Today, I volunteered for the Special Olympics. While West Point hosts the Hudson Valley Regional Special Olympics every year, this is only my second time volunteering for it. I must say, it was a blast: the weather was gorgeous, the people were friendly, and I feel the entire event was generally well executed.
The athlete I was escorting is diagnosed with autism, but it didn't change who he is as a person. Like every teenage guy, he was still chasing girls and hoping to beat others in sports. His family was also very supportive of him. I can't say for sure, but I think they were Dominican-- they spoke Spanish amongst each other alot and even thought I knew Spanish! I seem to get that alot-- every country I've visited, I've been confused for a native. Little do they know I only fluently know English and can barely speak Portuguese or Tagalog.
All in all a good day. My thesis is due on Monday, so I'll probably be working on that later tonight. Almost there! It's May starting tomorrow.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
On Leadership
So I'm pretty upset right now. I don't normally like to complain about West Point. For the most part, I can say confidently that I've enjoyed my time here. Even through all the tough times here, I can say I've made the best of it all.
Well, fast forward to second semester of firstie year, a time when one would think would be the best time for a cadet. To be fair, firstie year has been a blast-- I've gotten to go out a whole lot more, got to truly meet people, and learned a whole lot. I'd like to take this time now to blog about leadership.
I'm no army officer or anything and I'm just a cadet (for now), but I was always under the impression that officers had to take care of their subordinates. Well, recently it seems as if I've been marked as a bad cadet all because of MX. Don't get me wrong: I really wanted to like MX after reading up on it in the Redbook (see previous post). I'm a little anxious about taking command of a platoon, so I was really looking forward to all the officer development stuff that MX was supposed to teach.
Anyway, good news is that I passed MX with a C. Not exactly where I wanted to be, but passing nonetheless. That should have removed me from Academic Flag status, as MX was the only reason I was on Flag status to begin with. Knowing that, I put in for pass for this weekend and was initially approved with the caveat that I still had to submit an Exception to Policy Memo, which is just like it sounds: a request to bend the rules for a specific reason. I didn't think I had to submit one because I felt I wasn't flagged anymore. Here's what the officer in charge of me replied back with:
I suppose he got the wrong impression of me telling him that I didn't think I had to submit an Exception to Policy Memo. Nonetheless, my pass has been denied. The worst part of it all? 15 week grades are due sometime next week I believe, so he totally denied my pass out of spite. Where is the whole "quick to praise, but slow to reprimand" aspect I hear so often preached? When I sought this officer's advice on how to go about dealing with my MX issues, he flat out ignored my request. However, when I try to stand up for what I believed was correct, the officer plays the rank game with me and I inevitably lose.
Where's the leadership in all of this? I'm trying to keep an open mind about this all and see his point of view, but I'm just not seeing it right now. Hopefully ten years from now I'll be able to think back to this point and be like "Wow, he was right the entire time!" but for now, I just don't see it.
Oh well-- I'm helping out with the Special Olympics tomorrow anyway, so I wouldn't have the time to go on pass. Also, my thesis is almost done, so even though I got punked by an officer, I still think overall I'm doing well. I'm for sure going to graduate, and at this point, May 21, 2011 couldn't get here any sooner.
Cadets Always Win.
PS
Ok, seriously this time-- I will try my best to blog every day. I've just been busy over the past few weeks.
Well, fast forward to second semester of firstie year, a time when one would think would be the best time for a cadet. To be fair, firstie year has been a blast-- I've gotten to go out a whole lot more, got to truly meet people, and learned a whole lot. I'd like to take this time now to blog about leadership.
I'm no army officer or anything and I'm just a cadet (for now), but I was always under the impression that officers had to take care of their subordinates. Well, recently it seems as if I've been marked as a bad cadet all because of MX. Don't get me wrong: I really wanted to like MX after reading up on it in the Redbook (see previous post). I'm a little anxious about taking command of a platoon, so I was really looking forward to all the officer development stuff that MX was supposed to teach.
