So last night we had a tornado warning here in north/central Texas. The university decided that everyone on campus had to go to the first floor of their buildings and hunker down til the warning subsided. Luckily, we have some friends on the first floor of our residence hall, so we hung out in their room while all the crap was hitting the fan. My roommate, who often thinks he is right (even when he is flat out wrong) refused to follow the warning texts and automated phone calls, saying that he would claim that he didn't get them. He finally admitted he would go when the emergency PA system alerted all of us to go to the first floor hallway.
Anyhow, the storm was pretty nasty, with several tornados forming and being sighted. Ironically, from looking at the radar map on the news channel, it looked like all the stuff was being formed just west of our city, and moving east. I have never seen that much purple on a weather map before.
We passed the time watching the storm, making Lord of the Rings references to Saruman causing the storm on mount Caracras (spelling possibly incorrect).
I was in contact with my dad, who was looking at the radar map on his phone while on business in Calgary. That's what I like about him - he likes to keep up to date on how things are going for us. The good news is that he is not overbearing about it. Actually, I never notice him keeping tabs until he randomly says in a phone call, "nasty weather you've been having lately."
In the end, we survived, but class wasn't cancelled.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Wind Farms
So this post isn't about super neat vacation spots, but it is something that I think is pretty neat. My dad has been with Shell Oil for about 30 years. He started out as an engineer in pipeline, and eventually worked his way into management. About 3 years ago he moved to the Wind Energy part of Shell, and has loved every minute of it. True, he has a lot of hard work, and he does spend most of his time in meetings, but he loves being an ambassador for Shell as a whole and for renewable energy on a national scale. One of his favorite comparisons between WindEnergy and pipeline is the experience he has going through Canadian customs. According to him, when he was in pipeline, and when they asked who he worked for, and heard pipeline, they would grill him with questions akin to the inquisition. How long, where, who, hotel, etc. But in WindEnergy, it's, "Wind Energy, eh? Have a nice day!" *stamp passport*
So I got to go with him to a wind farm this past Christmas break (in January of 2011). We went to one of Shell's newest wind farms, in West Virginia. I got to go on a ride and see the farm, and what it's like. I was not allowed out of the truck, though, because I did not have proper clothing (i.e. no steel toed boots). But it was really neat.
There is one thing that I want to say about Shell and what my dad has worked on while in WindEnergy. My dad wants improved safety to be his legacy, and he is doing a great job of it. Shell is VERY big on safety. They have what they call their "12 Life-saving Rules". Basically, many years ago, Shell sat down and looked at each and every reportable (incident where the injuries couldn't be solved by OTC methods, and require a doctor or specialized treatment), and found that a combination of 12 safety issues factored into the vast majority of the reportables (and could have prevented them if they had been observed). As such, these 12 rules are like the Bible's 10 Commandments of Shell's safety policies. Violation of any of these 12 rules is grounds for immediate termination. If any employee sees a possible unsafe situation, Shell would rather bring a complex and costly operation to a screeching halt (an possibly lose millions of dollars) than risk one employee being injured. I'm glad that my dad is a part of a culture that consideres the safety of it's employes to be far more important than productivity or profits.
Above is a picture of the wind farm in West Virginia.
So I got to go with him to a wind farm this past Christmas break (in January of 2011). We went to one of Shell's newest wind farms, in West Virginia. I got to go on a ride and see the farm, and what it's like. I was not allowed out of the truck, though, because I did not have proper clothing (i.e. no steel toed boots). But it was really neat.
There is one thing that I want to say about Shell and what my dad has worked on while in WindEnergy. My dad wants improved safety to be his legacy, and he is doing a great job of it. Shell is VERY big on safety. They have what they call their "12 Life-saving Rules". Basically, many years ago, Shell sat down and looked at each and every reportable (incident where the injuries couldn't be solved by OTC methods, and require a doctor or specialized treatment), and found that a combination of 12 safety issues factored into the vast majority of the reportables (and could have prevented them if they had been observed). As such, these 12 rules are like the Bible's 10 Commandments of Shell's safety policies. Violation of any of these 12 rules is grounds for immediate termination. If any employee sees a possible unsafe situation, Shell would rather bring a complex and costly operation to a screeching halt (an possibly lose millions of dollars) than risk one employee being injured. I'm glad that my dad is a part of a culture that consideres the safety of it's employes to be far more important than productivity or profits.
