Thanksgiving break is fast upon us, and the last two weeks have done well in reminding me of the not-so-distant end of term. Classes and projects are all gearing down for the end of the semester. Overall, it’s a good time of the year as it gives many of us the chance and motivation to refocus just before grades are set and final.

Most classes that have a three test and final exam system are either taking their final in-class test soon or already have. I know my last-minute physics studies are accompanied by others’ efforts to cram for calculus and the like. Others are working on major term papers (here they usually top out at near 7 pages double-spaced) or projects. Most of all this is due before the Thanksgiving holiday so that the break can be spent celebrating, relaxing, and prepping for the final two-week stretch that’s patiently waiting on our doorstep. Surprisingly enough, the upcoming break also marks a point when certain classes come near their end of teaching material. When most professors have been cramming intensely all semester to catch up from the hurricanes, it’s refreshing to have a few blocks where we students are not as pressed to make up three weeks of missed course time.

The last few weeks have been particularly busy for myself care of performances with color guard, extra research efforts I’ve taken on, as well as having been commissioned for additional projects to help out various organizations. And I think I had my 21st birthday in there somewhere, but it’s all been such a blur that the only evidence of that has been the strange stockpile of my new underage friends!

The color guard performance was a last-minute bit for a Marine Appreciation Dinner sponsored by the local Navy League. The team pulled off the presentation amazingly well for the 3 hour per day, 4 days of practice we had available combined with an on-the-spot adapted presentation plan. Those few of us who have remained through the semester are becoming quite dedicated and exhilarated by our work and the practices are getting more fun now that we’re comfortable with each other and know what we’re doing. Thankfully a second color guard for the Quarterdeck Ball was unnecessary, or we’d never have left that practice lot. The Quarterdeck Ball itself was fantastic. I got the opportunity to sit next to one of my favorite upper class midshipmen, the Cadet Colonel of the AFROTC Detachment, as well as converse briefly with the guest of honor, a former Marine Colonel and aviator who helped me significantly by providing source material for my upcoming editorial for the NROTC Newsletter. More than that, I’ve noticed many of the new midshipmen have gotten closer, more comfortable, and more cordial with the older midshipmen since the event, so it was a grand success at building camaraderie. At the event, an upper class midshipman also anointed me the new Unit Photographer, presumably just for the evening, though knowing the trend my trigger finger will be used elsewhere frequently. It’s very reassuring and satisfying to know that my experience and know-how is able to help out the Unit so much in so many different ways. Hopefully my abilities can be put to very solid use throughout my career here.

Outside the assigned research papers, I’ve proposed an independent research paper for my Flight Physiology class just to give me some further understanding and direct analysis of the theories at hand. I would have liked to have done similarly with other classes as well, however the thought of writing a brief thesis paper for my classes only recently reformed in my head and these were something I was fond of doing for political science back at the University of Northern Colorado. In a further tip of the hat to the Navy side of things, another research project, mostly for personal information, has centered on High Lord Admiral Nelson, Admiral Spruance, and Colonel Bogdanos in something of an attempt at understanding exceptional leadership in a variety of stances and how motivating in the age of sail might apply to today’s turbine engine fleet.

Outside the aforementioned photographer job, I’ve also very excitedly been given the go ahead to pursue a small project to form a record of the Unit and Battalion staff’s bios for both midshipmen and visitors to read and learn about the leadership of the Unit. More than just a bit of material for guests to become acquainted with the staff, it would allow the midshipmen to know from what exceptional experience their superiors come, as well as form a record of the Unit’s history and heritage. What better time to start such an effort than now, just before the last two years’ staff depart.

On the home front, I’ve been running into a good many issues with my roommate that are unlikely to be resolved lest both of us significantly change our basic natures. As such, I’ve been keeping my eyes open for alternatives and it sounds like, since I’m a transfer student, I have the option to move to an upperclassman dorm. It’s a very strong option since I’d have the chance to interact with students more of my own age and maturity level. There’s also the possibility of moving into a rent-free house that’s a very rare opportunity and might work out better in the long run for a lot of reasons, not the least of which being financial.

