Well with last week bringing a head to my studies, I can safely say that I am DONE with this school year. Success! Passing! Go Team! Sure, I don't know my grades yet (I got an A in Air Force class. There's not even a chance it's NOT an A.) but I feel that, despite the stress that happened to be floating about the room those few days last week, I did much better on all three of my tests than expected. Which, I swear, I hope turned out well because Physics needs a 60% or better so I don't have to take it again. And... let's just say I don't want to take it again.
Urg. Anywho... in retrospect. I actually sat down today to read through my original blog posts to see if I found anything interesting. I'm quite glad I kept this blog/journal this year, because it remembers things a lot better than I do. (That weird dream I had... so creepy!) What I'm noticing is not so much that I've changed since then... but I chuckle at how little I knew about ROTC then. Ah. Good times.
College has been interesting. It's been really the first time I've been free to do whatever I want for the first time in my life. Stay up till 5 am? Fine. Go see a movie? Fine! Eat dinner at 11 every night? Sweet! Study for three days straight? Coooool.
I've met a lot of new friends, including some truly awesome people. (more on that on the dramatic end to this post.) I've got to experience a lot of new things, hear a lot of new perspectives on common things I thought for true. Most obviously, I suppose, is my political beliefs. Back home, I watched Fox News and heard from Rush Limbaugh on the radio a lot. Here, at good ol' Liberal Michigan, I hear pretty much the exact opposite from a majority of people. What have I learned? That neither side is always right, every plan makes sense from some angle, and nobody is evil. Michelle told me "You've become more liberal," last time I was home. I suppose so. I plan to happily reside in the center of things and try best to use my common sense.
And so now... a tribute to my friends from this year, who I won't see again for likely 4 months. They likely won't read this, ever, but I feel like it should be down in words somewhere. This is a journal. I'll look back on this and laugh sometime. Ha. Hahaha.
The guys:
To Andrew Baker: Our resident overstudier, Political Science major who takes himself too seriously and has more stress than any one person should be able to stand. I highly enjoy our political debates. Hopefully summer will provide some nice relaxation for you so you can come back with your sanity intact next year.
To Carson: The man who always seems to know everything about everyone in this dorm. Really. No idea how. I should have listened to you earlier. (Foreshadowing!)
To John Morin: You, sir, make me wonder how you even got into Michigan, much less ROTC. But, for some reason I've kept you around... so obviously you're doing something right. Here's hoping you got that GPA up.
To Schroeder, Kyle: From the Tri-cities, to Robotics, to Air Force, to here, you are obviously my long lost twin half brother from a particularly wacky soap opera. You may be an egotistical [word] sometimes, but 'gosh darn it' if that's not part of why we like you. We're gonna miss you, and good luck at the Air Force Academy. *salutes*
To Mike: Where to begin? 7 years now we've been friends, and we just proved common thought wrong by proving that we can get through a year of college as best friends in the same dorm room without snapping each other's heads off. I'd say that's good progress. You're always there for me, you know WAY more than you should, and you never hesitate to make sense in surprising ways. Your girl troubles amuse/worry me, and I sincerely hope you figure it all out in the end.
The girls:
To Kathryn: Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if we made sense. Hanging out with you, Carson, and Baker provide no end to crazy things that don't make a lick of sense. You're never down, and you and Carson are always a font of (slightly insane) wisdom. Be awesome, and hopefully I'll see you this summer (you don't live too far!)
To Megan, Nicole, Sophia, and Julie: The other 4 girls from Frost. I never really hung out with any of you regularly enough to have good individual comments, (don't punch me! Aah!) but all I can say is: you guys are awesome.
To Katelyn: Ah, what can I say. I'll say it again, I've as dense as a nice hunk o' granite. There are way too many things I could say within this post... and this one is getting long enough already. Let's just go with: You much, much smarter than me, more mature by far, as capable as anyone I've ever seen... and yet for some reason you put up with me. I don't think I've stopped smiling yet.
So yeah. If that wasn't obvious... family and fellow readers I'd like to inform you that last night some short time after midnight, I asked Katelyn out. She said yes.
