What I've Learned..

So here it is some 3 days before I head back up to the frozen northern land of arkansas...ahemm, 32 my friends is much colder when one has been living the past 7 months in an extended form of summertime...eesh, ahh well, i will be home though...but while i've been down here there are a few things i have learned:
1.Everything is relative....everything: take the combination of the words "good food" for example..while i love some rice every now and then(once a week at most) when it comes twice a day, 7 days a week, and is often the most appealing food choice, i refrain from calling that "good food"..but then again not everyone can say they've adapted as well as i have down here, in fact there are certain things that will have me looking forward to coming back down...every morning they cook this fresh bread stuff, hard to compare it to much, but its like a big dinner roll, though it looks kinda like a short fat snake that just ate a horse (its big in the middle, but has small little ends) they call it "teetty bread"..i just say ill take a bread..but anywhoo its nothing special,but as im an early riser, i always get the freshest ones outta the oven..goodtimes..oh and they are good with honeynut cheeroes in the middle..only when there isnt any milk(which happens a lot) ..when not stuffing cereal in my bread, its also good to know that coffee works just like milk would in moistening up the cereal so itll go down the hatch easier...i still like taters and chili, but i guess they haven't thought to combine the two lately :)
2. Some things are universal: Even though this is supposedly a "U.S. territory"...anyone who spends more than 1 day on island would beg to differ haha..its nothing i can compare it to, but parts of it are really really cool....I've noticed that no matter where you go, education is the key to everything..even as many here don't plan to leave the island(which is truly sad to say) one would think that achieving the best for themselves would be important to them..not quite...i caught wind of a little fun fact about the job market in STX, and the short and sweet of it is basically that there are more job openings than can be filled, not because the labor source is here, but because the labor pool isn't qualified, can't be taught the skills for the job because they are lacking the basics to even build on...so the problem of education on island is effectivly damning the future of the island itself in that: it becomes ever difficult to court foreign companies to come and begin development on the island when there isn't an attractive labor force to sustain it...there are currently territorial politicans and administrators who do not have a college degree...problematic dontcha think??
3. You get out what you put in: now this wasn't anything really "new" to learn, and i knew it was true, but never before have i experienced it quite as much until i got here...granted its a beautiful island, with beautiful beaches, the problem comes in that its often not super easy to get to the aforementioned spots or even into town for that matter...so what to do?? give up, go home, or continually complain about everything..nah, its good to complain every now and then, but at some point you have to find something good about the situation; you have to "put in" the effort to make things work out..and from my experiences they usually do...being friendly to most everyone i meet has led me to spend thanksgiving with an awesome family, gotten me hooked up with a sailboat ride for the ages, a hook up with the RA position for next semester, and the chance to get my special cereal and milk in the cafeteria! haha..just little things, but im convinced that one's attitude has a huge affect on practically everything.
4. Sunscreen is optional: ....once you get past the initial "ouch" of being burnt pretty bad the first time, you develop a decent base to where it takes quite a bit of sun to getcha good and fried...so there is hope brooks..

almost home...gobble gobble gobble

...well not quite, but it sure feels nice to think about it like that...happy thanksgiving everyone! whoo hoo its a beautiful day today, very nice breeze and sunny with those whispy white clouds out...just gorgeous..kinda wish i would have gone for a little run, but alas ive gotta take it easy with my race comin up on sunday...ill be headed over to st.thomas for a half marathon on sunday and its sure to be a goodtime..
ive been rather busy with school work in the past week or so...finished up two 12 pagers, on relatively interesting stuff (at least i thought so) ha..but i really cant think of much to say right now..its really weird not being home for thanksgiving, although ive been pretty much adopted by fred and sue and their family so ill get another experience to chock up on my belt, but right now im just ready to get back for christsmas..the semester is basically over, i could skate through my final exams and still pull off A's, which is a comforting thought...but im sure ill spend entirely too much time worrying about a couple of them, even though his standards are so low, i would feel bad if i only did a halfassed job on it...wednesday im flyin up to miami and will be back friday afternoon...im pretty excited about that..
id just like to ask everyone to remember our troops around the world who aren't with there families today...granted im not in the same boat as far as being in a war zone (quite the opposite actually) but the fact remains that im here, and family is there, i can sorta understand how they might feel, and for anyone who has been away over the holidays im sure they can echo my sentiments...again its a gorgeous day down here and i think im going to have to do something with it...maybe ill find a way to make it through :)

..read part 1 first...it flows better

...in the spirit of my political and historical interests, ive decided to call these.
THE AMENDMENTS TO PART 1

...headin up to miami on wednesday...ill post up later about how all that goes...if your still readin this, just know that its almost over :) ..i just felt i had to share a little bit...and now for some casual observations:
1. its still hot down here...85 is nice, but it gets old when the mosquitos love the weather just as much as you do...glad ive got my lemon-eukalyptus bug spray!...i tend to glisten with a citrus flavor about me..haha
2. running in the morning far outweighs the "fun" of the mid afternoon...especially when you can run to the top of a hill/"mountin' " and see the sunrise over the water..yadda yadda..ok ill stop..but yeah thats a good time, and i wish everyone could experience that..if i could bottle it up and ship it to ya, it would probably taste like pale ale..haha..its THAT good! :) ...in moderation haha
3. i hate lazy people...still
4. classes are almost done...and its almost like they have yet to really "start"..but oh well it happens..
5. go now, get some rest, your eyes are probably bloodshot, and bleary..and as for me, ive developed a serious cramp in my right big toe from holding an awkwardly relaxing position at this desk...such is the life
6. i miss southern cookin'..my own cookin'..cookin' for others..my dog(who wont recognize me until its time for me to come back down here) ..a good number of people..the leaves changing..and the occasional 20oz. iced kalua-n-cream...but im not homesick...cause i think that comes along with a state of depression, and im good to go, but ive gained an appreciation for things "arkansas" that i didn't think i would..still having the time of my life, but ready for the time to change...
7. on that note! they dont change time down here..haha i think its just because everybody is always late around here anyway and time doesn't mean much of anything, so they take the "what the hell" approach, and just wing it...but actually it probably has something to do with our geograpical location being in the tropic zone, thus explaining the constant sunrise/sunset times...with no real fluctuation, there really isnt any need to change the time like back in the states...
8.guess im not done yet haha
9. jolly ole professor roopnarizzle(my nickname for the crazy guyanian devil that he is) seems rather taken with the notion that st.croix and the VI in particular should become independant because "they've always been under some sort of control"...i questioned him on this in class and mentioned that "there has to be some motivation to be independant versus remaining dependant"..here there is no motivating facor...the only position some girl on st.thomas came up with was "we can't vote for president"..but look at how many in the states can and dont..bad argument...and besides, for a territory that gets 100% of the taxes it pays, sent back to itself in the form of FEDaid, what is the point? newly independant nations don't rush to set up a welfare state...newly independant nations rely on the self motivated, and socially concerned leaders to move in a positive direction...down here there is no such leadership to speak of...heck st.croix even wants to split away from st.thomas..and still be under US control..its just not going to work out.."they" dont want it to..roopy is an idealistic cat..but he's funny, so ill let him slide...when we have a test that he gives the study guide out 2 weeks in advance, and even faxes a copy over to st.thomas, tells the lazyasses over there that its in the secratary's office and they should go pick it up..and yet!!!..they saunter into class, late,on test day complaining that they dont have the questions...whats wrong with this picture? are these the type of people who seem independantly minded?...like i said independance takes some will power, a little work etic, of which these islands lack to the upmost degree..its sad really, but i dont see it happening...when/if it does, this island(other 2 will be ok, but not here) will slide down into a 3rd world type of place....
10. remind me to not write any "come to st.croix" travel brochures...haha...as im slightly jaded
11. can't wait for mom, brooks, and grandmomma to come visit in the spring though..as ill know all the good places to go, its gonna be a good trip, and dont get me wrong the island is beautiful, and i love it, its just that my realistic, arguably "progressive" mind seeks to point out the room for improvement..but this experience has taught me quite a bit about how to view the rest of the world...as this island hardly can be called part of the US...bc they can't vote for president...
12.i got curios and copied and pasted this post to a Word document...as of #9 it was 3 1/2 pages, single spaced...so if i can work the technology, ill make this a second post, but if not, and this is the end of one long one..rest assured, that you're done :)
13. miss you guys, ill be home in 30days 23 hours, and 56minutes ...aint technology great?

