December
December 4th, 2008
Gasp! It's really been a month since I posted anything here? Geez. Well, I guess that means it's time to explain myself.
To be honest, yes, I had work, but the missed journal was more due to forgetfulness than scheduling conflicts. Once I got reminded of it, the workload had indeed picked up to the point where time was a commodity I couldn't spend anywhere else. It still kind of is now, but I've gotten tired enough of working that I decided I'd do something a little less work-like.
So, first things first--you will be glad to hear that my little head's up on the driver's license situation can be ignored. As a full-time student, even with jobs here in Florida, you are allowed to maintain your current driver's license (out-of state, if applicable) without receiving tickets or paying fines or jumping through any hoops. I got ticketed, yes, but I challenged it and the judge threw it out before it even got to an official hearing. Apparently traffic court (at least here in Volusia County, FL) includes an arraignment hearing, and the Judge thankfully threw out the case before I even got to submit my plea. So, it's all clear, no need to worry about silly driver's license glitches.
Next is the projects that had me distracted. Let me just say there were a lot, all due within a couple of days of each other, and most pushed off 'til the last minute. I think that about covers it.
Then there was the very welcome Thanksgiving break. This is a funny story. Well, not the break itself. You see, my roommate and I were both flying out and coming back on the same day at the same airport, so we carpooled and took my car. We weren't coming back until Tuesday (that is indeed technically later than we should have, but so long as you clear these things with your instructors and catch up on all your work, it's not a huge problem). My flight left first and due to cell phone difficulties I was out of contact until Tuesday. I also managed to place myself away from family between the weekend and the flight home, so I got an interesting surprise or twelve upon my arrival back in Orlando.
First, a text message from my roommate.
"Hey, I forgot about the checked baggage fee, so I stuffed a duffel bag underneath your car."
He didn't have the keys, so it was either that or lose the bag and contents. I don't know that I blame him in that decision. Next, I called my dad to let him know I'd made it home safely. Somewhere during casual conversation, the following sentences just flowed their way from my dad's mouth through telephone wires to cell phone towers to my ear:
"Have you been to your car yet?" "No." "Well, the FBI called the house yesterday about your car, so you might want to check on that."
I didn't panic. It was a quick conclusion to make. Suspicious looking duffel bag, stuffed under a car in the parking garage of a very large airport? FBI phone call to the owner/operator of said car? Coincidence?
Conversation flowed right through that little speed bump on as normal, and after saying my goodbyes I proceeded to make sure I met up with my roommate. We talked for a while, and I explained the situation eventually as something like this: "Well, three possibilities: either your bag and my car are still there, and this all makes just a funny story, or your bag is gone and my car's still there and it's still a pretty darned funny story, or your bag is gone and my car is impounded and we need to find a way back to Daytona. The FBI called my house yesterday."
We proceeded to make our way to the parking garage. "Do you remember where I parked?" "Yeah, I had to stuff a duffel bag under there under pressure of time, I think I've got it down. It's right where that red bumper is." "Yeah, that's where I thought I parked too, except that red bumper is not mine."
Sure enough, unless the FBI had seen fit to replace my car with a newer BMW, my car was gone. We tracked it down; it was in the parking administration's "Impound Lot." My wandering airport parking, asking questions about that specific car attracted some attention, so I wasn't too surprised when I received a phone call from an FBI agent letting me know he'd like to speak to me. You see, as the parking administration told me, Monday there had been quite a situation with my car, and the parking garage was closed down for 3 hours. Later one of the parking supervisors informed me that it was some sort of airport history. I'm not sure exactly what.
Well, up to the airport division of the Orlando Police Department we went, and I got questioned. All this hubbub over a poorly placed duffel bag, you may ask? Well, yes, it was a poorly placed duffel bag, but, you see, coincidentally, my roommate had intended to use that checked baggage to bring home some fireworks to his nephew. And also three one-pound bags of powders, used to change the color of flames. In other words, that poorly placed duffel bag appeared to be a homemade bomb of some sort.
