Whew! I can’t believe I’ve made it through four weeks of college! I’m already much better off thanks to more friends, more experience, and more opportunities.

Some of the longer days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) really wiped me out these past few weeks. But, I have a new strategy. I come back to the dorm for a relaxing lunch and to finish up little homework assignments. Then, after staying in Graphical Communications long enough to finish the assignment (Prof Sun instructs for the first hour, and then we can leave for the second if we wish. I stay because I get great 1-on-1 help from her. Plus, Chemistry is only an hour after that and in the same building, LB  -Engineering-.), I sit on the cushy sitting area on the third floor listening to relaxing music so my mind’s ready for Chemistry. May sound cheesy, but it’s certainly working well so far!

I tried going to Jazz Band one Wednesday, but unfortunately, every Monday and Wednesday after that, I’ve had to do homework or go to some group meeting. I just don’t know if I can really accomplish being in the band this semester. I miss playing my soprano sax very much, but school has to come first.

In recent weeks, I have finally been assigned my first papers. I finished both already to be prepared. Plus, writing comes easy for me, so I really enjoyed “cranking them out”. The first was for Engineering Physics 101. I chose the topic of the Night Witches, the women Russian fighter pilots during WWII. Their story is amazing and it had to be told! I’ve actually seen one of the planes they flew at Paul Allen’s National Heritage Collection in my home state of Washington. I really admire their piloting skills as well as extreme courage. The second paper was for my Honors Seminar class. Because of Scrooge and his negative Malthusian outlook on things, we watched “A Christmas Carol” in class and then were assigned to imagine the conversation between Ebenezer and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come should the ghost actually be Oedipus (from Oedipus Rex by Socrates), Edward Lorenz (from Chaos by James Gleick), or Thomas Hardy (writer of Convergence of the Twain). I really enjoyed writing a “what-if” kind of story about it!

I’ve also survived some quizzes and a test. Most had very good results, but one did not. For all, though, I studied to the best of my ability, and can have no regrets. It’s not wise to judge your final grade or rest of your semester by the first quiz. I’ve had to keep telling myself that! 🙂 From talking to other students who also didn’t start off the class well I have heard that they still got A’s or B’s. So, no worrying for me! One important thing to share with you: never be afraid to talk to the professor! I managed to earn 4 more points on my Calculus test by asking about the grading and explaining my answer.

Chemistry has had some ups-and-downs. As you can probably guess, I didn’t do so well on the first quiz. But, two days later, I easily could’ve taken it and gotten 100%. Sometimes I feel like I’m always a step behind. But, other days were very victorious. I loved doing the take-home group quiz. It’s what Prof Cameron fondly calls, a “booger” problem. I spent 2 ½ hours typing it up, color-coded and everything, after we solved it in record time. For putting the solution together as well as reporting on everyone’s participation, I get 4 extra credit points! I’ve learned so much already and I have been getting help from so many different people that I look forward to doing well on the first test. I will be studying hard this weekend and praying hard before, during, and after the test on Wednesday! I’ll let you know how it goes!

Some of my favorite days have been not only doing well in classes, but having fun, of course! Sundays are always wonderful. Each new week we meet more people who want to try Riverbend Community Church. I’ve also loved being in Christian Fellowship Club. I joined the worship team, so I do the female vocals now. I also go to Bible study every Thursday night. The past few Thursdays I’ve enjoyed going to the student center right after the study for Touch-N-Go’s weekly movie presentation. I saw Pirates 3 and Fantastic Four 2.  I’ve been shopping with my friends, forced to play Halo, watched a hilarious comedian DVD at a friend’s house, and made a pyramid of people on the beach in the late evening. I’ve also had tasty Italian food for the Honors picnic, went to Baskin Robbin’s for ice cream with CFC, and joined a flag football team for no other reason than fun and exercise! There’s always so much to do, but I still have plenty of time not promised to people so I can relax and do homework when I need to.

The most amazing thing to me recently has been the weather. I’ve never dealt with rain quite like this before. It’s so juicy and it comes down so hard! Very different from NW rain, that’s for sure! My mom sent me a coat from REI, so I’m doing better. I always pack the coat, shorts, and an umbrella since it comes and goes so quickly.