Part 1..i spared you

hello all...its been a while, but there's good reason..so be ready cause this one could get long and rather detailed :) (....i would never drag something out, its just not like me now is it?)
so whenever it was that i posted my last thing, im pretty sure I had yet to go over to the BVI(british Virgin Islands) to the island of Virgin Gorda..named by columbus who thought it looked like a "fat virgin lying on her back" ..with gorda being the spanish equivalent to fat..and virgin, well some things are univeral..but enough of the linguistic history of how the island got its name, and on to why we went..what they have there are these rock formations called the "baths"..just some big limestone boulders, resultants of volcanica activity in the region oh...a long time ago..but they are HUGE rocks right on the water and seem to invite most any adventurous human, or curios animal(probably a dog, like mine..and yours too...alas i digress) the rocks are formed together with cracks big enough to walk through, crawl through and get stuck in(only if you're really 'talented' can you get stuck) but it was just amazing to walk through there, with the surf crashing against the outside of the rocks, you can hear it, but its muffled and echoing all at the same time(not being a sound wave expert ill spare you the explanation, but just say that its a sound ive sure never heard before) the water was, stereotypical of most of the islands down here, all blue and clear and salty, but here it was even bluer, in part i think because there arent as many tourists that come by..and definately not as many larger vessels i.e. cruise ships, tankers laden with Hovensa oil, etc. *hmm seems like a topic worthy of a term paper, perchance??...ill look into it.. and get back to you after i knock out the 12 pages due in a few weeks :)* but the water was awesome, and after you get through the cavernous trail - it should be noted that 0 signs were posted as far as directions in and out of the cave, but as a general rule, we were advised "if you go as far as you can and dont see a beach, turn around idiot, you're about to get stuck"...and the problem would be bad, as it was impossible to hear much of anything (see soundwave explanation above)- so yeah after wandering through asking folks if this was the way and they didn't know either, it was goodtimes...got to the beach and ended up striking up a pretty cool conversation with an older..ok so he was like 45ish..canadian dude who was chartering a "booat" *canadians :)* and had been there a few days..we struck it off quite well(no i didnt get another boat ride...) and just talked about the people on the islands, and what was interesting was hearing things from his point of view..his observations of the local people were atonishingly similar to my own keen observations of the locals down here..he mentioned how nothing seems to run on time, and there really isn't much motivation to do much of anything, and how he would hate to live down here..haha this is when i butted in to say, sir after 3 months over on st.croix i know exactly what you mean..then i kinda went off on the lack of cleanliness on my island(of which he'd never been to..and probably wont come to now ha) but yeah..very insightful fellow he was, and i think he was impressed to talk to a stateside kid from arkansas who actually had an opinion worth sharing(its a blessing and a curse...i know full well) but yeah, by no means was the convo. the highlight of the trip, just a notable event..we parted with "it was nice to meet you, but ill probably never see you again..good luck in life" haha...not the first time and wont be the last im sure ill employ such an endnote..
..after we got back to st.thomas and spent the night at the UVI over there, I and the two girls from st.croix*washington actually..but we were the 3 who made the trip over* we took the ferry boat over to beautiful st.john..believe it or not, i was ready to leave around 7am..but "some people" need more time to get ready, which confuses me to no end..when goin to the beach, what is the point!?..oh well...we got off the boat and went to talk to the tourist info guy..(my idea btw) after chit chattin with that guy for a while and telling him our situation..*students, poor, hungry, lookin for a cheap, yet awesome time on the island for a day*...my continual good luck stayed true to form..it just so happened i was wearin my Guiness "born lucky" t-shirt, but thats beside the point..point is..he hooked us up with a free day at the Westin villa and resort...but chris whats the Westin?...its only the place where kenney chesney comes to dock his private yaht, books up rooms for his bandmemebers ,and is one of the top10 destination spots in the world..thats it..haha best part is that we got a tour of their time share villas..under the auspices of "a newlywed couple who had recently inhereited a large sum of $$" ..."so mr.cockrell, what makes you want to own a property here on st.john?" ..ready kids? .."ahemm..well janice, im glad you asked, because when i was a little guy *hand up from floor* dad used to bring me down here every year and we would go fishin, divin and just exploring the island...he isn't with us anymore *look at amy..my "wife"..then back to janice*..and i just wanted to see what the options were down here" ..."well mr.cockrell, i have an opportunity for you, let me go grab the keys and ill take you guys on a tour of our property and then we can come back and talk about getting you into one of our villas" ...with that she walked off and amy was freakin out, haha..we were just gonna play dumb tourists and try to get out of there and onto their private beach and bar for the day, then i had the idea to play around a little bit..haha go figure :) ...fast forward "so this is our three bedroom villa, with its private pool, hottub and yard*all fenced in by the way, it was cool , but seemed almost like a little prison thing* two king size beds, and two double beds..it can sleep 10 comfortably, with the couch pulling out*her soft saleslady voice...haha it should be noted that she was on her 11th day on the island and her 8th day workin here..she was nervous as all get out, and i was goin to town on that fact* "so mr.cockrell are you still in school?" "yes mam, we both are, but we had a break and wanted to do a little 'fact finding'" .."a break? what break is it?" ..."oh its fall break" ..she cut right to it "so since you have the money, and you love this villa, you're going to buy today, right? because usually finance is the only reason why people don't buy..but thats not you're problem" ..ahemm*defensive posturing,changed tone* "ahhah no mam, see we are just out looking around, weighing our options..this is a beautiful place, all 3000sq. feet of it, but today we will not be buying"..."i know how it is, i was a student once"(rather piercing tone) ..haha needless to say the rest of the time spent with her was a tid bit awkward, i knew she had an idea we were pretty much just wasting her time, but she was soo nervous that it made it rather comical..talkin to the sales manager exec guy was really cool though, she left the room*procedural* and he was talkin to me like i was a regular prospective customer, i asked some legit questions and he didn't look at me like some "kid" it was pretty awesome..i was honestly surprised at his laid back non aggressive approach into what he did..he respected my..haha "our" rather..decision and we talked a little baseball and then hit up the beach...the free lunch was great too!
...sittin on that beach amongst people who undoubtedly were worth far more(financially) than i will ever be, i couldnt help but think, that these people are getting skrewed...dont get me wrong, the place was nice, but it was sooo over the top, catering to everything, it was just "fake"..and i felt awkward sitting there..but talkin to the guy who rented out the kyaks down at their beach was pretty cool..he was not one of the tourist type, just a down to earth guy who got tired of pullin night shift in michigan and came down to work here,through random friends of friends...that is quite common here...is this long enough yet?? im about done, dont worry :)
it should be noted that st.john is home to a local island brewery "virgin island brewers" and they have a little bar/store right near the ferry dock.. i had met one of the owners several months ago in the race over there..he just called me "arkansas"..haha we didnt get to the name part of the conversation, just small talk, but regardless, i wanted to hit up his shop..and it happened to be happy hour so all was good...their "pale ale" is smooth medium type ale with a almost sweet taste, due to the fact that they use mango in the making of such a drink...its pretty much amazing..and you can't find stuff like that in the states, specially not from the tap,connected to the tank where the make it...awesome!

Hello world!

morning guys! ...so its been a few days, and about that last post...i wasn't actually depressed, we were just feeling the wrath of a tropical depression, that actually turned into a tropical storm and smashed into haiti(because they don't have enough to worry about anyway, right?!) anywhoo, the storm with lightning and the whole bit, knocked out the internet tower, so i had nice long blog typed up and the only thing to be actually saved was the title thing...soooo...a few weeks later, here we are haha.
...today is "friday", tomorrow is some holiday, most of the island folk don't even know what its called..but who has a holiday on a thursday(every year) and then opens back up on friday??..just another example of how things are a tad different...its nothing special really, something like "liberty day"....when these people are no more freeing themselves from any sort of oppression than the puerto ricans..both get the benefits of the US's welfare system, without paying into it...good times!....but there is no room in here for cynicism...its a beautiful sunny day...just may get up to 80 today, with nice puffy cotton ball clouds floating around and a slight breeze..this my friends is not arkansas, and its days like this, that i love this place :) ...when i hear about the 40 degree temps back home, im shivvering already..mom if you could bring my hoodie with you at the airport, that would be fantastic!....39 days! ...i am counting...im so tired of chicken and rice, and rice and chicken, and some extra rice on the side of that..its strange how its the staple food source down here, but yet it doesnt grow on the island..i wouldnt be surprised if some of it comes from the arkansas delta..home to those ASU Indians( screw you NCAA board! its an honorific name, get over your politcally correct selves!) but yea, big jay and i had a little talk about why rice? and i told him that id never had this much rice in all my life, which is strange considering we grow a whole mess of it back home..but the caf at school rarely served it, and its not a big thing in our meals..but down here its with every meal(though its good with several things...kidney beans..sweet peas...spaghetti and meat balls...carrots...and any other veggie) my personal favorite has to be my experience with taters and chili..as in instant mashed taters, and chili...mmm mmm...oh yeah its good with rice too...rice is such a neutral tasting substance, it almost assumes the flavor of whatever it is you're eating with it...its kinda like that one X-men character who can change into whoever she needs to, to get in there and reek havoc..(in the new movies, she wears the whole blue skintight suit..cant think of her name..but yeah)
---> in other news, the world series is over, which means its time to get ready for some spring training!! those cards are lookin' strong, we get to keep our manager, lost a few pitchers that really screwed our chances of success, and retained all of the big power guys, with some of them going in for surgery to be good to go for next year...Boston who??? Go Cards Go!
.....ok so on to stuff that is slightly less important than baseball....
tomorrow im flying over to st.thomas to catch a little ferry down to the BVI's or British Virgin Islands...they are supposed to be beautiful, and id expect nothing less..the place we are going to is called the "baths"...some big stone things in the water..should be pretty sweet...if i had use of my digital camera id get some pics on here...but as my trusty kayaker decided to give us a quick swim in the caribbean last weekend or so(they run together..blah blah blah) anywhoo its outta comission...and my freakin razr died(phone) BUT who has two thumbs and planned ahead? "this guy, this guy right here" *point thumbs up, and then turn inward with a jolly grin slapped across the face* (D.Dykes, OMP '07) ...yeah i brought another phone down with me, so im in...anywhoo yeah so it should be a good time..anytime i get off campus is a good time for that matter
...ive got a couple term papers due..which ive "started".....no really i have...but eeehhh...yeah anyway one is on the impact of tourism on the caribbean and is rather interesting doing all the research and finding out differnt island people's point of view on it..rather touchy subject, and not nearly as cut and dried as some would like to believe...its strange that after nearly 3 months down here, i dont feel like a tourist anymore...haah when you've seen most everything worth "seeing" on the island...its not the same..but its still great on days like today!!
so if i dont write as much as i used to, its probably because, ha 1. lightning has bettered our technological efforts..or 2. im doing one of 2 papers
..enjoy the change in leaves and all that fall stuff..im on th 7th month of summer..whoooohoo

