Week 6 (July 28 - August 3)
Return to Pasedena
An Academy Week in Retrospect
by Kathleen Sienko
Late Sunday Night July 27, 1997
At 8:30 we sat down for our group meeting. Melissa had a visit from a friend. The house smelled so bad. Later on that evening, Kevin, with what then appeared to be an odor complex, decided to share a first love tragic perfume story with some of us. Possibly scarred by old sentiments or in an attempt to soothe a past heartbreak, Kevin doused himself in cologne before loading into the van headed for the movies. After near van eviction on the way to see Air Force One, Kevin stripped and hung his clothes out the back window. Hank was left in the dust as Kim and the movie crew burned rubber (literally) to make it to the movies on time. Maybe next time, Hank.
Monday July 28, 1997
"I'll do whatever Kim and Hank want me to do. "
Jeff Wills
(Mark your calendars-The day which Jeff agreed
to do something without playing the devil's advocate)
Wow! (as only Andrea can say) Monday; it was going to be a day in which we all would struggle fighting back fatigue from our demanding Reno/rahoe trip. Today was a PI day. The day started off slow as we informed our PI's of the upcoming depleted work week. Lunch proved eventful for the small crowd of Pat, Don, and I. It was a half hour packed full of life's little lessons. Pat wore his splint proudly and given the time and location, one could receive a variety of stories when inquiring about the happenings of his accident. At lunch Pat tested out a previously successful story which placed him at Lake Tahoe on water skis.
According to Pat, Doug was driving the 22 foot luxurious Cobalt a trite bit too close to the President's platform. In a lucrative attempt to avoid smashing into the Secret Service's barricade, Doug skillfully manipulated the boat to avoid a sure crash. Pat, being the avid and agile water skier that he is, also attempted some avoidance techniques. In his attempt to avoid an oncoming boat, Pat was furiously caught in the wake of the oncoming traffic and took a nasty spill. He later deduced that his injured arm was the result of landing on his skis. The secret service men were quick to pick him up and hurriedly escorted him to the emergency medical housing temporarily established for the President. Pat received top-notch treatment. He captured Lynn's attention when he told her that the vice-president inquired about his status and that he was visited by apologetic secret servicemen.
I think he had Lynn…but after Pat fessed up to the fact that he only tripped over a log, Lynn provided the one-armed RA with a few words of wisdom: Don't play card tricks with people you play poker with. Hmmmm. Pat and credibility?
Don received yet another web page request, but this time from the head honcho. When asked by Lynn if Don would construct a page, he basically told Lynn to get in line. We later explained to Don that if asked by Lynn, a program director, to construct a page, it'd be best to put his roommate's request for help on the backburner.
Other highlights of the day included:
-Bean breaking his consecutive work day nap session record by spending some quality time with his mysterious PI working on his infamous CFD
"~Is the fluid you are using air or water?" -Andrea
-Bean carrying quite a load on his run
~Bean officially announcing to the group that the library closed at 4:30. What was everyone else thinking?
Hank pulled a sketchy maneuver on the ride home by attempting a patented "fasten your belts, don your rapid acceleration/deceleration suits, and restrain all loose articles" KIM TURN which resulted in hurting both Christen and I from the safety of our seat. Actually, the seat came with us.
Happy Birthday's began for Nellymar-just in case she wanted to celebrate in Puerto Rico real-time.
Tuesday July 29, 1997
Nelly's Birthday and The Day of the Don (not sure)
"I'm down with Mexican. "
The Don
Today was a PI day-'Nuff said, right Don?
It was determined that Nellymar needs a diamond.
It was also determined that Kevin needs both an escort and a time limit in Wal-Mart.
Anyway, it was officially Nellymar Puig-Rivera's (The Nellymar Puig-Rivera "born and raised") 22nd birthday. Everyone casually played off post-work plans in a loving attempt to later surprise Nellymar with dinner at Chevy's Mexican Restaurant-it's the closest we could come to making her feel as if she was home with her loving family, friends, and Tato-hey, you can't say Jeff didn't try. The chicos decided to arrive early at Chevy's and take a few hits of helium. Kim drove as the women of the group entertained themselves with car dancing and 80' s tunes ("I'm walking on sunshine" or at least Christen is-best car dancer ever!). When the chicas arrived at Chevy's we tried to shield Nellymar from noticing Hank's van in the near distance. Too bad we didn't consider the fact that the restaurant had windows and Nelly could see them scurrying about. Anyway, numerous margaritas were enjoyed by most while some opted for buckets of beer or 'slippery' drinks purchased from nearby liquor stores. Jeff extended a shot of his tasty concoction to our friendly waiter-which he gracefully dropped on the restaurant floor. We were overcharged for dinner.
