Summertime!

Sorry it's been a while! I've been a little bit busy. After finals in early May, I was in California doing Cadet Summer Research. This is a program the Academy has where cadets go to a base (I was at Edwards...about 2 hours east of LA and three hours west of Las Vegas!) and participate is some sort of research having to do with his or her major...so I did chemistry! Woohoo! I worked on a new polymer that is hydrophobic and cheap. This stuff could be put on airplane wings to reduce or eliminate icing problems. Anyway, day to day there was pretty boring. I did a lot of analysis stuff and standing around waiting for experiments to run and machines to do whatever. So needless to say I'm glad that I'll be doing something a bit more exciting as a pilot! Edwards was super hot all the time. The first week I was there it rained a couple days, and apparently the desert is made of dead, dried-up dogs, because when it rained the whole place stank like wet dog. Whatever California...I'm done with you! I did get to take a trip to Las Vegas, so that was cool. I came out $30 ahead from playing the Monopoly slots. This things are pretty much cash machines...I love Mr. Moneybags! I sat in the Hard Rock Hotel playing the same Monopoly slot machine (drinking Newcastle Brown Ale) for a good 8 hours. I just couldn't stop! Hahaha!

Oh, I got to come back to the Academy to go to my Ring Dance. This is where my class gets our Class Rings, and its kind of a big deal. Anyway, my girlfriend Amanda (who most of you met over the summer) flew out. Well, I was flying out of California (Ontario to be exact) to Phoenix, and then to Colorado Springs. Amanda was flying from Springfield to Dallas to the Springs. When I got to Ontario, everything was going fine but we got delayed because of weather in Phoenix. Well, the weather and others delays made me late for my next flight to COS, so I missed that flight and I had to get a flight into Denver late that night. All this time Amanda is traveling to the Springs by herself, and not knowing anyone! Oh nose! My flight into Denver got in around 1:00 AM. My friend Mike picked up Amanda from the airport in the Springs, and then another friend, Shane, picked me up from Denver (with Amanda!). All in all, I didn't get to sleep until around 3:00 AM after driving back to the Academy, getting my car, and getting Amanda checked into the hotel. UGH! At least the rest of the weekend will go easy right? Wrong. The next day, Friday, was the night of Ring Dance. I was getting ready and realized something...I didn't have a cumberbun, bowtie, or clasp thingy for my uniform! I thought they came with the uniform when we got them, but it turns out not. I was kind of freaking out because I didn't know what to do and I couldn't show up with an incomplete uniform to something that tons of officers and generals were going to be at. I had to rush Amanda a little to get ready, but she still looked amazing! (Ask Mom from some pictures!) So I drive on base and to the uniform store at the community center. So I get there, and they don't have any bowties or clasps! They did have a cumberbun though. So about now I'm pretty much pooing my brain out cause I'm freaking out so bad...but then I see a dummy with a full mess dress uniform on it. I asked the lady working there and she said it was okay for me to take the stuff I needed as long as I returned it. Awesome! Then there was a senior there trying to get some rank or something, but he was cool and helped my get my tie on. So now I finally have a complete uniform and I run back to the car and Amanda and I go to the Dance. It was a lot of fun. Seeing all my friends was great and having them meet Amanda was even better. And my ring looks really sweet.

The rest of the weekend went great...almost. Saturday Amanda and I went white water rafting with some of my friends from my freshman year squad in the Royal Gorge and that was amazing. Then we went up to Breckenridge, this fancy ski town, and stayed the night in a big house we'd all rented. That was really fun too. The next day I was driving Amanda and my friend Brian back to the Springs, and I might have been going a little fast, but not that fast. Anyway, I hear this honking behind me and then a cop car pulled up next to me, pointing for me to pull over...so I did. I pull to the side of the road and the cop pulls up next to me. I rolled down my window and he started yelling at me and telling me to stop going "Mach 3". Then drove off. I thought I was smoked and was getting a ticker for sure, but I guess not. Oh well. So the weekend can't get much worse could it? Wrong again.

Amanda and I were both flying out of the Springs that Monday. So we get there and we get Amanda all checked in. Then I got to my airline to get checked in and I don't have a ticket! What the heck! Apparently since my first flight from Ontario to Pheonix made me late to my Phoenix/COS flight, I was marked as a no-show and the rest of my itinerary was cancelled! How crappy is that! And it wasn't even my fault! So I finally was able to get on a flight from COS to Denver and then to Ontario. I hate airlines!

Anyway, Ring Dance was awesome and I had a great time. I was really glad that Amanda could come out and meet everyone too. But I had to go back to being bored and hot in the desert. Oh well. I got to leave California on June 20th and my trials with the airlines was not ending yet. My flight back to the COS (it was direct) was about half way through a two hour flight when we turned around because of a mechanical problem. I guess some hydralics or something in the nose gear was acting weird and Colorado Springs couldn't fix it or replace the plane, but Ontario could. So after another hour of flying, we get back to Cali, switch planes, and then fly back the way we came! The flight was nice until we got to Colorado. It was really bumpy, and we had the biggest drop I've ever seen in an airliner I've been on. The plane dropped so much I could see things starting to float in the air! I really hate the airlines! I got back to the Academy around 4:00 that day. I picked up my car, loaded up my mountain bike, and headed home to start my summer!

I had a great break at home. It was awesome just getting to relax for a while and go to Quincy to see everyone. But then Sarah's whole ordeal started! Man, I just can't catch a break with this stuff can I! Hahaha! I had so much fun being back and seeing everyone. I had a great break and I'm sad its over. Oh well.

Today I drove back to Colorado. My mom got a new bike rack, so she gave me her old one so I wouldn't have to pack my bike back inside my car. Well...this wasn't a great idea. I had the bike strapped in pretty tight, but somewhere in Kansas one of the straps loosened and pulled off. In my rear view mirror I saw the bike swing, and so I started to slow down and pull to the shoulder. But Then I saw the rest of the bike let loose and go flying! So in case you missed it, my bike fell off the back of my car on I-70 while I was going about 75 miles per hour. Needless to say, a string of explatives came out as I saw my bike bounce along hard concrete and toward speeding traffic. Luckily the bike bounced to the shoulder and no one got hurt. But my handlebars are messed up and I'm pretty sure the deraiuller (which let you shift gears) on my back end are messed up big time. Thanks for the bike rack Mom! Hahaha! Just kidding. So I pulled to the shoulder, walked back to my bike, took the wheels off and put it into the back of my car...so I guess the rack really didn't save me much room in the long run did it...

So that's my summer so far. Woohoo! I start working CATM again for Basic Training on Monday. Its the same thing I did last summer and it was pretty easy, so I'm kind of looking forward to it. But I'd much rather be back at home, hanging out, eating sushi, and doing nothing. Oh well.

Hopefully this long post makes up for the couple months of inactivity. But in my own defense, I didn't have internet access at Edwards (and only really sketchy cell-phone reception), and I hate sitting at the computer when I'm at home since I'm one one all the time while I'm at school. You all should have gone over to my mom's blog! Hahaha!