Painting Project

I probably haven't mentioned it, but I'm not a huge fan of painting.  Mostly it's the peripheral part of painting that I don't like:  the taping, the mixing, cleaning the brushes, wiping down the walls, the fumes, the smell as the paint dries, etc.  Until this point in my life, I had pretty much avoided all painting in any of my residences.  I have helped my brother and sister paint their residences, but that's different.  They picked the color, supplied the stuff, and all I had to do was wield a roller or brush.  I also like to help them out, so I don't mind painting for them.

This year I finally bit the bullet at home.  A couple things combined caused me to get the painting bug.  First of all, I've learned how to patch drywall, so I did that in my guest room where some unsightly holes had been left by a previous owner.  Then, I went to Jamaica and bought a painting, and it needed a home.  The guest bedroom seemed to be the perfect place.  But, the colors didn't quite match on the painting.  Since I also needed to paint over the patches, I figured I might as well do it right and paint the whole kit and kaboodle.  So I did.

The walls went from a blueish shade of medium green to.........a lighter green color!  The change was shocking!  Seriously, it kind of was.  I wasn't sure after the first coat if I approved, but I stuck with it through the second coat, and I've become acclimated to the color now.  Plus, I'm too stubborn.  I ain't painting them-thar walls again for a long time.  With the painting now installed, I think it looks fairly decent.  Below are some pictures to demonstrate.  My camera doesn't really reflect the true colors because it's too much green for the camera to handle with its auto-filter algorithm, but at least you'll get the picture kinda-sorta.

I call my decorating style "minimal".  I literally had nothing on the walls (besides cobwebs) in my guest bedroom pre-paint.  Yes, I've lived in this place for more than five years.

Patch work complemented by the lovely Rubbermaid night stand.

 Dear Uncle Crafty Ducky Smurf, you are now welcome to come to my house as the painting from Jamaica is now on full display.  The new official wall color is "Jade Isle."  Even if Uncle Ducks doesn't come, all you other readers are welcome too.  The guest bedroom now features a new decor AND blinds!  Well, the decor isn't totally new.  The unmatching bedspread and Rubbermaid night stand are still in evidence.  With the pace I work at, those are slated to be replaced some time in the next twenty years.

The new digs for my guests.

Jumpin' Jiminies

Okay people, I have a lot of great posts on deck.  Things have been flying around here:  brushes, rollers, tape, birds, accusations, and airplanes.  However, the transformation isn't quite complete, so you'll have to wait a day or so for that to occur.  In the mean time here are some random thoughts from the last few days plus a few statistics from a recent Time magazine.

I read somewhere that it is recommended that you purchase frozen vegetables over canned vegetables because they have less salt and are more likely to taste better due to being picked closer to their true ripeness or some such thing.  Let's first establish that I do not like canned peas.  I don't like the texture or the grayish color, and usually I can't get far enough past that to make much of a judgement on taste.  So I decided to give frozen peas a try.  I didn't eat them frozen directly.  I did put them in a pot and cooked them first.  Then the eating commenced.  The result?  Still not all that impressed.  They get high marks for good texture and color, but the taste just wasn't there.  They were too bland and not bursting with the freshly-picked-from the garden flavor I demand.  *sigh*  I sure do like fresh peas from the garden.  With new potatoes from the garden and some cream on them.

I don't do it often, but I do like me some avocado on a fresh salad.  I bought one last week and forgot about it as it hid behind the giant stacks of mail on the counter rotting.  Not this week though!  I'm a quick learner.  It's on my salad as I type.

Mystified by where you contracted that leprosy?  If you haven't been to Africa lately, then it could be that armadillo you ate last week.

CEOs (many of them in the top 200 companies) are receiving pay increases; some as much or more than 23%.  That doesn't really seem called for in tough economic times.  That reminds me I need to go check how much of a raise my CEO got this year.  Then I know whether to blast the company for that in the annual employee engagement survey.

ExxonMobil's first-quarter earnings increased by 69% compared to the same period last year, resulting in one of its most profitable quarters ever.  Remember this post?  I think part of the question is answered.  One thing we don't know is if they jacked the price up or if speculators panicking over the Middle East strife resulted in this large profit.  Then there's always the unnecessary government subsidy theory too.  Or, maybe it's plain old capitalism economics at work - supply and demand.  I'm not saying that like it's a bad thing.

