Week 7 - Vacation Next Week!

I am relieved to know that all of next week I have vacation time. Wednesday is just about over, and tomorrow and Friday are going to be easy days. I had two exams earlier today. My first exam was for Newton Mechanics (Physics), and my second one was for C-Programming. I pretty much beat the crap out of both of my exams to the point that they were begging for mercy. I should be getting the results from my last math exam tomorrow. I am hoping that I didn't do too bad on it, but if I did then it simply means that I will have to up my game.

I meant to post something earlier in the week, but I have been extremely busy this week. I ended up moving out of Old Dorm 201, and now I am rooming with a friend of mine in the same building, but on the opposite end. In my old room I was lucky if I got even the tiniest bit of WiFi, but in this new room I get the best signal I can possibly get. It is a 1 gb/s wireless-n connection.

I just barely got out of History of Rock & Roll. I was actually bored out of my mind because we started to explore Doo-Wop music tonight. I am not really into that kind of music, so it made the class drag on more than usual.

All in all I am having a great week. It was stressful for a couple of days, but the rest of this week will be extremely easy, and then I have a well-needed whole week off to be lazy for a while. I am thinking that I might visit my high-school at some point and hang out with my old band teacher. I also think it is cool to talk to my old teachers and let them know what I am doing in college. A lot of people who are actually local to Vermont Tech end up passing it off because they assume that a school so close to home can't be worth going to, but in reality this school provides a very competitive education... trust me... they work the hell out of their students! It is totally worth it, so it is good to show my old teachers just how quickly I am learning the vast amounts of information that the college throws at me. :D

That is all I got for now. I may or may not be posting over vacation. It depends on how lazy I am feeling... :P

Trip to Burlington

Burlington, VT

Wow! I cannot describe how crazy things are this year compared to last year. I am not even in the middle of my sixth week, but I have already had three exams. I also have a Technical Math exam this Friday, and a C Programming Exam next Wednesday. I am looking forward to vacation more than most people can understand. I have the rest of this week and all of next week, but then I have a whole week off for vacation time. To say it is well needed would be an understatement.

The amount of work I am given this year, including the new challenges, far outweighs the work from my first year. Computer Engineering Technology is believed to be the toughest major at Vermont Tech. It is so challenging that it apparently has a 57% failure rate. This means that 57% of those that originally entered my major didn't survive to see graduation. Of course, this includes all possibilities. People change majors, people have financial trouble that goes with any college, people get into bad habits (or get worse), and countless other things that go beyond the academic side of things. What does this tell me exactly? It tells me that I am going to have to work my ass off. I know this is what I want, and I want it enough to where I am confident that I will graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering Technology and be part of that remaining 43%. :D

This year it seems like the stress, in part, comes from me developing my time management skills. My schedule is a bit different than last year. Last year I could hold off doing homework during the night, and this would be because I had time before my classes the following day to do the work. This year I am left to do my homework during the night, or immediately after class. College isn't simply about studying your given major. It is also about studying yourself. I am still in the process of discovering which study habits work best for me, but I just hope that I am not taking too long to do so.

I need to keep myself on track. I have some minor things that I feel like I need to get sorted out soon. I need to start using my binders now that my notes and handouts are piling up. I need to start sorting through my notes, rewriting them, and combining multiple pages of notes into single pages of ultra-useful notes. This process is something they preach during freshman orientation, and while it seemed like 'such a drag' having to listen to it at that time... I can tell that it is actually great advice.

For the most part I have been doing an amazing job with getting my work done correctly and turned in on time. The thing that I am starting to see now, although small, is the snowball effect starting. All college students know how dangerous the snowball effect is. You get a single late assignment, a single missed assignment, or a single class missed... it all builds up. At this stage I have nothing to worry about. I just need to do extra math problems every now and then. I am good with stopping the snowball effect in its tracks, and long before it gets out of hand.

Anyway, the picture above is a picture of me in Burlington, VT. The college sponsored a trip to Burlington this past Sunday, and I was quick to take advantage of it. I got to hang out with some friends of mine, and even a friend who I don't get to see too often. My friend goes to Champlain College for Electronic Game Development, and he gave me a tour of the place on Sunday. It is a pretty cool college. All of the buildings have extremely modern/fancy architectural designs, and the whole campus seems to be connected by stone walkways and buildings.

