2. Travels b. An account of one's journeys

Mission Juno - Work!

2012-01-31T18:29:00.001-05:00

Even though it rarely gets mentioned on this blog, I do actually have a job. Fortunately, SWRI (southwest research institute) made a really cool website about Mission Juno. I worked on the mechanical design of the MWR antennas. If you go to the website through the link below and click on "launch", it should bring you right to a video about MWR by the instrument scientist. The background image shows the spacecraft and the antennas in yellow. Also, you can find out more about the other instruments and the Juno spacecraft. Enjoy!

Mission Juno - MWR

I was super lucky to get a chance to work on this project!

P.S. I just noticed I am one of the white coat people during the time lapse antenna build part of the video.

Success and Failure: A Graph

2012-01-18T19:23:00.001-05:00

I drew this on a pink post-it at work during a conversation I was having with one of my friends the awhile ago on gchat. I think this post is in honor of the olympic trials marathon, or something like that. Not that I run anywhere near that fast. But some people I know do, and some people I don't know, but know of, do too.

friend: yeah i meant to ask, what does THAT LINE represent?

me: idk

friend: the line where we....do what?

me: i think its when we forget we are afriad

afraid

or that limits exist

so we are at our limit, right

and then, forget about them, and choose to add more energy

now it gets scary

that is when you break tendons

or have near death experiences

or win races you never thought you could

but even the things you think are really really unbelievably awesome have a huge price

you might not see it yet

but that is why the line goes both ways

and even really bad things have a really good benefit, i think, even if you don't know it

Just another day at work.

Work Life Balance

2012-01-13T14:11:00.000-05:00

Dear work,
I was going to go to work on Wednesday, I swear, because I only went to work...minimally...last week. I even put on work clothes. You can see them in the photo. I promise I meant to go to work. Then I drove by work. And surfed until 4pm. Oops. Sorry. Didn't quite make it in that day. In my defense, a surfer almost drowned and I was the first medically trained person on the scene. I was going to get out of the water and drive to work but decided I should paddle back out after that. Then a seal decided to try to "play" with me. How could I disappoint him by leaving (ok maybe that's a stretch)? Anyway, the bottom line is, I didn't make it in, so I am working today on my day off. That's okay though because I ran and surfed so much this week I don't think I could do either today anyway.

Sincerely,

Julie

P.S. Since I know you are dying to ask, the new wetsuit is awesome. Things have changed since I bought my last 5/4 in 2006. It's almost as good as my 6/5!

(no this is not a real email, I do want to keep my job)

Nook!

2011-10-24T14:24:00.002-04:00

I have a LOT of blog updates to do but it takes a lot of time. In a quick summary: went climbing, went surfing, started doing track workouts again, went to Maine, and went to Yosemite. Someday I'll get to all of that.

For now, I got a Nook. I signed up for the GREs but wouldn't study because a GRE study book was too heavy to carry on the airplane (oh yeah I went to Rhode Island too), so Mom and I went to Barnes and Noble to get a nook. I am generally not so psyched to get lots of new technology just for the sake of getting something cool (I am NOT an iphone fan as Josh knows quite well, except I do borrow his from time to time and the camera is pretty awesome). So a nook was not something on my list of things to buy.

But it's awesome. I think. I can have tons of books on airplane flights and all I need to carry is the nook! I didn't realize how nice that would be. The downside is I spent tons of $$ on books. People will say things like oh you should read this and normally I wouldn't because I'd have to find time to go to the library or buy it (I still love the library btw). Now, I go online and the next thing I know I have a new book to read. Eventually, hopefully, my rate of e-book buying will go down, but for now I am going to enjoy all the reading I started doing. :) Also, I don't like looking at lit up screens all the time. Nook isn't like that. E-ink is awesome.

Airplane rides (why do I insist of flying across the country so often) are a lot more awesome now!

Liquid Sun

2011-10-13T14:03:00.001-04:00

Some surf sessions are worth skipping a track workout. And leaving work way too early.

Perfect glass as the sun sets, turning the water into liquid sun.

You know its barreling when the waves crack as the lip hits the water.

It was totally unexpected. And beach was totally empty. I guess nobody else knew either. Sometimes, things just work out.

Ending the night eating Peruvian dinner with my boyfriend and a bodyboarding friend. Good day.

