I finally got my parking pass. Woohoo!!! They were nice enough to give me one. My registration card is still in process but I finally had proof that I had one. The girls that were helping me were actually really nice.

Also I got a card from Vicki. I was surprised to receive mail. It was so nice of her to send me a card. She has been very helpful in trying to make sure I am calm and not freaking out about my tests. It is very hard for me to be going through this by myself. I am in a place where I don’t know anyone and everything is new to me. I don’t have close friends yet that I talk to every day. (Hence, the reason why I highly encourage people to live on campus.) Her letter made my day because even though I may not know her well, she is willing to help me out in any way she can. I find strength in people’s willingness to help me.

I am finally free!!! I actually don’t have anything due tomorrow. My next test is on Wednesday. I am happy to know that I can breathe and take some time to relax. I went to the Alpha Phi Omega meeting and then went to Uno’s and hung out with the APO brothers for a bit. We played Trivia games and ate food. They have half priced appetizers at night. It is good that I finally get to talk to someone other than myself.

I hope everyone has a great night.

Hey everyone!..

I have returned to grace you with a recent portion of my life here at Embry Riddle.

Well, there is one word that sums up the past two weeks— TIRING! I have had no more than 5 hours sleep each night within the last few days. With homework, classes, social events, club meetings and so many other things that needed to be done, I haven’t found any time for myself just yet. But the surprising thing about it all is that I don’t mind it. I mean, the workload from classes increased significantly but at the same time, so did the fun and excitement with my friends here. I have met a ton of new people and still counting. Everyone here is very social and open to anyone and anything, so it’s all real. All in all, it’s getting better and worse simultaneously!

It’s amazing that 4 weeks have already gone by so quickly, I can barely remember everything that happened—everything but the fact that I had tests for all my classes already! I mean, I haven’t gotten a chance to settle down properly in classes yet, but the professors are already giving tests! However, I wouldn’t complain too much considering that I got all A’s so far (emphasis on “so far”).

Ah, one thing that I am soooo glad about is that I have finally been assigned to my flight instructor. He is really a cool, down-to-earth guy and he makes the stuff easy, so I’m pretty happy about flying.

This past weekend was the best weekend ever since I got here. It all started from Friday night when I went to see a play with members from the “Riddle Players” club. Yes, I am in “Riddle Players” and for most of you who don’t know what that is, it is the school’s acting club. Yes, I am in the school play and I have yet to memorize my lines (don’t worry, I’ll get around it soon). After that, ERAU ice hockey team had a game on against USF in the local ice skating rink. Let me me tell ya, you have seen NO school spirit like Embry-Riddle’s until you have gone to an ice hockey or soccer game. I mean, we had sooo much fun and the place was packed with Riddle students AND teachers! Even though we lost, we still fought hard and had fun until 1:30am at the rink.

The next day, my friends and I decided that we wanted to go TRY ice skating too. Ya know, see if we can join the ice hockey team. Well, let’s just say we can’t no matter how much we tried. Well, at least I can’t! I have NEVER gone ice skating before, and I fell down SOOO many times, it’s unbelievable! (isn’t that right, angelica?!) But as sore and hurt as I was, that was one of the most fun things I have ever done and most likely we will be doing it again this weekend. After that, a fraternity hosted a party at a local restaurant, so, of course, all of Embry-Riddle was there having blast!

One thing after the next, it was amazing!

Then “Sunday, bloody Sunday” came around when sleep was needed and homework was to be done. As a Riddle student, you’re automatically installed with a program where you can actually sleep and do homework at the same time! (don’t worry, the cost of for that is included in the tuition and fees…haha). So, Sunday was relaxing and recuperating day and then later on, a couple of us headed out just to chill somewhere for a little bit, then back to the Adams 5th floor where no one sleeps!

Ok, so I think that basically wraps up my past two-week life here at ERAU..

