I recently stumbled onto the work of Eli Dourado (@elidourado). The thread produced by a simple tweet (see my response) coupled with a recent article he wrote has fueled a lot of inspiration for me this week. Combine that with Elon Musk’s new XPRIZE for carbon capture, exploring discussions on Clubhouse surrounding innovation, and reading that NASA’s willing to buy regolith from a private company, and you’ve got the perfect storm for me—a scanner—to reevaluate everything…again.
In a moment of weakness and overwhelm, I emailed Eli laying out my dilemma about pursuing higher education and asked for some wisdom. I’ve been thinking since hitting send, and I stumbled onto a few key concepts that will help me. It was definitely one of those situations where once I laid it all out, the solution was easier to see—even if I couldn’t retract that email 😬
Paradox of Choice
I think about situations where I wish I had less freedom to choose. If only I didn’t have so many options, it would be easy for me to choose which option is best for me. That sounds nice at first, but is that what I actually want? Of course not.
Maybe even worse, I find myself wondering about the “what ifs” that can’t happen. What if we didn’t have kids, and I could spend today alone with my wife, I think to myself after a particularly difficult morning wrangling kids. What if I had moved to Seattle instead of Denver? The list goes on. It’s counter-productive exercises, though. I just have to remind myself that instead of dwelling on what could have been, how can I make my current (or future) situation better given my current constraints (kids, location, etc.). In fact, engineers love constraints. As one of my professors regularly said, on an unlimited budget, anyone can build a bridge, but an engineer does with the least amount of material possible.
So, in an era of FOMO, the real question becomes, “How does one stop keeping their options open?”
College
I’ve been through this situation (i.e. decision paralysis) a number of times. I remember flip-flopping almost daily for weeks on deciding between attending Boise State University (BSU) and the Virginia Military Institute. I chose BSU and thrived, but that only lasted for a year. I married a girl who taught middle school on the opposite side of Idaho.
I transferred to Idaho State University (ISU), and I resented it for my first year, because I had been comfortable. Ultimately, though, while I preferred the modern feel of BSU and being situated in a downtown area, ISU’s smaller-feeling campus consistently provided opportunities I never would have gotten at BSU. Examples include:
Leading our ROTC program as the Detachment Commander
Discovering and falling in love with economics because my double-major had to change when I transferred universities
Serving as a student government senator for my college
Winning money for two business ideas (SpaceSpace, Toast Dance) at Shark Tank-style pitching competitions
Career
My last year at uni, my wife and I narrowed down where we saw ourselves ending up. Picture a Venn diagram of where we’d like to live and where there is a high concentration of aerospace jobs. Seattle, Denver, and Boston were our finalists, and I started looking for jobs. I interviewed with those three states’ National Guard units, too. I continued to apply to jobs (totaling over 300; I kept track) but had no luck. Ironically, it wasn’t until I misunderstood part of the process and locked in my commitment to the Colorado National Guard that I could focus on a much smaller market of opportunities and land a job. In that case, “keeping my options open” hurt me, preventing me from leveraging my job search.
FOBO
Ironically, I relistened to a podcast (Spotify) on accident just yesterday, and it brought up FOBO: fear of better options. I usually don’t have an issue with FOMO—fear of missing out—unless I think about what rad companies like SpaceX or Relativity Space are up to. Lately, though, FOBO is what has kept me from committing.
General Patton’s quote comes to mind: “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite time in the future.” Everyone out there has a different path, and the devil’s in the details…of execution. At Lockheed, there are vice presidents with just a bachelor’s degree. Has that hurt them? Apparently not too badly. So in reality, the “worst” that can happen is that I get an irrelevant degree but have fun along the way.
There’s also a great parallel in marriage. In a world of 7.8 billion people, there is certainly a better match for you out there, but it’s more about what you invest in a marriage than the person you marry.
Segments of My Career
I’ve recognized a better framework for how to perceive my career. I’ve essentially split it up into 20-year segments, and while it will absolutely fluctuate, this exercise was helpful to take some of the mental load off of me in terms of constantly thinking about my career. I’ll also note that flexibility is key, as opportunities I never imagined will present themselves.
