Finally Back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhPUsgJyYeI

I was finally able to get back work on this again after getting through a rough couple of weeks there at the end of the semester. I will probably make a post talking about this last semester but probly not for a few days still.

Part 20

OK next part is up, most likely will be the next part for a little while as it is just baout the end of the semester so I will not have time to really do any more work on this project till winter break. However should I make any progress I will post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-hFztILQ_Y

Another Two Parts

Another two parts are up and live, covering some more puttying, base coating, and some masking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=offlcobpc7g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyMXH7fbnPg

Next Two Parts

OK got the next two parts up, with me starting on priming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1BOzZeQIhk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA8OjZ7A8XY

Stolen

Since everyone else I know was doing it...

Will you ever run away and get married at Las Vegas with no notification?
No, maby for a renewal but definatly not for the first time through.

Is there someone you're disappointed in?
Disappointed, hurt, and betrayed to be precise

Do you think you'll be one of those people that will get a divorce in the future?
I hope not since I know I will probly only get one shot at happyness

What school would you rather attend?
Caltech

Would you ever pierce your ear cartilage?
No

Would you rather wear nice uncomfortable clothes or baggy sweats and t shirts?
Depends on the people and the situation

Do you have a virus on your computer?
None that I know of

How often do you take surveys?
More often than I probly should be

Do you need to say something to someone?
Yes

Does sex mean love?
No, at best it mean procreation, at worse nothing

Are you nervous about anything? If so, what?


Wouldn't you agree that 'I love you' is becoming more worthless?
Yes, outside of family members and someone you really care about the phrase "I love you" has no place and should not be used so freely as it is currently tossed about.

Do you know anyone named Hannah?
Yes

Would you like the ability to read minds?
No, I would rather have mind taking powers.

When was the last time you saw someone attractive?
Yesterday

Do you go by your first or middle name?
First

Have you kicked anybody today?
Nope

Have you ever intentionally made someone jealous?
No

Have you told anybody you loved them today?
No

How was last night?
Bad

Would you ever consider adopting?
No

Have you ever found someone you really really really liked?
Yes

How do you feel about girls smoking?
Smoking period is bad

Honestly, are things going the way you planned?
Yes/No

Have you ever found it hard to get over someone?


Will you be single over winter?
I hope not

Do you get annoyed when you see someone you don't like?
Annoyed only if it is somewhere where I had gones so as to avoid

Do you think you are an argumentative person?
Not sure

When was the last time you were out of state for more than a day?
Over the summer when I went to Florida

What were you up to at 9pm last night?
Watching TV and uploading a video to youtube

Why did you cry the last time you did?
Do not recall

Who's in the room with you?
No one

Are you scared to fall in love?
Not scared of falling in love, more of scared of being rejected by that person

Are you texting anyone?
Nope

Where was your default picture taken?
MCAS Miramar

What is your favorite color(s)?
Green

Are you emotionally strong?
I am the rock apon which a strong foundation is built

Are you close to your father?
I was

Do you check your texts right away when you receive them?
Unless I am in a situation where I can't

Do you believe in love?
Yes

Have you kissed the last person you texted?
Never been kissed

Has a girl/guy called you baby doll?
Nope

Do you wear your seatbelt?
Yes, only a idiot would not

Are you planning on dressing up for Halloween this year?
Nope

Are you open about your feelings, or closed?
Closed, though there are time when I should be more open

Is your heart broken right now?
In pain

What are you most looking forward to?
Getting through this semester

Are you a heavy sleeper?
I will probably end up sleeping through the rapture

Have you ever walked on the beach at night?
No

When is the next time you'll hug someone?
Probably when I say good night to my mom tonight

Who was the last person you spoke on the phone for over an hour?
I do not recall

Do you think your next kiss will be a mistake?
No, seeing as it will be my first and since I have gone 23 years without any kind of romance I am more than confident that it will be anything but a mistake.

Can you sleep without blankets covering you?
I can't sleep at all if it is hot, so yes very easily

Have you ever dated someone over a year?
No

Have you had sex with more than 5 people this month?
No

Do you wear gold or silver?
No, unless you count my glasses which are silver colored

How many tattoos would you get?
Most likely not

Part 15

Next part is up, in this one I cover cleaning parts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTr7Pum0Lzs

Basic Model Build Walkthrough Part 2

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=draBLHuPBxM
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwoo0A9tfDY
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BqSDYjym7U
Part 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nflJK1EofDg
Part 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GizJOzSaQ08
Part 9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an-uFEJyCk8
Part 10: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l_ZmRfO5kw
Part 11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bttaQnOjAw
Part 12: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz7F2ssE5FM
Part 13: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9W0P1mjwyE
Part 14: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRJ_epv3qXI

Don't know when I will get the next set ofvideos done as I will not have time most likely tomarrow or the rest of the week to work on this. I also do will not be able to work on this next weekend due to personal reasons.

Basic Model Build Walkthrough

So finaly getting into the core sections of my model building tutorial videos. I will upload some more tomarrow as I still have a decent number of videos to upload. Direct links are as follows:

01) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPzyQr9PPQ8
02) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghUowg_h_Sg
03) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1W1VxzE3X0

Part 4

Don't know when I will do part 5, which will be the start of the main set of tutorials, as my school schedual is looking pretty hectic for a while. Though if I do get a chance to update I will.

