tomorrow...the weather will prevent that. Guess i'll have to wait another 19 years.

The Rain Continues

Things aren't quite as hot, but the humidity is killer. The air was so saturated yesterday that i could wring out some water droplets from the piece of paper i carried from one building to another. The same has been occurring on a daily basis for quite some time now. When do i find the time to mow my lawn? I don't. The yard is getting quite tall. The forecast doesn't look too great for the next week or so. Rain, rain, and more rain. Seattle called...it wants its weather back.

Now, the rain, while gloomy, is keeping the temps down a bit. And my electricity bill appreciates that.

Well, i've got an early day tomorrow...console calls. I hope to relax tomorrow after putting in my 50+ hours. Then it's back to more reading. Seventeen days left before we launch. I'm making good progress on my planning, but there is much to finish.

I'm starting to look forward to the end of the mission. Then i can relax ... A LOT. I've got some shoes to buy! And a brother and sister-in-law to visit! Perhaps an old buddy to visit near Tahoe. Guess we'll see how things go in a month.

Hey...Thanks!

I just wanted to say thanks to all my blog readers out there across the land. I try to entertain you with my words...my words of wisdom, my words of wonder, and my words of candor. Ok, i bore you now.

But thanks again to all...all those in California, Texas, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, North Carolina, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, and the many other states that i may have forgotten. If i forgot your state, please let me know! And i can't forget the those that visit the site from Colombia and Russia and Czech Republic.

Keep on visiting and enjoy the blogs.

New Rule

I am uber-busy at work. I preparing for not one flight, but two flights. My lead flight is going to launch here in around 19 days. The next flight, Melissa's lead flight, is taking up some of my time with simulations. I really don't have the time to devote to the Melissa's flight, so there will be a cram session following my flight.

Today was a good day in terms of getting a lot of work done. And I got a lot of work done. There is still much work to be done, but i feel accomplished on what i did today. Tomorrow will bring another day of hard work on my flight. But i will be that much closer to feeling like i am ready to fly.

So, the new rule is...if you are the lead on a flight, you get the next flight off. Ok, it not that easy...but it would be nice.

Sanity Check

You know, there are times when you should just stop what you are doing and get a sanity check. Today was one of those days for me. Gremlins were at work on the ISS and showed me something i didn't quite understand. Since this was my first shift flying the station with the new software on board, i thought it was surely something that i had missed in my studying. So, it was time for a sanity check. A few calls back to the office and i was relieved to know it wasn't something that i had missed. My thinking was logical and i wasn't exhibiting my we-todd-ed-ness. Well, we still don't know exactly what happened but it definitely is a head-scratcher.

So, from time to time, a sanity check is a good thing.
Are you sane?

Thanks

Mom and Dad came for a visit today. Thanks for everything.

Well, i'm turnin' in early tonight...i've got to be up early tomorrow.
Hope you had a good weekend!?

No Work today...except Studio Work

I took the day off today...a day off from doing work work. It was nice to not think about that for one day. Finding Reason hit the practice studio today to do some practice. We are thinking about putting a fourth song into the practice rotation. Our three songs (Delusion, Devils, and Love-Hate) are coming along nicely. I don't think i'd be that embarrassed to play Devils in public. I'm starting to get really comfortable with it.
I put the home studio to work today too. I pulled up devils on the computer and muted my guitar parts and then played with the rest of the "band". I need to tweak the mix though...there are some volume mismatches. That's probably one of the hard parts of getting the studio up and running...getting the right mix. I think to help keep the consistency up in the studio, i'm going to buy some new cables so that i have the best signal to the interface from the effects board and from the guitar to the effects board.
I have a few ideas floating in my head for new material...i just need to find the time to dial in the right sound and turn the cloud of unorganized thoughts into something audible and enjoyable. Most of the ideas will be influenced by the new pumpkins album. I just wish that i had the talent to make those ideas flow from my brain to my fingers...
Finding Reason is making progress...hopefully it won't be too much longer.

The End to a Long Week...

After a long week of work, unwinding at the local watering hole was in store. Lisa, Cory, and I went to Boondoggles to celebrate the 100 day in space for the current ISS crew...Oleg and Fyodor. we were later joined by Tarik and Josh...and we ran into a long lost friend/former co-worker, Mr. Aaron Bulter. Aaron lives in Germany now and works for the European Space Agency. He flew in for the weekend to take care of some business. But it was good to see him. It must be three years since he left the ADCO group. A good time was had by all!! We should do that again sometime!