Where'd I leave off? Right, FBI interrogation room, mirrored glass, good-cop bad-cop. Except the bad cop was just asking questions and the good cop kept quiet. And the door to the interrogation room wasn't closed. But the glass was mirrored, which was pretty cool. I proceeded to tell them the story as I had heard it, as in, from the text message, and the little bit my roommate had told me about the contents of said bag. They hadn't known about his involvement at all, so it was certainly a good thing that I dragged him with me, as it made it easier for me to squeak out just fine. My roommate managed it as well (after a longer questioning period), receiving a few scathing remarks about lack of common sense and a warning that if the FBI ever looked into him again, this would be on his record, but no charges were pressed.
So, overall, it was a couple hours of delay, a really cool story, and a life experience for the both of us.
By the way, if you're wanting proof, here's the news story as it appeared on the local station: http://www.wesh.com/news/18179143/detail.html
Bomb squad came out and everything. I recommend watching the video. It was the big "News at 4" that day.
Now, I'm not saying to go out and cause any of this. Yes, it's a heck of a story, but it also was a serious situation that could've resulted in consequences anywhere from fines to jail time to injuries and deaths, so don't go trying to reproduce it. But, stories that last a lifetime come on their own, and trust me, you'll get a few of them out of college.
Until next time, I'm gonna try to keep my butt out of trouble. You should too.
Charlie B
November
November 6th, 2008
Finally, the election is over! Honestly, I don't care who won (as I don't like either candidate much), but I am glad that it's finally over.
Schoolwork has been catching up to me. I've pulled all-nighters twice in the past couple of weeks (which doesn't mean much except when you compare it to the lack of all-nighters since the year started, up till then). That's why my journal's so late.
How're those college applications coming along? I'm sure a number of you have already sent them out. Keep in mind, Riddle's on a rolling basis, which means there's no deadline for applications, but the sooner you apply the more open spots there are.
The career expo was here the past couple of days. I wasn't very interested--I've got a lot of stuff going on right now, so didn't have a lot of time to check it out. And my summer isn't sitting wide open for an internship. It is, however, a very valuable resource. Recruiters from a lot of companies came here, collected resumés, and 'networked.' Oh, and, of course, handed out free stuff. Top picks included a soft frisbee (great for dorm rooms! [I accept no liability for damages this may cause]) and a multi-tool with LED flashlight, screwdriver (conveniently arranged so the light could be used on the object in question), and a level.
I love CATIA. For those who don't know, CATIA is a Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) program, and is the only one I've been introduced to so far. It's simple yet powerful, and I'm addicted to it. I've been looking forward to designing stuff for what feels like forever, and I'm glad that, upon finally reaching this point, I like it more than I expected to. The way I put it yesterday went so far as to claim I was having fun while my groupmates were doing work (as we were working on the designs for a launch vehicle).
Other than that, there isn't much going on. Work (school and otherwise) has been grating me down. Probably I could manage my time better, but at this point I'm not so sure. Everything's speeding up for the final sprint towards the end of the semester.
Thanks for reading,
Charlie B
October
October 20th, 2008
How's the world going out there? I bet a bunch of you are finishing up
college applications at this point, rushing to get letters of
recommendation, requesting transcripts or something along those lines. I
just want to stress, again, that you all shouldn't be stressing.
Wherever you end up, you have the ability to make the best out of it.
As for me, well, I've got one less thing to worry about. After a heck of
a wild goose chase last Wednesday, I've found a Florida statute telling
me that as a full-time student, I do not need a Florida Driver's
License, and I've gotten a statement from the Florida Highway Patrol
that said this statute does, indeed, apply to my specific circumstance.
Unfortunately, I still need to go to court to get the ticket waived, but
at least I know it won't be a problem.
School's in full swing by now, and I'm definitely noticing the increased
workload. In my case, it's still bearable. That's probably at least in
part due to the fact that my life seems to consist of
school->work->sleep->rinse->repeat. I spend a lot of time on the phone
while I'm doing my work, and I manage to squeeze some game time in here
and there (my beloved desktop, in recent news, has kicked the bucket.
I've officially decided to claim it's dead), but mostly it's school with
a bit of work.
I work part-time at Circuit City, as I hinted at last week. I'm a sales
associate for the technology department. I used to be a firedog
technician back home, but when you transfer, you take what you can get.
