by Chris Rick & Matt Lacey
* Monday
After everyone finally arrived at the French House, 6 of us in an Escort and the rest late due to an octane deficiency in the main mode of transportation, the weekly meeting was commenced. Later that evening there was launchus interruptus as the shuttle was scrubbed at T-6 seconds while some of us watched on Matt's computer. A couple of hearty souls returned to ARC to work on their midterms.
* Tuesday
Tuesday started bright and early for Brad and Dominic due to Dominic's deportation. The day started normally for the rest of us with a classic Ames Cafe breakfast followed by the usual group project meeting and then a day with our respective PIs which most likely was spent working on the midterm presentations. Tuesday night we were once again graced by the presence of Dave Morrison who gave a lecture about the impact of impacts on Earth. This was followed up with a hearty bill of fare from Boston Market. Even more RA's returned to Ames to put the finishing touches on their presentations for the Wednesday rehearsals.
* Wednesday
Wednesday again started with the usual Ames cafe breakfast and group project meeting. Throughout the course of the day everyone gave a pre midterm presentation to the staff who for the most part remained awake and attentive, as well as worked with our respective PI's. Yet again, a vigil was maintained for the launch of STS-93, but it never got any closer than T-5 minutes due to lightning around the Cape. The RA's refined their presentations and went to bed as visions of PowerPoint, and maybe a few butterflies, danced in their heads.
* Thursday
Thursday started with breakfast once again at the Ames Cafe and was followed by a full day of midterm presentations that were attended by the Academy, staff, PIs, and a few select friends. Fortunately we remained on time through the entire day and even retired to lunch 10 minutes early thanks to Chris flying through 3 semester of Chemistry in under 15 minutes. The shuttle finally launched under the close supervision of Brennan, Chris and Matt.
* Friday
Friday, by far the longest day of the week for some reason as well as the busiest. It started with an early morning departure for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories for a quick tour of the NOVA laser facility and some background information about the center itself. After that we drove to the Desert Research Institute for another tour which lasted most of the afternoon and concluded with everyone heading for the El Dorado hotel and casino. After a miscalculation on the part of the hotel which consisted of only one room for a Mr. L. Martin (who we still have yet to meet) the staff diligently worked to correct the error and assigned us all to our respective habitats for the night. Once settled in, we met to eat dinner which only took 16 minutes to organize until we arrived at the first eatery where everyone decided to peruse the other comestible establishments and finally deciding that the first choice was the right choice. After that, most retired to their rooms to rest up for the late night festivities, while some sallied forth to gamble away some of their hard earned money and enjoy some other parts of the Reno night life. At 11, most of the crew began their odyssey to find a place to dance suitable for the minors among us. After being scared away from a south of the border spot and a place for Dwight Yoakum fans, we settled on a fine club which was unfortunately not minor friendly. However, this didn't stop some of us from ingesting a few too many carboxyl groups, nor Greg from demonstrating his slick moves with the ladies on the dance floor. We returned to the Eldo in time to catch a few precious hours before leaving for Hotel O'Handley in Tahoe.
* Saturday
Saturday began with all but 3 of us heading to Tahoe to meet up with Doug aboard the Skipper III for some early morning water-skiing. Remarkably many never even made it to the boat but opted to obtain more sleep at the condo. When the second group arrived, Doug treated us to a tour of the sites around Lake Tahoe via the boat and a stop off for lunch in Tahoe City. Once lunch was completed we again split into specific interest groups and either viewed a waterfall or napped until finally some of us decided that returning to the French House would be worth more than sleeping on the ground in a bag. So five left at 6pm followed by another van later that evening leaving a group behind who wished to camp the night away. Those of us who decided to stay were treated with a visit by Miss Jessica Marquez of the ARC98 Academy and some more bonding that goes with every academy experience. Unfortunately, while retrieving Miss Marquez, the left front tire of the minivan blew out. Should be an easy fix for Sunday morning, or so we thought.
* Sunday
Sunday consisted of laundry, group project work and Chris raking his remaining brain cells to recall the events of the week and write up this summary until Matt could return from the Tahoe area and fill in the blanks. Those of us who remained in Tahoe indulged in the Sunday Brunch at Sunnyside where mass quantities of acid-cooked seafood and chocolate covered strawberries were consumed. We headed back to Chez Doug for the disposition of the tire. Brad was directed to the Avis location in South Lake Tahoe, so five of us decided to be dropped at Emerald Bay. There we hiked down to the lake, went for a frigid swim and did a little rock diving. Dominic learned the meaning of "orny" when Bridget decided to test how tight the guys' trunks were tied. This was useful since Dominic went on to "study" the meaning of the word later that evening, while Brad drove into Reno to pick up a new minivan. The drive back this morning was filled with more summer love and Matt perfecting his ability to be a third, fifth and sometimes even seventh wheel.