I can FINALLY relax now that our grades have been put up. We, the student body, have suffered through finals and the Fall semester and deserve to know our grades the second that our finals are graded! According to my mother, I was all uptight and intense even when I got back until all of my grades were posted. I got all A’s again although I truthfully did not expect this to happen in two of my classes. Whatever, I’m not going to ask questions, but it was so scary refreshing my transcript page every few minutes to see if my professors had updated the grades yet. Since having learned of my grades, I can relax and enjoy my break which I feel was well-deserved. I went back home to Tucson and got to see all of my friends and family. We made tamales on the Sunday after I got back and my friend Bobby came over to help but came too late because we all are such efficient workers and finished in record time. All the did was eat the fruits of our labor and spontaneously force me to play basketball, which I despise. We then went to church with him where I met up with one of my other good friends, Kara, and I chaperoned with her at my brother’s youth group celebration afterwards.

Eating Tamales with our friends Bobby and Samantha

In the days leading up to Christmas, I tried my very best to get into the Christmas spirit even though it is in the 70’s here and cactus surrounds me, so it was a bit hard. I am still wearing sandals. Anyway, I went Christmas shopping for my family and friends and had to maneuver through traffic, which is a lot easier said than done. I went back to LA Fitness but now those clowns are charging my full price again because I used it one time. I went to an Annual Cookie Party hosted by my friend Lindsey and it was a blast getting to see all my old friends and reconnecting by making cookies. Afterwards we went to Winterhaven, a Christmas attraction here in Tucson which is actually just a neighborhood where everyone decorates their houses and others can drive or walk through and admire their hard work at decoration. It is a lot of fun to go there and I went twice, once with two groups of friends and then again with my family. Going to Winterhaven and getting the Eegee’s flavor of the month, Hollyberry, has put me into the Christmas mood and we got to celebrate it today – CHRISTMAS! Always an amazing time, I got most of things I really wanted and although I put “real estate” on my list every year, I once again did not get it. But they’ll see…they’ll all see! It was so fun and I just got back from visiting my Grandma Rachel and Uncle Gerry at their home and now I need to lie down to recuperate from all the food I’ve eaten. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Me and the girls in Winterhaven! And Michael

After a long, hard semester at Embry-Riddle, I was finally able to complete it with a 3.575 GPA. I was hoping for a 4.0 but the classes I took were very challenging but really interesting. This time, I took Flight Safety with one of the best professor here, Sean Jeralds, Airline Dispatch operations, Flight Instructor Ground School (CFI), and Air Traffic Management 3.  Dispatch and CFI ground school were the hardest classes. They demanded a lot of work and time but the knowledge gained from them were incredible. Now I am able to go and get certified as a Flight Dispatcher, a great back up if I am not able to fly for some reason or another, and all I have left to do is do my CFI flight training to be able to instruct. Only got one more semester left and my plan is to finish my CFI and get hired at Embry-Riddle to build my flight hours and eventually move onto the airlines.

Being back home in Denver is nice. Only a 12 -hour drive from Prescott means that I could drive home which is nice because then I am able to have my own means of transportation. Can’t wait until I go up into the mountains and snowboard. It’s nice to have this 3-week break before I start on my last semester at ERAU. It’s going to be a great one.

Finals week was actually not as bad as last semester’s finals week.  Sure I stayed up until all hours of the night for about a week straight but heck, that’s college for you.  I had my Plant Bio final Saturday morning at eight o’clock, which for being an open note test, was not as easy as I thought it would be!  Then I took my Intelligence Writing final that afternoon which consisted of a presentation on the Sudan referendum that’s going to be held in January which will decide if Sudan will split into two separate nations.  Until I took that class, I never really paid any attention to what went on outside of my little bubble, but now I feel like I need to be involved in everything that is going on in the world!  It’s amazing how many things are happening in the world that has relevence to me, even though I may be half a world away!

This is Sudan.  It was my country that I’ve written about all semester, and I feel so…. attached to it!  When next semester rolls around, I will still definitely write about it.  I feel like it’s “my” country, and I get so excited when there are new developments in the referendum business!

My next final was Monday morning, History of Terrorism.  In that class, we talked about terrorist groups, their history, different kinds of terrorism, and so forth.  I learned a lot from that class and it really got me thinking about my little bubble I grew up in… it was affected by so many different things that I had no idea about.  After I got done with that final, I took my World History final.  I LOVED that class!  It was definitely tough, but Dr. Trombley made everything soo interesting!  I feel like I’ve learned so much from her.  Not only did we talk about historical events, she tied everything back to the changing and developing world today.  Awesome.  Yesterday I took my Chinese final, and I felt quite confident.  I love Chinese.  Just sayin’.

So that was my finals week!  Hope you all have an AWESOME Christmas break!

“God bless us, every one.”