I like going to work in the morning and smiling. :)

New Running Shoes with a Little Help

2011-09-21T13:47:00.002-04:00

Clearly I have been neglecting the blog again. Oops.

So after Seattle, I did a 5k one weekend (early july? JP Blecksmith Memorial 5k). It was pitiful. Now looking back on it, I realize a couple of things. First, my legs were a lot more tired than I thought from mountain running. It took a bigger toll on me than I expected (much much bigger...it took until mid-August to figure this out). Second, I was injured. Feet tendons were sad from too many mountains (someday, if I ever learn to write half decently and end up with a book, it is going to be called that..."Too Many Mountains"). I had sort of kept running, while being as careful as possible. Third, pure mountain running is not the same as flat road running and the "training" (if you could call it that), didn't translate very well. So just after the race, I got new running shoes.

I like lightweight running shoes with thin soles. It feels good to run in them. Until my feet fell apart from too many mountain descents without appropriate building up to it. So I went to the running shoe store looking to get a new pair of pretty lightweight shoes (my shoes up until this point weighed under 6oz...suacony a4s and vibram five fingers) that were hopefully enough support I didn't have to stop running (yes, sometimes buying running shoes solves injury problems...mostly). Fortunately, a friend from rock climbing who also happens to be a women's high school xc coach works at the store and is smarter than me. I went into the store looking for a specific shoe. Conversation went like this:
Him: "Ok I'll go get your size, I'll be back in a few minutes."
A few minutes goes by and he appears with lots of boxes...what?
Him: "You can choose from these."
Me: "What? These are heavy! Don't you have lighter shoes? I'll get injured in these! I get achilles tendonitis and plantar faciitis when I wear heavy shoes! It took me all of college to figure that out!"
Him: "You are injured now, and shouldn't be running. If you have to buy a shoe today, you need a more substantial shoe, so you get to choose from these. And btw, take a week off, at least."
Me: "ugh."

But, his experience with working with stubborn women runners (this is a difficult to learn, very refined skill - he gets a lot of credit for it) was very apparent when he sadly laughed at me and said well come back when you aren't hurt. The normal runner person next to me who also getting fitted for shoes must have been very confused, or maybe entertained.

The bottom line is I got more substantial shoes to wear (Saucony Peregrines) until my feet tendons heal. Its uncomfortable to run in heavy shoes that seem awkward to me compared to my Saucony A4's, but I'll take that over not running due to injury. My friend is smarter than me and running in the Peregrines is working a lot better and I can run pain free. Feet tendons don't heal quickly (Becki informed me of this and now my experience is confirming her warning), so I'll probably be running in Peregrine's for awhile, and just racing in A4s. Plus...I can't help thinking...if I get used to Peregrines...they'll probably be pretty helpful during a mountain 100 someday...

Ventura and the AC100

2011-09-10T01:38:00.001-04:00

For fourth of July weekend, we stayed around LA because I had orchestra performances. I played piccolo for the first time with the orchestra and it was sort of terrifying but also really fun. It only look me...18 years to play piccolo? Really? Have I been playing flute that long?

Climbing wise, Josh and I have been spending a lot of time in Ventura. Especially throughout July. There are a couple of different sport climbing areas that are easy to get to and relatively cool. Plus, the beach is on the way so I can surf (theoretically, if there had been decent surf during July, which there wasn't) and we can get food in Ventura.

Surfing Beaches...but not good waves. I think I took 2 months off of riding waves this summer.

Once we figured out a good way to get there, we miss the traffic too, even on 4th of July weekend. I finally got on some harder climbs and made my way to the top of a pretty sweet 5.11 (I didn't lead it...Josh did, of course).

Josh at Wheeler Gorge, Ojai

Every once in awhile when I have the energy, its fun to focus and pull hard, completely immersed in getting the maximum I can out of my body. Josh did a 5.12 at some point, really easily, which was cool to watch. Josh actually climbing is a really neat thing, since his body is built for it and it looks really easy. For awhile, I was swimming in the river before and after climbing to escape bugs and the heat, until the attack of the swarm of killer leeches. No more swimming in the river after that.

