1st the Worst, 2nd the Best, 3rd the Nerd the Thunderbird...

I don't know if this title truly fits my experience so far, but it's still a fun title. Yes, I have officially survived my 2nd week in Texas and will be commencing my 3rd week day after tomorrow. Overall, my 2nd week was considerably better than the 1st. It was nice to stay in the same area for once. I literally did not stay in the same place from May 19th to the 27th. A solid 9 days of being a pro-mad...Mom's new word that combines professional and nomad.

Anyway, here are some highlights from the week. Work is really starting to feel more comfortable. One thing that I really like about my job is that whenever you see someone, you shake their hand and greet them. I know it's small, but it is actually a great change of pace. At home many times if you don't know someone well enough to hug them, you go through a little awkward moment during introductions where you don't know if you should hug someone, shake their hand, or just smile. Here it's a little more defined. Shaking hands is as common as saying "hello" here. Kind of a cool thing.

I think the main reason I'm starting to feel more comfortable at work is that I've been able to spend more time in the field with my co-workers figuring out what is going on at the plant. Instead of just being told about distillation columns or cokers, now I can actually look up close at some of the mechanics of them and actually picture what's going on. Another big help has been spending time in our machine shop. Our machine shop does service on a large portion of our mechanical systems and the guys over there have been incredibly accomodating when it comes to explaining what is going on in a pump or compressor.

Since we all know that I'm a big fan of heavy machinery, I'd like to announce my top 3 favorite pieces of big equipment for the week.

1. First Place goes to the "Evil Sisters". These diesel engines are nearly 2 stories tall and look like an automotive engine on steroids. They are no longer in commission, but just imaging the power they can put out makes me a little week in the knees (...nerd alert).
2. Second Place goes to a very special gas turbine generator. In comparison to the 1" motors I'm used to, this bad boy boasts a stator size of nearly 8 feet. Say hello to "Suck, Squeeze, Burn, Blow...and Generate" at its finest!
3. Third Place goes to a hot little number. Over a thousand degrees to be exact. This sweet little heater has a flame taller than me and can pack enough heat to melt even the coldest heart.

Now that flexed my nerdy muscles for the day, I'll focus more on other stuff going on around here. Outside of work, I've been spending many hours at our local gym enjoying free group fitness classes. Last week alone, I attend a yoga/pilates, spinning, and kickboxing class. All of them were really good. I felt like Gumby after the yoga/pilates, a sweaty mess after spinning, and a big 'ol pile of goo after kickboxing. It's been 2 days since kickboxing and I'm still super sore. This morning as I tried to get out of bed I not only made old lady noises, but I also teetered back into bed because my calves were so sore. Yay for getting used and abused at fitness classes. : ) Hopefully I'm come back to the Mitten looking buff and slightly tan (okay, sunburned).

Other highlights of the week have included hanging out with other interns/full-timers at our weekly BBQ or BBBQ as the guys call it, having Friday off (yaaay for 9/80 schedules), and attending the Buu Mon Lotus and Bamboo Festival. Check out some of my best shots of the day...