:D
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
A minor break!
Busybusybusy. Or at least distracteddistracteddistracted. With my programming exam finished today, I finally remembered to set aside some time to write in here!
So... a bunch of stuff has happened. First off, some fantastic news! I got my math Exam back... with an A-! Boo ya! First A in college! Have a party! Go me! w00t! Etc.!
Yeah. So, I'm pretty solid now. Unless I TOTALLY blow up on the final, the combined grade between my math and programming will definitely hold me above a 2.5, saving my scholarship! And with luck and some studying, and a mild recovery of the ol' Physics grade, I could pull it up to a 3.0! The only thing dragging me down right now is that Physics grade... so, with nothing of huge importance until that exam next week... you know what I'll be doing! :D
So... two weekends ago, my high school had it's 2nd semester play, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hilarious. One of the better plays I've seen the school put on... (they've gotten better over the past few years, but nothing compares to last year's ;) ) The play itself is quite silly, and the good ol' actors there put on a jolly good show, If I do say so myself... inspired me to think about trying to find a play next fall to try. Maybe a one act or something. A comedy.
And this past weeked I had the joy of Warrior Weekend with ROTC! Back up to Alpena for a day and a half of intense training, drill, physical training, along with the added bonus of being taught how to use a compass and map for navigation. AND, of course, the primary reason I enjoy this particular base in Alpena... the MOUT (Movement Over Urban Terrain) course. Basically a mock up of a street for some urban combat training. We used Airsoft guns. SOOOOO fun. I really need to find somewhere to play on my own with some friends... fun, fun stuff.
So Warrior Weekend was pretty intense... I made some mistakes, learned from them, learned from other's mistakes... it was such an awesome learning experience, and it was pretty fun time. So... hua. It was pretty awesome.
Hopefully I'll write again without a 3 week wait!
Regards,
Paul
So... a bunch of stuff has happened. First off, some fantastic news! I got my math Exam back... with an A-! Boo ya! First A in college! Have a party! Go me! w00t! Etc.!
Yeah. So, I'm pretty solid now. Unless I TOTALLY blow up on the final, the combined grade between my math and programming will definitely hold me above a 2.5, saving my scholarship! And with luck and some studying, and a mild recovery of the ol' Physics grade, I could pull it up to a 3.0! The only thing dragging me down right now is that Physics grade... so, with nothing of huge importance until that exam next week... you know what I'll be doing! :D
So... two weekends ago, my high school had it's 2nd semester play, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hilarious. One of the better plays I've seen the school put on... (they've gotten better over the past few years, but nothing compares to last year's ;) ) The play itself is quite silly, and the good ol' actors there put on a jolly good show, If I do say so myself... inspired me to think about trying to find a play next fall to try. Maybe a one act or something. A comedy.
And this past weeked I had the joy of Warrior Weekend with ROTC! Back up to Alpena for a day and a half of intense training, drill, physical training, along with the added bonus of being taught how to use a compass and map for navigation. AND, of course, the primary reason I enjoy this particular base in Alpena... the MOUT (Movement Over Urban Terrain) course. Basically a mock up of a street for some urban combat training. We used Airsoft guns. SOOOOO fun. I really need to find somewhere to play on my own with some friends... fun, fun stuff.
So Warrior Weekend was pretty intense... I made some mistakes, learned from them, learned from other's mistakes... it was such an awesome learning experience, and it was pretty fun time. So... hua. It was pretty awesome.
Hopefully I'll write again without a 3 week wait!
Regards,
Paul
Friday, March 12, 2010
Many many things...
You'll have to excuse the lack of updates recently. I spent all last week studying for physics in my free time... and well, we'll talk later about how that went.
First off, the DC trip! It was awesome. We got to Bolling Air Force Base midafternoon, and got rooms at a temporary housing "hotel" that was more like a set of apartments than anything else. We had an oven, dishwasher, washer and dryer... and 3 beds and a pullout couch. Quite cozy.
First day of the trip, we toured the Air Base. During that time we saw the Air Force Honor Guard, who does various ceremonies as well as the burials at Arlington.
