Moving Right Along

I realized that it’s been a while since I last wrote a journal, so I have a lot to talk about:

I took a trip back to Virginia to attend a wedding. It was kind of weird to go home, everything was the same, and yet different. I sort of felt like a stranger, probably because I was running around visiting the whole time, and didn’t get much of a chance to relax in my old environment. The foreigner feeling wore off just in time for me to leave and come back to Daytona.

I have a credit card, Credit cards are really very useful if you use them appropriately. But one of the best ways to use it appropriately is to barely use it, and since I don’t have much money anyway, it’s not too difficult to keep up with a credit card. Unless you use Esurance.

Do not use Esurance to insure your vehicle whether or not you are going to Riddle. They doubled my payment without telling me. Do not trust them.

A few weeks ago I experienced my first helicopter ride at Epic Aviation at the New Smyrna airport, I have a new obsession. And if I wasn’t so broke I would learn to fly helicopters in a heartbeat. But I am broke, so there goes that idea out the window. Perhaps it should be a life goal? Maybe. I’ll think about it.

Rush happened in a rush. I kind of wanted to participate in some rush activities, but I rarely knew when they were happening, and I don’t think I had time to do them anyway. My suitemates are pledging two different sororities, and they are thoroughly enjoying the experience so far.

I have to admit that I’ve done some partying (UH OH). I confess. And it was fun. And I’m not going to do it again for a while.

The last week has been really REALLY stressful. Lots of stuff has been happening, I had a test, a speech (on the Rubik’s cube), a project, and all of my normal homework and duties still piled on as well. My boyfriend is visiting this weekend, so I’ve been trying to plan out some stuff for us to do. Furthermore, I have another test on Monday, and a term-project outline due as well. The good news is although I’m busy and a little stressed, I’m coping with it well. I got a 95 on my last Aero Safety test (which is SOOO much better than the grade I got on the one before), and my speech went well.

And now a post about grades from my other online journal:

My first college exam went badly, by my standards. I was working for a grade between a 90 and a 95, and I got an 83. I’ve been told by several sources that an 83 is an excellent grade, but 83s are just not my style. Call me a nerd or an over-achiever, but it’s just the way I am – I refuse to be an 83% efficient air traffic controller. The first exam was hard – really hard. It was in a subject that I had never really closely encountered before – Aero Safety. It included a lot of history, politics, governmental acts and processes, and a lot of CFRs and the FARs. This class is teaching me how to hone my study skills – conform to tests to get the outcomes that I want.

I was terrified of my IT class. Really – I can’t stand computers – I don’t like thinking about them, learning about them, or being on them that much. I have absolutely no interest in how computers work, unless it has to do with how to download music, send emails, or talk to people on AIM. I just don’t care and it bores me to death and I hate computers. I know NOTHING about computers, while half of my class seems to know everything about them. However, I have 98 in that class – Never gotten anything below a 90 in the class (and that was just once) – and blackboard tells me that the average for that course is a 77. I have no idea how it is possible for someone as challenged as I am about computers to be doing that well. All I can say is that I TRY – I try REALLY HARD to understand and do all of the assignments – There are a lot of assignments, a lot of quizzes – just a lot of stuff to keep up with. This class has shown me that if you DO the work and you TRY… it should pay off. Also, it has shown me that I need to talk to my professors – if a grade doesn’t seem right, get it fixed. The same proved true for my meteorology class.

My Meteorology class – I like the subject, but I’m not wild about the class – it’s the biggest class that I’m in (I think), and I think I lose something from that. However, it challenges me to be focused and to use class time wisely. Sometimes I fail. Horribly – I’m not going to lie. I took a test in that class today, and I know that I did really really well on it – I studied what the professor suggested that we studied, as well as my notes and the text. There is no doubt in my mind that I got an A. (And I did!) I work really hard in my math class. Really hard. I do all the homework, I got to class, I do well on quizzes, I study, the material is easy – but I still had a B. Just because it’s easy – that doesn’t mean that I don’t have to try just as hard. I also think that professors take into account how much you participate – at least, I hope mine does, because I participate a lot in class. I have an exam coming up in that class – on the 2nd. I’m not too stressed about it yet, since I feel pretty comfortable with the material that we have already covered. (And that exam went really well, I now have a really great grade in that class).

