"Ground, Cessna One Two Papa."
"Cessna One Two Papa, go ahead."
"Cessna One Two Papa, we're here on the ramp requesting taxi via Bravo to runway one nine for a VFR departure to the Northwest"
"Cessna One Two Papa, you are cleared to taxi via Bravo, runway one nine."
"Cleared to taxi via Bravo, runway one nine, Cessna One Two Papa"
*A Few moments later*
"Tower, Cessna One Two Papa."
"Cessna One Two Papa, go ahead."
"Cessna One Two Papa, on the ramp at runway one nine, ready for a VFR departure to the north west."
"Cessna One Two Papa, cleared for take off. Winds at..."
"Cleared for take off. Thank you, Cessna One Two Papa."
That was the beginning conversation between myself, ground control, and air control before I took off on my last lesson. A typical routine conversation between many pilots and air traffic controllers, but this conversation happened to be my second. Ever. My novice to the field of aviation is still apparent, and will be for quite sometime. But I have found that the more you immerse yourself into its realm, the more you will be able to find yourself speaking the language. This past week, I even compelled myself to memorizing the entire phonetic alphabet:
Alpha
Bravo
Charlie
Delta
Echo
Foxtrot
Golf
Hotel
India
Juliette
Kilo
Lima
Mike
November
Oscar
Papa
Quebec
Romeo
Sierra
Tango
Uniform
Victor
Whiskey
X-Ray
Zulu
It was easier than I thought. I just had to give my mind a task to do involving these letters, rather than sitting in a chair staring at the same words over and over again. So I found that task- license plates. Driving around, or walking through a parking lot, You can see all kinds of license plates, each one with their own individual sequence of letters and numbers. I would look at each plate and from memory, attempt to recall each phonetic letter and use it as a call sign instead of a plate number. Stupid? Yes. Did it work? You bet.
Before I continue, I need to put it out there that I'm not devoting my entire blog to discovering flight, but as it so happens, that's what I'm focusing on as a life long learner at this point. I have a few other posts coming on different ideas, but they will happen in good time.
Now, back to flying. I now have four and a half hours logged of flight time, and things are starting to get interesting. For the first time ever, or at least it felt like it to me, I had complete control of the airplane during my last take off. Once you get into your groove, you'll find that the process is pretty easy to follow:
Line up on center line. Make sure your front wheel is straight. Full power. Use rudder to keep aircraft going down center line. Airspeed at 50 kts, pull back on the yoke to rotate the plane up. Keep pulling back slightly. Plane lifts into air. Continue climb. Maintain an airspeed of 70 kts. Level. Trim.
It's that easy. I may have left a few things our for redundancy, but having that experience of being able to have the controls to yourself without corrective input from the instructor is a bit intimidating and liberating at the same time.
The plane is getting easier to fly, and all the time we're learning new things: Stalls, slow flight, steep turns, more stalls, using the instrument panel, the list goes on and on. The more time you spend in the plane, the more you learn.
But it hasn't been friendly skies the entire time. I have subjected myself to my own personal scrutiny of wondering why I am doing what I am. Why am I spending copious amounts of money for something I have no idea which direction I am going to take after I have earned the credential? Why can this plane be so hard to fly sometimes? Why is some of this stuff going over my head? Am I wasting my time and money? Personal evaluation is important in everything. I have always known myself to be overly critical of myself.
Regardless of what I put myself through, I also need to step back and ask myself these questions: Am I enjoying what I do? Yes. Is what I am doing fun? Yes. Am I accomplishing a goal that I have set for myself: Yes?
Three yeses. That seems worth it to me. Although at this point, Im not sure where or what direction this is going to take me, but as I written before, we don't know where life is going to take us. We don't even know what is going to happen tomorrow. The best we can do is enjoy the ride.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Defying Gravity
August 15, 2010. Flight lesson two. 1.8 hours logged of flight time. It seems that the newness of the brilliance and shine of the first lesson has worn itself off. This being my second time in the cockpit, I got up in the aircraft somewhat accustomed to the settings, and the feeling of what it was to be inside of this plane.
With a smile on my face, I can say that my first time up in the air as a pilot was everything that I expected it to be. Being at the controls had become an accomplishment, and a dream come true. Although I am still naive about the whole field of aviation, the sound of the engine rumble, and the shake that it sends through the entire plane just as you are holding short of the runway is without a doubt exhilarating.
Although I can recount my first time going up, it would take way too long to account for it in this blog. I will make it short by say from the time the wheels lifted off of the runway, a smile had crept its way across my face.
