Planet Olin

I'm sitting in the clean room right now waiting for a machine to complete its process so I can use it.  Yes, I am in a bunny suit.

California rocks.  I never thought I would be so into a state without having been in it for a significant amount of time, but having been here for only 4 wks or so, I love it.  The weather couldn't be any better, very few bugs, low humidity, access to the beach, the mountains, fly fishing, good schools... the list just goes on.  I guess I miss the horrible boston masshole driving. wait a second... no, I don't at all.  I guess it's probably different being out here as a student with my housing paid for than if I were to have to fend for myself with a mortgage etc., but I still think I want to live out here for at least part of my future.

Hmmm... my nitride deposition has 30 more minutes.  That means 30 more minutes until I can start my 2.5 hr process that I am here for.  Plus, this machine has been acting up lately, so it could mean 4 or 5 hrs.  :(

I went to this place called muir woods on Saturday.  Redwoods everywhere.  HUGE trees.  It was amazing, well worth the $3 admission.  It's actually called Muir Woods National Monument.  Well worth your time/money if you are ever in this area.  I also saw the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time in my life on Saturday.  If I can figure out how to post pics from my Olin hosted account on here, they might show up sometime. 

Yesterday, a group of us went down to Santa Cruz to the beach.  Perfect day, perfect sun, perfect sand, perfect water, perfect bbq at the end of the evening on the beach.  Wow, I love it here.  It beats downtown Needham without batting an eye.

So everybody in my program is actually really nice.  We all get along pretty well, some more than others, but never any hostility.  It's almost like "The Real World" given that we are a group of 12 random people thrown in a house, told to live together and have fun together for 10 wks. 

It's only a month until my sister's wedding.  Damn.

I'll try to post pictures on jaygantz.photosite.com

Ciao.

Well it's been awhile.  Work is really great.  NERD TALK ALERT:  I've been working with microscopes that can "see" atoms and machines that can apply a range of coatings you can choose from in any thickness you choose (on the order of angstroms!).  I might have already said this, but I get to work in a class 100 clean room wearing a bunny suit like on those old Intel commercials (not colored though...) NERD TALK ALERT REPEALED.

My latest passion: Fly Fishing!  I finally bought a rod and reel this past weekend and two friends and I went.  I will just post pics, I don't have time right now to explain.

View down one of the creeks we were on.

 

This prevented us from going any farther up stream. (~100' tall!)

20 minutes after I tripped in the water, I was a happy camper again.  (pardon the sepia...)