I hope everyone enjoys reading my entries and if there’s anything you would like to know, just shoot me an e-mail, and I’ll see what I can do.

Till next time, Vick

(quote of the week: “huh?! I didn’t know lipstick could do that!”)

I presented my speech today. I was so nervous at first that all that was coming out of my mouth was “ummm ummm.” One of my classmates that was sitting in front of me whispered “Wow! She’s nervous.” I just grabbed my outline and just started giving an informative speech about the St. Louis Arch. Towards the end of my speech, I was feeling a little bit more comfortable and I think the ending was great. I just need to focus on the beginning of the speech.

I also went to Orlando last minute to pick up a dresser I bought from craigslist. I had a lot of meetings to go to but I need this dresser so I can finally unpack my boxes. I realized that I have more clothes than what I actually thought and there was no way I was going to unpack it. My room is messy as it is right now. I am working on it. The reason why I didn’t go to Walmart or Target to buy one is because I didn’t want to have to build it. I just want to get an already made one. This dresser is real wood and it’s really nice too. I personally believe I got a good deal out of it.

I unfortunately missed all my meetings. The trip was longer than I thought and Cheese’s truck doesn’t really go that fast. Also the area where we (Amy and I) went to pick it up was called Avalon Park. I thought I was in Lala Land. The houses were gorgeous and some of them had Halloween decorations put up. Actually the person I bought the dresser from went to one of the Embry-Riddle Extended Campus somewhere in Europe. It gave me hope that someday I’ll have a beautiful house.

Amy and I finally got home. She actually had to leave for a night flight. Cheese and I unloaded the dresser from the car and put it in the living room. I had meteorology homework to do and school gets priority over the dresser.

Well here it is a month into school and already it feels like I have been here forever. Not in a bad way of course. I have pretty much got a routine down and have been keeping busy. I seem to have my hands full but I’m pushing through. The classes aren’t too bad, but I have 17 credits worth of them. The usual is 12-16 but I guess they thought I really love school so they gave me more. But it’s all workin out. On Mon. Wed. Fri. I have Speech and Physics and on Tues. Thur. I have Business, Basic Aeronautics, College Success, and Meteorology. Overall, they aren’t too bad. They are just like high school when it comes to good days and bad days. Some are great and some just really suck. I guess I’ll tell you a little about them so far.

Speech- Already did a 3 minute personal speech and a 6 minute dramatic reading and I’m working on my informative speech now. The class is pretty easy and you watch a lot of presentations by other students. At first I was kinda scared to talk in front of 60 people that I didn’t know, but I found out there was only 20 or so and everyone has to do it, so it’s not too bad.

Physics- Let me tell you right now that I am definitely a math person so that might explain some things. We had our first test and I got a 104, so calculus in high school really helped, but if you don’t have it, no big deal because most of my friends did pretty good. Any of you guys out there who are taking physics right now, that definitely helps because I know someone who took it in high school and he is way ahead of the rest of us. But once again, not a big deal if you have never had physics before.

Business- This class is interesting to say the least, but it’s at 8:15 in the morning which is very early in college, so I’m pretty sure they are trying to keep that stuff a secret (any Lewis Black fans? I stole that from him ;). So far we have talked about mousetraps, marshmallows, and systems. I’m a little lost in the class, but he says things will start to fall in place soon. And best thing about the class, no tests!

Basic Aeronautics- This class is pretty cool because its all about planes. I like planes, so I like the class. My professor is pretty cool and really funny. He is very energetic and always livens up the classroom. We have taken one test so far and I got an 83. Not what I wanted but not bad to say the least. So I’m really gonna hit the books for our next one to make that an A.

College Success (University 101)- This class is mandatory for all freshmen. The class varies from professor to professor, but covers the same material: How to succeed in college. I can tell that a lot of you are asking yourselves, how do you succeed in college, and this class answers it. By studying, time management, and hard work. I personally already knew this, but nonetheless, I’m still in the class. This class was pretty fun during the first couple of weeks, but now it is getting a little dry. It’s not my favorite class, but it is informative, so all in all, not too bad.