Probably best to leave things there for now. Thanks to everyone for reading, especially those fellow midshipmen and classmates who’ll never let me live this down. Here’s to yeh, lads! Onwards + upwards, David

Hey everyone! Well unlike so many people who went to the homecoming festivities over the weekend, I was sleeping! Lately I have been feeling so tired that all I can do is sleep. I did get to see the new Disney/Pixar movie The Incredibles and that was the highlight of my weekend (that and the hot fudge brownie sundae that I had afterwards).

On Thursday night I went to Cape Canaveral to see the next rocket launch go off at around 12:45. Mike, Brian from my floor and a few other guys all rushed to get to the rocket launch on time. We got there with like 2 minutes to spare and then the rocket like never went off! We waited there for like another half hour or so and found out that the launch had been cancelled! I was crushed out of everyone because I haven’t been to the Kennedy Space Center Area since I was 9 so I was really looking forward to it! Well I know that there will be others…

Oh there was the annual career fair at the school this past week! I went with some people from my EP 101 class, and the only booth that interested me was of the United Space Alliance. They are the major contractors for NASA. We passed by their building on the way to see the rocket launch. I told Mike and Brian that this is where I am going to be working soon! I have to be at least a sophomore to a junior I think in order to get a CO-OP. But after talking to the people at the booth, it had hit me that I am just another step closer to becoming an astronaut!

As for school, it’s going well. Just recently took a chemistry exam and I am feeling more confident about how I did this time! All my other classes are just running smoothly right now and nothing is becoming too overwhelming at the present moment! Ok well I’ll keep you all updated on how I am doing and I will talk to you all soon! Bye!

This has been a fast couple of weeks…hectic to say the least! The work load has been piling up and it seems like I can never take just a few minutes to relax. After my last entry, I had Cord Night for S.O. It was one crazy night, can’t say much about it, but you should check it out for yourself. It was probably the toughest thing I’ve ever been through but it was well worth it, and the end result made up for the rest. But I did eventually earn my white shoulder cord (and later the privilege to wear it..don’t get me started…), and it definitely gives me a sense of feeling and looking Sierra Hotel ( ask a ROTC kid)! We had a couple of parades and presented the colors at the homecoming game, with many more to do coming up, including Colin Powell possibly…huzzah!

My President Won..My President Won…just had to throw that in here somewhere.

I had my second speech in COM219 today…which was, hopefully, better than the last. Cross your fingers for me. I think I have about 3,521,635 papers due this week, so I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving. All Freshmen have to take a College Success class their first semester, which is nice because it lightens the load and ends a few weeks early…so when I come back from Thanksgiving, I’ll only have one class Tues/Thurs. I’m thinking of going home to NJ..I haven’t been back yet and I really miss it. I want to take a road trip with my friends from here, but when I get there, it looks like a lot of my friends won’t be home so I haven’t decided yet.

I spent the weekend of Halloween volunteering for the Bush campaign. I got paid to walk around and hand out Republican voter guides, so that was pretty cool. I ended up getting roped into volunteering outside the polls on 11/2, but at least I finished out my ROTC volunteer hours. I also worked the Career Expo and the new student Open House this week. Then we had homecoming and a 3-day weekend with an awesome comedy show by some of the Whose Line is it Anyway? guys. A lot of alumni and parents showed up, along with a big group of prospective students, so it was kinda odd to have all these extra people around while everyone here was trying to get their party on. I hope they didn’t get the wrong impression.. I had a lot of fun Thursday and Friday night, but then I ended up falling off a roof, so I took it easy Saturday night. As you can see, Riddle has been a pretty busy little slice of Florida.

The weather is getting a bit cooler, which means it’s almost time for spring registration, and I’ll actually get to start on my ATM minor. I hope to start flying soon, but I haven’t found the time..so maybe over Christmas?

My friend Aztrand down the hall reads this, and he brought me some macaroni and cheese, so he is currently my hero, and I’d like to tell him hello.