Part 3 is Live

For those reading this on my Facebook acoutn here are the direct links for this and the previous videos:

Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeEk5OfmCW0
Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPLpn16BQhk
Part III: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbGIsVJXcTo

Don't think I will be able to do part 4 next week as I am taking the GRE and going down to Miramar next weekend. So that being said expect part 4 in two weeks

Part 2 is up

In this one I talk about putty, drilling, and decal solutions. In the next video I plan to talk about paints, (the different types and their pros and cons), and talk about masking. After that video I will do a shocase on various places on-line where people can buy tools and kits, and places where people can seek help or colaboration with their fellow modelers. This will hopefully only take up one video, though I am thinking I might have to spread it to two. Once those video are done I will start doing the actual build tutorials. Fair warning though it will be a while before I actualy do these videos, as I do not forsee me having sufficent time to devote to doing them in the near future. This is becuase I am a full time student, and between comuting to classes, actualy class time, and working on homework and projects I will not have alot of time for model building. Additionaly I am currently planing on using what time I will probly get for model building to clear out my work bench of open projects, so as to start fresh and be able to focus all of my modelign energies on doing these tutorials.

Gone and done it

Well I went and did it, I started a Youtube series on model building. I hope to have the second video up tonight or early tomorrow.

End of Summer

So ends what may potentially be my last summer of freedom. I guess I get like this at the end of every summer right before I go back, wondering where all the time went and wishing I had allot more. I enjoyed going to Disneyworld, loved AX and Comic con, was not able to get all but the love seat in the bonus room clean (a task that WILL be accomplished next summer regardless of what it takes to get it done), and I was able to get some model work done. Unfortunately this time it is not like the previous years, there is the possibility of there being no more summer vacations, no more time off, the dark possibility of having to enter the real world hangs over my head. Now I do plan to apply for grad school, specifically Caltech, Georgia Tech, MIT, SDSU, Stanford, and UCSD, I do have to face the possibility that I might not get into any of these schools and will have to go through the process of getting a real job, something I am dreading given the current job market. Though I am hopeful that I will get in, though I still need to take the GRE, something I need to find out what hours they offer it at my school's testing center. Fortunately this will be the last semester that I am going to need to be taking 18 units, as after 6 years of college I have taken just about all the classes that I need to and will only have a few left after this semester. So my classes for this semester are as follows:

AE 403: Aerospace Senior Project
One of the classes that I am damn near panicky about as I have no idea what I am going to do it on.

AE 410: Aerospace Structural Dynamics
Class that I am concerned about since we got butt fucked by the prof we had for the class that precedes this one.

AE 430: Aircraft Propulsion System
Class that I am looking forward to since it will be with a prof that I like.

AE 440: Stability and Control I
Not sure what to think about this class yet check back with me on this later

AE 460A: Aerospace Engineering Applications
The other class this semester that I am concerned about, though this one I have and idea of what I want to do, but since it is a group project there is no guarantee that anyone will listen to me. That and the fact that it is a year long course split in a A and B parts.

PHIL 351: Chinese Philosophy
Last upper division GE that I need to take, fits my schedule, and fulfills the cultural diversity requirement that my school requires.

So this looks like its going to be a interesting and worthwhile semester to say the least, assuming of course that I survive it. After this semester is over I believe that I only have 8 units of required course work left, which is a nice way to close out senior year. Any way I am expecting that school is going to be hell this semester, mainly due to the amount of stuff I am going to be working on, but I believe that the pay off will be worth it.

Moving onto a different subject I have lately been contemplating what to do with this blog. As it stands I don't do very much here, other than personal updates and the occasion random crap I find on Facebook. So one of the things that I am considering doing is to tie in a big hobby of mine, model building. Specifically I am considering doing reviews of the kits that I build, their pros and cons, things to look out for, etc. Probably will be a fair while before I do make any type of post in relation to this as school it going to be taking up the majority of my time for the foreseeable future and I am right now running into a space issue but see what happens. Another thing, along the same lines, is making a series of youtube tutorial and build videos. One of the nice things with youtube's limits on the length of videos is that it does force you to some degree to keep things precise and down to the points, which I like. Additionally, at least for the first video or two, there is not going to be any building so I am not dependant on sunlight for painting, and it does not take up allot of time. So ya that is something that I am kind of looking forward to doing as a little pet project this semester. So any way it's getting late and I need to be getting up in the morning, fortunately not at 0500 like last semester, so I believe I have said everything that I wanted to say, or have time right now to say, so until next time.

