Before I get started (which doesn’t really make sense because I am getting started right now) . . . While I get started, I have a new website on youtube which has some videos of random things. So check it out at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=blakeguiles. Now back to the journal . . .
I have a good feeling about this year . . . I think it’s gonna be pretty fun. I like (more or less) all my classes and most of the professors are cool. I’ll go through my initial reactions and what we’ve done this past two weeks. I’ll start with Tuesday Thursday classes because I didn’t start until Tuesday.
TTh 8:15am-9:30am Physics 104 – Last semester I had a professor that I really liked for physics 103 and I saw that he had a class for 104. The only bad thing was that it was at 8:15 in the morning, which is pretty early in college. In high school I woke up at 6:00am every morning and I didn’t have a problem. But now in college getting up before 9:00 isn’t fun. I decided to suck it up though and take his class because I like his teaching style. So I go to the room printed on my schedule and I sit there until 8:30am and watch people walk in and out. There was suppose to be 35ish people and there were only 4 in the class room. I figured something going on so I went online to view my schedule and sure enough they switched the room . . . and the professor. I showed up at the proper room at 9:15am, just in time to catch the last 15 minutes of class. Apparently we didn’t really cover anything important, but I’m bummed that I didn’t get the professor I wanted. He switched schedules and now his class is already full, so now I’m stuck with another professor. I guess we’ll see how it goes.
TTh 9:45am-11:00am Basic Aeronautics II – Right off the bat, I can tell that this class is going to help me out in the long run. I have found out that there are two distinctive types of professors in college. There is the easy professor that teaches (kind of) and even though you got an A, you don’t really remember much. And there is the hard teacher that you have to work your butt off to get an A or a B, but you will remember the information for years to come. My basic aero teacher is going to be a harder teacher and have a harder class, or at least I think.
TTh 11:15am-12:30pm Intro to Safety – I’m not actually sure why I chose to take this class, but I think it will be fun. I don’t know if I want to have a minor in Safety, but if I do, I guess I’m on the right track. The first two days we just talked about ourselves and our professor gave his background. My professor has 4 or 5 degrees of various levels, speaks 4 languages, is the head of the Safety Department here at Riddle, and co-authored the text book we use in class. So he is pretty qualified. He has held a ton of positions in various large companies, but he is also down to earth. He always says that the students are paying clients of his and he will do everything he can to help us. He doesn’t think he is better than everyone and that his time is more important. He also makes jokes in class and some of them are pretty funny. I’m not sure how much I am going to like the subject of safety, but I think I will enjoy the professor.
MWF 1:00pm-2:00pm Air Traffic Control I – I am pretty sure I want to minor in ATC and this is the first class you need to do that, so I figured I’d try it and we would see what happens. I think that I am going to like it for a couple different reasons. For one, if I fully understand what is happening in the tower, I think it will make me a better pilot. Also, if something were to happen to me that would restrict me from being a pilot, I think being an ATC would be something worth pursuing. I can already tell that I am going to like the course and the professor seems to know what he is talking about, so that’s always good. Also, one of my fellow journal writers is in my class. I’m sure you guys have read about Cat and if you haven’t you can do that here http://www.erau.edu/db/journals/st3.html. She is an AT major and I just saw her today in class. Small world, kind of.
MWF 2:15pm-3:15pm Intro to Psychology – I’m not going to lie when I tell you that I was not looking forward to this class at all. I really dreaded taking this and was upset when I found out that as an Aeronautical Science major I was required to take it. My sister is a senior in high school and she is taking psychology and both my mother and girlfriend are taking tons of psychology classes in college. So I figured I could at least take one. To be honest, I’m not sure why I didn’t want to take psychology because I can already tell it is going to be one of my favorite classes. I think it has something largely to do with the professor because I have Dr. Kring and he is one of the coolest teachers I have ever had. He seems like a really nice guy and I think he is hilarious. He takes the boring parts of psychology and makes them a lot more fun. I hope this class will be as fun and entertaining as I think it is.