University 101 is a strange class. But I have an awesome topic for my term paper. It’s going to be something like, “University 101 is Necessary?” I know it’s a bit controversial, but I like that. Topic is already approved and it’s going to be fun.

Speech class… I didn’t get an A on my first speech solely because I was not prepared to speak on the first day. There’s no excuse. My professor even told me that my delivery was worthy of an A, but because I didn’t speak on the first day, I got graded down. Next time I’ll be ready. (And I was.)

And that’s it for now! If you have any questions or concerns or you want to chat, or you want to rag on me for being a nerd, just drop me an email: rumbebb5@erau.edu

Today has been rather busy.

I woke up around 9:30, took a shower, yada yada, you know the routine. At 10:30 I had a meeting with my advisor. I’m glad that my UNIV 101 teacher forced everyone to meet with their advisors – I learned a lot. She helped me figure out some stuff about choosing my minor, registering for classes, events on campus, internships, electives, off-campus schooling, and the list goes on. I’m really glad that I went – So all you Riddle newbies or soon-to-be newbies – Go see your advisor, it’s a good idea. She also pointed me in the right direction for other concerns that I had.

After I got back from seeing my advisor, I made a trip to the bank, and then to a gas station to vacuum out my car – In case you haven’t noticed, Carlos (my car)… It tends to um… suck. I almost regret bringing my car down here, except that it is INFINITELY easier to have the job that I want, aka off-campus, and go to the beach when I want, and the grocery store, mall, etc.

Speaking of my job, Epic called today and asked me to work a few more days in October. I was really worried that I wasn’t going to have enough hours there, and I was going to have to get a third job, but things are looking okay. Plus, I really REALLY don’t want a third job. At all. Although, one of my hallmates did tell me about his job that he loves, and he said he’d give me some information if I want it, but… I really want to continue working at Epic, so hopefully things will work out.

There are these crazy little bugs here – People call them Love Bugs. They are everywhere, and they fly into you, and get in your car and drive you nuts. “Love Bugs” is not a good name for them. They are kind of like June Bugs or June Beetles from back home in Virginia, except they are much smaller and somehow more annoying. I vacuumed up a lot of them while I was vacuuming my car, just because they were bugging me – no pun intended.

After the gas station, I went to Publix to get some food. I had about four things on my list and left with… significantly more things, but I think I did alright. I should be good for another two weeks or so (and then I’ll get paid again). Then I came back to the dorms. Class this afternoon… Woo hoo. Then I get to study for my FIRST COLLEGE TEST. Cumulatively, I’ve already put about 7 hours of study into it… But that’s because I’m TERRIFIED. So… we’ll see how that goes. *crosses fingers*

Stay classy, and stay in class!

They Will Not Always Be This Long

My journals will never ever be this long. But, I have another journal that I keep, and I put a lot of stuff from my first few weeks in school in that journal, so I figured I would take some excerpts and share them. But there are a lot. Hopefully you’ll find them entertaining. Or, you can read them until you fall asleep. I know you guys need sleep, let’s not pretend like we all go to bed at 9:30. Let me begin here:

The Trip Down/ Prior to the Dorm Days:

What’s Going On? Nearly died three times on Friday heading towards South Carolina. Didn’t have any near-death experiences on the way to Florida. Currently in Daytona. Sitting. Eating animal crackers.

Begin Dorm Days:

Wednesday, August 23

Home Sweet Home. Well, I’ve just settled into my new dorm. It’s small. However, it is very tall. In fact, this room is taller than it is wide. How very strange. I guess that’s so they can hoist my bed up TEN FEET IN THE AIR… For real, I’m in the sky up here. My room overlooks another residence hall, and also some palm trees, picnic tables, and grass. It’s a nice view, really.