After that, we saw the Air Force Band. Coolest job ever. You get to be in a symphony, as a talented musician... but you get paid a legitimate amount of money! And benefits! Pretty much a dream job. Did I mention there's an Air Force Rock Band too?
Then the combat dogs with Security forces....
Pretty awesome. After that we visited the Washington Mall, with all the sightseeing therein...
So, all in all, a fun day. Afterwards, we ate dinner at a real nice restaurant called Old Ebbitt Grill which was, frankly, delicious. Then back at the room we made a frozen pizza and watched a movie. Speaking of movies, between the nights and the bus rides, we probably watched about 7. My God. So many.
Next day, we MEANT to go to the pentagon, but after getting up at 530 and waiting an hour and a half in the FREEZING COLD we were told we couldn't go in. Awesome. Apparently some guy shot two guards in the pentagon metro and raised security clearance everywhere. I was NOT happy with him.
The rest of that day was pretty uneventful. Really, we didn't do much, other than being given free time for a while. Everybody took a 2+ hour nap, including myself, but me and a few other guys went and played some basketball first.
Then we left, and here I was back in the grind of things.
Speaking of the grind... school! How I hate it so! My programming exam gave me a C, which apparently was 5+ points above the average, but will get dropped because we drop the lowest exam grade in that class. Ah well. I understood the material, or I do now. I still like the class.
Unlike Physics. *shudders* I spent probably a combined time of close to 24 hours over the space of 5 days studying for the stupid thing, only to go and take it and run out of time! I COULD have passed it if I had been allowed to work on every problem... but I only got actual answers down on 12 out of the 20! I get my grade back yesterday, and it was a 35. ARGH. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO PASS THIS CLASS?
All I can figure is keep up the intensity of studying that I did for the exam throughout the next month until the next exam. I NEED to ace it. If I get 70s on the next to tests, with the built in curve to the class, I'll pull a C-. Unsatisfactory. I NEED to pass the class, but I also NEED a good grade in it, for pride and for future stuff with my major! I just, don't, get it. I get the material... but these tests just throw me for a loop every time! Why? Do they WANT their students to fail?? I will never need to do any physics like this ever again unless I become a physics major. Can't they just apply it directly to what most people will use the class for? Real life applications? It's just... such a poor way to run a school system. I'm NOT in the lower 1/3 of this school for intelligence and dedication. Yet that's how these tests constantly put me. It's infuriating.
/end of rant
I apologize. Sometimes I just need to complain to clear my head. So there! All cleared up. Now I can end this blog post on a slightly better note. Can't end unhappy can we?
Two things coming up on this weekend. First off is the Tri-service Military Ball. It's basically a big get together for the free services with dinner and a bit of dancing... just fun stuff. I'll be going with a date, a girl from the other end of my hall, Katelyn. So, hopefully it'll be fun. I'm kinda looking forward to it.
Also, the ol' high school is putting on it's play this weekend, so I'll be heading home Saturday Morning/Afternoonish to watch a Midsummer Night's dream. Hopefully it will be, how you say... fantastico!
First off, the DC trip! It was awesome. We got to Bolling Air Force Base midafternoon, and got rooms at a temporary housing "hotel" that was more like a set of apartments than anything else. We had an oven, dishwasher, washer and dryer... and 3 beds and a pullout couch. Quite cozy.
First day of the trip, we toured the Air Base. During that time we saw the Air Force Honor Guard, who does various ceremonies as well as the burials at Arlington.
After that, we saw the Air Force Band. Coolest job ever. You get to be in a symphony, as a talented musician... but you get paid a legitimate amount of money! And benefits! Pretty much a dream job. Did I mention there's an Air Force Rock Band too?
Then the combat dogs with Security forces....
Pretty awesome. After that we visited the Washington Mall, with all the sightseeing therein...
So, all in all, a fun day. Afterwards, we ate dinner at a real nice restaurant called Old Ebbitt Grill which was, frankly, delicious. Then back at the room we made a frozen pizza and watched a movie. Speaking of movies, between the nights and the bus rides, we probably watched about 7. My God. So many.
