New job

[Brian]

Well, i just finished the first week at my new job. My new position is with the National Center for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in beautiful eastern TN. And it is beautiful. Can't wait for the fall colors.
It's a DOE lab with Office of Science funding, which has a much clearer future funding path than weapons. All open science, so I can publish more, and I'm 50% funded by a national center that includes my adviser at Utah, so I'll get to hang out a fair bit with old friends. They kept my clearance active as they are in build-up mode for classified work, which keeps some interesting doors open for the future.
Lots of training and B.S., this week, but into fun stuff from here on out. The mountain to eastern time zone change has been killing me, but getting better. Upside, travel, is all downhill, always an equal or better relative timezone.
I had to say goodbye to my current and past seminary kids before I left, which was the hardest thing about leaving. You really get attached to the kids. Adults I don't miss, but kids were hard.

House isn't sold, and the market in Los Alamos is more depressed than the rest of the country, which is an _enormous_ burden right now. We fast and pray a lot, but try and keep things in perspective that money (whatever equity will survive) is not everything.
Louisville is not far from here, and I was hoping to snag some tickets to go see utah play in a few weeks, but, assuming they have 11 players healthy enough to play by then, it wont be pretty. So, I'm not wasting any money on that road trip.
TN has a lottery program, so, people who don't understand statistics will be paying college tuition for those who do. The Univ of Tenn is in Knoxville, which is a 20 minute drive from Oak Ridge. So, a good free school for my daughter if she wants to go there. And maybe a chance (though very small) to get a student ticket to see a game there. This town is completely orange on game day. I've never seen a place so obsessed with football. Friday at work, every secretary and a fair number of the staff members, where wearing orange.

Anyway, love being back in the South. Better people you will not find.

peace.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Good luck, Brian.

You are in the heart of the bible belt now, eh? I visited Oak Ridge 2-3 years ago and I was amazed at how completely you are surrounded by bible quotes and church references. But very friendly people.

I was also amazed at the security. Getting in was like going through airport security. And they literally wouldn't let me go to the restroom without a personal escort (insert Senator Craig jokes here).

[ute4ever]

When you said Eastern TN, that reminded me of a trivia question I learned last week:

The nation's most inexpensive Motel 6 is located in Prairie Forge, TN, where you can get a room for only $21.99 on a winter weeknight.

In contrast, the most expensive Motel 6 is in Santa Barbara, CA, where a summer Saturday night runs $149.99.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by ute4ever

When you said Eastern TN, that reminded me of a trivia question I learned last week:

The nation's most inexpensive Motel 6 is located in Prairie Forge, TN, where you can get a room for only $21.99 on a winter weeknight.

In contrast, the most expensive Motel 6 is in Santa Barbara, CA, where a summer Saturday night runs $149.99.

That is probably a pretty accurate cost-of-living ratio.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

Good luck, Brian.

You are in the heart of the bible belt now, eh? I visited Oak Ridge 2-3 years ago and I was amazed at how completely you are surrounded by bible quotes and church references. But very friendly people.

I was also amazed at the security. Getting in was like going through airport security. And they literally wouldn't let me go to the restroom without a personal escort (insert Senator Craig jokes here).

Yes, great people. We've been shocked by the attentive service we get at restaurants.
Where you visiting Y-12, the uranium plant? Yes, security there is like-unto Los Alamos. At the lab it isn't so bad, check points at all entrances, but no escorting. It's weird being around foreign nationals again. Computing at Los Alamos without Indians just didn't seem right.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by Brian

Yes, great people. We've been shocked by the attentive service we get at restaurants.
Where you visiting Y-12, the uranium plant? Yes, security there is like-unto Los Alamos. At the lab it isn't so bad, check points at all entrances, but no escorting. It's weird being around foreign nationals again. Computing at Los Alamos without Indians just didn't seem right.

Yes, it was the uranium plant.

[YOhio]

Congrats on the move Brian. Didn't you just spend half a year remodeling your bathroom in New Mexico? I bet it was frustrating leaving your new poo room.

My company is in the process of establishing a fiberoptic connection into Oakridge for their HPC capability. It's possible I may venture down there at some point in the next couple of years to meet with a group we're partnering with. If it happens, I'll definitely look you up.

[Parrot Head]

Wow, there's quite a migration to the South of late.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by YOhio

Congrats on the move Brian. Didn't you just spend half a year remodeling your bathroom in New Mexico? I bet it was frustrating leaving your new poo room.

My company is in the process of establishing a fiberoptic connection into Oakridge for their HPC capability. It's possible I may venture down there at some point in the next couple of years to meet with a group we're partnering with. If it happens, I'll definitely look you up.

Yes, but it is a plus on the selling end.
And now I know how to do it. My wife is already planning what she wants to do when we move into the new house.

Yes, give a yodel if you are in town.