Jeffrey Aho

I’m settled in Windsor now, and I’ve checked out the city a bit. Work isn’t going so bad; there’s lots of variety in my work and I am learning alot. At least I don’t have a job that I do exactly the same thing everyday, the usual mindless co-op labour (like laminating..heh). Overall I am not minding this term too much, and I’m doing okay I think. Just three months left and back to school.

Co-op is part of my education, and it has a dual purpose. First to teach me workplace skills that I can use in my future, and second to help me decide my future career path. As many students will agree, I believe I learn more (things that I actually should be learning) during my co-op term than while I’m at school. So far my most useful class that I took in university was MTE 100, Introduction to Engineering and Mechatronics. There we had a drafting class that helped me learn skills I use and also writing reports and general day to day engineering work. My other classes are filled with material I have yet to use.

People lately have been telling me to think about my future. So I have. Generally I have accepted that I am going (to try) to finish my undergrad at Waterloo in Mechatronics Engineering. There is talk within my class as to what to take (or even if to take) an option. Most of them don’t appeal to me, but if I am allowed to I am considering taking theWelding Specialization. I think that it would be a very interesting option to take and will be very beneficial to future work that I may get involved in.

Generally I believe that an undergrad isn’t enough education for me. I want to go to grad school where I can learn some more advanced topics and specialize in a field a little more. I have two paths I may follow. One, grad studies in mechanical engineering, and two, law school in patent law or law and technology. I’ll briefly discuss the two and the possible options I have to pick from.

First, and more expected of me, is the grad studies in mechanical engineering. I think I would most likely take it at Waterloo, though there is the possibility of going elsewhere, like Ottawa or Montreal for it. I guess it depends on the time and how good my marks are (and if I can even afford it). At Waterloo there are two options, theMaster of Applied Science and the Master of Engineering . I think the Master of Engineering suits me better because it is more lecture based as opposed to research based. I would like to do it with co-op as well, but I’ll have to see if I’m able to get that to work.

The second option is law school. Political science and law has always been an interest of mine. I really considered taking Poli Sci over engineering for a while. I know that there is a very needed field of well qualified people in the field of technology, patent and corporate law. With an engineering undergrad, I will have an advantage of understanding technical terms and ability to read schematics over other students with general arts degrees or pre law undergrads. I have been thinking of either uOttawa, McGill or Western for law school, either of which would be acceptable in my mind. I think that the deciding factor would be (though usually I’d consider a horrible reason to pick a school) where some of my friends are. Lyle might be in Western and Natalie, Kyle and Kas might be in Ottawa. Just something to consider when I’m trying to decide on a school to go to.

So if I make it that far, these are the things I’m considering. I welcome feedback and suggestions for these thoughts.

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Currently Listening to: Mad Season - Matchbox Twenty

So, it’s been an interesting last few weeks. I’m now in Windsor and work for Nemak of Canada at the Windsor Aluminum Plant. About a week ago I had made a fairly lengthy blog entry, part of which I’ll repeat in this one, but due to part of my stupidity, and a little of a problem with the CMS, I lost it all I got discouraged and haven’t tried to write another one until now.

Well, in summary of my lost blog, I was discussing the recent news that John G. Roberts, Jr. was nominated to become Chief Justice of the United States to replace William Rehnquist when he died. This is major political news because Bush pulled his nomination to replace Sandra Day O’Connor, who retired earlier this year. This is big news because Roberts is a very young judge, and if he is Chief Justice, then he could control everything in regards to major law decisions in the US for the next 30 years. Mike likened it to having a young Pope elected and ruling over the Vatican. It’s a regime!

I had alot more commentary on it, but essentially, while I believe Roberts is an extremely qualified judge, I don’t believe he should be given such extreme power yet. I believe one of the current experienced conservative judges would be better suited. The other topic I’ll bring up to fill up this blog is the topic of unions. I’ve been observing the workings of my plant and just have a few observations I’d like to layout. First, there is rabid segregation. Separate change rooms, separate parking lots, separate entrances. Furthermore there is this professional barrier that seems to exist between the Salaried and Hourly (Unionized). Even as co-op’s we are expected to be like the Salaried, no playing cards at lunch (while the hourly people do), professional dress, separate lunch times. It’s quite astonishing.