This Cessna is an older plane. An '81 152 Model. While still a bit uneasy about it being so old, once in the air, I learned that she's still airworthy. As it is, there is still plenty of lessons ahead of me. After all, it was only my second lesson that I just completed. This flight training has been a dream come true. I am still a bit anxious. There is a lot to learn, and at this point, I'm intimidated by it. There's the medical certification, the oral exam, and written exam, all before you can get the "entry" level license. That's just the way it is.
Still, I look forward to this experience, what I am going to learn, and the experience that I will encounter. Some scary, some happy, but all worth it.
With a smile on my face, I can say that my first time up in the air as a pilot was everything that I expected it to be. Being at the controls had become an accomplishment, and a dream come true. Although I am still naive about the whole field of aviation, the sound of the engine rumble, and the shake that it sends through the entire plane just as you are holding short of the runway is without a doubt exhilarating.
Although I can recount my first time going up, it would take way too long to account for it in this blog. I will make it short by say from the time the wheels lifted off of the runway, a smile had crept its way across my face.
This Cessna is an older plane. An '81 152 Model. While still a bit uneasy about it being so old, once in the air, I learned that she's still airworthy. As it is, there is still plenty of lessons ahead of me. After all, it was only my second lesson that I just completed. This flight training has been a dream come true. I am still a bit anxious. There is a lot to learn, and at this point, I'm intimidated by it. There's the medical certification, the oral exam, and written exam, all before you can get the "entry" level license. That's just the way it is.
Still, I look forward to this experience, what I am going to learn, and the experience that I will encounter. Some scary, some happy, but all worth it.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Life Lesson: Keep Your Options Open
As often as we like to make up our minds about things, one of the things that I have learned through the course of my life is to keep your options open. Yes, we like to make specific decisions (or at least I do) about what kind of car we want to drive, what type of clothes we wear, what are we going to eat for supper tonight, the list goes on and on and on. Sure, these are small things, and we can make decisions on small things. The point that I am trying to make is that we need to embrace the ambiguity of life.
Throughout the course of my experiences in life, I have come to learn that humans are life long learners. That is to say we have the capacity to learn something new everyday. One way I would like to illustrate this is in a personal experience of mine.
For about two years now, I have been developing a keen interest in aviation. I can't exactly explain it either, but I am simply amazed at the corporate world of flight. Airports run so efficiently, it takes me back to my days of theatre, where during production, the theatre is pretty much a well oiled machine. It just goes. Plane come in, they land, passengers board, plane takes off again. But it's not just that. The aircraft themselves. The sleek look a plane's angles. The scream of a jet engine. The sheer engineering marvel that we can take a piece of metal and make it fly. Astounding.
In my years of grad school, whenever I found myself to be stressed out, or if I just needed a change of scenery, I would go out to the Norfolk airport for hours, and watch the planes fly in and fly out. When it came time for breaks, I would book flights home instead of driving 6 hours. I would even look for layovers, just so I could get on another plane and experience the exhilarating feeling of takeoff and flight. But it didn't stop there. I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent sitting in front of a computer watching YouTube videos of nothing but planes at airports. I think I'm pretty much hooked.
But before all of that happened, the very reason I became interested in aviation was because I flew to Pennsylvania to visit a friend to fulfill my other passion- theatre.
I didn't know that I would become fascinated by planes. Frankly, I was terrified at first, and a bit foolish. I can still remember asking a ticket agent what it was she just handed me- my boarding passes.
So I think the point of this entry is that you never know where life is going to take you. I went to UNCA because I wanted to do drama. Then I wanted to become an RA. I didn't know that that would lead me to a Master's degree. I didn't know that visiting a friend would inspire an appreciation and interest in aviation.
This Sunday, I continue to pursue that interest. I will be making my first flight as a student pilot, in my very first flying lesson. Hopefully by December, I'll be able to fly with my Private Pilot's License. It is a dream coming to fruition.
So, keep your options open. You never know where life is going to take you.
Throughout the course of my experiences in life, I have come to learn that humans are life long learners. That is to say we have the capacity to learn something new everyday. One way I would like to illustrate this is in a personal experience of mine.
For about two years now, I have been developing a keen interest in aviation. I can't exactly explain it either, but I am simply amazed at the corporate world of flight. Airports run so efficiently, it takes me back to my days of theatre, where during production, the theatre is pretty much a well oiled machine. It just goes. Plane come in, they land, passengers board, plane takes off again. But it's not just that. The aircraft themselves. The sleek look a plane's angles. The scream of a jet engine. The sheer engineering marvel that we can take a piece of metal and make it fly. Astounding.