Meteorology- So far only one test and I got an 88. I was pretty surprised at this, but I guess I knew more than I thought I did. I’m pretty sure our professor has ADD, but that can be good at times. I never know what interesting stories he will tell us on any particular day.

Flight- I have flown 5 times and been in 4 sims and I am pretty psyched about attending this university. It just blows me away that someday I will be flying for a living. Just to wake up in the morning and walk to the flight line, hop in a Cessna and fly to Ormond, New Smyrna, or Cocoa Beach. Some of my friends already have their private so they are planning out cross-countries to Miami or Gainesville. I love being able to get up in a plane and just fly around and learn all the procedures. It’s a lot of work, but its well worth it.

So those are my classes. Now I’ll tell you what goes on in my free time. Just recently, I have started training to become certified to skydive on my own. I have done 4 out of the 7 jumps of the AFF program and I hope to do the last 3 sometime soon. It is pretty exciting jumping out of a plane, but even more so when there is no one strapped to your back! I have learned a lot and I’m already having a lot of fun. I can’t wait until I have my license and I can just wake up on any given morning and decide to pay $18 to go 13,500 feet in the air and jump out and freefall for 60 seconds then pull my chute and enjoy the beautiful view all around me. I definitely recommend that you try skydiving if you get the chance. Its only $135 to do a tandem (with an instructor on your back) which is a pretty good price compared to others.

Other than skydiving, I have been doing other things like playing on an intramural volleyball team. Our captain is one of my friends that was captain of his varsity volleyball in high school and he is pretty good. Me, not so much. But we have fun and that’s all that matters. Our team name is the BAMFs (any Dane Cook fans? He’s my hero).

On top of that stuff, I have decided to pledge the Sigma Chi fraternity. Once you get to Riddle, although it is a long time away, I recommend coming out to some of the stuff the fraternities offer because I can already tell it is one of the best decisions that I have made to pledge Sigma Chi. I hope to become a brother some time in November, but right now I’m pledging. Even if you think Greek life isn’t for you, you should go around and check out all the fraternities next year. And if all goes to plan, stop by Sigma Chi’s booth and say hi. I don’t want to go too into detail about pledging, but I already have made memories that I am never going to forget. Like late night stops by Denny’s, semi tires in the middle of the road on I-95, and some crazy things about people that I am just getting to know, but I can already tell I will know these guys for the rest of my life. It’s a pretty cool experience.

Also, hanging with friends on my floor and laughing as hard as I have ever laughed. Some quotes which will make no sense to you make me laugh so hard. Like:

“10 foot is a lot of foot”
“I’m gonna put gas”
“Smoke break”
“I think I broke the rule”

I am actually still laughing as I type this. 10 foot is a lot of foot for those of you who didn’t know that. (Sorry Adam, I think it’s hilarious).

Last week we took my friend’s 2-wheel drive Explorer off-roading and had to pull it out with my other friend’s Xtera. I’ll put some pictures up on my album. That was one of the funniest things to have happened so far. I can’t wait until our next off-roading adventure.

I know that more has happened and I can’t remember it, but if I remember it, I’ll post it next time. Also, if you are ever in the Daytona Beach area and feel like dropping by, feel free to contact me and I can show you around. If you want an unofficial campus tour and find out what its like first hand, just let me know. I don’t know how the university would feel if I had someone follow me around in my classes, but I can try to find out if any one is interested. The way I see it, it’s the least they could do. If you guys are gonna cough up 30-40k for tuition, you should get to at least see some classes first hand. But anyway, if you are around feel free to give me a call whenever.

Until next time, any questions post them on the discussion board and I’ll try to answer them. So far, I have been having an awesome time and can’t wait until I see what this next few weeks brings in. Hope all of you are having as good a time as I am, and if you aren’t, don’t worry. It’s a lot of hard work to get here, but once you get here it is well worth it.

