Well I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday because I know that I had an unforgettable one. It’s hard to believe that the break is already over, but sure enough it’s back to school again. But, I only have two more weeks of school until finals so that is very exciting. I’ll be sure to post about all of that next journal, but for now I’ll do a class update and tell you about my crazy week.
Speech- I gave my final speech (the debate) and I think it went pretty well. We were debating on whether or not Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs) should be used in the military. My partner and I said that they should be used and we won the debate. It was almost unanimous. There was only one person who voted for the other side! I would like to think that my organization and public speaking skills won us the debate, but my partner is 22ish and has served in the military for 4 years and knows a lot about the subject. I think that we will call it a team effort.
Physics- I have to admit that I am a nerd to some extent because I really enjoy math. I have always loved it and that is one of the only things I am really good at. Well, the physics we are learning now has a strong base in math and I am doing very well. I got an A on my 3rd exam which makes my grade above 100%. I am not trying to brag or anything; I’m just saying that I am happy because I usually don’t get 100% a lot.
Business- This class is coming to an end and we are preparing for our final project. It’s also our first project, but it counts as the final grade. My group and I are doing a project on everything that we have learned and we are trying to make it as funny and educational as possible. We’ll see how that goes.
Basic Aeronautics- This is one of my most important classes because everything that I learn in this class I use when I am up in the plane. So that means it takes a little bit more time than my other classes because if I forget a physics equation in the air, it’s not a big deal; however, if I don’t remember how to use a sectional, I’m in big trouble.
College Success- I successfully completed this class with an A and no absences. That is good because I am guessing that the most skipped class in freshmen year here at Riddle is college success. I have no statistics to back this up, but I’m going on a hunch. Nevertheless, I am done and couldn’t be happier!
Meteorology- One major thing about this class is a term paper that you must write which is 25% of your grade. I was a little nervous about it, but I feel much better now that it is done. I wrote several pages about tornadoes or stovepipes as they are apparently called. I’m just glad it’s over.
Flight- Flying is going pretty well and I am quickly approaching my first solo. I have to do a couple more flights with different instructors so they can make sure that I know what I am doing and that I will be safe. Hopefully my solo will happen before the next break, which I think it will. Anyways, I went on a crazy adventure with my instructor to deliver a package. Right as I was about to start my engine and taxi to takeoff, I was asked to deliver a package to a local airport. Both my instructor and I agreed and they ran it out to our plane. We then did all our checklists and took off and flew to Flagler airport. We landed there and turned off the engine and got out of the plane and walked to a hanger and tried to find the right person to deliver it to. Unfortunately, they told us to go to the wrong airport so we had to go to Ormond instead. So we started the plane back up and flew to the other airport and did the same thing, except this time it was the right airport. It was pretty cool because you don’t usually get to leave the aircraft unless you are done flying. I enjoyed the whole experience and I am glad that I got to be a delivery boy for an hour or two.
Well if you read my last journal, I said I was going to do a break down of what goes on hour by hour for a couple of days just to give you some insight on what a typical day looks like. I then decided that my life is so hectic right now that it would be best to wait until January. I’m sorry if I got anyone’s hopes up, but just wait a month or so.
With that said, let me tell you about my awesome break. The weekend before the break was especially memorable because my girlfriend took me to see the Blue Man Group in Jacksonville. That’s one of the cool things about Daytona because you are driving distance from Jacksonville, Orlando, Gainesville, Tampa, and Miami. So if there is something that is really cool happening there, it’s real easy to get to it. Anyway, I saw the BMG and it was incredible. The tickets were expensive, but worth every penny. The amount of preparation that was put into the show was insane. There are so many different things going on and all of them were entertaining. I highly recommend that if you have the chance to see them, do it immediately.