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, I would like to start off this week by congratulating the Women’s Soccer team of ERAU for winning the Regional final. I missed the game itself because we were traveling back from our own game, but by all accounts it was a great performance. All being well we can replicate their achievement next week in our own Regional finals here at Riddle. We finished off the conference with a 2-0 win over Savannah, with a less than convincing performance.

Going off sport for a bit, I hope everyone had a good Halloween. After our game the majority of the team got dressed in costume and went to the frat party, me and one of the lads went as Scooby Doo and Shaggy, (we got them last minute and they were the only ones left). Usually I am not very keen on Fancy Dress but by the time it came around to putting it on I already had a few drinks, so I didn’t really care what I looked like. It turned out to be another good night, some great costumes. Although I did spend most of the night taking care of someone who had a few too many, and I wouldn’t like to mention any names but if you see anyone walking around campus with no eyebrows at all you will know who I am talking about. I regretted it a lot on Sunday morning when I had to hand out candy to kids all day for the events put on by the college, in the student village and around Doolittle.

I went to my first basketball game on Friday when Riddle won their season opener against Linden State pretty convincingly. I’m not sure about the standards of basketball here but it looked a bit easy for them, although after talking to one of the lads off the team last night, he said it will get a lot harder than Friday’s game. The Pre-game entertainment and the player’s introductions before the game were pretty good, not to mention the big crowd. It’s pretty obvious to see that soccer hasn’t really taken off in the U.S. yet and may never be able to compete with the likes of American Football, Baseball, and Basketball. This is plain to see if you have gone to a game of soccer and a game of basketball at Embry Riddle. Women’s soccer is an exception of course, but I think there is an ulterior motive behind a lot of the crowd that attend the women’s soccer games considering that this is a predominantly male college.

I picked my classes for next semester on Friday and I will be glad not to have to start at 8 and 8:15 every day after Christmas. I put the majority of my classes on Tuesday/Thursday to give myself a long weekend. I’m looking forward to next semester, not as much training as our spring season is less hectic, and more time to do a few different things, like kick boxing or something.

Anyway apart from that everything else is quiet so will speak to you all again in 2 weeks, hopefully as a Regional champion. I hope that a few of you can make it. Take care.

Well, first of all, let me start off by explaining to you that this week I may not be the best source for help, especially if you came to Embry-Riddle’s open house on November 6 or to any of the homecoming events throughout this last weekend, or if you are looking for any information about the events. I went back home to Southern California this weekend and had a ton of fun. For those of you that came to Riddle to visit, I hope you liked your experience here and hope that it has answered most of the many questions that surround us when we are trying to choose a school.

First of all, let me begin by saying that my classes are really starting to dish out the work now. I got quite a few papers to write, some of which I intend to start soon this week and others that I’ll be forced to start soon enough due to lack of time. My grades in most of my classes are acceptable, but I am hoping that within the next few weeks my grades will show a significant jump. I guess if I was to offer any advice to incoming students that are new to college, it would be to learn how to read and comprehend. Comprehension will be tested over and over again, and for some classes, reading a book is all the homework you will receive, so read and remember!

Lastly, for activities, I’ve been doing the usual stuff, which is just hanging out and going to places here and there. I guess I can say I haven’t been anywhere too exciting. I do want to go down to Orlando and Miami soon though, definitely before the spring break rush, to visit and see these places. Life here so far has been filled with surprises. You never truly know what you are going to see throughout the course of a day, but I’m sure, after time, that one becomes accustomed to seeing many of the “weird” things I’ve seen. Biketoberfest was in Daytona Beach a few weeks ago and man was that crazy. I even heard the attendance wasn’t as high as other years, but it didn’t seem like it. With bikers everywhere, the roads were congested, it was quite hectic, but it was fun seeing many bikes and motorcycles I had never even known existed.

Daytona has been quite an experience for me. It is definitely different, rather different, from California style and culture. Food, music, and culture differs greatly from one coast to the other, but I have no complaints. It’s been great here at Riddle so far. I will be flying twice this upcoming week and I got a SIM (Simulator) tomorrow morning at 6 AM. For all of you high school students who are preparing to make your choice for college, go with what you feel suits you best. Don’t let anything hold you back from pursuing what it is you’ve always wanted to do. Weigh the pros and cons of each of the schools you are looking for and choose the one that is the most beneficial. Trust me, you’ll find yourself finding more pros for the one you truly want to attend. Most of all, good luck on making your choice and hope that your choice for college is the right one for you.

