Author: nslyax

nslyaxhttp://www.nicholasyax.com/I am a Ferris State alum currently living in Holland, MI. My blog has been being neglected recently, but I hope to be posting more.
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Freedom

I am free!  Yesterday was my last day of work at PPG.  We tried to work out something for the fall but my school schedule just didn’t allow for much.  Despite feeling like the $10/hour peon sometimes, I did enjoy it.  It’s too bad it took so long for them to start giving me more engineering assignments though, as that was sort of what I was there for.  I did get a lot of quality management though.  I should be back for a visit with SME in October or so.

I just checked Nearly Free Speech and my bandwidth has finally exceeded 1GB, which now means I pay under $1 per GB of transfer ($0.991 currently).  It goes down in a log type formula as I use more bandwidth.  Sadly, this deal began February 1st, so it took me six months to get in that first GB.  It goes down constantly, so I keep paying slightly less to transfer every single page load though.  Once I reach 10GB of transfer, my cost will be down to $0.50 per GB, in about 5 more years.  Unfortunately, bandwidth (obviously) is not my primary cost but server space.  Still, I only use about $4 or $5 per year excluding domain name.

Jenn managed to plan about half of our wedding in the last week.  She gets a little obsessed sometimes.  Tentatively (very), it is scheduled for 10/10/09 at Garland Resort, but that could change overnight.

School is down to about 3 weeks away now.  August 2nd.  I am looking forward to it, nerd that I am.  It’s my last year of school, it is very sad.  😦

Sunday morning I went to feed the fish, and we had lost another one.  Rosy, the remaining rosy barb had perished.  Not sure how, but somehow overnight.  She was oldest, now it is Kitty.  She was about 2 weeks over a year old.  Was much smaller than Jill or Sunny, and were kind of expecting her to go in the next couple months as Jill keeps growing.  We still haven’t replaced Bubba yet, but maybe in the next week or two I will go to the pet shop since I am off.

I watched MST3K: the Movie tonight.  I was never a fan of the show (not that I didn’t like, but just never watched) but that was funny as hell.  A lot of the comments are very so-so, but they just throw one after another after another, and suddenly you break out laughing at the stupidest one-liner.

Uhm…

Apple has refurbished iPod touch for $199.  I really want one, but my extravagant spending for the year was my kilt.  There are nanos for like $149 too.

On that note, my birthday is one month from yesterday.

That would be it I think.

nick

The Big News

So you heard the story of last weekend, except I left out about half an hour…

While we were ay the mall, I disappeared on Jenn for about 20 minutes.  When she found me, she was rather pissed that I didn’t tell her where I went and all that.  Well, she really kicked herslef for that this weekend.

We will jump forward to this weekend.  We left for Bay City around 5, met her parents for dinner in Mt Pleasant, and then continued on.  Once in Bay City, I led her to Carrol Park, to go down the roller slide for ld times sake.  After we parked, as we were walking to the slide, she saw something in my pocket, and asked what it was.  I played it off.  I went down the slide, then her, then I again.  Unfortunately, it was quite busy, and I was getting more nervous and embarrassed.  We went over to a bench, and she sat down.  I stood behind her, and pulled out what was in my pocket, and gave her the ring.  She started giggling and laughing and was rather obviously ecstatic.

When we were first dating, we actually went to a different park that had a roller slide, on 3rd near her old apartment.  They ended up renovating the park and pulled out the slide, so we would go to Carrol Park sometimes, though far less.  So, I thought it was something special from our past.  I wanted to be at the bottom of the slide when she came down, but became far too self conscious with the 20+ people in the park that evening.

The rest of the weekend was seeing people and calling to tell everyone.  We stayed in Bay City until Saturday evening, and relaxed today.

Our first calls, just 20 minutes after I asked her, people started asking if we had a date.  NO, it’s been 20 minutes, give us a little bit!  We are kind of thinking next Fall, October of November of 2009.  That is rather tentative though, and we don’t know where yet.  Kind of thinking toward Alpena, since my family is split MI and PA and travel for them is less of a big deal.