Tropically Depressed

I am blessed

So today was interesting....I started my first day of the service learning, which entails going down the road a bit to this tiny elementary school..While its nothing like some sort of dirt-floor, hole in the wall school in sub-saharan africa, it is most definately below the commonly held standards of most back home..so that was the first initial gut check, there were a few more..but i left with a newfound appreciation for teachers of any variety..
today i was working with 4 young guys with some of their math issues, which goin in I was honestly a little nervous, because math isn't really my thing...but its just 3rd and 4th grade division chris surely you can't mess that up, right? ...im pretty sure i didn't, and now i am a firm believer in the whole check your work philosophy(really thats an awesome idea, sure wish i would have used that back in the day...eesh) anywhoo today's long division practice was a great refresher course for both me and the little guy..he's the only one whose name i forgot..then i moved on to help james...now as soon as he walked in the room i knew there was something different about him and spotted it immediately...james, a great kid, sadly has down syndrome and is 14...but has the maturity level of about a 2nd grader...his problem today was counting change...quarters, dimes and nickels....pennys really threw him off....what was the saddest part was i flipped through his book to check his past work, and wanted to make sure he could do the problems he got checked off a few weeks ago..simple multiplication 253 x 3 = ....i let him write it on the little chalk board she gave us and he started to add the numbers...using the "stick" method, which i learned was drawing lines and then goin back to count them...this was a step ha, but hardly progress...it was made evident that he obviously had no idea how to do any of the problems on the page...which meant some one else had just done the work for him...thats not learning...what was even worse was when the principal walked in to tell me that james is a little slow and to just "do what you can with him, he doesn't get things"...she said all of this in front of him as if he is deaf...he isn't, haha as he reminded me several times that i was writing on the chalk board to hard and it was hurting his ears,when i was barely pressing at all...it kinda upset me both what the principal said and the way she said it..i wanted to explain to her that 1. he isn't deaf 2. he isn't a little slow, he has down syndrome, which is a genetic disorder far beyond his or anyone's control...which doesn't make him a dicipline problem..and 3. that with attitudes like that, he will never get any help on the island, and will probably spend the remainder of his life being put down and not helped due to the close mindedness on the island!! ...ok so it ruffled my feathers a bit, and brandon (mississippi guy) and i were both pretty fired up when we left the school...anywhoo the two other kids had different problems, one with rounding(which used to give me fits as well) and then some other conversions..for the most part goodtimes, and im really looking forward to going back in the morning...it should be noted that brandon was working with kids who were like 1st grade and having trouble focusing in general..so after he got them calmed down it was time for them to go home...it was a frustrating afternoon in some regards, but i have a good feeling about this one...

"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten."- B. F. Skinner

"Ralph!!!" .."whats up Chuck?"

...so maybe i have a weak stomach..or maybe i just dont do well with the combination of diesel fumes and rough seas...or maybe i should just learn to take the magic pill and be done with it...no no nothing permanent guys, just a dramamine! eesh
i guess its been a few days, so thats not a guess because i cant remember my last spellbinding post...don't hold your breath on this one though..but we'll see
-> its cut out that whole raining business(probably because i wanted it to stop) but more than likely it has something to do with actual weather patterns, but who really knows (?)
-> this school is....well.....it is what it is ALTHOUGH it does have certain perks..ahemm: getting cheap and reduced rates on trips to the BVI (british virgin islands) on special off days..ha "liberty day"..thats a new one! but i'll take the 4 day weekend, thanks
--> boy do i hope someone has paid that movie gallery fee
----> im not in the sharpest mental state right now, certain events (nothing to worry about as far as my well being) but certain events are weighing heavy on my mind...it seems that its getting down to big boy decision in life sorta decision making time for myself, and while its not really a "tough" choice, it can be. on the one hand i have the relativly easier route to go toward, and on the other is the more challenging route, both provide roughly the same financial stimuli to stay in school*which means plenty to cover it* but im leaning toward the harder route...for anyone that knows me, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise...but yea
-> today i was reaffirmed in my understanding of how fragile life can be. another soldier died in iraq, but this time it hit a little closer to home...its strange how the names don't mean anything to you until you hear them again...only this time in a more somber tone...never knew him personally, but was close to his family in my younger days...he will be missed...
--> "Explain why you desire to become a Marine Corps Officer" (sustain 100 words, maximum 150 words)
The desire to be the best I can be, has always pushed me to define new limits of personal success. One does not become a Marine Corps Officer by chance or fate; it takes dedication. I live in the greatest country in the world only because those before me have sacrifced so much so that I can reap its benefits. It is my wish to serve my country proudly to ensure the freedoms for future generations, just as they were garnered for me, years ago. I can think of no better way to serve these United States than as part of the most revered fighting forces on the planet.

....on monday i meet with the gunnery sgt. to go over my packet for application into the Marine Corps Platoon Leader Course...it is a highly competitive opportunity with which i think I have what it takes. the above is my "tentative" response to the lone non standard information question in 25 pages of "yes and no's" ....if you've got any feedback feel free to let me know....
its bed time now
...hopefully this hasn't been some depressing event..but i guess they dont call it a blog for nothin'

John Dryden - “We must beat the iron while it is hot, but we may polish it at leisure.”

Just to be sure

In case it sometimes seems that I'm some sort of malcontented quasi-tourist down on some wretched island with the laziest people in the world, I wanted to take a moment and dispell those notions.
1.) I can see how some people just get used to this island and all that it has to offer, but that hasn't happened to me yet, and it won't....this weekend was another beachtime-o-fun-arama so not to worry there, but what is kind of sad to me is that the cable has been out in the dorm for like 3 or 4 weeks(because UVI hasn't paid the bill, seriously its like that! haha..just glad im not one of those smucks who actually paid extra to get cable and internet, some 100$ worth of services that work sometimes..so anyone who is folling where im going with this is surely wondering 1 thing...well maybe 2..."But chris, what do they do with their time?" im glad you asked..and the answer*drumroll please* is NOTING! aaahhh...well, unless you consider sittin around (while its a beautiful day mind you) and bitching and moaning about the lack of cable so they can watch stupid shows...then yeah not a whole lot...but who has two thumbs and could care less about tv? (start by holding two thumbs up,like the classic signal) this guy! (now take those two thumbs and point them toward yourself, this is usually done in tandem with a huge smile of satisfaction....i cannot claim the origins of such an award winning move, i learned it from sir dewey dikes) ahemm..but yeah i found it strange that with the major source of entertainment on the blink, no one thought to..i dunno, get outside, go to the beach...play hopscotch or even chinese freeze tag! come on!!
2.) on that note, I have to put in a plug for the most beautiful spot on this island, in my humble opinion...dont worry mom, I'll show you when yall get down here...anywhoo its just a little ways up this hill they affectionately(sp?) call "the bitch"...its like the evil twin of the illustrious "beast"...but on top of this little piece of ground is a view that is something out of jurassic park..looking east you can see most if not all of the north shore and west, there is a pretty cool view of some mountain cliff things with water crashing in on them...its nice..and what is even more better(incorrect i know, but its for effect :D) is looking south and seeing the little dots of red roofing that i call dorm sweet home..theres a little ridgeline that runs either direction..and ahhhh, well you get the idea...makes for a rather rewarding experience after a daintly little jog
3.) I'd also like to put in a plug for my new favorite food item...ahemmm..."mini-PBnJ's"...but what is it you ask?? just smaller squared of bread? or perhaps a strip type invention made soley out of crusts?..no no..being ever mindful not to waste materials, you take two wheat thins, a tiny bit of jelly and an equal amount of peanut butter and place them together. Becareful to not get tooo much now, as justa little dab'll do ya (Buffett)...oh does it fill you up?....after 10 or so..yeah its about time to start chewing i guess...anywhoo that was today's alternative to cafetorium lunch..which isnt that bad, but chicken and rice variations can only go down my hatch two days a week for so long, so i excercise my right to creativly master the art of sandwich making....granted its not quite like playin around back in the kitchen at coltons, cookin up crazy bbq'd ribeyes and assorted other food items...namely those christmas tree pancakes,only amazing i might add...but yeah goodtimes all around...
My work here is done....but ill leave you with this scene....if you haven't figured out, i like this movie

"OK so I owe you guys 300 dollars and you boys drank 500 dollars worth of beer..................Well the bar lady never charged us after the first round so we thought that beer was complimentary, you know, for the band????? " Blues Brothers

Prolific, no less?

