Wedding Recap

From A:

Over the weekend we attended the wedding of J's cousin.  We had a great time visiting with family and enjoying the festivities.  Here we are before the wedding (J is sporting his awesome Gator tie):

It was a beautiful ceremony despite the fact that it started raining just as the couple was being announced as husband and wife.  Once the announcement was made, everyone ran for cover:

Luckily, the reception had been scheduled indoors, so the rain didn't cause any further problems.  The decorations were beautiful:

 And, of course, here are the bride and groom during their first dance:

Lab Snacks

From J:

Every once in a while, we order stuff from Thorlabs for the lab.  They make optical characterization equipment, post mounts, breadboard tables, and other optomechanical parts that come in handy.  But most importantly, they know who's ordering their stuff: underpaid grad students.  I give you the greatest customer loyalty campaign ever:  Lab Snacks.

Oh, what have we here?  That's a...mighty stylish box you have there.  Your colors are strangely inviting.  And your green dog/dinosaur corporate mascot is very enticing, what with his catchy slogans.  Okay, no need to twist my arm, Lab Snacks box!  Let's have a look inside...

OH. MY. GOSH.  Free food.  Seriously free.  I mean, I didn't pay for it.  My advisor paid for it.  With money that the Department of Energy gave him.  Take note, Newport.  You might sell lamps that can set paper on fire from a few feet away and totally sweet lasers, but you've got NOTHING on Lab Snacks.  I know that when I order a graduated ring iris from Thorlabs I will get trail mix, or Tootsie Roll pops, or occasionally some Airheads or Oreos as a gift.  Sweet.



(and sometimes salty)

Happy Birthday!

J + A would like to wish Chelsea a very happy birthday!

We hope (and think it's likely due to your dairy-rich location and typical dessert preference) that you will treat yourself to a delicious ice cream treat for your special day.  Hope it's a great one!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

From A:

Mother Nature treated us to a rainbow last week:

We didn't find a pot of gold, but we certainly enjoyed such a beautiful sight.

TGIF

From A:

A good Friday laugh for all our readers who have ever lived in / experienced the diversity of Florida:

Conquered

From A:

I'm happy to report that I have finally used the intimidating cable equipment at the gym.  And I discovered that I really like it.  Since two of the machines require you to stand while lifting, it targets your core for stabilization.  It's also really comfortable since the cables swivel to adjust to the appropriate angle.

I began with Total Legs.  This is so much better than using the adduction/abduction machine, which somehow makes my legs cramp up.  In addition to adduction and abduction, I enjoyed using this to really target my quads without having to put a lot of strain on my knees.

Next was the Lift / High Pulley.  This is my favorite of the machines because it allows you to work arms and legs simultaneously.  For example, using the lower grips to do lunges with a biceps curl and overhead press.  This actually requires some concentration which makes me feel like I'm really working out.

And finally, the Chest/Shoulder.  Many of the exercises done on this machine can also be done on the High Lift / Pulley, but this allows you to be seated.  You can also target the arms with more weight because you're not trying to lean against the weights to keep your body upright.

Overall, this was a successful venture outside my workout comfort zone (aka the machines everyone learns how to use in gym orientation).  I plan to continue using them, and hopefully learn even more ways to target various muscle groups.

Update:  Here are some distorted pictures of an old man with bad body form using the Total Legs machine.  Hopefully I look less dorky when I'm using the equipment... but maybe not.

There's also a cheesy promo video here that shows some of the equipment being used.

Mega Food Blog

From A:

In a recent post, I mentioned the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I was considering baking.  Here's how they turned out:

If you ask me, eating (several) cookies is perfectly acceptable as long as you have them with a salad (in this case, chef salad):

And finally, sausage and potato roast was tonight's work night dinner.  Here's the prep from beginning to end:

A's Gym

From A:

The long-awaited gym my company built next to the office where I work opened back in May.  Although it was originally supposed to open in January, construction delays pushed the opening date until the end of May.  It was worth the wait.  Unlike existing exercise facilities where I work, this gym has three very important features: (1) parking, and (2) a locker room with showers and (3) additional hours beyond the M-F 6am to 8am pre-work times and the 4pm to 6pm post-work times.  All of these features make working out so much more convenient and enjoyable.

As an (unrelated to engineering) extra project at work, I've created the marketing flyers and posters used to promote the gym and increase membership.  I love working on creative side projects like this, especially when I'm getting paid to do it!  I'm including a photo of the gym in the latest promotional flyer I'm working on, so I can finally showcase it on the blog.  And here it is:

All of the cardio equipment has built-in screens to watch cable or you can connect your iPod/iPhone to the built-in dock.  For those of us who don't have an iPod/iPhone (am I the only person on the face of the earth without one?!) you can also connect other media devices via USB cable.  So it's some pretty slick equipment.

The strength equipment is less visible in the photo, but there is lower body equipment behind the cardio area and upper body equipment on the side wall.  The other side of the gym has some funky cable equipment that I haven't figured out how to use yet.  There's also a free weight area in the back of the gym which also houses some of the fun extra equipment like bosu balls, foam rollers, yoga mats, etc.

Kaizen

From A:

Is it the weekend yet?!  I have been so incredibly busy at work.  I'm worn out.  This week, I worked with two of my co-workers and about 25 other assorted people to create this process flow:

Okay, so I'll admit that a wall full of sticky notes doesn't seem that time-consuming or complicated, but the way we created this wall of information is the complicated part.  We had a kaizen event, the first for the organization I work for.  These events are becoming more common as the lean manufacturing practice movement has gained popularity in many different industries.

Although kaizen events are typically 5 days long, we were given 2 days to complete our event.  This meant all the work that would normally be completed on days 1, 3, and 4 of the event ended up being the responsibility of my two co-workers and I to complete.  And let me tell you, it was a challenge!  And during the two days of the actual event, I was working on the laptop the entire time to capture all the information discussed and create a comprehensive action plan for the group and senior leadership:

When I wasn't working on the laptop, I was reporting out on assigned action items for implementation:

The event went very well overall and I'm so glad it's over with.  However, I have excellent content for a publication I'm currently writing.  Keep your fingers crossed that I'll be accepted to speak at conference in February!

Weekend Cooking

From A:

Summer fruits were the theme of our Sunday morning breakfast.  We had Florida blueberry pancakes, sliced Georgia peaches, and bacon (no idea where the pig once lived):

Last night's dinner was ham, fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil panini:

I'm thinking that some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies might be in our future before the weekend is over.