That is all I have right now. It is getting late... or early, so I should go to bed. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow, but at least it marks the end of the beginning of the week. ;)

Week 5 Almost Over :P

Week five is almost over! I say it all the time, but the weeks definitely go by faster when you are in college. This year seems to be moving even faster than last year did. I am pretty sure it is because I am given more work to do.

Anyway, tomorrow I will be taking a quiz in Newton Mechanics (Physics). I found out earlier in the week that I am averaging somewhere around 85% for my current grade in that class. This is GREAT news. This means that if I keep this up throughout the semester, but also push a little bit harder, then I should be able to hit the 90 mark. Doing so will mean that I won't have to take the final exam for Physics. :D

The same kind of thing applies to my math course, but the chances of me getting the 85 that is needed for final exam exemption is a longshot. It would be nice... in fact, it would be absolutely amazing to not have to take a math final, but I know that I will have to.

I am going home for the weekend after my math class gets out tomorrow. My math class ends at 1:50 p.m., and I hope to head out shortly after that. I have already been home a couple of times this week because I had an old friend of mine spend the night at the college so that he could get a feel for what college courses are like. We have gone to school together from kindergarten to ninth grade, and that is when he dropped out of highschool to get his GED. Now I am gonna try and help him get into Vermont Tech. He hopes to be part of the Information Technology major because not only does it interest him, but it is a very light math load compared to the other majors. I am in the 5-year program (to make my first couple of years easier), but I have to take a total of ten different math courses while I am here. Information Technology only requires somewhere around three or four math courses total! My major also deals with the toughest math course offered at the college. It is a course so innocently named 'Applied Math,' but in reality it is like the Sirens from the Greek tales of Homer.

I have been spending plenty of time hanging out with friends this year. It is crazy how much stuff I have already learned this school year including a few things that I even learned about myself. This past week alone I have discovered that I *might* actually be a decent singer, and there is even a certain girl at the college that I *might* be interested in. ;)

Week 5 - Activating "College Mode" =D

Main Walkway Down to Green & Admin.

It is hard to believe, but it is already my 5th week as a college sophomore. It is easy to see that the coursework here has become more challenging, but I love how quickly I am learning topics that are completely new to me. I have a physics course which has trained me to look at math problems in a more effective way.

I used to stare blankly at word problems in math because I did a crappy job with collecting information used to solve the problems. With physics though the problems are related to the real world. They are so easy to visualize that they have trained me to look at word problems in a different way. I can picture a soccer ball being launched at 12.3 m/s at an angle of 50° off of a cliff 20m in height. I can use common sense to assume that the acceleration of gravity, 9.8m/s², is a factor with how quickly the ball will accelerate during free-fall.

I am also enjoying my C Programming class. Before this course I had absolutely no experience with the Unix operation system, but now I use it once a week at the very least. We write, compile, debug, and copy our programs and files directly from the Unix server. It is pretty cool. The operating system is simple, it is only text-based, but it definitely is quite powerful. Pretty much every operating system out there is based in some way or another on Unix.

My classes are definitely going well so far. I definitely am given a bunch of work, it can seem like too much occasionally, but I am clearly getting what my family and I are paying for. The education here at Vermont Tech works quite well. With what I have already learned here I almost wish I could go back in time with what I now know and do highschool all over again. I guarantee I would easily be able to graduate with a 4.0 GPA, or at least something close to that.

I had an exam in Newton Mechanics (Physics) last Wednesday. I received a grade somewhere in the 80s range on that exam. I also had a Technical Math exam last Friday, but I don't find out how well I did on that until tomorrow's math class. I am hoping that my grade turns out even better than I think it will, but it is a math course, so it is hard to say. Chances are I will find that I didn't do as well as I thought I did based on the fact that exams are usually quite picky. You have to write everything in a special way, and if you break form at all then you get points docked off. You will still get points docked regardless of whether or not you got the correct answer. It gets frustrating sometimes, but I understand that most of the majors here are for people entering fields where they simply won't be allowed to make mistakes. I am in the Computer Engineering Major. It is hard to say, due to all the things my major covers, what I will be doing after graduation. If I make a single mistake with my work in the future then it is completely possible that a piece of equipment could be completely ruined, a person could be placed in harms way, or my employer could lose thousands of dollars due to the time needed to fix one of my simple mistakes. If you are an engineer... if you are a doctor... you CANNOT make mistakes. :P