Anyway, good news is that I passed MX with a C. Not exactly where I wanted to be, but passing nonetheless. That should have removed me from Academic Flag status, as MX was the only reason I was on Flag status to begin with. Knowing that, I put in for pass for this weekend and was initially approved with the caveat that I still had to submit an Exception to Policy Memo, which is just like it sounds: a request to bend the rules for a specific reason. I didn't think I had to submit one because I felt I wasn't flagged anymore. Here's what the officer in charge of me replied back with:
"CitizenJEZ,
Commanders flag and lift flags as per USCC Card 501 para 1 and USCC 351-2 para 104, sub-para K, 6, f and g.
LTC X, or myself or SFC Y as her agents can lift your flag. Our stated requirement for lifting the flag was to be passing at 15 wk grades; since it isn't 15 wk grades, I'm not inclined to lift your flag yet. I'm not about to waste my time placing and lifting flags on cadets based on their whims about whether or not to submit their MX400 assignments or perform their other duties. See below for my original e-mail traffic on this topic. Please do not inform me as to your current status; I decide it, therefore, I am well aware: See you file in TIS (HTML); you are indeed flagged. Guess I'll have to deny that pass.
-Officer That Approves CitizenJEZ's Passes"
Where's the leadership in all of this? I'm trying to keep an open mind about this all and see his point of view, but I'm just not seeing it right now. Hopefully ten years from now I'll be able to think back to this point and be like "Wow, he was right the entire time!" but for now, I just don't see it.
Oh well-- I'm helping out with the Special Olympics tomorrow anyway, so I wouldn't have the time to go on pass. Also, my thesis is almost done, so even though I got punked by an officer, I still think overall I'm doing well. I'm for sure going to graduate, and at this point, May 21, 2011 couldn't get here any sooner.
Cadets Always Win.
PS
Ok, seriously this time-- I will try my best to blog every day. I've just been busy over the past few weeks.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Deficient
From the USMA "RedBook" (i.e. course catalog)
"MX 400 is a capstone course that challenges cadets to reflect upon, integrate, and synthesize their experiences in the six Cadet Leader Development System domains as they commence the transformation to commissioned officership. Cadets will achieve a thorough intellectual understanding of the four clusters of expert knowledge of the military professional--military-technical, moral-ethical, political-cultural, and human development. Successful completion of this course will enable each cadet to achieve competence and confidence in a new self-identity in the four facets of the role of a commissioned officer--a Soldier, a leader of character, a servant of the Nation, and a member of the profession of arms. Each graduate will be capable of executing the fundamental practices of the military professional--the repetitive exercise of discretionary judgment in decision making and taking actions that fulfill the moral and legal responsibilities of commissioned officers. Upon graduation, each new 2LT will be fully prepared for the immediate challenges of junior officership and capable of a lifetime of professional growth as an officer in the United States Army."
One would think this would be a great course, but unfortunately, it's not uniformly executed. I've heard of some people having great instructors and others not. I fall into the latter category. The biggest pet peeve I have with my instructor is the fact that he emails us that we don't have class during first hour class and for folks that have first hour class, it's hard to check our email during class. Thus, half the class shows up to MX thinking there is class only to be "pleasantly surprised" when there isn't class. I'm all for class drops, for sure, but not for having my time wasted waiting for a class to never start.
Most of the time, my instructor emails us telling us of a great video clip he found online and wants us to watch. That's cool too, but these video clips could definitely be shown in class just for the sake of the instructor having a class presence. Us watching it in our room is not very effective and doesn't build any rapport with the rest of the class.
Around here, MX is known to be a pretty easy class: you show up, you put your thoughts on officership down on paper, and you walk out with a decent grade. Well, silly me currently has an F in the class. I forgot to turn in a pretty big paper (20% worth of points) that was due before Spring Break started and thus, I'm pretty deep in the hole. I totally had the assignment being due written down too, but I guess with Spring Break being around the corner and with my previous experience with my instructor telling us to not worry about another assignment that was due because he'd just make it due later, I decided to not do it. I still had to turn the assignment in however, but I didn't get any points for it (well maybe 100 sympathy points out of 200 possible).
