Seattle Boeing Trip

Over the past few days I had the sweet opportunity to visit Seattle with the ASU Business School program. Students were asked to write and submit an essay on why a trip might benefit them in their studies/future careers. They selected 30 students to participate in an all-expenses-paid trip to see first-hand and up-close the efficient and always improving production line of Boeing commercial aircrafts. The trip, in conjunction with writing a few essays, will also be worth 3 credit hours over the summer! So it was definitely a neat experience. We flew out on Sunday afternoon and they put us in a pretty nice hotel close to the airport. On Monday we were bused to Everett to see the large plant and on Tuesday we stayed in Seattle to tour the smaller one. Both afternoons were filled with more tours of the Future of Flight museum, and the History of Flight museum (which was really cool).

So Boeing is a super neat company. They recently switched their methods and modeled them after Toyota, one of the most efficient car company manufacturers in the world. Now, they crank out planes even faster (every day a new 737 rolls out the door- the model Southwest and just about everyone else uses). They are on a moving assembly line that moves 2 inches an hour, with engineers surrounding it as it makes its way through the stations. It was incredible to watch. Up in Everett, WA is the largest plant (and building) in the world. It is there that Boeing is finalizing their new B-787- The Dream Liner. This plane is amazing. Lighter materials, less fuel usage, more advanced technology, larger size, and extreme comfort for passengers. Let me tell you, this plane was massive. No cameras were allowed anywhere near the sites, but here's one I snagged online:

Instead of manufacturing their own parts, for this aircraft, Boeing has outsourced every single piece. From doors to seats, wings to engines, and everything between. These parts come from all over the world- boated, flown, trained, trucked- and merely assembled in this massive factory. It's an incredibly organized and efficient production process. Really cool to learn about and study.

Here's a few camera pictures I got at the museums:

Here's the inside of an old cockpit. Lots of complicated buttons and switches. Now, everything is digital and automatic. Very nice.

This is the retired Air Force One jet. It was used back in the day of earlier Presidents (like Kennedy and Johnson). We were able to walk through it and see the place where the President sat and had meetings. Real cool.

This is part of the History of Flight museum. The whole place had old gliders, war planes, commercial fliers, and space rockets scattered throughout- on the ground and in the air. There was so much neat, old history. We have come so far in technology and advancements, I am just stunned. I mean, the fact that we can fly from continent to continent. Growing up with it, its accepted as common knowledge, and the sheer amazement of it is somewhat lost. Somehow, I feel like we take it for granted. But just last century the thought of commercial travel was unthinkable, unimaginable, and frankly impossible. Can you believe how far technology has come in so little time? In less than one hundred years we go from bicycle hang gliders to beastly, two-story jets that carry over 500 people across the world in a matter of hours. Its incredible to me. Man is good, but man is not THAT good. Some divine intervention was definitely needed in this field. And rightfully so. With the restoration of the gospel, the advancement of flight allows missionaries to be sent to all parts of the globe. The Prophet can visit far away countries and visit faithful Saints in distant lands. And as a lonely missionary in Brazil, I was able to send and receive mail within a days, making it easier to bear the separation from family and friends. Thank goodness for planes.

Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent. Back to the trip. At night we were free to do whatever we pleased. Monday night was super fun. My sister Tonya and her 5 boys live 30 minutes or so from downtown and were able to come meet me for a night out. We hit up the nearby Family Fun Center. I was able to chat with Tonya and play laser tag and arcade games with the boys. It really was the highlight of my trip. Her family is so fun and her boys are such great kids. Sometimes I wish they would mooooove back to AZ! Tonya... I'll be waiting.

Well... that just about does it for me. I arrived back home Tuesday night to find my beautiful wife and smiling baby girl (actually, both were rather sick and we spent a long, tearful, sleepless night together as a family). Still, I can't express how good it is to be home. I love and missed my little family so much! 

Melvin Returns

Hey everyone,

This post goes out to all of my dedicated fans that have left me countless e-mails and persistent requests to update my blog. I have finally recovered from the fantastic Weezer show of 2008. The fame and fortune got to me for a bit, but it could only go on for so long. It has been a rough 4 months, but I am back to normal life working at the bank and going to ASU. Fun stuff.

While I flipped through the tens of tens of questions I received over the months, I decided to respond to only three of them. Technically, there were only three questions. I didn't want to leave anyone out and hurt any feelings. So find your way over to the Hey Melvin! site to find answers to your deepest and darkest questions. See you there!

Here's a small blip of us playing "Island in the Sun". I'm on the right, in the red t-shirt and blue hat, standing next to the drum stage. Kinda hard to see. 

=w=w=w=w= Weezer Show! =w=w=w=w=

Greetings everyone!!! On Saturday the 18th was the Weezer show at the AZ State Fair. I can sum it up in one word: ridiculously awesome. It was definitely one of the greatest nights of my life, closely rivaling my wedding and the birth of my child. Oh, it's up there alright. 