China
So back in high school, I was in the band. I play the alto saxaphone. Anyhow, in 2004 our school was fortunate enough to be invited to go with another on a music exchange trip to China in the summer of 2004.
It was a neat experience. I can say that I've been to China. And I don't have much desire to go there again. Don't get me wrong. There is a lot of culture and history there. But the government is very controlling, keeping a tight lid on everything. We were constantly monitered while we were there.
Anyhow, getting there was an adventure in and of itself. Keep in mind that although I have spent a lot of time on airplanes, I cannot sleep on them. We started early, with a 5:30 am flight from Houston to Denver, switched planes, flew to Seattle, switched planes and flew to Tokyo, had a 2-3 hour layover, and finally flew into Beijing. By the time we got to Beijing, it had been over 24 hours, and since I cannot sleep on airplanes, I was beyond exhausted.
The first full day there we toured Tiananamen Square and the Forbidden City. It was neat with a lot of history. The street vendors there are brutal. The will do anything to fleece you of your money.
The next couple of days involved touring the summer palace and playing our first concert, and the China Music Conservatory. Turnout was not the best, because the date was the anniversary of the Tiananamen Square incident, and people were not too keen to catch the government's suspicion by being out and about.
We went to Tianjin, and played a concert at the Tianjin University. The turnout there was pretty good.
On the way back to Beijing, we stopped at the Great Wall and played a concert on the wall itself. That was really neat.
We then flew to Xian, and got to tour the terracotta warriors exhibits. I did not know that shortly after the emperor's death, there was a peasant revolt, and they broke into the terracotta army and stole the weapons they had (the terracotta army had actual, usable weapons), and smashed every one in the process. As such, all the warriors you see have been reconstructed and glued back together.
We played our last concert in Xian, and it was a resounding success. There was about 1100 people crammed into a space meant for only 500. It was about 120 degrees (F) on the stage, but the people loved us.
Some other neat things we got to see included a trip to the martial arts academy, a cooking school, the temple of the sun, and a royal welcome at the gates of Xian.
The trip home was uneventful. A 13 hour plane flight directly from Beijing to Chicago, over the North Pole. From there it was a short trip home to Houston.
The top picture is me on the Great Wall, and the bottom picture is me at the terracotta army. The area above my left shoulder, where you can see warriors on a raised section, is where the warriors are glued back together. Over my right shoulder are unopened chambers of the army.
It was a neat experience. I can say that I've been to China. And I don't have much desire to go there again. Don't get me wrong. There is a lot of culture and history there. But the government is very controlling, keeping a tight lid on everything. We were constantly monitered while we were there.
Anyhow, getting there was an adventure in and of itself. Keep in mind that although I have spent a lot of time on airplanes, I cannot sleep on them. We started early, with a 5:30 am flight from Houston to Denver, switched planes, flew to Seattle, switched planes and flew to Tokyo, had a 2-3 hour layover, and finally flew into Beijing. By the time we got to Beijing, it had been over 24 hours, and since I cannot sleep on airplanes, I was beyond exhausted.
The first full day there we toured Tiananamen Square and the Forbidden City. It was neat with a lot of history. The street vendors there are brutal. The will do anything to fleece you of your money.
The next couple of days involved touring the summer palace and playing our first concert, and the China Music Conservatory. Turnout was not the best, because the date was the anniversary of the Tiananamen Square incident, and people were not too keen to catch the government's suspicion by being out and about.
We went to Tianjin, and played a concert at the Tianjin University. The turnout there was pretty good.
On the way back to Beijing, we stopped at the Great Wall and played a concert on the wall itself. That was really neat.
We then flew to Xian, and got to tour the terracotta warriors exhibits. I did not know that shortly after the emperor's death, there was a peasant revolt, and they broke into the terracotta army and stole the weapons they had (the terracotta army had actual, usable weapons), and smashed every one in the process. As such, all the warriors you see have been reconstructed and glued back together.
We played our last concert in Xian, and it was a resounding success. There was about 1100 people crammed into a space meant for only 500. It was about 120 degrees (F) on the stage, but the people loved us.
Some other neat things we got to see included a trip to the martial arts academy, a cooking school, the temple of the sun, and a royal welcome at the gates of Xian.
