Life in and around S.S.F.

Then I get to say, “I’m out a here!!”

 I’ve seen so many people go on sabbatical and had to bite the bullet for many weeks. Now it’s my turn. I can best describe the feeling as getting close to that last day of school before summer vacation starts. It’s a bit sureal. I get butterflies when I think about it. No work responsibilities for 10 plus weeks. I say plus because as it get’s closer I defer more and more work. Basically I’m weaning everyone off of my brain. That’s a pretty cool thing. No more being asked questions all day long. Take that back, I still have a seven and five year old asking questions but that is a lot more fun.

 Found a really cool song by Five for Fighting. It’s called Disneyland. It’s really fun because we will be in Disneyland in twelve days. Here are the words:

I Woke up got my lazy ass out of bed
I Watered all the rocks growing in my head
I Had a thought…and fell asleep on you…

There I was somewhere West of Tomorrow Land
Flying through the stars just like Peter Pan
I said…Damn this looks too good to be true…

There she goes… my heart again (would you mind rolling over)
I can feel it in the air (something’s coming down)
I don’t know and I don’t care that it’s a small world

It’s a nice day if you wake up in Disneyland…
It’s a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland…

In my dream everybody’s got a little house
A dog, a bank account managed by Mickey Mouse
And the only thing we fight about is the Lakers…

In my dream all the pirates down in Neverland
Never get the Hook… they just get a hand
While the crocs sing Superman till we just can’t take it…

There she goes… my heart again (do you mind rolling over)
I can feel it in the air (something’s coming down)
I don’t know and I don’t care if it’s a small world

It’s a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland…
It’s a nice day if you wake up in Disneyland…

We can fly away…

I Woke up got my lazy ass out of bed
I Watered all the rocks growing in my head
I Had a thought… and I looked up to see

The sign read the park she’s closed today
E-tickets don’t work here no more anyway
Where every day’s a magic day to be free You see…

It’s a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland…
It’s a nice day should you wake up in Disneyland…
It’s your L.U.C.K.Y. day should you wake up in Disneyland…
It’s a nice day should you wake up in Disneyland…

I got a late voice mail on Friday. Basicially the last of three instruments started having problems. All three are down. They are Metrohm Titrators. Since we didn’t have plans for the night I decided to work late and see if I can get them going again. I got to work with nitric acid. Not being a chemist in the least, I was able to get some help from some lab people. I soaked all three probes and that didn’t help. After some testing I saw that the moisture value climbed when reagent was added. The moisture value is supposed to go down as reagent is added. I replaced the desiccant for the reagent, hydronal and reaction chamber. The desiccant is supposed to remove moisture from the air before it goes into the system. That seemed to take care of it. At least for two of them it did. It was 11:30 P.M. at that point so I called it quits. That takes a lot of pressure off of Monday morning.

 I have fifteen work days left. Jeremy is going to do a great job while I’m gone. I think he’s a bit nervous though. I’ll take him to lunch a few times between now and when I leave to give him some direction. That is a lot more than I got when my lead went on sabbatical two years ago.

I got a new driver. It’s a regular flex, light shaft with an Alpha head. It will be ready next week. I can’t wait to hit the range and course with it. With the other incorrect driver I only hit two fairways and shot a 92. If I can hit 8, 9 or even 10 fairways, my score should drop pretty dramatically. I’m hoping to get down to mid 80’s. Something like an 86 would be awesome.

I still haven’t been given an offer for the supervisor position. I don’t think anyone else interviewed. The manager told me he didn’t think it was necessary to interview anyone else.  Meanwhile back at the ranch, the group is coming along. Jeremy is growing in his skills and ability to handle emergencies. He’ll do fine while I’m gone for ten weeks.

The trip is mostly bought and paid for. I just have three more flights to book in Italy. I made reservations for Lunch with the Disney princesses on the Fourth of July, our first day in Disneyland. I also made reservations for Goofy’s kitchen on the fifth. Lot’s of fun in store and can’t wait to get started.

 Went golfing on Sunday afternoon. What a great wife!! Shot a 41 on the front nine and 51 on the back. I’m getting real close to that magical 90. I need a different driver to hit a few more fairways and I’m sure my score will drop 4 or 5 strokes.