Pictures of Me in Action @ Next Step

  In my last entry I tried to provide a description of what I do at Next Step.  This entry, I will provide pictures courtesy of my paparazzi who surprised me when he made an unannounced visit with camera in hand at work.  Clearly these pictures should give you, the reader, a sense of the several pieces that we deal with once we unscrew the screws that keep the cover in place in our efforts to revitalize a machine that somebody once thought was unusable.  Below is a picture of me just screwing in my last screw as I just changed the Hard Drive.  The old hard drive that I removed is right by the jar full of screws.

  This shot shows me using software in an attempt of getting the computer to recognize the parts that I installed.  Once this is done I will use more software to make sure the parts that I installed are indeed working.  If an error did show on the screen I would have to shut down the computer and figure out which part needed further attention.  I think on my first computer when I was a rookie I did get a few errors that required further attention.  Lucky for me,  I am surrounded by top of the line people who can help me if I continue to get stuck.

  This last picture shows my observer/my supervisor taking a peek over my shoulder making sure that I did everything correctly.  You can also see others busy trying to rebuild their own computer.

My Job/Volunteer at Next Step

  I thought I would take a moment and share what I am doing volunteer wise at Next Step.  Depending on the type of computer I am dealing with, I may be involved in what is called harvesting which is simply dismantling the machine trying to salvage some parts to be used elsewhere or simply trying to rebuild a computer from scratch.  The key difference between harvesting and rebuilding is that one does not have to remember how to insert a new part in once the old has been removed.  I think one can imagine several pieces scattered about on the table and the confusion of saying to oneself does this go here?  Luckily there are experts near by in case I forget.
  At first it is a very slow process of matching up the information of the computer that I am dealing with to the chart that guides me regarding the necessary parts that I need to install but I am getting it.  We are installing new hard drives, optical drives, dvd drives along with memory cards to various sticks of ram.  To make things simple, I try to remove one part at a time, then install it before tackling something else that requires attention that way it prevents forgetting how a piece literally fits inside.
  Once all the parts have been literally changed it is time to hook up the computer and insert some software to make sure that the part that was placed inside the machine works.  This can be tough to figure out which part is faulty but is required as a precaution in making sure the parts are working, after all the goal is trying to rebuild something and get something working that was once considered to be dead or unusable.
  Hope this helps in trying to gage as to the role I fulfill at this important recycling facility.

Another Thank You

  I really do appreciate everybody's enthusiasm regarding my situation.  I understand your reason to be optimistic but I am not sure I can take any personal credit or for that matter that same reason to be optimistic has not trickled down for me to sense those feelings as well.  Not sure why but simply I am stating that I have not yet felt those feelings yet.  Maybe I will.  For the most part I am doing ok.  I do have my ups and I do have my downs as I try to not only understand what I am dealing with as well situations that are simply of discomfort to me.
  Went to the U of O the other day and lost a few more chess games but the game did present some kind of challenge.  Below is a picture of me nestled in with some of the smart people that make up the club.

My Thank You

  I know it took a major effort for everybody to work hard on my behalf and so this blog will be tribute to your efforts.  As I enter my second week in town, I am not sure what to expect as everything is still relatively brand new to me except for a few modifications.  I am hoping to get into some positive groove at my volunteer position where I can understand how things are done as well as feeling comfortable at whatever I am doing.  I am also hoping to make a few friends along the way and get to know others a little bit more as I am trying to build upon my social life.
  I recognize the effort on a lot of people who worked hard on my behalf in an effort to give me another fresh start.  I promised to you guys as well as to myself that I would not let you down as I am here to give it my best effort as we all try to gaze into the future of the likely changes that will occur.  The way that I see it, if I win then we all win as this is a group effort.
  It is still a little too early to ask me particulars as I am still new to the area and still trying to make a positive impact in the area.  Whether it be this job or some other job, I am not sure but as promised I here to do my best.
  I should say that I attended a chess club at the University of Oregon and lost the two games that I played.  Still it was fun.  Went to church last Sunday, my first appearance in several years.  I also went down to Saturday's Market this past weekend in the downtown area and checked out the benders that had set up a booth.  Below is a picture of me pushing my nephew as he got tired of walking.