After the BMG, there was 2 days of school which were pretty uneventful. After that, Thanksgiving break was here which means I drove my friends to the airport, and then went with my dad and sister to Sarasota, FL. My grandparents live in Sarasota and we had a family reunion of sorts. The main celebration was my grandparent’s 50th anniversary, but we also celebrated Thanksgiving and had a family reunion. We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, a very nice hotel, and went fishing, swimming in the ocean, and we went to a Tampa Bay Lightning game. All in all it was an experience that I won’t soon forget.
First off, Ritz-Carlton . . . amazing!!! This was by far the nicest hotel that I have ever stayed in. There is no way to describe the level of luxury that is at the Ritz. I was very disappointed when we had to leave because I had to return back to the dorm which is almost like a prison cell compared to the Ritz. But it’s not too bad coming back; I miss my empty fish tank. We celebrated my grandparent’s 50th anniversary and I had a lot of fun. I always love seeing my grandparents because, for one, I am pretty sure I have the sweetest grandmother ever and the wisest grandfather. I love both of them so much and I don’t get to see them every week or anything so it’s nice to see them. While at the Ritz, I also saw my Aunts, Uncles, and cousins that I rarely get to see, so that was very exciting. Its funny how all my life everyone has always told me when I haven’t seen them for a while that I am growing up so fast and getting so big. Well after seeing my cousins, I almost didn’t recognize them. They are getting so big so fast!!! I really liked seeing all of them and I am already planning a trip to see them again. We had so much fun lounging around and ordering room service and Shirley-Temples. I can’t wait to do it again soon.
Three of my cousins live in Atlanta and are fans of the hockey team the Atlanta Thrashers and coincidently, the Atlanta Thrashers were playing the Tampa Bay Lightning, so of course we had to go. I bought 6 tickets and we went and saw them, and Tampa Bay prevailed in overtime which didn’t make my cousins very happy. I rubbed it in their face and laughed, but I did it nicely. We had fun though and it was a good experience overall. We also went fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and caught a dozen or so small fish. They were big by my standards, but apparently there are bigger ones than 14 inches. But once again, we had fun and made some memorable memories. For example: Bananas are bad luck on a boat because in the olden days Banana spiders went on boats and killed people and stuff (that is the short version), and we had a dozen or so bananas for some reason. So the Captain threw them overboard to get rid of the bad luck. So that might be why we didn’t catch any fish. Oh well, lesson learned.
On Thanksgiving, we had a huge buffet of millions of different types of food, all which were very good. I personally only tried 4 different kinds, but I heard from others that everything was very good. I’m a picky eater, so eating a lot on Thanksgiving isn’t real important to me. But other than that, delicious food.
In other news, I am still looking for a car so if you find a good one give me a call. I think my dad is getting mad that I am driving his car around so much so I need to find one soon. Just call me.
Well, thinking back to when I was a senior in high school, I remember reading the student journals and thinking that I personally didn’t car a whole lot about their journal writer’s personal life. I mean I did to a certain extent, but I was more concerned about Embry-Riddle and life there. So if anyone is tired of hearing things about me, just let me know. I think it’s important to tell some things about me and my life but I want to stick to important information about life here at Riddle. I plan on writing things about flying, like specifically everything that occurs, the different activities, and what you do. So give me some feedback, if you like hearing about some awesome things that I do, shoot me an e-mail. If you think I should be talking more about how the tests are, what specific professors are like, or any other aspect of Riddle that I haven’t covered just let me know. As much as I enjoy writing these journals (no sarcasm there), these are for you readers so let me know what you want to read about. I am here for you, so let me know. Anyways, me being the stereotypical student, I haven’t done any work over the break so I have to make sure that I am not falling behind. Until next time, be sure to keep checking the pictures website to see if I post anything new because I do it on different days. Also, watch out for marshmallow fights. I won’t go into too much detail, but I had one the other day, and those little buggers hurt! Just remember that and the fact that an alligator can hold its breath for several hours. You learn something new every day! See ya!
-Blake
email: wasteofsoap@yahoo.com
aim: wasteofsoap
