Took a trip to Catalina State Park today with my girlfriend.  The park is located on the northwest side of the Catalina Mountains.  At the park we took a trip up the Romero trail.  The trail leads to a small canyon and the Montrose Pools which at this time of the year only has a little bit of water going down the stream.  It was a pleasant hike up a sandy trail until we got to the so-called 'pools' where it was basically hiking up a rocky river bed.  What water was there must have been from a natural stream because it was quite cold. 

The wildlife was a bit interesting.  In the pools of water were a lot of tadpoles with their older family members hopping around the rocks surrounding these pools.  The frogs (or were they toads?) had a nifty camouflage.  They were grey with small black specks that allowed them to blend in real well to the rocks.  Next we have the plethora of grasshoppers.  When walking down through the mostly dry river bed it was like parting the sea of grasshoppers.  They were everywhere.  The requisite small lizards, bees and butterflies were present as well.  We saw some hoof prints that looked like they were from a deer, but we didn't see them to verify.

The best part about the park is the tremendous view of the Catalina Mountains.  I've lived in Tucson for a little over a year now and I am still in awe of the view.  For you animal lovers out there, the park also allows dogs and horses (yes, some of the trails are pretty wide).  Overall it was a great experience.  Then again, I may be a bit biased due to the person I had with me today.  Everything is always more enjoyable when I'm with her.




OK, so the frog isn't blending in too well on this rock.  Most of the rocks in the area were grey.

I went hiking up Pima Canyon trail today.  It is a bit of a rocky trail that winds through the Catalina mountains north of Tucson.  This was the third time that I've gone up this trail.  If you would have asked me a couple of years ago to go hiking, I would have told you no because I thought it was boring.  I've definitely changed my mind about it.  Hiking is good exercise, it gets you out of the house and breathing some fresh air and it's a good way to clear your head and relieve some stress.

I'd like to take this opportunity to go over some safety tips for when you go hiking:

1.) Always take a couple of bottles of water.

2.) Wear sunscreen, even if it is cool out the sun can still burn you.

3.) Wear light colored clothing when it is warm out to reflect radiant heat and vice versa when it is cold out.

4.) Take a small first aid kit with you.

5.) If available, take a map of the trail(s) in the area.  A compass would be nice too.

6.) Take your cell phone.

7.) Always let someone not hiking with you know where you'll be.

8.) Learn about the wildlife (plant and animal) that my be in the area where you'll be hiking.

Like the Boy Scout motto says, "Be Prepared!"

I know, I know... this movie came out a few weeks ago.  Sue me.  I just now saw it.  Truthfully, the only reason I saw it was because there was nothing else out that I wanted to see.  So, my expectations going in weren't that high... and I'm glad.  Picture a cross between 'Dawn of the Dead' and 'Road Warrior.'  The premise is that a global corporation, Umbrella, developed a disease that turned most of the world into zombies.  You have a small band of survivors, the remnants of the Umbrella Corp., and the heroine played by Milla Jovovich (same actress from previous two installments) all on a collision course.  Oh, did I forget to mention that this is movie number three in the series?  Another bit of trivia is that the movies are based on a video game.

The plot itself is your typical zombie/sci-fi/horror flick plot that is forced along with little to no originality.  They don't even bother to develop any of the characters so that you'd care for them the least little bit when the zombies drag them down and start eating them.  With that said, I'm not even going to bother to tell you anything else about the plot.  It's just not worth my time or yours.

The acting was pretty much as horrendous as the plot.  Then again, the actors didn't have anything to work with as far as a script goes, so I guess you can cut them some slack.  For you 'Heroes' fans out there, Ali Larter does have a sizable part in this movie.

The action sequences and special effects were pretty run of the mill for this day and age.  The zombiefied dogs and birds were kind of neat, but that was about it.  Most movies of this type try to have some kind of signature action scene or effect... not this one.  One interesting effect was Milla Jovovich's make-up.  Everyone around her is dirty, sweaty and grungy yet when she has a close-up, her make-up looks perfect.  I really hope that that wasn't some kind of stipulation in her contract.

Unless you are looking for a mindless action/sci-fi movie to watch or decompress your brain with, then please stay away from this waste of celluloid.

Today was a brain fry day.  I took the GRE for entry into the University of Arizona Systems Engineering Masters program.  The GRE (General Record Exam) is a standardized test similar to the SAT or ACT except that it is for entry into a graduate level program.  It was about as fun as I remember standardized tests.