The trip home was uneventful. A 13 hour plane flight directly from Beijing to Chicago, over the North Pole. From there it was a short trip home to Houston.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Grand Canyon
During spring break of 2010, I went with my university's Outdoor Adventure group on a backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon. All I can say is that it was a blast.
One of my favorite, non-electronic, passtimes is camping and backpacking. I love living off what I carry on my back, and looking up at the night sky and seeing all the stars. Living in Houston, with all the smog and light pollution, you can't see very many stars. But away from civilization, there is the quiet, the beautiful scenery, and the awe inspiring yet humbling view of the night sky.
We took a couple of days to drive there. When we got to the rim, there was snow, and we had to go down the trail carefully for the first couple of miles, until we got out of the snow. Thank God for trekking poles and instep crampons. As it was I kept on slipping and landing on my hiney. We stayed the first night on Horseshoe Mesa, went down the next day and stayed near a spring, and then covered a lot of ground the third day, going around Horseshoe Mesa to another spring. On the way, we stopped for an overview of the Colorado River. That was a neat sight. The next day was a short hike, but brutally uphill. Since there were no water springs on Horseshoe Mesa (where we were going to spend our last night), we had to carry two days of water with us. We spent that afternoon relaxing and exploring, and enjoying the beautiful day. The last day we hiked out and reveled in our victory. As the t-shirt that I bought says, "This body hiked the Grand Canyon."
The biggest surprise while backpacking was the weather. We were expecting it to be a lot warmer than it actually was. The last couple of days it got warm, but the second morning in the field it snowed on us.
The top picture is a self-portrait from the overlook that we stopped at to get a view of the Colorado River. It is one of my favorite pictures of all time. I think it's really neat how the sky is reflected in my sunglasses. The bottom one is from earlier that day, while we were rounding the tip of Horseshoe Mesa.
One of my favorite, non-electronic, passtimes is camping and backpacking. I love living off what I carry on my back, and looking up at the night sky and seeing all the stars. Living in Houston, with all the smog and light pollution, you can't see very many stars. But away from civilization, there is the quiet, the beautiful scenery, and the awe inspiring yet humbling view of the night sky.
We took a couple of days to drive there. When we got to the rim, there was snow, and we had to go down the trail carefully for the first couple of miles, until we got out of the snow. Thank God for trekking poles and instep crampons. As it was I kept on slipping and landing on my hiney. We stayed the first night on Horseshoe Mesa, went down the next day and stayed near a spring, and then covered a lot of ground the third day, going around Horseshoe Mesa to another spring. On the way, we stopped for an overview of the Colorado River. That was a neat sight. The next day was a short hike, but brutally uphill. Since there were no water springs on Horseshoe Mesa (where we were going to spend our last night), we had to carry two days of water with us. We spent that afternoon relaxing and exploring, and enjoying the beautiful day. The last day we hiked out and reveled in our victory. As the t-shirt that I bought says, "This body hiked the Grand Canyon."
The biggest surprise while backpacking was the weather. We were expecting it to be a lot warmer than it actually was. The last couple of days it got warm, but the second morning in the field it snowed on us.
Canada
So according to my parents, I went to Canada when I was a teeny tiny baby, but since I don't remember it, I don't count it as having been. My dad, brother, and I went to Canada during spring break of 2011. While it was my first time, my brother has been once or twice, and Dad has semi-frequent business in Calgary. We stayed in Canmore, which is west of Calgary and just east of Banff.
The first night, it was aboot 0 deg F, and while we were relaxing in the hot tub, we found out that it was so cold that wet hair would freeze. That definitely does not happen in Texas!
the first full day there, we went tubing on Mount Norquay. Our family are not big skiiers, and I didn't feel like taking lessons this trip, so we had fun tubing. The next day, we went snowmobiling near Golden, British Columbia. We had a blast doing that. We were on the Canadian Rockies side, and at one point had a beautiful view of the Purcell Mountains.
The last full day we went on a dog sledding tour. That was pretty fun.
Of course, the food was pretty good. Dad said that they have really upped their food in the past 25 years, since when he and Mom first came when they were a young couple, and before I came along.
Above are a couple of pictures from Canada. The top is me and some of the sled dogs, and the bottom is me on the snowmobile. Fun stuff.
