I’ve been quiet this week. I chalk it up to focusing on my work, and also we got a new server for our blogs and I haven’t had a chance to try it out. Consider this my intro blog to the new server.

Anyway, I have something important to say:

Honor Scholarship Weekend is coming up.

I missed most of Honor Scholarship Weekend when I was a prospect due to conflicting schedules, but I must say that it is a very important day for Wabash. Hundreds of students are going to be coming here to see if Wabash is good for them, and we have to see if these guys are good for Wabash (and I mean that as non-elitist as possibly). Also, clubs and other organizations have to convince these newcomers that Wabash has what they’re interested in, and even if they aren’t interested in it they should still check it out (my Space Marines recruited 50+ people for Dork Club; let’s see if they can repeat that feat).

If any prospective students or families are reading this blog (I’m sure there are a few), I just want to say welcome, and thank you for showing interest in Wabash. It is really one of the better schools out there, and it will challenge you to move beyond your preconceived notions of the world. Even if you don’t come here, I still hope that you get a chance to appreciate what does go on here and connect with a few guys, so at least you can say that you had a good time.

Also, Space Marines. We have Space Marines.

I command you to come to Honor Scholarship Weekend

(This was written yesterday, so the timing might be a bit off)

I’ve noticed more things while travelling today; airports have become increasingly pale, luck can be found aboard flights, and Delta’s tray tables still suck.

After suffering from a bad case of insomnia, I woke up around 3 this morning to go back to Wabash. I got my boarding passes nice and early, listened to “Everything is Awesome!”, checked my emails and other notifications, and then was driven to the airport by my dad. After passing through security and grabbing a bite to eat at the nearby Rose’s Deli, I got on the plane to LA. Once again, it was a little plane, and my bags are very big, so they had to store it for the flight (wish they’d be more careful about it- I have some delicate things and paints in my bag).

I don’t remember a lot from the flight, mainly because I felt like catching up on my sleep instead of watching the Spanish or Portuguese guy next to me catch up on his sleep. We landed in LAX about an hour or so later, and with good fortune I was able to get my bag and get to my gate with little issue. I had to go from gate 54 to gate 57, a light stroll compared to my cross-airport trek at Minneapolis. So yeah, luck was on my side, and I spent my time waiting for the plane to load reading TvTropes and working on Kyoshi Rising, my Avatar fic.

Delta is still run by neat freaks, and our loading was delayed due in part to the plane we were flying having just arrived from Guadalajara. This is a bit more excusable than the “Oh, first class needs to be cleaned better” because you want to make sure that nothing bad or icky comes from a foreign country… and I mean things like drugs and invasive plants. I’m no racist.

Is there an –ist for plane paint, because I have noticed that airports are becoming increasingly pale. When I was younger, there used to be loads of different colors of planes, and a lot more brands to go around. Nowadays, it seems like every plane is either United, Delta or American Airlines. Northwest, TWA, and Continental are all gone, and aside from Southwest all the planes are now painted in white, if they are painted at all (and Southwest used to be this weird peach color instead of blue… well, some changes aren’t all that bad). Why? Are the airlines trying to look like each other to confuse the consumer? Is it to save speed? This is actually a thing; an unpainted P-51 fighter plane flies 15 MPH faster than one that is painted, so it makes sense that an airline would not paint their planes too much to save weight. But still, the airline industry has lost some of its uniqueness; the only reds and greens and blacks that you see on airline paint are usually on planes from other countries or are regulated to tail art only, and for someone like me that was fascinated with all the different airlines and such it’s rather disappointing.

But then, I’m nitpicking. DELTA’S TRAY TABLES SUCK!

Again, I’ve had to deal with a tray table that is too small for my laptop. The thing doesn’t pull forward so I have to deal with the idiot in front of me if/when he decides to recline, and I can’t push the screen back far enough to get the image I want without having part of my computer dangling over the edge. The small commuter I was on during the first leg of my journey got it right, but the A320 I’m writing this from? The 757 I wrote my last travel blog from?

Nope. Chuck Testa Small tray tables.