Today the Academy happened upon what was once thought to be a strange and unusual yet intriguing phenomena of "The Two Moons." Oddly enough, there has been a drastic increase in this dual citing reported since the onset of the NASA Ames Astrobiology Academy in Pale Alto. The asstrophyics phenomenon is currently undergoing intense investigation-Oops! Did I say that out loud? -Pat.
The ride home form Chevy's proved quite eventful. Random drive-by moonings on the commute from Chevy's to Stanford were generated from Hank's van. In Kim's van, the ever-willing and enthusiastic General Fori rallied for support the girls' support. Fori with the help of Lieutenant Struck was successful in convincing the girls to bare a little bit of themselves in response to the overwhelming amounts of skin displayed by the boys. However, Fori quickly lost control of her troops and fear set in after a misfire. Melissa comforted the van by noting that the battle may have been lost, but the war was far from being over. According to an unknown source, underground tactical strategies are presently being developed.
Wednesday July 30, 1997
"Let's not go cheap on this Hank"
Bean
(not exactly sure what he was alluding to…)
Travel to Yosemite
Early van: Hank, Eric, Melissa, Kevin, Jeff, and I
We left at 3 AM with Hank at the wheel. Melissa, Jeff, and Hank checked out Yosemite Falls, while Kevin, Eric, and I climbed to the top of Vernal Falls. We took several pictures of the beautiful setting complete with bridges, rainbows, and squirrels. Eric even ran into someone he knew from home. Wow! What a small world. We hung around at THE visitor center for a hour waiting for some sign of Kim and her crew and eventually gave up and left. We then decided that it didn't matter when we got to Pasadena. So, since we were so close to Lake Mono we quickly checked it out. DON'T TOUCH THE TUFA. Or take the Tufa home with you. Kevin and Melissa braved the disgusting infested brown water and roughage to get a closer look at the lake while Hank and Jeff decided it was easier to drive there in the van. I was educated on the depth of the lake and the recently renovated pH scale-Did you guys know that Mono Lake has a pH of 10 because that is as high as the scale goes? Wow!
Late van (note the emphasis on LATE): Kim, Christen, Joe, Nellymar, and Don.
Well, these guys had a slightly different experience at Yosemite. For the most part, they experienced Yosemite from the van.
BMW: Doug, Pat one-armed McKenna, and Andrea.
Doug's crew made it to Dryden Pasadena first and even had time to stop by the outlets for a little shopping.
We all met up at the Dryden Academy's apartment for dinner that night after checking into our hotel. Kyle grilled and we chowed.
Thursday July 31, 1997
We left our posh hotel complete with a complementary breakfast bar early in the morning and headed over to Dryden Air Force Base with the Dryden Academy. Dryden had a busy and exciting day planned for us. The day's events included a video-conference between Ames, Dryden, Goddard and Marshall, a tour of the 747 Orbiter Transport Plane, SR-71 Blackbird, flight training on the F-16X and F-18 simulators, and a talk by test pilot and former astronaut Gordon Fullerton. Heath took center stage at the video conference with Goddard and Marshall. Gerald Soffen spoke on behalf of the Academy Program and answered questions. We were also informed about the Academy Alumni Association. Introductions amongst the RAs were made several times while Pat and Jeff proudly represented the Ames Academy; Pat entertained audiences once again with a tantalizing version of how he injured his arm while Jeff bared all before the big screen. After completing the Dryden tour the Academies headed off to the Cantina for dinner and drinks. Pat made himself comfortable on the tarmac while planes intermittently made use of the nearby airport. Dinner was followed by free drinks back at the hotel where we gathered for deep conversation by the poolside. Some RAs made use of the pool and hot tub while others shot the breeze about life's little wonders.
