There is no 'we got lost' in 'team'

I was hoping to take a nap this afternoon, but opted for eating lunch with friends instead (must renegotiate delegation of power to my stomach). So since I've got a few free minutes, I might as well post about my morning, because it was an interesting one.

Our class has been asked to work in a consulting capacity for the U.S. Navy with regards to marketing materials, specifically those targeting medical professionals, where they have the most trouble recruiting. Yesterday we had a looooong presentation (not due to the presenters, but rather to my classmates, who don't all think before they speak and speak entirely too much) on current Navy advertising, as well as an overview of the problem and a run-through of how the current slogan ("accelerate your life") was obtained. And today we visited a naval base to the north of us to talk to the people there and get a feel for why they chose Navy life. So my primary motivation for going may not have been academic (there's nothing like a man in uniform), but I had never been to a naval base before and could only expect what I'd seen in movies (encouraging, isn't it? But I'll save my pop culture rant for later. If you're interested in a funny commentary on the music industry, however, check one out here.) I was assured by the enlisted men I talked to that life in the military is not the depersonalized, robotic and verbally abused existence movies portray it as, and learned a lot about men and women that were really excited about what they were doing with their lives, to the point where I asked myself a couple times, could I? (always answered with a resounding no, as my chosen profession is not reflected in the Navy- that's why we're doing this project now. Plus, seriously, me in the Navy? That's not a departure I'm willing to make.)

We were asked to arrive at 0900 hours, and in the spirit of military punctuality (which I should experience at least once just to say I did it) we all met at school an hour before and drove up together, by which I mean we all left at the same time and never saw each other again. Somehow, one group managed to show up half an hour late. I get the feeling we may not be invited back.

At any rate, the morning was educational enough to make up for having to experience it on three hours of sleep, but I'm somewhat pessimistic about the mandatory writing workshop I have to attend this afternoon, which I doubt I would take to in even the best of moods. Riding my bike through 20 degree weather isn't a good start either. But I suppose being a responsible adult means I need to put up with shit like this; more on how to fake being a responsible adult coming soon.