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Today the client came over. It’s about some major job with a huge history with lots of management attention. The usual story…
Barry was telling me how they usually take the client out for dinner on such an occasion. I was just starting to wonder if there was any possible way of tagging along when Brenda overheard our conversation and put me on the invite.
It was great. I got Filet Mignon and crab cakes; I haven’t tasted steak this good for a long time.
After dinner, Barry told me how pleased he was at the spec review I did. Either these people are being are being amazingly nice, or… or I can’t really think of another reason. But it’s a nice change: being noticed and appreciated for your work.
Gotta stay grounded though… I’ve stayed at CNP long enough to see how much we flatter the interns and new hires in the beginning. Regardless, this has definitely been a good start.

Vacation starting tomorrow!!!! Whoo hooo~~~~~~~~~~~~

I went to Washington DC today!
Jennifer and I were planning a DC visit earlier this year. It’s a good thing that plan fell through; it would have been awkward to fly back to Michigan then fly to DC when I can get to the Mall through Metro now.
This was my first visit. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t the same. The Mall seems to attract the world of armature softball players, there must have been 200 of them there along with kickball and frisbee players. Also, it feels like I’m always being passed by the shirtless jogger. It took several guys for me to realize that it’s not the same person just jogging in circles around me.
I walked from the Smithsonian station towards Capital Building, then back to Washington Monument (this time in Washington), and turned back again at the WWII Memorial. It was getting late and I still had work to do at home, so I didn’t get a chance to see the Lincoln Memorial (which was something I really wanted to visit). Anyway, there’s always next time.

I hiked 6 miles today! I was a bit worried that’d be too much (indeed my legs were aching by the time I got back to my car). But the view was gorgeous. Washington Monument (the one in Maryland) has a great view of the country side as well.

I know someone must have mentioned the luxury of having medical insurance to me before. I mean, I must have had thought about this at one point since I had health insurance the whole time I was working for AEP. Still, I can’t believe how expensive it is now that I have to face open enrollment again.
For some reason, I’ve always thought that the company paid for the whole thing. It’s so expensive… almost $2000 per year. I wonder if it would be worth it to self insure, then I think it’ll be just my luck to be completely crippled after I make such a decision.

I got my second assignment today, which is to review a spec for a mod. Yeah, it’s odd… I don’t know why they can’t just include the contents into the DCP. Anyway, Barry is the preparer. He’s a really nice guy and he told me that it’s a simple spec; all it does is rip off two control panels and install a digital upgrade cabinet four feet from the original panels with cable trays bridging everything, complete with back up power, redundant CPUs, HMI, and control room alarms… He said all this with a smile, as if this is just another day at Bechtel. But I was dumbfounded…
It’s not that bad, after looking through the stuff. His main concern is the I/O list and I probably have to come up with a way to verify his work. Still… usually when people smile at me like that, they’re trying to say: yes, you’re getting your ass handed to you. We’ll see. He really seem like a nice guy.

I may be missing my high school’s 10 year reunion.
Jennifer was just asking about it too. I told her it should be some time in 2008, not realizing that’s this year. Oh well…

Jennifer came to stay over the weekend!
I went to pick her up at Baltimore and she brought my birthday present Marmalade Boy box set! I love that show, it’s so 80’s!
We went to Annapolis Rock again and had crab dinner (which cost a fortune…)
I need to get my tired fixed today… Then get my hotel arrangements in line… Need to curb my spending next week, I’ve been going beyond my daily spending limit.

I got my first assignment today and completed it with ease. Looks like my training in the past had paid off.
At Bechtel, I’m working with SNC plants. I know this is suppose to be the ‘honeymoon’ period, so I’m making comparisons with some reserves. I definitely like the lack of morning meetings, that’s a plus. I like my new supervisor too.
My first assignment is to review an FCR (similar to an FCN). To be the reviewer, I needed nothing more than initial the procedure, stating that I have read it (or at least I know where to find it). The FCR is for a DCP for Hatch 2. The DCP is amazingly thin. 16 pages body, most of which are 50.59. Each discipline then write a quick paragraph on the impacts and attach it as worksheets. The FCR process was also incredibly straight forward. Construction writes a request (2 pages, one page stating the problem and one with the markup), the FCR just replaces the impacted pages in the DCP with no extra paperwork.
It’s a weird kind of simplicity that makes a lot of sense, but I would never have though up the process after working so long at CNP.

I’ve mentioned previously that I would like to hike the Appalachian Trail, which goes from Georgia to Maine. Today after work I was able to go on hiking in the South Mountain Area after work, part of which overlaps the AT.
It was very exciting, seeing the white blazers for the first time. Course, for a short hike it’s nothing different from other trails. I hiked up to Annapolis Rock (elevation 1700′), about 4.5 miles round trip. At the top of the trail, there’s a view of Cumberland Valley which is very pretty.
On the way, I met lots of people. There were people taking a short walk (like me), a bunch of scouts (which made me feel very old and out of shape), some rock climbers, and some campers. I think I’ll take Jennifer there this weekend if the weather stays nice. I don’t mind posting the pictures here, since she seldom visits my page. Otherwise I’d worry that I’d spoiled the view for her

I went back to the apartment complex and asked for a list of every available one bedroom apartments. After walking each of them down, I chose one that over looks the lawn and trees instead of ones that face the parking lot. The balcony has morning sun so I’ll be able to have some planters there. That apartment is also on the end closer to the office, so I’ll have around a 20 minute walk each way. Must remember to bring umbrella… Maryland weather is so unpredictable.
Gosh… now I’m really bored. Feels like there’s nothing to do with the housing problem taken care of…

Yesterday, I looked through the Frederick Post and found the cheapest studio apartment in the historic downtown area. The owner met with me that day and showed me the room. It’s was dark and gloomy and I got really depressed thinking that most of my searches are going to end up in the same way.
This afternoon, Katie came by and we went through every apartment listing that is within my price range (actually, within double of my price range… Katie and I have very different idea of what is reasonable for an apartment). She pointed out her first apartment when she moved to Frederick and it was close enough to want to drop by after work.
Anyway, long story short: I got a great deal and the place is wonderful. The apartment complex is inside a nice neighborhood with lots of trees and well kept lawns. The actual apartment isn’t much to brag about, but it has a laundry room and there is a pool, a tennis court, a racquetball court, and a gym within the complex. The security deposit was cheap and there is no application fee. I signed up on the spot.
I’ll probably stay at the hotel for another month or so, then move in. This way I’ll save a month’s rent… I just hope I’ve got enough clothes to tie me over.