Where to start? The week has started off very poorly, especially compared to the week I had last week. It all started on Sunday night with a computer project. I am completely illiterate when it comes to computers, because they have never been something that I have been all that interested in. I had an Excel project that was due for today at 9.00am and I strolled in with it at about 11.30. Immediately losing marks that I couldn’t afford to lose, as the project was horrible already. I’m not going to say that it wasn’t my fault but I do feel a bit hard done by, losing those marks after the work I put in to it. I mean for the sake of an hour or two. The day sort of snowballed from there. After missing that class I went on to missing the community hours that I was due to do for our soccer program and then I managed to forget Math homework for my next class, that I had spent 2 hours doing the night before. The only good thing that came from the day was training and hopefully getting to bed before 00.00 tonight. I’m not sure if this is as bad as I am making it out to be or I am just being a woman about the whole thing. I suppose it was always going to be hard to match the week I had last week.

Embry-Riddle men’s soccer won the Florida Sun Conference on Saturday night. I am sure that many of you do not know this as the Avion (the student newspaper) always seems to forget to give us any sort of decent write up, or even a back page spot. We won the conference with three games to spare and a 7 and 0 record, not a word said. I imagine if it were Basketball, there would be a bigger deal made. Don’t get me wrong, I would be happy for them if they did and I hope they do. I just think a bit more recognition for the team and management would not be OTT. Anyway I’m getting off the point. The game on Saturday was also one of the team’s best performances this season. If everything goes as planned we can keep improving and win regionals and maybe even nationals. We might even get the back page.

After this, and still on a high from the game, we all set off for Coyote’s down near the beach. It was a great night. It being bike week, we thought we would have trouble finding a bar not full of bikers but as it turned out when we got there the place was practically empty accept for the crowd that came with us. So the banter started and it was easily one of the best nights I’ve had in America. It’s up there with Texas, where I went for the hurricanes.

To go back on myself a bit, last Thursday I went to Yoga for the first time in the fountain room at the student village. We had a game on Wednesday night and we got the day off from training, so I thought I would go and check it out. I thought it would be relaxing and it would be a lot of stretching and so on. It wasn’t quite what I expected, more about auras and that sort of stuff. I’m not knocking it, it’s not really my cup of tea but I can see why people like it all the same. I wouldn’t mind checking out some of the clubs in college, like the sky diving club and many others, if I had more time.

I couldn’t end this entry without saying something about the elections. I’m not exactly an expert; it is a bit similar to computers with me. But tonight I had an informal debate set up by our group learning committee. We discussed topics like economy, education, and health care, etc. plus the views of each candidate. It was very informative and I would feel confident enough to at least hold a decent conversation about it. It was a good thing to take part in and to see how passionate some of the students are about politics. I honestly couldn’t say who I would vote for if I could vote, but I think it would be a waste for someone to just make an uneducated decision or not even vote at all. There is so much you have to take into consideration and we only reached the tip of the iceberg tonight. I think that people probably only take into account the topics which most effect their lives and base their decisions on this. Anyway that is all I really have to say and about all I know, so I’ll leave it here. Cheers.

Hey everyone! I tell you as the semester goes further along, the more sleep deprived I become! I enjoy my time here at Embry-Riddle even more, even with the lack of sleep! I love spending time with all of my friends that are on my hall. They all help to calm me down while I am stressing out for the next exam. I thank Mike especially, because I know I have to be getting on his nerves sometimes as I complain that EP can be so overwhelming sometimes. He told me that the hard part is over: figuring out what I want to do in life. Now I have the easy part of just getting everything done. I start to think of his saying whenever I am in chemistry class and feeling lost at how to find the theoretical yield of a reaction. Things are getting better in chemistry. Now we’re doing thermodynamics and the problems don’t seem too hard at the moment. I have been making myself a second home here at the chemistry tutor labs, and they are very willing to help me whenever I need help! If things start to get worse again, I will be sure to talk to Dr. Cameron (trust me there is no way I can fail this class), who is willing to help any one of his students out! I got a 61% on the first test and I was excited. I was a point or two away from failing so I know I need to buckle down and study hard for the next test in a few weeks.

