I made you a wildly entertaining, multimedia, Pulitzer-prize-winning blog post somewhere, full of cool things like January Hat Trick Goals and warping boards and attempting to warp a table loom for the first time (Karen, that book ROCKS! Thank you for the recommendation!!) and how I'm so not cool for forgetting about knitting group this past week and can't go next week because of class on base and how I have yarn to get rid of and how I almost have my apartment redone the way I want it and how I'm saving up for a big screen TV because I want something nice to watch the Olympics on (okay, other reasons, too, but priorities!) and how I'm sick of the rain and the power outages (seriously, I've lost power at least once EVERY DAY THIS WEEK. It's getting really old!)...
...but I eated it.
*All I have instead is this - California, you do the sunshine thing really well, and are even pretty decent at earthquakes, wildfires, fog, wind, mudslides and floods. However, three claps of thunder and a handful of lightning bolts do not a thunderstorm make. I understand that practice makes perfect, but you've been practicing off and on all week and it hasn't gotten any better. Go back to doing what you're good at, please, and leave the real thunderstorms to the professionals. Thank you.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Catching Up
So I finally get a chance to share again! First off, I have to brag. My mom did her first half-marathon yesterday! Congrats!!
As far as MY trip, I totally lucked out in the fibery/crafty department over the holidays. None of these were actually Christmas gifts*, but they followed me back West anyway.
This quilt was made by my great-grandmother many years ago. My grandma gave it to me last week, and she remembers the dresses the fabric scraps for the quilt came from. It's nice to have something of Great-Grandma's here in California, of all places, with me. It's also an extremely well-made and warm quilt! Yay me!
*Okay, so this one actually was a Christmas present...nineteen years ago.
When I was about nine or ten, my grandparents did a lot of rag rug weaving. They have several floor looms, but I was usually too small for those, so my grandfather built this 4-harness table loom for me (the apron has my name and the Christmas year on it). Between a lack of space at my parents' house and insane shipping costs to California, it's stayed at my grandparents' house, occasionally used, all these years. I'm really excited to have it back and to be playing with my new toy all over again!
I've been playing around with the cotton warp that was already on there and some plain old Red Heart yarn. I'm a bit nervous about warping the thing by myself, so I've just been figuring out different harness patterns. For some reason, though, I can't seem to do a twill pattern. The treadles won't move in that pattern, and I'm not sure why. I will have to keep working on that. I'm going to try to head down to Solvang when Village Spinning and Weaving reopens and see if they have any classes or suggestions or something.
I also came home with a bit more projects and a bit less yarn (okay, not counting the bag of yarn my grandma gave me from a friend of hers' stash):
A New Angle afghan is starting to look pretty cool, if I do say so myself. And I do! You can really start to see the optical illusion of the pattern, which has been fun. It's turned into great hockey-watching knitting, because it's just garter stitch and I don't have to look at my hands. Ironically, my actual project for my hockey KAL (the Puck This! Ravelry group's "January Hat Trick") is not good hockey-watching knitting. It was originally supposed to be a Fake Isle Hat, but my colorwork tension isn't good enough to make it look nice, so I decided to go with just a plain checkerboard pattern to practice.
I'm still trying to decide what I want to do for the Ravelympics, though. I haven't settled on anything, and part of the problem is that (as of today) I don't know exactly what my schedule is going to be. I have a guaranteed tech school seat for the one I have to do here at Vandenberg for the end of April, which will go into early June, and then straight into seasoning and full-time orders if I want them (and I do). However, I was talking to the DO today at drill, and he wants me to do the school here ASAP ("you should be doing this, like, tomorrow, Trummel!") so that I can go to a 10-week secondary school in Colorado Springs. There are only, like, three more classes for that particular school left, so this summer is really my only chance to get this training if I want it. It isn't necessary to do my job, but it makes me that much more knowledgeable (and marketable to contractors) and more valuable to the unit. So I am now going to be on a "okay, you're guaranteed to be here in April, but be ready to drop everything at any time before then, too" situation again. If I don't go before April, I'll knock out the instructors courses I need for the whole "my unit actually teaches active duty people" part of the mission, as well as get trained to be a PT leader and probably either go on temporary orders to help create curriculum for the courses we teach the active duty or there's also the possibility of going back to my old job as Recruiter's admin assistant again. He's offered it to me, but there are some details that still have to be worked out. I'm also starting ERAU classes up again next weekend (ASCI 602 this term), so that will give me something to do, too.
On top of all of that, the DO has decided that the entire unit needs to be able to at least walk a 10K by April, and we did a 5K today (I didn't time myself, but should have). It was definitely do-able, and I didn't break any records or anything, but the idea of doing double that is a bit intimidating. We're supposed to add a mile each drill until we do the 10K consistently. I think I'm going to start running on T/Th/Sa mornings, since those are the days that I usually only have one martial arts class in the evenings. Sir's been more than thrilled to have me back in classes to beat up, and I actually think the workouts in all the classes have gotten stepped up, so that's been fun. I'll probably start working on my form again this week, which is going to be harder than just stepping into the PT, though!
Alright, I think that catches about everyone up on the important things. The cross-country drive back wasn't too bad, although I was clearly not the only one who noticed the lack of warm weather:
I have never seen him do that before, but when we were on the road in rooms where he couldn't get under the bed to hide and it was below about 40 degrees in the mornings (outside, not inside, I'd never let a room get that cold if I had any choice in the matter!), he would bat my face until I lifted my arm to swat him away, then scurry down the opening in the sheets and curl up to sleep under the covers. I can't decide if he's smart or just spoiled. (He did surprisingly well on both the driving portions of the trip and staying at my parents, though. He eventually would come out even if there were other people around, but he startled easily. We were both very happy to get home!)
Going to TRY to make it to knitting up at Woodstone tomorrow. We'll see!
As far as MY trip, I totally lucked out in the fibery/crafty department over the holidays. None of these were actually Christmas gifts*, but they followed me back West anyway.
This quilt was made by my great-grandmother many years ago. My grandma gave it to me last week, and she remembers the dresses the fabric scraps for the quilt came from. It's nice to have something of Great-Grandma's here in California, of all places, with me. It's also an extremely well-made and warm quilt! Yay me!*Okay, so this one actually was a Christmas present...nineteen years ago.
When I was about nine or ten, my grandparents did a lot of rag rug weaving. They have several floor looms, but I was usually too small for those, so my grandfather built this 4-harness table loom for me (the apron has my name and the Christmas year on it). Between a lack of space at my parents' house and insane shipping costs to California, it's stayed at my grandparents' house, occasionally used, all these years. I'm really excited to have it back and to be playing with my new toy all over again!
I've been playing around with the cotton warp that was already on there and some plain old Red Heart yarn. I'm a bit nervous about warping the thing by myself, so I've just been figuring out different harness patterns. For some reason, though, I can't seem to do a twill pattern. The treadles won't move in that pattern, and I'm not sure why. I will have to keep working on that. I'm going to try to head down to Solvang when Village Spinning and Weaving reopens and see if they have any classes or suggestions or something.
I also came home with a bit more projects and a bit less yarn (okay, not counting the bag of yarn my grandma gave me from a friend of hers' stash):
A New Angle afghan is starting to look pretty cool, if I do say so myself. And I do! You can really start to see the optical illusion of the pattern, which has been fun. It's turned into great hockey-watching knitting, because it's just garter stitch and I don't have to look at my hands. Ironically, my actual project for my hockey KAL (the Puck This! Ravelry group's "January Hat Trick") is not good hockey-watching knitting. It was originally supposed to be a Fake Isle Hat, but my colorwork tension isn't good enough to make it look nice, so I decided to go with just a plain checkerboard pattern to practice.
I'm still trying to decide what I want to do for the Ravelympics, though. I haven't settled on anything, and part of the problem is that (as of today) I don't know exactly what my schedule is going to be. I have a guaranteed tech school seat for the one I have to do here at Vandenberg for the end of April, which will go into early June, and then straight into seasoning and full-time orders if I want them (and I do). However, I was talking to the DO today at drill, and he wants me to do the school here ASAP ("you should be doing this, like, tomorrow, Trummel!") so that I can go to a 10-week secondary school in Colorado Springs. There are only, like, three more classes for that particular school left, so this summer is really my only chance to get this training if I want it. It isn't necessary to do my job, but it makes me that much more knowledgeable (and marketable to contractors) and more valuable to the unit. So I am now going to be on a "okay, you're guaranteed to be here in April, but be ready to drop everything at any time before then, too" situation again. If I don't go before April, I'll knock out the instructors courses I need for the whole "my unit actually teaches active duty people" part of the mission, as well as get trained to be a PT leader and probably either go on temporary orders to help create curriculum for the courses we teach the active duty or there's also the possibility of going back to my old job as Recruiter's admin assistant again. He's offered it to me, but there are some details that still have to be worked out. I'm also starting ERAU classes up again next weekend (ASCI 602 this term), so that will give me something to do, too.On top of all of that, the DO has decided that the entire unit needs to be able to at least walk a 10K by April, and we did a 5K today (I didn't time myself, but should have). It was definitely do-able, and I didn't break any records or anything, but the idea of doing double that is a bit intimidating. We're supposed to add a mile each drill until we do the 10K consistently. I think I'm going to start running on T/Th/Sa mornings, since those are the days that I usually only have one martial arts class in the evenings. Sir's been more than thrilled to have me back in classes to beat up, and I actually think the workouts in all the classes have gotten stepped up, so that's been fun. I'll probably start working on my form again this week, which is going to be harder than just stepping into the PT, though!
