Hey out there! How are you all? I’m ok. School’s wearing down on me. Staying up late nights doing physics homework that looks as though it’s never getting done. Or maybe it’s writing those lovely Java programs that of course just want to keep having errors. No matter how much gets done, there is still a load of junk left to do. I like the good old days of High School. There was a little bit of homework, and a lot of time to socialize. Those were the good old days.

Man, it has started getting “cold” here. When I went back home to TN a few weeks ago it was mid 50’s in the middle of the day (ewww). When you’re used to that kind of weather it’s no big deal. But when you’ve been in Florida since last May you kinda get used to much, much warmer weather. We just had a cold front come through and our low temps are in the lower 60’s / upper 50’s with daytime temps in the upper 70’s to mid 80’s. During the day it’s nice, but those volleyball games at night can kinda get chilly when you’re ready to go home.

It’s homecoming time around Riddle. There’s all kinds of things to do. Comedy shows with some people from “Whose Line is it Anyway,” parades, parties, movies (well, those are every week), and lots of other stuff. What all did I do you might ask? Well, none of it really. I went to Orlando and chilled with the Walt Disney World College Program. It’s always fun at the happiest place on earth. “Have a Magical Day!” (I said that a lot when I worked there). I still have some complementary passes to Disney (park hoppers) and I think I’m going to go on Wednesday and check out the Epcot: International Food and Wine Festival. Well, at least the food part of it 🙂 Plus, you always have to go to Magic Kingdom and Disney/MGM Studios. I miss working in hospitality/tourism. It’s a lot of fun. I didn’t think it would be before I worked there, but it really is.

Anyways (I got off on a side tangent). The semester is coming down towards the end. We still have quite a while to go, but all the teachers are already starting to talk about what is going to be on the final exams and what we should do to prepare for them. I don’t like the sound of that. Not too fun if you ask me. I don’t enjoy finals, but it’s a necessary evil. I’ve noticed that teachers here seem to give like one, maybe two tests during the semester which is just wrong. On the outside this may seem like a good idea. But when implemented, it is really bad because if you don’t do too well on one test you are pretty much screwed when it comes to your grade. The finals are of course harder so there’s a pretty good chance there that they will lower your grade even more. Also, registration for classes for spring has started. That’ll be loads of fun to try to figure out what to take. BOooo! OH well. What can I say? Later!

Hello all, and welcome to another installment of Darryl’s Journal, haha. What’s up guys? Well, I actually have something going on this week!!! I FINALLY got moved into my new apartment. It’s pretty sweet, garage and solid wood cabinets and everything. I am so excited to finally have a place to live. It’s not the first time that I have lived in an apartment. I had a place in Orlando over the summer before I came to Riddle. OOOoohh, I haven’t told you guys about that yet!! Well, this past summer I got an internship with Walt Disney World (technically called the “College Program”) where I was able to work in the park with all the guests and everything, and it was AWESOME. You interviewed under the possibility of working different sectors of any of the four parks and numerous resorts. You could choose anything from housekeeping, to custodial, to attractions, to food and beverage, to quick service food and beverage (kinda like fast food). It was the best. I was able to get into attractions, which meant that I actually worked on the rides getting people on and off and through and everything. I worked at my favorite theme park, EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow), which means that I worked with people from around the world. Japan, Italy, China, Germany, Mexico, Canada, UK, Norway, France are the countries that are represented around World Showcase (plus America). I worked at Test Track. Yup that’s right, Disney and GM’s huge project which turned out great. If anyone would like to hear more about it send me an email some time. I have hundreds of stories.

School is going ok. It always gets thicker around this time of year. Back home it’s getting cold, but in Daytona still feels like August. Biketoberfest is going on right now. There are WAY too many motorcycles here right now. They are all of course way too loud, but what can ya do. I’ve got some new friends. I generally keep to myself and talk to everyone from home more, but Jon and I have had to do some Tech Writing homework group style so we’ve had to come after school and chill in the computer lab and do a little work. Other than that, all is well. It’s getting late here and its Friday night so I’m gonna get offline for a little bit and hit the bed. Later to all of you folks out there, night guys.