In my years of grad school, whenever I found myself to be stressed out, or if I just needed a change of scenery, I would go out to the Norfolk airport for hours, and watch the planes fly in and fly out. When it came time for breaks, I would book flights home instead of driving 6 hours. I would even look for layovers, just so I could get on another plane and experience the exhilarating feeling of takeoff and flight. But it didn't stop there. I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent sitting in front of a computer watching YouTube videos of nothing but planes at airports. I think I'm pretty much hooked.
But before all of that happened, the very reason I became interested in aviation was because I flew to Pennsylvania to visit a friend to fulfill my other passion- theatre.
I didn't know that I would become fascinated by planes. Frankly, I was terrified at first, and a bit foolish. I can still remember asking a ticket agent what it was she just handed me- my boarding passes.
So I think the point of this entry is that you never know where life is going to take you. I went to UNCA because I wanted to do drama. Then I wanted to become an RA. I didn't know that that would lead me to a Master's degree. I didn't know that visiting a friend would inspire an appreciation and interest in aviation.
This Sunday, I continue to pursue that interest. I will be making my first flight as a student pilot, in my very first flying lesson. Hopefully by December, I'll be able to fly with my Private Pilot's License. It is a dream coming to fruition.
So, keep your options open. You never know where life is going to take you.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
An Introduction (Reprise)
Perhaps this posting comes about on the account that I have more time on my hands. Perhaps a new thoughts have come to my mind and I am inspired to write about them. Whatever the case, I think I think I need a new introduction.
For quite some time, this particular blog has been dormant. The purpose was to log my progress in grad school; what I had discovered, and the life experiences that I have had out of it. Unfortunately though, this idea fell short, as either I didn't have enough time, or just simply lost interest. Only today does this blog reawaken. And there's a reason why.
Since my last posting (which has been over a year ago) I have managed to graduate from graduate school, land a job within my field, and move back to my home state of North Carolina. I have accomplished some of my dreams as stated in one of my earlier postings. The past two years have not been easy ones, per se. Although life was good, it still had its challenges. Now that I have been able to focus on things other than academics, I can now begin to focus on life as a professional, and life enriching opportunities.
But that's not what this post is about. I don't want to deviate too far away from my point. The point of this blog is to re-introduce myself. It's been nearly two years since this blog was created, a lot of changed, and for those of you lucky enough to trip across the blog as a result of a bad Google search (because I know MILLIONS read it) an introduction is in order.
My name is Mark. I work in the business of dreams. No, I don't work for Disney. I work in the business of accomplishing dreams, reaching goals, and creating new heights. I work in the business of education. The past two years of grad school have taught me that this field is not for everyone. I firmly believe that you have to be "cut out" for what you do. Education is a service industry. It is a people business. Some people will tell you otherwise, but the very core, the foundation of what educators do is to inspire others to develop the discipline to expand their minds, to challenge themselves to new commitments, to learn something new.
As humans, we were given a mind capable of complex thought. Thinkers- Socrates, Plato, Columbus, Voltaire, Nietzsche, Einstein, Hawking, and countless others are no different from you and I. People might've thought these folks were off their rocker a bit, all because they had the ability to think differently. Through centuries, we have been able to take a rock and transform it into a wheel, develop letters and languages, create various forms of art, and engineer a 450 ton machine to take off and soar to 30,000 feet above the earth. Folks, that grey matter in our heads is more than just matter. The brain is a tool, but unlike tools the more you use your brain, the sharper it becomes. All we have to do is put it to good use.
And that's what brings me to the point that I want to make today. So often, I find that students who come into my office face a huge level of anxiety in committing themselves to classes. They are unsure if they have the cognitive facilities to have the means to perform academically. I think they have every right to think that, because if all we have been trained to do for the last 20 years is push a button, and pull a lever, it's all we know how to do. Why would you want to break your comfort zone for a few classes?
It is my job and my goal to take the student that comes into my office saying these things, and to empower them with the desire, motivation, and will to learn, accomplish a goal, and to spread their wings.
So here we have returned to a starting point, and with a new mission in mind. This blog will now encompass the lessons I've learned in life, observations in life, and my own personal opinions (when necessary). It's in the tagline.
Here's to a new beginning. I'm back. Let's do this.
For quite some time, this particular blog has been dormant. The purpose was to log my progress in grad school; what I had discovered, and the life experiences that I have had out of it. Unfortunately though, this idea fell short, as either I didn't have enough time, or just simply lost interest. Only today does this blog reawaken. And there's a reason why.
