JAARS (More Plans)

I got an email yesterday, informing me that my volunteer application for JAARS has been accepted. This means that I’ll be spending the next few weeks, until Christmas, volunteering at Wycliffe’s center in North Carolina. I’ll also be flying back to Dallas just after Thanksgiving for a site interview with SpaceX, which means I get to see my folks, too!

So what am I doing, exactly?

I’ve known for awhile that I’d like to take this time in between school and a “real job” to make an impact on present-day issues. I tossed around the idea of going to Afghanistan to work with women, realized that I’d be really bored if I weren’t around engineering or machines, and applied for a Fall 2011 internship with Engineering Ministries International. I was disappointed when that didn’t work out, but in hindsight it was actually good, as I didn’t finish my graduate work at the end of the summer. Right now, I have a nice little gap between finishing school and January, when I would expect a job to start. Adventure time!

Up and Running

It’s been a full week!  I’ve mainly been compiling and editing some video footage I took in the lab a few months ago; it’s for prospective employers to look at.

I had an interview with Aerojet on Wednesday. With them, I would probably end up in Sacramento, or maybe Virginia. I also had an unexpected call from SpaceX yesterday – they want a phone interview for a position in Texas, near Waco! I’m continuing to contact other companies, too – I like having all this hope and possibility right now.

In other news, I also filled out a volunteer application for Wycliffe’s JAARS center in North Carolina. I think volunteering out there until Christmas might be a worthwhile way to stay occupied while waiting for a potential job to start. More on JAARS later.

Also, I got to drive a Chevy Volt yesterday.

The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.

– George Carlin

‘Well, I’m back.’

Hello, world! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but in that time I have completed a 141-page junior monstrosity of a thesis, which will shortly be published, stuck up on a shelf, and gather lots of dust. I’m not really being cynical; this is just what happens.

It’s nice to have a chance to catch my breath. Last week, my defense was on Wednesday, and the “Exam Only” (meaning that I only had to defend this semester) deposit deadline was that Friday, so the 48 hours in between the two were rather hectic. This was partly due to changes/corrections requested by my committee, and also to the formatting regulations imposed by the graduate school.

I went hiking with a few friends on Saturday, and will post those pictures when I have time. For now, I’ve been enjoying the chance to sleep and read books that have absolutely nothing to do with hydrazine!

However, I’ve not been entirely a bum. I have an interview with Aerojet next week, hopefully a phone conversation with GE Global Research at some point, and am preparing some materials that SpaceX has requested a look at. Hopefully some of these opportunities will come to fruition, so please keep them in your prayers.

More to come!