"We got two honkies out there look like a seedy diamond merchant or something. Say what? They look like the're from the CIA or somethin'. What they want to eat? The tall one wants white bread, toatsted, dry with nothin' on it, and the other one wants four whole fried chickens and coke. Shit! The Blues Brothers!"
.....Seemed like a good time for a little Blues Brothers' moment, if ever there is one...
In other news, its still raining...and the sun is out,but not out..its "quasi-out" as it were, kinda like when your dog makes a whole bunch of noise like he wants to go out so of course you go open the door to have him do what?...smell the outside air..and go back inside...good ole dogs..and about dogs, down here pit bulls are the dog of choice for the locals, out on the beach saturday(or it could have been friday or sunday..they run together, water, sun, sand..yadda yadda yadda) but one of those days, we saw this sketchy lookin truck pull up with 3 dudes and 3 pit bulls...they took them out in the water to wash them...which is really really strange if you think about it, because the salt water dries and leaves the salt there on them...and just because ive smelled some of the local muts around here, they stink! and im not sure why they use the salt water..ive also seen ppl shaving their dogs in the water...which is kinda gross if you think about it...granted they have all kinds of coral out there, but chow-mix floating coral isn't anywhere in the book...i wish they'd not do that..at least not where other people on the beach can see them...but again like so many other things on the island, i just give a hearty "Oh,Well!" and move on haha...pretty much all you can do...
Do note:
1. today is thursday, which might as well be called friday, as no i dont have class on friday
2. i've got a deadline to meet for the news paper..yes i write little articles for the illustrious UVI Voice...this last article i submitted is sure to piss people off...i pretty much tore into the lazyness of the kids who sit outside the caf. and leave their trash for the custodians to pick up in the morning..even though there are 4 big-huge(thats a scientific measurement by the way..its a little smaller than "gynormeous", and little larger than "big"....wanted to clear that up for anyone )
3. this confrence room is freezing!! and there is no thermostat
4. i dont really have much to say in this post....ill find some arguably deeper point of reflection after this weekends beach going im sure....but then again maybe not...we'll see..
5. on the list on this site, my blog is not on the blogs of note..while i noticed this, i also checked out the ones that were, and they pretty much sucked..so to any creator of this ranking site, do give my blog a considerable look before passing it by...because who really cares about the annals of craftmaking in New York...and don't hate on mine because pictures are scanty...there's a reason
6. on the movie fine note: i recently recieved a federal summons to district court to plead my case and explain the situation....so far i think im gonna be in the clear...but if this be my last blog for a while, that could be why
7. disregard #6
8. still a fan of this numbering thing
i think ill let this rest for now.....so i hope everyone and everything is goin just fine and ill be in touch

Somebody! Anybody, quick..pay that fine!!

"Is this Mr. Chris Cockrell? "

...." Uh, yeah, who's this??"

"This is Cindy from Movie Gallery in Cabot and we show that you have a late charge of 5.90$ on your account."

"....AND????"

" Well sir we were just informing you that if you came in and rented a movie today, we would drop that charge for you!"

'' You would do that?"

"..of course Mr.Crockwell''

"Sorry mam, I'm in the Virgin Islands for a year, so I don't think I'll make it in today, but what I can do for you is send someone over there to take care of that little fee"

...."Oh, ok"

"Yeah, well have a nice day mam!" *Click*



ahemmm...are you freaking kidding me! haha, well i guess things haven't changed much back there in Cabot, people still care way too much about the smallest things..umm if I could get a good samaratin to swing by and take care of that late fee, from who knows when, ha they didn't even have it on record what movie it was...so it had to be really "recent"...whatere' it may have been, it was important enough to call me up..haha i laugh, and mean no disrespect to the girl who was just going down a call sheet, but its quite humorous on the whole..

..its been a while since last i posted, there has just been a little bit of not much going on..

the race last weekend went..errr..ummm...not quite how i had it all planned out, in fact it didn't work out anything close to it...my team fell through completely, and i was the only one who showed, and eventually got paired up with a biker, but no swimmer, so he was the last biker out but came in the middle of the pack, which enabled me to catch a few people on the run..i ran like a bat outta hell, and got lots of compliments, but it wasn't what i wanted..i've figured out the best way to do these tri's is just on your own..i could get into something deep and not so simplistic, but id really rather not at this point...suffice to say things when done by yourself, have a tendency(sp?) to go much smoother/better/more awesome(r) than if you try and get a group along..even if the group idea wasn't yours...anywhoo it should be noted that kenny chesney's latest musical creation is veraniiiice, and even though it was pirated, somehow it still sounds like it would sans the 17$ tag..
..."tut, tut..looks like rain" yeah, we've got ourselves a little tropical storm passing through paradise, oh well, give the sun a break will you, he gets a little winded im sure..(maybe someone caught the irony in that, being on an island with a constant sea breeze or "wind"......and yeah *cricket,cricket*)
anywhoo i went out for a ride this morning since i didn't have class in the AM, i figured why not be up before 7?? lots of people do it.... yeah..and they have jobs....errrhmmm...anywhooo i had a plan today, and thus far,everything is falling right where it needs to be (picture the little wizard giddily playing with his fingers and smiling'perrrfect' )
..sunday, aside from the minor mishap at the race was a great day..3 beaches and as many bars in one day, just isn't any other way id like to spend a day...its very strange,here on the island each establishment is unique,granted they all have basically the same thing..but some keep the elements on ice, others just in a "coola' " and well no one will hand you a warm something or other, so in a sense its rather uniform...but the interesting part is that each bar has their own special shot..sprat net,over on the northside/cane bay area, has "papa woana", while dominoes in the rainforest has the "mama woana"....you would be surprised how different they are, but still in the same family....ok so this is rambling..here's the point: you can go all over the island and not get the same drink, each person makes it differently, but that doesn't make it a bad thing....uh oh, (he's not about to relate drinks to people is he??...stay tuned) if you think of the assorted beach bars on the island as a microcosm of society, you can see some very basic similarities...everywhere you go, you'll find people wanting something, granted some want nothing but to do absolutely nothing, and they can be found in abundance both here and in the states...then you have those that work for things, they have a goal, something to do, somewhere to go..these are the unique ones, they stick out in life...but thats not a bad thing...you can find people doing the regular things they do all the time, but if they do it in a different way, show some pride, and really enjoy what they get the opportunity to do, they are that special drink...the papa woana's of the world, make life a little brighter..sometimes they give you a warming sensation inside that trickles all the way down *ahhh yeah i mean people can do that too, but i was referring to something else, ha....love you mom :) * basically i just think that you don't have to be living life in paradise to be happy with where you are...i hate to touch back on the everything is what you make it, but i found that to be the case again today while i went out riding...granted i nearly wiped out riding down the beast, but from that i learned that, well thats not the smartest thing to do...but it got me where i wanted to go and its not the point ha..point is that i had to get out in the cool morning air and do something so i could plan out my day, and i did...but how does this relate to life and making choices about how to keep a positive outlook??? im gonna have to go with... the importance of being able to sit down and clear your head, organize the ole thought machine for a minute or two and think about what is important that day...figure out what you have control over/can change and do something about that...can i change the fact that its raining, cloudy and a tid bit huuuumid, not in the least..but i can remind myself that im on a beautiful island,even though this school (as all do) sucks in the rain, ill find some hope in knowing it'll stop raining and eventually ill get back to the beach...(ok bad example)..umm to apply it more to you home/stateside folk...you can look at rush hour this way: all that junk on the side of the road isn't another possible IED, the car behind you isn't waiting for traffic to (invariably it will) slow down so they can blow you up...things can always be worse, but think of how good we(myself included) actually have it...i never really understood how great it is to be an american until i came to a place where not everyone knows what it feels like to be a citizen of the greatest country in the world *granted its a US territory, anyone who comes down will attest to my assertions (sp?) that this is a different country, with almost a different language* i've had several lengthy discussions with a guy who is convinced that america is full of racists (thanks to the jena 6 stuff goin on in Louisiana) and its hard to hear someone say things like that about home, when i know thats not how it is...he isn't a citizen, but has a chance to become one, and doesn't want to...he's also in rotc, but doesn't want to have anything to do with the military..to say he's an odd case would be an understatement..but yeah he's a strange one...complains a lot, but everyone does i guess....i dont know there is something about the whole "absence makes the heart grow fonder" bit that holds some type of truth in it....don't let this be taken as me saying how homesick i am, beacuse thats not it at all...im loving it down here, just observing..the different attitudes down here make me wonder sometimes how much people actually realize how good things are, despite all the problems around...
..im not trying to get deep, just putting some thoughts out there, im also not looking for any kind of recognition,because its just me throwin down whats running around betwixt my ears...but i do think its important to note that some things are the same everywhere, as in the types of people...and if we all were warm draf beers walking around *people who didn't try and find something to be happy about* this place would suck...its the papa woana's of the world that make me smile, and it doesn't take much to be papa woana (only about 2oz's actually...ahemmm, but i digress)

so take that as the musings of a barhopping quasi-philosophe trying to clear his head
.....18 is the magic number in the VI.....and is only employed friday-sunday, and usually just saturday due to PT and ranger challenge...so yeah

we like both kinds

"we like both kinds of music here!" -Bob,owner of Bob's Country Bunker (Blues Brothers)
"well thats just great Bob!"- Jake Blues
"yeah we like country and western!" -Bob ....which is followed by an internalized "ohhhhshit" from elwood..for starters, Blues Brothers is a great movie, and that scene touched me as i was sitting in our laughable attempt at an RHA (resident housing association..granted it sounds like some kind of governtment handout program whereby folks don't have to earn anything, but still have the opportunity to trash the communal space, disrespect "quiet hours" and so on,which they do...but its actually supposed to be the "voice of the students") in discussing what kind of music they were going to play at the supposed haloween gig they want to have, it came out "lets have both kinds of music,for everyone...lets have calypso and hip-hop!" boy oh boy, don't i feel included haha...calypso,for those unfamiliar with the term is really really fast paced music where the words are hard to understand, but the only way to dance to it is to jump around and go crazy,for the most part..and then the typical hip-hop from the states is the same down here..it wasn't a big surprise, but then again it didn't really make much difference to me anyway, i just found it humorous to think that by playing "both kinds" then everyone would like the music...
i need to do laundry, but at 3 bucks a pop, and it doesn't actually get my clothes smelling fresh and clean, its hard to convince myself its a good idea haha..i did mop the bathroom yesterday,which is a job the custodians usually do, but one of the older ladies i guess retired or is on vacation or go sick, or something, and we've got a new one who isn't all about doing her job. though i don't mind mopping at all, it was actually rather rewarding, its just nice to have a little consistancy...really dont have much in the way of news or events to report, this week has been rather boring, with the same professors teaching the same way they always do and an ever decreasing amount of classroom participation on the student's part serves to make class drag on...i apoligize for the let down in literary quality,when compared to my previous entry...i had no real revelations during the week other than to fully understand that i am at a historically black college,and that country music is not quite accepted...if only we could all like the same "both kinds"

Grab your boots, this is deep!

