News

Ok,
Guess what everbody.
They changed my summer schedule on me.
But that's only halve the problem.
They're still working on it.
There is a possibility I might not be able t ocome home at all over summer.
Not sure yet though.
Please be praying that all this gets straightened out and resolved quickly.
I would very much like to come home,
but not if it means I can't come back.
It may come down to that.
So please be praying.

Cadet Jamboree

We had the cadet jamboree tonight.
one of the things there was a good will sale.
Cadets had donated stuff they didn't want any more.
So there was all sorts of stuff there.
I helped with that for about six hours
Afterwards,
I made my way over to where the band was set up.
The Cadet Jazz band was coming up and swing club was going to show off.
On my way over,
I noticed a booth with several animals.
There was a guy with a rather large python wrapped around him.
He let me try it on.

After holding it for a while,
The guy disappeared.
So I wound up holding the snake for two hours until the owner came to put it away.
Fun.

Dilbert

Meet the Tigers

Tonight I went to a BBQ with all the other Three Degree Selects to meet my new squadron.
I didn’t get to talk to many people.
I wound up doing all the cooking at the BBQ.
It was fun once it got going.
The guy who started the charcoal had no idea what he was doing.
After I got the coals going,
I cooked 24 pounds of burgers in less than an hour.
That was a lot of burgers.
They were really good too.

Eagles Peak

I went hiking with a freind of mine this afternoon.
We had been in scouts together back home,
and hadn't gotten much time to just hang out.
We went up to Eagle's Peak,
It's been a while since I've been up there.

After we got to the top,
We were just chilling out,
We were faceing west,
Because we see enough of the Academy.
So we we watching the forest.

We got to talking,
about nothing in particular,
When I noticed smoke.
After watching it for a few minutes,
We decided that it was growing too fast to be a controled fire.

Niether of us had phones,
So we had to get down the mountain to report it.
We decided the trail would take to long,
So we made a straight line down the mountain.
That hurt.
We've both got some really bad scrapes.
I think I have minor sprains in both my ankles.

In the end,
We finally made it to the nearest place with a phone,
The security check point.
We told them,
But they already knew.
So we had blazed our own trail and got cut up really good for nothing.

That's ok though,
I'm glad they found out before we got down.
And it was some what fun.
Even if I'll be hurting for a while.

Squadron Rotations

Between our 4 and 3 degree year,
We all switch to different squadrons.
We finally found out where we're all going.

I'm transferring to CS 10 with one other guy currently in CS 13.
We're going to Tiger Ten.

In a few weeks,
I will no longer be a Bulldawg,
But a Tiger.

Physics

I think I got between a 90 and an 80 on that one.
And with the current 20 point curve (rumored to increase.)...
Things are looking good.

Current Score

Dean: 1 Jason: 5

Chem 2

Current Score

Dean: 1 Jason: 4

Comp Sci

Yeah!
That went well.
I got at least a 90 on that one.
I wish all my classes were like that.
I guess all what my wonderful mother called "wasted time" on the computer paided off.
(Just kidding, Mom)

Current Score

Dean: 1 Jason: 3

Calc 2

Ouch
That still hurts.

I did much better than I expected,
(MUCH better)
But I don't think it was good enough.

Current Score

Dean: 1 Jason: 2

Geo Political Science

Current Score

Dean: 0 Jason: 2

Engineering

Yeah!
92%
Probably th only class I'll get instant feedback on.

Current Score

Dean: 0 Jason: 1

Finals

Too much CaFfEiNe!!!
I haven't had caffeine in several months.
not cause I don't like it.
But because I don't need it.
I've been working on a total of 7 hours of sleep over the past 72 hours.

My mom sent my some instant coffee for finals season.
I just doubled the dosage.
Concentrated.
Not in water either,
But Dr. Pepper.
I feel light headed now.
And I don’t like it.

Six finals this semester.
Fun Stuff.
I’d appreciate prayer if you get a chance.
I very rarely feel anxiety,
(As my mom well attest to)
But I’m really worried about it this time.

I’ve been listening to swing music while I work.
It takes my mind off of my troubles,
And keeps my energy up.

Here’s my schedule.
Thanks y‘all

Engr 100 15-MAY-06 0730 - 1120
SocSci 112 15-MAY-06 1300 - 1650
Math 142 16-MAY-06 0730 - 1120
CompSci 110 16-MAY-06 1830 - 2220
Chem 142 17-MAY-06 1300 - 1650
Physics 110 18-MAY-06 0730 - 1120

Mothers Day

Once again,
It is that special time of year.
The time that we set aside specifically to make our mothers feel like the important and wonderful people they truly are.
So Happy Mothers Day to any moms that might be reading this.
(And kids, make sure you give your mom a big hug and tell her how much she means too you)

Mothers are very important parts of our lives.
They have a huge influence on who we become.
If you are in any way successful in any area of your life,
Odds are there is a special mom that helped influence and teach that person.