I've been reading the book "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" off and on recently.  Did you notice my subtle use of the semicolon in this post?

All for now......till later.

Tidbit

It's been a barbecue kind of week.  Last Saturday I cooked a pork loin, so I've been eating BBQ pork from that.  After softball this week when I went out to eat with my teammates, we had some BBQ chicken pizza, and I brought home leftovers from that.  So that was BBQ chicken twice.  Then today for lunch, a local company was having a ten-year anniversary open house with free food.  Guess what they were serving for lunch?  You guessed it, BBQ pulled pork.  I'm looking forward to a new week with some new tastes.

The lady at Lowe's a couple weeks ago remarked on how I was going to make some birds very happy.  I just smiled and let the comment pass because I knew the plan was to use the sunflower seeds for more nefarious reasons.  For example, as chipmunk bait.

I better take advantage of this last weekend before summer begins in earnest.  The "to-do" list for tomorrow is very long, and I'm doubting I'll get it all done, but I'll try to make a dent in the list.  On the list is setting the chipmunk trap.

Fog has been hovering over us for almost 3 straight days now.  The good news is it's supposed to clear up AND get warm for the weekend.  What more could you ask for?  Maybe a few hours of sleep.....

Bathroom Behavior Observation #13

When it rains, it pours.  I've commented on this twice before in the bathroom saga, so this is a continuation.  This arrived in my work inbox today:

To:  Females who work in the tech center (I'm assuming based on the address list)
From:  The building's HR lady
Subject:  Women's restroom & phone calls

Hi ladies,

I've recently received multiple complaints in regards to women using the restrooms here at the SJTC as a place to conduct personal phone calls. While I realize that it may be difficult to step outside (especially if you're located on the 4th floor), we'd still appreciate it if you could take personal calls from an unoccupied conference room, the cafeteria, or outside now that the weather is improving. Again, I understand the need to try to find a 'private' location, such as the bathroom, but it does get used frequently and it can make it awfully uncomfortable for people using the restroom to be inadvertently listening in on personal calls.

I appreciate your support and understanding and hope that you will respect the wishes of others.

Now I agree with the subject of this e-mail.  People should not take phone calls in the bathroom.  And HR lady was being polite by not pointing out that it makes people uncomfortable to have their bodily functions broadcast on another person's call.  But I think the bigger question is, could this be handled better?  First of all, people should use common sense and personal responsibility when it comes to privacy and use the other bathroom.  Kidding!  I mean, they should realize that taking a call in the bathroom, especially when others are in there, is rude.  Secondly, if you're going to complain, couldn't you talk to the person exhibiting the rude behavior directly?  I suppose maybe they already did that, but it's also possible the complainer is being passive-aggressive.  Who wants to be the phone police in the bathroom?  Not me.  And probably not the HR lady either.

On some side notes.....did you know that "Life" cold cereal tastes almost as good with water versus using milk?  If you close your eyes, you could probably believe it was skim milk.  I switched from my winter pajamas to my summer pajamas on Saturday just in time to be frozen out at night.  I'm stubborn though.....no going back now until October!

Have a good week.

Bathroom Behavior Observation #12

I noticed this sign in the bathroom at work the other day.  I'm not sure how long it's been there, but probably not much more than a year at the most.  I say this because the sign mentions H1N1.  My observation skills are very stellar.  Some of the text is really small, so I'll bullet point what the organisms are saying here:

• Hi I'm Shigella, and I love to give the gift of diarrhea!
• I'm the cause of the common cold, H1N1 and Influenza.  You can count on sore throat, aches and pains, fever and even pneumonia.
• Streptococci is my name, and I cause painful sore throats.
• E. coli is the name, and diarrhea and urinary tract infections are my game!
• I'm Staphylcoccus.  How about a big zit or boil?
• Just call me Salmonella Bacteria.  I give you cramps, fever, vomiting and severe diarrhea.

Informative, yet amusing.  My favorite combination.  Remember to wash your hands, folks.  It's cool, and everybody else is doing it.

