Back to School

Classes start back up on Thursday.  I’m taking 19.5 credit hours.  Advanced Physics II, Mathematical Modeling, German II, Philosophy, Linear Algebra, and Advanced Economics.  I’m not overly concerned.  It should be a fairly easy semester, all things considered.

My motivation level is remarkably low.  I just don’t really feel like doing much of anything…which is bad of course.  I’m enjoying getting my computer all set up, but one essential piece is still missing which is kind of a pain…it should have arrived by now…

I need to finish my room clean up for tomorrow morning.

Michael

2009 Closeout

It’s that time of year, where everyone gets all sentimental and looks back over the last year as we get ready to move into the next.  I’m not special, so here’s mine.

2009 didn’t bring and huge changes for me.  I started at West Point in 2008, so it was just more of the same.  Spring semester was a drag, and my GPA showed it.  There were upsides of course.  The West Point Glee Club did some amazing events.  We spent Spring Break in southern California doing some concerts, and relaxing on the beach of course.  I realized how much I was getting used to the cold as I walked around LA in shorts and saw people in sweatshirts.

The pinnacle of the musical stuff was singing with Trace Adkins in Las Vegas.  It’s hard to believe some of the opportunities that I got to participate in really.  When Trace came and did a concert at West Point and then at a USO Gala, I was able to make the video to play in the background, which was truly awesome to be able to put visual aid to the beautiful song.

My summer was busy.  I started out by retaking Military Movement (gymnastics), barely pulled out a D in my second attempt, a huge relief.  I then got about a week at home before heading back to the academy for Cadet Field Training.  It was fun, aside from the C+ I got for my grade…lots of  enjoyable training though.  My final block was spent becoming a nationally registered EMT.  Long days of power point presentations, practice, and trying to stay awake.  I passed no problem and got certified.

The past semester has been fairly successful.  With 6 academic classes and 2 physical ones, I was able to raise my overall GPAs in each pillar…except maybe Military, but that’s a different story.  I increased my video game time substantially, which is another victory.  I plan to continue that trend as we enter the next semester.

Overall, it’s been a good year for me.  I’ve learned new things, met new people, grown closer to good friends, and of course, grown apart from others.  I guess that about covers the year, and now I’ll look on to the next.  2010, here I come.

Michael

One down, Four to go

Yup, it’s that time of year again.  TEE (Term End Exam) Week!

Just got back from my American Politics TEE, and based on what I was expecting to do with it, I’m calling it good to go.  Honestly, AP is the kind of class that I ride the B- line in, so that’s all I really care about at this point, and I’m fairly sure I managed to do that.

Tomorrow is Statistics.  Zero chance of failure there.  Wednesday is Geography, which means I should start the preparatory stuff for that…or play Dragon Age instead….  Thursday is German in the morning (Guten Morgen!) and Physics in the afternoon.  Going into the Physics TEE, I’m 0.32 percent below a regular “A.”  I don’t want an “A-” dang it!

I’m flying home Friday morning.  It’s going to be a loooooooooooong day though.  I’m on a 0600 bus to the airport, but my flight isn’t until several hours later, and then I won’t make it home until around 2200.  At least I’ll be home though, and hopefully I’ll make it on schedule this time.

Time to go NOT study!

Michael

SuperFogeys 2010 Teaser

Since 2006, I have been a regular reader of a webcomic called SuperFogeys.  It’s about retired Superheroes and Villains living together in a special retirement home.  How could that NOT be funny?

Over time, it’s become more than just quick one-liners though.  I’ve loved watching it grow into what it is today, and have even wrote two papers for my English Composition course about the rhetoric involved.  As a favor to the creator and because he challenged us to, I’m uploading his teaser for the next year of strips.  Check it out for yourself at http://www.superfogeys.com with new strips on Thursdays and a branch comic, SuperFogeys Origins on Tuesdays.

Good News

Just found out today that I’ve got my next APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) scheduled for the second week of January, and if (or I should say when) I pass it, I’ll be back in the good graces of the Academy.

This is good news since it’s the extra chance I was hoping for.  Thanks to everyone who was rooting or praying for me.

Michael

Because who wouldn’t want to read my paper?

I doubt anyone will read it, but since I uploaded my solution from the MCM, I figured why not?

This is my paper for American Politics.  Enjoy.