Since my last posting (which has been over a year ago) I have managed to graduate from graduate school, land a job within my field, and move back to my home state of North Carolina. I have accomplished some of my dreams as stated in one of my earlier postings. The past two years have not been easy ones, per se. Although life was good, it still had its challenges. Now that I have been able to focus on things other than academics, I can now begin to focus on life as a professional, and life enriching opportunities.
But that's not what this post is about. I don't want to deviate too far away from my point. The point of this blog is to re-introduce myself. It's been nearly two years since this blog was created, a lot of changed, and for those of you lucky enough to trip across the blog as a result of a bad Google search (because I know MILLIONS read it) an introduction is in order.
My name is Mark. I work in the business of dreams. No, I don't work for Disney. I work in the business of accomplishing dreams, reaching goals, and creating new heights. I work in the business of education. The past two years of grad school have taught me that this field is not for everyone. I firmly believe that you have to be "cut out" for what you do. Education is a service industry. It is a people business. Some people will tell you otherwise, but the very core, the foundation of what educators do is to inspire others to develop the discipline to expand their minds, to challenge themselves to new commitments, to learn something new.
As humans, we were given a mind capable of complex thought. Thinkers- Socrates, Plato, Columbus, Voltaire, Nietzsche, Einstein, Hawking, and countless others are no different from you and I. People might've thought these folks were off their rocker a bit, all because they had the ability to think differently. Through centuries, we have been able to take a rock and transform it into a wheel, develop letters and languages, create various forms of art, and engineer a 450 ton machine to take off and soar to 30,000 feet above the earth. Folks, that grey matter in our heads is more than just matter. The brain is a tool, but unlike tools the more you use your brain, the sharper it becomes. All we have to do is put it to good use.
And that's what brings me to the point that I want to make today. So often, I find that students who come into my office face a huge level of anxiety in committing themselves to classes. They are unsure if they have the cognitive facilities to have the means to perform academically. I think they have every right to think that, because if all we have been trained to do for the last 20 years is push a button, and pull a lever, it's all we know how to do. Why would you want to break your comfort zone for a few classes?
It is my job and my goal to take the student that comes into my office saying these things, and to empower them with the desire, motivation, and will to learn, accomplish a goal, and to spread their wings.
So here we have returned to a starting point, and with a new mission in mind. This blog will now encompass the lessons I've learned in life, observations in life, and my own personal opinions (when necessary). It's in the tagline.
Here's to a new beginning. I'm back. Let's do this.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Let the Games Begin!
It's been a while, I know. Another semester has started up here at ODU, and even though I am heading into the final leg of my first year, this semester is no easier than the first. It is an entirely different beast than what last semester was. This semester is going to be reading intensive. There's a lot to be done, and so far I am managing to stay on top of things.
The end of last semester brought itself out to a good end. I managed to earn a 3.4 GPA which is the best GPA that I've ever earned in my academic career. The time spent at home was amazing. There were plenty of days I would lay in the bed and not get up until 12:00, noon. In addition, I got to spend some great time with the family as well as my beloved animals. Christmas was also wonderful.
Soon after Christmas, I set my sight on a relatively random purchase- the Nintendo Wii. Being it right after the holidays, and the already high demand and rarity of this particular console, I didn't figure that I'd have much luck running one down. I called stores, nothing, I searched online and found some that were definitely at scalping prices. Finally, I I remembered a new store that had just opened, GameStop. So I gave them a call, and low and behold, they had three in stock. I raced down to the store that Sunday night, right after I made the phone call. Upon arrival and to my dismay, they were closed. Very frustrated, I drove home, but not before I lit up my tires in their parking lot.
The next morning, I called the store again just to ensure that I wasn't wasting another trip. So I started to head down there, and I patiently sat in my car until they opened. Upon opening, I went in, and claimed my very own Nintendo Wii. I was amazed that I had actually found one.
As soon as I came home and set it up, things got interesting. Pretty soon, the whole family was in front of the TV, duking it out in a boxing match, or throwing balls down a virtual lane in hopes to rack up that perfect bowling score. Time at home drew to a close, and I returned to Norfolk for more training, and getting ready to training RAs and DRs. Of course, my Wii came with me.
The start of the busy semester came, and I soon had to exchange time on the Wii for time on the books. Assignments, office hours, interviews for internships for the summer...everything barreling down over my head. That's life when school is in session.
Now that I do have a Wii, every time I am out at Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc, I always like to peruse the game section to see if there is anything that catches my eye. I've got all the popular games: MarioKart, Wii Play, etc. I had begun to take some interest in the Wii Fit. I figure that if it does what its supposed to do, I can start loosing weight, like I vowed to at the start of the year.