Building Technical Skills (26-46)
I graduated from college at the age of 26. If I stick with my civilian and military jobs for 20 years, I can retire from both at 46, locking in a dual-retirement and removing some of the risks of starting a business on my own. These years are also critical as I build technical expertise—particularly because I want to work on hard tech, not software.
I look up to young entrepreneurs, and I wish I could jump in and join them right now. Caleb Carr comes to mind. We’re the same age, and he’s the President and CEO of Vita Inclinata, a technology company innovating on stability for helicopters and cranes. I could be really jealous, but I recently listened to a podcast with Michael Dell saying he was motivated by Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, because they were 10 years older than him and not married, and he wanted a family.
Harvard Business Review also published an article in 2018 sharing that the average age of a startup founder is 45. That fits with my plan!
Leveraging Technical Skills (46-66)
While I would love to be a Forbes 30 Under 30 wunderkind, I have many competing priorities that I’m not willing to let go of. For example, Elon has been divorced several times. I’m not willing to let my marriage fail.
Once I’ve banked that double-retirement nest egg, I can break out and start a company to change the world. I’m following tech and startup news in the meantime, constantly jotting down ideas for addressing problems. In fact, I’m working on a few side-projects that could go toward saving for that future business.
Sharing Technical Skills (66-86)
After a lengthy technical career, I’d love to give back. I’m not the guy who loves differential equations or some of those knee-deep-in-theory courses. I’d love to teach at a university, though, exploring new ideas and getting others excited about their careers. I’m not even sure it’s possible, but it’d be so fun to teach a mixture of German, entrepreneurship, economics, ROTC, and engineering. I can dabble in all of my interests at the end of my life having “proved” and accomplished what I want to.
I’d also love to angel invest along the way, and maybe being at a university is the way to get the next generation involved in tech.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Shalene Henderson, Abel Birk, and Matt Schock for proofreading and providing feedback.
Appendix: Vetting Ideas
Tim Ferriss: Is this a full-body yes? Is this a no-brainer (don’t just ask if it’s a good idea)? (Podcast)
Derek Sivers: If you’re not saying “HELL YEAH!” about something, say “no”. (Post)
Jonny Henderson: What role is ego playing?
Example: If I could learn all of the content involved with a degree without receiving the credibility that comes with the degree (i.e. not actually graduate), would it be worth it?
My Northstar → “Because: Astronaut” → Is this getting me closer to astronaut or is it shutting doors? (Example: MBA vs. MS in AeroE)
Misc
Have I considered: Good, better, best
Have I considered: energy management not just time management
I’ve divided up all the books I read this year by the rating scale I use for my Book Notes page.
Note: I only included subtitles where necessary for clarification.
5 Stars: Loved It
Non-Fiction
Tribe of Mentors by Timothy Ferriss
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Cribsheet by Emily Oster
The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
Grant by Ron Chernow
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Washington by Ron Chernow
Inside the President’s Helicopter by Gene Boyer
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday
Antarctic Tears by Aaron Linsday
Range by David Epstein
The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller
I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
Fiction
Strange Planet by Nathan W. Pyle
Adulthood Is a Myth by Sarah Andersen
4 Stars: Liked It
Non-Fiction
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Moroni’s Guide to Surviving Turbulent Times by John Bytheway
The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, & Jim Huling
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
Note: I’d like to re-read this one
Prepared by Diane Tavenner
Hughes by Richard Hack
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Educated by Tara Westover
Nine Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham
Fiction
Servant of the Shard by R.A. Salvatore
Spawn Origins, Volume 1 by Todd McFarlane
Hellboy, Volume 1: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
3 Stars: It Was Okay
Non-Fiction
Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella
Pale Horse by Jimmy Blackmon
Kill Chain by Andrew Cockburn
Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Note: I hated the tone of his voice (i.e. prideful) throughout the book, but I actually, to his creditt, think about the book’s principles all the time
The Like Switch by Jack Schafer
Getting Things Done by David Allen
Good to Great by James Collins
Fiction
Spawn Origins, Volume 6 by Todd McFarlane
Deathstroke, Volume 1: The Professional by Christopher Priest
Sword of God by Chris Kuzneski
2 Stars: Disliked It
Non-Fiction
A History of the United States in Five Crashes by Scott Nations
Fiction
N/A
1 Star: Hated It
Non-Fiction
N/A
Fiction
Dune by Frank Herbert
Put On Pause or Quit
Non-Fiction
Instructions for British Servicemen in Germany, 1944 by Library Bodleian
The Box by Marc Levinson
Fiction
N/A
Analysis
This year, I also paid attention to the types of books I was reading. The first step was data. I created a Google Sheet and plotted the data I felt were relevant, such as the gender of the author and whether or not the author was a minority. I hope to diversify my reading a bit more than the typical successful white male authors in business I gravitate toward. That has been at least one of the blessings of the 2020 chaos—an added attention on the benefits of diversity, inclusion, and equality.
