Welcome...

...to blogging, ...to the jungle?, ...to Texas?

Well, I am sitting on the couch at the in-laws and it has been a crazy couple of days. First of all, welcome Jenee to the world of publishing. Hopefully we'll see some more posts from you and you will keep me a little more honest :-)

Now what about the jungle? Well, first of all, before you read any further I want you to know that all is well at the end of the story. It all started this week. I should know better but I perhaps niavely thought that this week would be slow at work and I would be able to take it easy. Wrong. Let me say it again. WRONG.

On Monday a large project for an industry member was dumped in my lap. I had about 15 sampes to perform mercury porosimetery on. Now, I haven't done mercury porosimetry for about 3 years and I forgot how it takes about 90 minutes per sample. So after a short 4 hour refresher, I started on my way. Two and a half days later I finished the samples. Two and a half days of standing in front of the machine, two and a half days of being bored, but having to pay close attention to what I am doing... so much for an eazy going week.

This was followed by something didn't quite exepect, in fact, I don't think any of us expected. On Thursday afternoon, I was sitting down to a short lunch when our building was rocked by a large rumble. Grabbing my safety glasses, I rushed down stairs to be met by another technician. We started to race through the building to try find the source of the noise. We found it, turned out that an acid waste bottle had exploded in the building because of poor sample labling. Fortunately no one was hurt, but that didn't stop the rest of the afternoon to be filled with firetrucks, fireman, ambulances, police officers and outside emerency washes. It was quite an ordeal.

Ironicaly, the following day was our lab clean-up day and we were all very cautious, not wanting another visit from the boy's with big red shinny trucks. I spent yet another day on my feet. Actually I spent all week on my feet come to think of it. That wasn't all of it though. I got an offer from someone to buy my old HP laptop computer. On the way to drop the computer off we got rear ended by a little blonde ditz who apparently was examing a microscopic scratch on her finger and forgot to leave her foot on the brake. To my amazement, there was no damage to the cars. Amazing...

To top Friday off, I forgot to run some other samples overnight, so I had to go back to work at 11pm Friday night. Put it down to excitment for the end of the year. I eventualy got to sleep, and actually rested up. We got up early and hit the road for Orlando where we were greated by the most fantasticly dense fog. Floridians don't believe in slowing down, not for hurricane grade rain, not for smoke and aparently not for fog. And it didnt stop us us, if you slow down on the highway, your dead. We did have a nice adventure on the way. About 10 minutes down the turn pike, past the last rest stop my brain got a message. The special message that means I have to find a bathroom really, really, really quickly. Well, I thought I would ask the lady at the toll booth and to my delight, she told me that there was a toll booth operators toilet, if only I could cut across several lanes of trafic. Its amazing what you can do when you need to. And then all was good with the world again.

Now we are in Texas, relaxing with the fam and ready for Christmas. I think after this week, I'm ready for a few less supprises.