1/25/13

Today our instructor was Dr. Dorcia Chaison from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources @ M.S.U.  Dr. Chaison developed the REAP  Program ( Retention, Engagement & Academic Performance) which is designed to help students become more successful in their studies. We discussed goal setting, note taking, time management and other related topics. For some of us this was a refresher course, for others it was new material. We discussed what was presented over lunch and many of the guys wondered what this had to do with meat cutting. A lot of the material we will be covering isn't directly related to this field but may be of value as we move forward.  Some of the students think it's a waste of time while others don't.  To me it's very simple, take what you can use and don't worry about the rest. You never know what may come in handy down the road. Once we get to M.S.U. we will get our fill of meat cutting.

After our morning class we all headed to the dining center for lunch. Now I haven't talked much about the food but let me tell you it's fantastic. We have had pork tenderloin, shrimp, steak, stir fry and always a large variety of desserts to choose from ( in later posts I'll have pics for you and of our living arrangements). When we were finished with lunch, Chef Josh Boiser took us through the kitchen. He discussed the way they store and handle meat and other food products. We had some fun with it and the staff here is fantastic.

We finished our day meeting one on one with Tom just to make sure everyone is doing okay and if there are any concerns.  We also receive a small stipend, which for me goes for laundry and smokes(still working on that habit but as Tim McGraw sang I'm not as good as I want to get but I'm better then I used to be).