Pat Hawks

27

Pat Hawks — 2013-04-18T00:00:00-05:00

Now this is how to celebrate a birthday! flic.kr/p/eciodB
— Pat Hawks (@PatHawks) April 18, 2013

Baie aux Prunes

Pat Hawks — 2013-02-14T22:00:00-06:00

Retaking the ACT ten years later

Pat Hawks — 2013-02-13T00:43:00-06:00

After being “out of the classroom” for several years, I have decided to retake the ACT.¹

So most of the learning I’ve done for years has been directly related to my occupation, web development.

Oh sure, once in a while I’ll visit a museum or something and get really interested in history/astronomy/aviation/etc. for a time, but it would be nice to have more of a rigid curriculum to guide my studies. It seems like a good place to start would be with all the stuff I should have learned in high school.

With this in mind, today I waded through the 45 minute process of signing up online to take the ACT again this summer.

The first snag I hit was when the website alerted me that it could not find any record of me previously taking the test.
After a good deal of frantically clicking around, I discovered that only test scores from 2007-present are available online.
Well, fine. I guess I can always order my previous test scores by sending a written request and a check for $32 through snail mail to the ACT office, and wait six business days for processing.

The second speed bump was when the registration process asked me to list every class I took in high school and what grade I got in each class. Not only do I have absolutely no idea, but it’s a bit difficult for me to even imagine what they would need with such information.
My guess is that they’d like to sell it to colleges and groups offering scholarships so that they can send me “targeted offers” that I may be qualified for.
I just left that section blank. Perhaps I’ll be able to request a copy of my high school transcript next time I’m in Des Moines, though I’m not exactly sure how I would explain that one to the guidance counselors.

The next - somewhat related - snag was when I was asked to supply up to five colleges or institutions where I would like a copy of my final scores to be sent.
Yeah, I guess I’m the only one who has ever wanted to take the ACT just for fun, but I really can’t think of anybody else who would be interested in receiving a copy of my scores.

Next, I had to answer all sorts of questions about what I plan to study in college.
Right…

The good news is that I was finally able to register, and am scheduled to take the ACT in June, so we’ll see what happens.

While ACT was originally an abbreviation of American College Testing, it no longer stands for anything at all. It’s just the name of the test.
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Merry New Year!!

Katie — 2013-01-03T05:03:00-06:00

My new years resolution is to hang out with my siblings all the time.

Christmas Eve at Sea

Pat Hawks — 2012-12-24T18:43:00-06:00

Christine and I are now on the second full day of our cruise.

We started our journey by flying from Sint Maarten to Puerto Rico.

We got to Puerto Rico a day early, so we got to spend some time visiting Old San Juan. There were some very nice older buildings, and some children playing in a fountain. Two old forts are part of a US National Historic Site.

We then boarded our ship and set sail for our first port of call, St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.

We didn't spend too much time in St. Thomas; instead, we boarded a ferry to head for the small island of St. John.
We went on a very nice nature hike in St. John, which lead us to a beautiful, secluded beach where Christine went snorkeling and I took a nap in a hammock.

Tomorrow (Christmas), we will be in St. Lucia.
Everybody on the ship is very excited for Christmas; many people are whistling Christmas carols as they walk down the hall.

Last night, Christine (with my help :p ) came in third place in a Name That Flag trivia contest.

We are having a very good time. The only white we will be seeing this Christmas will be the tops of the waves as we sail along.

UPDATE

Katie — 2012-11-26T20:31:00-06:00

My name is Patrick and I never post funny cat stories anymore.

Love from,
Katie

(reminding you that I have the power of the blog)

Anguilla & Saba

Pat Hawks — 2012-03-26T23:16:00-05:00

Over the weekend, Christine and I visited the neighboring island of Anguilla for some much needed R&R.

Anguilla has a much different feel than Sint Maarten. There are fewer people spread out over more land; not that the island itself is too much larger, but there aren't any mountains to get in the way of development.

The island is much quieter and laid back than the (metaphorical and literal) constant traffic jam that is Sint Maarten. The beaches are cleaner and less crowded, the roads are better maintained, and the people are much friendlier.

This weekend was also the first time somebody outright told me that they couldn't understand my accent. I had to spell my name 5 times for the poor receptionist at the hotel. This was especially surprising to me, as I could understand her accent much more easily than that of most people in Sint Maarten.

Anguilla even had a different feel from Saba, the other island we've explored.

With miles of mountain hiking trails, Saba always feels like it's just getting ready for the next adventure.

The people in Saba are all quite active hikers, and have plenty of suggestions for nice day hikes.
I suppose you'd have to be an active hiker to live in Saba; it's not like there's much else to do :p

Even the airport looks awesome.
This photo was not taken from an airplane, but from a scenic overlook on Mt. Scenery.

All in all, Christine and I are adjusting quite well to Caribbean life.