Finals are almost over, and I'm feeling very well. Last week at this time, I realized that I knew absolutely nothing I needed to know about my Microeconomic Analysis final. So, over the past week I learned all the economic models, theorems, applications and stuff for the final. During my stressful week of learning all of this dense material about economics, I was told by my professor that the models and theorems that he teaches in the course are only seen by most econ students once they start a master's of economics program. This econ course at Yale was hands down the most difficult thing I've ever studied and learned, but I am very proud to say that I learned it all very well and did VERY well on the final... a 3 hour test composed of 11 essays and 6 short answer (2-5 sentences) questions.

Next semester I'm all set to take:
- Mathematical Game Theory
- Mutli-Variable Calculus
- Macroeconomic Analysis

and since the NROTC program requires me to complete a cultural awareness course....my personal favorite:

-Himalayan Cultures... I tend to push what counts for certain NROTC requirements to the limit...why would I want to take something cliche like "Southeast Asia in Politics" when I could learn about Himalayan cultures? In addition, the professor's office in the Asian studies department is only two doors down from my office at the European Studies Council office, so office hours will be easy to go to, and the class is only once a week.

Along with

-Naval Science Lab
-Sea Navigation

So next semester will be hectic, but I should be done with the prerequisites for my Mathematics major and already halfway done with my Economics major by fall of this coming academic year.



Yesterday morning I drove down to New York City to pick up my girlfriend from the airport, and it was on the tail-end of an all-nighter. It wasn't an intentional all-nighter, but my buddies and I were up until 3 a.m. figuring out a particularly complex series of economic models for duopolistic firms, and then by the time I got in bed it was 3:30 and I wasn't able to go to sleep. I had to get up at 4:45 anyways to get up, shower, grab a coffee, and bundle up then walk a couple miles north to pick up the rental car. Anyhow, I really  enjoyed the drive down to NYC...as I drove past all the seaside port cities in Connecticut like Bridgeport, Greenwich, and Milford I was reminded of just how beautiful America is and how proud I am of this country. As I began drive up and over the George Washington Bridge in New York City as the sun rose up over the Manhattan skyline, it was great to be an American and see the Freedom Tower (the new World Trade Center and the tallest building in America) dominate the iconic skyline. I love this country.

Of course, it was equally enjoyable to pick up my girlfriend and drive back up the interstate to New Haven (colloquially called "The 'Have") and enjoy my time with her. We are supposed to head down to Manhattan to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall tomorrow night, but we are forecast to get 4-6 inches of snow and ice tomorrow, and I'm not feeling brave/stupid enough to drive in that weather... especially after totaling my SUV two weeks ago pretty badly when I slid off the road and flipped. It's kind of a bummer we may not go, but it gives me time to study for calculus and have a snowball fight on Old Campus with my buddies and girlfriend... NOT TO MENTION THE ARMY NAVY GAME TOMORROW. Go Navy, Beat Army.

Anyways, two more days and I'm home for Christmas. I can't wait.

Today it snowed on campus. Unfortunately I had to study a lot and wasn't able to get out much in the snow. But I did take some pictures of it as it was falling, and then I also got a picture of the Catholic church on Hillhouse Avenue near the math department's building this evening with the moon in the background. Here are the pictures:

 This is the view from my bedroom window of Old Campus.

 This is Cross Campus with the Yale Law School in the background.

 This is where my office is at the European Studies department. 

I think this is a really neat picture I got of the church with the moon in the background. 

The other night we had our freshman Holiday Dinner in our huge dining hall, Commons. It was pretty cool...here are some pictures. Me and my buddies ate off and on for a solid 3 hours at the feast. Check out some of the pictures. Yale went all-out for this feast - huge ice-sculptures, eggnog fountains, and lots of other things. It was like the calm before the storm of finals week, haha.

And the next picture is of the big Christmas tree on the New Haven green (the town square) one block down from my suite. New Haven did a great job this year.

And now I have to tackle two term papers and two finals ( microeconomic analysis and calculus) while having my girlfriend fly up here on Thursday. Instead of taking long breaks to go grab food to eat while studying, I went to the grocery store yesterday and bought a few gallons of chocolate milk, 2 boxes of Nilla Wafers, and a big jar of JIF peanut butter. Since I'm studying and typing papers for the next week all day, I just consume massive amounts of the aforementioned food instead of wasting time getting food aside from my three meals. Last night, I consumed over 1500 calories in less than three minutes, so I guess it's good I maintain a workout schedule. 

I can't wait to be back down home next week. 