-Tiny Tim 🙂

I have survived Finals week, officially. This week, dreaded by all throughout the year, has finally come to an end, at least for me. There are still tons of others who have to take physics and all sorts of other horrid finals tomorrow but tonight I am free! I only had to take two actual in-class finals because the others were intense take home ones, but now they are done. There is one strange thing about my final taking procedure however. For the entire semester, I have survived without getting sick, needing a Kleenex box or anything to help me, but during my first final, I suddenly got a runny nose, started sneezing everywhere and then coughing like never before. And, guess what, right after the final was over, I was fine. I have NO IDEA what the problem was, but this is not the first time that it’s happened to me. The second final was better although it sure is strange to listen to 30 students writing away on sheets of paper while the room is silent and you can hear every shoe squeak, person clear their throat or sniffle and the teacher sits at the front, judging us no doubt. Ok no I’m sure he wasn’t, but I wonder what the teacher does while the students finish their finals. I know that I would probably be on facebook wasting time and watching The Simpsons on my computer, or the Middle.

The week leading up to finals was dreadful even though I am thankful everyday for not having to take physics, Calculus 3 and other science/math and business related finals. I despise business. Anyway, I was in the library a lot studying and making study guides with groups. My History of Modern Europe class (sounds contradictory) required a take home final with at least twelve answers with about a page chock full of information each followed by two essays. I write a lot so the final result of my Final was 20 pages of history on the development of Modern Europe. It sure is a good thing that I like history and writing, otherwise I might’ve died. I also am glad that I came into college knowing what I wanted to do with a plan and didn’t have to change majors mid-way through my sophomore year because that could seriously have messed me and my GPA up. Ahh, its just good to relax now that finals are over and that another semester in the grand plan has been dealt with. Now its just time for the nervous waiting to see what grades we got which will be posted on Blackboard by Sunday.  I saw an A that one of my teachers already put up and I was so happy because despite it being a simple Humanities course, World Philosophy was hard! Never have I cared less about Plato and Aristotle but I am glad that I did for the final or else I would not have scraped that A. Celebration in the form of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish and Oreos is in order.

Brownie Celebration at Zeke's with Lindsey and Rachel!

I know most of you are thinking that this is the “million dollar question,” the interesting fact is that there are many different answers. Some students are able to handle the stress with dignity, while others lose all sight of sleep, health, and hygiene. Fortunately, I only lost the health portion; and maybe only a couple hours of sleep here and there. How was I able to this, you may ask? One word: prioritizing.

I actually bought a journal this year and two weeks before finals I decided to write down all my finals dates and the dates when all my projects, homework, and presentations were due. From there, I started writing out “to do” lists for each day; mind you, I didn’t always follow them 100%, but having them written out told me exactly what I needed to get done and what needed to be finished first. Yes, I did procrastinate like many students will, but I figured out which assignments needed to be turned in first and which exams I had to begin studying for. In the end, I had 2 exams on Saturday, 1 exam, a 14-page research paper, and a take home portion of an exam due on Monday, and my last exam was on Wednesday.

It sounds like a lot, and trust me, it was. First off, I spent Friday studying for my accounting and psychology exam. Then after taking both exams, I spent the whole rest of my weekend just hammering out my research paper and take home exam. (The take home exam ended up being about 6 pages long). Sunday night I studied for my exam on Monday and then finished my last touches on the research paper. After my Marketing exam Monday, I felt a lot better! I only had one exam left…

I was a little foolish though to relax so soon because when it came time to study for my Macroeconomics exam, it took me a while to get going. But sooner than later, I started making flash cards and made my studying experience more fun. I also went over my flash cards with a good friend of mine who will be taking the exam tomorrow, on Thursday. I even gave her my flash cards before going in to the exam. I wanted them to be put to good use and I knew she would benefit from them. After 2 hours in the exam room, I finally finished and it all felt worth it. It is a huge relief and an incredible feeling to be done.

I am excited for this month break and will be sure to use it wisely with friends and family. Stressful times, like finals, make you realize how much you actually miss being home with loved ones. My advice for any student during the next “finals week” is to try hard not to procrastinate, learn to prioritize your time, (finish your work from what is due first to what is due last) try to make studying fun with new techniques and with friends, and lastly, BREATHE~ remember that these classes are for your knowledge and benefit, enjoy them and learn from them.

Finals week has come upon us, and I just had my first one today. I don’t know if it was too much caffeine, the three hours of sleep or no breakfast, but those five pages of essays I wrote for Dr. McNabb were very uncomfortable. Only two more to go, however. I love it as finals week progresses, because you get to watch the students get stressed to the point of hysterics and then become ridiculously exuberant as their tests are all done and they get to travel back home for Christmas. Not only that, many of the finals beards that are being grown by many of the guys right now are pretty legit. Mine is getting to be a serious piece of art.