I initially tried to persuade the University of Arizona into waiving the requirement since I already have a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and 10 years of work experience.  They didn't go for it.  I later found out why.  The U of A administers the test on campus and most likely gets money for anyone taking it.  Hmmm... waive the test or make some money for the university??

I had a little over two weeks to prepare for the test.  Luckily, the company I work for has its own library and they had a GRE prep book and CD-ROM to help me out.  Boy, I was glad I got that book.  I hadn't taken a standardized test for 17 years and it definitely showed.  Based upon my initial practice test, the book probably increased my final score by about 30%.  If you ever decide that you want to go back for a masters and have to take the GRE (or any other standardized test), I highly recommend getting a prep book, reading it thoroughly, and taking all of the practice exams.

The test consists of two essays:  write an argument based upon one of two given topics and critique a given argument.  Luckily, the test was all on a computer and I can type much faster than I can write.  I'm pretty sure I did a good job on the essays.  The second part of the test was multiple choice math and geometry questions.  This was definitely my best section.  I'm an engineer... duh!  The final part of the test was the worst for me... the verbal section.  Why do they call it verbal when nobody says a word?  Anyway, the verbal part consists of analogies and antonyms with words very few people use or even know exist.  Why do they think this is a test of one's intelligence??  The verbal part also consists of reading comprehension and fill in the blank sentences which weren't too bad.

Overall I didn't do as good as I would have like to, but for not having taken a test like this for 17 years, I think I did OK.  Anyway, this is only one part of the admissions process.  My previous degrees, my educational experience, and who I work for here in town most likely assured me of admittance anyway.  This was just a formality.

Oh, why didn't I have to take the GRE for my Masters of Mechanical Engineering?  I got my Bachelors and Masters at the same universty (U. of Dayton), my mentor/professor recommended me and it was being paid for through a grant from the Dept. of Energy.  I don't know if the GRE was a requirement at UD or if they just waived it for me. 

I have always thought about going back to school to further my education.  I earned my Bachelors and Masters degree of Mechanical Engineering straight through and I've worked in a manufacturing environment for the last ten years.  I've come to the point in my career where I don't think that I'm learning anything new and it has started to become a grind.  Therefore, it is time to explore a new path.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm sticking with engineering.  I just want to learn something new and possibly move away from the operations side of the business and go into the design and planning side.  I don't ever see me doing anything but engineering.  Solving problems is just too darn rewarding.

Let me interject right here and tell you that I can't take all the credit for starting down this path.  Someone very special to me has encouraged and supported me in this new endeavour.  She is most definitely my muse. 

What are you going back to school to learn you ask?  I hope to be attending the University of Arizona come January where I'll be pursuing a Masters of System Engineering degree.  What is that?  Just click on the hyperlink.  I can't say it any better (or I'm being lazy).  The good news is that my current employer has just finished working with the U of A to develop a specialized curriculum for them and their needs.  This way I'll be getting additional education at little to no cost to me (work is paying for tuition) and it is in a field of study that my employer has identified as a gap that they need filled.  Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Wish me luck in my new journey!

So, it's been a few weeks since I've posted any new blogs.  I've been... um, busy with other endeavours.  One of which is getting my scuba diving certification.  I took the class and pool work back in May and I finally got to do the open water stuff over Labor Day weekend down in San Carlos, Mexico with my great friend, Renalwizard.

We ended up leaving at 0530 Friday morning and was on the boat around 2ish (you know, Mexican time).  We got two dives in that afternoon and they were a blast.  We dove at Window Rock and Catalina Cove.  Each dive we had to demonstrate to the instructor certain skills (mask clearing, weight removal, emergency ascent, etc.), but we also had plenty of time to explore.  The water was really warm (around 85°F) and pretty clear.  In between dives we did a little diving off the top deck of the boat which was fun too.  The 2nd dive was a bit of a problem for me because my ears wouldn't equalize and that hurt... A LOT.  Apparently, my sinuses were a bit congested.

