Remember how excited I was as 100th Night approached? Well guess what-- today, March 31, 2011 is 50th Night. As Spring Break ended two weeks ago and our last APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) as cadets was administered last Monday and Tuesday, there are no milestones left really until Graduation Day.
Unless of course you have a capstone or thesis due. Then, I suppose one still has those to overcome.
I really should be writing my thesis as well, as I have to have a full rough draft in by the end of the week, but I figured that blogging will get the thesis juice flowing. It's been a while you know, but it's actually a good segue into my next topic: Spring Break.
So for Spring Break, I traveled to Sicily with the History Department. Lucky for me because a) it was a fully funded trip to Sicily and b) because my thesis has to do with paratroopers in Sicily during WWII. We got to travel all over the island, hitting up the cities of Siracusa, Catania, Troina, Aggrigento, and Gela, among others. Like all my traveling experiences (I've been to Japan, South Korea, Brazil, the Philippines, and now Sicily), I never fully appreciate the place while I'm there. While I was in Sicily, I thought the place was very backwards. The cities could be hardly classified as such, as they were very small and consisted mainly of homes. I don't think I saw one highrise while I was there. Moreover, there were old, run down stone buildings everywhere, which I thought weird, as I'm used to old buildings like that being demolished to make room for new buildings. Now as I reflect on the experience though, I feel that Sicily would be a nice place to retire. The people there live very simple lives, with many people being farmers or shepherds. The country side is also very beautiful, with rolling hills everywhere. Their road system is like spaghetti though, and its easy to get lost, but I suppose if I'm retired, I'll have little reason to leave home.
I wish I could show you the photos I took of Sicily, as the place reminded me of the landscape of Northern California (my home town area), but silly me forgot my camera on the airplane coming back from Sicily. I tried in vain to recover my camera (filed a claim, revisited the lost and found multiple times, etc) but I suppose that ship has sailed. Oh well-- gives me more reason to come back to Sicily right?
I can't believe that my last Spring Break as an undergraduate is in the rearview mirror now. I can't believe the next APFT I take will be as a second lieutneant. Time is flying. My cadet milestones are limited.
Guess I should work on that thesis now...
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy"
Or for you non-brutal types: "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning how to dance in the rain."
I had a heart-to-heart with my 100th Night Date today about 100th Night. Our last night together was less than optimal. I was upset because it appeared that she was unappreciative of my efforts for that weekend. Before we drifted off to bed, I asked her what she thought of the weekend, expecting to hear nothing but "it was great" as a sign of social tact. On the contrary, she told me exactly what she thought, but ended it all with "I still had a great time."
So yes, I really was upset over it, but I was a little girl about it all and became passive aggressive our last night together and didn't express how I really felt. Funny because I vented to my best friend about it on my drive back to West Point and the first song that played on the radio as I was driving back was "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green. Perfectly apt given the situation no? I then talked to my roommate about what happened, about some of her concerns over the weekend and he told me that you can't expect everyone you hang out with to act like a cadet and that you have to be able to adjust to their abilities. One of my date's concerns was that she felt that everything was rushed. I didn't think so, but I suppose its because I'm used to having everything planned out to the minute whereas she was more used to going with the flow. Given that it was supposed to be a relaxing weekend, and given that I did stress out over missing hard times, I suppose a mix of both should have been in order.
Getting that off my chest was good and I think my relationship with my 100th Night Date is better off because of it. I think that this is one lesson that will serve me well in the future. I can't just dwell on the fact that my well thought out plan wasn't unfurling as it should or that the storm was coming. I need to be able to survive first contact with the enemy, learn how to dance in the rain, and learn to just have fun and still win.
All in all though, to be completely honest, I did have a blast over 100th Night Weekend, inaccurate planning and grumpiness and all. It has definitely made me even more jaded that's for sure. Graduation Day couldn't come any slower!
