Starting An Internship

Today I've finished my third day of work. I'm enjoying it so far, and I think I will long-term. I haven't really got to work on the project I'm supposed to be doing yet, but it's a necessary thing. I have to set up my computer how I like it first, and then start researching and studying the things I'm working with: the Havok physics engine and Android programming. We're not actually sure yet if I can combine the two, but we're finding it out, and in the meantime I'm reading up on them and trying some programming tutorials. The environment itself is great, a nice office (with a mini-kitchen, even), good computer, and cool people that I'll hopefully be getting to know better.

I've started looking at this book given to me by a research assistant at work called Game Physics Engine Development by Ian Millington. It's basically a look at how to create a simple physics engine, and it would give me the basic information on how a simpler version of Havok might work. It's not that I'm creating my own engine at all, probably not even tweaking Havok, but I'm sure that it would be helpful for me to know how it works, if I am to use it to create applications. There is a bit of complex math (or maths if you're from the UK) involved, but it's reviewed at the beginning of the book, and I'm finding it surprisingly understandable. I did 3D calculus last year--or two years ago, if you count the school year just past--and didn't do incredibly well, but the basics stuck with me. It was the professor that really was the difficult thing anyway. Reading these sections, though, is reminding me how much I miss math classes. How weird am I? But I do. I know some of the classes I'm taking next year will involve math, and I hope that means they'll be enjoyable.

I'm slowly starting to meet people and get adjusted to all this new stuff. My days are pretty full, and even though I don't have to bring work home with me, I only have a few hours in the evenings to myself. Perhaps that's for the best, though. I finally won't have a boring summer.

New Digs

Moved into my new flat today. Haven't met everyone, but it's a nice place. Top floor! I like it much better than the ground floor, where I was before, but it was a pain to bring all my stuff up today. Also, bigger fridges, and fewer people. I don't get my own sink in my room anymore, but the rest is a relief. Not much else happening, mainly getting used to being in Scotland again. Saw the cutest kitten today, my boyfriend's sister got it for her kids (I should have taken pictures...). Work starts Monday, so I won't have to come up with things to do for many more days. I'll have to spend tomorrow unpacking anyway.

Monday after work, I think I'll go to this vegan restaurant/bar with my boyfriend that's just down the street. He's vegetarian, so he's happy to know he can have anything on the menu. They have "meat-free Mondays," kind of a joke because they are always meat-free, but they have a "2 courses for £8" deal all day, plus student discounts.

Also nearby is a Korean restaurant, which I go to frequently with friends, even before I moved here. Now, it's right down the street, and they give discounts for take-out sushi. Definitely doing that. Often.

I'm generally closer to everything, even uni, because I'm more in town than before. My last flat was on the edge of a really residential area, with not as many nice shops. Now I'm a block away from a street with a Tesco, cafes to write in, bars to hang out in, and places to eat. This will be a good summer.

Coming Home

My travels to Scotland were fairly uneventful, apart from a few minor things.

First, I'd like to complain about airport security again. I finally got my teeny tiny swiss-army-knife-type thing taken away (bought it at Claire's, can barely cut anything with it). They found it in the x-ray machine. And I've been on about 5 flights now from the US to the UK and back, and it hasn't been found yet. I could complain about it being taken away, but... aren't they supposed to find all knives immediately? What if I had wanted to stab someone's eye out with it? I could have done it (but not really, as my knife is a flimsy little thing and I wouldn't do it anyway). They call themselves high-security, they look and feel like high-security, but it doesn't really seem like they are.

On a brighter note, I watched the latest and last Doctor Who episode till autumn on the plane, since I'd got it saved on my computer before the flight. Was epic beyond words, and I won't say anything more.

I had a slightly frustrating experience with a newsstand worker in the Philadelphia airport. The guy before me in line was buying a bag of almonds. The shopkeeper saw that he had glasses that were sold at his shop, and asked the customer if he'd bought them there already. The man got angry that the shopkeeper hadn't remembered him and was insinuating that he'd shoplifted them. He dug out his receipt for the glasses for proof, then put back the almonds and left.

I was next in line, with three snacks. He charged me $17, which seemed high, but I knew snacks at the airport are expensive. I bought them and went to sit down. Then it hit me that the price was more than it actually should have been, even with tax, and so I took out my receipt and saw I'd been charged for that man's almonds. I went back, wanting my $4. There were more customers now, so when I asked him about it he asked if I wanted the almonds--probably the easy way out for him. But I insisted, and so had to wait for everyone else to buy, and then let him do a return for me. He seemed rather out of it this whole time, even in his demeanor. Not paying attention to who bought what in the last couple hours, not watching that he's not charging for something extra. Not a good way to work.

Good thing was, I left for Glasgow from the same concourse I arrived in from Phoenix, so I didn't have to go through security again at Philadelphia airport. I get tired of doing it at every stop.