I decided to go on a little bit of a rant for this post. I know that originally I said that I would try to post twice last week, but failed at doing even a single post. It was due to my exams, but it paid off. Anyway, on Wednesday I will have a guest on campus. I have an old friend of mine staying on campus tomorrow night so that he can see what my college courses are like on Wednesday. My schedule on Wednesday includes: Newton Mechanics, C Programming, Technical Math, and History of Rock & Roll. It should be good. :P

P.S: I forgot to mention that I am in "College Mode" now. It is a term I am using to describe the fact that I am just now getting back into my true college work habits. Getting work out of the way early, taking better notes in my classes, and even managing my time well enough to still hang out with my friends to do things like bowling ever Thursday night. :D

P.P.S: I chose the picture above because the walkway on campus is actually being completely replaced this year. It is looking pretty good, but the walkway in this picture is one of the last pictures taken of the original walkway. I will try to get a similar picture at some point during the week to show how it has changed.

Saw Kid Rock in Concert! :D

A Picture I Took of Kid Rock

My 3rd week is coming to an end. It has been a pretty good week though. Last weekend my family and I got to see Kid Rock live in concert at the Champlain Valley Fairgrounds in Essex, VT. It was an AMAZING concert because we were able to stand right up by the stage. There were so many fireworks that went off on stage, huge flames shooting up during brain-melting guitar solos, and so many flashing lights. It was a BADASS concert, and I was happy to get as many close-up shots as I did. They would have been better in quality, but the super-fast changes in lighting affected my camera's ability to adjust to what was going on. It was awesome when he told all the "ladies in the audience" to yell "KID! KID!" whenever he rose his left arm, and he told all the "dogs in the audience" to yell "ROCK! ROCK!" whenever he rose his right arm. This worked perfectly because he was able to get a loud chant of "KID! KID! ROCK! ROCK!" It was pretty cool. :D

Last night I, along with 10 other people, went to see the movie "9" on 09/09/09 at the Palace 9 theater at 9pm! It was a pretty good movie. It is an animated movie about the apocalypse, and life after human life on Earth. Tonight some friends and I are supposed to be going bowling like we did last Thursday. Thursday is also the night that I walk up to the Morey Hall and play guitar in the basement of the building with some kickass musicians. This year has started off quite strong, and I am loving it! :D

I guess that is all I got to write now. I will try to post at least twice next week. :P

P.S: I am getting paid to be a photographer! I will post more details as they come up. :D

Bowling Last Night - End of Week 2

Last night I went to the Music Club for the first time this year. I played guitar with a small group of great musicians from about 6pm to 8:30pm. It was a lot of fun because the music was an awesome mixture of blues and classic rock, and those happen to be my two favorite genres.

Shortly after leaving the Music Club a few of my friends and I went down to the Valley Bowl, the local bowling alley, and played three fun games of bowling. Vermont Tech. students are given a discount when they go there, so it was only $4 to play three games of bowling. It was a whole load of fun, and I am under the impression that my friends and I want to make it a weekly thing. I actually consumed about 2 litres of Pepsi within this short period of time, so I was quite hyper for the whole night. I ended up making several gutter shots, but out of everyone I was also the one who shot the most strikes. The first game I came in third out of five people, and the second game I came in second. The third game we ended up quitting towards the end because it was already after 11pm at that time. Overall it was a fun night, and it keeps what has been a great school year going strong.

So, it is the end of week two now! That means that I have thirteen more weeks left of this semester, and that tells me that I might need to increase the storage space within my skull... My brain might be expanding in size, yet limited by the space available... clearly I am joking, but it sure as hell feels that way sometimes! :D

First Week Over, Second Week Begins!

My first week of classes for my second year at Vermont Tech. went quite well. I can tell that my courses are more challenging this year compared to last year, but I am learning more at a faster rate so I am not complaining. I found out towards the end of last week that I might have a partial exemption from my Presentation Graphics course since I already have about 20 different certifications in what the class focuses on. My professor said that I will likely be able to skip class the next 5-6 weeks without penalty because it is all too simple for me.

You can see in this picture that I decided to move my side of my dorm room around a bit. I like this way a lot more, but my roommate and I are also going to be turning our beds into bunkbeds, and that should give both of us even more space. I can honestly say right now that I much prefer Old Dorm to Keenan. Old Dorm may be further from the dining hall, but it is noticeably closer to the buildings where classes usually take place.

