I sat down and decided to write an entry tonight but I feel like I've forgotten how to dictate.  I've been moving so fast this summer that I haven't really played with the thought about getting it down.I've met such a wide base of people that provide me with something to do every night of the week, both when I get home and at night when people go out.  We have a pool and gorgeous weather, which allows even leisurely activity to be enjoyable.  I haven't traveled but to Chicago for a weekend, where I discovered girls and drink prices that were a bit out of the ordinary.  The Peoria nightlife doesn't seem to suit everyone, but I find everything about it perfect.  We have a city-scape when entering downtown from all angles without the horrendous traffic of a larger city.  We have a water-front along with a lengthy main strip with bars on either side.  This all means of course that I'm not saving money the way I came here to.I bought my plane ticket for The Netherlands and have gradually picked up details about the trip.  They tell me that 17 people have entered the program and I will be the sole representative of the USA.  That's my favorite fact surrounding the experience, by far.  I leave for this little endeavor August 16th... Complete Journal

Ok, so here's the low down.  I drove eight hours from Iron Mountain to Peoria, IL last Saturday.  I moved into a series of six buildings, each with apartments, filled with 230 other Caterpillar interns, located on the grounds of Illinois Central College (ICC).  Each building has an RA and rules very much like on campus dorms at Tech or other schools.  However, there is no alcohol allowed on campus.  This of course doesn't stop anyone and we've been dealing with the blow just fine.  Saturday night was dedicated to moving in, Sunday was for unpacking and playing.  My roommate plays ultimate frisbee and is very neat, so we have no problem what so ever.  Strange fact:  he is the sixth of seven children with the eldest being a sister and the youngest being a brother (sounds familiar).  I met two others besides my roommate that run with me after work each day.  There is always a game of basketball going on if I choose to participate, which I frequently do.  Monday was a whole day of orientation where 400 intern's heads bobbed as we tried to stay awake through speech after speech regarding CAT policies, procedures, etc...  I finally met my Marketing pals on Tuesday and was/am please to find that I work with peopel of primarily the female gender.  The only guy was actually chosen as my mentor.  My CAT Mentor:  his name is Brian, but he is appropriately named "The Mayor".  He has earned this name through his political behavior in the way that he walks around the office all day as though he is leading a campain to be elected to the next available position.  Hand shakes and sincere greetings are his strong suits, but i'm sure he could handle baby kissing given the opportunity.  So, this man is my "mentor", thus I will strive to be like him.  So I spent the first two days following his lead and basically emulating his ways of business.  The rest of the week was filled with random tasks handed down to me by my two supervisors, whom compete for my time, and going to the bar with the many wonderful interns I have begun to meet around me.  This job has by far exceeded my expectations and has given me a sense of "what i'd like to do when i grow up".  As a flag reminder to myself in the future:  I would like to be a marketing sales rep.I can really only compare this experience to my time in Italy.  That being the only other time I have been presented with so many opportunities for fun, however with a larger emphasis on sports here.  And thus my summer of '07 in Peoria has begun.I appologize for those of you that don't like reading a calender of events such as this one.  The primary purpose of this blog is of course to record my life so that I will be less likely to forget it, with a secondary emphasis on entertaining those that wander here.

It's time to move.  I leave for Iron Mountain in the morning.  Goodbye Houghton, we had our fun.