Wednesday, April 23, 2008

I will Survive

Well this past weekend was very eventful. I went to Camp Ripley for our annul Joint FTX training (ROTC thing). We left on Thursday around 11:30 am and got back on Sunday at 2:00 pm. It was about a five hour bus drive on the worst highways in the world (thank you Minnesota). The night we got there we did our night land navigation which is when they give us co ordinances on a grid map and we have to find the flag that goes with them. They give us 3 hours and five grid points and it starts at 9 pm and the only light you can have is an army flashlight with a red lens. The red light really doesn’t help unless the map is made for it and ours wasn’t. We still rocked it though. The freshmen got to pair up with each other and my partner and I finished with 45 min left and got 4 out of 5. We got to sleep at 1:30 because some junior in our squad got lost. We got up the next morning at 4:50, went to a team building activity till 10 and then did our day land navigation. Once again we rocked it. That night we camped outside under the stars in 30 degree weather with a C-130 buzzing us until 2:00 am and then we woke up at 4:00 am packed up and then started our 12 straight hours of STX lanes (simulated combat drills). It was then that I realized that out of all the colleges that were there UND was so much more prepared. Our juniors were much better leaders and we all knew what to do because we practice it every Thursday. We ended the day with a 3 mile Ruck March (all our gear on our backs). We ate a nice dinner and then spent the last 3 hours from 8 till 11 cleaning our guns (m-16). Yes it took the full 3 hours.
I am still alive and well. It was overall a very fun and educational weekend. I was not allowed to bring any electronics like cell phones or cameras so I don’t have any pictures to show you.
(only 3 ½ more weeks till we come home!!!)

Monday, April 14, 2008

home for the summer

Well, it has finally warmed up to 45-50 degrees. I wore shorts and a t-shirt last Tuesday. It was still a little chilly but it was nice to not have to wear a coat and long pants.
I had an interesting encounter with our neighbors from hell last week. To make a long story short, they put there trashcan right in front of our side of the garage so we can’t get into our car without hitting it. I moved it 3 feet way to the side of the garage (still on our side) and then they moved it back. This went on for about 4 days until I get a pounding at the door from a crazy white man with dread locks who tells me to stop touching his f%$#ing trashcan. We exchanged words and then he ended by walking a way telling me to get a job. I told him I went to school so I could get a job. I was then informed that “you ain’t need no schoolin to get an F#$*ing job.” Obviously I have been lied to my whole life for if I only knew that I could speak without paying $100,000 for school, I would be at home in Texas working at the nearest Cracker Barrel driving a Ford pinto.
I called my land lord and told him that I was making my final complaint (complaint #1-4 consisted of noise issues, trash in our back yard, leaving the garage door open, and dog poo on my doorstep) and that if it didn’t get resolved he would be finding me a new place to live.
I hope things will get better so we won’t have to move until our lease is up but we will see if the landlord will even do anything about it. That is life though so we will just have to get use to it.
On a brighter note, we are coming home for summer!!! Yea!!! We will be in town on the 17th and leave on the 24th. I will not be ready for the hot but I would like to go swimming. They don’t swim up here. The water never gets hot enough. Anna is making a list of everything we must do while in town and #1 is EAT AT ON THE BOARDER. Everything after that is up to her.
(todays high has finaly reached 60!!!)