<p>Well, I wish they'd been that attentive when I was there. Unless you were keeling over, no one cared.</p>
<p>Typical, though. Why spend $1 on prevention when there's a perfectly good $100 cure available? :rolleyes:</p>
<p>I sent my mid (and her roommate) down pillows and down throws after the academic year began.</p>
<p>What are they made of now? They were down (don't know the quality) when I was there. It was a PITA when the feathers would pop through the pillow.</p>
<p>Now that you mention pillows..... :D</p>
<p>If the pillows continue to be the feather-filled ones, use the following technique to have a perfect pillow for an entire semester:</p>
<p>1) Take the pillow out of the pillowcase.</p>
<p>2) Hold the pillow in both hands by the zipper end, and swing it over your head and into your legs so as to get all the stuffing into one half of the pillow. It may take two or three whacks. Strike the pillow on the FLAT SIDE against your shins, not the narrow side!</p>
<p>3) Fold the unfilled half of the pillow tick over the stuffed half. The zipper should come to within 2 or thee inches of the opposite end. You should now have a pillow that is perky, about 5 inches thick, and nearly square.</p>
<p>4) Holding the pillow in this arrangement, use masking tape to tape the pillow into its current shape. Two strips perpendicular to the zipper, and two in parallel. The tape should go all the way around the pillow in each strip. Use YELLOW masking tape so it won't show through the pillow case.</p>
<p>5) Once the pillow is taped, ensure that there are no wrinkles. You should now have what looks like a very ugly but very firm and squared-away cushion for a sofa.</p>
<p>6) Insert the pillow into the pillowcase such that the folded front of the pillow goes in first. The width of the pillow should be exactly that of the pillowcase. Move the pillow to the extreme end of the pillowcase. Half the pillowcase should be empty.</p>
<p>7) Flip this mess over so the fold is up and the zipper is toward you. take the bottom half of the empty end of the pillowcase and fold it INWARD ON ITSELF. Carry this fold all the way around the loose end until all the material is INSIDE the pillowcase along with the pillow. Reach inside the resulting hole with both hands and smooth the folded-in material so it is flat and wrinkle-free along the bottom. NO WRINKLES! The loose end of the pillowcase should reach almost to the other end of the pillowcase.</p>
<p>8) Flip pillow over, tap the top to flatten a bit, and square away the corners. Place on rack with hole down and back.</p>
<p>Bingo! An instant, nearly-perfect, almost indestructible pillow that you can sleep on (I love thick, firm pillows), and when you need to make your rack, you just fluff and flatten a bit (to regain what little shape it may have lost), and square the corners on. Takes all of five seconds.</p>
<p>The procedure above can be done in less than 90 seconds. </p>
<p>Enjoy, and sweet dreams! ;)</p>
<p>No sleeping bags for plebe summer...I won't say exactly why, but...</p>
<p>Sheets come off every morning!</p>
<p>Heh, heh.....</p>
<p>No sleeping on top, eh? ;)</p>
<p>Rack Races at 0545 are going to be a PITA for us short guys...;)...one of the drawbacks to the elevated racks, IMHO. During my CVW my mid let me sleep in his rack and in the morning I literally fell off trying to get down (no ladders on his rack). Should be quite the learning experience. :)</p>
<p>Thank you for ALL the info. As always, CC crew comes through! :D</p>
<p>Z- thanks for the "pillow talk" ;)</p>
<p>Need to add the bic lighter to the list - had it written down somewhere!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Rack Races at 0545 are going to be a PITA for us short guys...;)...one of the drawbacks to the elevated racks, IMHO. During my CVW my mid let me sleep in his rack and in the morning I literally fell off trying to get down (no ladders on his rack). Should be quite the learning experience. :) ---fiterace87
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I year ya, man. I used the foothold next to the drawer and still had to use the top of the desk to get on top. I remember a few guys (who hadn't seen the foothold) jumping and clambering to get on top. It was great climbing practice. In the morning, I almost slipped off trying to get down. I guess I could've used a parachute or something. So, I guess no sleeping on the safe cold floor is allowed? ;)</p>
<p>This is my take on all these questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Sun screen
They give it to you and you only really use it before you go sailing because they give you time to put it on. Other then that, you wont have time to apply and anyways, putting on sun screen will be the last thing you think about while getting ready in the morning.</p></li>
<li><p>vitamins and any OTC meds
You can send mulit-vitamins, but basically nothing else. If you send advil or anything like that, they will probably take it away from you because they would rather have you get to medical then to "take care of it your self"</p></li>
<li><p>Sending stuff like Gold Bond or other anti-chaffing powder
Definitely. You might not need it, but putting it on your feet or "else where" if you develup an uncomfertable rash can make life much better. I didn't use it because I didn't have any. It would have been nice on my feet because you want to keep them as dry as possible. Plebe summer destroyed my feet in every way and this little bit would have helped I'm sure.</p></li>
<li><p>Small flashlight
No. They will take it away if they see it in your care package, and it's not worth the rick of using it. The cadre check on you all the time at night and you have to sleep with your door open. If you use it to read or write letters at night in your rack, and you get caught, your life will get a lot worse then it already is, real fast.</p></li>
<li><p>comforter/sleeping bag
Definitely not during plebe summer. It's fine during the Ac year, just know that you have to stuff it up in a cubby every morning so that only your perfectly made rack with issued sheets remains. No one sleeps under their sheets again after plebe summer.</p></li>
<li><p>Mouse traps
Don't send during the summer. I wouldn't have had time to deal with mouse traps and I wouldn't have even really cared. As long as you don't leave food out or make a big mess and don't clean it up, no mice will bother you.</p></li>
<li><p>Waterproof boot liners
I don't really know what these are, but I would say don't worrie about it. At the very least, without them, you will have the same boot problems as all your classmates so you will all be at the same advantage.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>P.S. The summer is ALL about working together. It sucks just as much for the guy next to you to fail as it does for you to fail. Don't do anything to try to shine or get ahead of your shipmates because you will get called out on it, and thats not fun either.</p>
<ol>
<li>Sunglasses?