Just in case some of you out there are curious about meal plans, I’ll tell you what I like to do. I have 19 a week and almost always have 1-3 left-over to get cereal and drinks on Saturday. For breakfast, I eat in the buffet here in the student village. If I’m running out of time, I grab a breakfast bagel at Einstein Brother’s and eat it on the way. For lunch, if I am staying “out” (i.e. away from the student village and just waiting for my next class), I get a panini and salad in the student center. If I come back, I grab a salad or sandwich from Einstein’s. I love the Italian chicken and BLT sandwiches! 🙂 Finally, for dinner, it’s a great social time to meet friends and hang out in the buffet. Free ice cream, duh!

I have much to look forward to in the coming weeks! I will be sure to tell you all about my latest adventures in my next journal entry. For now, I’ll just give you an idea of what I’m trying to go to: Piper Aviation Company (Honors Society field trip), Halloween Horror Nights (Just for it being cheaper and going on rides, I don’t care for haunted houses and stuff; Honors Society). And, I’m counting down the days until my dad visits! He’s coming early November when we have a long weekend and Homecoming. I haven’t decided what we should do yet, but I can’t wait!

Until next time… goodbye four weeks!

Isn’t it amazing how time could move so slowly when you don’t want it to and so fast when you are having fun? Well, this whole year has flown by and I’m still in shock. I can still remember sitting in my dorm several months ago not knowing what college was like and what I should expect, or how I was going to do. Well, here it is a couple of months later and I am writing the final journal! I guess we’ll treat this last journal like all other journals and start with my classes.

TTh – Physics 104 – We have our fourth exam this Thursday and then our final is scheduled for next week. Overall this class hasn’t been too bad; the class is fairly easy if you study but the timing is horrible. Class at 8:15am is not the best choice, but it’s not completely horrible. You feel productive when you get up early; it really feels like you get things done!

TTh – Basic Aeronautics II – Our fourth exam is this Tuesday and then we have a final next week. I am kind of nervous about this class because I need to do really really really good on the next two tests in order to get an A. I think I will probably end up with a B, but I will try to go for the A. This class has been pretty cool because all the stuff you learn in class, you will use in the airplane. So as opposed to physics where you memorize formulas, use them on a test, and then never use them again, in Basic Aeronautics what you learn, you will always use. I like that.

MWF – Air Traffic Control I – Our fourth exam is scheduled for this Wednesday, and we don’t have a final. That is a relief because right now I have so much going on. I’m glad that I chose to do ATC as my minor because I think that it will really help me. A lot of the stuff we are going over, I already know because I fly. So that way, not only do I get some extra review on some important things, when we do have a test, I don’t have to study as much as other students because I already know some key elements. So, in my opinion, ATC is definitely a good choice for a minor if you are a pilot.

MWF – Intro to Psychology – Just like my ATC class, we have a fourth exam coming up and we have no final exam. I think that this has been my favorite class so far for a couple reasons. For one, I have found most of what we talked about pretty interesting. Even though you might not use some of the information that you learn in class while you are in an airplane, it is still some interesting stuff. Also, my professor (Dr. Kring) is by far one of the best professors I have encountered while I am here at Riddle. He does everything he can to try and make the class fun. He always tells jokes and tries to brighten up some of the duller topics. His class has been very enjoyable and I am already trying to see what other classes he teaches so I can try to have him as a professor again. As freshmen, you don’t get to pick your fall classes, but you do get to pick when the spring semester starts so I would recommend that you try to get Dr. Kring for your PSY 101 class. If you do get him and end up not liking his class, don’t complain to me because you are most likely wrong! Well, I guess you are entitled to your own opinion . . .

Flight – Flying has been pretty slow lately; I seem to have some bad luck when it comes to scheduling because it always seems something comes up and my flight gets rescheduled or canceled. Fortunately though, I flew just the other day with another instructor and I’m a couple flights away from my check ride!!! I am definitely getting nervous, but I know I’ll do well as long as I stay focused. I have really been enjoying flying lately and not too long ago I went on my long cross-country to an airport called Cecil and over to St. Augustine. The flight went pretty well and it was a solo so it was only me up in the plane, which is always fun. Now that I have all my solo requirements met, I am one step closer to being done. In the next couple of weeks I’ll have my oral and I have been studying a lot lately. One good way to study is to actually go to someone else’s oral. Here at Riddle, you are allowed to observe someone else’s oral so you know what to expect. I think that is a major advantage, so that way there are no surprises. I feel a lot more at ease after being able to watch an oral and see what it is like when the spotlight isn’t on you.