Let's face it. School and eating habits take their toll, and I have come to discover that I'm not exactly as thin as I used to be. That said, I began a search for the Wii Fit. I wasn't adamant about running one down, but if I was given the opportunity, I certainly would pounce on it!
That being said, I happened to be at Wal-Mart earlier this week, perusing the game section, where I just so happen to be looking for the Fit. An associate approached me and asked me if there was any way she could help me. When I inquired about the Fit, she explained to me that they were out of stock, but I should check back early Sunday morning, because they were expecting a shipment. Sunday morning came, where my alarm clock erupted at 7:15 AM. Without skipping a beat, I rolled out of bed and headed to my computer to look up the store's phone number. (I wasn't about to waste a trip that early in the morning). After being placed on hold, I spoke to someone in electronics, who confirmed that they were indeed in stock.
I was in the store by 8:00 AM, and after picking up a few additional things, I finally had my Wii Fit. As soon as I got home, I sat my things down, still in their bags, tore off my clothes, and (you guessed it) went back to bed for an additional two hours.
When I got up, I was in no hurry, so I lounged on the couch watching tv for a while, and made myself breakfast. Then after a little more TV, I decided it was time. I stepped on the fit, and the challenges began. The experience is definitely "whole body" gaming. The wii fit is definitely a fun and enjoyable experience. It can be used at leisure, or as a workout.
A little later, I did something that I hadn't done in a while. I donned on some shorts, and a light shirt. I was going to work out, Wii style. But before I get into all that. Wii Fit is more than just a balance board. It's a scale, a BMI Calculator, and a balance indicator. During the game, my weight, BMI, and balance were all inventoried. Then I set a weight loss goal for myself.
Now back to the workout. There is a lot of possibility. Just you tube the Wii Fit and see what results come up. My personal workout with the fit was very engaging. I focused a lot on the abdominal exercises, and I am still feeling the twinge! Overall, I am very satisfied.
So there it is. My Wii collection, complete. Perhaps you'll read about my progress here and there, so keep an eye out. Hopefully, I can find some time to work out, and stay on top of the books this semester.
The end of last semester brought itself out to a good end. I managed to earn a 3.4 GPA which is the best GPA that I've ever earned in my academic career. The time spent at home was amazing. There were plenty of days I would lay in the bed and not get up until 12:00, noon. In addition, I got to spend some great time with the family as well as my beloved animals. Christmas was also wonderful.
Soon after Christmas, I set my sight on a relatively random purchase- the Nintendo Wii. Being it right after the holidays, and the already high demand and rarity of this particular console, I didn't figure that I'd have much luck running one down. I called stores, nothing, I searched online and found some that were definitely at scalping prices. Finally, I I remembered a new store that had just opened, GameStop. So I gave them a call, and low and behold, they had three in stock. I raced down to the store that Sunday night, right after I made the phone call. Upon arrival and to my dismay, they were closed. Very frustrated, I drove home, but not before I lit up my tires in their parking lot.
The next morning, I called the store again just to ensure that I wasn't wasting another trip. So I started to head down there, and I patiently sat in my car until they opened. Upon opening, I went in, and claimed my very own Nintendo Wii. I was amazed that I had actually found one.
As soon as I came home and set it up, things got interesting. Pretty soon, the whole family was in front of the TV, duking it out in a boxing match, or throwing balls down a virtual lane in hopes to rack up that perfect bowling score. Time at home drew to a close, and I returned to Norfolk for more training, and getting ready to training RAs and DRs. Of course, my Wii came with me.
The start of the busy semester came, and I soon had to exchange time on the Wii for time on the books. Assignments, office hours, interviews for internships for the summer...everything barreling down over my head. That's life when school is in session.
Now that I do have a Wii, every time I am out at Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc, I always like to peruse the game section to see if there is anything that catches my eye. I've got all the popular games: MarioKart, Wii Play, etc. I had begun to take some interest in the Wii Fit. I figure that if it does what its supposed to do, I can start loosing weight, like I vowed to at the start of the year.
Let's face it. School and eating habits take their toll, and I have come to discover that I'm not exactly as thin as I used to be. That said, I began a search for the Wii Fit. I wasn't adamant about running one down, but if I was given the opportunity, I certainly would pounce on it!
That being said, I happened to be at Wal-Mart earlier this week, perusing the game section, where I just so happen to be looking for the Fit. An associate approached me and asked me if there was any way she could help me. When I inquired about the Fit, she explained to me that they were out of stock, but I should check back early Sunday morning, because they were expecting a shipment. Sunday morning came, where my alarm clock erupted at 7:15 AM. Without skipping a beat, I rolled out of bed and headed to my computer to look up the store's phone number. (I wasn't about to waste a trip that early in the morning). After being placed on hold, I spoke to someone in electronics, who confirmed that they were indeed in stock.