So, that is that.

Off to bed, last week of work.

nick

EDIT:

Apparently, some people feel it may not be as obvious as I had thought, so… I asked Jenn to marry me, and though it took her 10 minutes to calm down enough to remember to respond, she said yes.

36 Days, Ouch

Well, to be honest, not much has happened up to this weekend.

Back on the morning of the 10th, I woke up and went to feed the fish, and noticed Bubba was missing (the crawfish).  I searched through the gravel, looked for bits in the tank, even looked around the apartment.  Finding nothing and running out of time I got ready and left for work.  When I got home, I looked some more, and still no sign.  We pretty much concluded he was eaten by Jill and gave up, though it seemed weird that there were no remains at all.  Saturday (the 12th) I was getting the pop cans to take in, and noticed something behind the can.  It was actually pretty far from the aquarium, and I can’t believe there was no smell.  At least we found him, and he wasn’t eaten so we can try and get another crawfish without worrying what Jill will do.  Still, kind of amazing he crawled out of the auarium, that has a hood.

More nothing up to this weekend.  Work, sleep , eat, work, work.  heck, I even picked up a Saturday (the 19th).

This weekend Jenn and I went to Battle Creek.  Went to the Silver Leaf Renaissance Faire Saturday.  It was pretty darned cool.  Was our first Ren Fest actually.  There were alot of people dressed u, vendors, good food, and even jousters.  The real kicker though, is I finally got my Utilikilt.  Yes, I now strut around in a black original model.  Following the fair we went to the mall for a bit and used her B&N gift card and we headed to the hotel.

Sunday, we went to Binder Park Zoo.  That, too, was really fun.  We got to feed a giraffe, watch a tortoise walk really slow, and see a 4 horned sheep’s lips vibrate really weird (should have got video of that).  Following that we headed toward home stopping in GR to see Dane.  We ate at a XO which was interesting, and fairly good.  I had green curry scallop, which was a little too weird.

This week, more work.

Also last week, Jenn started at Mecosta Medical Center.  Cuts her commute time by about 50 minutes.  Seems to be liking it so far.

Will update on Monday with info on our trip to Bay City Friday and Saturday.

nick

Oh, duh, pictures of Zoo on Picasa, sadly none of Ren Fair.  Maybe the Holly fair in August…

Oh, the Miles

So, first up is another weekend trip.  Jenn and I wanted to go somewhere Friday night and decided on north.  We packed up and headed out around 7:30, and by 10:30 were in St. Ignace.  Saturday morning we started at the casino and with our $40 in free tokens ($10 each for joining players club, 1 each for staying at a hotel in St Ignace, and 2 for Jenn for birthday in June) we won $31 in cash.  Next was breakfast that took a while to find, but ended up being at King’s Fish Market in Moran.  The food was very good, and the smoked fish was very tempting, but we knew we had a while till we headed home and thought it best to wait.  We continued further north to Paradise where we stopped at a roadside park to get a look at Lake Superior.  next we turned west to Taquaminon Falls.  We checked out the falls, took lots of pictures, and had a stop at the brewery on site.

Our next destination was Sault Ste Marie.  We looked at taking a ferry through the locks, but the price was a bit high.  We also considered the museum ship but it too was pricy.  So, we went downtown and headed into the locks viewing area.  As there were no ships at the time, we headed across the street for dinner at Goetz Lockview Restaurant, which included the best and probably freshest whitefish I have ever eaten.  Following dinner we went back across to the locks and watched as a ship began to enter.  Unfortunately, this is a very slow process, and as jenn is impatient, out time came up and we ventured on.

Next stop: Canada.  We crossed the International Bridge and once across the border headed to the visitor center.  Here, I did something really funny, but that I feel I should not mention.  We then went to a Canadian Tim Horton’s (the most canadian thing in the US, in Canada) then to the Duty Free Shop, and back to the US.  On our way to St Ignace, Jenn’s parents called to see if they could meet up with us, so we returned to the casino to see them for a while.