1st Day as Volunteer

  I have to say that yesterday was a tough day to get acclimated to this volunteer position.  Below are two pictures that show me involved in one of the first steps when a computer arrives at this location.  What I am doing is called harvesting or dismantling some usable internal circuitry that are found inside a computer tower so that it can be used in another phase of the operation.
  The people who I briefly met appear to be very nice and approachable whenever one may have a question.  Besides dismantling a computer tower I was involved in breaking down old floppy disks so that their parts could be used elsewhere.

 

Casual Day

  Though today was a casual day I was still on the run.  Participated in a small workout with my sister-in-law peddling away on a life cycle bike for 30 minutes.  Later on in the day I watched my nephew as he was involved in a swim lesson.  His picture is below.
  I also was able to get my picture which you can see on the right margin of my blog.

My Drive

  On my drive up from Albuquerque to Cortez to Salt Lake City to Boise then into Oregon I really felt like I was kind of reenacting the Lewis and Clark expedition.  As you know once President Thomas Jefferson bought the LA purchase from Napoleon for $10 million he sent two men to go on a journey and explore the land that was just bought.  Besides sending samples of all kinds (animal species, tree specimens, etc) back to Washington something that Lewis and Clark constantly complained was the number of mountain peaks that they had to climb.  They were unhappy after going over one that there were several more that they had to climb if they were to reach the Columbia River/Pacific Ocean.  That effort to climb one peak after another became a little easier once they made friends with some Indians around Northern Montana who provided them with horses and a bit of advice that they must return by fall otherwise they would have trouble making tracks with heavy amounts of snow.
  I went through several mountainous areas: Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, Uinta National Forest, Sawtooth National Forest, and so on where I experienced different temperatures.  Besides going through various wilderness areas, I also went through several reservations areas.  Those that tried to call me may have experienced difficulty reaching me as I was going through several windy high elevations roads where I was extremely careful as I was making my way.
  Lewis and Clark were also noted for their brilliant record keeping and I am no different where I shared what I encountered while I was en-route.  The topography was awesome.
  One of my hobbies I like to notice are all the different license plates I saw.  Besides seeing the usual I was surprised to run into a few that I wouldn't expect.  Saw a car from Florida, Virgina, Alaska, Montana, Hawaii, as well as a few from Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba).  It helps to have your eyes alert.

My Second Day

  Slept fine but I have to say that it was a little weird waking up in new place.  Got up this morning and had regular coffee that I made using my coffee maker.  Also had a few blueberry scones that I heated up in my toaster, English Muffins, some OJ along with my morning vitamins so not bad.
  After breakfast accompanied Steve and Jason at their house to go to Costco to buy a few more items for my place and their place.  Once we got back we went to the Next Step Recycling orientation to get a feel for the place that I will be doing some volunteer work at.  The lady who provided the tour was good and thorough so to me I got a nice sense of the place.  My first day will be this Wednesday where I will be trying to learn how to refurbish old computer parts in an effort to make something that was once considered dead to something that is working well.  After the tour, I poked my head in the store they have to see what they have and to try to imagine all the work they did to bring a piece of machinery back to life.
  Drove around the area to get myself acquainted with the area with how to get there and to learn what type of fast food places are in the area.  Went back home to get rested up, read email and then showed up at Steve's place to be apart of a gathering of friends who showed up for dinner.  It was fun.

1st day in Eugene

  Had no problem in making it here late last night after driving some 800 miles.  So far so good.  Today moved in to my place which I have to say looks pretty good.  Officially I live in a duplex house.  Unpacked my belongings where I got everything in place.  Also went grocery shopping so I could get stocked up.  Got the tv and dvd all hooked up but will make sure when I slip in a dvd.
  Topped it off by eating a pizza with Steve and his family.  The rain was nice where it rained rather nicely and extremely heavy.  Hope to hear a nice rain rhythm tonight as I sleep.