All right, so this is the longest delay in writing, and its for good reasons, namely I don't have a lot to report. I'll start off by answering one of the questions from my last entry, that is the slightly sarcastic (and appropriately so) questions regarding just how much "studying" we do over the weekend. The answer is A TON (wink wink)... In all seriousness, "studying" is really not an absolute necessity once you reach Charlottesville, at least not studying in the way we had to study during our three years of law school. Let me explain... Our education here is focused solely on preparing us to enter the Army as competent and prepared Judge Advocates. In class, we learn WHAT the law is, and we rarely, IF EVER, focus on WHY it is that way, or HOW it could get better. Because there is little to NO ambiguity in our studies, it makes learning a far easier experience. We do have some "homework" namely in the form of reading, and some preparation for practical application classes/seminars which does take some time, but for the most part the amount of work to be done outside of class is minimal. When it comes to studying for exams, the professors really focus and tailor their classes in a way that makes it very clear as to what WILL be tested, and what will not. As a Major once told me, the education at Charlottesville is not intended to weed anyone out, the application process has taken care of that, you are here to learn and meet the statutorily created educational thresholds necessary to practice law in the army. How does this practically translate? There is a lot more time to explore and have a good time around Charlottesville, in fact, most, if not all, the professors encourage you to do so.

Alright, so with all that free time, what did I do this weekend? Lets just say, I enjoyed the company of my classmates, who I am growing very fond of. One individual went so far as to organize an actual golf tournament (best ball) which was pretty well attended. Afterwards, the "19th Green" location had been pre-arranged, and the group moved onto other festivities. Sunday was really a day of catching up on whatever we needed to. I went for a swim, had a nice lunch with a classmate, and did a little reading that wasn't necessary, but I thought I might as well get ahead of the curve. Not to mention, Sunday night is an early night for me particularly since I have Run Group I bright and early in the morning.

So, Monday morning rolls around, and Run Group I is exactly what you might expect it to be. Our XO, who "loves him some hills" sent us on a nice loop with plenty of hills right off the bat. When we finished, at the instruction of our run group leader, we had 20 pull-ups and fluttering kicks in the intervening spaces to complete before we were released.

Monday in class we continued with Criminal Law, which is awesome. We started with two discussions regarding the roles of the "Trial Counsel" (a.k.a. Prosecutor) and the "Trial Defense Counsel." These were just introductory, non-testable, blocks in which two professors came in and shared with us the ideals and practices of these two positions, which are two of the most coveted positions in the Army, and the position I hope to hold very soon. After these briefings we learned about Pre-Trial Restraint (of a solider facing a potential Court-Martial, or other proceeding) and the Right to a Speedy Trial. These subjects are exactly what you would expect them to be and the procedures came as no real surprise to me since I have spent most of my young legal career in a prosecutor's office.

After a quick lunch at the UVA Business School's (Darden Business Schools) outstanding cafeteria, we had a whirlwind briefing on Conventional Offenses and Article 120, which is the new and improved (maybe?) rape/sexual assault statute. This class was really a review of criminal offenses that are ground into your skull when you study for the Bar Exam, with the slight nuances that the Army places on them. The practice of finding the criminal charges in the Army is very streamlined compared to the California Penal Code which I have practiced under in the past, which is the most archaic and ridiculous set of statutes ever created.

After class, I was asked by a fellow student to teach him how to swim. So I took him to the UVA pool and started him on the basics. It was great to be back in the pool and it was fun being the teacher for once. I've found that teaching adults is so much easier because their so receptive, and I have offered my services to the entire class, and I hope more take me up on the offer. Otherwise, I'll be swimming on my own, its just a great way to stretch out.

This morning was squad led PT, which means a squad members takes over the PT for the entire squad. You might think this would make it easy, but it kind of turns into a competition to see who can make the harder set. This morning was a 400 meter sprint, followed by 30 push-ups and right back into the sprint again. It was rough, but as with all good workouts it didn't hurt you.

Class started off with a leadership seminar, which for my group, was really just a discussion about what leadership is, and what are the most effective forms we've experienced in our experiences. I liked the discussion, and it gives those of us, who are nervous about entering the Army at such a high rank with so much responsibility, the chance to discuss those concerns and how best to deal with any mistakes that we may make. Next, the first block of instruction was all about Pleadings, which for anyone who has practiced law, is a crucial element of any trial, and something that is very difficult to figure out sometimes. However, the Army should call its system, Pleadings Made Easy. Essentially, the pleadings are already scripted for you, except, like a mad-lib, you have to just fill in the blanks with the appropriate words/names/descriptions.

Our pre-lunch lecture concerned the topic of fraternization and Inappropriate Superior-Subordinate Relationships (ISSR). We had scratched the surface of this topic back at Ft. Lee, so we really got to iron out the details in this class. It is an important topic, because there are all kinds of restrictions imposed by the Army when it comes to dating ANYONE. The best part about the subject is that it is also NON-TESTABLE so we just got to enjoy the lecture instead of frantically trying to take notes and pay attention (which I'm not saying we generally do, but some might?).

After another lunch at Darden Business School (this place is awesome for those of you in the 183rd and beyond, its a quick walk and pretty cheap, and very elegant, for a cafeteria), we had a make-up lecture on Court Marshall Personnel by an individual who played a pivotal role in the Abu Grheb (spelling) prosecutions. This was a testable block, but the slides on the handout that were "more important" had been marked with "sunflowers" so that no one could get confused.

After class, I had Totally Awesome PT, which was actually really great. Lots of Abs, and after performing what was essentially the ab section of the PT test again, I already scored 20 sit-ups higher then the last PT test I took. This is promising, and I'll have my chance to try again on the 17th of August, which I'm looking forward to. After TAPT, I went to the pool again and played Water Polo with the UVA men's club team. It was pretty relaxing, and I was clearly the most experienced player in the pool, so I spent most of the time taking out what little aggression I have left on those poor guys. I felt kind of bad, and took it easier on them eventually, but its Water Polo after all, and if you're not getting kicked or punched, you're not playing.

Tomorrow is back to Run Group I and its SPRINT DAY, which should be interesting.

Lastly, I want to try and answer the question posed by Josh regarding leave/vacation time, specifically for those who are in the 183rd and will be in training during the bulk of the Holiday season. To be honest Josh, I really don't know how it would work for holidays as important to the Country as Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know that for us the 250 mile rule still applies for us on Labor Day which is coming up, and there is little to no flexibility in that, EXCEPT if you have a "major life event," in the case of many of my classmates, that has already been used for the birth of their first child (two of them, and there are at least two more to come, we are a viable group apparently!!!) With that said, I would imagine that Christmas and Thanksgiving may be treated differently, however, I'm going to ask my readership to please help me with this question, sorry I couldn't help more. With that said, I will give you examples of events that you should go ahead and RSVP with a "no;" Birthdays, weddings, graduations, etc... (unless they are within a 250 miles radius from C'Ville, or you think you have a solid argument for why it is a "major life event.")

As always, thank you to everyone for reading, and please keep the questions and discussions coming...