Cassie is due in about an hour – My mom and I are going to pick her up at the airport. There are lots of guys here. Lots. I mean, wow. I am soooo tired. Later.

Thursday, August 24

Oh God… What Time Is It? Yesterday got really cool after our hall meeting. After that, everyone just started wandering around the hall and socializing. After invading everyone’s rooms, we decided on a whim to walk to Denny’s (ew). It was around midnight, and about a dozen of us went. I think about four actually ate. I was not the only girl – a girl from the dorm across the hall came, too. There are actually only seven girls on the hall. And on fourth floor, there are only four.

I got back to my dorm around 1 o’clock. Word. And now it’s 8:45 in the morning. But I don’t have to be anywhere until ten. So my point is… My hall is awesome.

Friday, August 25

Yesterday…Yesterday was cool.

Got up, took a shower, went to my orientation thing, which was less than interesting, but necessary. There was this one period of the day when absolutely nothing was happening, and people started to gather in me and Cassie’s room. Which is where the insanity began. It started as us girls not wanting the extra bed, so about half a dozen aeronautical engineers helped us out – or rather, they moved the beds around and we watched from the corner. Then, Mike (the red head from floor four) decided that he wanted to create a masterpiece, so the team proceeded to make an eight foot archway out of my bed that arched over the doorway between the dressing room and the bedroom. It was insanely tall, but actually sturdy. They were armed with only a hammer and a tape measurer. There was enough room for a couch. Maybe two.

Following that (three hours later) I went to dinner with my mom -Just salad at Ruby Tuesday’s. She took Carlos (my old Monte Carlo) for today and dropped me off. I immediately went upstairs and discovered that no one was there. They were at the soccer game.

Riddle – 3

Guest – 0

Yay girls’ soccer.

In the evening, our room was once again a hang out spot. We tried to listen to some music, but no one could find anything that a majority could agree on. Adam called me from Doolittle, and then he came over to Wood to join the gathering in my room. Ashley (RA) came in and said that although the archway was cool, the bed was too close to the fire sprinkler (on the ceiling). Mike was devastated. We took his creation down.

Now it’s morning (early, because I’m continually waking up at 8). I need food and I need to go to the gym. (By the way, I never went to the gym, haha)

Sunday, August 27

Ah man Yesterday… let me try to remember…

I remember the luau and going to the pool. I remember Juan doing comedy in my room for a large audience. He’s hilarious, seriously. I remember kicking everyone out at two and talking with Cassie until three. I remember missing Ryan (my boyfriend back home) a whole lot right before I went to sleep. I remember sleeping well for the first time since I’ve been here.

I woke up at 10. At ten I hung around (I think I might have eaten something… don’t remember). Ryan (Harry Potter) and I met my mom downstairs and drove her to Orlando. Weather sucked – heavy downpour, nothing, heavy downpour, sprinkles, downpour, nothing, the pattern continued. Dropped my mom off… I didn’t even have time to be sad or say goodbye properly… But I guess that’s good because I wouldn’t have wanted to cry. Got back around four. We made Juan do a spaceball – the thing where they put you in the ball and spin you in every direction. It was hilarious and highly entertaining.

Back in Wood I got tired around six o’clock. Slept. Got up, and there was a barbecue going on outside – sponsored by the Greeks. We all rolled down and grabbed some food, then went back upstairs. In the evening we went to a show – some illusionist/magician dude. It was something to do. After that, the chilling commenced and there was music and fun.

Our room already needs to be vacuumed. Cassie is pissed because an unclaimed half of a candy bar was found in here. The mess isn’t so bad, because it is easy enough to clean up.

Monday, August 28

I’m Tired. We went to the beach yesterday. That was the biggest thing we did. We also went to half of a soccer game. Back at the dorms, we hung around. Juan and I swapped life stories, which was funny. Earlier in the day Mike and I had swapped life stories. Life stories everywhere. Anyway, we went to sleep comparatively early. But some people stayed up until 5:30. I don’t know why, but that’s what they did. I think they were probably playing video games. Just a guess.