Following the casino again, we went to see if we could find some smoked fish and pasties, but everywhere was closed.  We stopped off to look at the Mackinac Bridge, then returned to the hotel for the evening and ordered a pizza.

Sunday, we headed out early and got some pasties.  We then crossed the bridge and in Mackinac City we ate our pasties, then bought more and some smoked fish.  We did a little more shopping and then headed toward Big Rapids.

On the way home, we passed some of these, which we had seen Friday on the way up.  We think they are pretty cool.  We then went to Cadillac and had dinner at Pizza Hut Bistro, then, finally, home.

So, The rest of the week, so far, has just been work.  Except today…

Back on Friday we sent out some glass samples to a PPG facility in Troy for testing.  This morning, we received an email that they had broken in shipping.  Due to the need to get new samples there quickly and to avoid more breakage, Dvid (Engineering Manager) asked me to drive them there.  Yes, from Evart to Troy, 3 hours each way.  Alright, why not.  Three hors down, here you go, 10 minutes, and 3 hours back.  I did stop and see my mom and brother quickly, since I went through Bay City, but that was like 5 minutes each, and those were my ONLY breaks.

So, today, between the trip for work, and actually driving to and from work, I drove 400 miles.  Plus, the miles we put on Friday – Sunday, plus the 50 miles I drive every day, comes to probably over 1000 miles this week.

OK, thats all.  I need to sit around and not move for a while longer.

nick

Oh, pictures of the weekend are up.

Fun Weekend

So, last week was working, and that’s about it.  But, the weekend, that was better.

Saturday, Jenn and I wanted some adventure, and we found it.  We began with breakfast at Ala Mode cafe, our newfound little pleasure.  They have great breakfasts including a quiche served with biscuits and gravy and hashbrowns.  Following that, we went to Meijer and got not much, then returned home.

Not content with sitting, we packed a bag with general stuff and set out west.  Our fun stared quickly, just past Paris, when we passed a farm.  This particular farm has 4 horses and a donkey, so I always look for the donkey.  Today the donkey happened to be rolling over.  I have never seen a donkey roll over, and I have to say it is quite enjoyable.  It reminds me a it of watching Molly, as the legs are too long and body too large, so any chance of grace is right out.  Next we stopped for snacks in Reed City including a bag of T.G.I. Fridays quesadilla chips which were really good.

Up next stop was at the Amber Elk Ranch near Ludington, where we took the 1 hour tour.  If you are ever in that area, we highly recommend it.

Once in Ludington, we went to the dock to look at the ferry, then to the Jamesport Brewery for dinner.  Very good food and drinks.  It was my second time, after visiting during our SME trip.  the dinners are better than the sandwiches, though the rueben looked pretty good.

Following dinner, we went to the city beach to maybe do a little swimming.  Because of the heavy rains and flooding, there are rather strong rip currents and some sewage overflow, so the beach was unfortunately closed.  We decided that we will need to return later in the summer.  Still, we walked the sand and watched a thunderstorm coming in before heading on.  We drove around and found it is a hard thing to do around Ludington right now.  Twice we had to turn around because of a washed out road.  On our way back to US 10 we saw a lot of flooded yards and forest turned to marshland.

We got on 31 despite the signs advising us it was closed, and headed north as far as we could, finally being forced down a detour as it too was washed out.  Finally, we ended up in Manistee and spent some time in Little River Casino.  We $24, then Jenn joined the players club and got a free $15 credit, won $3 with it, and we left just $6 down, which isn’t bad.  We considered staying in Manistee for the night as it was about 10 PM, but decided to just head home.

Sunday, we cleaned up the house some.  Not clean yet, but cleaned up.

Monday I returned to work, and that will be about it for this week.  Jenn’s birthday is Thursday so maybe something else fun this weekend.  We will see.