Business had been slow through September, but it's picked up this month
(guess the holidays are approaching) and it's really not too bad of a
job once the customers start coming in. The extra spending money really
is nice, especially for someone like me who manages to spend money
nonstop. I'm only working roughly 10-15 hours per week, which is a mixed
blessing; I could use the extra cash, but I like having the spare time I
have. Unfortunately, it's kind of a moot point, because my working days
are the weekends. I don't care how short the working day is, if you miss
the day Saturday or Sunday, you're not really utilizing the free time
anyway. But that's probably just me.
Work has prevented me from playing paintball, a situation I'm trying to
remedy, but it's all on the whims of my supervisors. Otherwise, it has
yet to interfere with me. When you transfer in as a student, or probably
even so long as you make it clear when you start that you're a student,
workplaces seem to be understanding of how school comes first. If you're
in a bind and you need to get a project done, generally they won't make
too much of a stink about it. Just don't do it too often, of course,
because they're not obligated to be understanding.
I'm gonna cut this entry shorter than I usually do. I've got an entry
sitting on the back-burner that I keep intending to get in every week,
but I also keep failing to get said entry in. Hopefully that means when
it finally comes, it'll be good.
I will mention, once more now, not to worry to much. Go out and play a
sport. Stop and surf facebook a bit. Start up a favorite game with
friends. Whatever you do, do it--the momentary break from school and
college applications will do wonders for both in the end.
Have a nice couple of weeks,
Charlie Brensinger
October 6th, 2008
Well, here we are again. I've had an exciting (if you could call it that) time since last entry. I figured I'd let you all know what's been going on.
 To begin with, I figured I'd let you know that I am a freshman student with two 'jobs': this blogging gig and a job at Circuit City. Let me tell you, if you're interested in working when you get down here, try working when you're home, because transferring in makes it a lot easier to get a spot. I'm also a freshman with a car. I like driving. I gave it up last year, as I was out of the country, and I really didn't want to give it up again. So, I drove my car down and have it here on campus.
My car's a pretty decent 94 Chrysler Lebaron. It's a convertible, though I haven't taken advantage of /that/ factoid much while here on campus. I need to go out for a joyride sometime soon. I have a CB radio, don't ask why, but I find it fun to use it on occasion.
It also can drive fast enough to occasionally justify the use of the radar detector. I don't always have it in, and I'm trying to get my speeds down to reasonable (for any parents out there, I'm sure your kids don't drive as fast as me, and I promise I never go above 5 mph over the speed limit. Really, I swear!), but there were days it was useful.
 Now, can anyone tell me the two problems in this picture? Go on, take your time.
I think all of you got the first one; the dents on the front left side of my car. That's not a big deal to me. My car's cheap, just something to get me from here to there, so a bit of cosmetic damage is no real problem. Of course, the fact that the accident was my fault is a little bit of a problem, but let's see if you find problem number two by this point.
Did anyone realize that the fact that I'm from Connecticut is a problem?
I sure as heck didn't.
So, let's start from the get-go:
International Speedway Boulevard is a large 8-lane road, with turning lanes on top of that. I was trying to get back to work after my lunch break, which required a u-turn. I had to cross four lanes of traffic to do it, and in my quick sweep (what is officially on record as my careless sweep), it was clear to cross over. I tried to do it quick and met up with a guy's rear fender as he passed by me just before I pulled into the fourth lane over. Nobody was hurt by any means, and he had a roughly similar amount (in terms of cost) of damage to his car. He seemed cool enough, and really it was as good as an accident could be. I walked away with two tickets, one for careless driving and one for...
failure to obtain a Florida driver's license?
Here's a tidbit that nobody knew, be it Campus Security, Parking and Safety, Student Employment, or Circuit City: a nonresident of Florida (/including/ students) who holds a job in Florida is required to obtain a "Valid in Florida Only Driver's License," as it's apparently called.
There's no need to turn in your old home driver's license, but you do have to show it as well as your original birth certificate and your Social Security Card in order to get the new one. And you'll be punished by way of a fine if you don't do it.
