Friday, August 27, 2010

School's Fun

Today was my first full day of school since May. The transition wasn't too hard, as I'd spent plenty of hours this summer at the Abbey kicking around the soccerball. What took me back was my realization, on the Metro ride home, that I'd just spent sunrise to sunset at school. I ought to not have been; the administrators assured us 1st semester seniors that we'd have enough to do.

There is a good shot I missed out this season's issue of prime lockers (24 cubic feet) and settle for one half the size. I mean , there were about 18 Seniors eligible (i.e. currently play a sport and allege that a regular locker would not fit their sporting equipment)for the 22 units. I sense that the Juniors took a few of them nefariously. What I get now is a good selection of neighboring real estate.

(As a matter of micropolitical correctness,I'll add commentary on other subjects later).

In AP Biology, there was a sense that memories- from Freshman Biology- last: the teacher recalled JH, now a student gov't leader, machoing his lab partners on his ability to tolerate the stench before he himself got woozy on formaldehyde.

We participated in a great textbook issue. For the first time, the textbooks really feel like 20th century technology. In recent years, we have saved our backs with online editions for home use. However,many conceded that this is the year we should've transitioned to e-readers. In the Pub(lications Lab, two seniors were hashing out our class' eternal keepsake, the yearbook, and two other leavers were working on the glossy-paged periodicals we kindly critiqued award-winning literature. I received my first homework assignments of the year. As a matter of good policy, I made at least a token effort to complete the assignments before starting the weekend.

In IE (intro to engineering), I'm earning credit for what I do on my own: think of how to make things work. For the team portfolio (a semester-long lab report, in other words), I'll have to insert some calculations. I think the more tedious they look, the better it will be received by the PhD. Certain that the Doctor wouldn't approve of any idea we generated on day 1,I left good sketches in my notebook for closer to the first advisory grades. The details of these, and of many of my and my classmates' maligned and horrid ideas will remain sealed until presentation day in December.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

15 hours until I wake up and go to school

Enjoying my last day of summer break. Soccer preseason is the most sleep I'll get during the school year. All in all, I'm looking forward to senior year- asides from the class which gave me a vague homework assignment. There's no more time to spruce up assignments or say that I should be doing xyz with my time. As it's said at the Service Academies: Plebe Summer- you didn't have to worry about homework! Now I do. See everyone tomorrow!

I recommend everyone pack their bags for school tonight, because you will be disoriented waking up at 6am, possibly in the dark.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Sum up a month?

Last published July 31?! What have I done with my time?
Here is the hierarchy of media, according to my soon-to-be overlord of publications (If you remember from my May postings, I got a job for the student paper at school).
Good news
No news
Old news
Lame/ pagefiller news
I've gone for the second choice, basically.

I've been off of pool work for a week now, and I must say that this past week was the fastest gone- in my life, perhaps. Nothing happens in town in August, and I haven't done too much of note. Maybe I'll let you in on the Tuesday saunter around Capitol Hill, into Eastern Market, the Library of Congress, Union Station, and the Folger Shakespeare (Mr. F made money in oil, not coffee). Didn't do the Capitol Visitor Center, though, b/c I didn't feel like going through a "double" security screening. Nice itinerary, though. Rolling a wheel and tire Wednesday down the street to the gas station during a rainstorm was comical, though.

Maybe you want to get to know a little more of what I've done: I finished reading my third Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises. If you found a deep message in this book, please write me! (The others: FWTBT and Old Man). I've started to write out the family tree of the Greek goddesses and gods, but still need to comprehend (read: read) The Iliad and The Aeneid. Amazingly, I've gotten more homework done at work than during my time home.

Soccer preseason is going on. PT during Navy Summer Seminar seems like cake compared to Coach's special relay-runs mixed with PT. We do this drill black-flag day (hot n humid)or not. There's plenty competition for the Varsity spots: more talent than ever on the St. A's team.

I've also slept away a little under 40% of this past week. I accredit that to biological recovery from soccer.

Can't believe that I haven't told you all about my weekend sailing or my weekend to Long Island. That'll come soon. I promise.