Sorry for the delay everyone, but its been a busy and very tiring couple of days, and quite frankly I just haven't had the energy. However, due to the poor weather in the Northeast, our professor for the second half of the afternoon was unable to make it back to C'Ville in time for his lecture, so we got the rest of the afternoon off.

As most of my entries, before I begin with the chronology, I want to thank everyone who posted supportive "comments" onto my last blog. I did not intend for that entry to appear as a "pity party" or a desperate search for a self-esteem boost, but the boost is exactly what I got. I am particularly impressed with the length and depth of the discussions regarding different types of workouts. You know lawyers are reading and responding to your blog when the comments are longer then the post they're attached to, AND they are in near perfect "point/counter-point" form. I was asked yesterday whether the comments frustrated me, and the answer was "of course NOT." Like I've said several times before, I want people to comment and discuss, but MORE importantly I want anyone who has questions regarding the process I'm going through to ASK!!! (and I know you members of the 183rd class have them, don't be shy, you're classmates are wondering the same things) I may not be able to provide the most thorough answer, but as readers have seen before, there are more then enough people reading along that will be able to fill in the blanks I leave.

Okay, so what has happened the last couple days that have kept me from writing. Lets start with Wednesday. Wednesday morning PT was the class' first "ruck march." For those who don't know what a "ruck" is (and don't worry I wasn't sure either) it is a backpack, also known to some as an "Alice Pack." (Alice is probably not the actual word, it is likely an acronym, but that is what I hear when people say it out loud, and I haven't asked otherwise.) The ruck is more like a mountain backpack then a school backpack, in that there is a hip belt that helps to distribute the weight of the pack across your hips (but no one wears it because that means you're soft!!!). So the ruck march was literally 1 mile in length, and it was just a familiarization experience. Afterwards, we conducted normal PT, minus the fact that we were wearing our ACUs this morning, and most of the exercise we did incorporated the ruck sack (which we loaded with roughly 20 lbs.)

After PT, we had our last block of instructions before our test the next morning. Most of the day was actually broken into seminars where "practical exercises" had been distributed over the course of the last two weeks, and this was the time we were going to review them and discuss. I like the practical exercises. The class as a whole has to many people to effectively learn some of the nuances of the subjects we're studying and the seminars are much better at allowing us to openly discuss what is on our mind. We are constantly reassured that the exercises are in fact practical, and are a good indication of what we should expect when we're done training.
 After classes ended, there was really nothing else for the day but to study for the exam the next morning.

Thursday's PT was lead by a member of your squad, and each squad was allowed to conduct PT as they saw fit (though they had to get the workout approved by 1SG.) The always lovely Lt. Teeples, our squad leader and the person I've referred to as "Bestie" in the past, lead our PT. Being the good squad leader that she is, she didn't take it easy on us. She got creative and mixed a little yoga-lates in with good old fashioned running, stadiums and lunges. Good stuff.

The Exam followed shortly after PT. I am not allowed to discuss the test much because we have a classmate whose wife just gave birth to their first child, so he hasn't taken it yet and I don't want to ruin it for him. Needless to say, if you studied and PAID ATTENTION in class, you are bound to do just fine. After the exam, we had a briefing on governmental, non-military, employees and then we, as a class, were allowed to review the answers to the test, with the professors available for questions. I can't imagine a potentially worse situation then a class of 113 lawyers picking apart questions word-by-word trying to justify his or her wrong answer in an attempt to persuade the professor to throw the question out. However, the experience was relatively painless (one professor may disagree though). I didn't get a perfect score, but I did just fine.

Thursday also marked the 235th birthday of the JAG Corps, so before we had lunch we had a well attended ceremony and cake cutting to celebrate. A classmate of ours played a large role in the ceremony, and he was given the first "Challenge/Commander's Coin" for his performance. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then that's okay, I don't feel like going through the history (sorry). After our abridged lunch, we had our introduction into Criminal Law which is going to take up the next 19 DAYS of classes. I personally love Criminal Law, so I'm looking forward to it. I should mention, that the vast majority of my class (and I expect all other classes) have some, if not ALOT, of experience within the criminal justice system in their prospective states, so I am definitely not alone.

Thursday night was a great night, simply because it marked the last night before the weekend, and I am so exhausted. The early wake-ups, PT, and lengthy time sitting in class is really exhausting, and if there is any constant in my life right now, it is a general feeling of fatigue. So for dinner, a couple of us went and got a little BW3s before heading to a little BBQ being hosted by the amazing Mrs. Truslow before calling it a night.

This morning's PT was the "long-run" day. I have to admit I was nervous about a long run with Run Group I, particularly at the pace we ran Monday morning. The run was a great one. It was created and led by a fellow Run Group member and it followed a track through most of UVA and Charlottesville. In total I think the run was just under 5-miles, and we kept a pretty good pace. I was certainly tired at the end, and definitely drenched in sweat, but we had a couple additional superior officers with the Run Group, so there was no falling out of formation for me.

Class today was the first full block of criminal law, and the professors were amazingly entertaining. I've been real impressed with all of our professors' competence when it comes to power point presentations and how they are often comical. It is a necessity. After PT and especially after lunch most of us are really needing things to be interesting, and the professors do a good job of that, plus they make a point to let us know that, what they're telling us WILL BE tested, and then they really stomp their foot (or in the case of one professor, play a recording of Homer Simpson's, "DOH") every time a "particularly important" point is about to be made (hint hint).

And then, after the last lecture, we were free and it feels oh so good. Some of the class have set up a "scramble" golf tournament this weekend, which should be real fun, and the rest of the weekend will be spent, RELAXING and catching up on sleep.