Letter from a Soldier
Namely my brother. He's still in basic training, but he has decided to stick it out and remain with the Army for a full tour of duty.
I have written him four times already, though because of misinformation on part of his base, it took him til the third week to get any of our letters. Finally, I have gotten one back; he seems to be doing well. For us, this is good news. He talked about being on night watch, and how he misses everybody (he's never really been away from home, and when he was, it was with people he knows), and that he's looking forward to being home in December. He'll be doing Hometown Recruiting for the 21 days he is here, working for his Recruitment officer for a couple of hours out of every day until he returns to base. From there, he'll be sent to either Hawaii, or Korea.
We're all hoping for Hawaii. Not only is it close, and relatively harmless, but we have a chance of visiting him if he is given any downtime. His first half of tour would last about two years. It's a really long time to be in a foreign country with no chance of seeing any family or friends. However, it is what he has chosen to do with his life- and he seems optimistic about either place, so I'm proud of him for that.
Hearing from him has lifted my spirits some. It's really strange that I'm now the only 'kid' left in the house. (At the same time, it's kind of depressing considering I am the oldest at 28 years old, and here my two brothers are off "doing something" with their lives. It will be nice when I have enough money, and the means, to live elsewhere. The stress I have here is just...unbelievable).
I've had lack of motivation to continue working on the two illustrations designated to me for my friend's upcoming RPG rule book. Which is pretty terrible, considering I am sure I will hear from him any day now wondering why it is taking me forever to show him anything. Part of it is I have had long work weeks (longer than usual, and such a switch up in retail is more taxing than it would seem it should be). The other part is -- I have been given no new deadline. I feel like I've got the proverbial angel and devil arguing on my shoulders. The devil is saying "Naah, you can take your time! It's cool, finish it whenever you want!". The angel is smacking me with its halo, saying "What if you finally get that deadline and it is sooner than you're able to complete the work? You should at least do some of it every day to stay ahead!"
I've tried listening to the angel. I've tried setting my own deadlines. I just lack the will to do it. Games, books, and FaceBook are too distracting. As is the noise in my house.
On the up side- only 17 days to go before I go to the Supernatural Convention. I'm still riding an emotional roller coaster with that one. I've yet to ask my grandmother if it's OK for my mom and I to spend the two nights at her place to spare hotel expenses. I'm freaking out about my ASL skills. I'm certainly not the best person to choose as an interpreter, however, the con is not government funded so they will not provide a professional. Also... I don't do well in front of crowds. I don't know how well I'll do in front of crowds AND my favorite actors. Talk about pressure. I'm sure it will all go better than I envision it in my head. Just.. wow. It's coming up so quickly. Overwhelming feelings abound.
I think I should go...do something useful. Get my mind off of it all.
I have written him four times already, though because of misinformation on part of his base, it took him til the third week to get any of our letters. Finally, I have gotten one back; he seems to be doing well. For us, this is good news. He talked about being on night watch, and how he misses everybody (he's never really been away from home, and when he was, it was with people he knows), and that he's looking forward to being home in December. He'll be doing Hometown Recruiting for the 21 days he is here, working for his Recruitment officer for a couple of hours out of every day until he returns to base. From there, he'll be sent to either Hawaii, or Korea.
We're all hoping for Hawaii. Not only is it close, and relatively harmless, but we have a chance of visiting him if he is given any downtime. His first half of tour would last about two years. It's a really long time to be in a foreign country with no chance of seeing any family or friends. However, it is what he has chosen to do with his life- and he seems optimistic about either place, so I'm proud of him for that.
Hearing from him has lifted my spirits some. It's really strange that I'm now the only 'kid' left in the house. (At the same time, it's kind of depressing considering I am the oldest at 28 years old, and here my two brothers are off "doing something" with their lives. It will be nice when I have enough money, and the means, to live elsewhere. The stress I have here is just...unbelievable).
I've had lack of motivation to continue working on the two illustrations designated to me for my friend's upcoming RPG rule book. Which is pretty terrible, considering I am sure I will hear from him any day now wondering why it is taking me forever to show him anything. Part of it is I have had long work weeks (longer than usual, and such a switch up in retail is more taxing than it would seem it should be). The other part is -- I have been given no new deadline. I feel like I've got the proverbial angel and devil arguing on my shoulders. The devil is saying "Naah, you can take your time! It's cool, finish it whenever you want!". The angel is smacking me with its halo, saying "What if you finally get that deadline and it is sooner than you're able to complete the work? You should at least do some of it every day to stay ahead!"
I've tried listening to the angel. I've tried setting my own deadlines. I just lack the will to do it. Games, books, and FaceBook are too distracting. As is the noise in my house.
On the up side- only 17 days to go before I go to the Supernatural Convention. I'm still riding an emotional roller coaster with that one. I've yet to ask my grandmother if it's OK for my mom and I to spend the two nights at her place to spare hotel expenses. I'm freaking out about my ASL skills. I'm certainly not the best person to choose as an interpreter, however, the con is not government funded so they will not provide a professional. Also... I don't do well in front of crowds. I don't know how well I'll do in front of crowds AND my favorite actors. Talk about pressure. I'm sure it will all go better than I envision it in my head. Just.. wow. It's coming up so quickly. Overwhelming feelings abound.
I think I should go...do something useful. Get my mind off of it all.