Talk About The Weather

Uncle Ducky sent me a very helpful link on how to identify the trustworthiness level of all different styles of facial hair.  Thank goodness both my dad and brother are on the trustworthy end.

This post was delayed due to inclement weather.  There was lots of thunder and lightning, but less rain than I would expect to go along with it.  I thought I was going to get drenched on the bike ride home from work, but luckily I only endured sprinkles, and they were delicious.  It is sad that on one of the first days of the year where I didn't need a coat to go outside that it was so chilly in my cube that I was wearing my coat.

Enough talk about weather.  Really, I have nothing else to say today.  Peace.

Change of Pace

The brand of spaghetti I bought has a new look coming.  Does the color and design of the packaging of your spaghetti really affect what you purchase?  I would think not, but there's probably more strategy there than I realize.

I took this picture a couple weeks ago on a lunch break pier walk.  They were demonstrating how fast they could run - you can tell they're going fast by how much their hair is blown back.  Nerds, I know.

Michael and Kadmium

Three meals in a row this weekend I had eggs, asparagus, and rice.  I'm mixing it up today by having bratwurst with my asparagus instead.

The bicycle is out of storage and has been for a ride.  Maybe the kayak will come out this week?  It's supposed to be 80 degrees one day this week.

A painting project has started.  I'll post the final results when they are available.  I still need to do the second coat.  I picked the color so I can't really complain, but it seems really bright.  I'm sure it will grow on me and I'll get used to it.

I may have to harden my heart and get out the nest knocker downer soon.  That robin real estate agent must have really been working hard this year.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there.  I think my tribute from last year is still accurate, so I'll stick with that.

Randomness

Softball practice today was held in 45 degree, windy weather.  The trees are just now starting to leaf out.  I'd say spring has been a bit slow in getting here.

To Weeds:  I have not joined the PTA.  However, my unscientific study of the mating habits of engineers says that they are most likely to marry someone in one of the following professions:  teaching, nursing and/or therapy, and engineering.  Several of the co-workers that I do stuff with are either married to or dating teachers, which is how I end up hanging out with mostly engineers or teachers.

How do you determine if a new hot water heater is needed?  Do you know anyone who periodically drains their water heater as part of scheduled maintenance?

All for today.....early day at work tomorrow, so I best be heading for bed.

Scouts and Spouts

I managed to cram a fair amount of stuff into this weekend.  On Saturday myself and a bunch of other engineers held a girl scout day where they learned about engineering.  We did some really cool stuff including a demonstration with liquid nitrogen and hydrogen.  If I were going to stereotype engineers, I would say that in general most of them have some kind of control freak or OCD disorder.  There are varying degrees of it, but we all have some of it.  It's kind of interesting to watch the anxiety level of 10-15 engineers (including myself) rise as fifty girl scouts between the ages of 7 and 12 crowd around a bowl full of liquid nitrogen.  All of us were having visions of FMEAs in our head and what we could have done better to prevent somebody from putting their finger in the bowl of 77 degree Kelvin (-321 F) liquid.  Thankfully there were no injuries and we all got to enjoy a sample of homemade ice cream made in about ten minutes using liquid nitrogen.  I'm told that's also the method Dippin' Dots uses to make their ice cream.  The hydrogen demonstration was also very exciting.  A balloon the size of my fist filled with hydrogen when ignited made about a two foot diameter fire ball for a fraction of a second.  Multiply that by about 10,000, and that's what it would have been like to see the Hindenburg explode.

I also happened to see the movie "The Passion of the Christ".  I already knew how it ended, so it wasn't all that suspenseful.  It was.....shall we say....interesting.  If you have a weak stomach when it comes to violence and blood, then this movie isn't for you.  I was surprised by how many details they got right while at the same time disappointed with some of the poetic liberties they took.  After seeing it once, I don't need to see it again.  I can't say I've ever been dying to watch that movie, and after watching it I figured out why.  It's because I knew that they wouldn't be able to capture the essence of who Jesus really was.  They can't capture through acting the love and power and life that was inside of Jesus.  Only his Spirit inside someone can do that.