So first, I go some data. Now I can readjust. Please make recommendations for female and people-of-color authors and books you enjoy!
I also realized that my list of authors I’d read anything by is entirely white dudes. I want to fix that.
A lightly-edited journal entry from 11 March 2018.
Last night, Shalene and I saw The Greatest Showman in the Bengal Theater. After the movie, I thought it was decent, but as I’ve been thinking about it all day, I’ve really enjoyed it. There were a lot of things I learned from the movie!
Entrepreneurship
The biggest highlight for me was someone finally got my entrepreneurial mindset and not just desire but the fixation with and necessity for achievement. My passion pushes me to my limits all the time. I’ve really struggled with work-life balance.
Family
The second point that was very evident as I watched was how PT Barnum’s drive pulled him away from his family. During the movie, though, he figured out what was most important to him and was still able to succeed even as he dedicated energy and time to be with his family. It was reminiscent of when I read Elon Musk’s biography and told myself that with all the success he’s had, he’s gone through two divorces.
During the movie, I decided that my summer home with the family was more important than killing myself my last year to get that B.S. Economics. I’m giving it up and sticking with a minor.
Shalene has also been very (albeit sometimes begrudgingly) supportive of my adventures, especially for someone so risk-averse. That was also echoed in the movie as Charity sang, “However big, however small, Let me be part of it all. Share your dreams with me. You may be right, you may be wrong, But say that you’ll bring me along, To the world you see.”
In-Laws
The last takeaway is that I’m super lucky to have extremely supportive in-laws. This was key, as when I was a missionary, I quickly picked up on just how important in-laws would be.
I posted a status on Facebook to get the word out on Hibernate Storage taking off, and they (not sure because of the joint account…) shared my status to spread the word! In fact, I’ve never felt I’ve had anything to prove to them.
I’ve been listening to the music non-stop! You can find it on Spotify here:
Also interesting is this blog post by Carly Findlay on disabilities and the cast of the movie. I found it while trying to look up the cast for the performers, which the movie did a terrible job of listing in the credits.
After Advanced Camp, I shipped off for an internship with the Army through the Cadet Troop Leading Training (CTLT) program. I worked (get ready for it) under the following hierarchy in descending order (as best I can piece together):
US Army
Army Materiel Command
Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM)
Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC)
Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD)
Modeling and Simulation Division (MSD)
Measurement and Modeling Services (MMS) Branch
Day 1, 10JUL2017 (Mon)
I sat on a plane in Louisville, KY for a while before they said that the weather in Detroit was going to delay the flight for quite a while. I would’ve missed my connection, so I exited the plane and boarded a flight to Atlanta. Upon landing in Atlanta, my flight was delayed for weather, so I finally arrived in DC at Reagan around 0130 instead of 2200. I was pretty bitter because CDT Fink’s school bought him a last-minute ticket that had him leaving Sunday before graduation, so that got changed at camp to a direct flight. My school planned ahead, and I got screwed. Oh well. Our supervisor, a Major, picked me up and took me back to Post.
Day 2, 11JUL2017 (Tues)
The next day started at 0900. I’m sure it was a lot of in-processing and touring. We only spent 3 hours doing stuff and were cut loose at noon. It ended up being perfect because I had a really bad infection on the tip of my finger. It started to flare up the night before, and it was the spot where they did the finger-prick to check for iron at the blood drive on Saturday. Swell. Literally. It was a sensitive balloon of pus. They drained it with a syringe, though, and gave me some drugs. That ended up being complicated, too, because they sent me to the pharmacy with a prescription for a different “Johnathan Miles Henderson”. The only reason I caught it was because the guy’s birthday was in the 80s.
