This semester couldn't just die without at least one all-nighter...the last two major assignments are completed
There is no justice in the intramural soccer world...really all I wanted to see was worm taking that oh so should have been PK
Be sure to ask Nicole how apple juice tastes when drank out of a sweaty soccer shoe
8 more days...yeah, I know that doesn't agree with the count from my last post, but when I threw it in there at 11:30 last time I was thinking it was already after midnight
posted by Tom 2:50 AM
Wednesday, December 04, 2002
This post has absolutely no purpose except to let you all know that, like all good graduating seniors, I don't care anymore. Two papers (one technical report and one essay), two classes to attend and two finals to go. Mom gets here in a week. Way too much stuff to pack up and ship home. But don't feel sorry for me; I don't have to come back next month.
9 days...and the countdown continues
posted by Tom 9:27 PM
Monday, December 02, 2002
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
-John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Welcome back to all of you who travelled over the holiday weekend. As the above quote suggests, I did get to fly Sunday afternoon. What an amazing feeling; its reminiscent of the first time you got behind the wheel of a car, but so much more complicated and liberating and exciting and...okay, I've never been the best at coming up with creative adjectives, but you get the idea. I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon. There was not a breath of wind, and only small wisps of cloud hung sparsely in the upper atmosphere. The preflight inspection confirmed the presence of, among other necessary items, two wings and a vertical and horizontal stabilizer, along with the associated control surfaces, three wheels, complete with tires and brakes, a propeller, an engine, and plenty of fuel. Moments after the preflight, I strapped myself into the left seat. Linda ran down the checklist from the other side of the cockpit, and, after a, "clear prop!" yelled out the window, I fired up the engine. Call tower. Taxi out. Run up the engine and check the mags. And then I'm sitting on the centerline of East Texas Regional Airport (formerly Gregg County) 17. Full throttle. Rotate at 55. Right rudder to compensate for adverse yaw caused by the prop. We flew down to the south practice area for some basic maneuvers (turns, turn to heading, climbs, descents, steep turns) and then back to the airport for some takeoffs and landings. I will admit that I never had to call the tower to ask if I was on the ground, but none of the touchdowns was terribly rough. I guess the touch comes with practice. As for the rest of the break...food, football, sleep, movies, risk, soccer, and no homework. I'm starting to realize that I don't have that much time to pack up all of my stuff and start getting it shipped home. Mom arrives a week from tomorrow, and graduation is in 12 short days. One project, one essay, and two final exams to go.
posted by Tom 5:37 PM
It starts with the shoe. Maybe the next day it's a t-shirt or a sock. You don't know if the washing machine ate it, or your roommate borrowed it a month ago and forgot that it was yours. All you know is that by the end of the week, you're walking to class naked because you don't have any clothes left.