Yes that was a direct reference to my mommy.
I would be no where near half the person I am today if it wasn’t for my mommy.
She’s the only reason I ever had a chance at getting as far as I have in life.

Granted, my dad was very influential as well,
But just because of the way families work,
He wasn’t there all day like mom,
He had to make sure we could eat too.

My mommy was always there for me 24/7.
Whether I needed encouragement that I was indeed capable of whatever challenge was in front of me,
Or needed a direction check because I had lost track of my goals and purpose,
She was always there.

One of the most important things my mommy did for me was teach me right from wrong.
Since she was there 24/7 she was able to do that.
As I was growing up,
I got instant feedback on my actions from my mother.
I very quickly learned that it was wrong to say something that wasn’t true, take something that wasn’t mine, or put keys in the electrical outlet.
My mommy helped me develop my morals, ethics, and common sense.
All of which I’ve used and needed to survive.

I could go on forever about how much my mommy means to me,
But I think it would mean more to here if I studied for my finals.
So I will close with this.

Mothers are very possibly the most influential people in our lives.
So,
If you’re my mommy, Happy Mothers Day and thank you for making my the person that I am today.
(I could go on forever on that, but I’m trying to be brief)
If you’re somebody else’s mother, Happy Mothers day and thank you for doing your part to make the world that much of a better place.
If you’re not a mother, Go give your mom a hug,
Tell her Happy Mothers Day,
And how much she means to you.

My mom doesn’t know about this,
And I told her not to read this until next week.
So…
When she does read this…

i LuV U MOmmY

Last Day of Classes

Today was the last day of classes.
As you can imagine,
Everyone is ready to go.

Everyone was making lots of noise in Mitchell Hall during lunch.
Banging on plates, air horns, you name it.
Eventually the first row of tables stood on their chairs and started chanting something.
Than the announce came over the PA system.
“This is just a reminder not to stand on Mitchell Hall Chairs”
So they all jump off their chairs and pick them up.
Holding their chairs over their heads,
They continue to chant.
Who says you can’t beat the system.

Here are some pics form Yesterdays Noon Meal Formation.

Best Noon Meal Formation Ever!!!

We've been getting EMails all week about today’s formation.
Under no circumstances is anyone to Take the Hill.
This is was our last Noon Meal Formation of the Semester.
But Group 2 is the coolest groups in the Cadet Wing,
So we found a way.

The firsties wanted to do something different.
I noticed something was up even before I got outside.

As I was coming up the stairs,
I met two firsties coming down from their rooms.
They were in blues,
Like everyone else,
But something was different.
They had turned their blue pants into shorts.
And they were carrying packages.
They looked like the mail man from Mr. Rogers.

Then,
As I got outside,
It got worse.

Is saw one of the guidon bearers
(They guy that carries the squads little flag)
In on of those huge foam sumo wrestler suits.
And then he met up with several of his buddies,
Also in huge foam sumo wrestler suits.

Than I noticed there were people in costume everywhere.
There was a Ninja Turtle, an Astronaut, Chuck Norris, And Master Chief from Halo.
All the costumes looked really good.
It was insane.

Group Staff came as pirates.
The group commander had a hook and one of those curved plastic swords.
Each Squadron seemed to have a different theme.
There was a cowboy squad,
A ninja squad, a
And a Hippies squad among others.

Our squad’s firsties came as beach people with flower shirts and flip flops.
Our squadron commander is from Hawaii so that’s probably why.

Squadron 14 was next to us and their form-up was interesting.
The first Sergeant formed up the squadron as normal than the squadron commander walked up to take command,
Dressed as Darth Vader.
With the mask and light saber and everything.

Reporting in was interesting.
“Reeeeeeeeeeeport”
“Yeeeeeeeee haaa”
“Yarrr”

“Super Ninja Turtles!”
"Yarrr”

“Mahallow”
“Yarrr”

“The Storm Troopers are assembled”
(With a salute with a light saber)
“Yarrr”

Wow.

And
Just to get around the whole not Taking the Hill thing,
Half of the squadron commanders just marched their squadrons by an alternate route,
And up Spirit Hill.

General Regni was mad.
He never said anything,
But I could see it in his face.
We’re all probably gonna get restricted this weekend.
But it was worth it.

The Weather

I'm feeling kinda depressed.
Writing about stuff usually helps,
So here goes.