100 Truths

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 100 Truths about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, copy and paste this note, erase my answers and enter your own, tag people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)



WHAT WAS YOUR:
1. last beverage = Frappuccino
2. last phone call = My Mom
3. last text message = Either my mother or my sister
4. last song you listened to = Iron Maiden - Aces High
5. last time you cried = Can't Remember

HAVE YOU EVER:
6. dated someone twice = No
7. been cheated on = No
8. kissed someone & regretted it = No
10. been depressed = Really down yes, but not clinically
11. been drunk and threw up = Never gotten to the point of being buzzed

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:
12. Green
13. Red
14. White

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU: (2009)
15. Made a new friend = Yes
16. Been out of the state = Yes
17. Laughed until you cried = Yes
18. Met someone who changed you = Yes
19. Found out who your true friends were = Starting to think so
20. Found out someone was talking about you = Nope
21. Kissed anyone on your FB friend's list = Nope

GENERAL:
22. How many people on your FB friends list do you know in real life: Just about all of them I think
24. Do you have any pets = Yes, two cats
25. Do you want to change your name? = No, I like my name
26. What did you do for your last birthday = Do not recall
27. What time did you wake up today = 0715
28. What were you doing at midnight last night = Watching the Tonight Show
30. Last time you saw your Mother = About a hour ago
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life = Wish I was not single
32. What are you listening to right now = Opening to the movie Thirteen Days
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom? = Yes
34. What's getting on your nerves right now = Friend drama
35. Most visited webpage = Toss up between Facebook and DA
36. Where do you want to be right now? = Right where I am
37. Nicknames = None that I like
38. Status = Single
39. Zodiac sign = Aries
40. Male or female? = Male
41. Elementary? = Lake Elementary and Casita Elementary
42. Middle School = Guajome Park Acadime
44. Hair colour = Brown
45. Long or short = Long
46. Height = 6'1"
47. What are you doing right now? = This, listening to youtube vids
48: What do you like about yourself? = My height
49. Piercings = None
50. Tattoos = None
51. Righty or lefty = Mainly a righty but I can do both

FIRSTS :
52. First surgery = Having tear ducts open as a infant
53. First piercing = N/A
54. First best friend = Adora...
55. First kiss = Yet to have it. :(
56. First vacation = Probably Disney World back in the 80s
58. First crush = A girl named Whitney in 6th grade
60. Drinking = Some drink mixed p by Sharon, dont recall what was in it other than some fruit juices

61. I'm about to = Check some other stuff on the Internet
62. Listening to = See 32
63. Waiting for = Some glue to cure up on a model

YOUR FUTURE :
64. Want kids? = Yes
65. Get Married? = Yes
66. Career? = Yes

WHICH IS BETTER
67. Lips or eyes = Eyes
68. Hugs or kisses = Either
69. Shorter or taller = Taller, but not taller than me
70. Older or Younger = Younger
71. Romantic or spontaneous = Both
72. Nice stomach or nice arms? = Either
73. Sensitive or loud = Both, dependant on the situation
74. Hook-up or relationship = Relationship
75. Trouble maker or hesitant = Hesitant

HAVE YOU EVER :
76. Kissed a stranger = No
77. Drank hard liquor = Yes
78. Lost glasses/contacts = Does breaking count?
80. Broken someone's heart = No
81. Had your own heart broken = No
82. Been arrested = No
83. Tripped up stairs = Yes
84. Cried when someone died = Yes
85. Fallen for a friend = A little


DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
86. Yourself = Sometimes
87. Miracles = Yes
88. Love at first sight = Yes/No
89. Heaven = Yes
90. Santa Claus = No
91. Kiss on the first date = If things go right
92. Angels = Yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
95. Did you sing today? = No
96. Ever cheated on somebody? = No
97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go, and why? = No, YOU DO NOT MESS WITH THE SPACETIME CONTINUUM
98. If you could pick a day from last year and re live it, what would it be? = I do not know
99. Are you afraid of falling in love with somebody else? = Ya, love is messy at best, though definatly worth it
100. Posting this as 100 truths? = Yes

I've seen 103 out of 241 films

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own Facebook account, paste this as a note (minus anything I've added in brackets). Then, put x 's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun.

() Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
() Boondock Saints
(X) Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(X) Blazing Saddles
(X) Airplane
Total:8

(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
() Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II
() White Noise
() White Oleander
() Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 13

()Scream
()Scream 2
()Scream 3
()Scary Movie
()Scary Movie 2
()Scary Movie 3
()Scary Movie 4
(x)American Pie
(x)American Pie 2
(x)American Wedding
()American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 16

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Harry Potter 5
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
() The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
() The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 21

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
() The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre [the original!]
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 26

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
() Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
(x) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
() King Kong
Total so far: 32

() A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
() Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
() Halloween
() The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X -MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 34

(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
(x) Hellboy
() Secret Window
() I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 38

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
() Sixteen Candles
() Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
() The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 40

() Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
() Ocean's Eleven
() Ocean's Twelve
() Bourne Identity
() Bourne Supremacy
() Lone Star
() Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
(x) Predator II
() The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 45

(x) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
() Christine
(x) ET
() Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 50

() Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
() Calendar Girls
() Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Enchanted
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 59

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
() Spider-Man
() Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 69

() Swimfan
() Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 70

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 76

() Baseketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
() Elf
(x) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
() Thor
Total so Far: 77

() The Jacket
(x) Kung Fu Hustle
(x) Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
Total so far: 83

() High Tension
() Club Dread
() Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 87

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
() The Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far: 90

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
(x) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
(x) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 98

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
(x) Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
() Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal
Total so far: 103

Now Add them up and...
Put "I've seen... out of 241 films" in the subject line and repost

Summer so far

Wow so it has been a long while since I last did a serious update here, I mainly blame laziness for that. I think this is mainly due to just simply being distracted by other things combined with not really feeling like writing anything. So by the time that I do get around to writing anything it turns into a long ass wall of text, much like my last serious post and this one. So I guess what it comes down to is that I just need to try and force myself to write here more, with the exception of during the semester, as school does kind of gets in the way. Any way a lot has happened since my last post, mainly the end of the semester, trip to Disney World and Anime Expo. I will talk about each in turn and my impressions of each.