Is it like this on all of their planes larger than a commuter? International flights must be brutal for nitpickers like me. That’s it, when I go to Germany again someday I’m flying AMERICAN! I don’t know if their tray tables are any better, but right now they hold the advantage of not being Delta.

Oh well, at least I got tea, pretzels and cinnamon cookies out of the deal (the tea was black and I prefer green, but what can you do?). I shouldn’t complain and should enjoy the miracle of human aeronautics, and leave my nitpicking to rest for a little.

…

If I was an Airbender, I wouldn’t have this problem. I’d have a glider and a Sky Bison to fly around on, and I wouldn’t have to worry about turbulence. And Sky Bison are big, so I’d be able to type without many space issues… or guys who lean back and cause my computer to slide… or guys who take up the arm rests so you’re pressed up against the window.

Although I would have to shave my head and get tattoos, but hey, I’d be able to fly without many issues.

So, I’ve had a pretty good break, all things considered. I got to see my parents again, get some sleep, catch up on my writing, got to hang out with my girlfriend, and I saw The LEGO Movie (everything is awesome!). I got a chance to unwind again, and with the pressures of Wabash I think that is an important thing.

And as I wrap up this week, I feel that times like this are really special, which is what I’ll be addressing in this blog.

Over the past week, I have encountered many things that I or someone else might consider special. I think it’s less dependent on what the thing is than how you react to it; some silly putty or a slice of pizza might not seem all that special at first, but when they’re a gift from your parents or from your favorite pizza joint then it becomes special. I went to an event over the break that I might not have been that enthusiastic about, but to those that the event was focused on it was something worth remembering, and that’s what matters in the end. We can’t just go around as if everything is just the same old thing over and over again, because that just makes for a boring life. Everything is awesome, and we should take advantage of every moment we get to make life really really special.

… What? I liked The LEGO Movie

Enjoy the time you spend with your loved ones. Go out and do something you enjoy doing, and maybe try something you might love doing. Even if you screw up, if you have a good time and build good memories then it might become even more meaningful than if you succeeded. It doesn’t have to be anything big or extravagant; it can just be making your special someone some tea when they come home, or buying them a nice little something to remind them how much you love them.

Or we could build a spaceship. That’s pretty special.

Whatever you do, put your heart into it and make it special and awesome.

Aren’t I adorable? This is me on my way to Minneapolis

A few thing I have learned during this trip to Oregon: Minneapolis is really big, and Delta has really bad tray tables.

Anyway, I began this day at Wabash. I woke up somewhat early and, seeing as I had to wait a little bit for my ride, busied myself by watching YouTube and Bum Reviews (CHAAANGE?! YA GOT CHANGE?!). Maybe Wabash has a shuttle to the airport that I am just not aware of, and if it doesn’t then it should get one. I say this because I am an impatient man when it comes to travel; I like to arrive at the gate early (and by early I mean one or two hours early), so I know that I will not be late and will get on the plane in time. I’m not saying that I missed a flight, I just like a little bit of security.

Anyway, the first flight I was on was a small flight to Minneapolis. It wasn’t actually that bad, although they didn’t have enough room for one of my bags so they had to store it for the flight. Meh, it only had clothes, a few toiletries, and a base for one of my Warhammer models in it, so I was okay with that. The flight was nice, although I didn’t get a chance to nap, and within an hour and a half we were on the ground at Minneapolis.

Which brings me to my first point: Minneapolis is huge.

Our plane stopped off at Gate C-something or other. My next flight was over at Gate F9, on the other side of the airport more or less. As I was not handicapped or old, and thus unqualified to ride on one of their little carts (you know an airport is big when you need cars to get from one side to another) so I had to do this the old-fashioned way: Walk.

Did I mention that Minneapolis is big? It must have taken me twenty minutes to get to F9 (and probably would have taken longer if they did not have any moving walkways), but I made it to the gate on time. And that brought up another problem: boredom. I entertained myself by writing (got a pretty good Avatar: The Last Airbender fic going on) and watching more Bum Reviews. I didn’t stay active for very long because airport connections are sketchy and I wanted to be ready for when I had to get on the plane.

