Newton is My Homeboy

I really should start updating this thing more often. I always intend to post every few days, but I inevitably hold it off, thinking that I can sum everything up in a post at the end of the week. Of course, by the time I sit down to write about everything I usually forget to include at least a few crucial events that occured the previous week. Here's to keeping up with the times...

I don't have to tell you that I really didn't want to come back to school this week. I was having such a great Spring Break(snow skiing, road trip, V for Vendetta, mom's cooking, hanging with the dogs), and I also knew that there were some big tests awaiting me upon my return. The week did get off to a good start on Tuesday, however. The Dynamics test I took the Thursday before Spring Break was returned to us, and I got a 98. I'm really rolling in that class; I got a 100 on the first test, and the homework is just ridiculously simple. This whole class is basically physics I, except it has much more calculus. I think that's why I like this subject. Everything we use is derived from one simple equation created by Sir Newton himself, and it has real applications in the world.

Tuesday afternoon was my Early U.S. History test, an exam covering the span of the War for Independence and the American Revolution. According to my grade on the first exam, I obviously didn't write enough on the discussion questions for my teacher, so I made sure to give him mounds and mounds of text this time. The multiple choice questions are, as my Differential Equations teacher a few years ago stated, "Mickey Mouse." Every junior high student knows the answers to them. Considering that my hand really felt that it was going to just fall off my right arm by the test's end, I'm feeling like a perfect score was accomplished. We'll see on Tuesday.

Wednesday was our second Physics III exam. It covered pretty much all of our lenses, mirrors, and optical subejct matter. I was actually shocked by how easy it was, and that's not just my talking. Pretty much everyone said that after walking out of the room. For example, this was an ACTUAL question: A clown stands in front of a mirror that is 1.8 meters high. Approximately where should the clown look in the mirror to see his feet? Yeh, exactly. (The answer is halfway down/up the mirror, or 0.9 meters. Just common sense stuff that everyone knows). Despite the level of difficulty, I was excited to see later that day that I got a 100 on the exam. Awesome stuff.

My Materials exam was moved to next Thursday, so I still have time before that one. I had a poor showing my first test in that class, so I'm ready to bounce back. I completely understand the material(beam loading, beam deflection, shear and bending moments in beams), although Dr. Sullivan is renown for pulling problems out of nowhere to put on her test. We'll see how it looks come Thursday.

The rest of the week minus school was still just as hectic. My hockey team had a game on Tuesday; we didn't play poorly, but we weren't magnificent either. My control of the puck was WAY off. I kept leaving juicy rebounds right in the slot through most of the night, which did lead to two goals for the other team that ended up being the difference in the game. Our best player is out for a few games because he is covering the Final Four in Indianapolis(broadcasting major), so we're going to have to change our gameplan slightly these next games leading up to the playoffs.

The intramural soccer tournament started this week, but our mens game was moved, so we only played with our co-ed team on Thursday. We ended up losing(catching a theme here?), but we never expected much with our co-ed team. If we had girls like Mallory or Kate(Trevor's friend from high school. AMAZING soccer player) on our team, I could guarantee that we'd go deeper into the tournament. Oh well. Our mens round 1 game is tomorrow. We feel much more confident with that group.

Wednesday and Thursday the group went to Polliwogs(Thursday to celebrate our not-so-triumphant end to the co-ed soccer season).

Friday, we decided to have some fun. Knowing good and well that the movie Stay Alive would be very very very bad, Aaron, Reggie, Trevor, and I headed to the movie with all intentions of making fun of its entire length. We would have never guessed that everyone that went to that movie showing was planning on doing the same. The theater was full of laughter and comments AT the movie the entire showing, which made it even better. We continued the fun night at Dan's after the movie.

Saturday continued the fun. Trevor and I woke up around noon to play some 2v2 beach volleyball with Dan and Adam Brown, the official start to our own volleyball season. I think we stayed out there for close to 3 hours. Trevor and I didn't drop a game the whole day(they play "games" instead of "sets" in volleyball), and that equated to 3 straight matches that we won. We played a short game to 15 points at the very end, and due to our faulty net(Avalon has ordered a new $100 net to be here soon), we lost the match point to Dan and Adam. Neverthelesse, we were pleased with our performance. We get better with each match. The weather was on the slightly chilly side, with the high around 58ish, but being in the direct sunlight made it feel closer to 75 degrees. I can't wait for it to warm up. I need to get to work on my tan :)

Saturday night(last night) we went to Dave's Tavern to see an old friend of Trevor's, Reggie's, and mine from Grenada play in a band. David O'Bannon(our friend) has been in Iraq with the military for the past few years, but he's been home on and off throughout that time. He plays the drums for this band called Mosaic(at least, that's what we think it was called). They are a combination of jazz band, jam band, and latin jazz. I had no idea what to expect from these guys, but they ROCKED. The whole place was jumping halfway through the night. The highlights of the evening included the great music(of course), the random conga line that materialized near the end of the night, my being offered free drinks(I said "offered" mom!), and the lead saxaphone player jumping onto the bar at Dave's to play the finale. Put simply, the evening kicked ass.

As always, stuff is happening this week...

Mike Griffin, Administrator of NASA is coming to MSU tomorrow to kick off a lectureship series started by a group of professors here. I saw Griffin speak at JSC last semester, but I am looking forward to seeing him speak again. I mean, how many times does the NASA Administrator come to Starkville, MS?!? My parents, being the cool people that they are, are driving all the way from Canton to Starkville tomorrow, just to see him speak. It's open to the entire public, so I bet that the Hunter Henry Center is going to be packed.

This week is the start of softball season for Aaron, Trevor, and me. I'm looking forward to returning to the diamond. Aaron even bought himself a Boston cap over break, so now we are all set hat-wise. Aaaron has his Red Sox cap, Trevor has his red Yankee-Hater cap(which is awesome, btw), and I have my trusty old Red Sox cap as well.

The AVP season starts this weekend. Can't wait. The AVP Tour is even coming to Birmingham and Atlanta this summer, but too bad I'll be in Houston :(.

The big March/April party is this weekend too. The month's fall a little funny this year, so we're having to split it this weekend. Friday will be the March Party, and Saturday(April 1st) will be the April party. SO many people are coming to this thing; it should definitely be fun. Mallory may even come down as well.

Well, I think that's about it. I have a busy day today: laundry, schoolwork, hockey, grocery run, hanging up stuff, schoolwork. It just never stops, haha...

-Henry