Alright, I think that catches about everyone up on the important things. The cross-country drive back wasn't too bad, although I was clearly not the only one who noticed the lack of warm weather:
I have never seen him do that before, but when we were on the road in rooms where he couldn't get under the bed to hide and it was below about 40 degrees in the mornings (outside, not inside, I'd never let a room get that cold if I had any choice in the matter!), he would bat my face until I lifted my arm to swat him away, then scurry down the opening in the sheets and curl up to sleep under the covers. I can't decide if he's smart or just spoiled. (He did surprisingly well on both the driving portions of the trip and staying at my parents, though. He eventually would come out even if there were other people around, but he startled easily. We were both very happy to get home!)Going to TRY to make it to knitting up at Woodstone tomorrow. We'll see!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Breathing Room
I hope everyone had an excellent Christmas and is getting some quality time in to start the New Year off right!
I did make it to my parents house safely Wednesday night, after getting horribly delayed in New Mexico on Monday. (Something about a propane truck and a car getting friendly on the interstate, which then shut down said interstate for the next TEN HOURS and diverted ALL of that traffic onto little mountain roads that should never have that much traffic on it. But I digress.) Teddie was actually pretty good about the whole traveling thing. He's decided he prefers the back seat to the front, though, and he likes hotel rooms with king sized beds ("Aw, Mom! This is perfect! Where are you gonna sleep, though??"). He's been spending a lot of time under the bed here, though. It's not the extra three cats and the large Labrador that seem to bother him, it's the people. He's never been what anyone would call a sociable cat in the first place, so having a minimum of two extra people around almost constantly seems to drive him a little batty. However, we do know that he comes out at night, when no one is home, and, apparently, when I'm the only one home, as he's currently laying on my arms, which is making typing this uncomfortable.
My car, however, is in a state of shock. It's never even HEARD of this cold white wet stuff that falls from the sky and is pretty much buried out in the drive way. All you can see is the California license plate. Poor car! I'm going to dust it off in a bit and see how it handles on the roads (which aren't too bad as long as you aren't stupid), so I can go into the local YMCA and finally get a decent workout in. I'm pretty sure all I've done for the past week has been eat either holiday goodies or fast food on the road while driving, so I definitely need the workout!
I brought my New Angle afghan out with me to work on (I ended up NOT having to make slippers, yay!), and there's a pretty decent LYS in a town just south of here that I'm planning on hitting up. (She is generally my source for the Mountain Colors Twizzle, so I like her.) I also, for the first time, have the opportunity to actually bring my own loom back to California. Yes, a weaving loom. Some of us started weaving many many moons ago (like, maybe twenty years or so? When I was younger and long before the recent craze for it started anyway). My grandparents had big looms and wove rag rugs and things with them, and my grandfather built a tabletop loom for me one year for Christmas. Unfortunately, we never had enough room in my parents' house to store/use it, and I certainly didn't have the money to ship it to California when I moved out there, so it's stayed in my grandparents' basement all these years. But this year, I have my trusty car with me, with a lot of room in the back, so it will finally get to come home where it belongs. Now I want to go searching for inspiration for that craft, too!
I did make it to my parents house safely Wednesday night, after getting horribly delayed in New Mexico on Monday. (Something about a propane truck and a car getting friendly on the interstate, which then shut down said interstate for the next TEN HOURS and diverted ALL of that traffic onto little mountain roads that should never have that much traffic on it. But I digress.) Teddie was actually pretty good about the whole traveling thing. He's decided he prefers the back seat to the front, though, and he likes hotel rooms with king sized beds ("Aw, Mom! This is perfect! Where are you gonna sleep, though??"). He's been spending a lot of time under the bed here, though. It's not the extra three cats and the large Labrador that seem to bother him, it's the people. He's never been what anyone would call a sociable cat in the first place, so having a minimum of two extra people around almost constantly seems to drive him a little batty. However, we do know that he comes out at night, when no one is home, and, apparently, when I'm the only one home, as he's currently laying on my arms, which is making typing this uncomfortable.
My car, however, is in a state of shock. It's never even HEARD of this cold white wet stuff that falls from the sky and is pretty much buried out in the drive way. All you can see is the California license plate. Poor car! I'm going to dust it off in a bit and see how it handles on the roads (which aren't too bad as long as you aren't stupid), so I can go into the local YMCA and finally get a decent workout in. I'm pretty sure all I've done for the past week has been eat either holiday goodies or fast food on the road while driving, so I definitely need the workout!
I brought my New Angle afghan out with me to work on (I ended up NOT having to make slippers, yay!), and there's a pretty decent LYS in a town just south of here that I'm planning on hitting up. (She is generally my source for the Mountain Colors Twizzle, so I like her.) I also, for the first time, have the opportunity to actually bring my own loom back to California. Yes, a weaving loom. Some of us started weaving many many moons ago (like, maybe twenty years or so? When I was younger and long before the recent craze for it started anyway). My grandparents had big looms and wove rag rugs and things with them, and my grandfather built a tabletop loom for me one year for Christmas. Unfortunately, we never had enough room in my parents' house to store/use it, and I certainly didn't have the money to ship it to California when I moved out there, so it's stayed in my grandparents' basement all these years. But this year, I have my trusty car with me, with a lot of room in the back, so it will finally get to come home where it belongs. Now I want to go searching for inspiration for that craft, too!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Great American Road Trip
So the big plan was to get on the road by 0730 this morning. Unfortunately, Teddie is not packed (he claims he doesn't have a thing to wear, and doesn't believe me when I tell him he will - for once - NOT be overdressed in his long fur coat. Males!), my laptop cable has gone missing along with (as far as I can tell) a whole laundry load of dark clothes (including my FIGHT gear and some favorite pjs, that I haven't seen since I got back), and my garage door is broken. The laptop is irritating me the worst right now - I still need to get caught up on Fringe and White Collar and I'd love to re-watch Leverage, too. Mrph.
Going to try to make it to Albuqurque/Kirtland AFB today. We'll see.
Going to try to make it to Albuqurque/Kirtland AFB today. We'll see.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Knitting!
Because this IS a knitting blog (in theory, anyway), I thought I might pass on the fact that I did finally finish the Diagonal Lace Scarf last night. It's made of my absolute favorite yarn (Mountain Colors Twizzle), and pics will be up in the near future (maybe). It wasn't really made with any particular purpose in mind, but now I'm thinking I'll ship it off to a friend in Alaska. She makes me little craftsy things when the mood strikes, and somehow, I can see her with this. So once the ends get woven in (and a pic taken), this wooly silky purply goodness will probably be headed far far north. (While I can't say that I would NEVER go to Alaska, because I do hear it's beautiful, I can say it's not on my top ten vacation spot ideas. Unlike, oh, the warm Carribbean. There IS a reason I live in California, y'know. I do enjoy my 70-degrees-and-sunny December days.)
Off to make yet another pair of felted slippers. Because SOMEONE lost hers. Ahem. (Actually, I think I have to make another pair of those for my brother, too. Or did I do that last year? It kind of all blurs together.) I wonder if I have any more leather soles...
On a positive note, I think my Christmas shopping is done. (I have to see if I can find one more thing, and if I can, then I'm going to return one of the things I already bought, but if not, well, that person is stuck.) It's kind of nice to not have to ship things and pray they'll get there in time this year! (I'm packing the gifts and the cat and maybe a couple warm changes of clothes and driving out to the Midwest this year for the holidays. Various friends throughout the country are already putting dibs on my drive back West, from Louisville to Seattle. That drive should be interesting, at any rate!)
Off to make yet another pair of felted slippers. Because SOMEONE lost hers. Ahem. (Actually, I think I have to make another pair of those for my brother, too. Or did I do that last year? It kind of all blurs together.) I wonder if I have any more leather soles...
On a positive note, I think my Christmas shopping is done. (I have to see if I can find one more thing, and if I can, then I'm going to return one of the things I already bought, but if not, well, that person is stuck.) It's kind of nice to not have to ship things and pray they'll get there in time this year! (I'm packing the gifts and the cat and maybe a couple warm changes of clothes and driving out to the Midwest this year for the holidays. Various friends throughout the country are already putting dibs on my drive back West, from Louisville to Seattle. That drive should be interesting, at any rate!)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
A1C Trummel
I don't even know how to start this post. Obviously, I'm back from Basic Training. I graduated (as an honor grad, as my mother will happily tell you) on 11 December and got home to Santa Maria Monday morning. I'm kind of still in a fog, though. I'm jet-lagged, trying to get back onto West Coast time, and trying to get caught up with everyone and everything I've missed and get back into the swing of "real" life, but also trying to work in the discipline that got drilled into me over the past two months and still being so darn TIRED that nothing is really working right. I did go to classes at the dojahng Monday night, and they felt good. I am about half-decided on just writing the rest of this week off, though. I'm leaving this weekend to drive out to Illinois for the holidays, and I'm thinking that taking one week completely off of life in between won't kill me. But then I think I'm not being disciplined and feel guilty again. We'll see. (I'm also having a crazy urge to knit another Rogue, how weird is that?) I did get to spend the weekend with my parents and my brother, who all flew down to San Antonio and braved the absolutely freezing weather most of the time to watch all the ceremonies and hoopla and take pictures. (Y'all will have to wait until I get the pics from them, sorry.)