So first up was the end of the semester, which was a lot like all my other end of semester time.

AE 302 High Speed Aerodynamics: Ended up with a B in this, my grade got hit by not doing so well on some of the home work assignments, but this was the most enjoyable class I had this semester.

AE 303 Experimental Aerodynamics: I went into this class with high hopes, as we would be getting to play with the wind tunnel and learn how to use it. However we got stuck with a prf. who had never taught this class and honestly did not know what he was doing, and could not convey the information. Hell the only reason I got a halfway decent grade in that course was because I was in almost frequent communication with the grader, who REALLY knew his shit. On the upside since I was one of the first people down to the lab each time I always got to use the software so I at least know how to work it pretty well.

AE 310 Aerospace Structures: WORST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD!!!!!!! Seriously, the guy was horrible, granted this was his first time teaching but that was no excuse for how he acted towards us. Got a B out of it, but I seriously believe that all of us are flat out screwed for AE 410 next semester as we did not learn anything in that class.

CIVE 301 Solid Mechanics: Another good class, had a great prf. learned a lot and walked out of there with an A.

ENGR 510 Methods of Analysis: This was the course that I knew that I was going to get butt fucked by, since I had to repeat the first course. Fortunately that did not happen, as I did alright on the second midterm and really lucked out on the final and got problems that I really new how to do.

RWS508W Scientific Writing: Another course that I was concerned about and even contemplated drop during the first few weeks of the semester due to the amount of writing that was required. I am glad that I stuck it out as it means one less course that I need to take care of in my final year. I took this course to fulfill my school’s graduate writing requirement as I did not score high enough on the written test to not take the course.

So with the exception of two prf. that I am glad that I will NEVER have to take a course with again my semester was pretty good, learned a lot and now just need to get through one more year and I will be done with undergrad studies.

After the semester ended I spent a lot of my time just hanging around the house working on my hobbies and pretty much distressing from the semester. I am glad that I had a lot of space between the end of school and the Disney World trip as both my mom and sister were both stressing to get all of their stuff finished and turned in before we left. Now for this trip we left out of Palomar airport, as the rout from there to LAX to Orlando was the cheapest. This was the first time that I had ever gone out of this airport, my mom and sister had gone out of there a couple of time before, so it was a much different experience than going out of San Diego. While the puddle jumper was a fun ride the ride to Orlando was not. The person in front of me was literally sitting in my lap the entire trip. I was about 5 mins from going bat shit crazy due to not being able to move my legs, when we finaly got to Orlando. So as the maximize our time in the parks we took a red eye flight and got into Orlando around 7 in the morning and got to our hotel, the Wilderness Lodge, around 8:30 and finally checked in some time after 9, however our room was not ready at that time so we went over to the Magic Kingdom. One nice thing about our hotel was that it had two ways to get to the Magic Kingdom, by boat or by bus, so it help ensure that you had quick access to at least one of the parks. So we spent most of our day there before returning to our hotel for an afternoon nap, which we really needed. Now the room we got had an unbelievable view, one which we did not pay for, that looked out right to the castle. So the nights that we came back to the room early we could just sit out on the balcony and watch the fireworks over the castle. Now I spent the majority of my time at Disney World over at EPCOT, as I just liked that park. I enjoyed the attractions, the shops, the shows, everything. I also spent some time over at Disney Quest on the days that were extremely hot or had bad weather. The place is fun, essentially a 5 floor arcade with every time of game and virtual experience under the sun. Now since I am starting to ramble a little a figure I should just move on and talk about the rides and attractions, since that is what most people go there for. Now I will not bother mentioning anything that is at Disneyland or California Adventure since it is pretty easy for you to go and do them yourself.

X – Terrible
XX – Ok
XXX – Good
XXXX – Great
XXXXX - Epic

Magic Kingdom

Enchanted Tiki Room (under new management)
Description: Interesting new take on the classic attraction by adding Zazu from the Lion King and Iago from Aladdin.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Nice place to cool off on a hot day, and usually the line goes pretty quick.

Country Bear Jamboree
Description: Same attraction as the one they used to have at Disneyland, so if you have seen that than you know what to expect
Rating: XX ½X
Notes: We saw this the first day that we were there so I was extremely tired as I had not really slept on the plane so I actually slept through this but have seen it in the past.

Hall of Presidents
Description:
Rating:
Notes: Was closed while we were there, as they were adding the new guy in office.

Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Description: Musical 3D adventure with Donald as he tries to recover Mickey’s Sorcerer’s hat.
Rating: XXXX
Notes: Get musical show, which includes some interesting elements and is just some classic Disney fun.

Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Description: People mover ride through tomorrow land
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: Same ride as the people mover which we once had, and hopefully they will add back. Great ride if you need to site down. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations while we were there.

Carousal of Progress
Description: Tour through the daily life of the American family has progressed through the last century.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Another ride that has almost no line and is nice and cool on a hot day.

Stitch’s Great Escape
Description: Attraction that was converted from the earlier Exterterrorestial attrachtion, which had a Alien ala Alien movies escape and attack the crowd. The new version features Stitch from Lilo and Stitch doing much the same thing, minus the scare the crap out of you part
Rating: XX ½X
Notes: Ride that you only really need to do once, maybe twice, though if you have kids probably more.

Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Description: Comedy club based on the end of the movie Monsters Inc.
Rating: XX
Notes: If you have done the Turtle Talk with Crush over at California Adventure than you have an idea about what happens

Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration
Description: Interactive musical show featuring Stitch that uses technology from Turtle Talk with crush
Rating: XX
Notes: Apparently this show closed right after we left, and according to the article linked off of Wiki it was due to having to line up in the summer heat with no shelter.

EPCOT

Spaceship Earth
Description: Tour through human history and how communication has helped to shape it
Rating: XXXX
Notes: The recent renovation that they did to this ride has in my opinion really hurt it. They added an interactive part to the ride that is all but not used save for at the very end of the ride. Also it seems like they really dumbed it down, as compared to the last time that I rode it. Additionally they have a new narrator, Judi Dench. Unfortunately she is by far the worst narrator for the ride that they have had. By far the best was Walter Cronkite followed by Jeremy Irons.

Mission: Space
Description: Centrifuge based ride that simulates launch and space flight on a trip to Mars.
Rating: XXXXX
Notes: BEST RIDE EVER!!!! The only way that they could make it better would be to do a simulated shuttle launch with the full 8 min ride to orbit. My biggest complaint is that they added a pussy ass Green team less intense version, ie not g load. This completely defeats the purpose of the ride and makes the standby line a lot longer than it needs to be. I’m sorry but if you can’t handle a ride like this they should not be screwing it up for the rest of us by making shutting down half the ride for these people.

Test Track
Description: High speed ride showcasing the test that cars go through before they reach the street.
Rating: XXXX ½X
Notes: OMG the line for this was never less than 90 mins and at one point was up around 120 min. For this ride get there early and get a fast pass

Journey into Imagination with Figment
Description: Ride that makes you use your senses and imagination
Rating: XX
Notes: Cute ride, but not a show stopper

Club Cool
Description: Store featuring Coke memorabilia and free samples of different products from around the world
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: Free liquid refreshment, can’t do better at Disney than that.

Grand Fiesta Tour Staring the Three Caballaeros
Description: boat tour through Mexico with the Three Caballaeros as they search for Donald
Rating: X
Notes: Fairly bland ride, only need to ride it if your in the area or have already done everyting else

Maelstrom
Description: Nordic themed ride that looks at the history of Norway in relation to their dependence on sailing
Rating: XX
Notes: Interesting ride, though the line can get long at times

Reflections of China
Description: a 360 degree tour through different parts of China
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: This show gives you a great view of the shear grandeur of the Chinese’s countryside

The American Adventure
Description: stage show showcasing the history of the United States
Rating: XXXX
Notes: If you don’t walk out of this with a great sense of pride and patriotism than your citizenship should be revoked

O Canada!
Description: circle vision tour around Canada
Rating: XXX
Notes: Not one that I was really interested in seeing but its worth a stop

Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure
Description:
Rating: XXX
Notes: Fun way to get around and see the different parts of the pavilions; though defiantly do it as a group as it’s not as much fun alone

Disney Hollywood Studios
(Small off topic note, on the bus ride over to this park they play music from different films, and for some odd reason they have music from Star Wars come on right after music from Star Trek)

The Great Movie Ride
Description: pay homage to several classic movie in this ride
Rating: XXX
Notes: Great classic ride, which they update the end every now and again to show off new movies

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith
Description: Insider roller coaster set to music from Aerosmith
Rating: XXXX ½X
Notes: One of the few intense rides at any Disney parks

Animal Kingdom
(The main problem with this park is that we here in San Diego have been spoiled for many years with both the Zoo and Wild Animal Park. As such you really don’t need to spend more than a day there as a lot of the stuff you can see at home.)

Festival of the Lion King
Description: Musical performance featuring songs and characters from the Lion King
Rating: XXXX
Notes: a worthwhile show to see, one of the few things that they have at this park

Kilimanjaro Safaris
Description: Tour through the African wilderness allowing for viewing of animals in their natural habitat
Rating: XX
Notes: Not as good as the tour at the Wild Animal Park

Conservation Station
Description: Disney’s center for promotion conservation efforts.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Only way out here is by a small train ride, fortunately it is out of the way so you can easily get on without much wait. In addition to promoting conservation they also have close up animal encounters.