Today I had my first quiz in my Newton Mechanics class (Physics). I am confident that I did well on it because the answers seemed to jump right out at me. This Friday I have my first 1-hour exam in Technical Math, and it will cover everything that we have gone over in the class up to this point. We are expected to have seven 1-hour exams in the class, but only six of them are going to count for the final grade. There will also be the normal final at the end of the semester to top it all off. This year I am actually not too worried about math. I am doing well with staying right on top of it. Right now it seems like my Physics course is my toughest one. I won't list reasons beyond the course material being challenging though. There are other reasons there, but I would rather not list them on here.

Well, hopefully I get around to updating the blog at least once more this week. It is a good practice. I find that it helps me stay focused on my work because it makes it easier to keep track of what I need to do, and what events are taking place... which reminds me! There is a big-wheel race going on tonight. Maybe I will take pictures and post them later. :D

Back @ Vermont Tech! :D

Old Dorm 201

I am back at Vermont Tech. for my sophomore year! I am starting my second year of college, and I am enjoying my new dorm room. I am in Old Dorm 201 this year. In Old Dorm you can actually move your furniture around, and the rooms are a little bit bigger. It is nice to have more freedom in the dorm room, but it is even nicer to be closer to the buildings where I will be taking most of my classes. It will be a further walk to the dining hall now, and the snack bar, but overall Old Dorm is more convenient. I also have the majority of my college friends living in the same building, so that makes it easier for us to all hang out. :D

I am looking forward to my first classes tomorrow. I have a pretty easy first day. I have Intro. to Newton Mechanics at 9am, and then C Programming at 10am. I then get a couple hours off before heading to Technical Math at 1pm. I know that the work this semester is going to be harder than last year's work, but it should also get to be more and more interesting as I progress through the years.

I am not sure of what I want to do right now on campus... should I go find some of my friends who have already moved in? should I check out the dining hall and see who is there? or should I relax and enjoy the comfort of my dorm room? :D

18 Days Left of Vacation...

HELLO! I know that I failed to update my blog as much as I said I would over the summer, but I got kinda carried away with other things that were going on, so I never really got around to it. Oops!

Anyway, my summer has been going great! Last weekend I had a college party at my house and it turned out to be very succesful! I invited all of my college friends, more than half of them made it, but for living so far away it was a great turnout! I REALLY can't wait to go back to school! I have 18 days left of a 4 month summer vacation... :D

For my first semester of my second year of college I will be taking Intro. to Newton Mechanics, C Programming, Presentation Graphics, Technical Math, and Intro. to Rock & Roll. :D

I am actually, really, honestly, going to get back into updating the blog frequently now that the school year is coming up!

Younger Brother Graduated

This past Saturday my younger brother, Chris, graduated from high school. It is pretty cool because he was the last person left in my family to graduate. Our high school is called Rivendell Academy, and even though we live in VT, the high school is located in NH.

Anyway, I am sure that everyone was happy with the length of the graduation. My graduating class last year had 52 graduates, but this year there were only 41. At this year's graduation there were also over $350,000 worth of scholarships given out to students! For a small school in NH, and a school graduating only 41 students, this amount in scholarship cash is quite impressive! :D

We had a huge party at my house after the graduation because it wasn't simply my brother's graduation party, but it was also my dad's birthday party AND my grandfather's birthday party. My dad is now 43, and my grandfather is now 80. Wow... with writing these numbers now I just realized that the age gap between my father and I is only 23 years, but the age gap between my father and my grandfather is a whopping 37. :D It is because my dad grew up in a family of 14 though, and he is one of the youngest in that family.

Well, I think that is all I have for right now. I have been looking for places that are hiring, but I never thought it would be this difficult to find a job over the summer. Nobody seems to be hiring right now, and it sucks because I really want a summer job.

My Fall 2009 Schedule

I am currently on summer vacation, but this is what my schedule will look like when I go back to Vermont Tech. for the fall 2009 term. I am really really really looking forward to it! :D

Yay! I Finally Got my License! (About damn time!)

