Getting Off The Outage Train And Back On The Wagon

Well, our outage is over. It was cool to learn all the new things that I did. I now have a pretty clear picture of taking apart the reactor and getting the old fuel out and the new fuel in. It was a good experience and I would be willing to give it another shot if given the opportunity to do so.

That's not to say that I'm not glad that it's over. It's nice to have more than one day off and it's almost strange to be awake during the day now. Being on night shift for a month and a half takes some getting used to...in fact, I'd have to say that I wasn't quite used to it until the end. So I'm glad that the outage came (for the learning) and I'm glad that it went (for the life!!).

Now that the outage is over, I'm getting back on the wagon. The Health Wagon that is. I fell off earlier this year and I was about to get back on when the outage came. I didn't see the point in trying to start a workout regimen during a time when I wouldn't have the time or desire to actually stick with it. So now the time has come. The wagon is rolling and I'm jumping back on. I know that it's easier to just stay on the wagon or get back on as soon as you've realized that you've fallen off. But because of the past year, it was easier for me to eat ice cream and lick my wounds.

I've been debating about keeping up with this blog. On one hand, it serves as an outlet for me and I like writing about the day-to-day things in my life that happen. On the other hand, I still get concerned over The Ex reading it. So I feel that I can't write things that I would normally want to write about without giving him access to where I will be at a certain time and stuff like that. So, until I decide one way or another, posting will not be what it was. Even if I do keep up with it, I'm not sure that it will ever be what it was...as candid and wide open.

Either way, know that I am still here and doing my thang! I hope that everyone's Thanksgiving was full of family and food. And if I don't write anything soon, Merry Christmas!

My Next Thirty Years- Tim McGraw

More Home Improvement Adventures...And More...

I just spent about an hour and a half trying to fix my toilet. Now, it should be noted I suppose, that the problem occurred about four months ago. The fill valve appeared to be messed up and wasn't shutting off when it was supposed to do so. After some small amount of fussing, I wound up deciding that I needed to just get a new fill valve and in the meantime, shut off the water to that toilet until the problem could be remedied.

It was about a week later that I bought the new valve. And it sat on the dining room table until tonight.

I was sitting here watching TV when I started thinking about cleaning my bathroom. And that of course led to the idea of actually fixing the toilet. So, having learned some lessons about doing things at night when Lowe's is closed, I took the new fill and flapper valves out of the package and proceeded to read the instructions....and I usually only read the instructions when I get stuck or frustrated (whichever come second, now that I think about it).

I grabbed some tools and went to work thinking that this would only take a few minutes. That should have been my first clue that it would take longer.

I got all the old parts yanked out pretty effortlessly and commenced to replacing them. The replacement itself was not so hard. It was the forty-five minutes of adjustments that came next.

First, the fill valve didn't shut off. Then the flapper valve was leaking. Then the isolation valve outside of the toilet started dripping.

Eventually, I made enough adjustments (or said enough swear words) to have a working toilet again in the master bathroom.

Maybe next time it won't take four months to fix....

On another note, I am slightly peeved. Well, more than slightly. A while back I noticed that the driver's side headlight on my car was dimming randomly and eventually just started going out completely. I would have to turn the lights off and then back on again for it to come on. So I bought new bulbs and tried to change them myself...yeah right!

Everything under the hood of my car is packed together so tightly that after about half an hour of fiddling, I decided to just have someone else do it. I figured that since I had already paid for the parts, paying the labor for someone else to do it at that point would be worth it since it was clearly going to be a pain in my ass.

So the next time I was due for an oil change, I also asked for the bulbs to be changed. I was informed an hour later that I had in fact bought the wrong bulbs and that the bulbs for my car would be $185...PER BULB!!! I have HID lights apparently and they are pretty expensive to replace.

And this is the part that starts to piss me off. I take the car in one day to get the bulb replaced. I decided to do just one since it's going to be so much money. I thought that they simply took out the headlight in order to have the room to get behind it to replace the bulb. I was expecting a bill of about $200. So I was pretty surprised to get a bill for $302!! Again, one bulb. Have I mentioned yet that this was only one bulb? Just wanna make that clear...

When I inquired about the $130 of labor (to replace a light bulb!!!) I was told that the whole front bumper needed to be taken off in order to do the work. So I paid my bill and then nicely (as nicely as you can through clenched teeth) told them that I would be having the other bulb replaced somewhere else. Because had I known that this was the case, I would have just done them both at the same time. But now, when I want to have the other one done, I will then have to pay that $130 labor charge again. Seems a bit ridiculous to me...

I'm thinking of writing a letter to Toyota. I feel like they were clearly out to just make money off of me and that makes me mad...and a little sad. I have been a loyal customer since I bought my first Prius from them and all my car maintenance has been done by them up to this point. I have been very satisfied with everything up until now. And I feel like if they were really thinking about their customers, they would have at least given me a heads-up about this. At least to let me know that it would save me money in the long run to replace them both at once.