Like I said, I'm not really even sure what I want to say here. It's not like you can explain Basic Military Training to someone who hasn't done it. It's such a unique experience. People tend to either go "omg, that's horrible, why would anyone ever put themselves through that?!" or they think they understand and that it's no big deal and anyone can do it. Less than 7% of Americans ages 18-30 actually qualify for any military service. Less than 2% actually ever do it. Of those 2%, there are only 47 other people in the nation who went through the same things I did with the same people I did, and all 48 of us have our own unique viewpoints on it. How do you explain the sheer exhaustion and confusion of Zero Week, the smugness of getting your nametapes sewn onto your uniforms during Fourth Week after overcoming the obstacle course and the gas chamber, the constant awareness and weight of BEAST (Sixth Week), the studying and tutoring to help one of our girls who barely spoke English with the final written test in Seventh Week (and the tears when the whole flight cheered and mobbed her when she passed it), the sheer pride at hearing your TI call you his airmen after Retreat in Eighth Week? It really can't be explained, just experienced.
There are three things you always are at Basic. You're always hungry, you're always tired, and you're always in trouble. Basic Training is both really hard and really easy at the same time. My instructor team was very tough on us, but also very fair. Although it's part of their job to stress us to the max, they also never set us up for failure. Things were always explained, and usually you even got one chance to fix a mistake. (Heaven help you if you weren't paying attention or didn't fix it the first time, though!) As long as you maintained your military bearing, treated them with the respect and etiquette they taught you, and weren't being stupid, the TIs were mostly easy to deal with. If you just listened and did what you were told, the actual training part of BMT is easy. The hard part of BMT is living with your flight for two months. 50 females together in one room NEVER SHUT UP while they're awake (some of them don't shut up when they're asleep, either!). Someone ALWAYS has an opinion that absolutely must be shared, which usually led to arguments, which turned into screaming and cursing matches. That, for me, at least, was the hardest part of BMT - far more difficult to deal with than TIs, PT, BEAST, lack of sleep and medical mishaps combined. (Note that "lack of food" didn't make that list. After Zero Week, where it felt like you had a total of thirty seconds to eat for the whole week, you get to actually taste your food and realize that while it's not 5-star surf-n-turf, it's a heck of a lot better than regular cafeteria food, there's usually quite a variety, and portion sizes are relatively large. We burn a LOT of calories while in Basic, so you're still always hungry, but I can't think of any time where I didn't have enough to eat.)
I wrote letters to my parents explaining things as they happened, and I'm hoping they saved them, because posting them here would explain things a lot better than I could now. The hardest week for me personally was Fifth Week, not because of anything we did that week as a flight, but because that's when I was really dealing with a seriously major infection in my hand, so I was tired and sick and a little scared and really fed up with the girls arguing and that was the one time that I really thought "I can't do this anymore. I have to give up, I have to go home. I just can't do this." Of course, that passes. Life passes too quickly, and they keep you too busy, to really get bogged down in those kinds of thoughts. You just don't have time for self-pity there. It's both the longest and shortest two months of your life. There are lots of tears, but also lots of laughs. There is bitter disappointment and shining pride. I'd never do it again unless my life or a wingman's depended on it. But it's worth it.
This was one of the songs that they played every Sunday before chapel. It's John Michael Montgomery's "Letters From Home" and pretty much guaranteed to make you cry if there's ever been anyone you cared about in the military (not even males are immune). The first couple weeks, you cry because it makes you homesick, the rest of the time, you cry because you know how true it is. (It doesn't sound quite right without an Air Force "hooah!" after every time he says "letters from home", though!)
John Michael Montgomery - Letters From Home
~Sh@wn~ | MySpace Video
"My dearest son it's almost June
I hope this letter catches up with you, and finds you well.
It's been dry but they're calling for rain,
and everything's the same old same in Johnsonville.
Your stubborn old daddy ain't said too much
but I'm sure you know he sends his love."
And she goes on, in a letter from home.
I hold it up and show my buddies
like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy,
and they all laugh like there's something funny 'bout the way I talk
when I say "Mama sends her best y'all."
I fold it up and put it in my shirt,
pick up my gun and get back to work,
and it keeps me drivin' on,
waitin' on letters from home.
My dearest love it's almost dawn.
I been lying here all night long
wonderin' where you might be.
I saw your mama and I showed her the ring.
Man on the television said some things, so I couldn't sleep,
but I'll be alright, I'm just missin' you,
and this is me kissing you.
X's and O's, in a letter from home.
I hold it up and show my buddies
like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy,
and they all laugh cause she calls me "honey"
but they take it hard, cause I don't read the good parts.
I fold it up and put it in my shirt,
pick up my gun and get back to work,
and it keeps me drivin' on,
waitin on letters from home.
Dear son, I know I ain't written
and sitting here tonight alone in the kitchen it occurs to me
I might not have said it so I'll say it now.
Son, you make me proud.
I hold it up and show my buddies
like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy
but no one laughs, cause there ain't nothing funny when a soldier cries,
and I just wipe my eyes.
I fold it up and put it in my shirt,
pick up my gun and get back to work,
and it keeps me drivin' on,
waitin on letters from home.
Thank you
Like I said, I'm not really even sure what I want to say here. It's not like you can explain Basic Military Training to someone who hasn't done it. It's such a unique experience. People tend to either go "omg, that's horrible, why would anyone ever put themselves through that?!" or they think they understand and that it's no big deal and anyone can do it. Less than 7% of Americans ages 18-30 actually qualify for any military service. Less than 2% actually ever do it. Of those 2%, there are only 47 other people in the nation who went through the same things I did with the same people I did, and all 48 of us have our own unique viewpoints on it. How do you explain the sheer exhaustion and confusion of Zero Week, the smugness of getting your nametapes sewn onto your uniforms during Fourth Week after overcoming the obstacle course and the gas chamber, the constant awareness and weight of BEAST (Sixth Week), the studying and tutoring to help one of our girls who barely spoke English with the final written test in Seventh Week (and the tears when the whole flight cheered and mobbed her when she passed it), the sheer pride at hearing your TI call you his airmen after Retreat in Eighth Week? It really can't be explained, just experienced.
There are three things you always are at Basic. You're always hungry, you're always tired, and you're always in trouble. Basic Training is both really hard and really easy at the same time. My instructor team was very tough on us, but also very fair. Although it's part of their job to stress us to the max, they also never set us up for failure. Things were always explained, and usually you even got one chance to fix a mistake. (Heaven help you if you weren't paying attention or didn't fix it the first time, though!) As long as you maintained your military bearing, treated them with the respect and etiquette they taught you, and weren't being stupid, the TIs were mostly easy to deal with. If you just listened and did what you were told, the actual training part of BMT is easy. The hard part of BMT is living with your flight for two months. 50 females together in one room NEVER SHUT UP while they're awake (some of them don't shut up when they're asleep, either!). Someone ALWAYS has an opinion that absolutely must be shared, which usually led to arguments, which turned into screaming and cursing matches. That, for me, at least, was the hardest part of BMT - far more difficult to deal with than TIs, PT, BEAST, lack of sleep and medical mishaps combined. (Note that "lack of food" didn't make that list. After Zero Week, where it felt like you had a total of thirty seconds to eat for the whole week, you get to actually taste your food and realize that while it's not 5-star surf-n-turf, it's a heck of a lot better than regular cafeteria food, there's usually quite a variety, and portion sizes are relatively large. We burn a LOT of calories while in Basic, so you're still always hungry, but I can't think of any time where I didn't have enough to eat.)
I wrote letters to my parents explaining things as they happened, and I'm hoping they saved them, because posting them here would explain things a lot better than I could now. The hardest week for me personally was Fifth Week, not because of anything we did that week as a flight, but because that's when I was really dealing with a seriously major infection in my hand, so I was tired and sick and a little scared and really fed up with the girls arguing and that was the one time that I really thought "I can't do this anymore. I have to give up, I have to go home. I just can't do this." Of course, that passes. Life passes too quickly, and they keep you too busy, to really get bogged down in those kinds of thoughts. You just don't have time for self-pity there. It's both the longest and shortest two months of your life. There are lots of tears, but also lots of laughs. There is bitter disappointment and shining pride. I'd never do it again unless my life or a wingman's depended on it. But it's worth it.
This was one of the songs that they played every Sunday before chapel. It's John Michael Montgomery's "Letters From Home" and pretty much guaranteed to make you cry if there's ever been anyone you cared about in the military (not even males are immune). The first couple weeks, you cry because it makes you homesick, the rest of the time, you cry because you know how true it is. (It doesn't sound quite right without an Air Force "hooah!" after every time he says "letters from home", though!)
John Michael Montgomery - Letters From Home
~Sh@wn~ | MySpace Video
"My dearest son it's almost June
I hope this letter catches up with you, and finds you well.
It's been dry but they're calling for rain,
and everything's the same old same in Johnsonville.
Your stubborn old daddy ain't said too much
but I'm sure you know he sends his love."
And she goes on, in a letter from home.
I hold it up and show my buddies
like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy,
and they all laugh like there's something funny 'bout the way I talk
when I say "Mama sends her best y'all."
I fold it up and put it in my shirt,
pick up my gun and get back to work,
and it keeps me drivin' on,
waitin' on letters from home.