I had a heart-to-heart with my 100th Night Date today about 100th Night. Our last night together was less than optimal. I was upset because it appeared that she was unappreciative of my efforts for that weekend. Before we drifted off to bed, I asked her what she thought of the weekend, expecting to hear nothing but "it was great" as a sign of social tact. On the contrary, she told me exactly what she thought, but ended it all with "I still had a great time."
So yes, I really was upset over it, but I was a little girl about it all and became passive aggressive our last night together and didn't express how I really felt. Funny because I vented to my best friend about it on my drive back to West Point and the first song that played on the radio as I was driving back was "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green. Perfectly apt given the situation no? I then talked to my roommate about what happened, about some of her concerns over the weekend and he told me that you can't expect everyone you hang out with to act like a cadet and that you have to be able to adjust to their abilities. One of my date's concerns was that she felt that everything was rushed. I didn't think so, but I suppose its because I'm used to having everything planned out to the minute whereas she was more used to going with the flow. Given that it was supposed to be a relaxing weekend, and given that I did stress out over missing hard times, I suppose a mix of both should have been in order.
Getting that off my chest was good and I think my relationship with my 100th Night Date is better off because of it. I think that this is one lesson that will serve me well in the future. I can't just dwell on the fact that my well thought out plan wasn't unfurling as it should or that the storm was coming. I need to be able to survive first contact with the enemy, learn how to dance in the rain, and learn to just have fun and still win.
All in all though, to be completely honest, I did have a blast over 100th Night Weekend, inaccurate planning and grumpiness and all. It has definitely made me even more jaded that's for sure. Graduation Day couldn't come any slower!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
100th Night. 100th Night Complete. Please be seated.
So the deed is done: 100th Night Weekend is official over and what a weekend it was. It's always nice to see a well planned plan executed successfully, even if not everything went according to plan.
100th Night Weekend started innocently enough with a regular school day. It was rainy that morning, so I guess you can thank the Class of 2011 for "making it rain" that day. To be fair, I did spend quite a bit this past weekend (more than a months salary, but my monthly salary isn't very much to begin with, so don't let that fool you). Nonetheless, it was still a fun weekend.
The Secretary of Defense came and spoke to us that afternoon and talked about how we were entering a military that's the most capable since ever basically, but also very stressed because of all the demands placed on it. I really like Secretary Gates because it seems that he genuinely cares for the troops, a feeling I never felt for Secretary Rumsfeld.
After hearing Secretary Gates speak, I was done for the day. I wasn't scheduled to meet with my 100th Night Date until about 5:00pm, so I spent a bit of time in the room getting ready, packing, and cleaning. It's pretty funny to note that my roommate and I cleaned the most we've ever cleaned that afternoon simply because we'd have company (i.e.girls) over. Our room looked pretty spic and span at the end of it all.
I then left the barracks to go up to my car. Along the way, it started raining again, and as I neared my car (about a mile away from where I live-- up hill too) the rain had turned into snow flakes. Luckily, as time would tell, it would be a great weekend and it only snowed that afternoon/early evening.
So I get to the train station and meet up with my date on the train. As it was a Friday evening, the train was pretty packed, but probably not as packed as it could have been due to the crappy weather. I was pretty tired at this time, so I dozed off on the train for a little bit. Before you know it, we were at Grand Central Terminal. While there, we picked out a bottle of pinot grigio and a fruit tart to share after dinner that night.
Speaking of dinner, we went to the Top of the Tower Restaurant. I read reviews on it saying that the view was gorgeous but the food was mediocre, so I didn't expect too much, but I was pleasantly surprised. The view was great! At 26 stories up, and every table right next to the window, every diner has a commanding view of the sights of the East River. The food was also very good-- I had short ribs as an appetizer and salmon as the main course while my date had muscles as an appetizer and gnocchi. I was laughing at my date's misfortune as she tried one of the peppers included with her muscles-- a little too spicy for her I suppose. I don't do spicy food well at all (I sweat profusely, even with mildly spicy stuff), so I flat out refused.