Pictures of Saturday are now available on Picassa.

nick

New Name

So, the prize I promised is… nicholasyax.com.  atomicow.org will continue to work until is expires on October 07, 2008.  I realized mostly that atomicow says nothing about me, and my actually name says alot about me, so why not.  At some point in the next 4 months you should change the link you have saved, though for right now going to nicholasyax.com actually redirects you atomicow.org.  I should have that changed in the next few days or so.  I will also start to push the point more in about August, possibly with JavaScript popups to those that go to the old address (if I can figure out how).

At work, I am starting to figure out what I am doing.  Working with Quality department for now, doing capability studies on gages and processes as needed, and starting on some process documentation.  Has been going smooth so far, though it’s hard not having a computer yet to do work yet.

On Saturday, Jenn and I went to Grand Rapids for some shopping.  I needed some shirts for work, and we felt like some non-Big Rapids dining.  We went to the chinese buffet that was so good last time, but this time was a little more disappointing.  I did get 5 new shirts though.

Jenn and I went fishing Sunday and I actually managed to hook something.  Unfortunatley, I did not hook it very well and it got off.  Fish nibbled a few more times, but I never managed to bring anything in.  Will try again next weekend likely.  There is actually talk of me meeting my Dad in Clare as Jenn will be working all weekend and he will be at my Grandma’s trailer in Gladwin.

Apple started their Back-To-School promotion today, and since they hate me, are giving away a free 8GB iPod touch to students with a computer purchase, or $299 off any iPod.  Oh well.

OK, that is pretty good for now.  Later…

nick

Five Years!

Well, I survived the first day of work.  Still not real sure what I do, but I am doing it.  Today was a lot of orientation, not much actual doing actually.  Will learn more over the week.

So, Five years.  That’s a lot.  I should be at 609 posts, based on every 3 days, but that went out a long time ago.  I am happy with this being 540.

Not a whole lot else.  Worked all day and kind of not feeling like a long pst, and not much to say anyway.  Will try for more later in the week.  And maybe a prize?!

nick

The Neglect Continues

Hmm, 3 weeks, suck.

Something HUGE I forgot last time, was that Jenn bought a new car.  I came home from class that Monday I spent working on Amerikam and there was no Escape in the parking lot, but instead an 08 Jetta in is place.  She gets REALLY good milage and it is a very nice car.

Trip to Bay City was fun.  I was the drunkest I have ever been Saturday night.  There was a point I ate a french fry and though I could taste it, I couldn’t actually feel it.  I stopped drinking about at that point.  That Monday I went to go see Iron Man with Scott, which was really good.  Nice to see Scott too.

Big news recently is I got a job.  Had interview on the 14th with PPG in Evart, which was a good 3 hours, drug test right after, and following Monday they told me I had it and go get physical on Wednesday the 21st, start on the 27th.  Physical was actually my first, and I got abnormally excited at the hernia exam.  Not real sure what i will be doing, but will let you know when I find out.

This past Thursday Jenn and I tried fishing, though we didn’t have any luck.  We also did a bit of shopping downtown, and bought a crawfish for our aquarium.

Yesterday we went to the <a href=”http://www.almahighlandfestival.com/”>Alma Highland Festival</a>.  Was decently entertaining.  The games were pretty good, we missed the herding.  Not sure it was worth $15 each though.  From there we went to Mt Pleasant for food (the Green Spot I think) and then to Clare for Jay’s and home.

So, for anyone who doesn’t remember, Tuesday, May 27th, is he Blogversary.  Something I just found out a few minutes ago though, is not only is it the Blogs 5th Anniversary, but it is WordPress’s birthday as well.  Seems kind of fitting that I use it I suppose, even if the first 2.5 years I didn’t.

So, next post will absolutly be Tuesday, for the Blogversary, and to let you know more about the internship hopefully.