Its been a while! So far being an instructor has been a lot of work, however this experience has been good and I have learned quite a bit. There is a lot of pressure on me as an instructor to train my students above standard. Throw in the military and my personal life, the work never stops. Sometimes I wonder if this is really what it’s going to be like until I stop working. Well I’ll soon find out.

The days are becoming more routine. Wake up at 5:00am; get to work by 6:00am. I’m in the air 15 minutes later training my students. I have roughly 4 to 5 activities per day, 5 or 6 days a week. Sometimes the longest break in between flights is 2 minutes all day. Your body begins to adjust to it though. After a day of flying and being in the office, I’m home by 6:00pm. After that I run and go to the gym for about 2 hours. By the time I finish all that and eat dinner, its time to go to sleep and do it all again! On the weekends I am training with my infantry unit. For those readers that don’t know, I am a combat medic with Delta 1/124th Infantry.

As far as the flying part of my life goes, it’s pretty simple. However everything else is complicated. My deployment is getting closer and closer. I am getting great offers from the military to fly. I ask myself all the time if I should deploy and take the 18 months off from flying, or go to flight training for the military and miss my chance to be in combat with my friends in Delta? I want to move to Tampa Bay because I’m getting into a serious relationship; however there is not that much work over there for full time pilots. I have student loans to pay, and the holidays are coming up. I have a lot to think about but I’m not to worried. The training and education I received puts me a step ahead of my friends and peers so I know my future is secure.

I still think I have the best job in the world. You will not find a place that is more structured and challenging, yet caring and rewarding, than ERAU. You are put to the test every day and only the strong survive!

I studied for a little bit for my meteorology test. I actually still have a big headache. I know I at least got half of them right. I am hoping I get more than half of them correct.

Now I have to focus on my speech presentation I have due tomorrow. I am not sure exactly how I am going to say everything. I have a little bit of a problem with transitions. I don’t really like giving speeches. I get so nervous that I feel that I am never going to be prepared. I also hope the people find the St. Louis Arch interesting. I think the one thing about this class that is different from the rest of my classes is that we are a unique group of people.

We are not necessarily friends but we feel comfortable around each other in class. We talk about the most random things. Of course the boys always complain how there aren’t enough girls in the school and they think of creative majors that they think would attract girls to come to Embry-Riddle. One of them was actually Aviation Nursing. Another one is that one of the guys showed up wearing his Spongebob Squarepants pajamas. We just started talking about Spongebob and how they had a show where they questioned his sexuality. Yes I know; it’s random.

As much, as I don’t like my Speech class because I don’t like speaking in front of people I really enjoy this class. Also the professor has a sense of humor too. She wants to make sure we learn the material she teaches us plus she wants us to improve in our speaking skills. She reminds us that we will be giving presentations once we get into the work force and I agree.

After going to bed late on Sunday night and waking up early to catch my flight back to Orlando, I rush back to Daytona Beach to make sure I arrive to my Introduction to Psychology class on time. After my Psychology class, I have a test to make up in my business management class. I asked the professor if I can grab something to drink because I hadn’t eaten anything yet. I just grab a drink because the rest of the snack machines require you to have money in your Eagle Card. I haven’t put money on it, but as soon as I get some, I am going to put at least $100 on it. I took my test and she graded it on the spot. I did really well on it.

Also I became an official pledge of Alpha Xi Delta. I went to their meeting and they had someone from one of the other fraternities speak about Up Until Dawn. They do fundraisers to help children with cancer. One of the guys started showing a video about a little boy with brain tumor and I just started crying. I had to leave the room. Normally I don’t act like that but my test is coming up. Many of my family members on my mom’s side have cancer. My uncle and my grandpa both died from cancer. Two of my uncles and my aunt are currently fighting their cancer battles. I am scared to receive bad news when I do take the test.

