1:30pm - we’re in New York City, a car will take us to the airport at 4:30pm with our plane set to leave for Pensacola, Florida at 7pm. The only problem? We have no idea what we are going to do once we get to Pensacola at 11pm that night. The town of Fort Walton Beach is an hour away and there is no bus that runs that late.

No better time than the last minute. We checked out CouchSurfing.com and sent out some requests. Within 15 minutes I received a call from Lacey and Ryan who said although they have two guests (who are biking across the US for charity) already spending the night, they are more than willing to welcome us in. She even said they would pick us up at the airport. (How’s that for southern hospitality!)

Off to Fort Walton Beach, FL where I will working as a Firefighter for Week #47. Captain Danny Fureigh from the City of Fort Walton Beach Fire Department emailed me in November and I was scheduled to head down here a few weeks before Christmas. Though, if you recall, we never got there due the incident at the airport in New York.

As with most weeks, I am not exactly sure what to expect going into this next job, though as Captain Fureigh said, “You better be ready we have some cool stuff ready for you!!”

It was a busy day at the Rachael Ray Show on Monday. I visited several different departments at the studio: in the Prep kitchen, post production department, props, web, and finished by helping choose the “snack of the day.”

Along with me was a director, a camera guy, and a sound guy. I felt like a host, trying out different roles, asking questions of the employees, and reporting on what goes on behind the scenes of the show.

I guess you could say I have experience with hosting: in our web episodes of One Week Job, I sort of act like a host; trying out different jobs, relating my experience and giving my thoughts. Though, in this case, it’s different.

There is a sense of familiarity when Ian is behind the camera. After all, he’s been my best friend for years. Ever since Elementary school, we would make short videos for fun, or if there was a school project assigned, we would always ask to make a video (so much easier than writing a paper).

It was an interesting experience having a professional crew follow me around at Rachael Ray. I enjoyed it. It felt like what Ian and I would do, though just on a different scale. I even received a compliment: the camera man has been in the business for 15 years and he thought I was a natural.

Who knows, perhaps what we used to do for fun could turn into a viable career?

There is so much organization that goes into a talk show. All of the departments must collaborate in order to bring it together - though each employee must remain focused on their specific part of the wheel in order for it to roll smoothly. I was lucky to experience it from an outsiders’ perspective and see how it all comes together.

Everyone that I met seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs and were more than happy to share their time with me. Thanks a lot!

The interview portion of the show is shot live to tape, so I don’t know when my interview and segment will be aired. I’ll be sure to post it to the blog when I hear!

-Sean

Here is a really interesting segment that was broadcast on 60 minutes and was passed on to me. It gives some good insight into my generation. If the video below is slow to load up, here is the link to the story.

My job this week doesn’t start for a few days and will continue through the weekend. It will be in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and I will announce it on Thursday.

On route, I have stopped in New York City to do an interview with The Rachael Ray Show. Before the interview, I will get to try out all sorts of different jobs around the studio to see what goes on behind the scenes of a television talk show. It’s going to be a lot of fun - I only hope that if at some point I find myself in the prep kitchen my past experience as a Baker in Week #34 comes back to me quickly!

-Sean

In order to fully immerse myself in the culture of island life, I appropriately adopted the island pace (well demonstrated by my lack of updates this past week). I am now back on the mainland, so perhaps a bit closer to reality… well as close as I would like to get anyways.

My last couple of days at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park were a lot of fun. All the Park Rangers I had the opportunity to work with were very accommodating and more than happy to share their knowledge as we explored the park. It was evident they love what they do. And how couldn’t you - the majority of time is spent outside, the people are kind and enjoy being there, and the landscape is incredible with a vastness that is difficult for your eyes to grasp. Ian says that he could see himself as a Park Ranger for a time being in the future, I concur.

I was first emailed by Tammy in October 2007 about the possibility of doing a couple of One Week Jobs in Hawaii. I am happy that she did. I had a great time and am really glad that I went.

Recently, Tammy once again set her sights on pursuing her passions in life. After ignoring them for sometime, she could not be happier she did and credits it to listening to herself. Tammy heard about One Week Job and felt inspired to get involved. One of the reasons she wanted to bring me to Hawaii was that she believes the project symbolizes an important message she wanted Hawaiian youth to hear. As a result, she organized several talks at High Schools in the area.