That evening, we didn't do much but enjoy each other's company over dessert and wine. A pleasant experience for all.
The next day, Saturday February 26, 2011, we woke up bright and early in order to get to my date's 10am hair appointment down in Chelsea. I'm so glad I have a smart phone now, as it's GPS feature has saved me more times than I can count. It didn't take too long for my date to get her hair done, and she looked ravishing afterward and you could see that even getting her hair done gave her a great boost of confidence. After that, we decided to get lunch. I was in the mood for Korean, Korean Ramen in particular as I developed a love/hate relationship with it after my trip to South Korea this past summer (a story for another day, maybe off the record), but we decided to settle for Vietnamese food instead.
Still having some time to kill, I was somehow dragged into window shopping. As my date looked at clothes, I thought it was kinda funny seeing other guys in the women's department searching around for a chair to sit on while carrying bags in both hands. Yo comprendo.
Finally it was time to go to West Point. We were both tired, so we both were under the impression that we would both fall asleep on the train. I kept up my end of the bargain and did fall asleep, but my date was so anxious for the event that she stayed up the entire train ride up/played with the little kid from across the aisle. Great-- a five-year old kid has more game than I do...
At West Point, after changing, my date got to meet my roommate, his girlfriend, and all of my other friends as well. First, we all took photos, as is customary, of which I still have to show my mom. I'll probably forward her those photos after I type up this blog. Before dinner actually started, we had a cocktail social hour, which was a good idea, but poorly executed I think. It was very crowded, and I felt like I was in a club more than I felt like I was in a formal setting. It is kind of funny seeing college aged kids like myself pretending to be older. All I was missing was my pocket watch, cane, top hat, and monocle. Lots of fun now that I think about it.
Dinner was nothing to write home about, as it was the same "formal food" we've eaten at every other formal weekend I've had at West Point. As is customary, we also had a guest speaker, this time it was GEN Cody, former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. He acknowledged that many of us really didn't care what he was going to talk about, as we all just wanted to go back out and have a good time, so he kept it short, sweet, and very humorous. He was right-- I don't remember what he said, but I know he said it well and he kept my attention.
After dinner, it was time for the 100th Night Show. For those of you who don't know, the 100th Night Show is a musical written, directed, produced, and acted out by firsties with a lot of inside jokes poking fun at our time at West Point. I thought it was just ok-- I've seen the 100th Night Show for other classes and I thought other classes' show had better singing and acting overall. Nonetheless, it was MY class's show and I'm glad I got to see it.
Following the show, it was time for a nice, quiet ride back to the city. We had a transfer before getting into the city though, but after that transfer, I was out the entire time. We didn't get back to the room until past 1 in the morning. Way too tired from the day's events, my date and I just passed out asleep.
Overall, 100th Night Weekend was a blast as it truly showed that our time at West Point is slowly drawing to a close. It really isn't about the fancy clothes, the hot dates, the rings or any of that-- all of that is just icing on the cake. West Point is about the bonds and friendships you form with your fellow classmates and it is truly an experience that cannot be replicated at any other institution I think. I know that at our 20 year reunion, we all will probably draw upon our 100th Night experiences with fond memories and laugh.
(This was definitely my longest blog to date-- a lot happened, and I wanted to write it all down)
100th Night Weekend started innocently enough with a regular school day. It was rainy that morning, so I guess you can thank the Class of 2011 for "making it rain" that day. To be fair, I did spend quite a bit this past weekend (more than a months salary, but my monthly salary isn't very much to begin with, so don't let that fool you). Nonetheless, it was still a fun weekend.
The Secretary of Defense came and spoke to us that afternoon and talked about how we were entering a military that's the most capable since ever basically, but also very stressed because of all the demands placed on it. I really like Secretary Gates because it seems that he genuinely cares for the troops, a feeling I never felt for Secretary Rumsfeld.