After that mess was figured out, it was onto putting out the next fire. The lady-sergeant at BYU-I messed up my orders and didn’t include a rental car. It got resolved, but we somehow had to figure out how to get back to Ronald Reagan in DC. Without a car. Luckily, I was able to call up Patrick, who took us there. We picked up our rental and went to Bdubs. It just so happened to be Traditional Tuesday, so our order was like $10!
Day 3, 12JUL2017 (Wed)
Day 3 had us in a minivan driving around campus with a young lady that works at Ft. Belvoir as a civilian full-time who is also an officer in the US Army Reserves. After work, we went and saw Spider-Man: Homecoming with Katie at The Alamo movie theater. I actually wasn’t super impressed with the movie. I think they did a fantastic job, and Tom Holland plays a great Spidey, but even with my Tony Stark in it, Homecoming couldn’t knock The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield out of my Top 5! Looking back, though, and having rewatched it, it was very well done.
Day 4, 13JUL2017 (Thurs)
During my first few days on the job, a two-star General came to receive demonstrations on all the research at the facility. The General scooped us Cadets up and had us tag along to see everything. It was fantastic. So much future tech to see.
That night, I went home, grabbed my siblings, and we went to Reston Town Center for lack of things to do. Not as fun as I remember, and it was initially awkward, as they adjusted to being around me again after so long.
Day 5, 14JUL2017 (Fri)
A particularly beneficial opportunity for us was our lunch with a few Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs). They gave us advice on how to interact with the Enlisted side of the Army, as well as on how to succeed as a fresh 2nd Lieutenant with no real knowledge of the Army.
Later, I had a follow-up appointment at the hospital. They said my finger was healing fine! After the hospital, I darted back to Ashburn for a delicious dinner with Walt, Blair, and Katie at Carolina Brothers BBQ, followed by a game night. My two favorites were The Grizzled and Fuse.
Day 6, 15JUL2017 (Sat)
Saturday was a blast. What started as hoping to jump on an organized trip from DC to NYC through Ft. Belvoir ended up being Katie and I paving our own way. We bought tickets for like $40 each. We were on the shadiest of Asian tour buses, checking in at what could’ve been an underground money laundering operation in DC’s Chinatown. We took the 4-hour bus ride up, and I didn’t pull any punches. I wanted to see it all. I had a list that, for the most part, worked out. We had a good time and certainly got our 10,000 steps in! My list was as follows:
✔️9/11 Memorial—This was Stuart’s biggest recommendation. The outdoor memorial was fantastic. Unfortunately, time didn’t allow us to go into the museum. This would be the only reason I feel the need to return to NYC.
✔️Empire State Building—Underwhelming
✔️Statue of Liberty—Saw it from across the pond
✔️Broadway Street
❌Wall Street
✔️Times Square
✔️Brooklyn Bridge—Drove under in our Uber
❌Central Perk—The restaurant from Friends. It literally doesn’t exist, and I was heartbroken.
✔️Central Park
❌Grand Central Station
❌Shawarma—Food of the Avengers
✔️United Nations HQ—Just barely missed the window to go in. I’d like to see it sometime. It was cool from the outside, though.
✔️NBC store—JJ’s recommendation. They moved locations though, and I wasn’t about to waste more time on it.
✔️Midtown Comics—Pretty cool! I picked up Captain America: White, which is part of the colors series by my favorite artist, Tim Sale. It’s been on my list for a while. Ironically, it’s still sitting on my shelf, and I haven’t read it yet.
Other favorite memories included eating Shake Shack for the first time, stopping by the Disney store, trying to find food to eat (we really wanted Japanese ramen, but ended up grabbing pizza to eat on the bus ride home), and bonding with the ghetto bus riders. I also asked our Uber (who hauled us across town from the 9/11 Memorial to catch our bus) where Avengers Tower was. He didn’t get it. I did, however, steal a kiss from the security dog at Trump Tower!
