Drill and video games

School has been going well this past week. I decided to try and use my laptop for taking notes in class, even though it has a very short battery life and I have to be plugged in wherever I go. It works pretty well, so I'll keep using it for now. Tuesday was a lot of fun; our CompSci TA Assad decided at the beginning of class that it was way too nice outside, and that the last 30 minutes of class we'd go out and throw a frisbee around the lawns. I knew I liked Assad as a TA.

Saturday and Sunday I was busy with the Army. It was drill weekend, and my unit headed down to Ft. Carson for simulated weapons training on the EST 2000 systems. Essentially it's one of those arcade game with the gun on a hose; but the rifles are real M-16's gutted and fitted with pneumatics and sensors, and the video screen is an entire wall thanks to a projector system. We trained on conventional qualification ranges Saturday, and Sunday we trained on a specially designed convoy simulator with plywood Humvees and computer monitors everywhere. I had the distinction of being the Truck Commander on the lead vehicle, and our vehicle was blown up before any of the others. To be fair, the operators were being pretty brutal that run, and destroyed the entire convoy before the end. At least I got med-evaced. This was my first overnight weekend with the unit, and I learned a lot, both about weapons training and about the working atmosphere of my unit.

This week I have my second Physics and Calculus midterms. Wish me luck! I'll need it.