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Wow, I’ve never been in California in the spring and it’s gorgeous.  Down in the Bay Area for a week of work.

Lots to do this week.  I’m out at the government labs (PNNL) for some design meetings to help them get the rooms ready for a couple new world class microscopes.

Made it home finally.  Boy was security tight in the Amsterdam airport though.  They’ve moved the security right up to each gate and you have to go through an interview before having your bags and body searched.  That’s been normal fair for that airport for over a year now, but this time it was even tighter than before.

Apparently there was something suspicious about my passport.  The screener didn’t like the feel of it, so I had to sit off to the side for about 20 minutes while a US immigration official came down to have a look.  Once he got there and had a look I was passed through pretty quickly.  But it was still amusing to get pulled out like that for a while.

I got to visit an old friend today.  He picked me up in Eindhoven and took me to his home town.  It was really great to catch up with him and get to see the town where he is from.  We visited his new house that he is purchasing and even saw the home where he was born and his mother still lives.  It really feels odd to me to see towns where people have lived for generations and not just years.

I’m checked into my hotel here for the next 12 nights.  I’m back over at the factory for more training.  This will be my first official training on our Titan systems.

Home for the holidays.

I get to work on my first Titan today.  If I can’t get the training in the factory, I’ll just have to get it in the field.

Working at the national labs this month.  Don’t worry, the doctor promises that lump growing on my neck isn’t from drinking the local water.

I’m local this week.  A few things to get wrapped up before being on the road again for the next month or so.  Weather was great this weekend, hopefully it’ll continue through the week.

The weather is great this week.  I’m in eastern Washington visiting Washington State University.  And hey, as a perk I actually found a hotel available this time.