Day 7, 16JUL2017 (Sun)
I was able to attend church in the congregation where I grew up (Brambleton Ward). It was fantastic! I didn’t tell anyone that I was coming, and I scooped up Connor and my sisters to attend with me. I got to say “hi” to President Holtom and Jonathan Linton, my youth leader growing up. Another tender mercy was sitting down where I did. A couple walked in and sat in front of us. They looked familiar, so I asked them their names. I had guessed correctly—it was the Dowdles. I grew up with their daughter, Stephanie. So good to see them again. After church, I stopped by to see the Cottones and was there for forever. They were excited to see me, and Bonnie kept forcing food on me (I wouldn’t have it any other way!).
Day 8, 17JUL2017 (Mon)
Our 8th day was fairly uneventful in comparison. We had an Officers lunch (just our immediate supervisor and his supervisor) at the golf course club. Later, we ate a delicious dinner at Pica Taco there in Alexandria.
Day 9, 18JUL2017 (Tues)
Tuesday, our Measurement and Modeling Services department went out for lunch at and MSS lunch at a Peruvian chicken place, followed by an evening out at Great Falls with Fink, Katie, and Sadie (her pup). This was on Fink’s list of things to do, which was fun, because I wouldn’t have picked it myself, but ended up loving it. How had I never (if memory serves) been there, when I grew up right around the corner?! That night, we had Mookie’s BBQ.
Day 10, 19JUL2017 (Wed)
Apparently uneventful.
Day 11, 20JUL2017 (Thurs)
We picked Shalene up! So good to see her. Long overdue. We had been away from each other for 41 days! A guy at work had recommended a local Japanese restaurant, which Fink took his girlfriend to, and they loved it. So that night, Fink, Shalene, and I went, but it was only mediocre. Turns out, we went to the one Fink tried, but not the one that was originally recommended.
Day 12, 21JUL2017 (Fri)
After a delicious lunch at Bozzelli Bros. Deli on Post, the rest of the night was a circus. We had gifted my family an Olive Garden gift card two years in a row with the stipulation that they all have to go out to dinner together. Well, we finally forced them to use it when we were all out there (and not just because it’s Shalene’s favorite). We stopped by to see the Cottones beforehand since they wanted to meet Shalene, thinking it would be a short visit. Bonnie doesn’t work that way! I also forgot to call in a reservation to the restaurant. I never go out to eat in a big party, Shalene and I just show up! We invited Walt and Tamara, who were kind enough to exercise a little patience with the family. They did invite two other friends (Patrick and Cynthia) as a back-up in case it didn’t work out. It was a fine time, though! Walt and Tamara got to meet Shalene, and we all had a good evening just chatting!
Day 13, 22JUL2017 (Sat)
We woke up Saturday morning, drove to Ashburn, and grabbed breakfast with Blair and Zee at IHOP. My favorite server, Tori (a black boxer), was still working there, and she is hilarious. It was fun to have a little double-date. It was also the first time I had met Zee, oddly enough (we’ve interacted through social media plenty). Afterwards, we packed up the fam (those who would go) and headed down to see Monticello and the University of Virginia. It was supposed to be everyone, but Jenna didn’t sleep well the night before, Patrick was his usual self, and Robert was working. Unfortunately, that meant we’d all fit in one car except for one. Dad opted to sit out, which was sad because he had never been.
It was hotter than sin that day. So sweaty and sunny. I came to have mad respect for how much of a renaissance man Thomas Jefferson was! We had a good time though, and after we got to see the sites at Monticello, we drove through UVA’s campus, as I was heavily considering grad school in aerospace engineering there. Shalene and I agreed that we’d ultimately end up in Virginia, as it’s both a perfect blend of all of the defense engineering jobs and historical sites.
Day 14, 23JUL2017 (Sun)
After a terribly long Saturday of driving, we woke up really early and drove down to Yorktown, where we got breakfast with Brandon and Janet at Food Craft (only like a mile away from JJ and Alyssa’s old house!). After breakfast, we headed to Busch Gardens with JJ and Alyssa. They have a season pass, and Shalene and I got in for free (military members get a free trip for themselves and 4 dependents per year)! It was so fun just being with JJ again. It was also the first time I had met Alyssa and the first time Shalene had met either of them. Shalene got super sick from the Viking ship ride, swinging back and forth, plus there was a storm warning that shut down the rides for a while. We ended up chilling in the German village “bierzelt” and played Ellen’s Heads Up for a while. Just spending time together was enough.
