Spending the day waiting "on set" for my appearance in an upcoming film was not quite the way my day was supposed to be spent. But that's the way it turned out.
My current work involves developing a technology demonstrator which incorporates the latest sensor technology advancements into a simulated cockpit (or "flight deck" as we call it in the industry), testing them to figure out which ones are going to work and which ones are completely ridiculous, and making recommendations to the systems engineering teams so they can develop projects based on those technologies.
I'm not the one actually doing the development of these technologies; I'm the guy who takes all the hardware and software and integrates it into the flight deck structure and then hides all the cables so the people who come in to "play" don't lose the illusion that they're actually flying an aircraft.
Kind of like The Wizard of Oz.
So we've done quite a few demonstrations lately and received lots of good reviews from the higher-ups, and they decided we need to make a marketing video which can be sent around to the other sites so they can spread the word to our customers (and vendors) that we are pursuing cool new technologies and maybe if we got just a little bit more money, we could do even more.
So today was spent making this video. And I got to be the hand model! Pushing buttons, touching screens, doing all the things a pilot would do. It was so awesome ... and so long. A complete eight hour day to make a little three minute video.
And we didn't actually finish today. They'll be back tomorrow to film additional footage.
As it was, the filming kept me at work much later than I had planned; tonight was the last Marching Band rehearsal before our band competition tomorrow. As pit crew chief, I'm supposed to be at the school by 5:30 to start setting up. As it was, I got out of work by 5 (after getting to work around 7) and stopped by the house to change clothes and grab some dinner, then headed over to the school and got there about fifteen minutes late.
Naturally, the day before a competition, we were practicing on the field instead of in the parking lot (we in the pit crew don't have to work as hard when it's just a parking lot practice), so it was time to hit the ground running (literally) and get all the carts unloaded and set up the podiums before 6:30 when the practice officially starts.
The team was a bit short-handed tonight; one of them got his flu shot, which essentially gave him all the flu symptoms, so he stayed home, and another one is on travel in Europe, and a couple of 'em work evenings and are only available for Friday games, and one runs his own business so he's always busy (and tired). Which left myself and two others. I got the podiums and they got the carts.
The good part was that practice was shortened because the kids are doing so well; the bad news was that some parents didn't get the message that their kids would be finished early. And I always stay at the school until all of the kids have been picked up. Because I'm paranoid. Practice ended at 8. The last kid got picked up at 9. Which meant that I sat in my car for an hour after practice was over until the parking lot was completely empty.
It wasn't too bad. I listened to the classical music station and relaxed. Complaining about parents to myself. And watching the hilarious antics of the four boys and one girl who were goofing around while they waited.
Then when it was all done, I started my car -- or, rather, attempted to start my car. It refused. The battery was dead.
Harrumph.
Luckily, I had brought along my spare battery -- which is normally used to operate the winch on the front of the cart trailer -- so I just swapped batteries and was on my way in less than five minutes.
Still. It was annoying. Being tired doesn't help.
Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.
My current work involves developing a technology demonstrator which incorporates the latest sensor technology advancements into a simulated cockpit (or "flight deck" as we call it in the industry), testing them to figure out which ones are going to work and which ones are completely ridiculous, and making recommendations to the systems engineering teams so they can develop projects based on those technologies.
I'm not the one actually doing the development of these technologies; I'm the guy who takes all the hardware and software and integrates it into the flight deck structure and then hides all the cables so the people who come in to "play" don't lose the illusion that they're actually flying an aircraft.
Kind of like The Wizard of Oz.
So we've done quite a few demonstrations lately and received lots of good reviews from the higher-ups, and they decided we need to make a marketing video which can be sent around to the other sites so they can spread the word to our customers (and vendors) that we are pursuing cool new technologies and maybe if we got just a little bit more money, we could do even more.
So today was spent making this video. And I got to be the hand model! Pushing buttons, touching screens, doing all the things a pilot would do. It was so awesome ... and so long. A complete eight hour day to make a little three minute video.
And we didn't actually finish today. They'll be back tomorrow to film additional footage.
As it was, the filming kept me at work much later than I had planned; tonight was the last Marching Band rehearsal before our band competition tomorrow. As pit crew chief, I'm supposed to be at the school by 5:30 to start setting up. As it was, I got out of work by 5 (after getting to work around 7) and stopped by the house to change clothes and grab some dinner, then headed over to the school and got there about fifteen minutes late.
Naturally, the day before a competition, we were practicing on the field instead of in the parking lot (we in the pit crew don't have to work as hard when it's just a parking lot practice), so it was time to hit the ground running (literally) and get all the carts unloaded and set up the podiums before 6:30 when the practice officially starts.
The team was a bit short-handed tonight; one of them got his flu shot, which essentially gave him all the flu symptoms, so he stayed home, and another one is on travel in Europe, and a couple of 'em work evenings and are only available for Friday games, and one runs his own business so he's always busy (and tired). Which left myself and two others. I got the podiums and they got the carts.
The good part was that practice was shortened because the kids are doing so well; the bad news was that some parents didn't get the message that their kids would be finished early. And I always stay at the school until all of the kids have been picked up. Because I'm paranoid. Practice ended at 8. The last kid got picked up at 9. Which meant that I sat in my car for an hour after practice was over until the parking lot was completely empty.
It wasn't too bad. I listened to the classical music station and relaxed. Complaining about parents to myself. And watching the hilarious antics of the four boys and one girl who were goofing around while they waited.
Then when it was all done, I started my car -- or, rather, attempted to start my car. It refused. The battery was dead.
Harrumph.
Luckily, I had brought along my spare battery -- which is normally used to operate the winch on the front of the cart trailer -- so I just swapped batteries and was on my way in less than five minutes.
Still. It was annoying. Being tired doesn't help.
Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.
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