Killer leeches live in here

Actually it must be leech season because Josh and I went on a "run"...climbing/exploring run up a river bed. Josh had been up there before with our running partner Dave on a search for ruins of old cabins that were built out there in the 40s maybe? Some sections were short rock climbing sections, some running through the river sections, and some hopping from rock to rock. This was great until I ran into attack of the killer leeches again. And bees. And a poisonous water snake. It was worth it though because eventually we got to the hidden stairway and could see where the cabins started before we ran out of time and had to get back to the car.

Another notable run consisted of me getting angry and deciding to go on a long run to fix it, in the middle of the day, in the mountains near Los Angeles (to the Bridge to Nowhere in Asuza). I learned a good lesson that day...do not pack for running in the heat while angry. All of a sudden it seems to make sense to not bring nearly enough water, any food, or plan the run in any way whatsoever. Good job me. There was a group bungee jumping at the bridge that had a water filter which saved me from a very painful, very dehydrated, torture run. But when I got back I wasn't mad anymore!

At the end of July, Josh and I volunteered at the Angeles Crest 100 mile endurance run. If you can't race, join in some other way, and I'm not in a position to be running 100s right now. I think if I am going to do it I have to do it right, so I don't mess up my body (more than just structurally...I am more worried about the less obvious stuff...like what happened to Alberto Salazaar in Duel in the Sun). Volunteering at AC was super fun. Josh and I got assigned to the medical team at Chilao, which is the 52 mile mark, between 2pm and 10pm.

Me weighing in the runners at mile 52

We spent the 8 hours weighing in runners and it went by super fast. Getting to weigh everyone in and compare their 52 mile weight to their starting weight was really interesting. I learned what bad weight loss looked like and how it affected runners and what was effective (or not) at fixing whatever the cause was. We knew a bunch of people in the race, and it was great to see them come in tired, recognize either of us, and still find the energy to say hi. The whole race is amazing. This huge effort is going on in the mountains very close to Los Angeles and most people in the city are completely oblivious. The headlamps coming in, runners trying to cool off, families and friends supporting this really difficult effort and experiences that the runners are going through...its a nice contrast to the problems in the city.

Josh at the end of our shift

We had a great time and I would love to volunteer again. Even though I am a distance runner who's done a couple of 50ks and a 24 hour, it was nice to be able to go home at night to go to bed and leave the running to someone else. :)

Goobye Chilao! The aid station closing down.

Congrats to all the AC runners who started, whether they finished or not! I hope we can volunteer next year!

Juno Launch in Florida

2011-09-09T20:40:00.003-04:00

This summer I didn't get to go home for a week like I usually do for my birthday because I used up all my vacation days for the launch of the Juno spacecraft, which I worked on for three years of my four years at JPL. I met Dad, Mom, and Derek in Orlando on August 3rd, with the launch scheduled for the 5th. The launch window was the 5th through the 26th, so we were hoping it would launch on the first day.

Florida was hot and humid. Very hot and humid. As soon as we got to Florida, we rented a car (a Nissan Cube), found our hotel, and got dinner. Then we had to figure out exactly where to go the next day to get our launch tickets, so we didn't get to explore much or relax. On the 4th, we got to the Kennedy Space Center in the morning.

We're at KSC!

We had to check in to get our launch tickets, which we did, and then spent the rest of the day exploring KSC. It has an area that is clearly influenced by Disney World, where you can play video games revolving around trying to land a spacecraft and even ride in a spacecraft simulator, where you can feel what its like to be in a shuttle during launch. The whole place is pretty awesome if you are into spaceflight. There is a rocket garden where real rockets are on display (they aren't models, they are actual rockets). We tried to see as much as possible, even though it was 95 degrees out and 95% humidity.

Juno spacecraft model at the mission briefing

In the afternoon they had a mission briefing for people who were associated with Juno. It was nice to go to a presentation where they talk about all the effort that goes into something like Juno, and hear the project leaders talk about the engineering and science that drives the mission. It is definitely something I won't forget. That night, Derek, Dad and I walked down to the beach to check it out since our hotel was so close to it. Its always good to see the ocean. :)

Mom in a rocket pod in the rocket garden at KSC

The next day was launch day! And also hot and humid! We waited in a super long line to get on the buses (lots and lots of buses) to go to the launch viewing area, which is about 5 miles away from the rocket (close enough for me!).

Our family waiting in line for launch!