I'm officially done with 1/8 of college already. Man, time flies. It really seems like just a few weeks ago that I was counting down the days until I left for college. It sure has been a fun time, that's for sure.

At this point in the semester, I have one week left until I go home, so I've just gotta finish studying and turn in my term papers. My plan is to take it easy and have a stress-free final exam period. Why stress anyways? If I study hard and prepare, there's no reason to get worked up. Two-a-day workouts and studying between should be a magic recipe for success on my econ and calculus finals.

I snapped this picture of New Haven with the Christmas decorations out:

 It may just be a lit-up snowflake here and there, but it does add a bit of festivity to the otherwise dull city.


And I can't leave you without a motivational Naval Aviation video. The link following is a video of VFA-137, The Kestrels. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6fBlSSFx5k

God Bless America.

Alright. One more day of class.

All day I've been listening to motivating music to get pumped for finals, but I ended up just spending way too much time listening to music and contemplating how to study. Tomorrow I'll cut back on the music and just push through all of the calculus problem sets from the semester to review. Then I'll do the same for econ, and maybe I'll feel prepared for the finals. I'm not stressed out yet... I'm confident that I'll be good to go by the time finals roll around next Friday afternoon.

Today was our semesterly Commanding Officer's inspection of our unit, and it went very well for me. As the CO got to me, I went from parade rest to attention and stated my name and major (Economics and Mathematics) and then he inspected my entire uniform.... no drunken eagles or smiling covers. He said "Midshipman, your uniform is outstanding," and moved on. I'd say the time lint-rolling, ironing and shoe-shining were worth it. One more day flying under the radar. I'm living the dream.

And I got a great workout in at gym today, which is always fun. We have our Physical Fitness Assessment for spring 2014 as soon as we return from Christmas break in January, so I've got to stay in top shape over Christmas break.

New Haven is all decorated in Christmas lights now, and as much as I prefer a rural lifestyle, the city looks great during Christmastime. I cannot wait to get down to Manhattan in a week or so with my girlfriend and walk down 5th avenue and see all of the nice shops and then grab dinner before heading to Radio City Music Hall. It should be a great night.

I didn't think I would, but I do miss sailing on Thursdays. Sailing was a great opportunity to get away from the city and get out on the seas with my buddies. I definitely will be excited when sailing rolls around next fall.

I read an article written by an admissions officer at MIT, and one of his pieces of advice was to make a playlist every month or two during college, because the music you listen to will always bring back the memories from college in ways that simply thinking back on college cannot. I think I may take up that advice and begin making a playlist every semester at least. Who knows? I may just appreciate it when I'm older.

Anyways, I should probably go do some actual work now.
CHRISTMAS IN 21 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think today was the ideal day for my life as a college student.

First off, let me preface my day by saying I went to bed at 9:30 last night and didn't wake up until 8:30 am. 11 hours of sleep never felt so good.

I woke up this morning and ate a huge breakfast then went to furniture class...only one more class of furniture left this semester! I have maintained all semester that the biggest challenge in this class is staying awake at 9 a.m. in a warm room surrounded by lots of comfortable sofas and recliners. I stayed awake easily and then actually went to calculus today. After calc I came back into the room and slept for 3 more hours then went to dinner. AMAZING day.

In less than two weeks I'll be back home in Atlanta!!! I'd take Atlanta traffic any day over the north...

On another note, the pecan pie was great tonight. I'll leave you with a picture of the tasty dessert.

Last night I got back to New York around 11:30 pm and then caught a 1:00 am shuttle to Yale. I arrived in New Haven around 2:45 am and got a few hours of sleep before my Naval Science final this morning. The good thing is I have less than two weeks until I'm home again! And this trip home I get to travel with my girlfriend.

Next week I'm heading down to the Big Apple to pick up my girlfriend so she can stay with me for a few days and then head back to Atlanta. That should be a blast. Everybody up here is ready to get back home for the holidays. Christmas break will be one month of absolutely nothing to take care of.... I can't wait.

THREE MORE DAYS OF CLASS. Then reading period for a week before finals next weekend.

Wednesday is our inspection for the semester, and then the unit is heading down to Rockefeller Plaza to attend thee NYC Christmas Tree lighting. I probably won't head down there though...we'd be getting back really late and I need to study for finals...plus we'd be taking the same train line that crashed yesterday (the second train crash on this rail line in the past 6 months).

I had my Naval Science final this morning....and we all kind of screwed up. The good thing is that we all use the same study guide, so we all screwed up on the same things. I am now 1/8th done with my Naval Officer training.