…

Whenever that happened, of course.

Delta is apparently run by neat freaks; the plane was already running late, and one of the stewardesses insisted on holding off the boarding process because the First Class cabin did not look clean enough. Fair enough, but did you really have to hold up the boarding process just for that? Maybe someone vomited or died and they had to clean up what was left (ew). But we did get on the plane eventually, and I actually wrote this blog in flight.

I would have posted the blog in flight, but… Well, when Delta says they have in-flight Wi-Fi, they never said that it worked. Eh, I shouldn’t complain; I’m in a metal cigar 10,000+ feet in the air, I should be amazed right now that this is happening. Guess it’s just part of being a jaded American consumer type who takes everything for granted.

Now then, on to my second point: Delta’s tray tables suck. Seriously, those things are tiny, and my laptop is very large (It’s huge! Which means it has huge guts! RIP AND TEAR!!!… okay, I’ll stop with the random references). I mean, what if I was going to ask for a cup of tea? Where would I put it? I can’t put it on my laptop because that would be dangerous, and as much as I love tea I enjoy not having to spend more money on a new laptop. Also, unlike the tray tables on other airlines, they don’t slide out towards you. Thus I’m typing this with my laptop partially closed, and that’s annoying since I can’t see the screen as good as I’d like to (First World Problems much?). I like having a bit of room to work with, but alas you can’t get everything you want. If you did, that wouldn’t be any good because you’d get lazy and unproductive (I worked for all the Warhammer minis I’ve bought, and I’m proud of that). So I guess I’ll put up with a small work space until I get home, and then I’ll have lots of room to work with.

Ah, home. Home is good, because I get to see my Mom, my Dad, and my girlfriend (hugs will be had). I get to sleep in my own bed without the fear of rolling over in my sleep and falling to my arm-breakage. I’ll be able to eat at my favorite pizza place and finally get a chance to see The LEGO Movie, and I won’t have to worry about school work or papers that need to be done. Maybe I’ll get more of my Avatar story done (if you’re interested, go to Fanfiction.net and search for Kyoshi Rising by iowaforever. I personally think it’s pretty good, but I’ll let you decide for yourselves).

So, that’s been my travels so far. I walked across Minneapolis, survived on a diet of burgers and other airport food, dealt with poor tray tables and bad Wi-Fi, and didn’t get much in the way of tea (the only cup I’ve had today was some chamomile I had before leaving). But I am going home for break, and that’s what matters: peace and relaxation with those I love.

This is Robert R. Black saying *pulls out Styrofoam begging cup* CHAAANGE? YA GOT CHANGE?! AW COME ON YOU GUYS, JUST GIVE ME SOME CHANGE!

…

I’ll use it to send a letter to Delta concerning their tray tables.

I’ve begun to notice that there tends to be a slump during the last few days of finals or midterms. I should expect this, as we the students no longer have to suffer under the pressures of a lot of assignments and tests that need to be done by the end of the week (as far as I know, I don’t exactly have any finals tomorrow… guess I’ll just have to wait and see). And I also imagine that quite a few of us are getting ready to go home for spring break and meet up with our other friends and family. As I have said numerous times before, breaks are a good thing; they allow us opportunities to unwind and relax from the stresses of Wabash, especially the stresses of finals and midterms.

I will admit, I have been a bit stressed lately. I did not get into the play I talked about in my last blog post, and the general stress of tests and assignments has worn me down a bit. I’m surviving primarily on tea, snack food, Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfiction and sheer willpower right now. I would like nothing better than to get some sleep, but since I have the upper level of a bunk bed that’s not really the best option right now. I need some time to unwind and relax, and going home for a week will do just that, and then I can come back to Wabash refreshed and ready to finish off the school year.

I think maybe a nice slice of pizza and some tea would be really good right now… I can get the tea, but I’ll have to wait until Saturday or possibly Monday before I can get pizza… maybe, I might be overthinking things again, as I am wont to do.

Anyway, breaks are still awesome, although I am feeling a bit burned out. I’ll stay in touch with you guys over break.