Third-Year, 2nd Semester

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Once again I have had a huge gap between the last time I posted anything on to today. In all honesty I had neither the time (usually the main reason) nor the inspiration to write. guess I'll start from where I left off.

School: (insert photo of Stauffer)

School right now is going quite well. My French is getting a little better. The semester has been fun and I enjoy the small class sizes. Everyone in 3rd year civ-eng get along great and we always support each other. Our group is tightly knit. I have done well on most of my assignments and I am finished the six exams I had during the two weeks I had for exams. This semester's courses include the following: Highway Design, Geomatics, Structural Theory, Steel & Timber Design, Fluid Dynamics, and Civil Engineering Analysis. I studied like crazy for these exams and I had one day in between each of them to cram. Stauffer Library on the Queen's University campus is open 24/7 and you would've found me there pouring over my texts and doing assignment after assignment (along with the other 1000 students in that library at any given time). I spent around 14 hours a day living in that library during my exam period. I don't mind all that work since it has a positive reflection on my grades. I really hope to achieve an even better average then last semester. I hope to keep my average high enough so that I'll be eligable to take a masters degree in the future.

Currently I am doing a two week survey camp where I become knowledgeable with Differential GPS (DGPS), total station, and leveling systems. In conjunction with this and some data management/analysis software I am able to create accurate maps (down to the millimeter/0.04 inches) of an area. I will be using my newly developed skills towards our class' Newfoundland project in Terra Nova National Park (See below).

Recreation:

Talent show
When we were drinking in Vermont (see below), Sam brought up the idea of putting on a skit for the RMC Talent show that takes place once a year. I have no idea how they convinced me to go along with that crazy plan, but I'm glad I did. Up to this day I can't believe I went up on stage half-naked to dance. The crowds loved it. You find a video of it here but the quality and sound is quite poor since it was made with a small camera. I laugh every time I look at it. If I find a better video, I'll post it.

Rug-ball
Between exams the civ-eng crowd and a few others got together to play rug-ball. Basically you have to get the rugby ball into one of the recycling bins placed at opposite ends of the field. Thats all the rules there are, so basically anything goes. We totally tore up that field tackling each other. Fun times.

Beer-a-thon
Our end of exams called for a night of fun and relaxation. But why do a pub crawl when you can do a pub run? Only at RMC would you get twenty people to dress up as runners, have them run (and I mean run!) to as many bars, pubs, and clubs, and drink a pint of beer before moving on to the next. Fun times. Not-so-fun morning.




Costume party
In order to celebrate the birthday of one civ eng classmate, we decided to dress up as super heroes and go for a night on the town. People laughed, stared, and took pictures with our group of crazy looking superheroes going down the street. Man, that was probably one of the best time I had drinking.


Travel:

(add photo of Nicaragua)
Nicaragua
The reading week (spring break) this semester was probably one of the most memorable times of the year for me. To make long stories short my brother and I heard that our grandmother was feeling ill and we planed a trip to Nicaragua, the birthplace of everyone in our family (except for Charlie and I). The trip down was an amazing experience that requires a post of its own. I'll add it later since it requires a lot of writing and detail. That trip is definitely on the top of my list of traveling experiences.

Snowboarding in Vermont (pic of group +pic of falling)
One day in fluid dynamics we were sitting in class lost and confused, so our attention drifted to our plans for the upcoming long weekend(which weekend?). We decided to head to Jay Peak in Vermont for a few days. Our civ eng class organized the flats that we would be staying in and the snowboard/ski rentals with the officials at the mountain. That Friday night we were off in groups of four across the border for an awesome weekedn. The houses we stayed in we WAY better then we expected and the ski lodge was great. A lot of great people and a lot of fun. I snowboarded for the entire weekend. Talk about a great break from the pressures of school and the military (though pressure isn't necessarily a bad thing). A lot of fun was had and once again a great experience.

(add photo of falls)
Brampton/Toronto/Niagara Falls/Napanee
Easter this year was an interesting experience. This time I went to my friends home in Brampton, Ontario where I was warmly greeted by his family. Our group stayed there for about three days. We ended up taking day trips to Downtown Toronto, Niagara Falls, and a small village called Niagara-on-the-lake. I would have to say that Niagara Falls was the best of the three. It's become a tourist trap as the area by the water was still packed in the winter. Fortunatley for us we meet another group of RMC students who showed us where to find some free parking and a good view. The falls themselves were amazing as the ice and low temperatures created a low-lying mist over the area.We headed over later to Niagara-on-the-lake. It was a nice little town and it had some neat old forts from the 1800's. Once we had to head back to Kingston, we stopped by Napanee where one of my friends had a house. Her house had a nice hot tub behind it. It was a neat experience sweating in really hot water while you are outside in a valley of snow and ice. Once we had our fill we headed back to Kingston where we once again continued school.


The Future:

Newfoundland
In one week I'll be heading to Terra Nova National Park in Newfoundland. I'll be part of a team of civil engineers that will be mapping out a trail for the park for Parks Canada. It's nice to actually transform all my theory and practice into an actual project for a legitimate company. I am so pumped to go. This trip will be taking place in two weeks for a duration of six days.

Training
This summer I'll be heading to Gagetown, New Brunswick once again for my construction engineering officer's course. It's 12 weeks long and I'm really looking forward to it. I don't really know (or I can't really you) more then that.

(photo of bookshelf)