Fort Lee....

I know I have not written in a while, as I have been a busy bee or a bored bee, one of the two. I used to think that working with petroleum or water purification would be very interesting. Not so much anymore. Let me just put it this way: yesterday it was 72 degrees in lovely Virginia. That is just a death sentence for my concentration abilities for dull subjects. I, having no desire to go to class made some appointments to square away my thoroughly jacked-up orders, get a new ID card, and arrange for the the shipment of both my stuff and myself to Germany. Having left class very early in the day, I thought that it wouldn't do any more damage for me to miss a bit more instruction after finishing with my administrative excursions, so I went for a six mile run, took a long bath, and finally dragged my well pampered rear-end back into class. The instructor was still talking about the same subject as when I left five hours earlier! To make it worse, he didn't even notice I had left, picking up a conversation I had been having with him earlier while we took a short break during the lesson. Some days here, I wonder what, if anything I am learning. Now don't get me wrong, I do not condone skiving off class, but sometimes, for the sake of sanity is necessary... I mean heck, I have gone through so many soduku books here (I would read, but that is really obvious, whereas writing on a soduku page makes it look like you are taking notes), I should own stock in puzzle book companies!
Although I have been bored, I did have a great adventure this last weekend. I took a drive to Richmond to find some new MTB trails and found a gold mine of fun! Not only did I ride on some great trails (although I am still a bit sick, so I did spend quite a bit of time hacking), I found the niftiest park. Right in the middle of the city, there is a park called Belle Isle. To get there, you have to walk on a suspended pedestrian bridge that spans the James River. After crossing the river you can walk along all the trails by the water. From these great trails, I was able get onto some rocks pretty far out into the river to get some great photos of white-water kayakers. It was a blast. If you ever come to Richmond, a city I truly enjoy, be sure to check out all the great recreational activities it has to offer. Richmond is just dandy, as it is truly dedicated to preserving its great history and natural spaces, while progressing into a modern city (but luckily, the city has recently voted to ban any expansion into the surrounding areas to prevent urban sprawl). Just my very biased opinion...Lastly, I will in NH this weekend!