Somebody Stop Me...

I left work today with just over 50 hours for the week. I think i might be working too much? hehe. With less than 26 days to go, there is no time to waste. The good news is i have accomplished quite a bit over the last 50 hours worth of work. More good news is that several questions that i've been waiting on have been answered and negotiations complete. I can now finish what was otherwise unfinishable work. By early next week, i should have several more items checked off of my to-do list.

yes, i plan on going to work tomorrow...but i plan on taking the evening off for some relaxation. Will you be relaxing with me?

Horelica House of Music #19

Certainly, you saw this coming? So here it is...the 19th installment of Horelica House of Music. The awesome Smashing Pumpkins are back...well, 50% of them anyway. The main ingredient in the same...Billy Corgan. Jimmy Chamberlin rounds out the other pumpkin. It wasn't until today that i was able to listen to the whole album. I've been so busy the last few days that i just didn't have enough time to listen to the whole album in one sitting.

Zeitgeist is the new album. Zeitgeist translated is Spirit of the time. So, sometimes what are my thoughts on the new music? Well, it's not too bad. Pretty good in fact. I will say that there aren't really any songs that absolutely blow you away. But there is the potential to get that lick stuck in your head...not sure if that's a good thing or not, but i tend to think it's a good thing. The music is a bit vintage pumpkins mixed with some of the Zwan era music. You probably don't know Zwan unless you followed Billy Corgan after the pumpkins broke up in 2000. I did hear hints of Pink Floyd and David Bowie in there...perhaps that's why i like it. The only thing i didn't like about the album is Paris Hilton makes an appearance in the liner notes...ick. Anyway...i'm sure if you're a fan of the pumpkins you'll want to pick up the album. I think some of the older pumpkins is still better, but Zeitgeist has that good pumpkins feel.



The next band is a band that i picked up on watching the Tube Music Network. That particular song located on the album below has a catchy tune. So, while i was out picking up the new pumpkins album, i picked this album up. And with the name "the Fratellis" how could i not like the band. You see, the Fratellis are from that awesome 80s movie, The Goonies! Hope you enjoy. Goonies never say die!

It's Gonna Be...

...one of those weeks! It was only an hour ago that i got home from work. I suspect that i won't even get home until 9pm or so every night this week. Twelve hour days are going to get old fast. I sure hope that i can get some work done amongst all the meetings and such. I'm not getting anywhere with my proficiency. Looks like there is gonna be some more weekend work.

On a good note, the pumpkins album comes out tomorrow. Need to find some time to run out and get the CD. I could order it on iTunes, but i'd rather have the whole package with this band -- one of my favorites.

If you don't hear from me, i'm not trying to ignore you...i'm just busy. Believe me, i'm thinkin' about you...

...let the tiredness commence...

Too Hot

Today it was another day of doing work related things. I had to miss rockstar practice to get my work done. I did some flight planning today. A couple hours in the office and it was time to leave. Leave, to only come home to mow the backyard. Wow, it was HOT today. I haven't sweated that much since my sophomore year in high school during two-a-days in August. Man...that was crazy hot. The backyard was still sopping wet, which made mowing all the more fun.

I decided that i was done with work related things for the day and just kicked back on the couch and watched some TV.

Tomorrow starts another long week of planning and training and more planning.

You Deserve...

...a few pictures of me. Since it's been a while since some of you have seen me, i figured I'd give you a few pictures of my current look. Silly me...


The Serious


The Cheesy (per request, aka, The Psycho)


The Just Me

And yes...those are idle guitars over my shoulder...

Not Completely Sold

So, i'm not completely sold on the whole global warming idea. Who is to say what the temperature of our planet should be? With that being said, i do believe that we can start being less wasteful. I'm sitting here watching the Live Earth broadcast...hoping to catch a glimpse of the smashing pumpkins. I have yet to see the pumpkins, but i did get to see Roger Waters formerly of Pink Floyd. His voice has left him...but still neat to see the guy perform. Anyway...Live Earth is giving viewers great ways to waste less. I won't go into those details...you can check them out here: Live Earth.