I was also at a baby shower this weekend.  I can't say that they're my favorite things to go to.  It's a lot of sitting around and a lot of small talk, neither of which I'm very good at.  But, I go to those things anyway just to show I care and to get a dose of hanging out with other women who aren't engineers or teachers.

It seems like I had some other, more interesting things to say, but that's all that's coming to mind at the moment.  Farm out.

Out With the Old, In With the New

Today was some kind of weird weather.  The morning started out with rain, which has been par for the course the last few weeks.  In the late afternoon the sun was trying to peak through the clouds, it started to get kind of steamy with all that humidity, and it looked like it might clear up.  But, within half an hour or so, it started to rain again while you could still kinda-sorta see the sun, and at the same time there were these little patches of fog that were moving around with the wind.

This past Saturday I was making impulse buys all over the place.  My backpack has had a funny smell for a while now because of getting mud and sweat on it while I ride my bike to work.  It didn't seem worth it to wash it, so after approximately eight years of service, I'm retiring the old backpack and now have a new, fancy one.  Check it out.  Is eight years a long time or a short time to have a backpack?  I'm not sure.  I think my previous backpack lasted for five or six years.  Technically it's not fully retired yet because I keep my rock climbing gear in it, but that's pretty light duty.  My blue one went away in the trash yesterday though.  *sniff*

Daffodil Progression

The daffodils on April 17th

A day later on the morning of April 18th

And again this past Sunday April 24th

Two Quizes (Quizi? Quises?)

Last week I had a strong hankering for meat loaf.  I'd actually never made meat loaf before, so that was an experience on Saturday.  We didn't really grow up on meat loaf.  I'm not sure why.  Mom did the occasional meat balls, but not much meat loaf.  I found a recipe on the internet.  Overall it turned out fairly well.  I have a couple comments for myself.  First, the onions should be more finely chopped.  Secondly, I prefer meat loaf where the ketchup mixture on the top is slightly dry/crusty.  I made the meat loaf in a bread pan (9"x5"), and the juices from the meat appeared to have kept the top from getting browned like I wanted it to.  Do any of you cooks out there have a tip on how to achieve a crusty top without drying out the whole thing?  Should I pour out some of the juices halfway through the baking?
 
Maybe you've seen this before, but I thought it was funny again.  I only got Question #4 correct.  There are four questions.  Don't miss one.

1.  How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?


Stop and think about it and decide on your answer before you go further.



The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

MelBMarvis comment:  OK......what about all the physical, dimensional challenges?  But, I'll give them this one since they didn't specify if the giraffe was a baby or a toy or a stuffed animal or what.  Or, maybe the refrigerator is a walk-in one.


2.  How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?


Did you say, open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator?

Wrong Answer.

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant, and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.

MelBMarvis comment:  I gave the wrong answer, but that was because I was assuming I had two refrigerators, both large enough to house zoo animals.  Plus, if you can fit a giraffe in there, why wouldn't I assume an elephant would fit too without removing the giraffe?


3.  The Lion King is hosting an animal conference.  All the animals attend...except one.   Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there.  This tests your memory. Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.

MelBMarvis comment:  I got this one wrong because I've never seen the Lion King movie, so I wasn't sure which animals should be at the conference in the first place.

4.  There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across. Have you not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting.  This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

MelBMarvis comment:  Bingo!

According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the Professionals they tested got all questions wrong, but many preschoolers got several correct answers.  Anderson Consulting says this conclusively proves the theory that most professionals do not have the brains of a four-year-old.

MelBMarvis comment:  I don't know if the above part is true or not, but it was part of the e-mail I received, so I left it in.  It sounds slightly made up like someone is trying to legitimize a joke by mentioning a well known company.  Plus, I don't know that this conclusively proves anything, but most times I'm thankful I don't have the brain of a four-year-old.

The Great Outdoors

I went to Lowe's yesterday and picked up a free tree because it was Earth Day on Friday.  It's a white spruce.  For the first year they recommend growing it in a pot, so that's where it is right now.  But, eventually I will need to plant it somewhere, and I'm not sure I really have an appropriate place in my yard for it.  It wouldn't really match the rest of my outdoor decor.  We'll see what happens to it.  Maybe the deer will eat it first.