As the presentations progressed, I felt that I got more comfortable. I thought back to when I was working with Eric Chester, the motivational speaker in Week 44. He had said that the platform is a privilege and you better be giving them something useful. A few times during one of my talks, I thought, “Are they really listening? How can I get through to them? Is all that I am saying trite and just a bunch of rhetoric?”

Sometimes it’s difficult to gauge at that age. It’s a sea of blank faces staring back at you, though when I finished, many would often come up to meet me and ask more questions. As Tammy said, “when it comes time to make big decisions in their life, if only one in each class remembers your talk and is inspired not to settle, then it was worth it.” I sure hope so.

- Sean

The scenery here at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is absolutely gorgeous. After being introduced to my boss for the week and getting settled into our housing, I spent Monday with the Eruption Crew. They were great company; a lot of fun and very knowledgeable with many interesting stories to tell and random facts about pretty much everything.

We were positioned down at the coastline where lava has covered the roadway as a result of various eruptions since 1984 to 2003. Until June of last year lava was flowing directly into the ocean. Visitors can walk down the road until it meets lava rock. There is even a no parking sign still visible that was caught in the lava.

It’s really beautiful to see the dark lava rock stretching to the edge of the ocean then dropping off as a steep cliff in the bright blue water below. Looking back towards the gradually tiered mountainside, it’s incredible to see the various lava flows throughout the years and what path they took.

One thing that keeps amazing me is the sheer amount of lava that is around the park. It is literally everywhere. Yesterday, we surveyed a hiking trail. At times, there were lava rocks from previous eruptions as far as the eye could see. Then, in the middle of what seemed like a barren landscape, there was a rain forest of lush vegetation. A sign of what the landscape was like before any of the eruptions.

On the hike yesterday, I accompanied Rob, a Park Ranger at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park since 2001. During lunch in the forest, I asked about his previous time in the Navy and years leading up to being a Park Ranger.

Reflecting back on it, he said there were things that he would have changed if he knew then what he knew now, as I am sure we all would given the gift of foresight, though he offered his perception on our tendency to be critical of past decisions. He said that he views life as if it were a trail. You must keep looking forward down the trail and can only deal with what is in front of you. There is no use thinking about what you should have done or what would have happened if you had chosen another trail. The best you can do is cope with the conditions in front of you and if you are lucky, you may have come well enough prepared.

At this time, it’s difficult for me to be looking anywhere else but forward. I am constantly thinking about my upcoming weeks, where I will be working, how I will be getting there, where am I going to stay when I get there. Though wherever this trail leads I am certain that when it is time to look back, I will reflect fondly on all that I have learned, everyone that I have met, and all the wonderful experiences I have had. And of course, I will be excited for the next trail head.

-Sean

This week I am working as a Park Ranger at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

I will get to experience the various duties of a Park Ranger, such as park maintenance, conservation, incident relief, and interacting with visitors.

The park was officially founded in 1916, though native Hawaiians have known about it for centuries. They regard the park as a sacred location where the deity Pele lives, the goddess of fire.

Hawaii Volcanoes extends from sea level to 13,677 ft (4,169m) and encompasses the summits and rift zones of two of the world’s most active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Kilauea has been in nearly continuous eruption since 1983; Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984.

The forecast looks great for the week, so we might finally get to experience some sunny Hawaii weather!

-Sean

Friday morning I gave a presentation to two groups at a local High School about One Week Job. It was the first time I had given a formal presentation about One Week Job. The first group went okay, though the second was 10 times better as I picked up my energy and felt more comfortable with the presentation. The kids responded really well and I was happy to do it.

During the second presentation I was keeping an eye on the weather outside as we were slated to make our way up to the summit of Mauna Kea early afternoon. It didn’t look very promising, though it was our last opportunity so we went ahead.

As we arrived at the visitor center, located 9,200 ft above sea level, I hopped out of the truck and walked quickly across the the parking lot. Perhaps a little too quickly. I forgot that you must take things slowly up there as the air is much thinner. I got a slight headache, though it was a good warning before ascending to the summit.