Friday August 1, 1997
Doug's off-the-record commentary on certain Santa Monica Blvd. establishments
Following a badging delay complicated by inappropriate dress, we toured Lockheed Martin. We started off with an interesting lecture about the X-33 followed by an in-house tour of the high bay where construction of the X-33 is taking place. Next we visited JPL and received a broad overview of their current research efforts, Mars Pathfinder landing, and Galileo spacecraft. Dinner was at Christie's mom's house in Beverly Hills. The house was beautiful and equipped with a refreshing pool, an exotic arboretum, and a phenomenal train set-up. Before heading off to explore the lush neighborhood we celebrated Nellymar's birthday with a yummie cake. On the way back to the hotel Hank's van showed Kim's van a short-cut.
Saturday August 2, 1997
"Joe you have something on your lip."
Kim
"Kim you have something on your neck."
Joe
Disney - Kim, Joe, Joe, Christen, Heath, Don, Dominick, Jeff, Nellymar, Eric, Melissa, Andrea
Kim's Disney crew got off to a late start after waitmg in the lobby due to some unforeseen delays. Upon arriving at Disney, Heath, Don, and Dominick attacked the park with the help of Heath's master schedule. The remaining RAs went on to ride Space Mountain, Star Tours, Yellow Submarine- nice pick Melissa & Christen, Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, and the Haunted House. The time spent in line was passed by playing silly games such as Egyptian #'s, Snaps, and Telephone-"Tato…'' The groups eventually met up at the Indiana Jones ride where Dominick was holding a place in line. After the ride the RAs split up once again. Park food satisfied those with growling stomachs and left holes burning in pant pockets. Bean sampled the supersalad, Joe chewed on a huge turkey leg, and Christen and Jeff savored the enormous amount of ice cream in their tasty waffle cones. Don took a ride down memory lane as he checked out an abandoned KOA which once housed beautiful childhood memories. That evening the group ate dinner at the Blue Lagoon Restaurant and watched the Main Street light show. The exciting day ended with the magical and mystical Fantasmic show. Kim then rounded up the troops and took the long way back to the hotel.
Highlight of the day: Don and Eric doing "Da Bears."
Universal Studios Hollywood - Doug, Christie, Hank, Pat, Kevin, Me
Hank, Pat, Kevin, and I headed off to Universal Studios with Doug and Christie for the day. Before hitting the park, Hank's van stopped by Chrisite's Mom's house and Pat schmoozed breakfast for us. Upon arriving at the park we immediately hit the Back to the Future ride followed by ET, the Back Lot Tour, and Jurassic Park. We stayed cool and entertained during the long lines thanks to the water misting system, water fountains, and the TVs. After ET, Doug and Christie left Universal for a luscious dinner with family and friends. We hydrated ourselves and went to see Backdraft where Kevin stole a starring role in a live sound byte recording session from 'Harry and the Hendersons'. After making a few conference-style calls from a six foot telephone, we exited the park. At Universal City we sampled the unique stores, ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, and watched My Best Friend's Wedding in a nearby cinema; Hank thoroughly enjoyed the flick and is willing to see it again if anyone is interested. He just missed a few minor parts of the movie. Before journeying back to the hotel we hustled back into the park for a final ride on Back to the Future.
Sunday August 3, 1997
"I was on the dance floor from 9 until 2 GRINDING"
-Eric
In the morning we departed the hotel after saying our good-byes to the Dryden Academy. We drove home via highway 1 along the coast and stopped along the way for breakfast by the ocean where Bean maximized his buffet order. Our pilgrimage home frequented by several stops at various restaurants, restrooms, and vista points; the ride has since acquired the official acronym SCT. Hank's van entertained themselves with provocative conversation, massages, and simple food games such as Fruit Loop toss and the cracker frisbee game. Two particularly interesting stops consisted of Kevin unexpectedly baring all (…as a result of Jeff s impulsive behavior) and a zebra sighting near the Hearst Visitor Center. When we finally arrived home, we feasted on pizza at Doug's and ended the day with a group meeting.
Week six was super, awesome, and cool
Not too long before we 're back at school
Some will be heading other ways
Week seven promises exciting days
The Ames Academy is the best
So now I'll lay this week to rest