Other than flying and classes, I’ve been doing some pretty cool things! For one, jumping out of airplanes is always at the top of the list. Since it is the last journal, I might as well make one last plug for SkyDive DeLand . . . so go to www.skydivedeland.com and just check it out, whether you know you want to do it or even if you are afraid of heights, just go to the site, find out some information, and see what happens. It is definitely something that is pretty extreme and exciting, but if you want to try something a little ‘safer’ go check out SkyVenture ( http://skyventureorlando.com )when you are down in Daytona.

Well, as many of you are loyal journal readers, I got into a car wreck a couple months back and totaled my car. Well, I was driving around a temporary car for a while but now I have a permanent car . . . and I love it. I just purchased a 2004 Mazda RX8 from a friend who works at a dealership. With the insurance money I got for my totaled car and the great deal on the RX8, I couldn’t pass it by. I am so excited about having a car that I can call my own again, and I’m even more excited that it is an RX8! I’ll be sure to post some pictures of it online.

So, obviously I have been looking for any reason to drive around, and last Sunday I got the chance to drive to Tampa. Once again, if you are a loyal journal reader you know why I would drive all the way to Tampa (aside from any reason to drive the RX8). I, of course, went to go see the Tampa Bay Lightning game, which unfortunately, was their last game. They were in the quarter-finals of the playoffs against New Jersey, but now New Jersey is moving on to play Buffalo while the Lightning are going to take a break for a couple of months. (In case you couldn’t tell, Tampa lost and New Jersey won). Anyways, I love going to the games because it is much more intense than watching it on T.V. So, at least I have something to look forward to next year.

I went to the game on Sunday with my girlfriend and afterwards, we drove back through Orlando and decided to go to Islands of Adventure (IOA). If you haven’t heard of IOA, it is a theme park and it is next to Universal Studios. Both my girlfriend and I have season passes so we can go whenever we feel like it, and on the way back from Tampa, we felt like it. We went and road the Hulk, Spiderman, and Dueling Dragons; we definitely have gotten our money’s worth over the past year, and we have a 2 year pass so we will continue to get our money’s worth! After IOA, we went to Macaroni Grill ( www.macaronigrill.com ) and had dinner. I want to recommend Macaroni Grill to anyone who wants to enjoy a delicious meal, and I would suggest to ‘Create your own pasta’ and select asiago cheese as the sauce, bowtie as the noodle, and add slices of grilled chicken and you will be in heaven. This meal that I just described is so so so so so so so delicious! Just thinking about it makes me want to go and apply for a job there so I can learn how they make it and go home and drop out of school and cook that delicious meal all day. Or maybe I’ll just go to Macaroni Grill and order it. Yeah, I’ll probably do that second choice.

Other than that I haven’t been up to a lot lately. I have played racquetball a couple times and I made it through 18 holes in golf last weekend. I was above par; actually, I was close to doubling par. Oh well, my friend Cris went with me and we had a good time so it’s all good. Aside from hitting balls with clubs and rackets, I have been paying a lot of attention to school work to try to end the year on a good note. One thing I enjoy about college is the fact that the last day of classes is April 26th and then we have finals to May 2nd. So all you high schoolers hang in there because next year you will be done by April!!!

Well here we are at the end of the last journal at the end of the year. Looking back, if I had to offer advice to any freshies coming into school, it would be that college is whatever you make of it. If you think that it is nothing but work and stress, then you won’t have a good time; likewise, if you think that it is all fun and games and partying, your grades will suffer from it. You have to find a middle ground where you do well in school, but still enjoy your college experience. Show up in August with a smile on your face, your mind open to different things, and go meet people. Don’t be shy and hide away, you have plenty of time to do that later in the year! I think that it is real important to be social and meet new people and make friends, because they are going to be in the same boat as you. Everyone is in a new place with new freedoms and it’s good to make friends so you can keep each other in check. Remember, most everyone is new at the whole college thing, so don’t think that everyone knows what’s going on because there are probably a whole bunch of people who don’t have a clue. Before you know it, college will seem normal and you will have trouble remembering what it was like before hand. When I started writing these journals, I had no idea what was going on and I was just trying to figure everything out. Now here it is April and I can’t remember what that feeling was like! So if it gets tough at times, no need to worry because you will have people right along side of you that are going through the same thing; and by the end of the year, you’ll be a pro . . . like me!