After hearing Secretary Gates speak, I was done for the day. I wasn't scheduled to meet with my 100th Night Date until about 5:00pm, so I spent a bit of time in the room getting ready, packing, and cleaning. It's pretty funny to note that my roommate and I cleaned the most we've ever cleaned that afternoon simply because we'd have company (i.e.girls) over. Our room looked pretty spic and span at the end of it all.
I then left the barracks to go up to my car. Along the way, it started raining again, and as I neared my car (about a mile away from where I live-- up hill too) the rain had turned into snow flakes. Luckily, as time would tell, it would be a great weekend and it only snowed that afternoon/early evening.
So I get to the train station and meet up with my date on the train. As it was a Friday evening, the train was pretty packed, but probably not as packed as it could have been due to the crappy weather. I was pretty tired at this time, so I dozed off on the train for a little bit. Before you know it, we were at Grand Central Terminal. While there, we picked out a bottle of pinot grigio and a fruit tart to share after dinner that night.
Speaking of dinner, we went to the Top of the Tower Restaurant. I read reviews on it saying that the view was gorgeous but the food was mediocre, so I didn't expect too much, but I was pleasantly surprised. The view was great! At 26 stories up, and every table right next to the window, every diner has a commanding view of the sights of the East River. The food was also very good-- I had short ribs as an appetizer and salmon as the main course while my date had muscles as an appetizer and gnocchi. I was laughing at my date's misfortune as she tried one of the peppers included with her muscles-- a little too spicy for her I suppose. I don't do spicy food well at all (I sweat profusely, even with mildly spicy stuff), so I flat out refused.
That evening, we didn't do much but enjoy each other's company over dessert and wine. A pleasant experience for all.
The next day, Saturday February 26, 2011, we woke up bright and early in order to get to my date's 10am hair appointment down in Chelsea. I'm so glad I have a smart phone now, as it's GPS feature has saved me more times than I can count. It didn't take too long for my date to get her hair done, and she looked ravishing afterward and you could see that even getting her hair done gave her a great boost of confidence. After that, we decided to get lunch. I was in the mood for Korean, Korean Ramen in particular as I developed a love/hate relationship with it after my trip to South Korea this past summer (a story for another day, maybe off the record), but we decided to settle for Vietnamese food instead.
Still having some time to kill, I was somehow dragged into window shopping. As my date looked at clothes, I thought it was kinda funny seeing other guys in the women's department searching around for a chair to sit on while carrying bags in both hands. Yo comprendo.
Finally it was time to go to West Point. We were both tired, so we both were under the impression that we would both fall asleep on the train. I kept up my end of the bargain and did fall asleep, but my date was so anxious for the event that she stayed up the entire train ride up/played with the little kid from across the aisle. Great-- a five-year old kid has more game than I do...
At West Point, after changing, my date got to meet my roommate, his girlfriend, and all of my other friends as well. First, we all took photos, as is customary, of which I still have to show my mom. I'll probably forward her those photos after I type up this blog. Before dinner actually started, we had a cocktail social hour, which was a good idea, but poorly executed I think. It was very crowded, and I felt like I was in a club more than I felt like I was in a formal setting. It is kind of funny seeing college aged kids like myself pretending to be older. All I was missing was my pocket watch, cane, top hat, and monocle. Lots of fun now that I think about it.
Dinner was nothing to write home about, as it was the same "formal food" we've eaten at every other formal weekend I've had at West Point. As is customary, we also had a guest speaker, this time it was GEN Cody, former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. He acknowledged that many of us really didn't care what he was going to talk about, as we all just wanted to go back out and have a good time, so he kept it short, sweet, and very humorous. He was right-- I don't remember what he said, but I know he said it well and he kept my attention.
After dinner, it was time for the 100th Night Show. For those of you who don't know, the 100th Night Show is a musical written, directed, produced, and acted out by firsties with a lot of inside jokes poking fun at our time at West Point. I thought it was just ok-- I've seen the 100th Night Show for other classes and I thought other classes' show had better singing and acting overall. Nonetheless, it was MY class's show and I'm glad I got to see it.