Election Legitimacy in the United States and Iran

Michael

I guess it’s time to spill the beans

I’ve been hesitant to blog about what’s going on with me, because I still don’t know what the final COA is at this point.  But, since it’s getting down to the wire, I might as well put it out there rather than people asking a million questions.

People who know me, know that running and I have never really gotten along.  It’s basically a hate-hate relationship.  Second semester of last year, I failed my APFT by 2 push-ups after a boxing bout for class.  My retest ended up happening this semester, and I failed the run by 38 seconds.

Since that made 2 in a row, I was started on the process of being separated from the Academy.  I was counseled at the company level, and then met with the RTO (Regimental Tactical Officer).  He told me he was recommending me for separation.  The next step was to meet with the Acting Commandant of the Corps of Cadets.  After about a 30 minute meeting, he gave me until the end of last week to pass up any additional information for his decision, and then he would be recommending me for separation.

I haven’t heard anything definitive at this point, but I asked my TAC NCO yesterday if he knew when I would hear next, and he said my paperwork was going to JAG on Monday and I should hear from the S1 (personnel and admin people) soon.  I don’t know what exactly that means, but I’m not very optimistic.  I was talking to my CO this morning, and he was under the impression I would probably see the Superintendent before actually being separated, but we aren’t sure.

So there’s what going on.  And of course I’m still doing everything else that I would normally be doing, classes and all that, so that’s great.  I don’t know what’s going to happen, but at this point, it is what it is, so I just have to ride the ride.

Michael

Been a while, my bad

I guess I’ll just say that things are…going.  I suppose I’ll have more to say soon enough.

I’ve still got plenty to say, just nothing really has jumped out at me lately.  That, and I’ve been playing way too many video games to spend time writing a blog

Michael

My Project for Trace Adkins

Hopefully you all know that last year, as a member of the West Point Glee Club, I had the opportunity to sing with Trace Adkins for the Academy of Country Music Awards.  He is doing a concert here at West Point on 2 October, as well as a USO Gala in Washington, D.C. the following week and has asked the Glee Club to perform the song with him again.

When we sang in Las Vegas, we sang a shortened version of the song and representatives from the Academy of Country Music put together a video to play in the background for the song.  The video of our performance may help explain it.    Since we don’t have the same time limits as we did there, Trace asked if it would be possible to make a new video for the same purpose.  As the S6 (Information Systems Officer, or just plain of Tech Guy) I volunteered to do it.

The Director of the Glee Club, Mrs. Chase, got me in contact with several sources from various segments of the Army and DoD in order to acquire media for the project.  I spent quite some time really thinking what I wanted to do with it, and based on what I had received at the time (since there was a time constraint on getting it finished) I went to work.

I was surprised with what it was turning into as I worked.  Ultimately, I felt that I had gone where I wanted to go with it with what I had at the time and showed it to Mrs. Chase.  She thought it was good, so we sent it to Trace’s manager.

I received word this morning that he “loved it” with several exclamation marks.  I’ll definitely try and put it online at some point, but I don’t want to undercut Trace in any way, so I’m holding off on that.  This was arguably one of the most nerve-racking and possibly far reaching projects I’ve been able to work on.  I’m really proud of how it turned out.

On a side note, my knee is currently bleeding from my mountain biking class…

Michael

People

It occurs to me that as much as I like to think that I don’t trust people, I’m disgustingly trusting.

Time and time again, I overestimate the connections that I have with people.  Probably a result of the great family I was raised in and great family friends over the years who provided a great example of good people.  As I look at the world though, I see a lot of screwed up people.

There is of course a trade off in this situation.  If you are more cautious of people, you can inadvertently miss out on good opportunities.  On the other hand, being too trusting can get you hurt.

I want to be the realist that I profess to be.  In the same way that being the “nice guy” seems to do wonders (please note the sarcasm) for my current relationship prospects, that nice guy status has not had a great effect recently.

In other news, I can’t shake this desire to be in Afghanistan with my unit rather than here….  I don’t know that desire is really the word.  I’m sure they’d think I was nuts if I said I wanted to be there, but still.  I feel like I almost stepped out on them by coming here, even though I’ve been gone over a year.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately.  Anyone who reads these things regularly knows that most of the time I just write for the sake of writing.

Michael