Vicki is definitely being supportive. She said she was willing to go with me or have some of the other sisters come with me to take the test. I will have to wait and see how I am feeling that day.

I am pretty much crushed for the rest of the night and I have a huge meteorology test tomorrow. I have read all the chapters but the study guide questions seem pretty hard. I guess I’ll wake up early to study for it.

Greetings again from beautiful Daytona Beach. My Lord, has this past week been insane. This past week was my first full week of exams. I had four exams spread out over four days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. My first exam was not too difficult because it was on Shakespeare’s Hamlet and I have read the play about six or seven times. However, my Dynamics, Fluid Mechanics and Differential Equations/Matrices exams were much more difficult. I probably studied more hours then I can count and slept less hours then I care to think about. I don’t mean to scare anybody but I did put in a tremendous amount of work for this week. However, I feel I performed extremely well. So, a little bit of advice to all of you prospective students out there, work hard and give it all you’ve got. And just when you think you have nothing left, give a little bit more. I swear on my life, it will pay off. That’s two years of college of experience telling you how to get through exams.

Well, enough of that scary exam talk. The other half of being successful in college is enjoying the experience. The last two weeks have also been filled with good fun times that include going to class (yes I love to learn), going to work (yes I love earning money), and hanging out with all my great friends. To start out with, my classes are awesome. They may sound intimidating but you learn some crazy concepts and fundamentals that have so many real world applications. At first they are complicated, but the more you use them, the more you understand and trust me when I tell you that there is no greater feeling then when you finally fully grasp a subject. There have been a couple of times that I have felt totally accomplished and it just made my day. I have also been working a lot lately for the catering company on campus. I actually had three years of catering experience that made this job relatively easy. We set up for special events around campus such as banquets or executive meetings. I mostly work in between classes putting as many hours as I can. It’s a nice balance between work and school. This way I still have the evenings and weekends to get school work done.

The best part of this past weekend is being able to enjoy time with my friends. We have managed to find time to hang out, even if only for an hour, almost every night. It has made getting through homework much easier by breaking up our work time. Usually we all come back from classes and get the necessary homework done and then we watch one of our favorite shows. Last week, we finished getting everybody caught up on one of the best shows on the tele: Lost. I will probably plug this show a lot and there is a reason. If you haven’t watched, you need to start right now. The third season starts on October 4th at 8PM. Buy the first and second season and watch them. I swear you will be hooked and desperately awaiting the start of the new season. On the weekends, we try and go out to the city. Last weekend, we went down to Oceanwalk, which is the entertainment district or nightlife area. We basically walked around just as a nice break from the week. This past weekend we went back to Oceanwalk and saw the movie Accepted which is hilarious. It’s a great movie for college or prospective college students. Then we went to a party hosted by the Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) fraternity at Cancun Lagoon. It was great time with dancing and friends. We also try to eat out every once in a while during the week. The food here at Riddle is just fine and the meal plan system is great, but sometimes it’s nice to get out and enjoy a treat at one of the local restaurants. Other than that, we try and go to the movies shown on campus by Touch N’ Go Productions. Those guys are awesome. They put on tons of events around campus. Last week we saw “X-Men III” and this week they were showing “Pirates of Caribbean II.” Next week they are showing “Thank You For Smoking” and I can’t wait because that movie is awesome.

This campus is definitely an amazing place to be. The lifestyle is definitely a slower pace, which I love compared to the rush of the Los Angeles, CA lifestyle. I will be honest; the obvious small population of women on campus can get to me sometimes. But, a lot of the time I am focused on class work or having fun with my friends. The academic workload is definitely there, but once I got into the flow of the week I was able to balance my daily life and I have never had more fun. I also keep in contact with my family through the wonders of the Internet and the telephone and I recommend everyone do the same. My family is a cornerstone in the foundation of my life. They bring love and support that no other source can match.