My dearest love it's almost dawn.
I been lying here all night long
wonderin' where you might be.
I saw your mama and I showed her the ring.
Man on the television said some things, so I couldn't sleep,
but I'll be alright, I'm just missin' you,
and this is me kissing you.
X's and O's, in a letter from home.
I hold it up and show my buddies
like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy,
and they all laugh cause she calls me "honey"
but they take it hard, cause I don't read the good parts.
I fold it up and put it in my shirt,
pick up my gun and get back to work,
and it keeps me drivin' on,
waitin on letters from home.
Dear son, I know I ain't written
and sitting here tonight alone in the kitchen it occurs to me
I might not have said it so I'll say it now.
Son, you make me proud.
I hold it up and show my buddies
like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy
but no one laughs, cause there ain't nothing funny when a soldier cries,
and I just wipe my eyes.
I fold it up and put it in my shirt,
pick up my gun and get back to work,
and it keeps me drivin' on,
waitin on letters from home.
Thank you
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Crossing Into the Blue
See you in nine weeks!
Prayers, thoughts, and letters are all greatly appreciated. Talk to my mom if you'd like my address while I'm gone.
Thanks for all the support and encouragement! I will miss you all until I get back!!
Prayers, thoughts, and letters are all greatly appreciated. Talk to my mom if you'd like my address while I'm gone.
Thanks for all the support and encouragement! I will miss you all until I get back!!
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Good News/Bad News
Good News:
My orders are supposed to be in by noon tomorrow and I am definitely, 100% going to Basic next week. ("You're bought and paid for, kiddo. Have fun!") I got lots of "helpful" advice over the weekend and even continuing into the week of how to best survive Basic. Frankly, I just want to get it over with. Anticipation is the worst, it's always better to just do it. Dive into the deep end and go!
Bad News:
I am sick. But I don't know what I have, other than a lot of coughing and a fever that comes and goes. I do have a slight headache, but that could also be due to either caffeine withdrawal or the fact that I just started my period, too, so I can't count that as a symptom. No upset stomach or achiness or fatigue (other than general results of Long Weekend Going Straight Into A Longer Week Syndrome and a PT test). Apparently most of the full-timers at the unit are sick - Recruiter went home early yesterday and when I stopped in to check on my orders today (I didn't actually go to work today, because of the fever, but I had a few things that had to be taken care of), the girls said both of them and the Chief were all sick, too. Yay. I don't FEEL sick most of the time, just when I'm coughing, but I also don't feel well either. All I gotta say is that it had better Go Away Fast! (My brother has already threatened me within an inch of my life if I don't graduate on time, something about vacation days burned. As much as I enjoy irritating my baby brother, I'm on his side about this one!)
Good News:
I passed the DO's test on space and JSpOC basics this weekend without studying. (Okay, I should have studied the JSpOC stuff more, because I should have gotten the highest score and didn't, much to the delight of the intel flight captain.)
Bad News:
I was one of only three people out of 18 who passed it. The student flight did an 8-hour crash course on Saturday (mostly just to see what we could handle). I lucked out in that I'd had most of it before, thanks to ERAU, but even my brain was about to explode by the end of the day and we didn't even get through all the material. Then the test was on Sunday morning. (I took it after everyone else, because I also had a PT test that morning. It's always a great morning when you get to walk into the DO's office and get "How was the test?" "I passed, Sir." "Good, pass this one.") We were kind of being guinea pigs, though, and some of the guys who just came back from tech school took it and didn't pass either. So we don't feel too bad about it. I think it was frustrating for some of them, though.
Good News:
I passed my PT test with scores good enough to not only get into, but graduate from Basic already. This is good because it means my scores will only get better during the 9 weeks I'm gone. (I missed getting a certificate by 1.25 points, sigh!) Also, my elbow didn't hurt. I mean, it wasn't thrilled, but frankly, my arms could be stronger, and it wasn't nearly the pain I used to have in it. More along the lines of "hey, wait, I'm working and I don't like work. Please stop? Well, okay, if you insist" instead of the "OMG STOP NOW OR I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS!" that it would have been even six months ago. Maybe Basic will be survivable (and the delay in going was a good thing).
Bad News:
I still have to drop two minutes off my 1.5 mile run and learn how to do a pullup (not part of the standard PT, but used at Basic) if I want to even have a chance at being an Honor Graduate (they get an extra day pass into town with family and an extra ribbon). That seems like a lot. The extra pushups and situps I'll need I'm sure will come from the daily PT, but that's a lot of time to take off a run. Hm. Also bad is that my coughing started after doing the run outdoors. We weren't allowed to run outside on base (the air quality from the fire last week still sucked), so we drove out to a high school in Santa Maria. Frankly, I'm wondering if that's why I'm still coughing.
Good News:
I was able to take care of a few things that need to be dealt with before I leave today, despite trying to avoid the public as much as possible.
Bad News:
There is still a LOT to be done (not really, but it seems like it) before I leave, the least of which is cleaning the apartment. Sigh!
Now food and a hockey game if I can find one.
My orders are supposed to be in by noon tomorrow and I am definitely, 100% going to Basic next week. ("You're bought and paid for, kiddo. Have fun!") I got lots of "helpful" advice over the weekend and even continuing into the week of how to best survive Basic. Frankly, I just want to get it over with. Anticipation is the worst, it's always better to just do it. Dive into the deep end and go!
Bad News:
I am sick. But I don't know what I have, other than a lot of coughing and a fever that comes and goes. I do have a slight headache, but that could also be due to either caffeine withdrawal or the fact that I just started my period, too, so I can't count that as a symptom. No upset stomach or achiness or fatigue (other than general results of Long Weekend Going Straight Into A Longer Week Syndrome and a PT test). Apparently most of the full-timers at the unit are sick - Recruiter went home early yesterday and when I stopped in to check on my orders today (I didn't actually go to work today, because of the fever, but I had a few things that had to be taken care of), the girls said both of them and the Chief were all sick, too. Yay. I don't FEEL sick most of the time, just when I'm coughing, but I also don't feel well either. All I gotta say is that it had better Go Away Fast! (My brother has already threatened me within an inch of my life if I don't graduate on time, something about vacation days burned. As much as I enjoy irritating my baby brother, I'm on his side about this one!)
Good News:
I passed the DO's test on space and JSpOC basics this weekend without studying. (Okay, I should have studied the JSpOC stuff more, because I should have gotten the highest score and didn't, much to the delight of the intel flight captain.)
Bad News:
I was one of only three people out of 18 who passed it. The student flight did an 8-hour crash course on Saturday (mostly just to see what we could handle). I lucked out in that I'd had most of it before, thanks to ERAU, but even my brain was about to explode by the end of the day and we didn't even get through all the material. Then the test was on Sunday morning. (I took it after everyone else, because I also had a PT test that morning. It's always a great morning when you get to walk into the DO's office and get "How was the test?" "I passed, Sir." "Good, pass this one.") We were kind of being guinea pigs, though, and some of the guys who just came back from tech school took it and didn't pass either. So we don't feel too bad about it. I think it was frustrating for some of them, though.
Good News:
I passed my PT test with scores good enough to not only get into, but graduate from Basic already. This is good because it means my scores will only get better during the 9 weeks I'm gone. (I missed getting a certificate by 1.25 points, sigh!) Also, my elbow didn't hurt. I mean, it wasn't thrilled, but frankly, my arms could be stronger, and it wasn't nearly the pain I used to have in it. More along the lines of "hey, wait, I'm working and I don't like work. Please stop? Well, okay, if you insist" instead of the "OMG STOP NOW OR I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS!" that it would have been even six months ago. Maybe Basic will be survivable (and the delay in going was a good thing).
Bad News:
I still have to drop two minutes off my 1.5 mile run and learn how to do a pullup (not part of the standard PT, but used at Basic) if I want to even have a chance at being an Honor Graduate (they get an extra day pass into town with family and an extra ribbon). That seems like a lot. The extra pushups and situps I'll need I'm sure will come from the daily PT, but that's a lot of time to take off a run. Hm. Also bad is that my coughing started after doing the run outdoors. We weren't allowed to run outside on base (the air quality from the fire last week still sucked), so we drove out to a high school in Santa Maria. Frankly, I'm wondering if that's why I'm still coughing.
Good News:
I was able to take care of a few things that need to be dealt with before I leave today, despite trying to avoid the public as much as possible.
Bad News:
There is still a LOT to be done (not really, but it seems like it) before I leave, the least of which is cleaning the apartment. Sigh!
Now food and a hockey game if I can find one.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
California is burning again...
Only this time, it's right near where I work:
This was taken from my building near the Lompoc Gate exit when it was still "small" (only 150 acres, I believe, at the time). I guess it started around 11:30a. We had INSANELY strong winds today, and apparently either a power line got downed or a transformer exploded (I've heard both, not sure which is true) right near the middle school which happens to be right across from the Main Gate (the area around has been under road construction ALREADY for a month now) and the highway that connects the base to Santa Maria. Most parts of the base lost power around the same time that it started (because, of course, that was the day that I was going to stay on base and eat, so NATURALLY the power is out everywhere there is food for me or gas for the car). My building lost power around 1:00p (only four of us had gotten back from lunch at that point) and the DO and Chief came back and sent us home around 1:30p. The problem, of course, being that THE HIGHWAY TO SANTA MARIA IS CLOSED so I end up either having to drive all the way to Buellton on the nice safe highway and then take the 101 up or take the Harris Grade road which is closer and more direct, but has NASTY hairpin curves. As in the "you misjudge this by the slightest speck and suddenly have an enormously good chance of going flying off a cliff" type curves. And everybody and their brother from base or base housing or trying to get to their kids is on both roads. So needless to say, it was slow going.
