Today was my first day in a laboratory session of the Power Systems Apparatus & Lab.  It consists of only three people (including myself): Two men and one woman.  We took turns doing all the procedures, and we were quite a team!

Eventually, a scene formed in which it was the gal’s turn to energize the circuit.  As she turned up the voltage, the two of us guys acted as if we were at a frat party.  The difference was that instead of chanting, “Chug!  Chug!  Chug!  Chug!” we chanted, “Go!  Go!  Go!  Go!” egging her on to keep increasing the voltage.  Like good engineers, though, we stopped as soon as she reached the correct voltage as dictated in the instructions.

Don’t deny it, folks.  If you have done any decent web surfing recently, I’m sure you all have seen something advertising quick weight loss solutions.  It looks something like this:

So the rule is “Obey?”  Now I’m confused, because the definition of “obey” is “to conform to or comply with” (reference).  Somebody call the grammar police — we have an incident of vagueness here!

Just so you know, they’re scams (reference: Consumerist.com).  Let’s play a game of “What’s Wrong With This Picture?”  Wait… is it really a scam?  It really works, and I have my before/after pics to prove it:

Before	After

Oh, wait… that’s the Photoshop diet.  My apologies.  But still, if that’s not enough express weight shedding for you, you could try the Knight Bus diet, brought to you by Harry Potter:

Call me a cynic, but I’ve seen too many of these fad diets.  The bus widening up is no accident and is reflective of what will happen to most people: They will regress and will be seeking desperate measures like these again.

I’m no fan of quick fixes, for I have yet to be convinced that I won’t have to come back and fix it again.  I would rather take the sting of a fix that will last me a longer period of time.  Finally, for those of you who happen to have a stocky build, just continue to be well (i.e. eat healthy foods, exercise — even if it’s taking the stairs or walking a bit more, etc.).

My friends and I ended the year of 2008 with a blast as we did the traditional shooting off of rockets.  I managed to take some pretty spectacular pictures, but that came at the cost of having to stand about 1m away from the launchpad.

Next time, I’ll be equipped with a telephoto lens.

My break was cut short as I headed to San Antonio for an interview with CPS Energy.  There, I was given a chance to demonstrate the foundations I’ve established in taking the classes last semester and my genuine interest in the power industry.  I met a bunch of different personalities, ranging from disciplined and structured to a laugh a minute.  While it is likely I will be working at a classical power generation plant, I still support the development of renewable energy.

After the interview, I headed to Austin to help with the Edison Lecture Series.  It was a doorbusting success!  The topic was “Improving the World, One Engineer At A Time.”  Next year’s topic: Innovation.  For more information, visit www.edisonlectureseries.org My parents love me so much that they wanted me back, even if it was for five days.  With gas prices at a reasonable level, I obliged.

Well, I’m back in Austin now, with a new bike and two locks.  I’ll try to not get this one stolen… I promise.