As for the other classes: Calculus 1 is going great! I am so happy that I actually know what the hell I am doing in that class. Dr. Young is such a laid-back guy that I enjoy coming to calculus class. I got an 85% on the first test, and the problems that I missed were just some simple algebra errors. We’re starting to get into more difficult calculus now, but I know as long as I put my mind to it I can handle anything. World History is also going well. I got an 89% on the first test, plus a perfect on our “improvement points” quiz so I know I have over 100%. And we just took a test the other day so I know I definitely aced that test as well! Chem lab is going great. At first I was scared of Mrs. Coslow because she expects you to know so much, when in fact she wants you to use the knowledge that you already have and apply it to the class. She really has helped me to believe in my own problem-solving and thinking ability. I believe that I have a B in the class, but it’s nothing less than that, and I have plenty of time to bring the grade up to an A! Oh, English is also going great. I believe that I have a rough draft for a paper due on Friday, but it won’t take me that long to write the paper. And last but not least, EP 101 is going great. I finally am working on figuring out my topics for my two technical papers due before the end of the semester. More than likely it will have to do with space exploration to the moon and Mars. I’ll tell you exactly what they’re about when I have the topics listed in more detail. Basically school is great–challenging, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Now lately I have been feeling sick. I found out that since I am from up north (OHIO) that allergies can kick someone’s butt down here in Florida! So yeah, I have the whole NyQuil commercial in my head since I seem to have all the symptoms! But I will work through it and I have the water bottle handy to try to cure my dry, scratchy throat! Ok everyone I am off to chem lab, but I’ll keep you all updated on my progress very very soon! Take care and talk to you later! Adios mis amigos!

*~Terryel~*

Hello to all my journal readers, we here at Riddle are over halfway done with our semester and classes are really going into overdrive. Many classes of mine such as my management class, my success skills class, and my English class are having me write either a short paper or an actual research paper. In other classes such as Meteorology and Aeronautics I have taken a few tests already. Overall, I have been working almost non-stop to try and complete all the assignments I am assigned as well as try to stay up to par in my flight class. I have taken a few flights since my last journal entry and am still working between simulators, flights, and orals to try and get my private license. I will not have my license by the end of the semester because of all the delays from hurricanes, improper paperwork, as well as some instructor conflicts, but I do expect to have it early next semester. My main goal is to go home back to California summer of 2005 with my Private Pilot License and Multi-Engine rating. As for my academic classes, as you know, they are very busy, but my Aeronautics class has proven to be my favorite. For pilots who truly have a passion for flying, it becomes a very interesting class and one that I have personally found to be easy to study for. From learning how to use a flight computer to attaining the knowledge to plan a cross-country flight, the class has been my favorite. My toughest class right now has to be Meteorology. I am not sure whether it is the time (afternoon) or just that I am not interested in the subject, but I have a hard time recalling the information. Because of this, I did not perform well on my first exam, but it served as a wake up call and now I am focusing more on that class than any of my others.

I’ve met quite a few people here at Riddle, though few are from California, it has been a great experience thus far. Most of the people I hang out with are here at my dormitory which is McKay Hall. Because we are a dormitory that was built like a motel, we really don’t get exposed to many people from our floor (no hallways or common areas), but I have met a few people around here that are funny and fun to hang out with. I’ve also met a few international students from countries such as Sri Lanka, India, as well as Honduras. When you walk around campus, you notice that there is a very large international population here at Riddle. It proves to be a benefit because from seeing more cultures, one has the habit of becoming more open to many different activities. So far, as half a semester has gone by, I have had a great experience here at Riddle and I am looking forward to a few more years here.