Our Backyard - Pool & Apple Trees

I had my driving test on May 26th, and I managed to pass the test without a problem! I FINALLY got my license! I should have actually had it about 3-4 years ago, but a surgery that I had kept me from getting it for a few years. In the picture above you can also see my vehicle. It is the silver 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe, and it should be all registered and ready to drive legally on Wednesday. :D

I applied for a job at Staples in West Lebanon yesterday, and I might apply for a job at Best Buy later today. Now that I have a year of college under my belt, and good grades, it should be relatively easy to get a job at one of these places. Best Buy would be paying me $8.50 an hour, but Staples would be paying me $9.50 an hour. I actually have more interest in Best Buy as a store, but if Staples is going to be paying me more, for pretty much the same work, than I would much rather work there.

Also, I mean to update this blog at least once a week, but I have been relatively busy the past few weeks making sure that I was prepared for my driving test, and getting everything in order for job applications. As mentioned above, I have applied for Staples and plan on applying to Best Buy, but I very well might apply to one or two other places to make sure that I can get a job over the summer. I plan on taking at least half of the money that I make over the summer and sending it directly to my college loans, and that should still leave me with plenty of money to spend on whatever I want AND of course necessary things like gas for my vehicle etc...

The picture above is one of about 60 that I took of our backyard. I will likely be using a couple of these photos over the summer to post on my blog. I think that this is really all I have to post for now, but I should be getting calls for interviews soon, so I will be sure to post when I have more information. :D

A Lazy Day at Home

It feels weird to be suddenly taken away from the busy life. It is nice having nothing to do sometimes, but I also can't help but feel like I could be a bit more productive. I have gone through my first year of college, and it was a busy year. Now that I am home it feels like I have nothing to do. I plan on updating my resume later today, and then possibly applying to Best Buy over the internet.

Because of a couple of surgeries I had a while back I wasn't able to get my license when I should have. I have been going far too long without having a license, so I am relieved to FINALLY have a driving test scheduled for May 26th. I should be able to pass it without a problem because I think that I am actually a pretty good driver. Not having my license already is what is holding me back right now. It really sucks because I wanted to get out and start working immediately, but I don't have the transportation yet. I already have my own vehicle though. It is a silver 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe. When I apply to different places over the next week or so I need to make sure that I let them know that I won't have proper transportation until May 26th. It is good to be honest on applications, and this would avoid having them set up an interview time that wouldn't work for me.

Well that is all I got for now. I am going to try to keep this blog going throughout the summer months to make sure that it stays strong. :D

Yay! My First Year of College is Complete!

GRAND FINALE!!!

I meant to update this on Wednesday because that was officially my last day for this school year, but I had a hard time uploading the video above. I had a GREAT first year at Vermont Tech! I am glad that I chose a school that pushes students to be all that they can be. It seems like yesterday that I was moving into the college, and now I am already on my 2nd day of summer vacation. It is CRAZY how fast time flies by when you are constantly kept busy. I know that this first year was the easiest of them all. I know that next year I will be, yet again, faced with new challenges to overcome.... and I am REALLY looking forward to it.

My last few days at Vermont Tech (for my first year) were extremely stressful because of having to simultaneously pack my stuff to go home AND study for my final exams. I only had three final exams, but two of them I spent a lot of my time preparing for as I watched the clock quickly tick its way down. I am happy to have completed my first year of college because it gives me great amounts of pride knowing that I am first generation college student and have already made it this far. I know that I will miss my college friends over this long four month vacation, but I also feel like this 'extended' vacation is well needed.

My first year of college. It was definitely a time that I will never forget. I have met a large group of amazing and unique people who have made me laugh countless times. People who are true to who they are, and people that share the same passion for both music and technology that I do. I got to see Lowell Sanders and Rusty Dewees, two extremely funny stand-up comedians, a famous sword swallower who has been on Ripley's Believe it or Not!, a French comedian/juggler, and even two live bands that did an AMAZING job of ROCKing out at Vermont Tech.

I also got to go to an Eve 6 concert with three of my college friends. It was my first concert, and the band playing is the same famous band that does the song I marched out to (Here's to the Night) at my high school graduation. Not only did I get to see this band, but I got to be smashed up against the stage during their whole performance. I even had several close calls with being hit by the lead guitarist's guitar because of how close I was.

It was a great year. It was stressful, but I have learned that my dreams truly are a possibility. I have learned so much during this first year. I have built a robotic car that can detect collision and turn itself around, and even a small amplifier that can channel a signal from a microphone through a piece of fiber-optic wire and out to a speaker. I have experienced a new level of education. I am more proud now than I have ever been, but I know that this is simply the beginning. I look forward to the day when I receive my Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering Technology from Vermont Tech. It will be the proudest day of my life.