Following the show, it was time for a nice, quiet ride back to the city. We had a transfer before getting into the city though, but after that transfer, I was out the entire time. We didn't get back to the room until past 1 in the morning. Way too tired from the day's events, my date and I just passed out asleep.
Overall, 100th Night Weekend was a blast as it truly showed that our time at West Point is slowly drawing to a close. It really isn't about the fancy clothes, the hot dates, the rings or any of that-- all of that is just icing on the cake. West Point is about the bonds and friendships you form with your fellow classmates and it is truly an experience that cannot be replicated at any other institution I think. I know that at our 20 year reunion, we all will probably draw upon our 100th Night experiences with fond memories and laugh.
(This was definitely my longest blog to date-- a lot happened, and I wanted to write it all down)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
100th Night is Finally Here
So after 1300 or something days
(edit: February 28, 2011 12:31AM)
So I never even finished this blog, as I was too busy with other stuff I guess as I was typing this on February 25th, when I was originally writing it. Oh well-- just read the next blog I guess, as it covers most of what I was going to blog about anyway (I think-- I can't really recall where I was going with this blog). While I could delete this blog, I feel that it is noteworthy as it was an attempt at blogging that was interrupted. Might be something I'd wanna look back on in the future you know?
(edit: February 28, 2011 12:31AM)
So I never even finished this blog, as I was too busy with other stuff I guess as I was typing this on February 25th, when I was originally writing it. Oh well-- just read the next blog I guess, as it covers most of what I was going to blog about anyway (I think-- I can't really recall where I was going with this blog). While I could delete this blog, I feel that it is noteworthy as it was an attempt at blogging that was interrupted. Might be something I'd wanna look back on in the future you know?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
100th Night is a Go!
Today I bought a new shirt, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a new razor, and an air freshener refill for the room. Funny story about the razor though. Last night, in an effort to find something to do aside from homework (which I have yet to do still), I started to shave my beret some more. It's common practice to shave one's beret (i.e the hat the army wears around in garrison) to give it a more "professional" appearance, so I started to do it some more. I won't have to wear a beret until graduation day, but I want to look as bad ass as possible before then and not have the chef hat thing going on. Anyway, as I was shaving, I must've pressed so hard that I broke the connector between the blade head and the holder. It's alright though-- I've had the holder since I was 18 (at the time, Gillette sent you their Gillette Fusion razor as sort of a "birthday" gift to you) so it was definitely time for a new one. I've liked that razor so much that I got the same one (I bought the Gillette Fusion Proglide Power-- what a mouthful!)
I'm gonna look so fresh and so clean clean. 100th Night is a Go.
I'm gonna look so fresh and so clean clean. 100th Night is a Go.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
What a Weekend
While it's a three-day weekend, I opted to stay at West Point because
A) I had no one to hang out with
B) I want to save money
C) I have work to do since I won't be able to do it next week because of 100th Night.
Today, I literally did nothing. I did watch the infamous "The Human Centipede" movie though and oh my gosh I regret seeing it. It was so gross, but I have to admit they did allude more than they actually showed, so I guess in that regard it did its job. However, it was still pretty gross.
On a brutal note, the cops at the end of the movie need to practice room clearing some more. Maybe if they did that, they wouldn't have both died in the end.
In an effort to entertain myself while folding laundry, I created a new playlist dubbed "Dance Mix." It's basically just a bunch of Deadmau5, Justice, and Daft Punk songs, but it still gets the job done (I recently started listening to a bunch of Justice songs). Anyway, check out this new playlist:
"Aerodynamic" by Daft Punk
"Around the World" by Daft Punk
"D.A.N.C.E" by Justice
"Ghosts N Stuff" by Deadmau5
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk
"Like a G6" by Far East Movement
"Moar Ghosts N Stuff" by Deadmau5
"One More Time" by Daft Punk
"Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO
"Phantom" by Justice
"Phantom Pt. II" by Justice
"Stereo Love" by Edward Maya
"The Time (Dirty Bit)" by Black Eyed Peas
"We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool
"You and I" by Deadmau5
15 Songs, About 1 Hour
Hopefully that new playlist will get this blog hits again-- we've tapered off in the past week or so, but maybe that's due to the fact that I haven't been updating as much. I'll do my best to update more consistently.
