Frustrations and Success

Well, the grating is finally in and installed, which would mean that I was taking data, if the power hadn't gone out and erased the settings before I remembered to record them. So I'm now working on getting it back. 2.3 round trips left, which is really quick. So, I'm taking a break, and will soon go back and try to convince them just the last little bit down.

Daydreams

The wedding of two of my best friends from college this past weekend was wonderful, and I don't think I can come up with better words to describe it, without going on and on.

Now I'm back, and trying to deal with getting a date out of the repairman who is supposed to come and help get the laser up and running. To try to deal with the fact that the repair place is in a different timezone, I've been entertaining myself with the stories that I've been neglecting in all the excitement.

Excitement and Exhaustion

It's funny how often those two come as a pair for me. Anyway, got back from quick trip home, and hence the exhaustion. The excitement is that the money has appeared that will allow us to call in one of the mystical class of Wizards who work magic on the laser. And part of this is exciting because it means that we will get to learn from him while he works, and the other part is that in the end, I will have a very well functioning laser, at last!

More on the laser, since such has consumed most of my life again

The autocorrelator was agreeable to alignment, which was very nice of it. The only problem now is that the signal (which I can see, so I know it's there) is so weak that I don't think that the PMT can tell it from the random noise of the room. There are a few different reasons why this could be, some of them happier than others. I'm fairly sure that this just means that the pulse is too long, and thus we are not only getting a little bit because it's long and squished, but we probably aren't at the peak either, where the two pulses arrive at the same time. My first attempt to get the width down didn't meet with resounding success, and the other idea involves the new lab person, and he isn't in today, so I am updating lab manuals and playing here as I watch the clock and try to figure out what else I could do that doesn't involve starting up the laser again.

Laser update

For those of you who were wondering, I've gotten much closer on the quest to achieve dominance over those pesky bits of glass and metal that are called laser. :) And have apparently been spending too much time back alone in the laser room, since I'm playing with words more exuberantly than usual. So I'm mostly out on the table again, which is the part I enjoy working on more, and there is hope that it shall be done soon-ish. :)

Harry Potter

So, I'm looking forward to the last Harry Potter book coming out. And for the first time I'm going to be going to the opening night party thing. As it will be the first and last of these parties that I am going to, I've decided to dress up for it. I've found all of the things I'll need in my closet... except a tie. So now I'm trying to figure out where I might find an approximately correct tie to wear. We'll see how I do. Wish me luck! :)

Such Dreams as These

So, the laser is much closer to being happy now. Hopefully nothing happens between now and when I get back from the wedding I'm going to this weekend that seriously impairs that. And it looks like I'm starting to write on my staircase story again, which is fun. I was beginning to wonder when it was going to start again. I already knew what was going to happen, but another story came along and just stole all of my concentration for a time.

Sad. :(

I didn't win the contest for tag lines that would have won me a book that I'm really looking forward to reading and won't about out until August. Oh, well. I had fun at the sci-fi gathering last night. :) Long live Bob, until we need to sacrifice him! ;)

Pirates 3

I found that I appreciated Pirates 3 more the second time I saw it. I had liked it the first time, but it dragged in a few places. The second time through I didn't notice these parts as much. My theory was that I knew that they wouldn't last long, so was more easily able to sit through them. It is a very fun movie. Also fun to see with sci-fi.

Sci-Fi!

The sci-fi meeting was wonderful. Apples to Apples was completely the right thing to get for the gathering! And once again, the we didn't watch a movie, but there were no complaints either time. :) Very good to hang out with fun people who are also good friends. :) Now I'm going to go get ready to go to a movie with the same fun group of people. :D

Berries and Cream

Last night I went out with several friends and we picked fresh berries and make ice cream. Then we ate both. :D Very, very fun and relaxing.

TV Candy

I really shouldn't turn on the TV in the morning before going in to work, but usually it isn't this big of a problem. Today, I've been distracted, they are re-airing a Magnum P.I., Murder She Wrote crossover. I didn't even know that they had made one! Now I'm going to be going into work late, it seems.

The GESC picnic yesterday was great fun. :)

Update

I got the laser a bit better than before, so it looks like it should work out. Tomorrow is the touchy, tweak, check, repeat process.

On a more exciting note, I am going to have a gathering on Saturday, which I am looking forward to. Must now go eat cake and be merry. ;)

Success!

Ok, success of a kind? I'm back to where I was two days ago in aligning the laser, which is good, it means I corrected all of the things I messed up last time.

Ah, the joy...

...of laser work. Thought I had things lined up, and then touched something while I had the other laser's beam blocked, and now it's back to two steps to do it all over again. Hopefully this time it goes better, since I've already figured out, and written down how to do the steps. If only lab notebooks had search engines attached to them. :)

Missed, for the moment, opportunities

Ah, if only I had started playing with this 6 months ago, I could enter for a free advanced copy of a new book almost out by an author that I very much like. But this is not the end of the world. I may be able to catch the next such event. :)

Sorry! :)

In one of the settings, I had managed to put it so comments needed to be approved. :P That's taken care of now, so should have no problems in the future!

More laser work today. Wish me luck as I try to get the round trips down. :)

Fun with Blog

Still playing around with everything. :) I've been having fun tweaking with it. ;)

Hello

Just trying things out. This is the first post.