I can still remember back to 12th grade when I would go online and see when the next set of student journals were published. I was so excited about going to Embry-Riddle and I had so many questions and thoughts, but I never asked anyone or talked to the student journal writers. And when I got here, I began to learn things on my own and I tried to share them with all of you. Well now that I know everything (well most of everything!) I find it difficult to put myself in your shoes. I forgot what it was like to not know anything and be completely new to the world of college. That’s why I hope these journals helped paint a picture of what college at Embry-Riddle is like and I hope that you have enjoyed reading them. I strongly urge anyone who is interested to think about writing these journals next year. When you come to Riddle, there will be some sort of announcement that describes how you can become a journal writer, and I hope that you would consider it. When I read last year’s journals, there was a lot of useful information and it was entertaining, but there was still so much that I was curious about. So when this year began, I started writing these journals and I tried to go above and beyond and make them something special. I didn’t want these journals to be boring or lacking entertainment or information, so I tried to make them as best I could; I think that I did a pretty good job. I posted some good pictures, a couple of videos, and hopefully you learned a lot about life here at Riddle. So now, at the end, I offer a challenge to the next set of students to come to Riddle. I want someone to go above and beyond what I have done. If there is anyone out there who has more questions, or if something was made unclear when I explained it (or didn’t explain it at all), I want you to write these journals and include anything that I missed. If there is anyone out there that reads these journals as religiously as I did, you know that it isn’t just text on a computer screen. I read the journals and soaked up everything that I laid my eyes on, these journals were the only connection between my dreams about going to Riddle and actually going there. So just think about it; if you enjoyed these journals as much as I did, take the time to write them next year and share your experiences and wisdom with the next set of students. Try to come up with more things to offer, try to give more information, try to be funnier (probably won’t be though). I honestly hope that these journals have meant something to you guys out there and I’ll try not to get too teary-eyed *sniffle* but I really did enjoy writing these. Also, thanks to everyone who wrote emails and I hope that I answered any and all questions that were asked. If I didn’t reply to anyone, please let me know because things have been pretty crazy lately. If there is anything that anyone needs to know or if you just want to congratulate me on writing these awesome journals, you know my email. Feel free to write me over the summer or look me up once you get on campus! I hope that everyone’s year ends well and that you are looking forward to coming to the best school around! I guess that’s it! I think I have said all I needed to say . . . so until next time we meet . . . don’t forget that the big signs on the side of the road with numbers that say ‘speed limit’ aren’t recommendations. It’s probably best that you don’t exceed those numbers because there are a lot of people who get upset when you do that. Hmmmm, yeah. That’s how we’ll end it.

-Blake
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Hey Everyone,

Studying. That describes the last two weeks to every degree. I have been learning and studying like crazy for all my classes. I still have two tests this week. Tests in college are a lot different than high school, because even though the textbooks have units and chapters, professors assign the weirdest combination of chapters for a test. So you can be learning about the industrial revolution on one hand and India and the Middle East, its traditions, culture and history on the other. It’s weird but I have adapted as much as I can. School for me, has been much better than high school. I like learning specific things that will be helpful to me in a career. Sitting in classroom is fun for me.

Continuing on the academic side of things, I registered for my spring semester of classes! It was really great because since I am the treasurer of Task Force One, which is sponsored by the Student Government Association, I was allowed to pre-register for classes.. This allowed me to get all the classes I wanted before they filled up for the semester. I was really happy because my schedule is a lot like this semester, whereas my classes are in the morning and I have all afternoon to relax. I am taking 5 classes next semester, down from 6 this semester, but one of my classes this semester is 1 credit hour, which means the workload isn’t as extensive as my other classes, which are 3 credit hours. Next semester will be tough, I won’t lie, because I will have macroeconomics, managerial accounting, advanced computing, business statistics, and principles of aeronautical science. So there will be lots of work in my room next semester.