Definitely not during the summer, no matter how nice it would have been to have them. I have a pair here with me, and I have never worn them in uniform even though I used to wear them all the time back home. Send a pair during the Ac year and let the mid decide if they want to wear them or not. They are nice for football games.</li>
</ol>
<p>hope that helps a bit.</p>
<p>As for the lighter, if you can send one over the summer and the cadre let the mid keep it, its very useful. Good for taking off IPs and shining shoes. I would not take it out and let the cadre see it unless you ask first if you can use it, or they show you how to fire shine your shoes and pass around their own lighter to use. So basically, its not really important to have, but if you can get one and not get in trouble with it, it's good. Don't burn IPs off white shirts. Only camies and blues. Also, during the AC year, definitely get a lighter. Also get your self a big, nice smelling candle from the mid store. It makes your room smell nice and every one like you.</p>
<p>And for getting up and down from your rack, it's really not that hard. Just face your rack, use your chair, then desk and then roll one leg over the rack and roll on.
To get down, face away from rack, slide down easy till you hit the desk, then go to chair, then floor. You get used to it real fast. Also, leave your chair pushed out at night so it is still in a good place to get down from in the morning.</p>
<p>Thanks - KeepOn!
If we can just get the rest of this paperwork done now. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>See you all soon. :)</p>
<p>we're mailing in our 2 envelopes today...one to the med people and one to the admissions people!!!! We're 95% done with the paperwork requests....yipee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>You DID make copies didn't you peskemom?! ;)</p>
<p>Sierra's going for rest of shots Tues./Wed. I'll be glad to get this stuff sent too!</p>
<p>We sent our packet out last week, certified. I have since received confirmation that it was delivered. We made copies of everything and plan on bringing the copies to I-Day just in case.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You are making me nervous about what lies ahead :) . Our daughter still has not received her permit to report. The Academy said they mailed it but what that really means is that it left their office, then it is sent to a location in Washington, DC for actually mailing so . . . we wait.</p>
<p>Thanks to all who responded to this thread. I am beginning to gather all the necessaries so I can send them in that all-important first package. This is all very different from last year when we sent our oldest daughter to college -- the burning question was whether she and her roommate would agree on a sheet/comforter set.</p>
<p>On a brighter note, our family received an invitation today for a gathering sponsored by the local parents' group. It will be held in mid-June and sounds like it will be fun and informative.</p>
<p>Finally, our daughter started her AP exams today -- I know she has plenty of company out there. Good luck to all the other future mids over these next two weeks.</p>
<p>Welcome flunsa!</p>
<p>A couple things you can do while "waiting" (you have to love it!), get childhood shot records in order, get first round of Hep A & B shots, Tetanus booster, Menactra, & skin TB test.</p>
<p>You'll also be getting a form for glasses if your mid needs.</p>
<p>Check out earlier post "Immunizations", it will answer a lot of your questions.</p>
<p>Lots of good people and info floating around on CC. ;)</p>
<p>See you soon! GO NAVY!!! :D</p>
<p>Speaking of getting down from your rack during plebe summer, my roommate when to get down onto her desk and fell on her back onto the hard floor...i just stood there in shock and then ran into the hallway screaming for a cadre...she turned out to be ok, but it was not fun...so be careful...ive almost fallen several times...you will get used to it though...before long youll be a pro get-out-of-rack-er.</p>
<p>wvdad, never fear, copies were made of everything!!!</p>
<p>And yes, this week there's AP Stats and Calc BC coming...can't remember if AP Gov/Eng/Bio comes this week or next...but prayers are being sent up for all our kiddos exams!</p>
<p>We attended the San Diego County Parents' USNA club on saturday. What a privelege to meet other families with young people using their talents, intellect, gifts to prepare to serve our nation as a Naval Officer. It was humbling and moving. We are truly blessed, thank you Jesus.</p>
<p>Gov is next tuesday, English Lang was this morning, English Lit is thursday, bio is next monday :)</p>
<p>Peskemom - I may have to see if your parents club will "adopt" us. Doesn't seem to be much activity with our state's usna club. Only listing on the site is the president's email address - that's it. </p>
<p>Hey, no problem, that's what CC USNA PARENTS CLUB is all about! :D</p>
<p>In fact we haven't heard from any of our senators or congressmen outside the one call that Sis had recieved her appointment. Must be the hills - hard traveling you know :rolleyes:</p>
<p>We sent out thank you letters almost three weeks ago, so they should know anyway.</p>
<p>Good luck and know prayers are with all those "suffering" through finals/AP exams.</p>