Also, I wanted to post a few pictures of the campus atmosphere this time of year... the ivy is turning red and our huge Commons dining hall is decorated with lights and stuff.

By this point in the week I'm just killing time until I head home. This weekend is the big game against Harvard and it's at Yale this year. It should be fun. For the annual game, when it's at Yale we host all the Harvard students and when it's at Harvard the Harvard students host us in their dorms. Fortunately I dont have any Harvard student staying with me this year. I'm really excited for the game, and it should be an absolute blast. Nothing compared to a UGA game, but still a blast. Then after the game I'll enjoy the night and pack up to head home around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. I'll see the Atlanta skyline by 11:15 on Sunday morning. I'll be honest, I can't wait. I've got a paper to finish tonight, but I just have no motivation. I'll squeeze it out, but I'm just kind of done with this week already...as is everybody else at Yale.

The sad thing is, a lot of clubs are selling Harvard Yale game t-shirts, and all but one is based on the idea of a bulldog pooping on harvard...a not-so-subtle reference to the Poopetrator crimes earlier this year.
I'm probably going to spend my time youtubing videos of low altitude flying in Navy F/A-18s. I'm really trying to get to fly E/A-18s, but you cant find too many videos of those jets and they're virtually the same basic airframe as a Super Hornet....just a different mission. So I always settle for F/A-18 videos on youtube. After I'm done wasting time watching Navy jets on youtube I'll hastily write my paper and head off to my de-bunked bed (which by the way has made my sleeping much better). I officially head home in 3 days, 8 hours, and 46 minutes. Woohoo.

This weekend has been great. I got quite a bit of work, but not as much as I would have liked to get done (sounds like pretty much every weekend for me, haha). I did have a major accomplishment though: So first off, the bedrooms in Lanman-Wright Hall (colloquially known as "L-Dub" by all Yalies) are very small. There's no two ways about it, they're very tiny. Because of that, all of the beds are bunked. I have had the top bunk all semester, and I actually hurt my knee hopping off the bed a few weeks ago so I decided that I was going too address the issue with my roommate.  A  few of my buddies in L-Dub have de-bunked and they used the ultimanum: Either we can de-bunk the beds and have a cramped room or the bottom bunk inhabitant can take the top bunk for second semester. It's only fair when both parties are paying half the rent. So I kindly presented the ultimanum to my roommate knowing he would take the lesser of two evils. He did, and I finished de-bunking the bunk-beds a couple hours ago. I'm a happy camper now.

Yesterday was the last day of sailing, and we went out with a bang. It was quite cold, and there was another small watercraft advisory issued by the National Weather Service. However, our XO (Executive Officer) decided we would sail nonetheless. So,in 30+ knot winds and 6-10 foot seas (doesn't sound like much, but when you're in a 14 foot sailboat that isn't really stable at all, it's like a borderline Tsunami) we took to the seas. Honestly, sailing yesterday was a stupid move. It wasn't safe, and none of us were comfortable sailing in those conditions. In addition to the maritime conditions, it was in the low 40 in temperature, which is extremely cold with a windchill and sea spray on top of that. It was fun...I sailed with a buddy from Annapolis, MD and we went out and had fun in the waves. We found out that if you tack at the right time and instead of jiving just run with the wind you can literally ride the waves...like surfing to an extent. Two of my friends got their main sheet rigged wrong and the out haul got tangled up in the mainsail line and then they capsized. The boat then turtled, which means it became fully capsized with the mast straight down. When a sailboat turtles, it is extremely difficult to get back upright because the sails create so much resistance while underwater. While my buddy was trying to get the boat upright again, the other Midshipmen in that boat was floating further away and was being weighted down by the sweatsuit she was wearing. It was a pretty bad situation, but eventually the sailing coach got over and pulled 'em out. The waves were calm in the inlet that the boathouse is in, but as soon as we got out in the ocean it got very rough very quick. In the end though, nobody was hurt and it was great sailing experience for us all. Here's a couple pictures of the sunset yesterday (It gets dark around 4:45 here, and so we sailed quite a bit in the dark).

 (My camera's setting were on high lighting, but yes...that is the moon in the sky,not the sun.)

