MoaBlog

We're turning a new page. We will post a new blog entry once a week from now on.

Technica Pacifica (the DHC U.S. Office) is among the many companies in Moab who voluntarily purchase blocks of wind-generated power through Utah Power's “Blue Sky” program. We recently received a report stating that we helped avoid the release of 1,462 pounds of carbon dioxide in 2009.

More about the "Blue Sky" program.

Last month, Yoko, Mary, Jeff, and Sam (bottom photo) were on hand for the ribbon cutting for a new office space for the DHC U.S. Office in Moab. Our primary office has changed locations a handful of times over the past 11 years, but it remains fully stocked with the necessary equipment, computers, and supplies to serve the needs of hundreds of English students at any given time.

Employees at the DHC U.S. Office were surprised to see this tulip bloom outside the front door of the office. No one admits to planting it, so we think that it is a hold over from a previous tenant of the building.

The DHC U.S. Office had a company party recently at Sam and Virginia's home. Folks enjoyed hot pizza and soft drinks while visiting and playing games. Yoko and Jeff each received wristwatches for being with the company for 10 years or more.

Several members of the DHC U.S. Office gathered at the home of Sam and Virginia last week for a company party. Folks ate Domino's Pizza and played games.

Jacci recently retired from work. She's shown here on her last couple of days on the job, getting the packet ready to send via FedEx to the DHC office in Tokyo. Thanks for all your hard work, Jacci, and best wishes to you in your retirement!

The vacuum cleaner used in our office broke down recently (an electric short was making the machine smolder and burn off smoke), so Sam threw it in the trash. He then went and bought a new vacuum cleaner for $70. The new vacuum cleaner's bright yellow color appears to be popular with the workers in the office.

Workers recently laid sod (rolls of grass) down on the strip of land between the DHC U.S. Office and Center Street, thereby putting the finishing touches on the streetside landscaping. This sod, a special drought-tolerant fescue grass, was grown at a nearby farm, where it was cut with machines and transplanted the same day.

On the way to work yesterday, Jeff spotted two deer in the parking lot behind the DHC U.S. Office. The deer were a buck (male) and a doe (female). The buck's antlers, which were shed over the winter, are beginning to grow again. The antlers are still covered with a velvet-like fur. Although mule deer generally prefer higher elevations, there are several small herds that inhabit the fields and orchards in and around the town of Moab.

Although it is considered a desert environment, Moab does get occasional rainstorms throughout the year. Sometimes, a late afternoon summertime thunderstorm will bring much-needed moisture and cooler temperatures. Tuesday afternoon, a 10-minute cloudburst drenched downtown Moab, and Mary took this photo looking out the front window of the DHC U.S. Office.

Several members of the Technica Pacifica staff recently got their hair cut short for summer. The top photo (taken last October) shows Yoko, Mary, Christy, Sam, Jeff, and Jacci. The bottom photo (taken June 20) shows the same staff members (except for Christy), all of whom have new haircuts.

Construction crews laid the asphalt on the new 77-space parking log adjacent to the DHC U.S. Office building over a two-day period last week. After stripes are painted on all the parking stalls, the area will be open for public parking.

Mary’s computer monitor shorted out last Monday morning and began emitting smoke. She immediately unplugged it and Sam replaced it with another used monitor. Sam threw the old monitor into the trash container. Our staff uses Macintosh computers to grade the various exercises and exams that we receive from DHC students.

Moab (population about 6,000) is such a small town that virtually all phone numbers in town start with the same three-digit prefix (259). Therefore, when local residents tell each other their phone numbers, they generally just say the last four digits. Having to memorize only four digits makes it much easier to remember phone numbers without having to write them down or look them up. Even though a second local prefix (719) was added a few years ago, it has fewer than 50 numbers assigned to it. Most cell phone numbers in Moab also have the same prefix (260), so they are also very easy to remember.

A bright rainbow dazzled Moab one afternoon a few days ago, and our office staff members went outside to take a few pictures of it. Although the past few years in Utah have been marked by drought, this winter has been exceptionally wet. Southern Utah in particular has already seen several rainstorms and snowstorms.

Pencil sharpening is something of a ritual for DHC U.S. Office staff members, who go through dozens of red pencils every year as they mark and grade the various assignments and exams sent to them from Japan. Recently, one of the two electric pencil sharpeners in our office broke down, so Sam installed a mechanical one near the door to the break room. Pictured here is Mary getting ready to sharpen a handful of pencils. In most cases, the eraser wears out before the pencil is fully used.

Moab got its first snowfall of the season last week, but that hasn’t stopped city crews from their work on Center Street and the new parking lot to be located just west of the building that houses the DHC U.S. Office. All the trees have now been cleared from the lot, and workers have been taking off the old asphalt and laying new cement for curbs and driveways along Center Street, which will be made one lane narrower and thereby more pedestrian friendly.

A new parking lot will soon be built in the now-vacant lot adjacent to the DHC U.S. Office in Moab. The construction project started about three weeks ago when surveyors measured and marked the property. Last week, a new underground drainage pipe extending from Center Street was installed. This week, workers cut into the old asphalt on the north half of the street and prepared to remove it. Meantime, back on the lot where the U.S. Office is located, Ted used a rented skid loader truck to clear away chain-link fencing and piles of lumber from the north side of the property. When finished, the 77-space public lot will provide free parking for area businesses and patrons. As the project progresses, we’ll provide more updates and photos.

Staff member Jacci enjoys a “Seafood Sensations” sandwich from Subway in the break room at the DHC U.S. Office in Moab. Subway, which began as a single sandwich shop in 1965 in Connecticut, is now one of the top fast food franchises in the world, with over 22,000 locations in 77 countries. Moab’s Subway is located inside a convenience store on Main Street about three blocks away from the DHC U.S. Office. Jacci’s seafood sandwich is on wheat bread and contains chunks of seafood and crab meat, along with olives, tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce, and vinegar.

To prepare for the upcoming winter, Ted recently drained the evaporative cooler (air conditioner) on the roof of the building that serves as the DHC U.S. Office in Moab. Evaporative coolers, sometimes known as “swamp coolers” are mainly used in areas of the western United States where the humidity is low. Outside air is drawn into the cooler and blown by a fan down into the building below, thereby lowering the interior temperature of the building by as much as 20 degrees F (11 degrees C). The sides of the unit contain pads that are kept wet by a constant supply of water circulated via a pump. As the fan draws hot air through the pads, the water evaporates, cooling the air and increasing the humidity. Although swamp coolers use much less energy than traditional air conditioners, they must be drained of water during the winter months to prevent damage due to freezing.

DHC U.S. Office staff member Mary gets ready to grade a stack of lessons. Armed with an ever-present supply of red pencils, our staff grades hundreds of exercises and exams each month, providing detailed feedback to DHC students in Japan and other countries. We also answer various questions sent to us by our students. Mary is dressed in a blue cotton “hoodie” long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. She, like most people in Moab, typically wears casual clothes to work. In this town, business attire is usually worn only by people such as bank administrators, funeral directors, and those conducting or attending church meetings.