Where does that put me? Well, right now I'm listed as deficient, meaning I have lost all privileges. That really blows, not really because of the fact that I can't go out but because of the fact that I lost the ability to, if I so chose. I hate it when I lose, and if you know me well enough, I always say "cadets always win," but it looks like I lost this one. I was supposed to go to Washington D.C. too, with a visit to the White House involved, but because of my grade in MX, I wasn't allowed to go. I tried to appeal too, and here's the verdict:
"
"MX 400 is a capstone course that challenges cadets to reflect upon, integrate, and synthesize their experiences in the six Cadet Leader Development System domains as they commence the transformation to commissioned officership. Cadets will achieve a thorough intellectual understanding of the four clusters of expert knowledge of the military professional--military-technical, moral-ethical, political-cultural, and human development. Successful completion of this course will enable each cadet to achieve competence and confidence in a new self-identity in the four facets of the role of a commissioned officer--a Soldier, a leader of character, a servant of the Nation, and a member of the profession of arms. Each graduate will be capable of executing the fundamental practices of the military professional--the repetitive exercise of discretionary judgment in decision making and taking actions that fulfill the moral and legal responsibilities of commissioned officers. Upon graduation, each new 2LT will be fully prepared for the immediate challenges of junior officership and capable of a lifetime of professional growth as an officer in the United States Army."
One would think this would be a great course, but unfortunately, it's not uniformly executed. I've heard of some people having great instructors and others not. I fall into the latter category. The biggest pet peeve I have with my instructor is the fact that he emails us that we don't have class during first hour class and for folks that have first hour class, it's hard to check our email during class. Thus, half the class shows up to MX thinking there is class only to be "pleasantly surprised" when there isn't class. I'm all for class drops, for sure, but not for having my time wasted waiting for a class to never start.
Most of the time, my instructor emails us telling us of a great video clip he found online and wants us to watch. That's cool too, but these video clips could definitely be shown in class just for the sake of the instructor having a class presence. Us watching it in our room is not very effective and doesn't build any rapport with the rest of the class.
Around here, MX is known to be a pretty easy class: you show up, you put your thoughts on officership down on paper, and you walk out with a decent grade. Well, silly me currently has an F in the class. I forgot to turn in a pretty big paper (20% worth of points) that was due before Spring Break started and thus, I'm pretty deep in the hole. I totally had the assignment being due written down too, but I guess with Spring Break being around the corner and with my previous experience with my instructor telling us to not worry about another assignment that was due because he'd just make it due later, I decided to not do it. I still had to turn the assignment in however, but I didn't get any points for it (well maybe 100 sympathy points out of 200 possible).
Where does that put me? Well, right now I'm listed as deficient, meaning I have lost all privileges. That really blows, not really because of the fact that I can't go out but because of the fact that I lost the ability to, if I so chose. I hate it when I lose, and if you know me well enough, I always say "cadets always win," but it looks like I lost this one. I was supposed to go to Washington D.C. too, with a visit to the White House involved, but because of my grade in MX, I wasn't allowed to go. I tried to appeal too, and here's the verdict:
"
CitizenJEZ- Your Tac Team has DISAPPROVED your participation on the following trip:
APAC Asian-Pacific Club to Washington DC, 01 Apr 11 - 03 Apr 11
The Tac Team provides the following remarks with this action:
F in MX400. Turned in Essay #12 ridiculously late. Has ability to improve but has not received another grade since.
This disapproval supersedes any previous decisions concerning this trip."
I agree with the first statement-- I do have an F. However, the third statement is totally false: I submitted three other assignments before the grading window closed, but they weren't accounted for. I offered that as evidence as to why I should be good grade wise, but my appeal for an exception to policy was still denied.
I'm going to talk to my instructor, face to face, next time I see him. I already missed out on fist bumping Obama, but it's not about that anymore. I want him to explain to me why I'm deficient, because I still don't see how I could be.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Milestones
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...
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...
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?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)