The first night, it was aboot 0 deg F, and while we were relaxing in the hot tub, we found out that it was so cold that wet hair would freeze. That definitely does not happen in Texas!
the first full day there, we went tubing on Mount Norquay. Our family are not big skiiers, and I didn't feel like taking lessons this trip, so we had fun tubing. The next day, we went snowmobiling near Golden, British Columbia. We had a blast doing that. We were on the Canadian Rockies side, and at one point had a beautiful view of the Purcell Mountains.
The last full day we went on a dog sledding tour. That was pretty fun.
Of course, the food was pretty good. Dad said that they have really upped their food in the past 25 years, since when he and Mom first came when they were a young couple, and before I came along.
Alaska
So I have been to Alaska once. I think I was about 15 or so. We spent the first night in Anchorage, then a couple of days in Seward, and the last few days in Talkeetna. On the way to Seward, we stopped at a place that let people pan for gold. Of course we didn't find anything, and it's way harder than it looks. In Seward, we went salmon fishing, and actually caught a few. The boat was kinda small, so we were rocked around quite a bit. The next day we went kayaking near a glacier. We went on a boat for about an hour, around a point, and then towards the glacier, and got into the kayaks and went a bit closer. We couldn't get too close for safety reasons, i.e. we needed to be far enough away to avoid any large chunks of ice breaking off. On the way back, we saw a humpback whale and her calf breaching. Normally, they do it only once or twice, but this one was doing it over and over again. Our boat captain was radioing everyone in sight, telling them to come see. A big tour boat captain declined, saying that he had a schedule to keep, but then the whale breached again, and the boat immediately angled for a better look. We could actually see the boat tilting to the side with all the people wanting to see the whale. We got some good video footage of the whale, and even the boat tilting. Later on a pod of porpises started going with our boat, and I filmed that too. It was then that we realized that I had filmed over the whale and tilting boat. I have never lived that one down since.
In Talkeetna, we went on a bush plane up to Ruth Glacier, near the slopes of Mt. Mckinley, and got to walk around a bit. We also went heli-rafting, where they took our raft and us up the river in a helicopter and then we rode the raft back to town. We actually saw a moose while in the helicopter. Where we stopped for lunch, there were fresh (very fresh) bear tracks on the river bank.
We had a blast in Alaska. Someday I hope to go back in the winter and see the northern lights.
In Talkeetna, we went on a bush plane up to Ruth Glacier, near the slopes of Mt. Mckinley, and got to walk around a bit. We also went heli-rafting, where they took our raft and us up the river in a helicopter and then we rode the raft back to town. We actually saw a moose while in the helicopter. Where we stopped for lunch, there were fresh (very fresh) bear tracks on the river bank.
We had a blast in Alaska. Someday I hope to go back in the winter and see the northern lights.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Hawaii
Some of the most relaxing vacations I have been on were in Hawaii. While I have been there 3 times, my parents have been there maybe 6 or 7 times. The first time we went, we did all the usual touristy stuff, like the volcanos, Haleakela, helicopter tours, surfing lessons, USS Arizona memorial (Support our troops!), etc. We stayed on Kauai, on the southern tip. Our family has come to love Kauai. It is the hidden gem of Hawaii. Not too built up or touristy, but really beautiful and peaceful.
We have also stayed on the big island, on the western edge, and it was there that I got to go scuba diving for the first time. I have always wanted to try scuba diving, ever since I was like 6 years old. It was so neat being underwater, and still being able to breathe. The water was crystal clear, and the coral formations were really neat. Not many fish though.
My Dad loves Kauai so much that he wants one of his retirement homes to be there. Mom is not on board with that one. Guess who wins out on this one?
Above are a couple of pictures taken in Hawaii. One is me when I was scuba diving, and the other was taken from the airplane when we were on approach to the airport. It is a US Navy submarine going into Pearl Harbor.
We have also stayed on the big island, on the western edge, and it was there that I got to go scuba diving for the first time. I have always wanted to try scuba diving, ever since I was like 6 years old. It was so neat being underwater, and still being able to breathe. The water was crystal clear, and the coral formations were really neat. Not many fish though.
My Dad loves Kauai so much that he wants one of his retirement homes to be there. Mom is not on board with that one. Guess who wins out on this one?
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