When I landed, after I got in the taxi, I realized I really feel at home here. I feel like I'm in a much different point in my life than the last time I came back, after Christmas. I know the city better and I've taken more taxis, to begin with. Then of course, I've made much stronger friendships, have a job and new flat lined up, and a boyfriend to see again.

Life is good.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

I've been staying out of the sun to nurse my burns, and today that meant hanging out in a Starbucks to read, write, and edit. I'm starting Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, which I bought at a used bookstore yesterday. I'm interested to finally be getting into her work.

In two days, I'll be flying back to Scotland. I'm excited for my new job and new flat, but I've also had a good vacation. All that's left is to hope this hot weekend doesn't get to me.

Here's a bit about the book I finished a few days ago.

~

Book 6: The Girl Who Played With Fire, by Stieg Larsson

After reading the first two books of this series now, I can definitely say Larsson is an excellent thriller writer. The first 100 or so pages of setup again were slow, though a bit more interesting than the first book. But when the first major plot point explodes, I couldn't put it down, and read about 400 pages in two days. I'll certainly be reading the next one.

To summarize, it continues with most of the characters from the first book, mainly Blomkvist and Salander. A man comes to the Millenium magazine, where Blomkvist works, with a book exposing a sex trafficking operation which would implicate important members of Swedish government and business. His wife is writing a similar thesis paper. The stories become more explosive than anyone anticipated. And a lot is learned about Salander's very interesting past.

The one thing I've noticed Larsson does particularly well in this book is use point of view to keep information from the reader. If you don't hear from a particular important character, you don't know if they're guilty, and you feel you must know the answer. He also uses dramatic irony, perhaps the opposite, when the reader knows more than the character, and so knows whether or not the character is making a good decision. These literary devices, used in the right way, make the suspense almost unbearable. There were many times when the actions of certain characters infuriated me, but evoking emotion is a sign of good writing.

I definitely recommend this book--but read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo first.

The Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon - South Rim

First of all, I apologize for the length. I took notes along the road so that I would remember things I wanted to talk about--and there ended up being quite a few!

The day started out early. At 7:10 the tour bus met mom and I at our hotel in Sedona and we headed out to pick up the rest of the people. One couple was in Sedona, the rest in Flagstaff.

Our first sight, which only us and the other couple got to see, was Oak Creek Canyon. It's where all the water in a large portion of Arizona runs, so it has clean running water all year long. We crossed a bridge that went over this canyon and the sight was breathtaking. Ponderosa Pines were everywhere, making it look much more green and lush than you'd expect in a desert. These trees are apparently waterproof, and they used to use the wood for railroad ties, before they were put underground. President Roosevelt, to get Arizona to join with the rest of the States, had more of these trees planted over the meadows of stumps from logging.

In Flagstaff, we picked up the rest of our group. The first couple and two other couples were from various areas across the states, but then there was a woman in almost all pink from Manchester (UK) studying travel and tourism, and four Chinese girls. With me and mom as well, it was quite an interesting crowd.

Grand Canyon - East Rim

After a long drive with plenty of interesting stories from our tour guide, past a Flinstones-themed road stop and a mountain where they were mining volcanic stones for icy roads, we arrived at the IMAX theater near the edge of the canyon. We watched a 30-minute movie about the discovery of the grand canyon, with plenty of shots along the river and cliffs that took our breath away. Most of the things in the movie can't be done anymore, like having a helicopter fly into the canyon. In that case, since 9/11, planes and such can't fly over the canyon, so there aren't any "sky tours" of it and it can't be filmed like that. There were also cougars used in one scene, fighting with a human, which wouldn't be allowed these days. It also surprised me how rough the rapids are in the Colorado River down in the canyon. I thought the water was all still and serene, and not so wide across. National Geographic now owns the rights to the movie, and that IMAX building is apparently the only place you can buy a physical copy.

After this, before seeing the canyon, we had lunch at a hotel near the canyon's edge called Bright Angel. I had a bacon cheeseburger with fries, with cheesecake since we had a lunch and dessert coupon each from our tour package. It was delicious. In the gift shop, Mom saw a beautiful small painted horse with dragonflies on it, and I hadn't bought her anything really for her birthday or mother's day, so I bought it for her. I can tell she'll cherish it.

Instead of seeing the view from the hotel's restaurant, our tour guide took us to a much better overlook of the Grand Canyon at the South Rim. The view was breathtaking; I could barely comprehend the distances I was seeing. The canyon is on average a mile deep, and the vast area we were seeing was only a quarter of the entire canyon. I took a short video because I figured a panorama shot wouldn't do it justice.

