An Apple A Day, Keeps The Doctor Away

Had my physical today. This time I remembered to bring my ID card. It wasn't a long exam, maybe about 45 minutes. Here's what I went through:
First the nurse had me do a hearing test and then I had to read a paragraph. Next she took my weight and height. Also I had to give a urine sample(Yuk!). After that I waited for the doctor to arrive. Now, women, it might be a little uncomfortble, but for the physical, a strip down is required. I'm not sure what they do for men. When the doc arrived, he (the nurse was also present) looked at my eyes, ears, nose, and throat. Next came a balance check and reflexes. Then he did that test where he presses down on your belly for any discomfort. Finally,(and I know, not the most fun) a brest check, for any lumps or such.
That was about it. Time flew and before I knew it, I was done. Two other guys came in but I was the only girl(Go me!). Now all that's left for me to do is my essays. Better get those done.

Note To Self...

Always make sure you have your ID card with you. Just learn to carry it around with you now, then you won't forget it when you really need it. Thursday my mom took me into the city to get my physical done for the Coast Guard application. We drove 45 minutes down to the doctor's office. Parking 3 long blocks away, we walked in the snow to the office. The elevator ride made me motion sickness and we had to go 12 floors up. We get to the receptionists desk and Mom turns to me and says, "Do you have your ID card?" Ah shit! I'm so used to my mother reminding me to do things. Without an ID they won't do the physical. That was such a waste of time and it was all my fault. I should have remembered to bring my ID but I didn't. Now I'm rescheduled to get the physical done next Thursday. I'll write then and tell you how it goes.

About CGA

That's Coast Guard Academy to all you non-military folk out there. This is my dream college that I am currently working hard at getting into. I thought I'd use this post to give you a few facts about CGA.
*It is the smallest of the 5 military academies
*There is no cost for attending, that's right, but there is a requied 5 years of service to the Coast Guard after Graduation
*It is highly selective. Only a little more that 250 students go accepted in last year. (There's an average of a 1 in 10 chance of getting in.)
*There's under 1000 students enrolled and CGA is represented from 49 states and 10 foreign nation.
*The majors you can consider: Civil Engineering, Electric Engineering, Government, Management, Marie and Environmental Sciences(That's what I want to do), Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marie Engineering, Operations Research and Computer Analysis
If your interested in learning more, you can check out the website at www.cga.edu.

You Got To Get Physical...

You have to do a lot of running in the Coast Guard, well, the military in general does a lot of running. Physical fitness is also another biggy. The Coast Guard Academy requires a physical test sort that needs to be done with your PE teacher/Coach. It includes 2 minutes of curl ups, a 2 minute cadence of push ups, and running 1 mile and 1/2.
I want to get a good time on my running so I've started running 1 mile and 1/2 after school to build up my stamina and it hurts. I'm not an athletic person, I'm more of a activities girl. I ran Monday and I still hurt from that. I don't know how I'm going to walk tomorrow, I can barely walk up and down the stairs now. Also the weather is getting colder so it's harder to run consistently. Push ups and curl ups are easier 'cause they can be done indoors during bad weather. I'm not really worried about that part of the test.
On a happier note, I finally submitted my online applications for Susquehanna and La Salle University. I'm definitely happy about that. One less thing for me to worry about. It's done and over with.

How It Began

I grew up in a military family. My dad was a colonial before he retired and my mom resigned her commission at my birth. There's been no other thing I've wanted to do than to go into the military. But with the Iraqi war, my parents were scared I'd be sent over seas and would not support my plans for the Army. So I had to make other plans. A friend of the family suggested the Coast Guard Academy. If you've heard of West Point, the Army academy, or Annapolis, the Navy academy, that's what the Coast Guard Academy is. Only not as intense. But don't think it's a wimpy part of the military. Their not called Home Land Security for nothing. The Coast Guard of the personal who search ships coming in and out of the ports. They are the search and rescue teams during bad storms that keep the Navy at dock. Just because the Coast Guard is small doesn't mean it doesn't have a big bite. So I looked into it and have decided that is going to be my first choice for college, with Susquehanna University coming in second and La Salle University in third.
This is my journey through the sweat and the tears. Can you keep up?