I haven't had any tests since the Wednesday before last, but that one concluded a string of three exams in six days. The scores: 3.90 (RP-2); 3.85 (Chem-2); 3.73 (ETRO-2).* The last one bugged me at first, for a couple of reasons. First, it broke my streak of sixteen straight exams of 3.8 or higher. Second, it dropped my overall GPA below 3.90 for the first time in eight weeks. Third, as I found out this past Friday, it dropped me down one spot to fifth in the class. (I had been holding steady at fourth for several weeks.) I should have scored higher on it, but I failed to review some material from previous grading periods, and it came back to bite me in the ass.
Tuesday, we take RP-3. This test is known as "the widowmaker," since the material we have learned in this grading period is supposed to be extremely difficult. That said, I really haven't had a problem with it. The problem comes with some of the drawings we have to make...the instructors are exceptionally picky about how they want them drawn. Two days after that, we take the one exam we have in materials, which is basically teaching us how not to break the core.
Two weeks ago I got smashed. I went to the apartment of some of my friends, and we started drinking the vodka one had bought. I was originally mixing it with some kind of Sobe concoction, but I then found some orange juice in the refrigerator. It was screwdriver time. If you want to get drunk and barely taste the alcohol at all, this is the drink to have. I ended up passing out in the bathroom and having my friend wake me up to take me back to NNPTC.
This past Friday night these same friends and one of my classmates had dinner at Texas Roadhouse, and those of age again consumed. On this night, however, Campbell really wanted to get lit. He offered no explanation for this inclination, but he had five drinks at Roadhouse, after which we watched "Shark Tale," which was neither particularly good or bad. We then went back to Campbell's apartment, where he proceeded to put back shot after shot after shot of peppermint schnapps. I, on the other hand, took but a single shot and decided to wave the white flag. Campbell refused to be denied - to the point where we thought he was putting himself in danger, despite his continued insistences of his relative sobriety (he wasn't drunk, he was just buzzed. yeah.) It got to the point where we had to lock the alcohol in a closet and take his keys away from him - and boy, did this piss him off. Normally mild-mannered, Campbell was yelling and swearing up a storm. We finally got him to bed, and I ended up crashing on the couch and going back home the next morning.
Some good news of sorts came Friday morning. We found out that one of the moored training ships here in Charleston is being shut down when our class reaches prototype (the third phase of nuclear power training). Two-thirds of the electronics technicians (ETs) had put in to remain in South Carolina. Only one-third of them can actually stay - the rest will go to prototype in Ballston Spa, NY. Since I was one of the 26 ETs who had originally requested New York, it's now 99.999% sure I'm headed there after I graduate power school in November.
Speaking of graduating power school, it's now less than seven weeks away. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was starting this adventure, just ecstatic to be there. Some other indications of how time has passed quickly:
- The college hockey season started yesterday.
- Cornell's hockey season starts in less than a month.
- Four weeks of the NFL season are gone (and the Giants are 3-1!)
- The MLB regular season is over.
- The election is less than a month away.
Well now that I've spewed my guts I must sleep. More soon - maybe even tomorrow.
* RP = reactor principles; Chem = chemistry (duh); ETRO = electronic theory for reactor operators.