Day 2 started out at 0700 and we took a bit longer ride out to San Pedro Island where we were greeted by sea lions.  Unfortunately, none came out to swim with us.  About an hour before diving I took some psuedafed which seemed to help the sinuses/ears a bit.  I still had to descend slowly to keep the pain to a minimum.  Once I got down to below 20 ft I was fine.  We ended up maxing out at around 58 ft. down.  We found some cold spots at that depth where the water got to 59°F according to my dive computer.  I had a 3mm wetsuit on and I was still comfortable.  Then again, the cold never really bothered me.  Must be because I grew up and lived in Ohio for 33 years.  The last dive of the day was the best because we didn't have to demonstrate any skills and we just got to explore and have fun.

We saw all kinds of sea life over the four dives:  sea urchins, hermit crabs, lots of starfish, sea cucumbers, a puffer fish, a moray eel and lots of tropical fish (coolest looking was the sargent majors).

I can't say enough how great our instructor, Drew and Dive Con, Ashley, were throughout the dives.  Ashley was an absolute sweetheart and helped me through my ear problem.  Drew was very instructive, yet fun and easy going.  He also taught my Nitrox class back in Tucson.  The dive boat and crew were excellent as well.  I would highly recommend if you are thinking of going to San Carlos, take a look at the gang at Ocean Sports.  Otherwise known as Desert Divers here in Tucson.

Here are a couple of pics I took with my underwater camera...


That's me... Otig!


Chocolate Chip Starfish


School of Fish

The only thing I regret about the trip was that a certain someone was not there with me to enjoy it.  That would have made it perfect.

It's been awhile since I've posted anything.  Those of you who know me personally know why.  Don't worry, it's a good thing... a VERY good thing.

Anywho... My friend Renalwizard and I just got back from San Diego a couple of days ago where we attended the 2007 Comic-Con, a.k.a. Geek Paradise.  This was my second year attending the event and it was definitely different this time around, mostly because I came a bit more prepared and knew what to expect. 

For those of you who don't know what the Comic-Con is, it is a HUGE convention for comic book, movie, video game, toy enthusiasts.  The main exhibit hall has all of the booths where companies like DC, Marvel, Sideshow Collectibles, Lionsgate Films, Warner Bros., Sony, Blizzard, Lucas Arts, etc. display, promote and sell their wares.  They have dozens of booths where you can buy back issues of comics, comic related toys, statues, clothing, etc.  A section of the hall is also set up where artists can commission work (Artists Alley).  The big boys (DC, Marvel, Image, etc.) have alot of their artists and writers come and sign books and do sketches free of charge, if you like to wait in line.

You can get pictures with and autographs from artists, writers, actors throughout the day in both the main exhibit hall and upstairs in the "autograph areas."  This year you really had to plan ahead to get autographs for the more famous people.  You would have to show up first thing in the morning and draw tickets out of a bag in a lottery type system to get a wrist band for the session later in the day.  Last year you just showed up early and got in line and waited.  I can see why they did this:  1.) if you wanted to attend that person's panel, you might as well forget about an autograph because the panel was almost always just before the autograph session.  2.)  They only gave out a limited number of wrist bands or tickets so it kept the lines smaller and the guest didn't have to sign for long periods of time.  My big autographs this year were:  Laurell K. Hamilton, Linda Blair, Sid Haig, three of the cast members of Eureka (Sheriff Carter, Stark and Fargo), Arthur Suydam, Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham.  Jessica Alba, Jeniffer Love Hewitt and Danny Trejo were some other big names to show up for autographs, but I found out about them too late. 

Outside the exhibit hall there are literally dozens of other rooms where you can go and see panels of all kinds where the creative teams (writers, directors, actors) of comics, TV shows, movies, etc. discuss the past, present and future of their little worlds.  These panels also give the opportunity for fans to ask questions.  Then therre's Hall H where hollywood comes to promote their upcoming movies and/or DVD releases.  In many cases, famous actors will show up in Hall H to help promote their movie as well.  We didn't make it to Hall H this year (too crowded).

After the exhibit hall closes for the day, there is plenty going on still at the convention center and the surrounding area (Gaslamp District).  There's the film festival, sneak previews for upcoming movies, TV shows, etc., after hour parties that, if you know the right people, you can get into.  We had an opportunity to go to the "Freakshow Party" which is Sideshow Collectibles' party, but we were too tire (man, I must be getting old).  One of the big after hours events to attend is movie premiers.  Many companies show their movies at the convention first to get the word out.  This year we went and saw the world premier of "Shoot 'em Up" starring Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti.  Let's just say that the name fit.

Here are some pics:


Laurell K. Hamilton



Linda Blair



Sid Haig