Archive of the 'Up Front and Personal' Category

Well friends as the song says, “the party’s over - it’s time to call it a day.”

Pam and I are back in the high desert of New Mexico. We had coffee this morning and talked about all the exciting things we encountered in Chicago (the Greater Chicago area has almost 6 times the population as the entire state of New Mexico), so it was very different. We took advantage of all this area had to offer with its museums, shopping, dining, and shows. It was everything we had hope and planned for in the weeks prior to the trip. Pam is back at work on her quilt designs – she has a business to run. I too have neglected my business “Lone Wolf Engineering,” but not really. You have to recharge your mind and spirit in order to give your company, or in my case my clients a fresh viewpoint and an excited attitude. I learned so much at the 2008 PES T&D Expo. My notepad was always at hand as I talked with the Exhibitors. I have a much better understanding of the many new technologies of the Smart Grid, made a lot of new friends who will explain how their products work and how I can apply them to my engineering projects. It was great embracing civilization and all of its benefits, but we hunger for the solitude of the wilderness and hiking in the “high-country” too. Happy Trails!

I ran into a couple of old friends at the Areva Exhibit. Neil and Chris have worked with me for years on the HVDC and FACTS Subcommittee. They are experts in the Power Electronics field. We had been talking about the HVDC Cross Channel link when Gene made an inappropriate remark about the color of the shirts. Pam reacted just as I took the photo. It sure was fun visiting together.

I never knew how many of my friends were photographers until I walked the Expo floor with my Nikon hung around my neck. It is eye catching with the flash unit, and 18mm to 200mm lens. I use it in my consulting work a lot, so it has to be versatile, but it attracts attention. John Estey had a lot of questions about the lens. He is considering purchasing one, so we had a great time comparing notes. That is another benefit of attending the PES Expo. Along with the education, I get to visit with lots of old friends. We catch up with what is going on in our lives and find out new things about each other, which brings us closer.

Anyone who knows me knows I am a coffee-holic. I went to Kona for vacation and brought back many pounds of 100% pure Kona coffee. I visited every plantation with a visitor program. I picked coffee beans, watched them roasted and sampled every blend I could find. This afternoon I was walking down the aisle and my nose (Wolves have a highly developed sense of smell) picked up the delightful smell of fresh COFFEE. The nose led me to the Meyers - Thomas and Betts exhibit. They have a real espresso machine with special coffees to order. If you play your cards right, you may get some of their brew - I enjoyed a cappuccino. What a pick-me-up for a late afternoon. I was starting move slowly after many trips from one end of the exhibit floor to the other (about 5 or 6 miles worth roughly). Heck – you got to put out the effort if you want to see it all.

When my wife Pam accompanies me on the trip, it is more comfortable and much more civilized. Pam is organized and plans ahead. She packs in advance of the trip. I pack just before leaving for the airport. Left to my own devices my business trips can be a little reminiscent of “Survivor”. I always think I have packed everything, but when I get to my destination there is something missing. Thank God for those kind folks at the front desk who supply toothbrushes, razors, toothpaste, etc. when I have forgotten mine. Have you ever had to buy a tie, because yours is safely at home – yeah me too. I am so glad Pam likes to accompany me to the PES conferences. It is a chance to meet friends for her too and to enjoy the companion activities, which brings me back to the civilizing influence of having my wife with me. She has interests outside the engineering field. Engineers, as we all know, are notorious for being focused on engineering and very little else - yeah me too. The 2001 PES T&D Expo was held in Atlanta. Pam found out there was an exhibit at the art museum of Winslow Homer, one of America’s greatest watercolor artists. Heck, I had never heard of him; after all 19th century artists is not normally a part of your typical engineering curriculum. Who would have guessed, it was a fantastic exhibit and a highlight of the Atlanta visit. Dang, when I Googled (hey, I’m still a nerd and surf for everything) Chicago for some trip information, up came a web page listing a Winslow Homer exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute. I told Pam and we started reminiscing about the Atlanta trip. Now we are going to add an extra day to the trip and spend some time in the museum with Winslow. It is funny, I normally don’t think about these intangible benefits of attending something like the PES T&D Expo, but they can be just as important as the educational aspects we sell the boss as a reason to attend. I guess that is why it was called enrichment in college. I’d welcome any and all comments.

Let’s talk about shaking knees, Mickey Mouse, HVDC, and biting off way more than I should have. What does that have to do with the IEEE, PES, or the EXPO you might ask? Well, that was my introduction to the IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exposition back in 1986. The 10th EXPO held in Anaheim to be exact. A friend of mine, Nari Hingorani, suggested I write a paper for IEEE on an HVDC project I had just finished and present it at the panel session he was chairing at the 10th EXPO. Okay by 2008 standards that is no big deal. It seems I am always making presentations somewhere, but everyone has to start somewhere. Granted, most people have the sense to start off small and not at an international gathering of geeks and eggheads. In 1986 I had never written a paper, taken part in a panel session, or even been to a conference for that matter. What was I thinking of when I said I would do it? I wrote the paper and dang if it wasn’t accepted. To keep sane, I thought of it as if I had won an essay contest. Kind of like an all expense paid trip to Anaheim. I have to confess, the fact that Anaheim was the home of Disneyland and just across the street had more than a little to do with my decision to write the paper. I figured if I made a fool of myself, no big deal that had happened before. If the PES Expo was a big sales promotion, I would slip off to the Magic Kingdom and no one would be the wiser.

Well the panel session must have gone well – I don’t even remember it except for the bruising brought about by knees knocking together and Nari is still my friend. I do remember the exhibition hall was unbelievable, so much so I have tried not to miss any PES EXPO since. There was so much to see and do with so little time to do it – to heck with the Mouse. Okay, I have to admit the Mouse had evening hours after the floor closed, and the siren song of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean was quenched. I’d welcome any and all comments.