Recruits?! WHAT?!

Hey y'all!

It's my first post in awhile because I've been MONDO busy with school.

That being said, I've also been quite busy diving. I finally got 5/6 dives, which is MUCH better than I had initially.

This week the PotsdamBears are hosting their annual meet the NCIs (North Country Invitational).

It's SUPER swamped, swimmers and divers all over the place! I love it!

With all that, my coach had a diving recruit come stay with myself, ladyfunk, and queenie for a night! It's very fun to show off all that is awesome about POTSDAM(!).

She's very sweet, and excited about visiting different schools.

This brings me back to three years ago when I was visiting all of my potential schools...good times. :)

xoxo

Roommates

I love Queenie and Lady Funk a lot. They're my best friends here at school, and I can't imagine having other roommates-besides my darling roomie from last year, nobody beats her.

That being said, I spent the weekend at my boyfriend's and it was very nice. We watched a lot of movies, saw a soccer game, and basically just vegged out.

He has a single. So when I got back to Potsdam (He goes to a school one town over), I went into what can only be described as shock. My roommates weren't going to simmer down just because *I* returned, nor should they. I just wasn't prepared for the onslaught of bestfriends I met when I arrived.

I did feel bad, though. I usually take what the girls say and don't let it faze me, but Queenie said some things that hit the wrong nerve with me, and I kind of snapped. No yelling, but there were some sarcastic comments thrown around. It was somewhat harsh, what I said.

No worries, blogosphere, I apologized right after, but I was still somewhat justified in a small portion of my snap. (She kept whining about having joint pain, but refused to take medication to numb the pain. I have arthritis...I don't handle whining about joints well at all).

So now I have to work on coming back to Potsdam and just accept everything that hits me. I'm not terribly concerned, as I really do love my roommates to pieces. It's just a matter of saying: "okay, you left the boyfriend's, now we're back in triple-land."

xoxo

Pool

So this Cadet is learning to dive...it's going swimmingly (ba-da-chhh), except for the

more than occasional bruise of course.

With all that chlorine exposure, the dry cold of Potsdam, and generally dry hands, I went on a lotion hunt.

This is seriously the best I could hope for. It keeps my hands feeling happy all season.

Without the annoying greasy feeling!

As far as hair care goes, it's next to be hunted down, as my hair gets very slimy due to exposure to chlorine.

First meet is the 30th! Go POTSDAM BEARS (and all that jazz)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OE4E_lcxS4

xoxo

Time Management

This Cadet recently got a huge wake-up call.

I got a C on a midterm! This isn't cool. So, I've made a decision that beginning Monday, October 18 I'm going to take school much more seriously.

I'm not a bad student, I just have a tendency to get distracted easily.

These are my tips for staying on task during long nights of reading when you'd rather be somewhere else:

1. Use post-its, they help you take notes without the seriousness of notebooks. (They're also cute and often come in fun colors).
2. Set goals for yourself. If you only have the class two times a week, set goals to read X number of pages each night, then review the material the night before class.
3. Allow time for little rewards. Don't get crazy here, but if you've read 50 pages, written an essay, and started your math problems, it's ok to skype with your boyfriend for a little bit.
4. Make a list of what you have to do, and try to alternate tasks. If you have to read for 2 of your 4 classes, alternate readings for classes with more practical things, like writing essays or solving problems.
5. Don't fall asleep with highlighters in your hands, your sweaters don't like them.
6. Keep coffee, snacks on hand. It's easier to stay awake for those long hauls with munchies around. You can always go to the gym the next day, especially if you have practice.

That being said, if your study habits work, keep going with them. These are just ideas that I'm going to try. Also, any tips you have, feel free to comment!

xoxo

Small(ish) Rant

I love facebook. I really do, I'm talking 100% addicted to it.

I met my roommate on facebook (AngelinaBallerina), I keep in touch via facebook, but honestly...

Y'ALL TAKE IT WAY TOO SERIOUSLY!!!!!!

Certain inside jokes are permissible on the site, and though you might not understand them, accept them and MOVE THE HECK ON!

I apologize for the potential confusion, but let's not take things too seriously.

If I "friend" a person on facebook a week ago, do you honestly think we're actually "married"?

NO!

Clearly a joke, considering you don't have the full story, please chill out.

THANKS! ;-)

Birthday Fun!

I have great friends! Hands down the best bunch I could ask for!

Today was my *gasp* 20th birthday! A big day in the life of this cadet. It's my golden birthday and I've been a-waitin' for a long time.

In the picture we have

ChucksGirl CadetPrep ManlyMan LadyFunk QueenDclarinet

They bought me cake at WEGMANS! (I'm kind of obsessed with Wegman's.)

LadyFunk made them stick with a PINK theme (how perfect?).

She always does a fanTAStic job with parties.

Tonight was also the premier of the show CHUCK on NBC! It was beyond awesome!

Overall, excellent 20th for this prep!

:)

Land Navigation

During any cadet's ROTC career, she/he will undoubtedly have to go through the grueling process that is known and loved as Land Nav.

Land Nav(igation) is a good idea in theory. Learning how to read a map and get from point A to B, and from A to any number of check points.

Cadets are issued

a compass

a protractor

and a map of the area being navigated. We have three hours to locate eight points, which are indicated by an alpha-numeric code.

EX: A1

I look forward to Land Nav every year, but for some reason, I just can't get the hang of it. It's easy in THEORY, but in practice. . .not so much.

Today, I tried the same lane twice, and only found two of 8 points total. It's very upsetting, considering this is a big HUGE-mondo part of LDAC.

So, to sum up, I have GOT to get better at Land Nav or I won't do as well as I should at Camp next summer.

Wish me luck, Cadets!