Update first year of culinary school and future plans.

They finally let me in July of 2012 after five years, eleven months and seventeen days of military service.  The ending was anti-climatic.  I signed out from my unit at midnight, spent a couple days doing last minute paperwork and packing our things into a moving van, signed one more piece of paper and that was it.  It was harder to move when in the Army than to leave it.

I have seldom felt so happy as I did driving off of Ft Sill and leaving Oklahoma.  I cannot accurately describe the joy I felt leaving the Army.  My kids and wife where just as excited as I was.  This feeling of excitement did not diminish during our four day journey to Vermont.  We encountered very little problems driving and unloading our stuff.  I think we have too much stuff however.

I started school as soon as we got here instead of waiting until October for the next term.  I was way too excited to sit at home and wait.  School has been for the most part great and I feel good.  I think I am just starting to become a normal person again.  I don't have the room to describe all the subtle changes one goes through during military service and during the transition after.  Everyday I or my wife notices something else that makes us laugh or grimace.

We are currently discussing where we might go after my studies are over in 2015.  We are leaning toward going back to Michigan but the economy is still scary.

Skool Update

Well UMUC was a complete failure. I registered for classes, squared away my TA, TA paid the college and the term started. Sounds good, right? No wrong, they insisted I was not registered yet and couldn't find me in the 'system'. After they took the Army's money for my tuition of course. I was not able to access my courses. This continued for the first week of the term. I contacted the university and talked to some support people (which BTW was not easy to do) and they told me basically, "Well, I dunno." Well I know and that is goodbye. They gave me my TA back and I'll never go to those dumbasses again. I can only imagine how screwed up the term would have been had I stayed.

So now I'm registered at American Military University an online only school that has military-type degree plans. So far so good. Registering was easy no problems with the TA but the term doesn't start until 06 Oct, so we'll see if I can access the courses. The best part is that my books are paid for with my TA which is very uncommon, so I pay nothing out of pocket. Wish me luck.

Courses for Fall term -

RQ295 - Foundations of Online blah, blah, blah
Basically a BS prerequisite most online schools have these. They suck and don't transfer a complete waste of time and money.

RQ301 - Intro to Military History
Sounds like fun, I'll take it.

Guess my major?

Aaarrgh!

Today sucked and I need to complain. I'm TRYING to take courses and finish my degree but the school says I'm not a student. AFTER I've already paid them! I'm waaaayyy over here and with limited time and communications and the school talks to me like I'm in my living room somewhere with all the time in the world. All that and the Army sucks today.

Next semester's class schedule

Next semester's schedule at University of Maryland.

LIB 150 Information Literacy something, something, blah blah

Dumb prerequisite, glad I'm not paying for it.

BIOL 101/102 Human Biology
Science requirement.

GEOL 100 Intro to Geography
Just an elective I think may be easy.

All classes online while in The Land of the Morning Calm. (and free thank you US Army)