２０１４年６月９日ー１３日

June 9th-12th:

Contrary to the previous week, I was very productive this week. On Monday, I began creating my next sample. I loaded 200 grams of pure titanium powder into the Spark Plasma Sintering machine at 800 C and 45 kN of pressure.

So hot it's not even funny.

Isn't she lovely?

I removed the sample, cut and sanded it appropriately, and ran an X-Ray Diffraction, HF Acid Etching Microstructure Observation, Vicker's Hardness Test, and O-N Content tests on Tuesday. By the way, HF (Hydrofluoric) acid is the stuff Walter White and Jesse used to dissolve a human body in Breaking Bad. Extremely corrosive on human tissue. Gotta be careful with this stuff. On Wednesday, I ran my first extrusion with my friend Shirai. It's also a pretty dangerous process. While the preheated metal billet is pressed through a die, everyone in the room has to duck behind cover incase something shatters into granade-like shrapnel. Also the coil that heats the press runs on 400 V (if I remember correctly). Either way, if you touch it you get seriously burned and shocked, possibly fatally. Aside from those two factors, you are handling a hot metal that glows because it is on the verge of melting. Science can be pretty exciting..
Anyhow, on Tuesday night, I was eating dinner with some hall mates in the common room when we started talking about pets. I talked about how much I missed my python Casper and my cats. Overall, I just miss animal contact. The deer in Nara were super awesome. Animal interaction does miraculous things to my psychological health, not that I am in poor psychological health really.. So just as we were talking about it, another hall mate of mine came back to the dorm with his host family. And guess what they brought....

That's right. A DOGGY!! His name was 桃さん Momo san. "Mr. Peach" if you directly translate it. Also, that is my RA Mari on the left, the owner of the dog in the middle, and my friend Erika on the right.

I love animals.

That was like the highlight of the week for me. Oh! And the fact that I booked a flight to visit Maika in Taipei from July 4th-July 8th! I'm extremely excited to see the country with her. It looks like a foodie's paradise, a place meant for us.

Ok. So Thursday was a fun day. I was playing guitar late at night with my friend Johanes, when a group of my hall mates came home drunk. My friend Ben from Berkeley, Andy from Germany, and Joon and Yonji from Korea. They convinced me to join them for a midnight park stroll, with a little bit of whiskey. I didn't drink much at all, rather I was there for the scenery. Here are some pics:

The lake at the park under the full moon.

A funny, and kind of romantic picture of my drunken friends. 

June 13th: 

Friday was pleasant. I woke up at 5 AM to witness the start to the world cup. I was pleased with the 2-1 result in favor of Brazil against Croatia. I lived in Sao Paulo for about 3 years, so I will be rooting for the Brazilians. Unless they happen to play the Swiss or the US (neither of which is likely..). Took a 2 hours nap after the match and before work. I spent the morning cutting small samples of my metals to make carbon content test samples. After lunch, I came back to this. That position looks ridiculously uncomfortable. Later I ran a carbon content test using the machine pictured below.

I don't know how he doesn't get extreme neck pains.. 

After lab, I met up with my friends from the hall to go see the fireflies in Umeda. Yes, the middle of the city has this tiny garden where you can see fireflies. Here are pictures from the night:

Some lanterns celebrating the fireflies.

Looking up at Umeda Sky Tower. How have I not been to see this building yet. It's got some pretty cool architecture.

A further view.

After waiting in a long line. This was the pathway into a tiny forest with a creek where the fireflies were mating.

Yes, those are all fireflies.

A little blurry. but a cool shot leaving the firefly garden.

After checking out the fireflies, half the people became surprisingly drunk in like 40 minutes. Me, along with Shinji, Erika, Jiho, and Shogo ended up having to herd the group towards a conveyor belt sushi place. We ate a satisfactory sushi dinner and headed to an arcade near the station before the last train left at midnight.

The daiko drum came is always a good time. 

AND, for your end of the night drunken business man.....

If you look closely, you can spot the drool about to drop out of his mouth. Too funny.

Anyhow. I will continue soon.