Hey yall! What’s up? Well, it has been crazy around here with all of the work that has to be done. Since the hurricanes killed the school schedule all of the teachers are pressed for time and have to either cut out some work or cram it all in. My teachers have decided to do a little of both. I’ve been working non-stop on all this homework and stuff. Other than that school is going pretty good. My apartment which is supposed to be finished is still being built. It’s difficult moving from hotel to hotel while trying to do homework and everything else associated with college. It leaves you hoping that you will have a place to stay when you check-out. Not much has been happening in Daytona. Biketoberfest is coming up and the end of October so I guess everyone’s waiting for that. I’ll probably leave town for Orlando or go back to Tennessee when it comes around. I’m not really into Harleys and big motorcycles like that. But who knows, maybe it’ll be ok. I’m used to Gatlinburg, TN. When they have a motorcycle show it becomes quite a spectacle. Mostly it’s just loud and annoying. But we’ll see. My apartment was supposed to be finished September 16th, but now they’re saying it will be the middle of October. Let’s hope it’s done soon. Well, off to do more work. Later guys.

What’s up guys? My name is Darryl. I am 21 years old and have been in college now for three years. However, I am an incoming junior and Computer Science major to Embry-Riddle at Daytona Beach. I previously attended Pellissippi State Technical Community College (yeah, I know the name is too long) back home in Tennessee. I am from Oak Ridge, a small city just outside of Knoxville. For those of you who aren’t familiar with TN (which is probably most of you) it’s in the east part of the state between the Smokey Mountains to the east and the Cumberland Plateau to the west. I received 86 credit hours and an Associates degree before coming to Embry-Riddle. I always wanted a bachelor’s degree but it was cheaper to get my core classes done at a community college before going to a university. There was only one problem. Of my 86 credits, ERAU took only 30 and the rest were electives. That’s the problem with transferring between schools.

Well, how is school going so far you might ask? Let me tell ya! It’s been one crazy day after another. First of all, for those of you who might be turning 21 before school starts, I would suggest that you just forget on campus housing and start looking for an apartment now. I paid my housing deposit and turned all the papers in early so I could get a room. Everything is good right? Well, not really. I got a letter saying that there was no room for me and because I was 21 I wasn’t guaranteed housing. So, with my deposit refunded and some money from my summer job I set out to find an apartment. Much to my dismay nearly every apartment was already filled to capacity. The apartments that weren’t filled up didn’t look like they would be the safest of places to live in. I won’t lie; parts of Daytona Beach can be kinda scary. But really, what city isn’t? The school is in a good neighborhood, but there are a few areas between the school and the river (not the ocean, just the river) that could use a little revitalization and a much better economy. But, I did find one apartment in Port Orange (just south of Daytona) which is awesome. One problem there it’s in the process of being built. They are brand new apartments, but I am still waiting for my building to be completed so I can move in. I have been living in an extended stay hotel since late August waiting for them to complete it. I am really anxious to move into my apartment when it’s finished mostly because it will be cheaper than a hotel every night. But that’s not the only crazy thing around here.

Daytona has something else to watch out for. Hurricanes! I arrived in Daytona after Hurricane Charley did all its damage, then had to evacuate like everyone else for Hurricane Frances, and then they kept school closed since Hurricane Ivan was approaching, but then of course it didn’t hit. So anyways, we had the first three days of school and then it was closed for two and a half weeks!! Weíre just now getting back to school and getting everything back to normal. School is good though. It’s really nice here, always warm outside. ERAU has a lot of activities to keep you busy (when they’re open and there’s not a hurricane nearby). They have movies and pool parties and all kinds of different things. The classes are relatively small. It depends on the class, if it’s a basic class that everyone needs you might have 30 or so people in there. The upper level classes have many less. It’s a lot of work already. I’m taking Physics 150. LOTS of hw. But, life goes on. That’s just how college is. Well, I am going to do some homework (I say that a lot now, haha). Later guys.