The video above is the grand finale of the end-of-the-year fireworks display on Tuesday night at Vermont Tech. I managed to pick my camera up at the PERFECT time to catch the whole grand finale. The screaming you hear throughout the video belongs to countless students on campus (that are nowhere near my camera by the way) who are extremely proud to be where they are. I share the same feeling. :-)

LAST WEEK OF CLASSES IS OVER! :-D

Cool Wall Design Displaying a Computer Chip (Morrill Building)

Wow! It is hard to believe, but my last week of classes for my first year of college has come to an end! I have a final exam for Fundamentals of Circuits II on Monday, a final for C-Programming on Tuesday, and a final exam for Intro. to Technical Math II on Wednesday.

Over the next few days I will be focusing on packing and studying. I know that on Tuesday night there is supposed to be an end-of-the-year fireworks display. I am hoping that my camera is able to take decent photos of the fireworks. I know that my old one simply couldn't do it.

I am sure that I will do well on my C-Programming and Fundamentals of Circuits II exams. I am confident with my math skills, but I know that my math exam is going to require the most preparation. It basically covers all of the math topics for the whole school year, so it is tough to know just how much of what is going to be on the final. I plan on spending a good portion of my time on Sunday to review all of my notes, and then of course do the same thing on Tuesday night.

Also on Tuesday night is a math review session that covers many different subjects in math. I plan on going to this because I have an 80 in my math class, and I want to see if I can make it go up even more by doing the absolute best I can on this final exam.

Well, that is all I have for now. This is the first weekend that I have stayed on campus instead of going home for the weekend, so maybe tomorrow I will get some more pictures for a couple of posts next week.

Week 29 - Final Class Week!

Solar Vehicle - Vermont Public Interest Research Group

It is crazy to look back at how quickly this school year has gone by! I am proud to have already made it through my first year of college. As a first generation college student this is a huge step forward. I am already looking forward to coming back in late August to start my second year. This week is looking like it is going to be a relatively easy week, but I know that this is simply because it is a review week for next week's final exams. I have 4 exams spanned out from Monday to Wednesday, and then I get to go home for summer vacation on Wednesday night! I enjoy being here at Vermont Tech, and I am sure summer vacation is going to seem like it is just dragging on as I will likely be anxious to get back to school. :-)

The picture above is of a solar vehicle that actually produces enough energy for 3 energy-efficient homes. It is owned by the Vermont Public Research Interest Group and part of the reason why they were on campus is that they wanted to spread awareness about the Green Mountain Yankee power plant. A meeting, or a vote, is supposed to take place sometime soon that will determine whether or not the plant is allowed to run for another 20 years. VPIRG is trying to get the plant to be shut down because it has a history of creating radioactive waste. It was pretty cool to see a vehicle that can actually power 3 homes. According to the drivers the solar panel array on the truck is only about $23,000. This is actually extremely affordable when you consider that the extra energy you don't use can actually be sold back to the grid for a profit, and there are also federal tax incentives. :-)

Well, that is all I have for today. I will likely post again this week since it is the last class week of the school year.

Week 28 - Living in Old Dorm Next Year!!!

"Rock Wall Around Hartness Library"

Only a week and a half remains for my first year of college! This year has been a great success, and I am quite proud to have already made it this far! This week has not only been going by fast, but has also been going quite well.

Vermont Tech held room lottery last night in the Judd Gym, and I managed to get into the best dorm building on campus! I will be living in Old Dorm next year in room 201! Old Dorm gets its name because it is simply the oldest dorm building on campus. It has the largest rooms, and all the furniture is movable. This is HUGE plus for most people.

The furniture in the other buildings is attached to the wall someway or another, so you don't have any real freedom as to how your room is arranged. Old Dorm is also much closer to the buildings where classes take place than Keenan is. Instead of having to walk clear across campus to go to all of my classes I will only have to walk a relatively short distance. The only trip that is going to be lengthened will be my trip to the dining hall for lunch and dinner every day. The thing is: I walk to classes 3-5 times a day. I only have to walk to the dining hall up to twice a day and that is IF I am planning on eating there.