I just got back from the Yale University Art Gallery, which I must say is a very impressive museum. My item of the week for furniture class is a Wallace Nutting side chair from around the 1920's.... it's a very modest piece compared to the rest of the art in the art gallery,but here it is:

Here are some other pictures I took in the art gallery:

The ancient art collection is really great...it rivals the ancient art of the museums in the Vatican, Florence and Rome. I didn't really stop for anything since I was just there for my chair for furniture class, and I missed a good 80% of the museum, but it was all really neat and I'll definitely go back on a blistery Saturday afternoon when there's nothing better to do. Off to office hours to work through a problem set!

So it's been busy and I forgot to update the blog...whoops.

Yesterday me and a few guys from the unit went down to the USS New York, LPD-21 since it was moored at pier 88 in Manhattan. It is an amazing ship....practically brand new and it is also symbolic of 9/11 since it has in its bow 7 tons of World Trade Center steel. It really is a beautiful ship, and we all had a blast. A few of the sailors and marines took us and showed us the ship and all sorts of stuff. It was really neat. They also had a couple MV-22 Ospreys and AH-1 Cobra helos we got to check out. The ospreys are more cramped on the inside than I would have thought. We had a great time as always, and of course got some photos.

School is still going great. And only 13 days until I head back home for Thanksgiving. 

I got up at 0500 this morning to perform the Navy Physical Fitness Assessment, and it went very well. It was the makeup PFA for the Midshipmen that had midterms during the PFA on Wednesday, and our LT loaded us up in the van and drove us over to the Yale track. I did well on the pushups, situps and the 1.5 mile run. No complaints.

Now its 7:30 in the morning and I'm just killing time until class. I was actually thinking a minute ago that if someone had told me three years ago that I would be in the Navy and down the road be a commissioned officer, I probably would have laughed. I love it when things don't turn out the way I planned and end up being better than  my plans. "Plans are useless, but planning is crucial."

Today I have Naval Science at 0900 to 1015 and then work immediately afterwards. After that I'll probably get my homework done for the weekend and enjoy the evening. It'll be a good weekend. 15 days until I head back home, and I can't wait to go on a long drive and enjoy not being in a cramped up city. Living in a city kind of feels like an animal living within the confines of a cage. But with more amenities.

Sailing should be fun today...

So I'm in Calculus right now. It's my only free time all week really. It's been a really hectic week! I get my calc midterm back in a few minutes!

I have changed my ways. So now that it sounds really dramatic, what I really mean is I've reverted back to life as a 5 year old...with regards to my sleep schedule. I have set a bedtime for myself now. I realized that sleep is one of the most valuable resources in college (and in life) and if I work really hard during the day, then I can be in bed by 10:00 p.m. every night...thus giving me at least 8.5 hours of sleep. I've been doing this for the past 5 days,  and I feel great. I've got a midterm tomorrow in calculus and a 12 page research paper due on thursday worth 35% of my grade...but no worries from me. I've been getting sleep and studying efficiently. I just kind of look at it like getting used to the aviator lifestyle...Aviators are required to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night, while most other sailors barely get sleep.

I found out last week from my Executive Officer that we have 4 more weeks of sailing, so this should be fun. In the frigid weather.

And....18 days until I set my compass southward and make the voyage back home.

So I guess I could sum everything up by saying "Life isn't good. It's great."

Super super super cool day today. So this morning in Naval Science I gave a presentation on Vice Admiral Stockdale, and then we had the privelidge of getting a very very very cool Naval Aviator to lecture us on Naval Aviation. Captain Le Branche was the Commanding Officer of the last F-14 Tomcat squadron, and recently finished a tour as a Commander of CVW-17. He was an enlisted Marine for 6 years and then commissioned into the Navy and got his wings. He had some absolutely amazing advice and stories to tell...as the CAG (Commander, Air Group) he got to fly F/A-18s, E-2s, C-2s, E/A-18s, and helos. He also showed us a video of him having to punch out of his A-6 Intruder early in his career. Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JETOXZXSXBM

Overall, it was really neat to talk to a guy that has flown so many different platforms in the Navy and has experienced so much.

Then, of course, we went to Popeyes, and as we say every week, "enjoyed good food and good times."

This evening I had a Navy study session and then took some pictures on the walk back to my suite:

Today was one of those days, haha. I burned my tongue at dinner drinking coffee, which isnt ever a load of fun. To make things better, my knee is all jacked up and I pulled a muscle so I'm hobbling around. And on top of that, I realized after dinner that I had been walking around all afternoon with my sweatpants on backwards. The good thing is that I was able to laugh about all of this. So good day.

Here's what I saw this afternoon on my way to math session:

It's someone in a Panda suit!