Today Cassie and I had to wake up at seven and be in class at eight (the only class we have together). It was a long walk. I will wear sneakers from now on OR take my bike. It was uh… I don’t know. Introduction stuff. We didn’t learn anything. And then we came back and went to Einstein’s Bagels. Now I’m in my dorm. And it’s nap time until 11:20

First day of classes went well. Cassie and I were in the same first class – Aero Safety. We woke up around seven, and had to be in class by eight. We learned that the clocks in the school lie to you. We were on time, though. There was a syllabus, yada yada.

My next class was the College Success class, which is kind of strange, but whatever. We pretty much just met each other and talked and that was it. I love how all the classes are like an hour long. It’s just perfect.

After that (ended around one) I went to the bookstore and bought two books, but I have no clue where I put the receipt.

My bike lock is messed up. I put in the password and it doesn’t unlock. What am I supposed to do??? Anyway, so I had planned to ride to class, and ended up running, so I was covered in sweat when I showed up late to my class. Awesome. Math class was a not exciting. We learned about vectors. Yay. Plus homework.

Ran to my IT class after that. I’m scared of it (because I don’t like learning about/on computers), but the teacher seems really nice and fun, so hopefully it won’t be too terrifying. Homework for that too.

For the remainder of the evening… Lots of Wood went to the hypnotist, but Cassie, Ryan, and I went to Wal-Mart instead and got some much needed items. We had McDonald’s for dinner, and the food at ERAU is SO bad that I actually referred to McD’s as “real food”. But you know, a lot of the guys say that they really love the food, so maybe I’m just strange. Or maybe I’m a health nut. Yeah.

And then we had a party in here like every night – everyone sitting around and talking. I got some homework done, and I feel like I’m keeping up pretty well, so… yay! And since the office is closed for the evening and I don’t have class until 2 tomorrow, I think I’ll go chill in Sutter’s room. Steve, Dan, Brian and I are going to the beach most of the day tomorrow, so… woooo Daytona sucks SOOO much.

I hate it here 🙂

Wednesday, August 30

Yesterday I had my Meteorology and Speech classes. Meteorology… we started taking notes, and it was fairly interesting, I suppose. Speech was interesting… The professor is really nice. We had to give ice breaker speeches of at least three minutes, and I went first. It was fairly easy.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the Office (aka me and Cassie’s room). I worked on homework, and thank God there are all of these aviation/engineering nerds around (then again, we are all nerds). The guys helped me with my math homework. It’s not that I don’t KNOW this stuff, it’s just that I don’t remember much of anything that happened before summer. The Professor said that if we don’t get at least 70% of the questions right, we shouldn’t be in the class. Well I got a 76% so… I’m staying.

Around 9 we all decided to go to Wal-Mart for some necessary products. I only spent five dollars. Cassie and I were done in five minutes. The boys took two hours. How’s that for gender profiling?

Eventually we got home… I did some more homework and talked to Ryan (boyfriend in VA) online. A little after 12 I stood up and told everyone to get out. They obliged. Cassie and I went to sleep.

Woke up at 7 (bummm). Dragged our lifeless bodies to Aero Safety class, where we watched a movie on plane crashes. It was actually pretty interesting, but as we neared the end of the movie, I could feel myself drifting, so I was really happy when it ended and we got to leave class 15 minutes early with no homework. After that…

No classes for the rest of the day. School was closed because of the “hurricane”. Which actually did nothing at all. Yay Florida. So Cass and I went back to sleep until about noon.

Thursday, August 31

Hooray…I wrote a resume in an hour last night. And I actually think it’s fairly impressive.

Today I went to Epic Aviation at the New Smyrna airport for a follow up interview. The lady hired me (cuz I’ve got teh skillz) and she seemed to really really like me. I will be an Administrative Assistant (aka everyone’s gopher), and because of my experience, I will probably be shifted to dispatching really soon. Which I’m excited about. I will start at 9 dollars per hour. There is a tower on the field, and Danny said he would get me in contact with the controllers as soon as possible.