Overall it is an interesting experience to see. Along with the possible strike next week, the tension is very high in the plant and the relations between the two groups aren’t very good. It seems as well that us co-op students get stuck in the middle, not wanting to be disrespectful of either side and trying to remain neutral. I just wish that they gave us as much respect as we give them.

Well, there it goes, a small entry just to change up the stale one. I’ll try to get back in the groove for the rest of this term. Bye

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It’s been awhile again. I’ve been so busy that I am now gone from Thunder Bay and am in London, moving my brother in. Tomorrow I’m going to Windsor. I get to make a stop atPelee Island though, and go on a wine tour Oh! I passed 500 unique visitors too!

Either way, I’ve been meaning to comment on something I observed when I got home. Last year I wrote an article in my high school newspaper about the Hogarth Fountain in Waverly Park, just outside my high school in Thunder Bay. The link has a brief history and a photograph. My talk in the article was how under appreciated it is and how there had been alot of vandalism that forced the Winter protection (a large wooden box) to remain on it well into the summer. Recently, another act of vandalism was taken against the fountain. It is now closed again, and will not be opening until a protective grate is added. It is quite sad to see that this is how much respect some people have for history and great monuments. So much money was spent to restore the fountain, and all that money (and even more for repairs) is just wasted now.

As I was sitting at Hillcrest Park, on one of my last days left in Thunder Bay, overlooking the Sleeping Giant, and reading The Da Vinci Code (Which I’ve owned for a while and haven’t had time to read until recently), I witnessed another sad sight. A family, with who pre-teen children arrived beside my vehicle and jumped out. They had come to check out the view from the park and to see the war memorial (mentioned in the link). Ont of the children went over to the canon mounted beside the memorial, hopped over the retaining wall and looked inside the barrel. “Why Hello there!”, she exclaimed and her brother asked what she saw. “Trash and cigarette butts”, she replied. How lovely. A monument for fallen war heroes and it was filled with trash and cigarette butts. Very respectful. (For Christine’s sake; it’s sarcastic)

So, this family, visiting Thunder Bay possibly for the first time, gets this new image. A dirty, disrespectful city. This is parallel to my visit to Hamilton a few years back where there was trash everywhere in the streets, gangs building up at night on the sidewalk, and a man holding a neighbourhood hostage by strapping high explosives to a police officers home. (that was a crazy weekend :S). While I might not be very please with Thunder Bay myself, I take personal offence to the lack of respect that people are giving, both to history, public property, and war heroes. Heck, if this keeps up, Thunder Bay will only be knows as a dead port and forestry town, who killed Terry Fox, downed a Snowbird, and disrespects war veterans. And you wonder why I tell people not to visit Thunder Bay. Not to long ago it was the violent crime capital of Canada! And it really deserves it’s reputation title from everything I see going on in the news there.

I guess that the thing that will upset most people is the fact that there is disrespect for war veterans. My grandfather served in the Korean war, and has been reduced to having to fill out forms that take 18 months to process just to get a hearing aid. I have never been a war supporter, and am not a big fan of the military. The fact is, though, is that in Canada, or military is not the same as say…the US (duh duh duh). I was initially very upset when my best friend joined the Naval reserves. Now, I know it means alot to him, and I now have more respect for the military (knowing that there must be a few more highly intelligent and loyal people in the military as well). Generally I believe that the average person who enters the military is below average intellect, and usually has other issues that they deal with, that drive them to the military as a community. I read a globe article about a year ago which confirmed this in a study that was done. It’s good to know that there are intelligent people there though. And those few, Like Lyle, deserve respect.

Hmm…nothing more on my mind (at least on this topic) so I’ll post away. I’ll post next when I’m settled in Windsor.

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