Next day, we MEANT to go to the pentagon, but after getting up at 530 and waiting an hour and a half in the FREEZING COLD we were told we couldn't go in. Awesome. Apparently some guy shot two guards in the pentagon metro and raised security clearance everywhere. I was NOT happy with him.
The rest of that day was pretty uneventful. Really, we didn't do much, other than being given free time for a while. Everybody took a 2+ hour nap, including myself, but me and a few other guys went and played some basketball first.
Then we left, and here I was back in the grind of things.
Speaking of the grind... school! How I hate it so! My programming exam gave me a C, which apparently was 5+ points above the average, but will get dropped because we drop the lowest exam grade in that class. Ah well. I understood the material, or I do now. I still like the class.
Unlike Physics. *shudders* I spent probably a combined time of close to 24 hours over the space of 5 days studying for the stupid thing, only to go and take it and run out of time! I COULD have passed it if I had been allowed to work on every problem... but I only got actual answers down on 12 out of the 20! I get my grade back yesterday, and it was a 35. ARGH. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO PASS THIS CLASS?
All I can figure is keep up the intensity of studying that I did for the exam throughout the next month until the next exam. I NEED to ace it. If I get 70s on the next to tests, with the built in curve to the class, I'll pull a C-. Unsatisfactory. I NEED to pass the class, but I also NEED a good grade in it, for pride and for future stuff with my major! I just, don't, get it. I get the material... but these tests just throw me for a loop every time! Why? Do they WANT their students to fail?? I will never need to do any physics like this ever again unless I become a physics major. Can't they just apply it directly to what most people will use the class for? Real life applications? It's just... such a poor way to run a school system. I'm NOT in the lower 1/3 of this school for intelligence and dedication. Yet that's how these tests constantly put me. It's infuriating.
/end of rant
I apologize. Sometimes I just need to complain to clear my head. So there! All cleared up. Now I can end this blog post on a slightly better note. Can't end unhappy can we?
Two things coming up on this weekend. First off is the Tri-service Military Ball. It's basically a big get together for the free services with dinner and a bit of dancing... just fun stuff. I'll be going with a date, a girl from the other end of my hall, Katelyn. So, hopefully it'll be fun. I'm kinda looking forward to it.
Also, the ol' high school is putting on it's play this weekend, so I'll be heading home Saturday Morning/Afternoonish to watch a Midsummer Night's dream. Hopefully it will be, how you say... fantastico!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Updates!
Well, that's the end of school for spring break. My mind literally shut down today... I feel drained. So glad for the break. Even if it's only two months into the semester... it's still GREAT.
So, found out I'm leaving for the DC base visit Wednesday early morning. So... I'll be heading down here Tuesday night. Yippeee.... but it still should be fun, I suppose. The rest of the week will be AWESOME. Arlington, Pentagon, Washington Mall, the AF base... it's gonna be COOL. And maybe classified. I dunno. Keep quiet. :p
Also! Finally found out the time/date for my summer AF trip! For two weeks, I will be spending time shadowing NCOs at... Nellis Air Force base, not too far from Las Vegas!
I'M GOING TO VEGAS BABY!
Hopefully we'll at least get to see the nightlife down there once. I'd like to see everything all lit up... but what's going to be MORE awesome is the aircraft that fly out of Nellis:
Fighters (F-16, F-22)
Drones (Predator)
Helicopters (Pave Hawk)
Also, apparently one of the AF jet show teams, the Thunderhawks is based out of there. Sooo..... cool.
Anywho, that'll be going down July 14-28. So... hopefully it'll still fit with my schedule. (Math class, job....)
So, I'll be back home tomorrow! I'll get to see the puppy! Hooray!
Now, I'm going to go now before I get TOO excited. After all, I have a physics exam after break ends...