I've been informing Student Employment of this every step of the way, so most likely they'll make sure people know from now on. In truth, most likely if you're not in a work uniform when the officer decides to ticket you, they're not going to know the situation. Still, it is a Florida law, so it's something to bear in mind if you ever decide to work down here. It'll save you the trouble of trying to track down all the relevant information if it happens.
As it is, the statute the ticket claims I broke is not the one pertaining to the law I actually broke, but I don't have the time or money to actually challenge it. So, once the paperwork needed to obtain the appropriate license arrives here, I'll be waiting in line at the DMV.
This was an interesting learning experience for me. I guess the overall moral is, don't get pulled over by the cops for any reason. But still, it's just an interesting insight over the way states can be different.
We're pretty sure it's simply a plan for the state to make some more money. Either way, it's the law. You win some you lose some.
So, that's all for this vehicle-related post. I figured I'd share the juicy gossip (and the little pointer) with you all.
Until next time,
Charlie
September
Sept 22, 2008
How's it going everyone?
I figured I'd spend today's entry explaining something that occurred to me last Thursday. But first, the back story. My Resident Advisor (RA) set up a little excursion out to Orlando to watch "The Dark Knight" in Imax, something I've been wanting to do, so, naturally, I signed up. RAs have the ability to borrow a number of different items, ranging from movies and projectors to vans and certainly a host of things I'm not aware of. So we got a van and rode out to Orlando--maybe an hour's drive, probably a little less. We didn't have many people (just five, RA included--Thursdays, apparently, aren't the best days for outings), but we certainly were mostly engineers.
[In hindsight, actually, we were a comparatively balanced group (relative to Riddle as a whole, anyway), with 2 meteorology majors and 3 engineering majors.] Engineers, you may know, have a knack for making problems where there aren't any. Or for making current problems bigger. It starts young--practically a qualification for engineers is that they took apart TV remotes, or VCRs, or radios, or computers, or anything else in the early years, even before double-digits. Not considered in the qualification is how successfully--if at all--these items were put back together. So, naturally, when we're roughly a mile and a half away from the movie theater, realizing we missed the turn a block back, waiting to make a U-turn, it occurs to us that our turn signal isn't working. It had been over the course of the trip, but suddenly stopped. We pull over, have someone check outside to make sure it's not just the interior indicator, and we find, to our surprise, that neither turn signal is working.
At this point, it dawns upon us--maybe the alternator isn't working; maybe the battery's died. Problem-solvers that we are, we decide that priority number one is confirming the problem at hand. So, what better way to test than to turn the van off and see if it restarts?
The flaw in logic here, is, of course, that if it doesn't restart, we're a mile and a half away from the movie theater. A realization that came to us very quickly...after the engine was off. Overall it worked out fine, of course--we walked the distance to the theater, made it there on time, wasted money on popcorn, and had a good time, all while a pickup team was on its way from the school.
I do feel bad for my RA, however, who had to sit with the van for a while before coming into the movie.
Now, why am I relating this story to you? Partially, simply because I still find it a bit funny. Actually, honestly, probably mostly because I find it a bit funny. But there's a little tidbit in there...I think I can flesh it out into a 'moral' if you will.
You're probably still progressing along with this college search, and it probably doesn't seem like there's an end in sight. There is, I promise, it's just going to feel like forever between then and now. What I want you to take from this (or, at least, what I'm claiming this story leads up to) is this: even though you may have a list of schools you want to get into, even though you've got first choices and last choices and if-I-can't-find-money choices, realize that no matter where you go, it comes down to you, in the end, to make it through your degree program, and you can make whatever you want out of any school you go to. Just because your van breaks down, or, rather, your top choice school maybe doesn't accept you, don't let that stop you from getting to your movie...sorry, degree/career/life. Maybe it takes a little more work on your part to walk to the theater rather than drive there, but in the end you'll get there so long as you keep trying.
And, really, with that in mind, it's important to include the fun factor in your decision, because college can't be 100% about work. You could go ahead and walk the whole way to the movie theater, but I think we'd all agree that the four-people-on-a-two-seat-bicycle-taxi solution was a whole lot more enjoyable, and it got us through to the end happier.