The weather here on campus has been very warm. Yesterday was a beautiful 70-some degrees! A couple of my fraternity brothers started a baseball game out on the grassy lawn, a welcome break from studying for many.

Another great thing about finals, is the never ending supply of snacks. Here in the library we have had free soda, coffee, hot cocoa, tea and snacks donated. Also, SGA, at ransom intervals throughout the day, puts out full size candy bars for those lucky enough to find them.

I really need to begin packing for my trip back to Kansas Friday, but我有一个中文考试 I must study for. Also, tomorrow my business partner and I have to travel to Flagstaff to meet with the small business incubator who has picked up our fledgling company. It seems to come from all angles at finals time, but the awesome feeling at the end is worth it.

Me in the back seat of the Cessna 172S single engine aircraft flying over the Granite Dells of Prescott.

The type of aircraft I flew in with Granite Mountain in the background.

One of the unique advantages of attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the ability to do free observer flights in small aircraft. Although I am almost half-way through my fourth year at this university, I had never taken advantage of this opportunity. After mentioning this to my friends, I was surprised to find out how few of my fellow non-flight student friends had actually taken an observer flight.

Since I was staying on campus for Thanksgiving, and I had a day off (a rare occurrence for seniors studying engineering), I decided to give the observer flight a shot.

I arrived at the flightline at 9 a.m. on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the time recommended by the dispatcher on duty. Due to the low amount of traffic on the holiday weekend, I waited until 10:45 a.m. when an instructor and student agreed to allow me to fly with them.

The flight I observed was a one hour private pilot training flight with student Stan Westerman and instructor Lorne Trapani in a single-engine Cessna 172S.

Before my observer flight, the smallest aircraft I had flown in was a regional airliner. I’d heard several things about the difference between commercial flights I’d taken and what to expect from a small aircraft. I’d heard that I was going to be crushed in the back seat and that a commercial flight with turbulence was going to be nothing compared to what I’d experience in a single-engine aircraft.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that in my experience, neither of those cases were true. There was plenty of leg room and I found the level of turbulence about equivalent to a commercial flight. The flight in general was very enjoyable.

After a quick passenger briefing, I buckled my seat belt and eagerly awaited take-off. The instructor and student pilot adjusted the flaps and discussed cross wind as they prepared for the flight. As I sat in the back of the plane, I couldn’t help but think that it didn’t feel very different from sitting in an idling car.

The plane left the runway into a cloudless blue sky. Just after take-off we were flying over the university with beautiful views of the Granite Dells and Granite Mountain. We then banked to fly over Glassford Hill and approached Mingus Mountain. Our horizon quickly became the red rocks of Sedona and the snow-covered peaks of Flagstaff as we flew over Mingus Mountain.

I wasn’t really ready when the plane touched back down; the flight could have lasted another hour. The vistas were well worth the wait.

A View of Campus from the air.

The Granite Dells and Willow Creek across from campus

Glassford Hill between Prescott and Prescott Valley

Granite Mountain from just after take off.

In the foreground you can see Mingus Mountain. Behind that, you can see the red rocks of Sedona. In the distance you can see the white-capped mountain of Flagstaff.

Finals are approaching… duh dum…. duh dum….duh dum…. (that’s the Jaws theme song, if you couldn’t tell).  My finals are gonna be crazy this semester.  I started studying way early (on Monday) so I’d know that I was prepared.  On Tuesday, I attented Dr. Trombley’s Film Forum (which we get participation points for in class).  The Film Forum topic this semester was Future Orders: Science Fiction Envisions Future Societies.  The films we watched looked at the ways that the medium of film has envisioned the future.  We looked at themes like utopia, dystonia, and the nature of humanity through Science Fiction.  This semester we watched “The Day The Earth Stood Still” (the one from 1951), “Gattaca”, “District 9”, and on Tuesday we watched “Serenity”.  It really is interesting thinking about governments and how the world will be effected by the choices our government makes today.  I thought “Serenity” was a great movie and it really got me thinking.  Next semester the Film Forum is going to be on Espionage and Moral Decisions.  I’m so excited!

Speaking of next semester, I am going to have a blast.  I have Personality and Profiling with Dr. Bloom, Chinese 2 with Yang Laoshi, (in Chinese, you call your teacher “Their-Last-Name Teacher”… Yang Laoshi!), US Foreign Policy with Dr. Tromley, Forensics with Dr. Baker, and Chinese Regional Studies also with Yang Laoshi.  It’s gonna be great.  But first… CHRISTMAS VACATION!  There’s only roughly a week and a half left of school!  This semester seriously flew by.  Not kidding.  Well, good luck with finals everyone!

“Go as far as you can see.  When you get there, you can see further.”

– Thomas Carlyle