"come on and take a free ride" ...its strange what standing on the side of the road with a kmart bag in your hands will get you..really everyone should try it at some point... in my case, at least, it worked out pretty well. the taxi drove past us, asked where we were going (not 2 miles down the road,straight shot) and he shrugged and drove those two miles with two less passengers than he could have had..but the best part is that the car behind him stopped and asked us where we were headed and told us to hop in..thats me again, hoppin in with strangers haha..it was some nice old lady who told us we looked like nice people and she always helps out nice people..that was the highlight of sunday..saturday was the long awaited trip out to buck island..which is one of the most stereotypically gorgeous beaches in the caribbean! post card after postcard have come from the shot of the beach/water combo there, and it didn't really sink in where we were that day until we got back on campus,where no water is to be seen haha..being out in the sun all day pretty much takes the energy right out of you, and it happened to remind me just how important sunscreen really is, though i've yet to get horribly burnt down here, it may happen,but as of yet im adhering to the "potroast method" ..slowly cooking to a deep brownish color..didn't end up doin the relay race this weekend, there just wasn't enough organization to get it all squared away,but i am down for the wall to wall tri this coming weekend..anywhooo

today i road out to carambola, ditched my bike at the top of the beast and ran up the side of another hill next to it that they've affectionately coined "the bitch" ill attest to the fact that it lives up to every inch of its name, but the view from the top is absolutely spectacular...i could look down the coastline and see the end of the island, see the little dots of dear old UVI, and the big stacks from the oil refinery..from up there you realize how small the place is when you can see water on three sides..though i had just run up the side of this mountain i felt rather small and insignifigant..i got to thinkin' while i was up there (oh no, here it comes...look out world) so i was thinking to myself "i wonder.....i wonder how much it would hurt if i jumped off and tried to land between the rocks in the water down there?" ........so yeah thats one of the things that went through my head..there were other deeper, more substantive thoughts, but i can touch on those later,ha..don't worry i didn't actually try it out,the wind was waaaay to strong and i couldn't crunch the numbers fast enough to calculate how far to the left i would need to jump before the current pushed me toward the rock, mind you i didn't have a parachute, only my sweatsoaked shorts,which i really didn't want to lose in the attempt...1000ft. looks a lot higher when you're up there...sorry to dissapoint, i haven't gotten to the profound part yet, so if you're still with me..cool..here we go, so after i pushed the notion of unassisted human flight out of my overtaxed brain, this is what i mulled over..and am still pondering, so feel free to ponder with me if you will..once i got to the top of the mt. the view was amazing as i mentioned before, but i couldn't help but be a tad dissapointed. (geez son you're on an island, on a mountain overlooking everything,and you'll probably go back tomorrow,what more do you want right?) good question,self..i wanted more, i wanted the mountain to be taller, the road a little steeper so i could push myself a little farther. and why is that? before the why is dealt with, i can at least understand what got me there, i wanted to see what was at the top,and i did, (thats a guy thing i think..to go and do "stupid or crazy" stuff just to see what it is) and i was definately glad i did,but why? for me its a personal drive to say i did it, but for the rest of the world i think it may be something else. i think that for those driven to do something,see something, create something, there is an element that leads you to do it, and with that element comes the risk of being less than wholly satisfied with the end result. in my case, if i would have just stayed to the same route i always run/bike, id have missed out, but would i have really missed out,since i didn't know just what i was missing? the problem with those folks who want to go places is that...they want to go places, and because of this fact they are afraid they might miss something if they don't. usually we end up deep in thought,but not always..i guess what im trying to say with this rambling on is that taking 'that' chance can almost be a dissapointment at the end. not in the sense that what you get is bad, but the strong possibility that it won't be enough to satisfy what you thought you'd get to see,do,create whathaveyou. does this mean you shouldn't do it? no,never, not in a million years do i regret the choices ive made in coming down here, and getting around its just that the only dissapointment may come when i realize that i'll always want to see and experience something greater,because i know there is always something out there that is bigger,tougher, and ulitmately more rewarding. its more of a curse i guess you could say "the curse of a driven soul" . but to sit around and say the island is boring,and there is nothing to do would be the same as me saying id rather be at home doing the same old same old, and i couldn't do that. im totally convinced that everything is what you make it...for the islanders who don't appreciate what they have, thats their problem. just today i was reminded how quickly things can change. one of the women going to school down here from atlanta looked upset and i asked what was wrong and she told me that her nephew had been shot and declared dead,but came back and is on life support after taking shots to his heart and lungs from some guy..her nephew isn't the type to get involved with the wrong crowd, the guy also went home and shot his own girlfriend..its a really sad story but id just ask you guys to pray for her and the situation..with that i think im gonna head off to bed

Rest easy

Evenin' guys, for the band of you who have been checking back daily, if not more often than that, its finally here..the one you've all been waiting for..or maybe not, but regardless, here's what i got world:
its wednesday,im pretty sure....well its almost hard to say just because everything is pretty much the same old same old, except for now i don't have a laptop anymore (just some little story about letting the roomate use it for a specific purpose, and i've very strong suspicion to believe he used it for some other purpose..the kind that crashed my hard drive...o0o0o fun!) but its ok, well its not, but it is..lets see, umm monday was nothing special because i can't think of anything special, it just kinda was, and then tuesday brought a little more of the same in regards to sitting in class with a group of people, who for the most part, don't give a flyin' flip about the words coming out of the professor's mouth, but thats ok i guess...o00o today was/has been a long day...got up early, 5.30 early... for PT, but its always worth it,almost, but today it was..we had our little diagnostic test to see where we are as far as fitness levels, im not gonna lie, i was pretty proud of myself,but ill stay away from any numbers other than 13:14 in the 2mile, its not much but it was a good marker for the race ill be in this coming weekend...triathalons are pretty much the thing to do around here as far as outdoor sports is concerned, if you were a runner in the states, or a biker, or just a swimmer, you'll fall right into the scene..i have, and so far its been goodtimes, of course that will all change when i get hit by a car (kidding, just kidding..had to see if you're still reading) ..next weekend im going to be a runner in another relay team,but this time the swimmer is the best on island, and the biker i met at the bike shop(bought a road bike sunday,btw) and he's a pretty hardcore biker, like second on island so it should be a heck of a goodtime, and their runner isn't that strong, so should be a shot at more than just a t-shirt
..for anyone who isn't mom or someone like that, who is in school and wondering whether or not to do the whole student exchange thing, i'd say do it! as i was reminded by my ever insightful eye doctor before i left; humans are living longer than before due to advances in medicine, yadda yadda...his point was basically that instead of doing the basic go to college, get a job, have kids, work, work and work some more..then you retire and maybe aren't able to get around like when you were younger, so why not take a year out of your youth to go and see places you want to? it made sense when he said it, of course i managed to draw it out and probably lose the message..but he was right..so far its been amazing..
met, or i should say actually got a few words out of, these two girls from india..im sure i've met an indian before and just didn't realize it..they are both from the same hometown, but had never met, which seemed strange to me since they were the same and all, until i found out how big their town was..just 6million..she said that india has more people than all of north america..i can believe it..very strange to think that her home town has as many people as the state of arkansas, that'll really put a perspective on things..i think thats just one of the benefits of getting out and meeting new people and dealing with other cultures. they are both practicing hindu(s)? ..other than i know they aren't meat eaters, i don't know a whole lot, of course i had a few ideas bouncing around like some facts about the religion, but i didn't think they were the ones to go boldly proclaiming my knowledge to, only to be wrong..