So there were about 25 or 30 of us picked to get to play onstage. Me, my bro Mark, and friend Adam were all on acoustic guitar. Then my other bro Todd played tambourine, friend Hawkz played cello, and Amber (Adam's wife) played flute. So around 5:00 we were taken backstage to have a practice session before going on stage during the show. 

Here's us walking backstage to the practice room

So we had about an hour-long practice session with Brian Bell (guitarist) from Weezer. Totally rad. We were all standing in a circle and he comes waltzing in all quiet and weird. It took everyone a second to realize who it was. His hair is all in his face and he's all scruffy and bearded. But we ran through the chords to the songs and worked out parts and solos and ran down how we would get on stage and such. So that was cool. 

Then the show started and Weezer took stage around 7:30, opening with My Name is Jonas, wearing white jumper suits. Classic. That was the same song we played to get into the contest. Rivers (guitarist, singer, song writer) even played the harmonica. Totally sweet. But to say the least it was a rockin show. They played a perfect mix of old songs from the blue album all the way up to new ones off the red album. The band was fun too. When I first saw them in Tucson back in high school, Rivers stood by the microphone and didn't move or talk in between songs. I think Brian Bell jumped once and we were all shocked. But this time they were all so crazy and funny. Rivers would say the funniest most random things and really got the crowd into it.

So then the show ends... and here comes the encore. We were all lined up back stage ready to come on once the band ended. So we're standing in line and the Weezer boys exit the stage right where we were standing. I notice Brian and give him a "what's up". Then give Scott (bass) a finger point. Then I give Pat (drummer) a solid high five and tell him what a solid performance he had done. And then I can't find Rivers. No one can. I was bummed that I saw everyone BUT Rivers! Then, out of the corner of my eye I notice a small man with a mustache crouched behind a drinking fountain. It was dark so kind of hard to tell but it finally triggered that it was indeed Rivers. I gleamed with excitement and told my bro, waving at Rivers and pointing to my stache (twas our only thing in common). He glanced my way but was pretty out of it. 

Here is Rivers during the "Hootenanny" jam session

My buddy Hawkz on cello, he had the solo during "Island in the Sun". Nailed it.

So we played two songs, "Island in the Sun" and "Beverly Hills", probably the two easiest songs to play. Great to rock out to though. We lined up across the stage. I was furthest to the right (when looking at the stage) and stood right on Pat's drum stage. I could smell him I was so close. It was beautiful.

So that was pretty much it! The crowd really seemed to like it. Everyone sang along to the songs and loved the strings, brass, and other random instruments. It was a great time. After we played, we exited the stage. Weezer then came back on and rocked out 2 more songs for a 2nd encore, ending with Buddy Holly. Another classic. 

We spent the rest of the night hanging at the fair, still high on celebrity status. Everyone recognized us from being on stage so we got in a few pictures and received a few random high fives from complete strangers. I think it'd be safe to say that at one point or another we all contemplated quitting our jobs to start a new band. Then reality sunk in when I realized I was too poor to afford a ferris wheel ride. So I guess it's back to work. 

Anyway, that's it! For those of you still reading, I hope you felt like you were there too. It was such a cool experience. I am so lucky to have been involved. I am also lucky to have a super wife who let me spend hours everyday preparing, filming, competing, practicing, and eventually playing on stage! She is always so supportive and lets me do almost anything I want. What a champ. Thanks Amy!

I will be available for autographs on November 11th at the Bank of America near the Santan Mall from 8 to 5. 

And so it begins...

Greetings people of the web! My name is Jeffrey K and these are my thoughts. This website will be a place where you can come to get a fresh breath of random and, quite honestly, irrelevant ideas that pass through my head on a daily basis.

Today I address you regarding the random infomercials that advertise in the wee hours of the night. If you've ever had a night where you can't sleep, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Being that I am a recently-made daddy, I spend a great deal of time awake at night. For some reason, babies have their days and nights mixed up. I don't understand why. But that is for a later post. Let's focus on the real issue here: infomercials. First off, they take up a good hour block of what could be interesting TV. Instead, they fill it with lame testimonials ("I was 350 lbs before getting the Ab Cruncher 5000") and cheesy reenactments ("Are you tired of back-breaking physical activities?" - as they show a clip of some dude bending over, then shooting up and grabbing his back as if he was in the greatest amount of pain imaginable). Do they actually think we believe that stuff? Wait... don't tell me... people actually do believe it? Oh heavens, that's why they're on every night! They are successful! It must be those "Call in the next 10 minutes and we'll double your offer!" offers they have. Funny though, cause the night before they offered that same 10 minute deal. 

So, for those of you who actually wait up for these special programs, with phone and credit card in hand, anxiously awaiting that special "deal"... here's a tip from your friend Jeffrey K. There is no rush. Just wait til the next night. It'll be back.