I was in the store by 8:00 AM, and after picking up a few additional things, I finally had my Wii Fit. As soon as I got home, I sat my things down, still in their bags, tore off my clothes, and (you guessed it) went back to bed for an additional two hours.
When I got up, I was in no hurry, so I lounged on the couch watching tv for a while, and made myself breakfast. Then after a little more TV, I decided it was time. I stepped on the fit, and the challenges began. The experience is definitely "whole body" gaming. The wii fit is definitely a fun and enjoyable experience. It can be used at leisure, or as a workout.
A little later, I did something that I hadn't done in a while. I donned on some shorts, and a light shirt. I was going to work out, Wii style. But before I get into all that. Wii Fit is more than just a balance board. It's a scale, a BMI Calculator, and a balance indicator. During the game, my weight, BMI, and balance were all inventoried. Then I set a weight loss goal for myself.
Now back to the workout. There is a lot of possibility. Just you tube the Wii Fit and see what results come up. My personal workout with the fit was very engaging. I focused a lot on the abdominal exercises, and I am still feeling the twinge! Overall, I am very satisfied.
So there it is. My Wii collection, complete. Perhaps you'll read about my progress here and there, so keep an eye out. Hopefully, I can find some time to work out, and stay on top of the books this semester.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Reflecting...
I've been waiting to write this blog for a while. I've just been waiting for the right conditions. As I sit here typing this blog, I am sitting downstairs in the comfort of my own home. There is a fire in the wood stove to my right, and it's gentle warmth fills the whole house. My cat, Patches sits in my lap and purrs as she watches letters fill the screen. I've been home for a little over a week, and it feels amazing. Not long ago, I was writing about how I was struggling, how I was running out of steam. I am happy to report that those days are over. This installment is a reflection. A reflection of my first semester of Grad School.
My very first semester of Grad school has been quite an adventure. It all started July 28th, when I moved to Norfolk to start my assistantship. I was so excited to get out of North Carolina. I was a fresh college graduate, ready to move on and see what things the world had for me out there. I decided that Grad school was what I wanted to do, because I had loved being an RA so much, I wanted to be able to help students as a career. So that's it. I moved to Norfolk, a place that I had never been all to start over and begin a fresh start.
Two days before I moved, I get a call from my boss, who had decided to move me to a new residence hall. A BRAND new residence hall. The only catch was, it had not yet been completed, so they would be placing me, the Residence Hall Director and about 270 students in a downtown hotel. I was astounded, and I has happy to accept the challenge. But before the semester started, I got to live out of a residence hall and go through my Graduate Assistant Training. Two long weeks of training crawled by, but finally, I found the end of it.
Then our RAs showed up, and we had to train them. Getting to know them was fun, and I believe that he built a strong staff. Then the move came. A few days before the semester starts, and we move to the downtown hotel. This hotel was amazing. For myself, I got a corner room, with a king size bed, and a view of the harbor. It was nice. For about two weeks. Each day, maid service would come in and change our sheets and towels. But being stuck in the same place with the only way to get to campus was to wait for the shuttle bus took its tole over the extent of our stay. It got boring, and monotonous, and I was become very frustrated. I wanted to move back on camps. I was ready. But the bad thing about it was, the completion date was getting closer and closer. Parents weren't getting any happier, although it seemed that the students didn't seem to mind.
Finally the day comes! Our residence hall reached it's completion date, and hall staff had the privilege of being able to move in early. I had a ton of work to do, like training my desk receptionist staff, getting keys ready, and all the great things like that. Somehow, I managed to get it completed. I went to class, and then after class, I got a van, and moved all my stuff in. I literally swung my apartment door open, and scooted all my belongings in, and shut the door. The next few days would be the challenging one. It was the move. Even though I had already moved in, we were faced with the challenge of moving all 270 residents into the brand new building. Here again, we were faced with angry parents, and lost belongings, and "new building bugs." So many students had no internet, no hot water, no power, etc. It was insane.
Finally things start to become settled. Our new building quirks were working themselves out, and things were getting taken care of. Then one night, my boss knocks on my apartment door, and shared with me the new of one of our residents took and intoxicated 4 story tumble in a stair well. Long story short, blood was everywhere, and the incident really shook the morale of the building. Happily, this particular student made a full recovery, and is now back with us in our residence hall.