I'm contemplating taking out the mess of evergreen bushes shown in the picture below and possibly putting in a flower bed with similar flowers to what I have in my other flower beds.  Thoughts on this?  Good idea?  Bad idea?  Alternatives?  I usually try to get these types of projects done by the end of May.  Once June hits, I never seem to find the time to finish any yard projects I've started.

The earth day tree is in the lower left hand part of the picture.

 P.S.  Ummm....I see this picture has one evergreen tree and all those evergreen bushes.  What was I saying about my outdoor decor?

Don't Believe Everything You Read - Earth Day Edition

Cubie Kadmium found an article from Time magazine the other day that he said should make us hang our head in shame.  Well, not really, but that's what they're trying to say if they didn't have so much misinformation.  The article is called "How the Ice in Your Drink is Imperiling the Planet."  I found several websites on the internet that ridiculed this article, but none of them explained why it was absurd.  As a partial expert on this subject, let me give some details on why this is absurd.

First of all, your refrigerator/freezer is not "freezing water and making ice no matter what."  Once your ice bucket is full, your ice maker stops running.  You also have the option of turning the ice maker off yourself if you have some reason you want to do that (like you're feeling particularly brown that day).

Secondly, the article does not indicate what the test conditions of the NIST test were.  For an ice maker to consume 12%-20% of the energy of a refrigerator, it's very likely the ice maker was making ice continuously and either the test was short lived or they were emptying the ice bucket when it became full.  For the normal consumer it's very unlikely your ice maker will run continuously unless you're using ice constantly even during the night.  I would estimate your ice maker can fill up the entire ice bucket in less than a day.

Thirdly, in most ice makers there is a heater, but it is not on constantly, nor is it used to heat the ice maker motor.  The heater is actually used to briefly heat the ice mold, creating a thin sheet of water between the mold and the ice cubes, allowing the cubes to be easily popped out of the ice mold.

I looked up one refrigerator that was energy star rated, and it was estimated to use less than 600kWh per year (approx $61 per year).  This is less than if you left a 75W light bulb on in your house all the time.  For these reasons, I say don't worry too much about the ice in your drink.  I seriously doubt it's imperiling the plant.  Cheers!

Bully for Bulleting

Here's a few bullets for the day:

• Yesterday I saw a wild turkey come in for a landing - that was interesting.  They really are huge birds, and sometimes it's a wonder they can fly.
• Another interview of a prospective hardware engineer today.  It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.  I'm still waiting to find that person who gives that first "wow" interview.  Does anybody know how often that happens?  One in a hundred?
• My conditioner bottle opened during one of my travels and wasted some conditioner, so now the shampoo and conditioner aren't coming out "even".  I've already started on the new conditioner and still have quite a bit left in the shampoo bottle.  Doh!  I don't like asymmetry.
• Speaking of shampoo and conditioner, why is the conditioner bottle opaque and a shape such that you must set it down on its cap, while the shampoo bottle is clear and shaped so that you can set it on either end?  I think it's because of the differences in viscosity, but this is just a theory.
• I'm making good progress on the latest picture project.  Several consecutive weekends at home with chilly, rainy weather and no GM on Sunday greatly help with this.
• Why is drizzling type of rain so de-motivating?
• I'm debating whether to sign up for the next 12-week session of racquetball league.  It always seems like a good idea at the time when the weather in April is dreary, but by the end of May sometimes I'm wishing I hadn't signed up so I could spend more time outside kayaking or what have you.

Nothing too exciting or witty today.  Better luck next time readers.

Funeral Stuff

Irony:  My trip to a funeral yesterday was delayed while I sat in my car (on the road) waiting for a funeral procession to exit a funeral home.  The funeral was for an elderly lady who was called home to a well-deserved rest.  I never knew her in her years of physical strength, but from what I hear, she was a great pillar.  The fellowship after the funeral was sweet.  Unfortunately, my knowledge of the family tree of the bereaved ones was lacking, so I think I accidentally snubbed half of them and didn't offer proper condolences.  I knew more of her family than I thought I did, but I didn't realize they were family until it was too late.  Whoops.  Hopefully they don't take it personally.