While spending about a half hour at the visitor center in order to acclimate, we walked for 2 minutes up hill. It didn’t take much to begin breathing heavily. You can really feel the lack of oxygen when exerting yourself.

There was a break in the clouds and the road to the top was open, so our guide Kenyan thought we should get going while we had the chance. So up to the summit we went. Only two hours earlier we were at sea level, now at at 13,796 ft we felt on top of the world. A few of the observatories were open so we got to see close up just how massive these telescopes are. They are quite remarkable and I am really glad that we got the opportunity to experience it first hand.

I learned so much this week. I was humbled on many occasions trying to wrap my mind around the enormity of our Universe and the implications of cause and effect. Definitely makes for some thought provoking discussion. The study of the Universe is an amazing thing; to one astronomer he/she may be seeking to discover the answer of our very existence, how it all came to be, and the inter-connectedness of everything, while another may simply like to study the composition of rocks.

Coming out of this week, two things become very clear to me, one, my view of the Universe has forever been altered, and two… I am without a doubt buying myself a telescope when I get home.

Yesterday we were unable to go up to the summit of Mauna Kea because of the weather. Apparently it was white-out conditions at the top. Then today, for the first time since we arrived, the sun made an appearance. It is supposed to be good weather again tomorrow so hopefully we can re-schedule our visit to the observatories.

With the clouds lifting today we finally got our first glimpse of the enormous snow capped mountain… not the typical sight you expect to see in Hawaii. We saw some live pictures taken at the top this morning and it looks beautiful!

Today we were back in schools delivering presentations with the Journey Through The Universe program. After which we headed to a pot luck dinner with all the scientists who are involved in the program this week. We met some really nice people and have an open invitation to visit an observatory tomorrow night. Let’s hope the weather will hold out this time!

-Sean

I was scheduled to speak to a couple of classes on Monday morning about One Week Job, though because of the tropical storm bringing a non-stop torrential down pour throughout the night, all of the schools were closed. I have heard of “snow days” before, though this was my first experience of a “rain day.”

Although I prepared the night before and felt ready for the presentation, I was a bit nervous. It has been re-scheduled for next week Friday and I have three other presentations this Friday. You would think, great, now I have more time to prepare - let’s be honest, I will be equally prepared as I was on Monday morning. I guess this is what keeps life interesting though; stepping outside of our comfort zone and continuing to challenge ourselves.

Yesterday, we visited an Elementary school as this week is the Journey Through The Universe program. Astronomers and local scientists are going into schools through the district educating the kids about the cosmos. It is Hawaiian custom to welcome guests into their school with a chant, so upon our arrival we were welcomed by the 6th grade class singing to us and were presented with flower leis - a very cool experience.

The presentation was about the history of astronomy. The kids responded well, were very attentive, and asked lots of questions. We built telescopes out of cardboard tubing, lenses and some foam. I think I learned just as much as the kids did.

My boss this week, Gary Fujihara, is incredibly intelligent. If you don’t follow very closely to what he is saying, you will quickly be lost in his immense vocabulary and vast knowledge… and I am sure that is with him trying to simplify things for us too.

Trying to wrap my head around some of the facts is a difficult undertaking. For example, light travels at the speed of 186,000 miles per second. To get to the edge of the Universe, it would take 14 billion years traveling at the speed of light. Wow, difficult to comprehend. Makes you realize how small we really are. My question is, well suppose you could go to the edge of the Universe, what would you see when you got there?

We also visited the planetarium at ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii, currently the only one of its kind in the world, and watched a presentation about space exploration. It gave the impression that there is no reason why we can’t inhabit Mars or Space at this time. We have the knowledge, it’s just a question of cost. Pretty crazy to think that one day human beings may inhabit planet Mars. Gary tells us they predict the high school students of today will be the astronauts of tomorrow who walk on Mars for the first time. Perhaps we will be vacationing to Mars much sooner than we think.

We are still hoping that the weather will co-operate for our trip to the summit of Mauna Kea today. It’s not looking too good though as the rain has not let up for the past two days. Fingers crossed!

-Sean