Life, Liberty, but Not Necessarily the Pursuit of Happiness

Wow, it has been a while since I have posted here. The past week has been pretty crazy. Wednesday and Thursday were spent getting ready for the weekend's many festivities. I was more fortunate than many Plebes since I was able to see my parents on Wednesday. They flew in that afternoon and made the trek out to the Academy to drop off some baseball stuff. Though the time was short, it was really good to see them. Looking back, I really don't remember what Thursday was like because it's all just a blur now. I do remember that sleep did not come in abundance that night. Because I wanted to take part in a spirit mission to commemorate September 11, I was outside writing names on cups, filling them with sand and candles, and organizing them until about 0045 or 0100. In addition to that, I had to finish a physics lab as well as a calculus assignment, which allowed me to finally sleep at 0330 and get up at 0530. Because of the lack of sleep, I was amazed at how awake I was Friday, but then again I was assisted by a ZipFizz and a 24 oz Monster and a good amount of Coke.

That morning my parents arrived at the Academy near 0900, which worked out well because I did not have class until 0955. Since it was Parents Weekend at the Academy, parents were able to accompany their children to classes when the teachers permitted it. I did not take mine to firefighting, but they were able to experience Dr. Lowell A. Cummings, the eccentric physics professor. They were able to walk around on their own Friday afternoon as I had to finish up some physics homework that was due that night. After a relaxing dinner in Delano, we walked around campus a little more until I had to change into my Whites for the Star-Spangled Banner Brigade part of Beat Retreat. SSBB was where Plebes marched all 50 state flags and I think 52 U.S. Flags onto the gym floor where the Regimental Band was performing for Beat Retreat. Once that wrapped up, I was able to say goodnight to my parents before heading back to the barracks for CTO time. The night ended with final preparations for the next day; our biggest day here so far.

The beginning of the day was not what I would have liked it to be. Somehow I managed to sleep through both of my alarms and my roommate slept through his also. This resulted in being woken up at 0729 by our CTO who was very perturbed. We all did make it down to muster for morning colors, but CTO had some stern words for all of us. After a very short amount of time given to us to clean our rooms before our parents were allowed to tour, we had to be back outside so that we could be ready for the Parade. Right on schedule we marched onto Tomb Field so that we could take our oaths to swear us into the U.S. Naval Reserve and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. I still managed to make a fool of myself by messing up my about face and almost falling over, but I didn't, so I can be thankful of that.

After our Parade, I had to be a ballboy for the soccer game against the Coast Guard Academy, so I quickly changed into PT gear, talked with my parents for a few minutes, and headed back to Tomb Field. It was a pretty long, slow game, but we ended up winning 2-0. Because the whole Coast Guard Academy came with their sports teams, our whole regiment marched onto the field with Coast Guard before the long-awaited football game. The game was epic; one for the ages. It went into two overtimes before Kings Point finally overcame and drove the ball for a touchdown to win, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The best part of the win was the fact that liberty was extended to 2100 the next day for all classes instead of 1800 for us Plebes. That was very much appreciated, as was Sunday's baseball practice being cancelled.

After a short briefing by the RTOA and RX in Ackerman Auditorium, we were granted our first liberty. I was so ready to leave this place I quickly packed my things and met my parents outside Wiley Hall so that we could call the taxi company to pick us up and take us to our hotel. The dynamic of leaving was a lot different this time than it was leaving on the Plebe Retreat. This time I knew that I could do nearly anything I wanted without fearing that someone might tell on me. After we dropped my stuff off, we walked down the street to a nearby restaurant to have an early celebration of my birthday. The food was good, but spending time with my parents was better. I finally had the stresses of the weekend off my back and I was able to relax and not focus on the Regiment. After we finished our, albeit long, dinner, we headed back to our hotel to chill for the rest of the night. I turned in just before 2300, which was the earliest in a while for me.

I woke up the next morning at 0745 more refreshed than I had been in longer than I could remember at the time. After a refreshing shower, I traveled downstairs to eat some breakfast before finalizing our plans for the day. We took a taxi to the train station in Bayside so that we could catch the 0956 train into Penn Station. From there we hopped onto the subway system to Chinatown on Canal Street so that we could find some good Dim Sum. Thankfully, it did not take us long to find a place that vividly reminded my dad of restaurants in Hong Kong. When the food started coming around, we were amazed at the excellent taste of each of the dishes. By the time we were ready to leave, my dad had no problem saying that Jing Fong was the best Dim Sum restaurant he'd found outside of Hong Kong.

In Chinatown we hopped back on the subway and rode it to Times Square. What a ridiculous sight! People see it numerous times every year on TV, but nothing compares to actually being there, looking up at the enormous billboards promoting a wide variety of products. I did not cry, as I've heard others do, but it was one of those awesome moments to say the least. From Times Square we walked past some of the off-Broadway theaters as well as Rockefeller Plaza, and the Radio City Music Hall where the MTV VMAs were being held later that night. No, I did not see Kanye and tell him to totally disrespect Taylor Swift. After passing by Radio City, we hopped back on the subway to take us back to Penn Station so that we could return to our hotel, giving us more time to hang out as a family before sending me back to the Academy.

The rest of the afternoon was spent lazily watching tv and resting. That dreaded time of having to leave the hotel came way too quickly, with the last few moments spent taking pictures in my Whites by myself and with my family. Upon arriving back at the Academy after an, um, interesting taxi ride, I caught up with my friends about their weekends. Plebe Accountability Muster in Ackerman Auditorium at 2100 did not go as well as it could've. However, that reasoning may or may not be shared at a later time.

Monday started out almost as poorly as Saturday did. I managed to sleep through two alarms yet again. Thankfully it was not CTO banging on my door, but one of my classmates who informed us that all of the Plebes in First Company were waiting for us to get down to Zero Deck so that they could be dismissed. The rest of the day went pretty smoothly, culminating with CFC and sports study hall.

Tuesday was quite similar in that regard, though that evening I was caught by my Company Commander talking in one of the stairways, which is one thing that we are definitely not supposed to do. I stayed up late finishing the essay that CTO assigned to me based on that incident, but not as late as some other nights.

Today, Wednesday, was pretty ordinary also, though Dr. Cummings started class 38 minutes late because he arrived to the Academy 30 minutes late. Baseball went well as did being ballboy for the soccer game. I'm looking forward to showering now and then heading to bed to get some, hopefully, decent sleep. Stand by for further posts.