Pode Ser

Portuguese for literally: To be able to be.  Usually it's said when you don't want to say yes, and you don't want to hold back enough to say maybe.  You say, "[It] can be."

Currently, struggling to stay focused enough to succeed in TBOLC.  Next week we have the Terminal Exam (about boats and those sorts of terminals... not terminal illness).  We also have to turn in our Battle Analysis... a paper which is an absolute steaming pile of crap with a strange format and confusing instructions.  I think it is possible to complete it successfully, but it's a cross between an outline and a paper.  It's supposed to be about three or four typed pages and with maps a good several.  It's got to have Chicago style footnotes, but it's split up into these wonky sections that make no sense.  A sentence introduction.  A second paragraph that is a monster that you still divide with the good ol' bullet format as follows:

I. Paragraph Dois

1. Sub-Subject of Paragraph Dois - Um

          a. Sub-Sub-Subject of the Sub-Subject - omfg

But we've got use full sentences like college graduates.  But it's still just... confusing and way outta left field, even for the Army, even for TRADOC in the Army.

By the way to all you non-Army types: TRADOC is Training Doctrine.  It's basically the less realistic, obsessive compulsive, nerdy little brother of the sort of stuff you apply in Combat.  It's very details oriented and can drive a person with common sense mad.  It's a good test of your ability to adapt and overcome though... just in a very different arena than that of down range.

Anyway, shortly after this is the informal memo.  Now I should already have that done, and I'll get on it... soon.  But there seemed to be an awful lot of complaints about that assignment and I don't really understand.  There's one format, the instructions are a little confusing sometimes... but really it's just one document with one standard.  The application of that standard may be more or less strict depending how much help we enlist as a class, but in reality there is really only one standard and there cannot be that many points deducted for the style of our memorandum.  If it's clear, to the point, and obeys the rules of grammar - basically the opposite of what you're reading now - than the grade should be okay.  And if they're graded to a strict standard... well everyone will be held to that standard so there shouldn't be any feelings of resentment on this one.  That's how I feel now anyway, I'm sure when I get my grubby little informal memo back I'll cry foul play if I think I was slighted.  Still, I'll try to go into this one not quite so frustrated as I am with the Battle Analysis.

Only 10-ish more weeks of this.  Oh TBOLC... can we make this work?  Pode ser.  Pode ser.