Boring Week

Coming off a short week/long weekend, it didn't really feel like all that much actually got done, with half of my classes only meeting once (friday classes don't exist,sorry kids) the slightly apathetic mood of the student body slid down the drain into near worthlessness..and the professors seemed to adopt the same mentality..except for freakin dr.capriola who talked for 1hr and 15 minutes strait..what amazing subject, you may be longing to know..(?) wait no more, for i shall tell you(all the hoopla in my writing today means i don't have much of substance to say,mere words to take up space..alot like dr.capriola) ...he spent the entire class,which is in a room they keep at record low temperatures,cold enough to hang meat, possibly because its a nursing classroom and i think they keep dead bodies up in the rafters,but that could be just my thinking...but when the guy basically reads back to you what you have read in the book and analyzes each elemetary concept like :racism, bias, critical thinking..all by using very simplistic generalizations in an effort not to offend..it gets real boring, real quick...he's a big fan of the rhetorical question, as in he loves to ask a simple question and then elaborate for at least five minutes with his own personal story to answer..the class isn't really there to him..and my god,its soo painful!...on a similar note, both my carribean history and latin america class(taught by the same lomarsh roonparine,from guyana) are less than a hoot and a holler...a majority of the kids in there are from the carribean, if not st.croix and st.thomas specifically...it is a video confrence course,he is here, st.thomas kids see us on a screen and vis versa...anywhoo...basic colonization history of the colombus guy,and those pesky spanish folks who came over and did this and that, yeah, that doesn't seem to matter to them/they don't seem to know much about it..and the sad part is that i wonder why it is i should try and care about "their" history when they don't even know it,or show much of a desire to...dr. roonparine is a cool guy, but he is a little dry, classroom participation is a must!! since i have him 4 days a week,ill pretty much have the A in a bag...but it seems an awful sad commentary on the attitudes of some of the students down here...enough about school,thats not really why im down here anyway
..why does 4.30am on a Saturday not seem like a good time to be waking up?? what could that mean? probably that you have some huge plan to complete, or just that the rest of your day is going to crash down around you at no later than 3pm....rotc ruck march(run) 3mi out to the armory this morning for some gung-ho training..it was good for the most part..other than the 3 girls who are physically unfit to be army rotc cadets..the program is new down here, so it is very loose,as far as standards go, captain bell is trying to get numbers up, but in that effort,it comes at the price of having very few fit members...some girl who was 45 min. late, and showed up in pt uniform, not bdu's with a pack and the ever versitile jump boots(best running shoe NEVER!) ha, anywhoo..she couldn't even do 1 quarter mile lap...whatever..so thats a little dissapointing,but the extra training is for the ranger challenge team(army rangers that is)..we've got tryouts over on Puerto Rico here in a month or so, and the competition is a combination of a PT test, 10k ruck march in the sand, land navigation, rope bridge construction, and m16 assembly and disassembly...team of 12 per school,but we aren't a full fledged batallion,still under PR, hence the tryouts...but im looking forward to it..never been to ft.benning before,could be fun...its pretty "high speed" (jargon for advanced, harder..etc)
...on a much lighter note, i found kssn96's online radio thing the other day...now i can get my fix of arkansas country...thats almost as unknown down here as snow...or promptness or a myriad of other cultural differences haha..but alas its time to head out to the beach, and then to sharkys sports bar to catch some football!

Best weekend ever...

There is something magical about the open water...the blue,silvery stuff right off the sandy beaches, it looks calm enough,however, when a tropical storm is brewing some 800miles south of you, it can get kinda choppy. its for this reason that i wanted to stay outside on the front of the ferry, so keep some fresh air going and all that jazz..inside waiting on my arrival was a large church kids musical group with those very "involved" moms...loud, yadda yadda...of course i didnt think that the water would be that rough, and that was a mistake, so no dramamine was taken(before) the boat left,haha...after we got moved inside because it was too rough outside, i was done..no air circulation, and unhappy sicky little kids all around..once little suzy lost it next to me, i was done...luckily i stood out to the guy working for the ferry and he came with a bag just in time, and then the woman,one of those "involved" mothers, started to fan both me, and her sick kid, it was decent...aside from not being able to see the horizon from the dipping and crashing, it was a beautiful day/ride etc....im convinced that EVERYTHING happens for a reason, and this was never proved more true than this weekend..im also convinced that my knack,ability,curse,or skill (depending on the situation) to communicate with adults is a precious gift...
most atheletes are easy to spot, especially tri-atheletes who are loading their bike on the ferry, so it was easy to strike up a conversation about how good the yankees were doin to this older fella wearing a redsox hat,haha..please notice the humor someone...anywhoo in talking to fred i found out that he was new to the sport as well, and his wife was with him,sue,and we chit chatted out front until we were herded inside,something we all dreaded,especially me..anywhoo we had a good chat and after they let me out front again, fred and sue came by to offer me a ride in their rental jeep,and subsequent ferry ride over to st.john...these people were/are, sooo nice, and pretty much became my foster parents for the weekend, i hitched rides into "town" and had a few meals and drinks with them, very interesting folks, he works for the oil refinery as an engineer, and she has at least one degree(MRS.) they didn't just drop me off at the cabins, they also took me to their favorite snokeling spot,which was amazing might i add..never seen so many fish...and a shark,but yeah...
..... about that race thing, it was a great experience..i got thrown together on a relay team as a runner..our swimmer was haulin' and did the half mile in 12 minutes, which gave our "vacation" biker quite the lead,of which he wasn't able to do much with..i ended up being the last runner to leave the start,but i still ran like hell..it was a combination of waiting around and i wanted to impress a few folks..the most important part was meeting the other atheletes and coordinators on the island to network for other races...all is gearing up to be a busy semester
...and i had to get back to st.croix on the same ferry that made me sick....right?...what happened might actually make you sick, as i attribute it down to a series of "what ifs" and other minute detail calculations, i still have trouble believing i could be so lucky, what happened isn't supposed to happen, people aren't supposed to do those things for others....but somethings aren't universal
..walking briskly down the pier in st.thomas(if i would have stuck around at the ferry for a second, or gone off to pee,it would have changed it) anyway i was walking down and saw this woman trying to lift a huge atm machine into big sail boat and having a rough time of it..so i asked if she needed help,didn't wait for an answer and helped her steady it,and lift it over the edge of the boat, they had another machine and i helped them lift that as well...once all was on board i asked where they were from "st.croix" ..."me too" i told them that my ferry left in 6hours or so, and she said "we're leaving in 15 minutes,you're coming with us" and she took my bag and told me to go down and try to get a refund for my ticket,but that i could come home with them..after she bought everyone lunch(myself included) we hopped in the dingy, and made out to the 60ft! sail boat..i've never been sailing, and have never met these folks,but they were the nicest people in the world! rode the whole way back on the front of the boat,hanging out over the water,watching flying fish,and catching some rays,chillin to come chesney..it was magnificant..coming out of st.thomas you could see st.croix across the channel, st.john next to us, and beyond that all 4 of the BVI's..gorgeous..absolutely..rich and katherine owned the boat, (it was their biggest..as in more than one of theirs) and it was amazing..we talked for a while and then once we hit open water i got a tour up front by some other woman they had picked up on wednesday, and marci showed me the front,i was hooked...the view, the wind..everything was so amazing..beat the heck out of a ferryboat ride..6 hours on a sailboat going between the islands was the best time ive had in a long long time..i wish everyone could experience it, and i know (if anyone is still reading) they are probably sick of hearing about it,but i can't help but think that everything does happen for a reason...so yeah, im doing ok..and ill get some pics to those that want to see..the sunset on the boat was ridiculous..
hopefully everyone's weekend went as well as mine did

Ramble On!

everything is what you make it...just because the library printers have been down for the past two days, the food in the cafeteria has become more and more oily, and the cost of milk,bread and peanut butter hasn't gone down(and will never do so) doesn't make me want to blow up at one of the nice ladies who happen to be behind any of those counters..its not their fault,and while it sucks for everyone;the key is that everyone has to deal with it..i saw a "professional" stateside professor open up a can on this little old librarian yesterday,he was complaining about the copy machine being down, and not being able to make copies for class which at a "decent institution would never be an issue"...when one of the tech guys poked his head around the door and was smirking, the old man said "this isn't funny, i take my job seriously!" ...judging by appearance he did (nice shirt,tie,slacks) but what he failed to understand is that he wasn't the only one who couldn't use the machine, no one else could either, but he just somehow thought that by yelling at the nice old lady behind the counter,he'd get what he wanted..it was sad to see, and it happens all the time back home...
down here the attitude is very laid back,as ive mentioned before..people don't move very fast, and customer service pretty much sucks when you're looking for information, but once you get past the phone line, and into some face time,then you're in the money. people matter to people down here. its more than just the "good morning/afternoon/night" that comes with seeing ANYONE on the street and my favorite: walking into class 30 minutes late (its ok down here, granted its not a good idea,but it happens all the time) i've quickly learned that in striking up casual conversation with the women behind the counters, road workers (bill,from cinncinatti,moved here a year ago, works for the road dept. let me fill up my water bottle after doin the beast for the first time,after we had talked about football for at least 10 minutes in the hot sun..then the two ladies in the library who didn't charge me to print off a page i needed,and even had me use their personal computer to do so...after we talked about me being from arkansas and so on) it just hit me that there are "rules" everywhere, but for each of those there is a seperate rule that is usually different from the actual one,depending on the circumstance..but i know this is everywhere, its not native to the caribbean,i'm not that awestruck and naive (though i don't spell very well)..it just seems that it is more prevalent down here..its tough to make a lot of money on this island..with st.thomas its a different dynamic,but here its tough..
..there is so much potential for the school and the island..but for one reason or another,which im finding out has a lot to do with corrupt politicians,it just doesn't happen..a million dollar (much needed) road bill was passed but the contract was given to a phony company,and the money dissapeared..several cases along those lines have occured recently, and the island isn't quite where it could be..tourism is a far far cry from what it should be, there is a lot of rivalry between st.thomas and st.croix..its a very complex situation that im coming to understand..in talking with islanders i've heard things that won't show up in the text..and that no one stateside really even bats an eye toward;not with the issues back home..
...with all of that...im not at all trying to be negative, because thats not it at all...im just telling it like it is,unfortunately...
...it is still the most beautiful part of the world and i wouldn't trade anything to be anywhere else right now..for those of you who are coming down to visit, don't get the wrong idea, just know that behind all of the big smiles that you'll get, are issues..and thats the same all through the caribbean, tourism has taken over many islands, and its a tricky dynamic..but it is what it is..im heading off to st.john for the weekend, ill be sure and get some "decent" pics
hope all is well back home :)

"I'm naught daed!"