However, i'm a bit annoyed at the way they organized some of this (thank you Al Gore). They go on an on about not wasting and cut back here and there, yet they have hundreds of tires painted different colors to make a map of the world...they are using this as a backdrop. There is also another backdrop made of painted plastic bottles. That seems wasteful to me. Now, i'm sure that all those recyclable materials will be recycled appropriately...but the question i have is: were those tires pulled out of ditches or did they come from the factory? The same with the water bottles? It just seems oxymoronic to me. Hey, is oxymoronic a real word? i like it!

Here's something else that bugs me...no one ever mentions smokers. Stop smoking and polluting my air. it's always about cars, light bulbs, one less sheet of toilet paper, etc. Imagine if all the millions of smokers stopped putting poison in the air...?? I'd prefer that to almost anything else right now.

Anyway...i'm not completely sold on global warming...but try to waste a little less. You'll save some money and feel good about it too...

07-07-07

Today is considered a lucky day by some. 07-07-07. I guess we'll see how it turns out. But for now, it's not so lucky for me. You see, i'm not watching saturday morning cartoons this morning. I am actually doing work related stuff. I've mentioned how timing and me just can't see eye to eye. Well, here's another instance of impeccable timing. My proficiency is due by the end of the month. Every 18 months, all certified flight controllers have to go through their proficiency to maintain their certified status. Doing your proficiency means doing A LOT of reading. Basically going back and re-reading nearly EVERYTHING. It usually takes a full week's worth of work to get done, if not more. I can't spare a week's worth of time to do this with 13A.1 looming in the near future - 30 days away in fact. So, i have to use any available time to get this done. I know, it's a sad existence. But hopefully this sad existence will come to a close by the end of August. I will still be busy, but just not as much as i am right now.

Well, it's back to reading...
Have a lucky 07-07-07!

A Few Tidbits...

1) Today was my work anniversary. I've been employed with the space program and Barrios Technology for 7 years now. Starting to feel old again... It's been a great 7 years in the work force. I've accomplished a lot and there are more accomplishments to come. It's great to have one of the most unique jobs in the world.

2) Last night was the "traditional" celebration of the 4th of July. Tradition was broken this year since Rob, Melissa, and Luke are out of town. Traditionally (starting in 2001) we have held the 4th of July celebrations at the Green residence. The Parris' graciously decided to host this years celebration. I will say that the Greens missed out on great time. I'm still paying for last night's fun... Here's a picture of the group... Ahhh...good times.

3) Excitement builds. The new Smashing Pumpkins' album Zeitgeist will hit stores on Tuesday (7/10/07). This is the first new material since 2000. Seven years is a long time to wait for new material...but it is sure to be awesome. The first single is great...vintage pumpkins with a mix of Zwan.

4) I think there was something else i was going to say, but i haven't the slightest idea what it was...My mind is full of a lot of things...wouldn't you like to know what's in there?

Happy Birthday Brandon!

Today, my little brother (well, he's not little anymore) turned another year older. Happy Birthday Brandon. Hope it was a good one? Hope you didn't have to work today? Anyway, i hope you had a good time with whatever you did today. Hope to see you soon. Love ya bro!

L-36

Thirty six days remain before my flight. A lot of forward progress was made at work today. I just put the iPod on and got into a pretty good rhythm. I didn't venture too far out of my office today...in fact, i don't plan on venturing too far out of the office at all this week. Too much work to be done. To get useful work done, i pretty much had to ignore my email today. So, if you sent me an email today and i didn't respond...i'm sorry. I hope it wasn't important.

I'm hoping to make a lot more progress tomorrow. I think i may have be able to catch up on one of my tasks. I still have many other tasks to tackle, but i'll feel much better once i get this thorn out of my side. Granted, i'll feel super good once the flight is over with a successful outcome.

Since i'm working the next 3 flights, i won't get a real reprieve until the new year. I'll be in Moscow in December...ooh so cold. Now, i hope that flight goes on time...it only gets colder in Russia in January/February.

All in a job...

The Sunday Buy

I bought my first accessory for the iPod today. I needed to find a way to play the iPod through the home stereo system. So, a quick trip to best buy and i picked up this guy: DLO Home Dock Deluxe. There are less expensive ways to do this, but i had a gift card to best buy. I also bought a 12GB flash drive, which is an easy way to transfer Finding Reason files from one studio to another. I was able to transfer 5GB of Finding Reason material from the laptop to the studio desktop. But i was too lazy to hook the studio equipment back up to make sure the files worked. Perhaps that will be a task for later this week?