I will be going home back to California the day of my high school’s homecoming and stay there the weekend and that makes me happy because I get to see friends, family, and others I have not seen in a while. Though Riddle is having its homecoming the same weekend, I figure I’ll be here for the next three years to see it; I also decided on going home because I am not going home for Thanksgiving.

Well, to end this journal, I’d like to make a request to any readers who read my journal or any others, to give us any questions that we may be able to answer. Sometimes I tend to forget some subjects off my journal, so remind me or any other journal writer what is you as a reader would like to know more about. Post all requests on the WebBoard. We’ll try to answer them as complete as possible. Well, until next time, Later!

Hola! I hope all of you are doing well…and at least getting started on your ERAU applications (if that applies to you). Today (10/24) is my birthday…woot!…which means only 2 more years to go 😉 Things around ERAU have been pretty busy lately, and I’m proud to say we’ve been hurricane free for about a month now. Homecoming weekend is coming up November 5-7, there will be a lot of airplane static displays and all that fun stuff, so if anyone is looking at making a campus visit, now’s a good time + the weather is cooling down a bit and is perfect. Look for me in the color-guard. Hooah Special Operations!

This week is Biketoberfest…it’s impossible to get around Daytona. My friends and I left the dorms yesterday around 1:30 in a futile attempt to go to the beach. It took over an hour to make what should have been a 10 minute drive down International Speedway, then we drove around trying to find a parking spot that wasn’t filled with bikes, rather unsuccessfully. We gave up around 4 and made our way through the traffic again. Maybe next weekend. Seeing all of these bikes makes me want to get one of my own..better start saving now if I want to get one before Bike Week.

There is certainly always something to do around here. Ocean Deck is my current favorite. I’m not really a fan of clubbing all that much, so Ocean Deck is a nice relaxed atmosphere right on the beach with lots of live music. We went to Pleasure Island (part of Downtown Disney in Orlando), which was fun, but half the clubs are limited to over 21.

Classes are good. Remembering to go/waking up on time is another story, but I’m doing pretty well. I had my first speech in COM219, and I was completely unprepared for it. I walked in late because Lead Lab ran late..and walked in just as the person before me was finishing up. Not fun. But mid-terms are over (they were easy, no worries), so everything is a lot more relaxed now, and I really feel like I’m getting to know my professors. Same goes for my advisor, we’ve met quite a few times and she’s awesome. **Ask for Mary Theokas** I’m trying to work in a semester of study abroad, while still keeping my ROTC scholarship and she’s been very helpful in finding the right people for me to talk to and get this thing done. Working in Career Services is also proving to be pretty helpful. I’ve gotten to know all the program managers, so when it comes time for my Senior Co-op/internship, I think I’ll be pretty set! The people here are absolutely amazing. I was really hesitant about coming here. I had planned to attend The George Washington University in DC and changed my mind…the decision became even harder when my best friend decided on UMD, and I didn’t want to give that up, but I have met some awesome people down here. We’re all in the same boat and I consider myself lucky to call them my friends. It’s a little awkward at first, but living with these people 24/7 certainly helps break through those barriers..

Special Operations is still intense. I think I talked my neighbor into trying out in the spring. We divided up into rifle team and colorguard.. and I’m part of the latter so between homecoming and Veteran’s Day coming up… we should be pretty busy. I definitely feel like I’m improving on the team, and it has made me so much more prepared for everyday ROTC in terms of uniform wear, core knowledge, drill, and confidence. We did a Group Leadership Project (GLP) the other night. It was so much fun..we had to get from 1 point in the woods..pick up a package…and drop it off at another point…without getting captured by the ‘enemy’. It was all about escape and evasion so we had to memorize the code of conduct for POW’s. I was the last to get caught and put up a pretty good fight, but if you want to know what really goes on, you’ll just have to come out for the team at some point.

President Bush came to town last weekend. I got to go through the College Republicans and hear him speak, which was awesome. We’re going next weekend to rally support throughout Volusia County. Those of you that are old enough to vote, you know what you need to do..

As always, melcg2004 on AIM, pugh754@erau.edu, Have a lovely day.