Flights of Wonder
Description: Show featuring various birds such as hawks, vultures and even a Bald Eagle
Rating: XXXX
Notes: Great show, really wish I had brought my DSLR with me

Kali River Rapids
Description: Ride down a Indian white water river
Rating: XX
Notes: No where near worth the wait for the ride

Expedition Everest
Description: runaway train ride down the largest mountain in the world
Rating: X
Notes: OK there has been a lot of hype about this ride so I was really looking forward to it. It almost immediately disappointed me. It is not very long, has a backwards section, something I HATE on roller coasters, even worse at one point of the backwards you feel like you are going to go inverted, and while they say there is a Yeti in the ride, we did nto see one.

Finding Nemo the Musical
Description: Musical jurney through the story of Finding Nemo
Rating: XXX ½X
Notes: Get there early as you may not get a seat

Downtown Disney

Disney Quest
Description: 5 floors of video games and simulators
Rating: XXX
Notes: Great place to spend time when the temp is unbearable or when there are thunder storms

Water Parks

Typhoon Lagoon
Description: Set about the aftermath of a sudden typhoon having hit the area, it feature appropriately themed slides and attractions
Rating: XXX
Notes: Has a little bit of everything for everyone

Blizzard Beach
Description: After a freak snow storm a ski resort was set up and still operates despite the rising temperatures turning all of the slopes into rushing slide.
Rating: XXX
Notes: Has a lot more slides and rides than Typhoon Lagoon and is more geared for those in the young adult age range. Also fair warning, if you do ride summit plummet be prepared to have to surgically remove your suit from your ass.

So that about does it for Disney World, after we finished up here we went up to Jacksonville to visit my relatives there before heading home. We did have lunch at a Sonic, and it was not half bad, especially their happy hour, half price drinks after 2.

The next major event for me this summer was Anime Expo. Unfortunately I could not get a hotel near the convention center for a price I was willing to pay so I stayed about 10 mins away at a comfort inn, but more on that later. On day one I parked near the entrance to the exhibit hall, as that was the nearest entrance to where I had gotten off of the freeway. Now for some reason they decided this year that they would repeat the mistake from 07’ where they had both the preregistered and onsite register in a single line, which took a while to get through. Fortunately it only took about an hour to get my badge, as compared to 3 hours in 07’. For the next couple of hours I mainly spent my time running around snapping shots of cosplayers, before getting in line for the exhibit hall. Once inside a lot of the big exhibitors, most notable Bandai, were not there, or were drastically smaller than previous showings. Anyway I spent most of my time in the exhibit hall or running around the halls snapping cosplay shots. Did run into Vi and her friend Karen, though I wish I had gotten to the cosplay shot they were at sooner as I’m guessing that there were some great photo ops that I missed. So once evening fell I headed over to the Gundam model panel that I go to every year. However this year the guy who does it also added on a workshop and managed to get one of the dealers to donate kits. So that was fun, worked on a kit with a couple of n00bs, and actually got a pretty efficient assembly line going, and managed to be just about the only group to finish a kit that night. (Apparently though a lot of group basically grabbed and ran and did not come back for any of the other workshops) Further more after looking at the AXbackstage video that they shot, which I did not know that they were doing at the time as I was focusing on what I was doing, I am actually in a few of the shots. After the workshop I headed over to my hotel. Now when I had booked the hotel I only saw the one front shot of the hotel and a road map of where it was. My immediate first impression on seeing the area that it was in was not the best; the area was run down and defiantly not a neighborhood that I would normally go into. What made things worse was that the hotel was doing renovations, so the entire front was blocked off and a decent chunk of the underground parking area. While I did not have to park on the street any of the nights I stayed there it was really disconcerting. The one really nice thing about this hotel was the breakfast. It was filling and the best part was that it was complimentary. What was also nice about the hotel was the free internet, great for checking on prices of stuff you find in the exhibit hall that you never thought of. So for day two I spent doing a lot of the same things as day one, went to the Gundam 30th panel which was fun. Ran into Vi again, though this time with her entire group of companions. Got some great shots there, spend that night doing much the same thing as the first. Day three saw much the same as day 1 and 2. Though I spent a lot more time with Vi and her group before breaking off from them when we went to the masquerade. The masquerade was A LOT better this year than it was last year, even though we got screwed out of the Nokia theater next door because of MJ’s funeral. The major problem that they had this year was the audio, specifically it not really working or otherwise screwing up. This really made me sad as one of the funniest groups that perform at cons every year got screwed as the audio messed up so they were unable to do their performance. Though as a testament to their professionalism they basically did their performance, up until the audio crapped out, twice. Day 4 I spent most of my time running around the exhibit hall doing last minute shopping and otherwise tiring to see if there was anything else there. Did meet up with Vi and her group again, making it 4 for 4 woot me, and spent the last bit of the con with them. After they left to head home I went to the Gundam 00 panel which was fun. Overall this year’s AX was different and interesting. Next year I am defiantly planning on booking my hotel VERY early so as to get one close to the convention center and ideally book with one of the convention hotels so as to get a free main event ticket. It was also nice to see Vi again as it had been a year since I last saw her. It was also nice to more formally meet her group of friends as I had only really met them in passing before. With regards to the photos that I took, which numbered just shy of 2200, I plan to put them up on my Deviant Art page, but do not plan to even start doing them until after comic con as I am now encountering a major problem with my computer and that is hard drive space, specifically the lack there off.