Even this far away from Ananias, her tentacles can reach me.  A few people from points west gave me the old "you must be her sister" while I was at the funeral.  During the lunch after the funeral, one of the ladies who lives about 25 miles away was telling me her story about how she came to know God - it's always fascinating and re-affirms my faith to hear those stories.

I thought I had more, but that's all I can think of.  It's a windy, slightly chilly day here, so I think it's a good day to stay inside and work on some picture projects and sorting through mail, etc.  May you all have a good day too!

More Randoming

Well, I think I figured out the beard thing.  For one guy, I believe it involves a girl.  For the other guy I already knew the reason - I think laziness on a week-long ski trip without his wife resulted in an experiment that is on-going.  At least until it gets warm outside.  Here's my thought on beards:  Closely shaven, well kept ones can be attractive.  Straggly, patchy, unkempt, overgrown ones:  not so much.  That's a little tip for all my male readers out there.

Chicken with Jamaican jerk seasoning really hits the spot.  The pot roast in the oven should be done shortly too.  There's no shortage of protein around here.

On Monday the number of females in the engineering group I'm in at work doubled.  That's right, the new hire is a female.  That makes two of us out of about 18 people.  I probably won't be working with her a lot, but occasionally I will when I need some documents released on EN (Engineering Notice).  I think it's been at least two years that I've been holding my own in the group (since the last female moved out of our group to go to a different group).

We had dilly bars for afternoon snack at work today.  It was our reward for enduring a few hours of online brain washing on the corporate principles when our time could be spent so much more wisely.

This is the first week that co-worker Barney is dwelling full-time in the cube next to me.  He was finally forced to fully move because the new girl needed his cube.  I can't say that I have all that many more insights into his psyche yet.  Let's give it a few more weeks.

I think that's enough for today.  I'm sure I had other profound things to say, but they escape me at the moment.

Random Ranting

• What is the deal with beards?  Are they coming back in?  The guy I carpool to meeting with and a guy on my volleyball team both grew one recently (but not the same one - they don't share it).
• I paid $3.999 per gallon for gas today.  Let's just call it what it is and say $4.00/gallon.
• If I have to cut spending and luxuries to stay within my means, then I say congress should to.  Bring on the budget cuts and let the national debt ceiling remain unchanged.  I'm sure some of you will disagree since they always go after the education budget first.  But, that's why it's called a representative republic, and you're allowed to write and speak to your congressperson to express your opinion.
• I found an interesting graph on the history of gas prices.  It looks like people were optimistic about all that hope and change, but it quickly wore off.  The related interesting graph on oil price per barrel that I found is here.  Hmmm.....we're paying less per barrel in oil now than we were in 2008, but somehow the peak gas price per gallon in 2008 is the same as what I paid today.  This means somebody is making some extra money.  The question is, who?
• Speaking of gas prices and such, I found it amusing yesterday when I was reading a novel written in 2006 that was set in the year 2002.  The effects of nuclear detonations in the Middle East were being discussed, and it was mentioned that gas could even go over $100 a barrel.  Go figure.  Been there twice, done that twice, and it didn't even take a nuclear war.
• Yesterday was nice and hot with temps in the 80's.  I basked in the sun on my deck for a while.  It has cooled off again, so we're back to normal spring weather.

Spring Randomness

Spring is a great time of year.  It's nice to walk outside when there is a slight chill in the air and know that it will only be getting warmer in the near future.  The daffodils are just starting to bloom (a little behind their normal schedule).  I've been seeing robins for a couple weeks now, and I've also seen and heard a few cardinals.  Yard work commenced today.  Of course, the kayak and bicycle dreams are starting.

Yesterday I interviewed three people.  Tough decisions, tough decisions.  How do you know if you got the accurate "feel" for a person in the span of one hour?  How do you assess somebody's ability to learn, motivation, personality, and integrity in an hour?  Do you wait for somebody who "wows" you in the interview, or do you go with some raw talent that you think has potential?

That's all I've got for today.  I'm moving on to more Saturday chores.

Visual Humor For The Day

I believe my desk is around here somewhere.

This showed up recently at work - the only one of its kind in the building.  Is it birds?  Is it leaves?  Fish?  This just doesn't say "engineer" to me.  Maybe they're subliminally giving us culture and diversity.