Day 15, 24JUL2017 (Mon)
Monday, Shalene was supposed to hang with my dad, but she had a much-needed rest day coming her way. She stayed home to recuperate from a summer babysitting alone, and after work, I grabbed Chinese, and we stayed in the room watching shows. There was also a big storm that day that dropped a tree limb inches away from the rental car!
Day 16, 25JUL2017 (Tues)
On Tuesday, Shalene and Katie went to Mt. Vernon and some other local sites, while Fink and I got to tour the experimental airfield and take a tour of DC in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter! Afterwards, we had a fantastic lunch at Mission BBQ, my new favorite Nova restaurant!
Day 17, 26JUL2017 (Wed)
Wednesday, we went down to Quantico to talk drones with another program, then we took Shalene to the airport. Goodbye wasn’t quite so hard, as I’d be home in a week-and-a-half.
Day 18, 27JUL2017 (Thurs)
On Thursday, one of the employees at NVESD took us on a group trip to Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of Unknown Soldier. He was an excellent guide and gives tours often. He even knocked on the Tomb Guards’ quarters and got us a tour! We got to speak with a few of the Soldiers who serve at the Tomb. Wow! Incredible standards and discipline.
Day 19, 28JUL2017 (Fri)
The next day, we loaded up into the van and drove up to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. We met up with a bunch of other Cadets, including one from my Platoon at Advance Camp, and toured the facility, including all of the Army’s new Cyber assets! A Major General met with us and presented each of us with a challenge coin—my first one came from a two-star General! After getting back, I went over to Jarrod’s for a game night. His roommate, Luke, was there, as well as an old high school friend, Brendan! We played Betrayal at House on the Hill.
Day 20, 29JUL2017 (Sat)
Saturday morning, I hit NovaCon with Jarrod and Luke. It was lots of fun! It was at The Ritz-Carlton in Tyson’s Corner, and Jarrod’s sister, Jenna, had a booth with her friend. I picked up a lot of cheap comic books and shook hands and chatted with Barb and the teacher from Stranger Things, as well as the dad from Flash and Lady Deathstrike from X2 (she loved my widow’s peak). Overall, it was a pretty good event for it being their first year. Afterwards, I went to Under Armor with Patrick, and he hooked me up with new running shoes, shorts, and a shirt since he worked there. Then, for my mom’s belated birthday, I treated her to Pei Wei, and we got to catch up one-on-one.
Day 21, 30JUL2017 (Sun)
Sunday morning, Fink and I woke up, picked up Katie at a nearby gas station outside of Post, and headed down to Quantico for The Freedom Fighters 5k/Half benefiting the Semper Fi Fund. It was our (Fink and I) first half marathon. We kept talking about how we regretted signing up for it, especially after a grueling camp experience, but it was a blast. My headphones quit on me at the starting line, so it was a full race with just my thoughts. We ran through Prince William Forest Park the whole time (map of route), which kept the entire course shaded and cool. It was fairly hilly for the last half, but I managed to maintain ~10 min/mile for all but the last mile! It’s the farthest I’ve ever run in one go, and I finished in 2:16:36. After the race, we really wanted chicken and waffles, so we went to Waffle House, which doesn’t even sell them. Instead, we went to IHOP, and I wanted to die after eating way too much.
Day 22, 31JUL2017 (Mon)
The next day, I was sure to try the chicken and waffles in the cafeteria at work—so delicious. That night, we met up in Manassas to get Cafe Rio with my mom and the siblings.