...hopefully some of you have seen monty python's search for the holy grail...if not you'll be missing the humor in the title of this here blog...its been a few days i guess,since last i rambled on and on...so you must be thinking I was waiting around collecting a myriad of amazing stories for your enjoyment....well you're probably going to be dissapointed,and utterly crushed to learn that I have nothing of the sort..what I do have well..here it is..
...monday was nice, had an early start with a pit of "fat camp" PT around 6 am..I say around because nothing happened until 6.30,so much for structure,organization and all that jazz from the Army...oh well i didn't sign up to learn time management,it was more for the outside stuff, and thus far its been decent..today was actually a drastic improvement, a very well organized affair with the same "fat camp" participants as before, but a few others who either are reserves or in the Guard, either way they seem to have a clue..while I would openly confess to know nothing about marching, or specific commands of formation, I can at least follow the simple instructions of "don't quit"..its quite alarming the number of people who can't do a push up, or jumping jacks...i keep referring to it as a "fat camp" because a majority of the freshmen cadets are not used to any sort of physical activity..what i dont get is, what did they think they signed up for? anyway, its a growing program and there is a lot more emphasis on numbers at this point than other things..as long as they are here its a good thing..
...this school is pretty much a community college, there is very little that shares anything close to universities back home..in a discussion with a great guy who i met in rotc, he said that there is really nothing different between the education he's getting here and the one he could get at harvard..i was glad he mentioned that often quoted statement, made at most any university that isn't the caliber of a harvard or a yale, but the differences are many. for starters,as i sit in the library surrouned by three seperate groups of people standing around talking, not in a hushed tone, and with no idea that they are in a library,where people come to study..everytime i've been in here its been the same way, one person on a computer with a crowd hovering around...not to say that it doesn't happen everywhere, but it is somehow different here..there just isnt the sense of study here...another thing he mentioned earlier was the lack of class participation in discussions,even in classes such as caribbean history or other "home hitting" courses..the glaring problem is that people don't care!! they don't want to be in the classes, dont care about what the professor is saying....can't seem to understand that of course the guy may seem a little weird to them,but heck if I devoted 8 years of study to indigenous peoples of the caribbean, i think i would get excited about "Carib indian lecture day" (not a real holiday) but yeah...as opposed to say a harvard where one pays a huge amount of money to sit in a class with others who can 1.form a decent opinion to be backed up with something close to reasons, instead of "just because i think that" ..and 2. care about their education..
...again down here,its a very sad and unfortunate thing that, education is not what excites the masses...
im not saying that there isn't anyone who cares about a decent education,thats not the case,because there are a good number who are doing amazing things down here, its just been my observation up to this point, in the classes that I'm in, both "grad" level and intro level, that there isn't a lot of excitement....part of this stems i believe from the state of high schools on the island,as most of the students at UVI have lived their whole life on St.Croix, which serves as a disadvantage in a couple of ways..im tired of goin on this, im sure I'll pick it up later, but I dont want it to seem that I'm unhappy or anything close to it...so here's some other news
saturday im heading out early to get to the ferry docks in st.croix, and head to st.thomas to catch a ferry then on to st.john....so besides that its pretty much a straight shot! why would i want to spend a few days on beautiful st.john you ask?(home of kenny chesney's get away house,by the way)just to run in a little race they are having, and take advantage of the free night in the beachside cabin they are offereing to all racers...like many of the things im taxed to do down here, its going to be tough,but i'll find a way to do it...somehow..i think that about does it..this wooden stool is killin me so im gonna seek the comfort of a nicer chair elsewhere...today is inca movie day! aaahhoora!

beachin'

So far the weekend has proved to be just exactly as I had planned previously..2 days, 2 different beaches, and 1 more to go tomorrow..the weather has been great(of course) and its pretty much paradise...there's no other way to say it..It is now kinda sinking in that I'm not here for just a week or something, and have to rush to see everything on the island so fast..this is where i'll be for a while, and with the schedule that i have this semester it looks like i'll have time to do all sorts of amazing things..

...friday morning i got up around 6, and made it out by 6:30 to go run to the beast and back, while it was dry when i got up, as soon as i hit the road the rain started,and it wasnt just a little sprinkle, it was a downpour..but it was awesome really, running in the rain is so cool, anyone who has done it before(and hasn't been in a suit gettin to work) will echo that...anywhoo it seems that after getting up early and hittin the road not long after, my day got off on the right foot(followed swiftly by the left foot....but alas i digress) ..met with mrs.hepburn and she informed caroline and i, about the policies for how to deal with a hurricane...theres no need to go into specific details here, but there is a plan in place and if it comes time then i'll be fine..she just wanted to make sure we knew what all to do,since dean came rather early in the semester she hadn't had a chance yet to breif us..so it was comforting to say the least....

....the prospect of getting a job down here is fading rather quickly...if i had a reliable set of wheels, it would be a different story,but since there isn't anything close by campus that is looking for: a strapping young lad of 19 with 2+years in the fabled foodservice industry...im pretty much SOL, but its ok...ive rethought any plans for trying to put a mt.mudd kiosk up on the island, it would really be a bad idea, simply because these people don't know how to drive for beans around here!!! its ridiculous....last week a cop fled the scene of a hit and run...a freakin' cop! supposedly they are 'corrupt'.."just give em' twenty bucks and they'll let you off"..always comforting :) ...things are just really really different around here...as in legal and such

unos ejemplos son:

1.the only people required to wear a seatbelt in the car are the driver and up front passenger

--->but its illegal to talk on the cell phone while driving --->it is legal to ride in the bed of a truck..and they do it all the time...they always seem to stare when they pass me on the road running (wonder why? haha)

2.the drinking age is 18, though they dont card at any place on the island...so pretty much,whats the point...it should be noted that drinking is not a national pastime by any means...there is something to be said about the line of thinking that takes the taboo nature out of something, people respond differently to it...its just something interesting

3. i just found this out tonite, and was floored..i was talking to a guy in the dorm tonite..i think his name is remy,but anywhoo thats irrelevant to the story...he was telling me how many girls in his sr.class got pregnant last year alone(5) and then went on to say it was illegal. it is illegal for anyone under 18 to have sex. irregardless whether or not it is consentual or not...he said its just from the huge numbers of teen pregnancy,and high AIDS rate down on the island..its really a sad sad thing...but part of me cant help but think that the law may in itself be counterproductive to its noble end..this is just one example of the complexities of life down here..there are others that im becoming aware of,through classes and just casual conversation...calling this the U.S. virgin islands is a huge stretch..we share the language(sort of,ha) and that is about it.

....no one cares about the political crap goin on...as they can't vote for president down here...and the war in iraq and afganistan is not the big story that it is back home...ive yet to feel out the pervading mood regarding the millitary,but im sure i'll find it out at some point when i wear the rotc BDU uniform on tuesdays...

...all is still well, and the beaches are magnificant,hope the pictures convey such

...after a hard 4 days of classes that for the most part didn't actually start until after 2, looks like i can actually get some rest tomorrow...its about time....except it probably won't happen, i've got soo much planned for the weekend, hit up the beach and hold down a chair, give the sun something else to burn besides the blistering sands..again, someone will have to do it, and it looks like i'm one who can help.
today wasn't that bad at all, we got a little bit of a shower to cool it off/make it more humid,but still it was refreshing..i didn't melt or anything...i thought of CCR when it was comin' down on a sunny day, cause it was today...anywhoo enough about rain and such, as i know yall haven't gotten much of that back home, and on to more important matters:food.
...dinner was a special treat, thanks in part to the "selectivly bi-lingual" cafeteria lady who works every now and then, somehow me saying "2 hot dog buns" earned me 2 scoops of mashed potatoes with a hearty spoonful of chili on top of the potatoes...i just figured it was some sort of caribbean dish "taters-n-chili" seemed like a pretty catchy name for the stuff, i could probably market it..to my immediate surprise it wasn't bad at all, it just made the chili somewhat thicker, and the taters much runnier than i like...if the chili would have been like mom's back home with more beans and some actual flavor to it, and maybe let it cook for more than an hour and throw it over some real mashed potatoes, twould be good...i guess its not much different than gettin a baked potato and putting chili and such on it, but still there is a world of difference between a backed potato and two hearty "plops" of mashed taters...but that was a very unfilling meal, that i finished off with a yellowish hotdog...mm mm...probably the first meal i've actually thought" ehh, i could have gone without that" ..but mrs. matthews loves me and knows me by name as well(that makes two caf. women now) and she's the manager and whatnot..she's such a nice lady, actually took me and two other girls from washington state*should be noted that they hate it here* to the grocery store tonite, so i could secure a 5$ jar of peanut butter...i think i found where they stockpile it on the island..k-mart was lagging behind..oh and if milk gets around 3 a gallon, thats about 1/2 the price it is down here..i saw gallons for 5.90, and half gallons for 3.50...loraine*washington girl* and i talked mrs.matthews into getting some skim milk, so we dont have to chew our milk and cereal at the same time now!! whoo hoo!
..the coffee they brew down here is soo strong and black, its hard on my stomach and i don't want to drink too much of it, or it'll turn my teeth really brown, its ridiculously thick, but it does taste better than fourbucks...but then again you could grind up lava rocks, run them through a filter and that would be better than their excuse for a "coffee type drink"...but enough of that
...tomorrow ill hit up the beast again, this time im going to go early in the morning before it gets all hot and such, should make for a goodtime...
...it should also be noted that there is this awesome fruit,actually called the passion fruit and the juice they have here on the island is amazing..its pretty sweet and id almost compare it to like...well a really sweet drink...lots of sugar seems to be the way to go on the island..these folk aren't too keen on cooking foods in any other way besides frying, and they love their whole milk..which is grosss,in case i haven't said that yet...anywhoo whatever time this says it posts,its probably not true cause its nigh 11 here and since im gettin up early, im off to bed...should get some more pics up after this weekend...hope all is well with all who read this rambling mess..i just hope mrs.southard (my favorite english teacher this year) isn't reading this and wanting to take her trusty red pen to my innumerable grammatical errors..such is life :)