Unrelated, I am not 99% sure that my cousin Cindy has a Mac.  I kind of wondered if the stats program was just goofing up, but have had repeated confirmation from it now.  Strangely, it reports OS 10.4.11, and 10.5 has been out since October, but the Mac didn’t show up until January or February.  So, either I missed it for 2 months, which seems unlikely, or she bought used, which also seems possibly unlikely.  Maybe is something Sam or Rach used at school, and left home after Christmas?  I don’t know.

Uhm…

That may be it for now.

I played Halo Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.  Is done now.

Yeah, thats about it.

Tuesday…

Nick

Finally Current

So, this week…

Exams

Monday was our Metrology exam, Tuesday was Production Processes.  They were both pretest/posttest exams, and following the Metrology exam he graded them immediately, and I was actually WORSE by 1 question!  Still, I had the highest grade in the class though.

Tuesday Greg, Dane, and I payed our last game of disc golf.  That night, since exams were over, Jenn and I had a little dinner at Bennigan’s, where they had $2 long islands, which was nice considering the circumstances.  Next was a friends house for a party to round out the night.

Wednesday Jenn and I went to Holland for the Tulip Fest.  It turned out to be a bunch of old ladies on tour busses.  We did have some fun at the New Holland Brewery again though.

Thursday (finally up to yesterday) was a sit around day, though Jenn and I played a round of disc golf.

And finally, today, Jenn and I went for a bike ride.

So, what did I forget…

One morning we woke up, and rather than two rosey barbs, we only had one and a half.  Also, Monday, just before my exam, Jenn and I went to the driving range for 45 minutes or so.

Yesterday, I randomly called a few companies, and PPG in Evart asked me to email them my resume.  I woke up this morning with an interview on Wednesday.  Hopefully this will finally be it.

Last weekend, we got DVR from Charter, which is freaking cool.  Sadly, I haven’t figured out the real cool shit, like getting shows form the computer to DVR and back.

Saturday (tomorrow) at 9:00 I will be at Hooligans for some fun.  Anybody who sees this is welcome to join.

Anything else I will update on after my weekend in Bay City.

nick

April Oops Part Two

First, two corrections on the last post…

While in GR before Kalamazoo, Jenn and I also stopped off at the VW dealership, as Jenn was kind of looking for a new car.  Second, before my banquet, Jenn had spent Tuesday through Friday in Alpena, and came home just a few hours before the banquet.  This included driving through Grayling that was surrounded by forrest fires the day before, and she said was rather interesting.

Moving on, We come to the week of the 28th – 2nd.

Monday we met early to give a last big push on Amerikam, spending most of the day trying to get as much done as possible.  Tuesday was more of the same, concluding with me taking them to Staples for binding.  Wednesday we drove down to Amerikam and presented.  We were randomly chosen to be last, which kind of sucked.  The first 5 groups were grilled on errors in their paperwork and calculations.  By the time we were up, they had covered most of that, so lightened up on us.  We, however, had a very different process that we later would learn was closer to the one Amerkam actually used, so were grilled by the, up till then, quiet engineers that actually knew some about our machines.  Following our presentations, we had lunch, then Amerikam presented their actual process, and took us out to the floor to show us the machines.

As I hinted, our process was quite similar, and had we changed a few speeds and feeds our times and prices would easily have matched theirs.  Unfortunately, because our price was WAY lower than the rest, it stuck out and we lost, as we looked to have made a gross error, though they agreed we probably didn’t.

Wednesday I had an interview with Parker Hannifin, who happens to make brass parts, much like Amerikam.  I brought along a copy of my project and they ate it up, absolutely loved it.  They even gave me a plant tour and I found that our speed were right, and Amerikam was actually running slower than they could be.  They even use our second machine that Amerikam didn’t.  Sadly though, I learned Friday morning that I didn’t quite fit their needs.  I was really excited, and knew they loved me, but in the back of my mind kind of felt that they loved me for manufacturing, and were sadly hiring mechanical/drafting.  Oh well.

Thursday was no class, as the professors did not expect us to be sober enough.

The weekend I tried to recuperate from everything, and played a little more disk golf.

And that begins this week, which is yet another post.