Pointless update

Per Alex's insistence I'll throw some words up here. I do feel badly about not updating in so long, but really I can't imagine what all there is to write about.

We got back at about 0730 this morning from a long-ish run to Tikrit. It was an interesting run and our vehicle ended up as the lead scout vehicle, so that was new and exciting. I never thought I could burn through my box of chem lights so fast.

I calculated my score for promotion the other day and I'm actually a bit higher than I thought I was. Once I get all my Marine Corps Institute packets turned in, I'll be awfully close, and it will only be a few months more until I'll be eligible. It could very well happen within the next six months, especially if I keep up the PT and all that. It would sure be nice to pick up corporal, and get that beautiful saber and those blood stripes.

For some reason we have started doing deployment-end stuff. We filled out a physical and mental health survey thing the other day like we were already done, and also passed around a sheet of our preferences for what to do when we get back, for those of us whose units are changing or going away. They didn't have the full information on my options, since the HTC in Waterloo will be gone entirely instead of just switching over to recon, so the battery first sergeant is looking into for me. That means I need to make some big decisions in a few days. Sounds like I can either transfer to another unit (hopefully the Reserve unit at the RI Arsenal), do a lat move to another MOS, transfer to another branch of service (ha), go active (ha), go active reserve (like deploying within the states, to the Mexican border or New Orleans or something), or drop to the inactive ready reserve, which isn't realistically going to be an option.

Everybody is at Nick's cabin in Wisconsin this week. And Bix is this weekend, so everybody at school will be at Augie over the weekend. Basically, this is the worst possible week to be here. Hopefully it goes by quickly.

One last thing, and THIS IS IMPORTANT! In my address, the part that says 3/14 H Btry and all that, it is NOT 3 PLT. That second line should read: 3/14 H Btry 1st PLT. My mail keeps going to third platoon, and that's why it's been taking me so long to get stuff. Sorry to have misinformed you! I don't know why I sent it as 3 PLT. I guess I just didn't think about it.

I don't know. Not much else happening here. I wish I was at home celebrating the birthdays of the many people I know who have had birthdays in the past week with a cold beer. But then, you can't always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you might find you get what you need.

Finally, a break

We got back yesterday from a long and grueling five-day mission all over creation. It left me never wanting to drive in a humvee again. It's damn fine to be back at CF.

Today I started a week of duty, meaning I sit at a entry control point at our little battery headquarters and check IDs as people enter and exit. It's a welcome respite from the constant grind of long missions and annoyingly various working hours. I work two four-hour shifts a day, which leaves me eight hours for sleeping and eight hours for doing my own thing, which is much more than c0uld be said for my job the last time I had duty, in which I was constantly on call and hardly ever got reliable sleep. Plus, the platoon's out on a mission so I have the room and most of the rest of the barracks to myself. Peace and quiet is so nice, especially given all the reading I have been and will be doing.

Speaking of, I started reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I can barely put it down. It's very odd, at this point almost something like a collection of short stories fused together with even shorter blurbs, but it's spellbinding nonetheless. I finished...something else the other day, what was it? I can't remember. I'm blowing through books like mad, which I think is frustrating Karnolt because he keeps coming into my room to chew the fat but my attention is stuck in a book. Ah well, old Will's just going to have to learn to deal with it.

I think I already mentioned that I got a package from the dulcimer group ladies, which was much appreciated (I've been devouring those cookies ever since), and I got another one from Dee Hayen just yesterday. Plus, another package from Mom & Josh, and before we left I found out that my package from Dad had been sitting around the COC for several days and they had talked about just opening it and keeping the contents, even though nobody deemed to tell me it was there. So I was very happy to finally have my pipe, baseball glove, and those books I've been drooling over.

Gah, time's up, take care folks!