Day 23, 1AUG2017 (Tues)
As you can see, this trip revolved around food haha! We tried Thai Herbs for lunch, which was alright. I was glad to branch out and try some new things. There were a few dishes I loved (Kapow Chicken and Green Curry Chicken), and others I did not…
Day 24, 2AUG2017 (Wed)
There’s a machining and wood shop in the facility where we worked, so we asked for a tour. It was super interesting going through and seeing their capabilities. They even said that their resources are there to make the Army function and that when we get to our units, we can request things to be made through their facility, provided our unit has the funds! That night, we collected nighttime images for one of our projects. It had to be totally dark, as we were collecting thermal imaging, and the ground had to finish releasing its radiant heat. It was also Fink’s birthday, so he celebrated a day late.
Day 25, 3AUG2017 (Thurs)
On the 3rd, we had lunch at Mission BBQ, made last-minute preparations, and then presented on our projects that we worked on while in the facility. We processed so much data for so long, that afterwards, the project manager said he had been waiting years for the results we provided the facility! We’ll also have an opportunity to publish as the research comes to a conclusion! We got dinner at Chipotle, then I drove home. My dad, myself, and another sibling or two went and got froyo at Zinga, then Dad grabbed some Dominos next door. There was a 3-star General sitting in Dominos eating! How random. But I suppose that’s Nova for ya. Then we picked up Robert from work. It was great seeing him in action, in a position that’s pushed him.
Day 26, 4AUG2017 (Fri)
On our last day at work, the staff took us out to El Paso, we said goodbyes, then we hit the road! Fink and his girlfriend, Erin, drove separately from me since Erin wouldn’t be coming home with us. We headed out to Westover, Maryland, where his family had rented a beach house for a reunion. I was super nervous at first, but I ended up having a great time. I beat Fink and Erin there, though, and I was driving through corn fields late at night trying to find a house in the dark after Google Maps cut out. It was a good time haha!
Day 27, 5AUG2017 (Sat)
I actually had a lot more fun than I anticipated! I didn’t get in the water at all (it was windy and choppy), but I read a lot out on the beach and started a giant puzzle on historic Virginia. I also facetimed Shalene and Eva before we ate.
The crab was so good! We ate a ton of crabs that we caught ourselves as well as a bushel covered in Old Bay that someone picked up locally. What an experience. Those suckers sure make you work for their meat! We left much later than I had hoped, so I eventually had to trade out driving with Fink for the last 30-45 minutes. We did, however, finally get our Lucky Charms milkshakes from Burger King—an internship-long quest! They didn’t taste like what I had expected, and I don’t think I’d get another one, but we had been talking about it for our entire internship.
Day 28, 6AUG2017 (Sun)
Sunday morning, we hit the airport. We got all our bags checked and went to the USO. We had never been before, but apparently, most US airports have a military lounge with free wifi and tons of snacks—Monster, microwave meals, popcorn, trail mix, protein bars, etc. Not the lame stuff.
My flight to Minneapolis was fine. I slept most of the flight. I was super uncomfortable, but really tired. The flight from Minneapolis to SLC was also fine. I had to wait in SLC for an extra 1.5 hours, though, as they repaired my plane. Shalene wasn’t super stoked about that. She had shown up to the airport early because she was so excited and ended up hanging out for 2.5 hours with Eva…Luckily, Jim, Sue Ann, and Sara brought Stephen and Tara’s kids down, too. They at least had company for a while. It made for a perfect end to a tough and rewarding summer!
Internship Experience
As for what I did during my internship, I’m not allowed to talk about most of it, so this is what I have on my résumé:
Worked in the Measurement and Modeling Services (MMS) Branch of the Modeling and Simulation Division (MSD) of the Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. My involvement covered two projects:
Thermal Imaging Field Data Collection
Collected day- and nighttime thermal and visible-spectrum images of various weapons systems at eight different positions
Non-Imaging Based Human ID at Far Ranges
Completed Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Group 2 Social & Behavioral Research Investigators training program
Analyzed visible spectrum-based videos for cardiac signal detection
Analyzed cardiac signal for heart rate variability analysis for the purpose of human ID
Analyzed videos collected at various ranges and resolutions, generated databases, and used those databases to understand the limitations of range and resolution on human ID
Provided feedback to developers for improving the Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Wrote §5.4.2 Process of Analyzing Data and §5.4.3 Score Heart Rate for ID sections of GUI user manual
Wrote title and abstract for work-in-progress research paper
Results, user manual, and GUI will be used as part of an NVESD program