One last thing I want to mention is get involved. It totally makes the experience that much better. I represent Wood Hall in ERRSA, which is the Embry-Riddle Resident Student Association. I have made so many new friends and connections in that organization and I am really having an impact on the path of the university. I am a member of the Skydiving club and plan to go get certified in skydiving before the end of the semester. That is really going to fulfill one of my greatest dreams. Also make sure that you participate in all your Hall events. I have the greatest RA. She is one of the nicest and hardest-working people I have ever met. She does everything she can to be of assistance to all of us on the hall. She plans events for the hall with an extremely limited budget and makes living with everybody so much fun.

Well, for now that’s all. The next time I write will be interesting because I will have taken a couple of weekend trips. This up coming weekend a few of the guys from the hall are going to Miami to stay with the family of one of the guys going. I’ve never been to the southern tip of Florida and I can’t wait. The weekend after that I am going to a retreat for ERRSA and that is supposed to be a blast. Until then, I leave you Cool Cats with some pictures and best wishes in all your endeavors. Thanks for stopping by and reading. Peace out.

St. Louis has been exciting. I am so tired and drained though. I have been really busy with everything that I am trying to just make sure I am holding on. The first thing I did in St. Louis was go to the arch. I didn’t go all the way to the top because it was raining. I bought some books about the arch and took pictures of it so I can use it for my project. I have an informative speech due on Wednesday.

I went to the Homecoming game at my old college on Saturday and that was exciting. I met up with an Embry-Riddle graduate, Will who just moved there and is working for the government. We watched the game and fireworks and then I showed him a little bit of the city. I also went shopping for a white dress and white shoes. I basically spent $18 for a dress and shoes. I love bargain shopping. I have my Pledge-In on Monday for Alpha Xi Delta.

If you have any questions, let me know.

It seems just like yesterday when I was sitting in high school thinking about Embry-Riddle. Every day I would go online and look at the student journals and read them over and over wishing that I was there. Now, one year later, I am writing the journal and I can’t believe it. I hope that over the next year I will be able to provide insight to what it’s like to be a freshman here at Riddle. When I was reading these journals last year, I had so many questions that were unanswered. In this journal, I hope I will answer everyone’s questions including the ones that I had. If you have any questions, I can be reached at the e-mail wasteofsoap@yahoo.com or on AIM at wasteofsoap. Feel free to ask any questions. I will also be monitoring the discussion boards so post there if you would like.

With that said, I guess I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. I grew up in Debary, which is a little town 30 minutes away from ERAU. I have lived there my whole life. I was in the I.B. program at Deland high school and graduated in 2006 with a 3.8 GPA. I’m not really a sports kinda guy, meaning I don’t really play anything on a team and the only sport I watch on TV is hockey. My team of choice is the Tampa Bay Lightning. I enjoy doing things that’ll get me hurt. In the past I skateboarded and biked; now I have moved on to snowboarding and skydiving. I love to hang out with friends and chill. Now that that’s done, I can tell you guys what you are really interested about. Embry-Riddle.

If you want to know how many students attend Riddle, or how it is ranked nationally for its aeronautics programs, you can go to the website. I’m not here to tell you what you already know or what you don’t care about. I’m here to tell you from first-hand experience, what it is like to attend the greatest university in the country, and possibly the world.

We’ll start off with dorms. I live in Doolittle, which I think is what fits me best. You can view the different dorms and floor plans at http://www.erau.edu/db/dorms/dbdorms.html. I liked Doolittle for various reasons, like location, one roommate, only 7 others to share a bathroom. You can make your own decisions in terms of what fits you best. But no matter what dorm you stay in, the lifestyle is pretty much the same. First of all, no matter what time it is, I can guarantee you that someone is awake. Whether you have a late study night until 2 or wake up for a flight at 5, someone is up, and they are probably yelling. Depending on whether you think it is a good thing or a bad thing, there are RAs on every level (Residence Advisor). They make sure that you have fun, but are still respectful to others. For example: I needed to get up real early for a flight and I wanted to make sure I got a decent amount of sleep, and the RA made sure no one was having a yelling contest at 2 in the morning. Another thing I like about the dorms is the sense of community. It is real easy to make friends while living in a dorm. Most people don’t know anyone, so you are all in the same boat. Someone from your hall might say, “Hey, we’re gonna go grab a bite to eat, wanna come?” Which leads us to our next item: Food.