As things continue to settle, I lay in my bed, on the verge of falling asleep when our fire alarm goes off. Now I'm sure you've read about this, but I feel that it is definitely mentionable. Turns out, it was a sprinkler. Everything was flooded. Well, not everything. But a lot of first floor damage. After the incident settled, and we called it a night. My boss and I did our research. We found our culprits, and have taken the proper legal action. Turns out, over $6000 worth of damage happened that night.
Finally, exams approached. This was it. The first trial of grad school. I'd managed to successfully work my way through the classes and the assignments, but this would do it. I went into my exams feeling quite confident for some, and "iffey" for some of the others. Turns out I didn't do too badly. For my first semester of Grad School, I managed to pull an A, B+, and a B. 3.4 GPA for my first semester of Grad School. I was quite happy.
So as my first semester of grad school drew to a close, it had been quite an experience. A hotel, a new building, a stairwell incident, a water sprinkler, and exams. It's been quite a semester, and I can say that I am ready to get the whole graduate career over with.
My very first semester of Grad school has been quite an adventure. It all started July 28th, when I moved to Norfolk to start my assistantship. I was so excited to get out of North Carolina. I was a fresh college graduate, ready to move on and see what things the world had for me out there. I decided that Grad school was what I wanted to do, because I had loved being an RA so much, I wanted to be able to help students as a career. So that's it. I moved to Norfolk, a place that I had never been all to start over and begin a fresh start.
Two days before I moved, I get a call from my boss, who had decided to move me to a new residence hall. A BRAND new residence hall. The only catch was, it had not yet been completed, so they would be placing me, the Residence Hall Director and about 270 students in a downtown hotel. I was astounded, and I has happy to accept the challenge. But before the semester started, I got to live out of a residence hall and go through my Graduate Assistant Training. Two long weeks of training crawled by, but finally, I found the end of it.
Then our RAs showed up, and we had to train them. Getting to know them was fun, and I believe that he built a strong staff. Then the move came. A few days before the semester starts, and we move to the downtown hotel. This hotel was amazing. For myself, I got a corner room, with a king size bed, and a view of the harbor. It was nice. For about two weeks. Each day, maid service would come in and change our sheets and towels. But being stuck in the same place with the only way to get to campus was to wait for the shuttle bus took its tole over the extent of our stay. It got boring, and monotonous, and I was become very frustrated. I wanted to move back on camps. I was ready. But the bad thing about it was, the completion date was getting closer and closer. Parents weren't getting any happier, although it seemed that the students didn't seem to mind.
Finally the day comes! Our residence hall reached it's completion date, and hall staff had the privilege of being able to move in early. I had a ton of work to do, like training my desk receptionist staff, getting keys ready, and all the great things like that. Somehow, I managed to get it completed. I went to class, and then after class, I got a van, and moved all my stuff in. I literally swung my apartment door open, and scooted all my belongings in, and shut the door. The next few days would be the challenging one. It was the move. Even though I had already moved in, we were faced with the challenge of moving all 270 residents into the brand new building. Here again, we were faced with angry parents, and lost belongings, and "new building bugs." So many students had no internet, no hot water, no power, etc. It was insane.
Finally things start to become settled. Our new building quirks were working themselves out, and things were getting taken care of. Then one night, my boss knocks on my apartment door, and shared with me the new of one of our residents took and intoxicated 4 story tumble in a stair well. Long story short, blood was everywhere, and the incident really shook the morale of the building. Happily, this particular student made a full recovery, and is now back with us in our residence hall.
As things continue to settle, I lay in my bed, on the verge of falling asleep when our fire alarm goes off. Now I'm sure you've read about this, but I feel that it is definitely mentionable. Turns out, it was a sprinkler. Everything was flooded. Well, not everything. But a lot of first floor damage. After the incident settled, and we called it a night. My boss and I did our research. We found our culprits, and have taken the proper legal action. Turns out, over $6000 worth of damage happened that night.
Finally, exams approached. This was it. The first trial of grad school. I'd managed to successfully work my way through the classes and the assignments, but this would do it. I went into my exams feeling quite confident for some, and "iffey" for some of the others. Turns out I didn't do too badly. For my first semester of Grad School, I managed to pull an A, B+, and a B. 3.4 GPA for my first semester of Grad School. I was quite happy.
So as my first semester of grad school drew to a close, it had been quite an experience. A hotel, a new building, a stairwell incident, a water sprinkler, and exams. It's been quite a semester, and I can say that I am ready to get the whole graduate career over with.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Runnin' on "E"
I feel as if I am fighting an uphill battle, where I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm runnin' out of steam, and my give-a-damn's busted. I'm at the point where I will bullshit my way through an assignment, just so I can call it done. And frankly, I'm perfectly fine with that.
