Category: Week 2

I got up this morning and went to breakfast only to find that they decided to close early, with no warning. There myself and several others stared through the window and the closed gate. We could see the coffee and all the food with no way to get in. Joris (Belgium ) was able to talk an employee into giving us a coffee cup so we could make some cereal.

Me, Martin (Las Vegas), Leonie (Australia) and Joris (Belgium) making the most of a coffee cup, spoon and cereal.

We took an afternoon trip down to Mt. Vernon today. Very impressive. It was amazing to see George Washington’s home and property. The tour and museum was very well done.

After Mt. Vernon we stopped by the Marine Corps War Memorial. What a great tribute to the Marine Corps.

Well it’s Friday off week two and the fitness instructors did not disappoint. I sure didn’t feel like getting out of bed but once I did, they got the blood flowing. Courtney always does a great job of setting up something challenging. Four days of PT this week. I’m looking forward to the 3 day weekend.

Class 275 section 2 after our workout.

Had the chance to visit the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) unit here on the base. It was an awesome training facility that many of us were envious of. Air support, indoor tactical shoot house, sniper ranges, rappel wall, short ranges and many of their other assets.

The memorial in the bottom left photo is a memorial made to acknowledge K9s that have been killed in the line of duty.

Started off the morning with my Navigating Leadership Crises class. We had a surprise field trip and went to Hogan’s alley. Hogan’s alley is a whole town that’s strictly used for training. Each of us had the opportunity to run through a live scenario where we encountered an armed aggressor that forced us to tactically address the threat. Hogan’s alley is definitely a great training aid for law enforcement. I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience it briefly.

Was walking back from class yesterday and went by the academy store where I saw this Yeti coffee cup staring at me. I decided to stop in and make the impulsive purchase. The good thing is, my coffee no longer gets cold.

After lunch we listened to a great lecture from Aaron Likens, author of Finding Kansas. He is a well known speaker that was diagnosed with Aspergers at the age of 20. He offered great insight, for law enforcement, on Autism and Aspergers. Very valuable to the profession.

Finished up the day in my wellness class discussing Spirituality v. Religion in law enforcement. Interesting discussion and glad to see that we can still have these kind of meaningful higher level discussions.

Hit the gym before dinner and was able to knock out 15 miles on the bike and 2100 meters on the rower. Only 250 miles left to finish the challenge. Dinner was good tonight. Had some salmon with rice and potato soup. I might have had a Rice Krispies treat too.

Headed into town tonight and the wet snow has started to fall again tonight.

Had a relaxing night out with some great guys from New Jersey, Kansas City, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. It’s really cool to talk with other managers from around the country.

So we had our first fitness challenge today. Every Wednesday the whole class gets together and participates in a new fitness challenge. I don’t want to say the fitness instructors are evil but they do seem to enjoy our agony. I look forward to the future fitness challenges.

After lunch we had our class photos and yearbook pictures. The photos were taken by sections. There are 5 sections and my sections is group 2. Everyone was dressed up for the occasion. We took advantage of the opportunity to grab some nice photos.

FBINA section 2 roommates!

Imer Chavez (LAX) and I.

Tonight, after dinner, we had a patch and challenge coin trading event. There was a great turnout and I was able to collect quite a few patches and coins. It was very cool to see all the different agencies represented and see all the different patches. Below are some photos of the event and my swag. I know what you are thinking, what a beautiful comforter!! Don’t be jealous but that’s what I sleep under every night.

Woke up early this morning having physical training first thing. I’m not a fan of early PT but sometimes it works out that way. The instructors are pretty good at getting your heart rate up, and keeping it up. I have PT four times this week so it will be a long week. I am enjoying it though. my roommate Dave is below showing off his side plank form.

Went to lunch today and for some reason the dessert section called my name a little more today. Normally I’m not attracted to this section as much. But in the end, I went with the Rice Krispies treat. They do a great job feeding us here.

I finished off the night with 2100 meters of rowing sprints. My suite partner, Martin, talked me into it. Tough workout. If that wasn’t bad enough, he talked me into shooting for the black brick, in addition to the red brick and yellow brick. So tonight I began my endeavor to ride 275 miles. I got 10 miles in tonight, so only 265 miles left. 🚴‍♀️💨

Woke up this morning to find out that all of our classes were canceled due to the snow. The base was closed due to the storm. Guess that means breakfast, gym and school work for me today. I am hoping to knock out my 5 page paper for emotional intelligence today.

After breakfast, I made it down to the cardio room for some more rowing. I was able to knock another 4,600 meters off the challenge. Now I only have 38, 246 meters to go. I am finding some enjoyment in rowing. I have never really had the opportunity to do this type of exercise.

I sat with one of the FBI counselors for breakfast and he filled me in on a great place to get work done. I took his advice and found the Lincoln room, which was nice and quiet. Great place to read and write. The view is not bad either.

After a long day hitting the books we decided to go out for sushi and a little bowling with the class. It’s is still cold out but my bowling was on fire. 🔥🔥

Me and the boys. Left to right, there’s Harold (Texas), Josh, Me, Bill (All LA), Tjorvi (Iceland), and Dave (Michigan)

I woke this morning having finished my first full week. The first week seemed long but it actually went by fast. I am kind of in the groove now and have met some great people and received some great instruction. I look forward to the upcoming weeks.

When I got up this morning, the snow from last night continued into the morning. As a result the marine base was classified as “Code Red” which means the base is shutdown due to weather. below is the view from room.

I don’t mind the snow, especially coming from CA. I guess with the base shut down and the weather, I will be doing some homework, going to the gym and watching some football. I am glad I did my laundry early because the washers and dryers have been hard to get this weekend.

I got some homework done, made some calls to family members, took some photos and got a little closer to the red brick challenge 🧱 for rowing. I only have 42,870 meters to go to accomplish this goal. It’s is so beautiful and tranquil here when it is snowing.