Wide World of Work

I recently began my first job as a geotechnical engineer in June. I really like my job but sometimes the snakes and spiders are really freaky!

For instance, take the Orb Weaver or as some call it the banana spider. This bad boy is found throughout the Carolinas and can be over three inches in length! I can't claim this picture as my own, but these guys are pretty standard in the southeast. I see them while wandering blindly through the woods with a GPS unit strapped to my back. Luckily, I haven't had one on land on me...yet.

I have a great disdain for spiders they make my skin crawl everytime I hit the edge of a web...UGH! The orb weaver isn't even poisonous like the Brown Recluses or the Black Widow. Thankfully, I haven't encountered one of them yet. *HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF*

Now I get to use the GPS to do site reconnaisance for future job projects, which is really cool. We do this to figure out the best locations to do subsurface drilling. In this area the subsurface can change so fast you will hit rock at the surface on one side of the street, walk 30 feet to the other side and not hit rock for nearly 20 or 25 feet! Thats because our region straddles two very different geological regions, commonly referred to as the Coastal Plain and the Triassic Basin regions. This map kind of shows where these regions are. One region has layers of sands and silts and the other has partially weathered rock, silts, and clays. Obviously these different conditions mean different geotechnical problems, hence my job! We use drill rigs to figure out what soils exist and then analyze the samples to figure out what kind of recommendations we need to make.

So the basic steps are as follows:

1. Get a project proposal
2. Determine locations on the project's site plan
3. Find locations in the field using a GPS
4. Drill soil borings
5. Analyze soil samples
6. Determine geotechnical issues
   
7. Provide engineering recommendations
8. Submit final report to client

Yes that probably sounds pretty dry and boring, but when you locate in the field and see things like Copperheads and tromp through briars it adds a certain adventurous flair ;). Oh, and for those readers that aren't sure of what a Copperhead pit viper looks like heres a pic:

Doesn't he look nasty! While this isn't an image of the one I saw the other week, mine was roughly the same size and had the same coloring. These buggers are about 2-3 feet long on average as adults and give birth to their young during the months of August and September. I was paranoid that I would wander into a nest of these guys even though they're nocturnal critters. Copperheads are extremely poisonous and require antivenin if a bite occurs. Let's all hope I don't have that experience to tell you about!

Despite the obvious dangers of my job, I've gotten to see many interesting places in NC in the past three months. Everything from little-known towns and their vast cornfields--you guessed it I was in the cornfields--to small town recreational facilities. I get to see a lot of the region and their diverse cultures. Some of the jams I have sampled have been amazing! So my job has been quite the eye-opener for me and hopefully I'll develop an even better understanding of NC's diverse cultures in the future, or at least get some memorable pictures!

The Fiber Cellar

As mentioned previously, I may have a problem that borderlines on a fetish.

Non-knitters you may want to avert thine eyes until my next technical work-related blog entry. Knitters, it is time that I introduce you to my fiber cellar.

I try to diversify my tastes by blending together the different textures and weights of my glorious fiber stash. My cellar contains fine laceweight and hearty bulky yarns, pale soft hues and eye-catching bold tones. Smooth cottons, rich wools, and various other blends all find a space in my collection.

Honestly, I mean I'm a recent college grad and have already accumulated three large containers filled to the brim with wools, cottons, and everything in between. My main stash is in the lovely Rubbermaid Roughneck container pictured above(I sort using a system that gauges the "Most-Likely-to-Use" ranking). Essentially this container has projects that aren't in time out or completely forgotten. It also contains the extra skeins of yarn that belong to the current WIPs. See that red mass of tweedy wool? That is the back of a tweed jacket that has been finished and is waiting for its front and sleeves. The pattern is absolutely adorable and the yarn feels amazing, the problem?? You're viewing the third attempt at a sweater with this partially tainted yarn. I love the Kathmandu Aran--I really do--but when you've frogged it twice it starts giving you the evil eye.

From Knitpicks Essential Sock yarn and Patons Classic Merino Wool to Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran and Classic Skye Tweed, I have a little bit of everything from everywhere from the nearby Michael's to the local yarn shop (to be referred to as a LYS in future posts--for the non-knitters out there) to the online yarn distributors. I do not discriminate when it comes to a yarn purchase, nearly any skein of yarn can become something beautiful--barring perhaps "blaze" colored Red Heart.

My "cellar" also contains a few actual vintage fibers inherited from my grandmother (don't worry, she's still alive she just has horrible arthritis) and a hank of hand-spun llama yarn, thoughtfully given to me. Don't worry you will see all of this as I dive into my stash and analyze each fibers potential. (Yes I know, fiber analysis, am I crazy? No, well at least not too crazy, just engineering crazy--its acceptable). This analysis does include a good squeeze and some fiber fondling; itchy fibers and unyielding yarns can make a big project tricky.

Anywho, that's my stash and it just keeps growing at a healthy--err perhaps unhealthy--pace.

Here I am!

Hi everyone! My name is Lauren and I'm a geotechnical and environmental engineer that just graduated from college. I love to hike and one of my favorite spots is in Southwest Virginia near the 'Burg (Blacksburg). McAfee Knob is one of the prettiest overlooks along the Appalachian Trail (yes that is me standing mere inches away from a 50 foot drop!).

When I'm not tromping through the woods for fun--and by tromping I mean following neat little manicured trails that don't have Amazon-esque spiders and massive poisonous snakes visible at every bend--I'm hacking through the wilderness of my job. Now this wilderness has several different appearances, the most common being the cubicle jungle of my engineering firm and the wild of undeveloped NC--this wilderness does include Amazon sized spiders and copperheads and other creepy critters. In the future you will likely see many of the funky things that I get to see while on the job ( I met a family's pet bull named George just yesterday ) and other things in my carefully cluttered life ;).

At home I'm found to be knitting, you knew it had to come the *ahem* yarn fetish. I am a fiber fiend, a yarn fondler, and likely "wanted" in three states for petting yarn in public places. I have been successfully paring down my WIPs to the list you see at right. I plan on keeping it updated and I'm sure pictures will appear sooner or later. Anyways Grey's is coming on and a girl has to keep on top of her shows, so until next time!

Knit on and push through the wilderness, whether its your workplace or well the other parts of your life.

Work

Pity I just started this blog and I have work in thirty minutes :(. I promise to catch everyone up on my busy geoknitting life whenever I catch my breath!