Tourists ...

As usual we had a really full week end!
For the first time we did the "real" San Francisco tourists.

Saturday morning we began our day with a true american breakfast at the Rockridge Cafe (http://www.rockridgecafe.com/) and crawling out we went to the BART station: direction Embarcadero!!!
The weather was awesome and we walked from Pier 1 to Ghirardelli's square making a long visit at the famous pier 39.
I have to say that ths part of the city is tourist tailored, but nothing bad in that ... in any case very pleasant .
With big excitement of the kids we went back to the Financial district on the tram ... absolutely crowdy but nice.
Then a  quick visit by feet to the Transamerica Pyramid, Ian was stunned by this tall and weird building.

This morning insted we decided to drive along the ocean cost. From our house we drove up to Richmod, we crossed the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, then a quick visit to the lovely Sausalito and finally for the first time for the kind and Micky we passed through the most famous one: The Golden Gate Bridge ....
From there we took the "number 1" and we went to Half Moon Bay enjoing the landscape over the ocean!
Really impressing ...

And also this week end is over ... tomorrow at work !

... at work

Here the time is running fast!
I feel like at home and it's absolutely normal to get up in the morning, walk to the Rockridge BART station and get on the train to go at work. Out of the underground stop on the 19th street, going up the stairs for the 20th street gate I can see the NERSC building just in front of me ... but it's not yet the time to join in the office ... before there is the Starbucks coffe ritual: " ...a tall latte for Nick please"

Entering the door there alway is the guardian who promptly always say: "Good Morning" and we chat few seconds before the lift come.
Up in the offices at the time I start ,  around 7:30, there are only few early-rising people ... Nick C., Norma and someone else hidden in his "nest". Only close to  9 o'clock  the corridors begin to be alive.

Here in my working place, on the desk I put some Swiss chocolate, and that's a perfect way to  catch people inside for a talk. We spoke of work, of life and sure of where to go for the dinner :-D
As everywhere you can find any sort of colleagues: the real look-like geek, the shy who try to escape with the sight, the sport/runner addicted ... but however all kind persons that make me feel one of them!

I attended at some meetings and I noticed that they are always very used to tell them opinions ... also in front of the Katherine "the Boss".
Is good, isn't it?

Today here is a special maintenace day, we are appliyng some patches on Hopper ... and Tina is explaining to me some tricks and habits they are used to.
Always interesting be faced with different kind of approach.

But let's me get back at work ... I've some notes to jot down and  in about an hour Micky and the kids will join me here in the downtown for a walk and the dinner in the city.

See you ...

Monday morning

Monday again...
Yes, some things never change even 9'000 km from home, monday morning also across the ocean is a tough morning!

Fortunately the memory of the weekend spent doing pool BBQ and dinners with friends make this moment more tolerable. :-)

Today, in the meantime I work hard, Michela and the guys went to the Zoo in Oakland ... I can not wait to hear from them  if they enjoyed this place.

Thursday? \O/

Thursday? Today is already Thursday??
I'm wondering how is possible that the time spent here run so fast ... it seems yesterday when I came here at work for the first time ...
Probably that means that I found something interesting to dive in !

After this few days here at NERSC I feel more confident in the environment and I begin to understand how the wheel turns.
I tryed not to be too boring with my mentors and avoiding to bother  them ... but in any case they were absolutely willing to help me and to aswer all my questions.

At the Berkeley Labs are absolutely well organized for all that's related to the administrative things ... I had to follow many online training about safety, ergonomics and internal procedures ...
But at the end I got all the things  needed to work, from the badge to the NERSC account passing through the phisical access authorizations.

I'm glad that I already caught  interesting technical information about the systems here and I already feel that I'll bring home many important considerations and ideas.

And what about the weather? After the first days with the fog in the morning, in these last 2 days the weather is amazing since early morning ...

Stay tuned ...

Office

NERSC entrance ...

First working day at NERSC

Today, at 8 o'clock I joined  into the NERSC building to start my first working day!

I woke up, I had my breakfast with my wife and I took my bag to go to the BART station by feet ... then 2 stops and I got off the train at 19th St. Oakland ... up the stairs to the 20th and just is front of me I saw my new office. Easy!

After the lunch I went to Berkeley to get my official badge .... the Berkeley Labs Campus is AMAZING ... I like that place.

http://www.lbl.gov/Workplace/lab-site-map.html

I reached the building 65 with the lab's shuttle bus and I did my procedures the be registered in the system and get my badge.
I had to pass a kind of exam: General Employee Radiological Training ... :-o


And what about the colleagues here? All very kind and patients with my awful english!! :-)

So far a really exciting day!

San Francisco & Oakland

Nice view from a hill behind Oakland ...