So, found out I'm leaving for the DC base visit Wednesday early morning. So... I'll be heading down here Tuesday night. Yippeee.... but it still should be fun, I suppose. The rest of the week will be AWESOME. Arlington, Pentagon, Washington Mall, the AF base... it's gonna be COOL. And maybe classified. I dunno. Keep quiet. :p
Also! Finally found out the time/date for my summer AF trip! For two weeks, I will be spending time shadowing NCOs at... Nellis Air Force base, not too far from Las Vegas!
I'M GOING TO VEGAS BABY!
Hopefully we'll at least get to see the nightlife down there once. I'd like to see everything all lit up... but what's going to be MORE awesome is the aircraft that fly out of Nellis:
Fighters (F-16, F-22)
Drones (Predator)
Helicopters (Pave Hawk)
Also, apparently one of the AF jet show teams, the Thunderhawks is based out of there. Sooo..... cool.
Anywho, that'll be going down July 14-28. So... hopefully it'll still fit with my schedule. (Math class, job....)
So, I'll be back home tomorrow! I'll get to see the puppy! Hooray!
Now, I'm going to go now before I get TOO excited. After all, I have a physics exam after break ends...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Here we go again....
Well, I am officially giving up on my phone sending posts to this blog. Two failed ones in a row. Curses, foiled again. :p
Anywho, the contents of that message expanded into a full blow blog post are as follows:
I need a new phone. My current one has this problem, where it decides to turn itself off on a whim, anywhere, anytime, with no provocation. This is ESPECIALLY bad when I'm studying for my programming exam and miss color guard and math group because my phone is off, sitting right next to me while people call it to ask where I am. Yeah, my day went from average to terrible at about 1030 last night when I checked my phone and realized I'd missed my commitments... <_<
Add that to the fact my programming exam is today, not tomorrow, I can safely say that my internal clock is out of whack, and I am officially stressing out. Thank god spring break is in two days. That's all I have to say. I need all the time I can get for my physics after break ends.
ROTC is still going well, however. Got a 100% on my Physical Fitness test, improving my run time by 20 seconds over last semester! Add that to a very positive midterm review from my flight commander, and the continuing arrival of checks every few weeks from ROTC... and I'm a happy Cadet. :D
In other news, I decided to buy an Ipod Touch. I brought my old MP3 up here to start using, and I proceeded to plug it in... but it wouldn't charge. I think it died somehow. So, I'm going to splurge for an MP3 player that's NOT 5-6 years old, can hold more than a quarter of my music, and gets Wifi so I can check my e-mail without a laptop. :p I figure I've got enough splurge money allotted from my ROTC book stipend and the few checks from each semester that I say are just for entirely disposable income...
So, that's my week. Base Visit and Spring Break next week. All I can say is...
Finally.
Anywho, the contents of that message expanded into a full blow blog post are as follows:
I need a new phone. My current one has this problem, where it decides to turn itself off on a whim, anywhere, anytime, with no provocation. This is ESPECIALLY bad when I'm studying for my programming exam and miss color guard and math group because my phone is off, sitting right next to me while people call it to ask where I am. Yeah, my day went from average to terrible at about 1030 last night when I checked my phone and realized I'd missed my commitments... <_<
Add that to the fact my programming exam is today, not tomorrow, I can safely say that my internal clock is out of whack, and I am officially stressing out. Thank god spring break is in two days. That's all I have to say. I need all the time I can get for my physics after break ends.
ROTC is still going well, however. Got a 100% on my Physical Fitness test, improving my run time by 20 seconds over last semester! Add that to a very positive midterm review from my flight commander, and the continuing arrival of checks every few weeks from ROTC... and I'm a happy Cadet. :D
In other news, I decided to buy an Ipod Touch. I brought my old MP3 up here to start using, and I proceeded to plug it in... but it wouldn't charge. I think it died somehow. So, I'm going to splurge for an MP3 player that's NOT 5-6 years old, can hold more than a quarter of my music, and gets Wifi so I can check my e-mail without a laptop. :p I figure I've got enough splurge money allotted from my ROTC book stipend and the few checks from each semester that I say are just for entirely disposable income...
So, that's my week. Base Visit and Spring Break next week. All I can say is...
Finally.
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