Anyway, I had my second Fundamentals of Circuits II exam today. I think that I did quite well on it, but I haven't gotten my grade back yet. I know that I got all of the bonus questions correct. My favorite bonus question was: "If a ripe tomato is red, and a train leaves Chicago at 60 MPH, what is the value of 2^4?" I still laugh about it on and off... :-)

I have a Tech. Math exam tomorrow that includes some of the stuff covered last semester AND everything that we have gone over in class since the last exam. I am confident that I will do quite well on this exam since the material covered is based on the same exact concepts that we have been covering in circuits all semester. I have been doing a pretty decent job in class, so I am sure that I will do well on this exam. So yup, one more exam this week followed by my last normal week next week, and then a 3-day week of final exams then...

SUMMER VACATION!!!

Week 27 is Flying By!

The weather has been amazing all week! It is nice to know that summer is quickly approaching! I know that this year has seemed to fly right by. I think it is because of how busy the college keeps me with the amount of homework I get.

Anyway, I turned in the rough draft for my research paper today. It is currently 8 pages long without including the 'works cited' page. It is good to know that I don't have to worry about it for now since the final draft isn't due for a couple more weeks. I think that I only have a week left of Research Writing because the final class week is actually going to be used for individual conferences with each and every student between all of the different sections. It will be nice because it means that the week before finals I will have 5 hours cut from my schedule for that week.

Next Monday I have a presentation due that is supposed to be based on my research paper. I have been researching the planet Mars and what steps mankind must take in order to explore Mars and eventually colonize it. It will be interesting because, while some people are given a week to do this assignment, I have only this weekend to complete it. I hate sign-up sheets because it is always obvious which time slots are going to be filled up first and it is unfair to those that get to look at the sheet after everyone else has. The sign-up sheet had time slots for each Research Writing class period of next week, and to no surprise I was stuck with Monday.

I don't have a problem at all with having to do so much work. Sure, sometimes it gets out of hand, but the education gained makes it more than worth it. There are also only two class weeks left, but my last week of Research Writing will be next week. I am also psyched about having my last final exam on Wednesday, May 6th instead of Friday, May 8th. It means that my vacation starts a couple of days early. :-)

Note: The picture above is of the parking lot between the Morey, Keenan, and S.H.A.P.E buildings. Now that all the snow is gone I am able to simply cut across this parking lot for faster access to the campus snack bar, which sure as hell beats walking all the way around the parking lot! :-)

Start of Week 27 - A Busy Busy Week

This week is a super busy week. I have an 8-10 page research paper due on Wednesday on space exploration and the importance of spreading life. I know that the next few weeks are going to be insane since those few weeks are all I have left before summer vacation. I have a 1-hour exam coming up in both Intro. to Technical Math II, and one Fundamentals of Circuits II before actually taking the final exam for all of my classes. Right now it looks like my final day of my first year of college will be on Wednesday, May 6th. This means that my vacation starts two days earlier because my last exam is on that Wednesday. :-)

It has been an extremely busy school year, and I love it. The time has gone by so much faster than it ever did in high school, so before I know it I will have a job in the Burlington area doing what I love to do.

Well, I have a lot of stuff that I need to be doing right now, but I might post on Thursday or Friday since I will be swamped through Wednesday due to my research paper.

Also, the picture above is one I took of the campus snack bar. I edited it with Photoshop to make it look cooler. :-)

End of Vacation - Start of Week 26!

"Pascal's Triangle - Conant Building"

It is hard to believe it, but my first year of college is almost over! While stress from any college is inevitable, I have found that my first year was actually filled with more fun from learning countless new things then it was from college stress, and this is how education should be.

It is crazy, but it is already the beginning of my 26th week. This means that I only have 4 weeks left of classes, and then a week of final exams! As much as I love being here, at Vermont Tech, I am looking forward to my summer vacation. It is just over a month longer than the summer vacation that I am used to from elementary school to high school, so it will actually be the longest summer 'vacation' I have had since before I started pre-school! :-)

I hope to get a job at Best Buy over the summer. It would be nice to work at a store in which the products I have always known a lot about. I actually applied to Best Buy last summer, and managed to get my first job interview, but I think that they didn't want to hire me because I was starting college in just a few weeks, and the application process probably would've taken longer than that. I was also nervous during my job interview, but maybe when I go in again I will do a much better job. I would really like to work there, but if I can't then I will seek employment elsewhere.

I have to run off to C Programming now.... I have an exam in that class today that I should actually do quite well on. :-D