So since AX I really have not done much of anything, mainly spent my time relaxing and looking forward to Comic Con next week. After looking at the recently released schedule I am very excited since there are a lot of panels that I want to go to this year. As such I am literally going to be running all over the place either: shooting, shopping or going to panels. Hopefully I will find time to eat somewhere in there but no guaranties. For now that just about does it, there was a few other things I had thought about adding on to this post but I think that they will be better saved for their own individual posts. I will defiantly post again with a report of this years Comic con, so till then.

Movie Quotes

1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search or other search functions.

1) Good morning, gentlemen, the temperature is 110 degrees.
2) If I have to, I will blast your aero-elastic ass right out of the sky.
3) On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy.
4) They're killing us and we don't have a fuckin' chance and that's not fair.
5) I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.
6) May I take your hat, your coat, and your swastikas?
7) Well, boys, I reckon this is it - nuclear combat toe to toe with the Roosskies.
8) Nobody does this to the United States. The President will get his baseball glove back and play catch with this guy's balls!
9) Hey, Ryan, be careful what you shoot at. Most things in here don't react too well to bullets.
10) Mr. President, we are now at a de facto state of war with the Russians.
11) They sacrifice themselves like Samurai, these Americans.
12) I don't mean to be the materialistic weasel of this group, but do you think we'll get hazard pay out of this?
13) The 'big Red dog' is diggin' in our backyard, and we are justified in shooting him!
14) Galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young, Doctor
15) Hey everybody, we're all gonna get laid.

Spring Break Update

So it’s been a long time since I sat down and wrote a serious blog entry, mainly haven’t done it because of a lack of time and out right laziness. So I figure since I’m on spring break I finally have some time to do a decent post. Any let’s star with a brief recap of the end of last semester.

AE 301: Ended up getting a C in this, which I am extremely thankful for as the prf. gave us the final from hell. Seriously the thing was almost not like any of the previous tests, and was from so far left field that I think the only reason a lot of people passed was because the curve was really low. On a related note I am REALLY glad I took AE 320 last year as the same prf. that teaches AE 301 teach AE 320 and apparently our class is the smart class and is giving us harder exams. But what made this one even harder was the fact that I had missed the review class as I was having some medical problems. So more or less going in to that final blind kind of sucked.

EM 340+341: got As in both, don’t have much else to say.

PHYS 197: managed to pull out a C from the final, which was a little easier then I thought it was going to be. This is most likely due to some heavy last minute studying on my part.

EE 204: got a C-, which doesn’t really surprise me since I needed to basically ace the final to get out with a C. So for now the plan is to retake it my last semester as that’s when I have the most time open in my schedule to take it. Worst case I don’t as it’s not that horrible of a grade and it’s not required for anything.

EM 351: Aced the class and am very happy with myself.

So now on to Christmas break, which turned out to be extremely uneventful. You would think, since it is during these long breaks that we can get almost all of or even the entire group together to hang out and do stuff, as such it strikes me as odd that we don’t do anything. Granted I know that most in the group are occupied with work, especially with how the economy is right now, but still it is the holidays and people should still at least try and get together a little more often. What is even worse in my mind is that when we did get together for new years, we didn’t do anything. I’m sorry but when there is a big group of people gathered, we really should not be playing a single player game and rotating. What we should be doing is playing a game that as many people as possible can play, and work out some sort of rotation method. To top that night off, when midnight rolled around we didn’t even so much as stop and make even the slightest bit of celebration for the New Year. Sitting around doing nothing is something I could have done at home. I hate to sound whiny and complain but this is something that only comes around once a year, we should at least put forward some kind of effort to do something. Hell the year before I though was great, we had a genuine party to celebrate the New Year and it was a wonderful night. If we had even done 1/8th of what we did that night I would have been happy, but no we did absolutely nothing.

About the only other thing that I did over break was power watch the first 4 seasons of Babylon 5. I got the box sets for Christmas as Costco finally had gotten them back in and had a really good price on them. It had been several years since I had last watched the series when it was on the sci-fi channel and had forgotten what a great series it was. I honestly feel that there has not been a good sci-fi series that has matched it in terms of the size and scope, with the exception of the Battlestar remake which ended very well and I will probably talk about later. So I thought it was great to recapture a bit of my youth in re-watching the majority of the series.

So now on to how this current semester is going

AE 302 High Speed Aerodynamics: This has turned out to be a really great class, I have a Prf. I like and who know the material and conveys it really well. My only complaint is that for some reason I keep drifting off towards the middle of his lectures. Don’t ask me why but I just can’t seem to keep from getting a little nap during his class.

AE 303 Experimental Aerodynamics: From what I can gather, the class is less then half a step from mutiny. The prf. Is honestly that bad, and it would not be the first time that he has been removed from teaching a course. In fact he is so bad that I don’t bother asking him questions, I just go straight to the grader with them as he both knows what the hell the material is about, but also know how it should be presented since he is the one who actually reads our labs and has the major say in what score we get on them.