Well, I mentioned Task Force One, and I will give you the first public announcement of our fall event! On Friday, December 2, 2005, Task Force One presents… Rockin’ The Holidays! Now, I don’t expect you guys at home to come, but for the people already on campus who read my journal, there will be food and a concert, with a great local band, that I will name in my next journal entry (they have not yet been confirmed, but soon… definitely.) So come on out, though it made be geared toward first year students, everyone is more than welcome! We will have this, rain or shine! (In case of rain, it will be moved indoors.)

Speaking of rain… last week we had quite a lot. Hurricane Wilma blew over Florida, and we Riddle students waited and waited all weekend for the administration to give us the news that we all wanted to hear. Sunday came and passed, and then at 7 am Monday morning I was rudely awoken by some news I normally never hear until winter. Classes canceled. Yay! What a relaxing day Monday was. Of course now that I am in Florida, I’ll never get a snow day so one hurricane day felt good.

The week was also shortened on the other end because Friday was university day, which kicked off homecoming weekend ’05. The highlight of the weekend for myself was seeing the host of “Mind Of Mencia” on Comedy Central, Carlos Mencia perform live in the ICI center. He was hilarious. I loved his ability to teach and entertain at the same time. He also signed autographs for any person who wanted one after the show, so when I met him, he was really nice. He really earned the respect of many people, young and older and I really appreciated him coming to Embry-Riddle.

Well, I’m sure you’re pretty excited about high school years and your college years to come and I hope that my journals have given you something to look forward to, should you arrive in Daytona Beach one August or January afternoon.

With Hope for You,
Carlos

P.S. The young man from Spruce Creek High School, who emailed me, please email me back because I mistakenly deleted your email. Thanks.

Sup Guys?
I went home this weekend (27th-30th) ! I was excited and thrilled. I spent a lot of time with my family and my dog. I had two exams this past week that I got over with, which relieved me and I got home without worrying about any kinds of exams.

My exam on Wednesday was in Psychology, I studied for the test for about 3 hours on and off. So about 2 straight I¹d say. I did well, the last one I didn’t do so well so I HAD to do well on this one so I can pull at least a B. It’s not that easy because he covers many chapters on one exam plus you have to memorize much other stuff, that’s why it is PSYCHOLOGY. The other one was right the next day, which killed me. And Guess what it was? The subject I hate, Chemistry!! It was tough again. We got into a study group and studied for 5 hours straight!! Now that was the first time I actually studied Straight for five hours. I felt exhausted after that and went to bed right away; this was Wednesday night after the Psychology exam. In Chemistry, there are so many formulas you have to remember, plus the right equations to solve it and to balance its a pain! My other classes I am improving quite well, but slow. I usually start bad but then regain control because I get used to the system. My first tests I didn’t do too well as I mentioned on my last journals so I am catching up now.

The weather has be fantastic here! I am so surprised it feels like Europe. It is around 50-60 during the night and about 65 during the day. It is just phenomenal and I love it, I go outside just for a walk nightly, that’s how much I love the cold. Some students study outside because its so nice, but then you have other distractions such as the wind blowing all your papers off or a friend calling your name. The best thing is library, it is quite and peaceful, where nobody will distract you. But If I see you, I will. Just kidding!

Now since everybody will probably write that school was cancelled that day because of Hurricane Wilma, we were quite surprised. The reason behind that was because we are a private school and they do not close if other schools or post offices close. It is up to the Chancellor to close the school. The night it increased to a Category 3 Hurricane, it was still open which surprised me, it said we will get winds exceeding 30MPH. Then when I woke up in the morning around 6 I checked and it was terrible outside, school was still open. There was no way I could have gone outside, even with an umbrella it would have blown it away. So I decided not to go to class until things calmed down, which they did six hours later. But by then all my classes were gone and classes were cancelled within an hour, at 7 am.

So here I am on a Sunday night writing this, tomorrow I have a lab at 7:50.. I have to get up at 7 which is not too bad compared to High School. Then I got classes at 8:15, 9:45 and 1:00. I get with my friends to eat lunch at 11:30 always and we have a good time. My best friend here from Croatia won the National Championships in Tennis and is going to Ohio State University on Wednesday to play for higher NCAA II Tennis. If he wins, he can get some kind of entry into U.S. Open or things like that. Amazing player he is. You can view him by looking at the tennis section of our athletics. http://daytona.embryriddlesports.com/ Ok Guys, Cya remember my AIM: Mafia6663