The news media says it's 50% contained already, so I'm hoping I can at least get in to work tomorrow morning. I just really hope my building doesn't burn - we JUST finished painting it over the weekend!
This was taken from my building near the Lompoc Gate exit when it was still "small" (only 150 acres, I believe, at the time). I guess it started around 11:30a. We had INSANELY strong winds today, and apparently either a power line got downed or a transformer exploded (I've heard both, not sure which is true) right near the middle school which happens to be right across from the Main Gate (the area around has been under road construction ALREADY for a month now) and the highway that connects the base to Santa Maria. Most parts of the base lost power around the same time that it started (because, of course, that was the day that I was going to stay on base and eat, so NATURALLY the power is out everywhere there is food for me or gas for the car). My building lost power around 1:00p (only four of us had gotten back from lunch at that point) and the DO and Chief came back and sent us home around 1:30p. The problem, of course, being that THE HIGHWAY TO SANTA MARIA IS CLOSED so I end up either having to drive all the way to Buellton on the nice safe highway and then take the 101 up or take the Harris Grade road which is closer and more direct, but has NASTY hairpin curves. As in the "you misjudge this by the slightest speck and suddenly have an enormously good chance of going flying off a cliff" type curves. And everybody and their brother from base or base housing or trying to get to their kids is on both roads. So needless to say, it was slow going.
The news media says it's 50% contained already, so I'm hoping I can at least get in to work tomorrow morning. I just really hope my building doesn't burn - we JUST finished painting it over the weekend!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Almost Adopted Again
While doing laundry last night, I was met quite deliberately at the bottom of the stairs by a small light grey feline. We (unfortunately) have several stray cats around the neighborhood, so I didn't really think anything of it and expected it to run as soon as it realized I was present. Instead, it followed me all the way to the laundry room AND back, rubbing against my legs and purring and demanding to be petted. Clearly not a usual stray. When we got up to the landing by my door, I could see that she (had some calico to her, so 99% sure about the sex) was older than "kitten" but not quite full-grown. I'd guess less than 9 months old, but that could depend on how long she'd been out on the street. I sat and petted her for a bit, and then (of course, because I'm a sucker) got a small bowl of cat food and one of the ratty old towels that pass for kitty blankets around here and set them outside for her. She tried to follow me directly into the apartment (which was NOT met kindly, judging by Teddie's sudden transformation into a three-foot round, hissing, spitting, growling furball - who knew he had it in him?!) but I was able to get her back outside again. (Teddie spent the rest of the night guarding the front door.)
I was in a hurry this morning and didn't think about the dish or blanket outside until I got two voicemails from my landlady, whom I had asked to drop off some paperwork. (I don't get phone reception in my work building, they just show up as voicemail.) The first was "Hey, I dropped off your paperwork like you asked. I noticed you have food and a blanket outside your door, did you lose your cat? Let us know - we don't really want food out to encourage all the strays around here, but we'd be happy to help you find your kitty."
The second was "I just called you five seconds ago, but wanted to let you know your kitty came home. I saw her earlier today and didn't realize she was yours, but she was sitting outside your door and crying, so I went ahead and let her in."
Um. Problem. Oh dear.
Luckily, it was already about 3:30p and Recruiter and I were just getting to the "we might just sit around and twiddle our thumbs because it's 3:30p on a Monday" point, so I raced home with visions of everything from carpets covered in fur and cat urine to (optimistically) a pair of cuddled up kitties to (pragmatically) two fight-injured felines and an expensive trip to the vet. I walk in the door and immediately start calling Teddie. I can hear him grumbling under the bed from the living room. I then notice a light grey blob on the couch. She was curled up, comfy as you please, right on top of my couch. She woke up when I came over to her, stretched as if she owned the place, and then came straight over to me like "Oh good! You're finally home! You may pet me now!" She's clearly fine, so I continued on my quest to find MY cat. He has evaporated into a pair of glowing green eyes in the farthest corner he can get to under the bed and is still grumbling and hissing any time she gets anywhere near, and of course, she's doing the "Oo, what are we looking at?!" routine.
I finally got her corralled into the old cat carrier and drag Teddie out from under the bed and check him over. He seems to be fine, although I think his pride is a bit wounded from getting caught hiding from a girl. He streaks back into another of his hideyholes the second I let him go, so now what to do with her? She's clearly used to being fussed over, and living indoors, ergo she probably has an owner. I am in NO position to form any kind of attachment, seeing as I leave two weeks from tomorrow and am having trouble finding someone to take care of the cat I already have. I don't have the space or time right now to properly introduce two cats to each other, not to mention the fact that I have no idea what the true health of the female actually is, so I didn't really want her around Teddie. (Even if she only had fleas, that would drive me nuts!)
I ended up taking her to the SB County Animal Shelter over on Foster Road. I hated to do it, but I needed to make sure she was both taken care of and healthy without paying vet bills, and I was really really hoping her owner had microchipped her and could be found and contacted. She is a sweet, sweet kitty, very beautiful (very light grey with flecks of orange throughout her coat and white mittens), and clearly intelligent enough to sniff out a sucker for cats. I'm going to put up fliers in the laundry room and mail areas of both apartment complexes and hope that her owner sees them. I explained my situation to the personnel at the shelter, and if she is unclaimed by the time I get back from Basic, I said I would be willing to adopt her.
We'll see.
I was in a hurry this morning and didn't think about the dish or blanket outside until I got two voicemails from my landlady, whom I had asked to drop off some paperwork. (I don't get phone reception in my work building, they just show up as voicemail.) The first was "Hey, I dropped off your paperwork like you asked. I noticed you have food and a blanket outside your door, did you lose your cat? Let us know - we don't really want food out to encourage all the strays around here, but we'd be happy to help you find your kitty."
The second was "I just called you five seconds ago, but wanted to let you know your kitty came home. I saw her earlier today and didn't realize she was yours, but she was sitting outside your door and crying, so I went ahead and let her in."
Um. Problem. Oh dear.
Luckily, it was already about 3:30p and Recruiter and I were just getting to the "we might just sit around and twiddle our thumbs because it's 3:30p on a Monday" point, so I raced home with visions of everything from carpets covered in fur and cat urine to (optimistically) a pair of cuddled up kitties to (pragmatically) two fight-injured felines and an expensive trip to the vet. I walk in the door and immediately start calling Teddie. I can hear him grumbling under the bed from the living room. I then notice a light grey blob on the couch. She was curled up, comfy as you please, right on top of my couch. She woke up when I came over to her, stretched as if she owned the place, and then came straight over to me like "Oh good! You're finally home! You may pet me now!" She's clearly fine, so I continued on my quest to find MY cat. He has evaporated into a pair of glowing green eyes in the farthest corner he can get to under the bed and is still grumbling and hissing any time she gets anywhere near, and of course, she's doing the "Oo, what are we looking at?!" routine.
I finally got her corralled into the old cat carrier and drag Teddie out from under the bed and check him over. He seems to be fine, although I think his pride is a bit wounded from getting caught hiding from a girl. He streaks back into another of his hideyholes the second I let him go, so now what to do with her? She's clearly used to being fussed over, and living indoors, ergo she probably has an owner. I am in NO position to form any kind of attachment, seeing as I leave two weeks from tomorrow and am having trouble finding someone to take care of the cat I already have. I don't have the space or time right now to properly introduce two cats to each other, not to mention the fact that I have no idea what the true health of the female actually is, so I didn't really want her around Teddie. (Even if she only had fleas, that would drive me nuts!)
I ended up taking her to the SB County Animal Shelter over on Foster Road. I hated to do it, but I needed to make sure she was both taken care of and healthy without paying vet bills, and I was really really hoping her owner had microchipped her and could be found and contacted. She is a sweet, sweet kitty, very beautiful (very light grey with flecks of orange throughout her coat and white mittens), and clearly intelligent enough to sniff out a sucker for cats. I'm going to put up fliers in the laundry room and mail areas of both apartment complexes and hope that her owner sees them. I explained my situation to the personnel at the shelter, and if she is unclaimed by the time I get back from Basic, I said I would be willing to adopt her.
We'll see.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Stripes
I'm trying to take advantage of what should be my last free weekend before I leave. (I have drill next weekend and my ASCI 601 final the next weekend and I should be leaving the Tuesday after that. I'm also helping with the women's self-defense seminar at the dojahng in a few hours today, too.) There's so much to get done on top of all my regular weekend chores. Setting up finances for while I'm gone is going to be my primary goal. The nice thing is that I don't have to pack anything up, just make sure things are neat and clean and paid for. Still not completely sure what I'm going to do with Teddie - one of my PCPA friends had said she would take him, but this is their off-week between the end of the summer season and the start of the fall, so she's been out of town. I'm going to try to talk to her this coming week. I would really really prefer someone stay at the apartment with him rather than having him go through the stress of moving back and forth, but it is what it is, I guess.
