posted @ 15:12...

We finally got our stuff. That is, the Army-contracted moving company delivered our personal belongings. Nearly a week ahead of schedule, in fact. So three weeks without a couch, table, or a real bed. Air mattresses aren't too bad, but there's something to be said for sleeping (among other activities) on something a little more substantial.

I'm sooo tired. I wish I had one of those jobs where you can sleep til noon and never do PT. Unfortunately, that MOS was unavailable when I signed up. Sometimes, I think it would have been better to be a 71L (office staff). From my observations, the two 71L's in our S1 office sit around and surf the web all day. Incidentally, they both have had reductions in rank for marijuana use. It's certainly not a noble or presigious MOS, but man, it looks easy. My MOS requires extreme attention to detail, organizational skills, and extreme attention to detail. Plus, we're always busy, which means no time to web surf.

posted @ 06:27...

PT (physical training)... The drill sgt's in basic and AIT pushed us hard. Many of us thought they pushed us unreasonably hard. We would run at least two miles, sometimes three. This past Wednesday I ran five miles with the rest of the post's JAG soldiers. And I actually kept up. This morning I ran two miles and it felt like one. So drill sgt's are put on this earth for a reason. But I'm really thankful I don't have to deal with them anymore.

Wednesday was my six-month anniversary of being in the Army, and that means an automatic promotion to Private E2. Yeah, that's right: I'm a 29-year-old E1. My buddies in AIT told me I look like an old man when I run, but at least I run. In fact, I've never walked on any PT run, mainly because would've really gotten yelled at. My trick has always been to just keep running, no matter how slow. They'd yell if I'd fall behind, but hey, at least I didn't walk. I've always improved my time on the PT tests, but I'm certainly no great track champion. Sometimes, I've only passed because the standards for my age group are lower. Pretty exciting though, considering that I've never been athletic, and was always picked dead last for teams in grade school. Now I actually get out and exercise.

If you'd told me one year ago where I'd be physically, geographically, or even where I'd be in my career, I would have said, "You're foolish. How can you see into the future, oh dark one?" But that's how much my life has changed. I live in friggin' New York. I live in a 140-year-old house. I help prosecute wayward soldiers for a living (so as to keep the world's greatest land force free of morons who can't put away the weed, etc.) I have a wife, and we're thinking of starting to have children next year. It feels like we were picked right up out of our old life and plopped down right here in the middle of somebody else's. But I like it so far. God knows what He's doing far better than I do.

posted @ 06:49...

Done with basic training, done with AIT, done with moving to New York. Still waiting on the Army to move our stuff up here to our cool little house. We live in the Village of Lowville. (That's pronounced LOWville, like COWville or WOWville.) Lowville has less than 8,000 people. The Austin area has around a million, so it's quite a change, but at the same time it's kind of refreshing. Things move a little slower. You might get stuck behind a tractor on the way home from work, but the truth is, it's not the end of the world.

Ft. Drum isn't as bad as everyone says. We got here and everyone said, "I'm sorry you had to come here," or words to that effect. Of course, it's only July and the 20-below weather is still a few months away. But we've got the four-wheel-drive, the digital cable, and the high-speed internet. So we just need to get some blankets and some fuel-oil, and we'll be good to go.