It's cold, dark, and windy...may be this is a sign of the times...or may be it's just Boone.

Halloween...Southern Conference playoffs ...school cranking up the heat...it must almost be November and crunch time again. The fact that I am rising at 6 am to update my blog epitomizes that fact that I have no time for anything other than academics and athletes at this stage of the year.

Academically, I am checking out my diary and syllabi's regularly to see for assignments that are due and I just can't figure out when I am going to have time to complete them all. I have a lesson plan due here, a reflection due there, an investigation's waiting for me to complete it over there, and tests galore coming up, just to name a few things on my plate.

Athletes on the other hand is cranking up the pressure too. The Men's Soccer team have two regular season games remaining and then it's Southern Conference playoff time. From then on out its pretty much sudden death, you lose and your seasons over. We recorded a great win against ACC foe Virginia Tech on Tuesday night and hopefully this is a sign that we are coming into form just at the right time. As a senior, if anyone is interested, it is Senior Day on Sunday the 26th of October. It would be great to see as many people as possible come out, support and give their appreciation to the four seniors (including myself) who will be playing their last home game for Appalachian State (playoffs depending.)

I'm in my last stages of preparing for the GRE's. As my roommate and professor told me, you can't exactly "study" for this exam (because it luck whether or not you get a question you recognize and its suppose to be a test where you have learnt all the content throughout your college career) but you can prepare yourself strategically to answer certain questions in certain ways, and that's what I'm doing. With all the school work I'm finding it hard to schedule study, but in the end I know where my priorities lie and time is being found (I don't know from where though.)

I'm sorry that my post is similar to the one I wrote last time. May be this is an indication of what my life is like for me at the moment. Even my partner and Mum are catching the short end of the stick when it comes to communicating because I have so much stuff to do.

Fingers crossed I get it done. Anyway, I've got to fly, it's 7:30am and my job in the I.MC. of the school library is calling my name. Hopefully my boss understands why I'm a few minutes late.

Until next time...

~Cam

Half full or half empty...

I can't believe that it's fall break already next week, this semester has flown by so far. After fall break its only a month and a bit until December and then finals...wow!

I'm starting to fell the crunch right now though. All my professors coming up with either mid-term exams or mid-semester projects. Also, I'm trying to study for the GRE's (Graduate Record Examinations) which I have booked for the beginning of November. Plus, athletics for me is mid season and the countdown is focusing firmly on the Socon Championships, at the start of November at Davidson.

The GRE's are the graduate school version of the SAT tests. All the graduate programs I have investigated in the U.S. have all asked for specific scores on the GRE. Although my undergraduate degree is in physical education, teacher education I feel that I want to change focus in my life and I loved all the Exercise Physiology I was required to take for PETE, so I think I am going to diversify in this area. Therefore, to get into various Exercise Science programs around the U.S. in need to score around 900-1000 in the verbal and quantitative aspects of the GRE's. I can't really learn content for this exam, however, I can prepare and learn strategies to take the exam better (hopefully with less pressure, lol) and this is what I am doing for study right now.

Men's soccer at App is going well. We are 7-4 overall and 2-1 in conference. We take on Georgia Southern this weekend at home (Brookshire Park @ 1pm) in a tough conference match. If we play with desire and come out on top in this one, we will up our confidence, and push the "Big Dance" tournament committee even further to include us in their final playoff picture.

Other than the stress or classes, GRE's, and soccer everything at Appalachian is treating me dandy. The weather here is finally turning cooler and we are getting a few more wet days. However, seeing the trees and flora change color from green to shades or red/yellow/orange is absolutely amazing and beautiful and I wouldn't want to change it for the world.

Until next time,

best wishes.