Thanksgiving break was one of the greatest things that has happened to me in a long time. Despite the 6 hour drive, coming home to see my family and my dogs. Two of my dogs in particular were happy to see me. The moment I walked through the front door, after being tackled with a barrage of hugs and kisses from my mother, I sat in the floor for a solid 10 minutes and did nothing but hold and pet my dogs. They were just as happy to see me as I was them. It was one of the greatest things in the world.
Thanksgiving break was also great because of the sabbatical from work that I took. I brought absolutely no work home with me, and left it all back in Norfolk to fend for itself. What I did at home, was sleep in everyday, and when I actually did get up, I did what most rednecks from my area do- make noise. My brother and I both drug out our deer guns. Now, our rifles are sighted in at 50 yards, because, when you're in the thick of the woods, 50 yards is really all you need. Well, we were feeling a bit ambitious, so we took our targets and placed them about 150 yards from where we were shooting. Looking through that scope, that target didn't look any closer, but somehow, I managed to squeeze off two rounds and place them both within an inch of each other inside the target area. Case and point- if you were a deer, you'd be dead. It had been so long since I had actually shot that gun, and I pleasantly surprised myself.
Of course with Thanksgiving, you eat a lot of great food. That was no exception with my break, as I had generous rounds of home-canned green beans, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, and of course, turkey. It's just another thing that makes me miss home when I am up here.
It was a short lived three days that I spent back home, and then I had to return to my current existence that resides in Norfolk. Again, I drove a boring 6 hours back to my apartment, only to again, do the normal routine starting Monday- office hours till 3, class at 4:20, Dinner at 7. Homework/TV for the rest of the night.
As this semester winds down, I have all but a few things in my way. A paper and presentation that are due Tuesday. I have a little further to go on these things, but I am anticipating that they will be finished tonight. Then Wednesday brings another presentation that is due, which I will work on (you guessed it) Tuesday night. After that, all I have to do is submit a paper that I've already written, study for exams and then take my exams.
After all is said and done, I am doing nothing but vegging out on my couch, playing video games, and getting ready to close my building for winter break. Like I said, it's an uphill battle that's being fought by someone who's running out of steam.
I gotta keep hanging in there. Just two more weeks. Just a few fumes left.
Thanksgiving break was one of the greatest things that has happened to me in a long time. Despite the 6 hour drive, coming home to see my family and my dogs. Two of my dogs in particular were happy to see me. The moment I walked through the front door, after being tackled with a barrage of hugs and kisses from my mother, I sat in the floor for a solid 10 minutes and did nothing but hold and pet my dogs. They were just as happy to see me as I was them. It was one of the greatest things in the world.
Thanksgiving break was also great because of the sabbatical from work that I took. I brought absolutely no work home with me, and left it all back in Norfolk to fend for itself. What I did at home, was sleep in everyday, and when I actually did get up, I did what most rednecks from my area do- make noise. My brother and I both drug out our deer guns. Now, our rifles are sighted in at 50 yards, because, when you're in the thick of the woods, 50 yards is really all you need. Well, we were feeling a bit ambitious, so we took our targets and placed them about 150 yards from where we were shooting. Looking through that scope, that target didn't look any closer, but somehow, I managed to squeeze off two rounds and place them both within an inch of each other inside the target area. Case and point- if you were a deer, you'd be dead. It had been so long since I had actually shot that gun, and I pleasantly surprised myself.
Of course with Thanksgiving, you eat a lot of great food. That was no exception with my break, as I had generous rounds of home-canned green beans, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, and of course, turkey. It's just another thing that makes me miss home when I am up here.
It was a short lived three days that I spent back home, and then I had to return to my current existence that resides in Norfolk. Again, I drove a boring 6 hours back to my apartment, only to again, do the normal routine starting Monday- office hours till 3, class at 4:20, Dinner at 7. Homework/TV for the rest of the night.
As this semester winds down, I have all but a few things in my way. A paper and presentation that are due Tuesday. I have a little further to go on these things, but I am anticipating that they will be finished tonight. Then Wednesday brings another presentation that is due, which I will work on (you guessed it) Tuesday night. After that, all I have to do is submit a paper that I've already written, study for exams and then take my exams.
After all is said and done, I am doing nothing but vegging out on my couch, playing video games, and getting ready to close my building for winter break. Like I said, it's an uphill battle that's being fought by someone who's running out of steam.
I gotta keep hanging in there. Just two more weeks. Just a few fumes left.
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