Word…Anyway… Today was cool with getting that sweet job and all. Now I just have to wait a few hours to go to classes. By the way I start work tomorrow… Bummm.

PS I had to get a campus cop to free my bike.

Friday, September 13, 2006

They are about to “get hype” UGH!!! I wake up to a phone call from Sutter. Bass is still blaring in the hallway. I’ve got an awful headache, and someone informs me that they are about to “get hype” in the hallway. Juan asked me if I’ll be clubbing tonight and I say, “No, because I have a huge headache, because everyone has been blasting bass all day.” I took some tylenol and now I am eating ramen. I still feel bad.

In other news… I woke up at seven, and Cassie and I went to Aero Safety class. We took a lot of notes. Determined that flying is pretty safe. Duh. At nine, we were let out of class, and we walked back to the dorms. I got ready and immediately left for work. Got to work at 10. Waited until 10:30 for the guy who is training me (Josh) to get to my office. He’s pretty nice. The job is mostly data entry. And since it’s on TFBO, it’s not that difficult to figure out. I worked until 2, then left to come back to school.

I call all of my teachers “Professor” because I don’t know their names. What? They don’t know mine either. Came back from class. Fell asleep. Woke up around 9.

The end.

Saturday, September 2

Bad Judgement…Last night half a dozen of us slept on the beach in order to see the sunrise.

Do not do that.

At first it just started out that it was midnight on a Friday night and we had nothing to do. So, naturally, we went to a graveyard. Well, that was creepy and Brian was really really scared. Siss. Anyway, so we went to Ormond and layed out on the beach – Eight of us all marveling at the sky because it was SO clear… I have never seen that many stars. You could even see the Milky Way. Brian pointed that out to us, because he went to Space Camp so he knew what a lot of the stars were. And yeah, we rag on him for going to Space Camp. But really, everybody here is a dork in some way.

Eventually the idea came about that we should stay all night and watch the sunrise. Seemed like a good idea at the time, and it probably would have been okay if we had been prepared. But we had no blankets, no food, and only cell phones as lights and clocks. So eventually, we all ended up huddled together wrapped in towels, shivering and hungry and covered in sand. It sucked. But it sucked so much that it was kind of fun. Otto had brought his guitar, so we had some nice soothing tunes. That was pretty cool.

Brian and Sean bailed because Brian felt sick and Sean decided to go with him. Around four, the other six of us were debating going back. But we figured we had already been there for four hours, and we only had about two to go. Steve was out like a light. Probably passed out from cold and hunger. Cassie kept mumbling, “nooooooooooo” every time the wind blew. That was kind of funny. And I was looking at the stars and stealing jackets to cover myself. Eventually I usurped Steve’s towel and jacket and that kept me sufficiently warm.

It got light around 6:30 and we woke up and hung around, but it was cloudy on the horizon, so we couldn’t really see the sun peak or anything. This upset us because we had been laying out there all night. Steve started cursing the sun, and we were all so tired that his cursing was supremely hilarious to us. We all decided to leave around seven. Stopped by Krispy Kreme on the way back. Steve bought way too many doughnuts, and we were too tired to eat them. We got back, found a great parking space (I’ve been really lucky lately), went inside, showered, slept.

Got to work around 2. Pretty much just had an overview, since I was doing dispatching today, and I already know how that works. Procedures at EVB are pretty much the same as OFP. Some are even… shockingly similar… it’s strange. De ja vu. Anyway, the place closed at 4 (I KNOW – FOUR??? WHAT!) so I came back here (dorm).

Talked to Ryan (boyfriend) on the way. He finally solved that Rubik’s cube. Congrats, kid.

Sunday, September 3

I’m Not Sick…But I woke up this morning and didn’t feel really great.