More folk

While nothing compares to the unbearable heat and humidity of back home, its still pretty warm down here today..the locals are freaking out, I'm used to it,but to say that its comfortable at 90 with no AC would be a farse..classes are goin well, sadly archery was cancelled today since the targets were broken,and ever the dedicated one that he is ole coach wray(reminds me actually of a jimmy buffett type character, just some older white guy from the states who is just bummin...archery,tennis, and bowling...seriously the guy is a workaholic!) anywhoo so with nothing to do until 4, i went for a little run,whereby i discovered that its a little warm outside..im just glad that my roomate doesn't mind that our room probably has a little bit of a "funk" to it..but its not that bad...i dont think it is anyway...
this sunday the school is putting on a big beach party/BBQ thing out on fredriksted beach, should be goodtimes, of doin..oh i dunno, not a whole lot,but at least it'll be not a whole lot on the beach and not in the dorms,which you wouldn't believe how much DOESN'T happen with a whopping 70 people staying on campus at night..its makes sleeping a little easier i guess..
..hair was getting too long so i cut it today,my goal is to only go through the 2 travel size shampoos i brought down with me...by showering once a week i should be on a good pace..so far so good..they dont have gatorade down here, powerade seems to have the market cornered, and no one likes the orange flavor except me it seems ha..its always the coldest out of the machines and such..we finnaly got our lounge fridge/freezer switched out.....wow this is some boring mundane stuff,im sorry...haven't scaled any mountains lately, and there is only so much of the beach i can talk about, or running...so i guess you'll have to just bare with,until something amazing happens..but holding you're breath,i wouldn't do that..
...think im gonna have to break down and buy a coffee pot, the stuff they brew here isn't dependable at all..its no mt.mudd..and with nothing but whole(lard ass) milk cereal is out of the question...
...on a lighter note, big jay(he looks like some huge african warrior,who is always smiling) anywhoo that guy gave me a list of races on the island and some that are over on st.john. there is a tri. over on st.john over labor day weekend, and he said he can hook it up with a place to stay since he has friends over there and stuff..so im pretty sure im gonna do it.....
......well i best get back to reading all about the indigenous folk of latin america...boy is this interesting stuff, its really sad and depressing and all that, no wonder they want to get out, their history classes must really suck the life right out of you...what is really cool is that the professor is from guyana(eventually ill ask him about jonestown...but i thought that a little much for day 1) and he's written a book about the carribean, doncha know that puppy was required reading. I've got him for both Latin America and Carib. history, both classes are a teleconfrence class where kids on the st.thomas campus sit around a tv and mic. to hear him talk and see us..its a pretty bad deal for them,as they never get to see him and he is rather soft spoken and yeah..kinda rough first day...

The folk

Not a lot of time today...I did get my ASU email back up, so if anyone sent anything over the weekend, I didn't get it.
Started classes yesterday and surprisingly they are very small..archery has a whopping 7 folks, and latin america,along with being a teleconfrence course broadcast to st.thomas has like 10, 6 here and 4 there...we have AC, they dont,and the professor is here as well..lots of reading in that upper level, as well as my carribean history...
..i've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter where you go, there are always those people who don't really care about school,and i thought it would be different here on the island with the situation being slightly different..as in not a lot of play money floating around and the evident need for a good education to make something of yourself..seems obvious to me,but i guess not everyone sees that..the library closes at 8pm, and some classes don't start until 8.30, there is a 24hr confrence room that is open in the dorm where I'll be doing most of my studying..it has AC,which is key...
...maybe its just the culture, and maybe my scope is limited, but so far, from what i've seen/heard amongst most of the girls around here(from the island) their mouths are pretty rough, it was hard to pick out with the accent at first, but by now i can pretty much get the gist of an F bomb and several others that seem to come out a lot..really unattractive also is this snorting i've heard...like in public..its gross...something like with a runny nose,but one of those deeper guttoral snort things, like i said its gross, and its gross..its the kind of stuff that daniel gates does and no one says anything to him about it, just making random noise and such,haha....we were really lucky that Dean missed us...its gotten pretty nasty from what i can tell..maybe yall will get some rain..
...the ROTC bit is going to be great..a little pt from 6-7am M W F..haha there are way more girls than guys,the program is really small..and most of the folk are freshmen, not used to physical activity...they threw out doin a 2 mile run and the place went nuts...looks like ill keep running on my own haha...this island is so beautiful,but sadly i think too many of the residents forget that people come from all over the world to climb their mountains, swim in their water, and drink their rum...Noell, one of the sophmores in the class told me about a hike the 29th, and that there is a club onthe island as well, so I'm gonna get it hooked up..hope yall are staying cool..and again my email is back up and running

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

So today I conquered all to secure the last two remaining containers of peanut butter and jelly,on the entire island,and probably the world,but that could actually be stretching things a bit too far....but you never know. Still haven't gotten back with ASU's email service, tis rather frustrating I might add,however it is what it is,and there isn't much more than that..
As of now its been a week on the island, its crazy to think that just over a week ago I was chillin in the boro' with the todd..but not any more...
...last night was fun, i guess you could say, had my first and probably last experience "hittin' up the local clubs", and wow! they can dance, and I,my friends cannot. Think of just about every stereotypical white kid thrown into a mix of dark island folk and some blaring calypso beats..and there's me just standing there in something a little less severe than shock and not enough appreciation to be in awe. (no anti-terrorism subliminal messaging meant by the aforementioned uses of shock and awe) i guess im just more of a sit around and talk type of person,not the jump around and yell,and sweat all over everyone...did i mention i can't dance...i must say it was a beautiful sunrise,which thankfully was my cue to go to bed, haha...so from now on when i see the girls gettin all dressed up to "go out" ,my answer is a most definately no...
im ready for classes to get started, even though we'll have a little break for labor day (?) that first monday in september, a few of us calmer folk are plannin a little hop to st.thomas...oo0oo i also heard about camping out on the beach of cinnamon bay over on st.john....as far as that goes, its not matter of if,only a question of when can i go and do that...no runnin today...not yet anyway maybe a little later,but im still a little sore from the beast

Strike one!

<--that would be a little st.croix sunset on a night before the "big storm"

So this Dean character never showed up, the whole island was waiting and he decides to be a no show, pretty much just blew right past us. All we got was some high winds and a little bit of rain..anyone who knows whats up with ASU's new email system let me know because I can't get into my email as of now and,that my friends isn't good...


...went for a little run yesterday out to Carambola, mostly just tiny backroads that aren't that busy, but this Carambola place is a resort thats way back in the hills (mountains) and ends up to be right on the beach..as none of the water can be owned, even the resort's beaches are open to the public,though this one is back up and around mountain roads so its rather exclusive due to its location..heading out of carambola,back up the mountain, is what they call "the beast" its a 7/10 of a mile climb up, with a 16%-27% grade going up, its freakin' steeeep! but it was amazing to be able to just set out on a run from campus that is basically inland and run to the beach,look out over this outcropping and whamo,you've got carribean water crashing on carribean rocks..a little different than runnin up and down Garland and the ones on campus..not much else is goin on, the island is slowed down even more than usual with some of the weather problems,but its really just cloudy and windy,nothin more than that...looks like ole Dean swung and missed....im sure there will be another one comin in a week or so...


there is supposed to be this travelling party band that leaves christiansted blaring music and dancing on the back of trucks and ends up on the beach, Jay said its goodtimes, almost like a mini Carnival celebration...its actually called a "Tramp" ...should be interesting and all that jazz

Day 3

Today was filled with.....well....the usual as of late,and thus, not a whole lot. Rise and shine at the crack of 9:30, roll out of bed, off to breakfast where the cooks know my name(already) eesh..anywhoo..then we had some dinky convocation bit where we were once again welcomed,i guess its for all those who may somehow not feel welcomed enough by the overarching hospitality of the island folk themselves, and somehow need that extra little dash of "welcome to UVI and the St.Croix" ..my welcome has come in the way of drivers honking whilst i go out for a run, it seems though they may have the 6 ft worth of lane space, they somehow think i owe them the 8 inches of sholder as well..ahh oh well...mom dont worry its way bigger, more like 11inches really :D...
..."tryin' to reason with hurricane season"...ha,may as well faget abouwt it maan! its gonna go wherever it wants to..but fear not, im ready and all that jazz, i actually slipped in my hurricane boots to my carry on, so im good to go..some kids from the states who i guess never get anything close to rain falling from the sky and little bit of wind,were completly flippin out asking a million specific questions about where to go, and what to do...all to no real avail as "big jay" (housing admin) laughed it off saying he loves hurricanes and that they are the best things..the irony came when i asked the girl who was about to have a breakdown,where she was from....LA of all places...ummm,excuse me....HUGE holes in the ground all of a sudden, buildings collapsing, roads jacked for days, and you never know its coming...i found quite a bit of humor in all that...
..classes start on monday, which will be quite a relief, im actually looking forward to a bit of book larnin'...
....on a lighter note...all of the dorms windows face eachother, and with no airconditioning mine stay open all the time,of course..well lets just say im waiting for my "newness" to wear off..i suddenly have a girl back home,haha, and am currently off the cruzan market..eesh...ill get more pics up probably after the storm passes..they say that the day before a hurricane, its the most beautiful day ever..i can't wait to see