AE 310 Aerospace Structures: This class is one that I honestly feel like we have done nothing. This is made more evident by the fact that we will only just be finishing the second chapter of the book, which is really crappy and has even been admitted by the Prf. to be so, when we get back from break. To make matters worse the Prf. keep assigning these really long derivations which absolutely suck, and take forever to do.

CIVE 301 Mechanics of Materials: Looking at this to be an easy A course, especially since I got over 100% on the first midterm.

RWS 508W Scientific Writing: Another easy, but time consuming course. Right now my only major concern is the final paper, which we have not really covered as of yet. We are supposed to be taking about it when we get back from break, and it will be the only thing we will be working on after break. So at this point the class could go either way.

So that brings us up to now more or less to now. My sister did get her wisdom teeth out over her break, made the first few days of it really enjoyable for her. Other than that I have thus far been enjoying my break and I am mainly trying to just rest up and be ready to power through the last 5-6 weeks left of school before the end of the semester, which brings up another topic that I have been thinking about a lot lately. This will be the end of my 5th year of school, with next year being the last year of my undergraduate studies. One more year until I pass another major milestone in life and get my degree. To be honest I am a little scared, I have been in school for so long it will feel odd to no longer be going. Granted, I fully intend to apply and try to get into grad school right after; as I think it will be the best time to go, since all the stuff will still be fresh and because I really don’t want to enter the work place just yet. Still it’s a little scary to be facing a major milestone like this, I guess I felt a little like this when I got to senior year in high school, but that was more of fear of not getting into college, this is fear of getting out of college. Still it just feels like the last few years have sort of flew past in the blink of an eye. Any way right now I plan to apply to Caltech, MIT, Georgia Tech, SDSU, UCSD, and Stanford for grad school. My two top picks are Stanford and Caltech, Caltech as the Jet Propulsion Lab, JPL, is right next door and from what I hear form a friend who got a summer internship there they give Caltech students first pick for internships, and Stanford as they have a research project there that sounds really interesting and is something that looks like it would relate a lot with what I want to do when I get out of school.

So while I’m on the subject of looking to the future summer is now just around the corner so I figure I should talk a little about summer plans. So the first thing up this summer is that my family is going to Disney world, continuing what seems like a little family tradition of going every 4 years. After that Anime Expo is almost immediately after it, which I will be staying up in LA again for as I had a blast at. Also should you be staying in LA I have to defiantly recommend the O Hotel, the hotel I stayed at last year and will be staying at again this year. After that I have a break and then Comic Con, which I hope will continue its record of being a blast to go to. Once Comic Con is over I plan to spend the rest of break doing more or less nothing in prep for the hell that is going to be senior year.

So I guess that is about everything that I need to say for now, I will try to be a little more active in posting on this blog, but no guaranties with school still being on. Most likely expect a post after finals summarizing how the rest of the semester goes.

Bucket List

Place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not, then send it to your friends (including me).

Things you have done during your lifetime:
( ) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
( ) Watched a baby being born
(X) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
(X) Been to Hawaii
(X) Visited another continent
(X) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
(X) Been lost
( ) Gone to Washington, DC
( ) Been inside the White House
( ) Met a President of the U.S.
(X) Seen a play on Broadway
( ) Skinny dipped
( ) Hiked the Grand Canyon
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't do
( ) Made prank phone calls
( ) Toilet papered someone you knew
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
( ) Shopped on Rodeo Drive
( ) Gambled in a casino
( ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
( ) Gave a yard job
( ) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
( ) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Slept out under the stars
(X) Blown bubbles
( ) Kissed a celebrity
( ) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
( ) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
( ) Lived in more than one country
( ) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(X) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser in person
( ) climbed the Statue of Liberty
(X) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle.
(X) Been on a cruise
(X) Traveled by train
( ) Traveled by motorcycle
( ) Visited Mt. Rushmore
(X) Been horse back riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
(X) Been to Disneyland/Disney World
( ) Truly believe in the power of prayer
(X) Been in a rain forest
(X) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
( ) Ridden on an elephant
(X) Swam with dolphins
(X) Slept in a hammock
(X) climbed a volcano
( ) eaten something not food
(X) Been on TV
( ) Stole traffic signs (but my sister has)
(X) Been in a car accident
( ) Driven a stick shift
( ) Flown in a non-commercial airplane
( ) Ran a mini-marathon
( ) Ran a marathon
( ) Whitewater rafted
( ) Ridden on a Camel
( ) Attended the Olympics
( ) Attended the Masters
( ) Attended Wimbledon
( ) Been water-skiing
( ) Been snow-skiing
(X) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Been to St. Peter’s Square
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
( ) Been to the Great Pyramid in Egypt
( ) Attended a NBA game
(X) Attended a Major League Baseball game
(X) Attended a NFL game
(X) Attended a NHL Game
( ) Attended the NCAA Final Four
( ) Kiss the Blarney Stone
(X) Seen the Crown Jewels