That Kind of Day

Ever have one of those that are bad for no particular reason? There is not a specific thing wrong or an event that throws you completely off, it's just THAT DAY.  I fear that one day I might accidentally say something that will really blow it for me. Like that guy at your table who you want to punch in the face everyday but you know that its not socially acceptable.... so you just try and figure out how to spill all the water on to their lap. I am terrified that on a day like this I will end up losing it and, in an effort to reveal how big of an idiot he is, I might end up saying something like "SHUD UP! YOUR NOT COOL AND YOUR SHOULDNT TALK ...EVER!"

  Its usually after an event like that where my military grade starts to drop.....as in plunge. One day it might be worth seeing how bad it would be, but as for now I will just keep pretending like I cant hold onto my water glass.

Life's a Beach...

Labor day came and went just as fast as any other weekend here at West Point. I think to myself that coming back will get easier as the years continue but it never does. The only thing that makes it better is coming back with good stories.

There was actually nothing to crazy to report this time. I could maybe mention that we didn't decide where we (Austin & I) were going until about 8pm the night before, but again, that is just part of the fun of it. Having a car, an approved pass, $50, and a will to leave can get you a long way- or in our case, to Jersey. Dad called up a classmate of his and asked if we could crash the weekend with them on their beach house in New Jersey. I'm not sure what Dad told him to let us come but it worked.

 Austin and I drove down early (11am) Saturday morning after finishing a crossfit workout. As usually, it took Austin till we reached the gate of West Point before he was passed out snoring in the seat next to me. We ended hitting some traffic on the way down but nothing to crazy. Still had enough time to play on the beach and enjoy the refreshing water. Pretty much the same thing the next day except this time we pulled out the boogie boards and skim boards. The skim boards were much more fun when we were younger and less inclined to feel pain. Something about jumping on a slippery, wet, 2x4 while running full speed just doesn't seem as fun after the 3rd or 4th time of stubbing your toe.

All in all it was a great time with plenty of fun memories. I will try and upload pictures when I get a chance. Right now my one plebe is knee deep in figuring out how to be a CiC for calling minutes....oh the days..

Prep School Crossfit

In classic fashion with the Al-Aust duo (although Mom might confuse that as one person...more commonly associated as Austins adopted nickname), we broke in the gym at the brand-new Prep school with a crossfit workout. Things got a little skewed in the planning phase of meeting up but it still ended successfully. We ended up drawing up a workout with deadlift and clean-'n-jerks that lasted 12 minutes. It was completed in typically crossfit fashion with snorts, grunts, snot, sweat and gasps of air made it sound like there was an elephant giving birth in the middle of an African summer. Still lots of fun and looking forward to next week...and the week after that...etc.

Back to the Grind

It has been a long summer filled with some great and some not so great memories. Had plenty of fun play Army guys out in the woods and repelling from helicopters but now it is time to buckle down and focus back on academics. The fact that I had to just use spell check to correct "academics" is not a good indication of where I am heading for the year. There is much more at stake this year as the Com stated that the Corps of Cadets needs to drop from 4,660ish to 4,400 by next May. That is roughly 9 month to cut 200+ people from the bottom of each class. Having that be the case last year I would have been much less likely to walk out to the bathroom in my boxers. Never the less my main focus will be devoting more time to studying and less time to facebook and texting -two of my biggest enemies.

There are many changes made to this year compared to last. First, I am now in charge of two other plebes or freshman. That means an extra set of eyes are watching my every move and looking to me to set an example. Really makes you stop and think before you do something. Secondly, I am actually a person and have more of voice; literally and hypothetically. We are now able to talk outside and "un-cup" our hands. As a sophomore there is also the ability to talk freely to upperclassman so your suggestions on how something is run will now at least be noted.

More fun stories to follow. Most of them will be from the summer or something that hasn't been mentioned yet. Probably not in order but just as I remember them. Thanks for reading!

Im Back!

So sorry for all of you faithful followers. I have been off my game for a while. I would have you know that I am alive and doing well. More details on the summer will surface in the next few days. I we just got done building a waterfall so that is a story within itself .