Actually, when I woke up, I felt like I was back at home, probably because the way that I was laying on the bed felt familiar – it was the same way I would sleep on my bed at home. Except no Dophie (my weiner dog). I imagined that there was a wall to my immediate left, a bookshelf behind me, a dresser on the far wall, and a little table to my right with a model car and Wisdom of the East calendar on it. I would get up, wander around and wonder what to do with myself, maybe eat something. Say good morning to my mom. An hour after that, I would call Ryan or get a call from Ryan. We would go out to lunch, then wonder what we should do for the rest of the day. Maybe we would stop by the OFP and say hi to Kerith (my best friend) or go flying. Maybe we would go to my dad’s house and the four of us would go to Peking. But more than likely, I would wake up and still be in a dorm bed.

Took a shower. Still don’t feel great. Took meds. Still don’t feel well. And I went to sleep fairly early last night, too. After my shower I went in the lounge and got on my laptop and looked at pictures of Dophie and Ryan and Kerith and Jordy.

Now I’m going to go back to bed, curl up, and cry until Saturday.

Monday, September 4

Yesterday, I DID go back to bed, and then I didn’t wake up again til about 2:30. Got up… I don’t really remember much. A bunch of people went to the store and the beach. I was left alone for a while.

Around 9:30 we decided to go bowling. We bowled three games – they were a quarter each – amazing, I know. But you had to pay a 10 dollar cover. Still a good deal, I think. Oh yeah, and after the 10 dollar cover, EVERYTHING in the place is a quarter – food, drinks, shoes, etc. I got second place every round. Boris (the guy from Bulgaria) was soooo funny – it was his first time bowling, and he would “twinkle toes” up to line and then wildly (but artfully) toss the ball into the gutter. He said “It is art – I make the sacrifice for it.” Sacrificing his score for art – can you blame him? So Boris is pretty much The Bomb. He was also singing some funky retro techno and every once in a while you would hear an off-pitch, bulgarian-sounding “WHOA OH WHOA OHHH!!!” I want everyone I know to meet Boris.

Got back. There was a singing party in my room. We bonded through song. Brilliant rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Then a few people left, and four of us had a good discussion. At four, we called it a night.

Then I woke up and I missed my mom.

Tuesday, September 5

Pictures For You

This is Steve (the guy I trust the most).

This is Borisaurus (When asked what he would want to be if he wasn’t going to be an engineering physicist, Boris stated that he would want to be a dinosaur)

Regular Boris.

Thursday, September 7

Two Days Later, AH!
Yes, I’m still alive. Been going to classes and work and oh yeah trying to eat and sleep in between.

My hallmates got me addicted to Lost, and if you haven’t seen the show, I suggest you buy the DVDs and watch it. Now. Go. You are wasting time.

I’m getting restless about stuff back home. I want to make sure that my puppy is okay, and my Jordy (another good friend). I want to be around to know what Vincent (old friend) is up to, whether or not he tells me himself. It’s been three months. Three months since I last saw… hundreds of people that I might not ever see again. I don’t mean to sound sappy, but… I just wish he would call.

I’m sitting at work, copying programs to CDs. It’s boring, but at least it gives me a chance to write. I miss writing. On days when I don’t have the opportunity to do this, I feel like I skipped something very crucial and important. And, on those days, my mom calls me four times and texts me three times because she thinks I’m dead, or that someone kidnapped me. But that’s just because she loves me.

I ate an apple this morning. Today is Cassie’s birthday.

I’m leaving work a little early, and going to pick up Steve. We are going to Target to get some (cheap) decorations, and a gift certificate. Oh yeah and cake if we can find a decent one… If not I guess we’ll go to Publix. Publix is sort of like Ukrop’s. Except not as good.

So that’s the plan for today.

Tuesday, September 12

An Excerpt From A Letter

I was walking through the campus today, and it struck me that… Well, I hope I don’t sound too strange… I’m supposed to be here. This is how it is supposed to be. I don’t know if I believe in “set paths” of life, but I got the distinct feeling that I really am supposed to be here. I got the same feeling Saturday night when I was with Ryan (he visited for the weekend)… I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be in life right now. I’ve never felt this confident about my life-situation. It’s strange, but comforting. Do I make any sense? Anyway, I figure I’m doing something right, so I’m just going to do all my homework, stick with Ryan, and things will work out.

It’s terrifying to think that I was so close to not coming here.