The weather was awesome today.
I came out of my room and was walking to breakfast.
On the way up the stairs my squadron commander told me that it had snowed last night.
Sure enough,
It had,
The terrazzo was covered in white.
The sky was perfectly clear,
With the exception of the one cloud that covered the mountains.
The only feature in the land to the west that could be seen was the LZ.
(Landing Zone, A rather large hill behind the Chapel)
The trees on it were all frosted and glistening.

After Breakfast I went back to my room.
The sun had been slowly peeling the clouds off the mountains.
The entire mountain range was covered with the same frosted trees that were on the LZ.
It was beautiful.

Parent's Spirit Mission

Taking the Hill falls under a broader category called Spirit Missions.
The official purpose of a Spirit Mission is to boost moral.
Most of the time it does boost moral,
For those participating.
In the civilian world,
It's usually called Vandalism.
(Don’t worry, we clean it up)
Like that time we painted the planes.

The Parents club for the class of 2009 decided to do their own spirit mission.
They were able to keep what they were doing a secret from us.
Yesterday at a briefing,
Some of the parents came out.
They had ordered custom M&Ms.
They had our class year and chant, and were our class color.
These Silver M&Ms said “09 Our Time” on them.
Parents Rock!!!

Swing Club

We got an extra night of swing tonight.
We had a briefing last Thursday so we couldn’t meet then.
So we’re double dipping this week.
I tried a few new combinations of moves and they seemed to work well.
I’m going to have to show everybody back home this stuff over Summer.
I had heard Sonlight’s dance teacher was going to put something together,
But my sources haven’t heard anything yet.
(Hint Hint)
(I’ll cook again)
I’ve got salt crystallized on my forehead.
Yeah, I know.
That’s disgusting.

My Boss

I'm glad this guy has a sense of humor.
President George W Bush

Postcards

It is absolutely beautiful outside today!
I walk outside on my way to class.
The sky is clear with just a few clouds in it,
There is a nice gentle breeze,
And the temperature is perfect.
The means upper 40s lower 50s.
Yeah…
It truly is a postcard day.

Which reminds me.
The Monday before Recognition.
We had a slightly different SPIRE meeting.
(SPIRE is a generic term for Monday night bible study)
Beth Champion Masson was in town and come to do a concert for us.
So all the SPIRE groups got together and went to the concert.
She played a song she had written called Postcards.
I felt the God had given her the word for that song just for me.
It described exactly the way I had been feeling through out the year up here.
It talks about how God has created this entire world just for us and left us reminders all over the place.
I see these most in the sky,
But that’s just me.
She said I could put the lyrics on here if I linked to here site.
So here’s the link.
Beth Champion Mason
And here’s the lyrics to the chorus.

“You write me postcards in the evening sky,
Love letters in the sand,
And I can see your signature in the creases of my hand,
There is poetry in the colors of the falling autumn leaves,
And every postcard reads ‘I love you’”

I had used the word postcard to describe the world in a previous post.
So I thought that was really cool.
Go to her website and you can hear a clip of the song.
Or you can wait till I get home for summer break and I’ll show you the CD.

Other Noon Meal Formations

FYI...
We've had other odd formations.

Formations start with reporting in.
After the squadrons form up,
The Group Commander gets a report from the Squadron Commanders.

Typically,
It sounds something like this,
“Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeport!”
“Bulldogs all good, Sir”
“Thank you, Sir”
And it goes down the line with each squad reporting in.

One day,
It went a little differently.
“Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeport!”
“Viva la revolution!”
“Thank you, Sir!”
And every squad reported in with a line from a movie or something equally absurd.

The Noon Meal Formation of Recognition was funny.
Normally when we’re playing some other college in football or whatever,
3rd and 4th group will yell,
“Go Air Force”
To which 1st and 2nd group respond
“Beat Army”
Or whoever we’re playing.
Well for Recognition,
Only the upperclassmen yelled,
Cause only they knew what was going on.
But there was no “Go Air Force”
Just a “Beat the SMACKs”
(SMACK is one of those terms of endearment for fourth classmen)

Noon Meal Formation

It was really foggy today.
You couldn’t even see 10 feet.
But they still had Noon Meal Formation.
So we all took the hill.

Taking the hill is a long standing tradition in the Cadet Wing.
It involves breaking ranks in the middle of a formation,
And running to the top of spirit hill,
Located on the South-East corner of the Terrazzo,
By the F-4.

It was kind of like a chain reaction.
We heard yelling,
And the yelling spread.
The squadron next to us took off running.
So we followed.

The entire Cadet Wing took the hill.
All 4,000 of us.
The only ones left marching was the Wing Commander and his staff.
That was great.