Thanks for your time, folks,
Charlie Brensinger
September 8, 2008
Hello everyone,
I'm Charlie Brensinger and I'm one of this year's myriad of ERAU Student Journal writers. A little bit about me can be found in my information section, and more information will come out through the course of the year via these journal entries. For my first entry, I've been advised to discuss a bit of the college search process. I think we were all advised that, so I'll put in my two cents and then give you something else to read as well.
This is the time of year that hopefully many of you are working on college applications and the college search. If not, that's fine--even Early Action deadlines are usually as late as November, so you've probably got time before you need to rush. If you are, though, good job on getting in the action early. Make sure you've got everything as presentable as possible before you send it out. Worry about it beforehand, not afterwards--it's better to be confident that it's as good as you'll get it than to wonder if you could've gotten it better.
My college search was relatively short. Embry-Riddle was a choice I had made early on. I had a line-up of schools (smaller than most, sure, with a total of 4 applications) but ERAU was the school I had my mind set on. Yes, I applied to a reach school, but it was enough of a reach that I never really expected it, so I was prepared ahead of time to come to Embry-Riddle, and more than excited for it. My family never found the time to make any campus visits (something not entirely unrelated to the fact that I left the country for senior year), so I couldn't factor that into it. For me it didn't matter, but your mileage may (and probably will) vary. I really wasn't picky on anything aside from academics, but that single qualification won't make every college decision.
Bear in mind everything that's important to you. Do you want to be in a city or have a residential campus? How close to (or far from) your family do you want to be? Friends? How important is Greek life? On-campus housing? Do you want to have a car first-year? There are so many factors to choose from that I won't even begin to try to list them. Just keep in mind everything that matters a lot to you, and try to find a school that has what you want along with what you need. ERAU has a nice balance of both, so far as I can see--the campus isn't densely packed, but you can find every store you'd ever want within a few miles. There is a prominent Greek circle, but it's not necessary to be in a fraternity or sorority to get by. The programs Riddle offers are some of the best in the nation, and it is extremely well-equipped for the majors offered. On-campus housing is available, but only required for first-year students.
The college process is an ongoing one, and don't be surprised if I offer up more words of advice in the coming weeks and months, but for this entry I'm going to move on.
ERAU Freshman Orientation was a good time. It was, however, short. For those who may not know, Tropical Storm Faye came through, deciding to assault sunny Florida four times before finally leaving the state. It really wasn't a major issue--there was a lot of rain and lightning, yes, but the wind wasn't hurricane-force and I didn't notice any major damage. The worst part was the announcement of postponement of orientation--due to uncertainty of conditions, the postponement wasn't announced until it became certain that Faye would be a problem, which, in my case, was about the time I was 17 hours into my 20-hour trip. All that aside, I simply found a hotel to stay in while the dorms remained closed, and moved in at the earliest guaranteed time (come to find out, if I had made a stink I could've moved in earlier, but I kept quiet). The planned events that stayed in place were good, on the whole, and I'd like to do it again if the offer was made.
Classes have also started out well. There's a marked difference between the way high school and college work, and I've tried tackling it as best I could. What that means, in my case, is treating college as a job. I get up at the same time every morning (which, with my schedule, is necessary anyway), go through typical morning rituals, and after leaving my dorm at around 7:30 AM (your time may vary) I don't return until around 5:00 PM. You'll find that your class schedule, timewise, is a lot less than high school (mine is 16 hours a week, versus the typical high school at 30). But I've found that trying to use time between classes as 'fun time' turns out to be a waste. The dorms aren't centrally located, so adding in walking time from class to dorm to class, you get short bits of time to play games or hang out. Using that time in the library gives me the opportunity to finish up all of my homework before coming back to my dorm, and then I get the evening as leisure time. Will that work for you? I don't know. I highly recommend giving it a shot, but everyone's different and there are no guarantees that what works for me will works for you. And the jury's still out as to whether this schedule may or may not drive me insane in short order.
The jump from high school to college is big, but the professors seem to know that, and I haven't had any of them truly overwhelm me with work. There's time to get used to it all and it works out well in the end.
Now, this post is starting to get long. I haven't got many pictures at the moment (I apologize for that), but I'm going to be posting again soon, so expect some more info along with some visuals then.
Thanks for reading,
Until next time,
Charlie Brensinger
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Name: Charlie Brensinger