But...on a positive note...I'm on the Refuel Team for our upcoming outage!! I will admit (like the big nerd that I am) that I am pretty excited about this. I have always wanted to be a part of the team that took the reactor apart, removed and replaced the fuel and put it back together. I am all sorts of excited that I will be able to see all this stuff!! It's one thing to see pictures and drawings but I have always been the sort of person who can remember it forever if I can actually do it. I have seen the slight blue glow of Cherenkov radiation in the spent fuel pool. But this time I will see it up close and personal in the reactor. It only took 12 years of pressing the "I Believe" button before I will actually see (as closely as I will ever get) something other than the theory behind it.

And mostly, I think I will learn a lot and that the experience will close a lot of knowledge gaps that I may have about how this part of the outage happens.

So...as the outage gets closer, I won't be writing as much, if at all. Not that I've been writing a lot lately. But either way, it will still only be a little for a while...hopefully the toilet holds up until then at least...

Fixers- Pearl Jam

9/11/01

Eight years ago. I can't believe that it's been that long. I still remember so vividly all the details of that day. The sound of one of the girls running down the stairs into our berthing area on the ship. The lights being turned on....and then the television....and then the volume going up on the television.

I recall the sound that my rack curtains made as I whipped them open to yell at whoever it was that had come in and made so much noise so early in the morning when I still had 20 minutes of precious sleep to get. And as my head turned toward the T.V., I will never forget hearing the Captain's voice make an announcement about what had happened.

As I watched the footage play over and over, I knew that this was going to affect me. I knew that this meant that we were going to leave on deployment early. And I knew that for the first time in my military career, there was the potential for me to be in harm's way.

The thing that always got me about this event was that I was a person who had signed a piece of paper knowing that I could potentially lose my life serving my country. But none of those civilians knew that going to work that day would cost them theirs. That was one of the many things that seemed so unfair about the whole thing.

It was in this day that I realized why I had joined the Navy. I have never been so proud to be an American as I was that day. And from that day forward, I have had a very deep respect for the armed services and all those who serve their country.

I know that as time passes, wounds heal and scars fade. Someday, this will play out on T.V or in a movie just as Pearl Harbor or the assassination of JFK. But no matter how much time passes, I will never forget those small details...or the memory of those who had their lives stolen from them.

La La La...

Haven't been up to much lately. Worked some overtime during my week off to help out and also combat the boredom I knew would creep in. It was the first seven-off I'd had in a few months that I stayed in town and didn't have any major plans to attend to. It was nice to have the time to relax and I assure you that the two days that I covered, I questioned the decision as the alarm went off those mornings. It's hard enough getting out of bed, it's even worse doing it on a day when you know that you are doing it to yourself!! :)

I made some apple pies at work today. It was one of the guys' birthday and they had been whining for homemade apple pie so I killed two birds with one stone.

That's something that I've noticed about the difference between the north and south. Where I am from in the north, baked goods are always homemade. Someone who says they are bringing dessert and then shows up with a boxed item is insulting the hostess. In fact, it's just not an option to show up with something that you didn't at least have to break out a mixer or use an oven. So it's surprising to me when I encounter people who have never had a homemade pie or homemade whipped cream.

But here in the south, they take cooking more seriously. As in soups and stews and meats and all that. And the flavors are pretty awesome! And I've noticed that there are a lot more guys that cook, it's not just women. The men cook, they like it and they are good at it!

Anyway, hope everyone's Labor Day is a good one! Have a BBQ and relax...

A Memorable Dining Experience

Last night our shift went to eat at Texas de Brazil. The pictures on the website give you an idea of what the place looks like...but if you've never eaten there, they don't do justice for the experience.

First, you sit down and drink orders are taken. Then, when you are ready, you can make your way over to the buffet that all buffets should be. It was not overcrowded with food like lots of other buffets typically are. There were a few key dishes that were all made well and looked appealing. I didn't try everything but I didn't hear a complaint about anything that was out there. And it had been a long time since I had eaten tabbouleh so I was thrilled to see it as an option.

Now, the website for the restaurant kinda talks about this but I'll save you the time for having to search for it. After the buffet comes the meat. And I do mean that the meat will come!! Next to your plate is a card. One side is red, the other is green. When you are ready for some meat, you flip your card over from red to green. Once you do this, men with meat that are on sticks (more like small swords) come over to the table to offer you meat ranging from filet mignon (also comes wrapped in bacon, if you so desire) to beef ribs, pork ribs, brazilian sausage, flank steak, lamb, etc, etc. Any kind of meat that you may so desire. Anything that can not be served in single-sized portions will be cut for you table-side and you can use the tongs that are provided to grab your hunk of meat.

So you pile on the meat and as long as your card is flipped to green, they will continue to stop and offer whatever meat they have. Obviously, once you have what you want, for the time being, you flip your card to red and eat what you have.

It was such a cool concept and the food was very, very good. I can not recommend enough that if you ever have the chance to experience this place, you should certainly do so!