To answer what a lot of people have asked me - Yes. Of course I'm a little scared. It's Basic Training, not summer camp. I'm a loner and I'm going to be forced to live with 50 other girls and no privacy for two months straight. I get frustrated when I don't know everything going into a class (yeah yeah), and now I'll have people yelling at me on top of that. I'm going to be older than probably 97% of my training flight. I want to reflect well on all the training I've had so far, both the informal military training I've gotten just from working with the units on base and the physical training and mental discipline I've gotten from martial arts. I definitely want the 216th to know I was worth it and will be worth it.
However, on the flip side of that, I also know that thousands of people before me have survived BMT just fine. I'm in pretty good shape and I already know what it feels like to be pushed past my limits. I have an extremely flexible comfort zone, it's not my first time living away from friends and family (in fact, some aspects of that should be easier, like no cooking!), I'm smart, and despite realizing that everyone's experiences there are different, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. And, frankly, having met a lot of people who have been through BMT...well, if they can do it, I know I can, too. I'm not looking forward to it, by any means. I know it will be hard, maybe the hardest two months of my life, but eyes on the prize.
I want to earn the rank I've been claiming since January. I want to earn my stripes.
To answer what a lot of people have asked me - Yes. Of course I'm a little scared. It's Basic Training, not summer camp. I'm a loner and I'm going to be forced to live with 50 other girls and no privacy for two months straight. I get frustrated when I don't know everything going into a class (yeah yeah), and now I'll have people yelling at me on top of that. I'm going to be older than probably 97% of my training flight. I want to reflect well on all the training I've had so far, both the informal military training I've gotten just from working with the units on base and the physical training and mental discipline I've gotten from martial arts. I definitely want the 216th to know I was worth it and will be worth it.
However, on the flip side of that, I also know that thousands of people before me have survived BMT just fine. I'm in pretty good shape and I already know what it feels like to be pushed past my limits. I have an extremely flexible comfort zone, it's not my first time living away from friends and family (in fact, some aspects of that should be easier, like no cooking!), I'm smart, and despite realizing that everyone's experiences there are different, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. And, frankly, having met a lot of people who have been through BMT...well, if they can do it, I know I can, too. I'm not looking forward to it, by any means. I know it will be hard, maybe the hardest two months of my life, but eyes on the prize.
I want to earn the rank I've been claiming since January. I want to earn my stripes.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Whirlwind
Really quickly, because I'm getting ready to head to FIGHT but I wanted to update y'all.
As of about 12:15p today, I am officially in the 216 Operational Support Squadron (still as an A1C, and still with several people scratching their heads about it, but we have a plan, it's all good). Before the ink was even dry (and I'm not sure that it all is quite now, there's a lot of signing and sending), they had me scheduled for Basic.
I leave three weeks from today.
My apartment's good (although if someone needs a place for the time I'm gone, I'm totally willing to negotiate), I'm getting a housing allowance that will more than cover my rent while I'm gone, but...anyone want to cuddle a kitty for me for two months?
As of about 12:15p today, I am officially in the 216 Operational Support Squadron (still as an A1C, and still with several people scratching their heads about it, but we have a plan, it's all good). Before the ink was even dry (and I'm not sure that it all is quite now, there's a lot of signing and sending), they had me scheduled for Basic.
I leave three weeks from today.
My apartment's good (although if someone needs a place for the time I'm gone, I'm totally willing to negotiate), I'm getting a housing allowance that will more than cover my rent while I'm gone, but...anyone want to cuddle a kitty for me for two months?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Almost there
1. Arm still hurts. It got jacked up again in class on Tuesday (the untrained are ALWAYS the most dangerous), hurt bad enough that I didn't go to class at all on Wednesday, and I only did kickboxing tonight. Blargh. (If Sir had been there tonight, I would have stayed, because it would have meant more grappling - which might have finally clicked for me - and less disarming and stretching of the arm, but he's gone for a few days and while normally I would not have any problems at all with Mr. R, the arm really couldn't have handled more PT tonight.)
2. Going hiking with some people from the 148th up near SLO tomorrow night. Should be interesting.
3. Have to talk to the commander tomorrow. New rumours say that all officer slots are filled with fully qualified people, but he'll still let me come to the 216th as enlisted (they are more than willing to get me trained ASAP and don't have a million schools dragging them down). Gotta find out what's going on with that. I wonder if they have any traditional officer slots available, if everyone is moving to full-time. I'd still be in training, and therefore gainfully employed in view of lots of civilian contractors for several months. Either way, I can't really lose. I can't really say that the 216th is a step up, because it's not better, it just has a different mission, and neither unit is better than the other, but I'm really much more interested in the JSpOC than the MILSTARs. And I'm going to (respectfully, for rank and because I like the guy) make it clear that I AM going to be an officer, if not now, then eventually, so I hope he likes seeing my name come across his desk.
4. Fringe and Bones are both awesome.
5. Knitting is starting to become fun again. About the only thing I've really been working on with any degree of progress has been the Twizzle scarf, and it's about 85% done. I just picked the afghan back up the other day, though. And found a pattern that I was trying to make up last year. I'm really glad other people are smarter than me.
6. Shower and bed time. One more day of getting up early (15 days in a row, I'd like to point out), and then the weekend. Recruiter is off tomorrow, so I think I'll [s]see how much trouble I can get into[/s] finish up a project for the Lt and maybe not work nine hours again like I did today (starting the project for the Lt). Anyone know Excel REALLY REALLY well?
2. Going hiking with some people from the 148th up near SLO tomorrow night. Should be interesting.
3. Have to talk to the commander tomorrow. New rumours say that all officer slots are filled with fully qualified people, but he'll still let me come to the 216th as enlisted (they are more than willing to get me trained ASAP and don't have a million schools dragging them down). Gotta find out what's going on with that. I wonder if they have any traditional officer slots available, if everyone is moving to full-time. I'd still be in training, and therefore gainfully employed in view of lots of civilian contractors for several months. Either way, I can't really lose. I can't really say that the 216th is a step up, because it's not better, it just has a different mission, and neither unit is better than the other, but I'm really much more interested in the JSpOC than the MILSTARs. And I'm going to (respectfully, for rank and because I like the guy) make it clear that I AM going to be an officer, if not now, then eventually, so I hope he likes seeing my name come across his desk.
4. Fringe and Bones are both awesome.
5. Knitting is starting to become fun again. About the only thing I've really been working on with any degree of progress has been the Twizzle scarf, and it's about 85% done. I just picked the afghan back up the other day, though. And found a pattern that I was trying to make up last year. I'm really glad other people are smarter than me.
6. Shower and bed time. One more day of getting up early (15 days in a row, I'd like to point out), and then the weekend. Recruiter is off tomorrow, so I think I'll [s]see how much trouble I can get into[/s] finish up a project for the Lt and maybe not work nine hours again like I did today (starting the project for the Lt). Anyone know Excel REALLY REALLY well?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Quick Explanation
There are a lot of reasons why cell phones are annoying, mostly dealing with when other people are using them or people complaining about how "tied" to them we are. Valid points, of course. But I gotta say, being able to spend three hours watching the game with your parents from 2500 miles away without it adding a cent more to my regular phone bill - that's pretty cool. (I am still disappointed about both Ohio State and Purdue losing VERY close games to Pac-10 teams, though.)
So, the possible new job. (Keep in mind, this is just past the "this is what everyone would LIKE to see happen" stage and nowhere near "this is actually happening" stage. We're more in the "okay, we all agree this is what we want, now how can we make it happen?" stage right now.) I told y'all that I applied for a full-time job with the 216 that happens to include a commission. Well, I got pulled aside on Wednesday by the DO (the director of operations, the unit's second in command) to get told that he'd been looking, and Human Resources would not forward my resume/application to them because they did not feel that I met the qualifications. Fair enough, and pretty much what I was expecting to hear anyway. However, he asked me to check in with him later in the week to "brainstorm some options" because he wasn't sure that the enlisted job I've been planning on going into was really what would be best for me or either of the units.
I didn't get a chance to talk to him on Thursday, but I got a call from Recruiter after work giving me a heads up that the DO REALLY wanted to talk to me again. Sure enough, Friday morning, I had an email from him asking me to drop by his office. What it pretty much boils down to is that no, I am not qualified for the position I had applied for, they can't make me fit into that position, and it would be bad form to steal an enlisted member from one unit to do the same job at another unit at the same base. BUT, they like me, they really feel like I SHOULD be an officer, they know me and have seen me working and learning, and they feel it wouldn't be stealing an enlisted so much as offering someone an advancement opportunity if I could come to the 216 as an officer.
To fix this, they're trying to create a different full-time officer slot for me at the 216th. They've all but talked the commander into it; we're just waiting for his blessing on however they rework the positions, which should be this week. Major (of the field trip post) strongly hinted yesterday that I had better get my application package for commission ready ASAP because "you never know when a slot will open up and you'd really want to be ready if the commander just happens to find one." Recruiter and I started gathering everything up this weekend and are going to finish getting things together this week. I'm a little concerned with my AFOQT scores and would really like to re-take it, but I have to get some more feedback on that first.
So for right now, as far as anyone is officially concerned, I am still enlisted in the 148th and still slotted for Basic in February. And, if this doesn't work out, that won't change, so it's not like I'm losing anything. The 148th had their family picnic day today at drill, and we had a lot of fun. They're good people, with a good mission. But I can't really turn down an opportunity to try for a commission, or a really cool job that puts me directly in lines of view of LOTS of contractors.