At this same overlook, the Chinese girls wanted to take pictures, and ended up at the edge, where there wasn't a guardrail. One of them dangled their feet of the edge of the canyon, thinking it would be a great picture, posing for her friends. The tour guide freaked out but did a good job of hiding his fear, instead calmly telling them how people die at that spot--and it's true. Twenty people die at the canyon from various accidents every year, be it hiking, falling from overlooks, etc. He jokes and calls the spot "Natural Selection Point." The girls were fine but probably a little shaken up. Later on, there was a place where a wide ledge was below the rim of the overlook, and the tour guide frequently stops there to take funny pictures making it seem like people are falling over the edge. He explained to the Chinese girls how to take the best--safe--shot of them "falling."

Grand Canyon - East Rim

We went to a few more overlooks, which were all just as breathtaking. The last one at the East Rim (probably the best view) had a 30-foot tall tower that they'd built a long time ago to draw tourists to the area. We didn't go up since there were a number of old people in our group and the view of the canyon wouldn't really be any different from the top.

Along the road back, we took a different highway, and drove through a Navajo reservation area. We stopped at Little Colorado River Gorge, another smaller canyon that lies on Navajo land. Near the natives' newly-built viewpoint, they had a number of stalls open where they were selling hand-made jewelry, dream catchers, pots, and more. At the edge of the canyon, I stood still. It was so quiet and peaceful, probably from the un-developed, sparsely populated native land. Our tour guide told us, "We're not technically in the USA here." I also saw a dust devil, a mini tornado-like swirling wind, pass right in front of me while there. It was amazing to witness.

Little Colorado River Gorge

We stopped at another, more built-up Navajo trading site, the only place for miles with running water and electricity. Many natives hang out there because of it. My mom and I both felt a kind of sad, almost oppressed feeling in the area. Just a few decades ago we stopped taking their kids away to "educate them" (which we did do and is so outrageous), and they're just beginning to trust outsiders. Not long ago the land was a hostile area. You could almost expect to be shot. They live so simply and almost backwards, and don't seem like the sort of amazing native civilization we read about in old books. I don't think they've been introduced to the modern world in a good way.

On the final stretch home, we watched an old western movie in which our tour guide had actually made some of the set, called The Quick and the Dead. It was quite good. It made me want to watch or read more westerns. While watching, we drove past the beautiful Painted Desert, a canyon with more colors than the red rock we're used to seeing, and the smog-like smoke from nearby forest fires. They're really out of control right now, given the strange raining pattern in the last year. The sun setting behind the smoke was both eerie and beautiful.

It was soon dark, and the tour guide told us more stories about growing up in Sedona and driving movie stars around town. He's met and worked for Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and more. He worked creating mini-towns for movie sets, owned a limo ride company, and yet grew up on a farm. He kept us entertained till the end of the tour, with a short movie about two men who were the first people to photograph and film the Grand Canyon.

There are more things I could tell you, more stories of our tour guide's, but I think this blog is long enough.

Two more days. Now in Phoenix, then back to Scotland.

The Hot, Dry Desert

I experienced it like never before yesterday, hiking the Boynton Canyon Trail. Mom and I chose it because the pamphlet said "easy, 2.5 miles one way." We chose not to bring water (looking back, I don't really know why we didn't prepare more) or food. I think we figured it wouldn't take very long.

It started out great. Lizards and butterflies everywhere, looming red rock all around us. After a while, we figured it had been two miles, and asked someone how much farther. They said it was another 3/4 of a mile. After a time, we asked again, and they said it was another mile--some local had told them the park people moved the trailhead without updating the pamphlets (or the website, apparently, which I checked today).

Turns out the hike was more like 4 miles one way. And at the end, the path was really steep and rather treacherous if we weren't careful. In addition, the bees, of which there were plenty once we got to the trees, really bugged me... I hate their buzzing, it brings on a fight or flight response in me that I can barely control.

Thankfully there was a kind couple at the top who gave us the rest of their water (which wasn't much but we thoroughly enjoyed all the same). The views at the top were really amazing, pretty much worth the trek up there. Along the way wasn't bad either... I'm sure it would have been more enjoyable if we'd been more prepared. We literally walked between high red rock walls, inside a canyon. It started out as a desert area, then bushes and a few trees, and then a forest, with a quick, steep climb to the top.

The walk back was painful. Literally, for mom. She lost her footing and fell forward at one point, thankfully landing on clear ground without rocks or anything. Just a few cuts and bruises, though her knee seemed sprained. She was able to walk back along the trail, though slowly with a bit of a limp. It got worse last night, but better today.

I fantasized about drinking ice cold anything almost the entire time. I'd already gotten a sunburn from the walk up I knew, and there were places with no shade at all on the way back. I was desperate for water when we got back to the car, and we had a little, for which I was thankful. We then came home, drank as much water as we needed, cleaned off all the dust, and went swimming in the pool near where we're staying. Great ending to a difficult--but interesting--day.

Grand Canyon tour tomorrow. Probably no post till the next day, as it's supposed to be a 10-hour trip.