Busy weekend on campus - Friday was the deadline for Global Studies and Maritime Affairs Senior Thesis, which is our equivalent of the mates exam, and so Thursday night we were all up late trying to get it done. Mine, a whopping 57 pages, was turned it at approximately 0635 hours Friday morning. To celebrate, there were a number of parties, but pretty much everyone showed up at Heather and Alicia's post thesis/birthday party which merged with the last rugby social of the year at Brett's place. It was an amazing party, probably one of the last big "college parties" i'll really get to, so I'm glad I decided to go.

And now....it is Saturday. Which means that it is changeover. I don't know if I've blogged about changeover before, but it's a longstanding tradition around here. The idea is this: At the end of the year, right before mates exams, the graduating seniors (1st class cadets or midshipmen) are relieved of their duties to the corps, and to celebrate this, they have a big formal dance. It's kind of like prom around here. It's a big deal, and we get kicked out of almost every place we have it since you know how sailors party. I say almost because we actually managed to reserve the same place this year. SHOCK. At any rate, the actual changeover represents the changing over of the corps of cadets leadership to new people, and everyone collectively rising in rank. The ceremony was at the beginning of march, but since the corps is lame, we are having the dance now instead of then.

I have been sleeping in curlers, y'all. This is serious business - I didn't even do that for prom!

In equally exciting but less positive news, the secret service raided a certain pair of cadets today for counterfeiting and for cocaine sales. Way to give us a good name guys. While I hate to see any body's life ruined, I'm not unhappy that this happened - people like that can't be trusted and frankly, I don't want them in the industry. That behaviour gets people killed. We already have the most dangerous industry in America; more people die a year in the maritime industry than even in mining. I read a statistic once about the cost of life for every ton of cargo brought into this country, and it was chilling. Safety is fucking paramount because lives are at risk and there is only so much you can control when you are at the mercy of the sea. People who you can't trust, who make decisions like that, quite literally get people killed. It isn't a joke, it's not funny, it's the lives of the people you are with and that isn't something that should be taken lightly.