So those are all my classes! I think I got a pretty good schedule except for not getting some of the teachers I wanted, but it’s all good. In other news, the Rolex 24 just took place for all those race fans. For those of you who don’t know what the Rolex 24 was, it was a 24 hour race that took place at the speedway where the Daytona 500 is raced. I didn’t go, but a couple of my friends went and they had a lot of fun. It is pretty cool living near the race track because for the past 3 weeks, you could walk outside and hear the cars running laps. And then when the race started, it got real loud. Not anything to keep you awake at night, but if I opened my window, I could faintly hear the roar of all the engines. That race was just one more thing that Daytona has to offer! The traffic wasn’t too bad, but when the Daytona 500 rolls around, the traffic will be pretty crazy. Something to look forward to, I guess.
It has been kind of difficult getting back into the school rhythm. Getting up early and going to classes isn’t the problem; it’s more of studying and doing h/w outside of class. There is so much to do around here, and there is always something going on. The Rolex 24 was just one thing that happened this weekend that distracted a lot of students from studying. I went with my friend Adam and we went jet skiing because the high was 71 in Daytona, so we figured why not go jet skiing. We went in the Inter-Coastal and headed south to the Inlet which separates Daytona Beach from New Smyrna Beach. We went next to the jetties which is where I use to always go with my friends in high school to surf. After 2 or 3 years of going there, it was not uncommon to see different kinds of sea life, especially sharks. Almost all of my friends and me have been bumped by a shark at that location, so we wanted to get a closer look on a jet ski. I’m not sure why; it seemed like a good idea at the time. So we headed out that way and hit some monstrous waves. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty scary. So we quickly turned around and headed back in. By the end of the day, it was in the low 60s both in the air and probably in the water. The sun disappeared behind the clouds and it got even colder. Only in Daytona can you go jet skiing in the end of January! Before we went in the water, we went skydiving in Deland and that was a blast as usual. Adam and I jumped out at the same time and connected in the air for a couple seconds. It was pretty wild! I try to make two jumps per week, as long as my budget allows it. I still get such a rush every time I jump. It’s unlike anything that I have ever done!
This past Wednesday on the 24th, I celebrated my 19th birthday! 18 is a big birthday for obvious reasons, but I was not as excited about 19. The only thing I can think of is that it is the last year you are a teenager, which I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Unfortunately, I got pretty sick right around my birthday but I have been getting much better. But now my girlfriend and roommate are sick. Woops. However, on the bright side, I am feeling much better! On my birthday I went to Carrabba’s with my mom, dad, sister, and girlfriend and I had a lot of fun. I can’t wait until next year; I’ll be 20 which is better than 19 because it is even. I’m not sure of my logic there, but I think that makes sense.
So I guess I am doing pretty darn well here at Riddle. I have been having lots of fun and I am enjoying my life in college. To all you high schoolers out there, hope your year is going well and make sure to stay focused because you definitely don’t want to miss going to Daytona for the next four years. Not only will you miss all the stuff I have already talked about, but you will miss unscheduled, sometimes sad events like this one where a humpback whale got washed ashore in Daytona. It is sad to see events like this happen, but if it happens, it is interesting to see it first hand (like some of my friends) rather than just on a website.
Now I must go do some work so I don’t fall behind, but stay tuned until next time when I will talk more in-depth about my classes. Also, I’ll cover how I pick up new hobbies because I don’t want to do school work. I love to procrastinate and now I have found fun ways to do that. For example, I am learning how to play racquetball and I taught myself how to juggle yesterday! The fun things you learn when you don’t want to do school work. And be sure to keep checking the videos website http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=blakeguiles because I upload stuff on there on random days. Some stuff useful and other stuff just random. Also, feel free to shoot me an email if you get a chance. I have gotten probably around 6 or 7 so far and I hope there is more people reading these than 6 or 7! I am here for you guys so if you have any questions or if you just want to tell me how awesome my journals are [which I already know 😉 ] send me an email! Good Bye ! ! !
P.S. Something interesting that I found online is quite intriguing and I thought that I would share it with you. It is a video from Spain that shows a Non-Newtonian fluid which in essence is a fluid that has characteristics of a liquid when there is no stress on it, but behaves like a solid when a force is applied. In a nutshell, you can put a spoon in it and see it is a liquid, but when you can also run across it! Just like walking on water!!! I thought it was pretty cool. You can see it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2XQ97XHjVw. It may take a minute to load, but it is well worth it!!!
-Blake
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videos: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=blakeguiles