So, the possible new job. (Keep in mind, this is just past the "this is what everyone would LIKE to see happen" stage and nowhere near "this is actually happening" stage. We're more in the "okay, we all agree this is what we want, now how can we make it happen?" stage right now.) I told y'all that I applied for a full-time job with the 216 that happens to include a commission. Well, I got pulled aside on Wednesday by the DO (the director of operations, the unit's second in command) to get told that he'd been looking, and Human Resources would not forward my resume/application to them because they did not feel that I met the qualifications. Fair enough, and pretty much what I was expecting to hear anyway. However, he asked me to check in with him later in the week to "brainstorm some options" because he wasn't sure that the enlisted job I've been planning on going into was really what would be best for me or either of the units.
I didn't get a chance to talk to him on Thursday, but I got a call from Recruiter after work giving me a heads up that the DO REALLY wanted to talk to me again. Sure enough, Friday morning, I had an email from him asking me to drop by his office. What it pretty much boils down to is that no, I am not qualified for the position I had applied for, they can't make me fit into that position, and it would be bad form to steal an enlisted member from one unit to do the same job at another unit at the same base. BUT, they like me, they really feel like I SHOULD be an officer, they know me and have seen me working and learning, and they feel it wouldn't be stealing an enlisted so much as offering someone an advancement opportunity if I could come to the 216 as an officer.
To fix this, they're trying to create a different full-time officer slot for me at the 216th. They've all but talked the commander into it; we're just waiting for his blessing on however they rework the positions, which should be this week. Major (of the field trip post) strongly hinted yesterday that I had better get my application package for commission ready ASAP because "you never know when a slot will open up and you'd really want to be ready if the commander just happens to find one." Recruiter and I started gathering everything up this weekend and are going to finish getting things together this week. I'm a little concerned with my AFOQT scores and would really like to re-take it, but I have to get some more feedback on that first.
So for right now, as far as anyone is officially concerned, I am still enlisted in the 148th and still slotted for Basic in February. And, if this doesn't work out, that won't change, so it's not like I'm losing anything. The 148th had their family picnic day today at drill, and we had a lot of fun. They're good people, with a good mission. But I can't really turn down an opportunity to try for a commission, or a really cool job that puts me directly in lines of view of LOTS of contractors.
Friday, September 11, 2009
What We Do
That is seriously what the 216 OSS/614 AOC (our active duty sister unit) actually does. In fact, if the cards fall the way everyone is hoping, that will actually BE part of MY job! Of course, it's rarely that dramatic or holographic. I seriously doubt the JSpOC has background theme music, too. Of course, knowing some of the guys who work on the floor, well, let's just say it wouldn't surprise me. Details on the possible new job if/when it becomes official.
Btw, I actually think these "It isn't science fiction, it's what we do every day" commercials are kinda cool. I've only seen this one and the one with the Reaper (and, just FYI, the Guard flies those, too, out of Nellis), but they'd make me go "Wow, that's cool! Where do I sign up for that?!"
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Her Package Arrived!
My pal Mesanges over on Ravelry got her swap package today, so I feel comfortable in revealing some of my handiwork over the past couple weeks. Actually, it isn't much and didn't take very long, but I still like them. (Her pics on the thread are much better than mine, too!)
The poor girl's a Canadiens fan, so she got herself a new project bag:
that was filled with all sorts of small hockey/squirrel/swedish fish-related items (I'd never heard of Swedish Fish candy before this swap and now I see it everywhere!). Now you know why the teaser pic was from the top down into the bag - the stripe would have given it away! Btw, trying to find a Canadiens patch (which is what I really wanted to include) in this area of the world is a PAIN in the you know what (even sports memorabilia store owners looked at me like I'd sprouted a second head when I asked about hockey stuff, much less Habs). I knew my intarsia skills weren't good enough to try charting out the logo, and it would take too long to cross-stitch, so I was wracking my brain trying to think of what else I could do. I was wandering aimlessly in Michaels, trying to get some kind if inspiration, and landed in an aisle with those small plastic canvases of different shapes that kids use for needlepoint. Two packs of those and some stash yarn resulted in these:
Simple, fun, useable. (They're the sleeve stripes of the three teams she listed as her favorites. And a puck.) And now that I've remembered how to do needlepoint, I'm thinking I need some in old gold and black. And black, red, and white. And red, white, and blue. Hey, I could do a set for all of my teams. Hmm...
Anyway, I really had a lot of fun with this swap and I can't wait until the next one! (Although now I have to think of something NEW!)
The poor girl's a Canadiens fan, so she got herself a new project bag:
that was filled with all sorts of small hockey/squirrel/swedish fish-related items (I'd never heard of Swedish Fish candy before this swap and now I see it everywhere!). Now you know why the teaser pic was from the top down into the bag - the stripe would have given it away! Btw, trying to find a Canadiens patch (which is what I really wanted to include) in this area of the world is a PAIN in the you know what (even sports memorabilia store owners looked at me like I'd sprouted a second head when I asked about hockey stuff, much less Habs). I knew my intarsia skills weren't good enough to try charting out the logo, and it would take too long to cross-stitch, so I was wracking my brain trying to think of what else I could do. I was wandering aimlessly in Michaels, trying to get some kind if inspiration, and landed in an aisle with those small plastic canvases of different shapes that kids use for needlepoint. Two packs of those and some stash yarn resulted in these:
Simple, fun, useable. (They're the sleeve stripes of the three teams she listed as her favorites. And a puck.) And now that I've remembered how to do needlepoint, I'm thinking I need some in old gold and black. And black, red, and white. And red, white, and blue. Hey, I could do a set for all of my teams. Hmm...
Anyway, I really had a lot of fun with this swap and I can't wait until the next one! (Although now I have to think of something NEW!)
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Weekend Update
I got my package finished for my hockey swap buddy! Well, I'm actually still waiting on one piece, but I whipped up some things to make up for it yesterday so I could get it over to the post office today anyway. (The final piece will get mailed along once it finally arrives!) Here's a sneak peek:
I also got MY package from my buddy (the lovely MadameX on Ravelry) Wednesday. I think it's pretty obvious how friggin' amazing it is:
Two skeins of a yummy purple mohair/wool blend called Kokopelli, a box of chocolate caramels (I don't ask questions, I just enjoy!), a Chinese jade trinket (for luck), a bunch of handmade Blackhawks-colored stitch markers, a really pretty green notepad, some Villainess body cream and soap (which smells amazing!) and this:
A 121-year-old ghost story from Boston, complete with illustrations! The story is copied out of the May 9, 1888 New York Times and those are all hand-drawn (and mounted) pictures! How cool is that?! I got thoroughly spoiled and have really enjoyed doing the spoiling, as well! (More pics of what I am sending - because I'm pretty proud of the handmade items - will be up after I confirm that spoilee has received it. I don't want to ruin the whole surprise!)
Got a four-day weekend going because of the holiday. I was going to go down to LA, but after the way I reacted to the fire smoke up here, I don't really want to subject myself to that again. So I'm just putzing around the house watching college football instead (Minnesota's getting creamed by Syracuse and sadly, the Ohio State/Navy game is more interesting. I can't get the Purdue game, of course), maybe hanging out with some friends later tonight. I did invite that guy to lunch, but our schedules don't mesh for it (South Base is a bit of a drive from Main Base). We're meeting up after work on Friday instead.
Classes this week were kind of hard - we did a full class of aikido on Wednesday night instead of tkd, which made my elbow seriously cranky with all the joint locks, and then grappling in FIGHT on Thursday. I hate grappling. I understand the importance of it, I really do (being on the ground in a fight is the WORST place to be), but I am seriously not built to work on the ground, other bodies literally on top of me make me uncomfortable (I have a rather large personal space bubble, even though Sir almost always pairs up Ma'am and I for groundwork so we don't have to work with the guys) and it makes me feel like an awkward turtle. Which, of course, is why I need to work on it, but doesn't make me enjoy it any more. At least we got to knife spar both Tuesday AND Thursday this week, though!
Alright, gotta run to the grocery store, get a litter tray for the kitty, and mail off my swap package. Have a good and safe weekend!
I also got MY package from my buddy (the lovely MadameX on Ravelry) Wednesday. I think it's pretty obvious how friggin' amazing it is:
Two skeins of a yummy purple mohair/wool blend called Kokopelli, a box of chocolate caramels (I don't ask questions, I just enjoy!), a Chinese jade trinket (for luck), a bunch of handmade Blackhawks-colored stitch markers, a really pretty green notepad, some Villainess body cream and soap (which smells amazing!) and this:
A 121-year-old ghost story from Boston, complete with illustrations! The story is copied out of the May 9, 1888 New York Times and those are all hand-drawn (and mounted) pictures! How cool is that?! I got thoroughly spoiled and have really enjoyed doing the spoiling, as well! (More pics of what I am sending - because I'm pretty proud of the handmade items - will be up after I confirm that spoilee has received it. I don't want to ruin the whole surprise!)Got a four-day weekend going because of the holiday. I was going to go down to LA, but after the way I reacted to the fire smoke up here, I don't really want to subject myself to that again. So I'm just putzing around the house watching college football instead (Minnesota's getting creamed by Syracuse and sadly, the Ohio State/Navy game is more interesting. I can't get the Purdue game, of course), maybe hanging out with some friends later tonight. I did invite that guy to lunch, but our schedules don't mesh for it (South Base is a bit of a drive from Main Base). We're meeting up after work on Friday instead.