We werent able to go sailing today due to the rough seas and high winds. The winds were in excess of 25 knots and they didn't want us out there, so we sat on the pier for a while and chilled. 

And then I got a care package from the sweet ladies at the church back home!!! Whoop whoop!

So it was a good day. Another day living the dream. 

Here's your motivational picture of the day:

Because that should be enough to motivate any red-blooded American.

It was a great day, as always. I got 11 hours of sleep last night, which is arguably the best thing that has happened to me all year. I FELT GREAT TODAY!!!!!!  I was able to focus in class and get stuff done, which is all I'm up here to do anyways.

Another piece of good news today on the Navy side of things:
We got briefed that those Midshipmen that place into the top 10% of the warfare community (aviation, submarines, SEALs, etc) that they want are SAFE... meaning the Navy will give them their desired job. In addition, those Midshipmen that wanted aviation and scored an 8 or 9 on the ASTB (Aviation Selection Test Battery) all got aviation. So as long as I score well on the ASTB and don't screw things up I'm set for aviation, it seems.  WOOHOO!

Also, evidently Yale has a flight simulator that we can use to practice with. Once again, WOOHOO!

I have a 5 page paper, a 13 page paper, a 7 page paper and a calc midterm due next week. The good thing is that I can write papers extremely quickly. And calculus isn't my worry at the moment.

Every time I look at the picture above, I get motivated. I sure hope I'm not the only one that gets motivated by that picture.

God Bless America.

Man, it was a pretty brisk day today. So the cold is starting to arrive, and today I broke out my camo hunting coat. I definitely got lots of stares as I walked around campus to and from classes...I suppose very few Yalies are used to seeing people wearing camouflage and boots. I just grinned and kept walking. Haha.

It's funny to think that 48 hours ago I was back in Georgia with the family and the girlfriend, and now I'm already back in the groove of things. I went to office hours for my econ professor today and that helped tremendously. I've got my second Calculus midterm next week, but I'm not worried about it. I've been studying as I go.

Overall, a great day. No complaints. Tomorrow I have class and then work until 7:30, and then sailing on Thursday. I'll be super busy!

Well, after a much-needed vacation back down South to visit my girlfriend and family, I'm back up in New Haven. I spent a lot of time over in Athens with my girlfriend and I rested up so much.

From Sunday when I flew home all the way to Friday I had a splitting headache and was so exhausted. I kept on wondering what I could have done to feel this way...and on Wednesday I figured it out...it was withdrawal symptoms. The entire week beforehand, I had about 3 energy drinks and 5-12 cups of coffee a day. I understand how absolutely terrible that is for my body, and I'm in no way a proponent of energy drinks, but it was necessary. Today I had my usual coffee, and I'm kind of shaky...it's crazy how extreme amounts of caffeine can affect you.

ANYWAYS, classes are going well, and it's another good day in Connecticut. I got back to Yale around 1:45 a.m. this morning and crashed on my futon. I woke up at 7 and showered, got in uniform and headed off to class. In class, our Lieutenant handed back midterms, and said "Midshipmen, you were right on a question and my answer key was wrong. For being wrong, I owe you 17 motivational pushups." So while in his service dress uniform, he got down and did pushups as we all counted them out. Haha, it's just such a great class. Plus I did very well on the midterm. Things are looking up, things are looking up.

I have 27 days until I fly back down South for Thanksgiving. On a side note, I love flying into New York at night because the skyline of Manhattan.

Midterms are over for now. Last night was the Navy/Marine Corps Birthday Ball, and it was a blast. We met with lots of military veterans and active duty servicemen. We had everything from a flag officer to a Navy seal in attendance. It was so much fun! We had our ball at the Union League Cafe, which is the former homesite of Roger Sherman, the only American to have his name on the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution. I also met with quite a few Yale NROTC grads from 1968 and  earlier that are now CEOs and chairmen of corporate boards....and they're very eager to help out Yale Midshipmen. I suppose it's always great to make connections, and they're all just great guys that are so proud of their service in the Navy. All things aside, it was a great night with my beautiful girlfriend and shipmates. And we sat next to SSgt. and his wife, which was certainly a pleasure!

Today I took my girlfriend on a tour of Yale, and we ended up all the way past Science Hill and at the Divinity School. It was one the best days for a walk...the leaves are at their peak right now and the weather was perfect. 

My beautiful home of Pierson College

Scenic view of East Rock park from Science Hill

simply a pretty tree.

pretty girl with a pretty tree.

The Yale Divinity School entrance

A second picture to emphasize how pretty this place is. Well worth the walk.