January 31, 2006
First journal article submitted
Another all-nighter, but I have reached another milestone by officially submitting my first journal article. The journal is Microelectronics Reliability. The more journal articles I can have submitted and accepted before my PhD defense, the less my committee will question my work and its significance. They know that if has been published in journals, then the work has been reviewed and deemed releveant by others in the field. Conference papers are okay, but they do not undergo the same scrutiny as journal papers.
Here are some pics from a bike ride to the playground a few weeks ago. Anybody who has picked Isaac up before will appreciate the image of the deadweight he is in the swing. The boy just doesn't help you with his weight.
January 30, 2006
One job shot down
Looks like Albany, NY maybe off the map. Talked to GE last Thursday and said that while I was viewed favorably by GE, they had some changes in leadership and the direction of the project has changed and they don't need me. I don't know if that's just sugarcoating my rejection, but there it is. I am definitiely dissappointed and trying not to take it personally so that my self-esteem and confidence plummet.
I was at the lab late so I went for a stroll and a bite out to eat at Firehouse Subs up the road from GATech. The sub didn't fill me and I wanted to eat more, but didn't want to spend more of my personal spending money. Just so happened that a starving homeless man was asking for food/money. At first I ignored him and then decided he may make good conversation right now. So we went into City Cafe and had a decent time. These guys on the streets have been through so many job and personal rejections yet they keep coming back. I had nothing to complain about compared to these guys. Alyways helps to put things in perspective by talking to people who have been through ten times the stuff I'm in.
I applied for another position at GE Global Research Labs. We'll see about this one. In the meantime I fly to California this week and Boise next week. Pray that Lynn does not go into labor while I'm gone.
January 19, 2006
Boise, Idaho or Albany, New York?
Can anybody from Boise, Idaho tell me what it's like living out there? I know it's a great recreational place to live and the state is the third fastest growing in the US. I went to Montana a few summers ago and loved it. Is Boise anything like Montana? How's the culture, cost of living, climate, etc..
Micron wants to fly me out soon and make an offer within a week. So now I have GE Global Research Labs in Albany, NY and Micron in Boise, Idaho to consider. GE is appealing becuase of the nature of the work and Albany is only 5 hours or so from my parents and my grandfather. But Lynn may have a hard time with the winters in Albany. I have not been to Micron yet, but the work sounds interesting enough and they are in a great place now as they just signed a huge deal with Intel. The climate and quality of life in Boise appeal to me. But it is far far from here.
Lynn, there are 17 Starbucks in Boise, and only 1 in Albany. Stats taken from www.bestplaces.net
Here is a comparison of climates ( Stats taken from www.bestplaces.net ). Boise has 43 days over 90 degrees while Albany only has 8. Boise has a third of the rainfall and snowfall. The Comfort Index (combines temperature and humididty) of Boise is awesome at 78 while Albany is only slightly above the national average of 34.
Boise isn't a great place of cultural diversity right now, but that is changing fast as they are their job growth is way above the national avaerage and the state of Idaho is the third fastest growing state.
Here is another side by side comparison.
What do you think? I don't know how to make this decision. Things were easier when it was just GE. But they have been slow in getting back to me and I don't officially have an offer yet, although my advisor says not to worry about it because they will make an offer.
January 14, 2006
This Old House with Andy
Lynn's Christmas present was me installing a shower and tiling the bathroom. This project nealy killed me, but it also gives me life and focus. What I thought would take 4-5 days took 2 weeks, four of which were sleepless nights. Oh yeah, I had strep throat when I started the demolition. I think the result was worth it. What do you think? Overall cost was around $800-$1000 including tools and such. I haven't added up receipts yet becuse I still have stuff to return. I buy about 2x as much as I need while I'm at the hardware store so I don't have to return later and disrupt the day. After the project, I return the unused goods. But of course, I always end up making at least one trip a day.
Thanks to Terry Turner for the bulk of the tiles and marble. We just paid for the special stone border tiles. Bill Turner came up with the great staggered brick design. Matt Monahan generously let me borrow his wet saw and tools. Duffy helped me put up insulation and other miscellaneous stuff, Jeff and Katie stopped by with Krispy Kreme, and Cindy and Gerry (Lynn's parents) kept Lynn and the boys during the nasty demolition stage. My parents donated enough money to buy the special border tiles (not cheap). Our neighbors made me some awesome Brunswick stew when I was sick and they knew Lynn was out of town. Lynn has amazing patience to put up with the chaos a project like this causes. See our flickr account for more pictures. Thanks guys!
Before pictures.
After Pictures
Pictures of the construction process. < br>
Tearing down the plaster.
Framing the bench.
Shrinking the window. I didn't waht I was going to do with the exterior to make it match the rest of the house. By providence, a neighbor was removing asbestos shingles from their house and I scored a few whole tiles. These things are about $100 for a dozen to replace because nobody makes them. I was able to score a few extra to fix some cracked asbestos siding in other parts of the house. Made my day.
Framing the bench
My faithful helper Gideon loves to measure.