Classes this week were kind of hard - we did a full class of aikido on Wednesday night instead of tkd, which made my elbow seriously cranky with all the joint locks, and then grappling in FIGHT on Thursday. I hate grappling. I understand the importance of it, I really do (being on the ground in a fight is the WORST place to be), but I am seriously not built to work on the ground, other bodies literally on top of me make me uncomfortable (I have a rather large personal space bubble, even though Sir almost always pairs up Ma'am and I for groundwork so we don't have to work with the guys) and it makes me feel like an awkward turtle. Which, of course, is why I need to work on it, but doesn't make me enjoy it any more. At least we got to knife spar both Tuesday AND Thursday this week, though!
Alright, gotta run to the grocery store, get a litter tray for the kitty, and mail off my swap package. Have a good and safe weekend!
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Quick Questions (mostly rhetorical)
1.) Why is it that if people know you have a black belt, they automatically either think you're invincible/tough (and/or want you to "prove it") or at the very least should not be afraid of anything? I'm not bullet-proof or uninjurable, for heaven's sake.
2.) There's a guy in FIGHT I kind of like. I have his number, and we both work on base. I don't know if he's single or not, though. Invite him to lunch anyway? (Just as friends, of course - he works for a company that does launches and I'd be interested in just picking his brain even if he wasn't cute. Sadly, I've known him for a couple years now, so I can't play the complete idiot.)
3.) Why can't the postal service go faster? I'm still waiting on the last piece for my swap package that is supposed to go out by the end of the week.
4.) Why can't everyone just do their jobs the way they're supposed to? It would have saved us a trip down to Channel Islands on Monday if people would just do their friggin' paperwork and send it to the right people. I mean, I do realize it's the military and therefore any situation involving paperwork is going to get fubar'd quickly, but when even the military is complaining about it, ya gots youself a problem.
5.) Why can't Sept go a bit faster? Bones, NCIS, and Fringe all premiere in less than three weeks now!
6.) Why can't all midterms (and classes, for that matter) be as cool as the one I had this weekend? For that matter, why can't all jobs involve units that take "morale days" to go do their sworn duty to protect the golf courses on base, giving me a paid afternoon off?
and finally
7.) Why can't the cat friggin' earn his keep and at least pick up his own fur off the floor and furniture??
"Are you scared of the dark?
Are you afraid they'll break your heart?
Are you afraid you'll lose yourself?
Are you afraid of your own health?
Are you scared to lose?
Are you afraid to choose?
Are you afraid you'll win?
Are you scared of your own sin?
Are you scared to forgive?
Are you afraid to live?
Are you afraid to die?
Do you think you told a lie?
To live when you think you're dying?
To laugh when you feel like crying?
To stand when you think you're gonna fall?
It's just fear after all.
It's only fear after all.
Are you afraid you'll be alone?
Are you scared to pick up the phone?
Are you scared of the past?
Do you think that you might crash?
Do you think you're in too deep?
Are you afraid to sleep?
Are you scared there's no stability?
Are you afraid of your own fragility?
To live when you think you're dying?
To laugh when you feel like crying?
To stand when you think you're gonna fall?
It's just fear after all.
It's only fear after all.
To mend when you think you're breaking?
The strength when you know you're shaking?
To pray when your back's against the wall?
It's only fear after all
Are you scared of the end?
Are you scared to begin?
Are you scared of the start?
Do you think they'll break your heart?
Do you think they'll break your heart?
To live when you think you're dying?
To laugh when you feel like crying?
To stand when you think you're gonna fall?
It's just fear after all.
It's only fear after all.
It's only fear
The only fear is fear itself
The only fear is fear itself
The only fear is fear itself
It's only fear..."
-"Fear", Pauley Perrette/Stop Making Friends, NCIS Official Soundtrack
2.) There's a guy in FIGHT I kind of like. I have his number, and we both work on base. I don't know if he's single or not, though. Invite him to lunch anyway? (Just as friends, of course - he works for a company that does launches and I'd be interested in just picking his brain even if he wasn't cute. Sadly, I've known him for a couple years now, so I can't play the complete idiot.)
3.) Why can't the postal service go faster? I'm still waiting on the last piece for my swap package that is supposed to go out by the end of the week.
4.) Why can't everyone just do their jobs the way they're supposed to? It would have saved us a trip down to Channel Islands on Monday if people would just do their friggin' paperwork and send it to the right people. I mean, I do realize it's the military and therefore any situation involving paperwork is going to get fubar'd quickly, but when even the military is complaining about it, ya gots youself a problem.
5.) Why can't Sept go a bit faster? Bones, NCIS, and Fringe all premiere in less than three weeks now!
6.) Why can't all midterms (and classes, for that matter) be as cool as the one I had this weekend? For that matter, why can't all jobs involve units that take "morale days" to go do their sworn duty to protect the golf courses on base, giving me a paid afternoon off?
and finally
7.) Why can't the cat friggin' earn his keep and at least pick up his own fur off the floor and furniture??
"Are you scared of the dark?
Are you afraid they'll break your heart?
Are you afraid you'll lose yourself?
Are you afraid of your own health?
Are you scared to lose?
Are you afraid to choose?
Are you afraid you'll win?
Are you scared of your own sin?
Are you scared to forgive?
Are you afraid to live?
Are you afraid to die?
Do you think you told a lie?
To live when you think you're dying?
To laugh when you feel like crying?
To stand when you think you're gonna fall?
It's just fear after all.
It's only fear after all.
Are you afraid you'll be alone?
Are you scared to pick up the phone?
Are you scared of the past?
Do you think that you might crash?
Do you think you're in too deep?
Are you afraid to sleep?
Are you scared there's no stability?
Are you afraid of your own fragility?
To live when you think you're dying?
To laugh when you feel like crying?
To stand when you think you're gonna fall?
It's just fear after all.
It's only fear after all.
To mend when you think you're breaking?
The strength when you know you're shaking?
To pray when your back's against the wall?
It's only fear after all
Are you scared of the end?
Are you scared to begin?
Are you scared of the start?
Do you think they'll break your heart?
Do you think they'll break your heart?
To live when you think you're dying?
To laugh when you feel like crying?
To stand when you think you're gonna fall?
It's just fear after all.
It's only fear after all.
It's only fear
The only fear is fear itself
The only fear is fear itself
The only fear is fear itself
It's only fear..."
-"Fear", Pauley Perrette/Stop Making Friends, NCIS Official Soundtrack
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Back to 100%
Woke up Monday morning and actually felt GOOD. I could breathe just fine without sniffling, I could sing along with the radio on the way to work, I wasn't worn out halfway through one class. It's soooo nice to be back to normal.
We started a new schedule at the dojahng this week. Two classes on Monday, one Tuesday, two Wednesday, two Thursday, one Friday now. The only problem I have with it is that it combines the adults and younger teens (12-15 year olds) again on Wednesdays and Fridays. Tonight was our first combined class and it was so crowded. It felt like there was barely room to move, and I'm not particularly excited about standing in lines to do drills instead of just hitting partners with pads. That might have been just a today thing, though. I understand the instructors wanting to get done a little earlier at night and making sure class sizes are decent, but it was soooo nice to not have to worry about kids in the class. They're just so breakable.
Got almost my whole package put together for my swap buddy. Just waiting on one more thing to get here and then I can send it off. Still working on the Twizzle scarf (almost done) and the afghan (almost have the second strip done). Haven't had a whole lot of motivation to knit lately, though.
Oh, and there seem to be a good chance that my temporary civ job at the 216th might turn into a semi-permanent one, at least until I go to whatever training I end up going to. Not sure yet, but at least Recruiter's back and I don't have to pretend to know anything anymore. Apparently I didn't let too many things go wrong while he was gone, though, which is nice to know. I also finally got all my finances organized (yay for paychecks that come on a regular basis!), I think, which is a huge relief.
Anyway, out for the night. Class this weekend, yay! (Although not looking forward to being on base at 9:00a or earlier for two weeks straight, but oh well.)
We started a new schedule at the dojahng this week. Two classes on Monday, one Tuesday, two Wednesday, two Thursday, one Friday now. The only problem I have with it is that it combines the adults and younger teens (12-15 year olds) again on Wednesdays and Fridays. Tonight was our first combined class and it was so crowded. It felt like there was barely room to move, and I'm not particularly excited about standing in lines to do drills instead of just hitting partners with pads. That might have been just a today thing, though. I understand the instructors wanting to get done a little earlier at night and making sure class sizes are decent, but it was soooo nice to not have to worry about kids in the class. They're just so breakable.
Got almost my whole package put together for my swap buddy. Just waiting on one more thing to get here and then I can send it off. Still working on the Twizzle scarf (almost done) and the afghan (almost have the second strip done). Haven't had a whole lot of motivation to knit lately, though.
Oh, and there seem to be a good chance that my temporary civ job at the 216th might turn into a semi-permanent one, at least until I go to whatever training I end up going to. Not sure yet, but at least Recruiter's back and I don't have to pretend to know anything anymore. Apparently I didn't let too many things go wrong while he was gone, though, which is nice to know. I also finally got all my finances organized (yay for paychecks that come on a regular basis!), I think, which is a huge relief.
Anyway, out for the night. Class this weekend, yay! (Although not looking forward to being on base at 9:00a or earlier for two weeks straight, but oh well.)
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