Some colleges have Taco Bells and Mickey Dees on campus, and some have one cafeteria. Embry-Riddle is right in the middle. We only have one chain restaurant, which is an Einstein Bagels. Other than that, there is a cafeteria type place, an all you can eat place (as much as you want), a small sub type place, a very tiny Chinese place, and a burger joint (Propellers). Over all, there are plenty of different options to eat. There are burgers, chicken sandwiches, grilled cheese, spaghetti, chicken, deli sandwiches, pre-packed salads, salad bars, ice cream, cereal, meatballs, fires, chips, fruit, cookies, rice crispies, Chinese food, subs, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I probably forgot. For drinks, there is Coke and Pepsi drinks (bottled and fountain), milk, chocolate milk, orange juice, apple juice, Gatorade, Sobe, and coffee. There really is a big selection when it comes to food. Now that you know what there is, you might be askin yourself, how much does it cost? Well, all freshmen are required to have a minimum of 14 meals per week. You can get more if you like, but the least you can get is 14. One meal varies from place to place, but it is usually 1 entree and 1-3 sides, except at the all you can eat place where you can eat all you want. If you have any specific questions about the different places or the things that you eat, just let me know.

Now that you know what to eat, you might be wondering when you’re gonna eat. My schedule is very different than all of my friends. We all have classes at various times. Your schedule depends greatly on what classes you are taking and when they’re available. My schedule consists of 4 classes on Tuesday and Thursday from 8:15-3:30 with about an hour and a half break. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I fly from about 8-10 and then I have 2 classes from 1-3:15. Some of my friends are done by noon all week and some go until 6. It varies but I think no matter what your schedule is, it is much better than high school. Some classes will let you out early and you can just run by your dorm if you want. I think it’s pretty cool.

The major thing when transitioning from high school to college is the new sense of freedom that you have. You are all the sudden on your own. If you haven’t heard a lot about this yet, you will. The university loves to drill into the mind of the freshmen that you make your own decisions now, so don’t mess up. The truth of it is that you are on your own, but there are many different people there with you incase you need anything. I found that it has been a pretty easy transition for me and for other people as well. The most important thing is to have fun. I haven’t even been here for a month and I have already had so much fun and have so many stories. I’ll go into detail more if anyone wants me to, but already I have done laundry at 2:30 in the morning, went to Hooters with a bunch of people, had my first flight in an airplane (as the pilot), and gone out and about around Daytona (karaoke bars are very fun as long as you aren’t singing).

Well I don’t want to write a novel on the first entry so I guess I’ll wrap it up. One more thing though, I’m not sure how many people will read this thing, but if you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask! I regret not asking the questions I had a year ago. I wish I had, because then I wouldn’t have gone to Riddle in the dark. If anyone has a question about ANYTHING, just go on the discussion board or drop me a line.

Hope everyone’s year is going good, cause mine has started off great. I can’t wait to finish this year and share all my experiences with you. Next journal, I’ll probably talk about fraternities and skydiving. I hope to become a pledge for Sigma Chi and get AFF certified with skydiving in the next week or so. So until then, stay in school, drink your milk, and make sure that read every one of my journals and tell me how good they are, and if you think that they are bad, that is your opinion, and it’s wrong. 😉 Oh boy, I used a smiley. I told my self that I wouldn’t do that. Oh well. I’ll talk to ya guys later. -Blake