They had a full size saturn V rocket there to look at while we waited. Eventually, we moved to the bleachers where you can get a good video of the rocket. Again, it was hot and humid and we were standing outside.

Dad, Derek and I waiting for Juno to launch

Clouds were very welcome when they moved overhead. There were a few issues once the launch window opened for the day, including unauthorized boaters in the way, so we had to wait about 45 minutes. Every time there was an announcement, everyone got quiet to hear if it sounded like it would launch that day or not. For awhile we were nervous because the engineers wanted to push it right to the end of the launch window to make sure one of their cryo issues was okay. Finally, they announced everything was good to go (this was cool...they have a checklist, and they broadcast each of the checklist items getting a Go from the lead person in charge)!!!

Juno going to Jupiter!

The launch was amazing. I'm glad we got to go see it, because not everyone gets an opportunity to see a rocket launch into space, never mind WORK on one! The idea that hardware I worked on and touched was on its way to Jupiter was pretty unbelievable. Its really loud, and a really deep noise that keeps getting louder, to the point where you kind of hope it will stop getting louder. And the light from the rocket fuel hurts your eyes...everyone wore sunglasses. The whole thing was incredible.

Right after the rocket left, we got back on the buses and got dropped off at KSC. We met up with some other Juno MWR people to talk about launch and get lunch. One of the scientists for MWR was showing us real time temperature data of the antennas on his iphone while we were eating lunch. Unbelievable.

That afternoon our family went on a celebratory beach run in the heat and humidity. Running on flat is very different from the mountains, but the ocean is awesome. We also did some bodysurfing and relaxed for the afternoon!

Cape Canaveral National Seashore

Our next Florida adventure item was to visit the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. When we got there, we went to visitor center and found out the mosquitos were extremely aggressive. So now its hot and humid and there are attack mosquitos. We tried to go on a boardwalk through the marsh/forest, but Derek and I gave up after enough mosquito bites and turned it into a run. Mosquitoes don't fly that fast, so you don't have to run too fast to stay ahead of them. Dad and Mom somehow didn't mind and kept walking. We decided to go on a scenic nature drive (yes it was hot/humid/mosquito-y enough OUR faimly went on a DRIVE, not a hike or run or bike). Mostly we saw big spiders and birds, but it was pretty cool. We did walk a little bit to some lookout areas, and the heat didn't kill us. Lunch was at this cool little restaurant in the middle of nowhere, that made american style home cooked food. By the time we got back, we were ready for evening bodysurfing. :)

On Sunday, we went to church across the street from the hotel just to see what it was like and sing church music. Dad made a plan for us to go visit his cousins and aunt in Melbourne, so we ran out of church and drove down to see them. Aunt Opal is 94 and still lives on her own and seems perfectly healthy. Its pretty awesome. She cooked us a great meal and had the nearby relatives come visit, so we could catch up on everyone's lives (I think the last time I saw most of these people I was about 7). It was a good day with good company and good conversation. They were excited to know someone they knew worked on one of the spacecraft they watch launch from their back porch. Seeing extended family, even if you don't see them often or know them super well, is really cool and I'm glad we got to stop by!

Florida relatives family photo

The next day there were lots of thunderstorms, so we explored restaurants and Coco Beach. We still went bodysurfing and discovered that there are skates in the water, not sharks (well, probably sharks too but I didn't step on one of those). The hotel pool was nice too, but at the end of our swim they closed it due to the weather. It was a nice relaxing day consisting of family running, bodysurfing, swimming in the pool, and eating.

Yay surfing!

On our last day in Florida, we rented longboards. I hadn't been on a longboard since surf lessons with JPL people in 2007. Surprisingly, Derek and I had pretty much no problem riding waves. Its a nice way to enjoy small surf. Its fun to try something new and not have to worry about everything that goes with bodyboarding. Its nice to just enjoy it and not care about improving or big waves or wiping out or anything...just enjoying a morning at the beach. Unfortunately, we had to return the boards and get to the airport so I could catch my flight back to LA (it takes a lot longer to get to LA than CT).

Returning the longboards...goodbye Florida!

Florida was an awesome vacation, even if it was hot. Juno launched, I got to hang out with my family, go running with all four of us, eat lots of food, and spend almost every day riding waves. Yup, pretty awesome!

The flight back to LA...big thunderstorms!