"Arrived off Catalina about 9:30. We drove pretty much the entire length, coming up the east side (the LA side), then turned back to roughly the middle of the island (north of Avalon, south of Two Harbors) where we've been going in circles since as cadets practice rubber docking. Hazy sun (can't see the mainland), and even a few sprinkles before lunch from a little summer monsoon moisture.
"As we were heading up the island, a group of about 10 jet skis blasting their way from Long Beach to Avalon cut right under the bow of the ship. It looked like a couple came within 10 yards. The ship twice blew the 'I'm preparing to run you down' alarm on the big horn (5 short blasts), but the skidiots (how's that for a new word!) weren't impressed. Otherwise, quite a
bit of small boat traffic, this being a summer Sunday, but the others have managed to keep their distance.
"I've learned from the officers what they call 'the law of gross tonnage.' That's a euphemism for 'might makes right.' We're a hell of a lot bigger than you, and we ain't stopping.
"Cadets by the dozen (and a few faculty) lined the rails with cell phones this morning as we came within range of the cell-phone antennas at Avalon. It was quite a sight.
"Two finals down, one to go on Monday. The girl with the 'gentleman's D' in oceanography did, as anticipated, fail astronomy. An exam score truly beyond the pale, literally no better than random guessing on 90 multiple choice and a whopping 3 out of 10 points on two short answer questions. I've rarely seen a more honestly earned F. Wouldn't you love to be the fly on the wall when she reports home to Mom and Dad?
"Stacy didn't rescheduled her slide show, so I and half the Cal Poly students (who were taking my astronomy exam) missed it. Many of them, though, are in her Cultural Anthropology class and have heard quite a bit about it.
"Graduation tonight, at 6:30, for the 'class of one.' Wind has been picking up, so I'll have to bundle up warmly to sit out on the patio deck for awhile. Otherwise, trying to push my way through a couple of chapters of editing, although I have no great enthusiasm."
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