A) I had no one to hang out with
B) I want to save money
C) I have work to do since I won't be able to do it next week because of 100th Night.
Today, I literally did nothing. I did watch the infamous "The Human Centipede" movie though and oh my gosh I regret seeing it. It was so gross, but I have to admit they did allude more than they actually showed, so I guess in that regard it did its job. However, it was still pretty gross.
On a brutal note, the cops at the end of the movie need to practice room clearing some more. Maybe if they did that, they wouldn't have both died in the end.
In an effort to entertain myself while folding laundry, I created a new playlist dubbed "Dance Mix." It's basically just a bunch of Deadmau5, Justice, and Daft Punk songs, but it still gets the job done (I recently started listening to a bunch of Justice songs). Anyway, check out this new playlist:
"Aerodynamic" by Daft Punk
"Around the World" by Daft Punk
"D.A.N.C.E" by Justice
"Ghosts N Stuff" by Deadmau5
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk
"Like a G6" by Far East Movement
"Moar Ghosts N Stuff" by Deadmau5
"One More Time" by Daft Punk
"Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO
"Phantom" by Justice
"Phantom Pt. II" by Justice
"Stereo Love" by Edward Maya
"The Time (Dirty Bit)" by Black Eyed Peas
"We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool
"You and I" by Deadmau5
15 Songs, About 1 Hour
Hopefully that new playlist will get this blog hits again-- we've tapered off in the past week or so, but maybe that's due to the fact that I haven't been updating as much. I'll do my best to update more consistently.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Lord of the Rings
Right now I have a sudden urge to want to watch the Lord of the Ring trilogy, particularly The Two Towers all because I was talking to a friend about horses. She's on the equestrian team at her school and she was excited because today being Friday meant she would get to go out and ride. I thought of the following youtube videos just because of that thought:.
Youtube search the following when you get a chance:
"Amazing Horse Sweet Lemonade"
"Riders of Rohan"
"Helms Deep Charge"
"Haldir's Elves Helms Deep"
"Helms Deep Part I"
Maybe its a sign that I'm embracing this whole 3d ACR (armored CAVALRY regiment) thing after all?
Oh and surprisingly, I was able to finish that Clausewitz essay and still have a great day today. Great as in I survived and nothing bad happened. I'll still take it!
Tomorrow, I have to inspect uniforms and TA-50. Hopefully it won't take too long, as I deeply value my weekends and it seems like more and more things are occurring on weekends that take up what little free time I have. Oh well.
And the First Class is SOOO short
(How short are we?!)
The First Class is SOOO short they have fewer days at the academy than Jay-Z has problems (it's 98th Night tonight!)
Youtube search the following when you get a chance:
"Amazing Horse Sweet Lemonade"
"Riders of Rohan"
"Helms Deep Charge"
"Haldir's Elves Helms Deep"
"Helms Deep Part I"
Maybe its a sign that I'm embracing this whole 3d ACR (armored CAVALRY regiment) thing after all?
Oh and surprisingly, I was able to finish that Clausewitz essay and still have a great day today. Great as in I survived and nothing bad happened. I'll still take it!
Tomorrow, I have to inspect uniforms and TA-50. Hopefully it won't take too long, as I deeply value my weekends and it seems like more and more things are occurring on weekends that take up what little free time I have. Oh well.
And the First Class is SOOO short
(How short are we?!)
The First Class is SOOO short they have fewer days at the academy than Jay-Z has problems (it's 98th Night tonight!)
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