Irregular update time!
I honestly don't have much to say right now as far as updates. I am doing very well, things are going magnificently with Kirsten, who the longer I am with and around, the more obvious it is that we are essentially the same person with different genders (yay for feeding my narcissism through romantic relationships!). Any problems we have are quickly and calmly resolved, and even those problems are few and far between (in direct contrast to... previous relationships of mine).
My work is going well. The longer I'm there, the more I realize how awesome my job is. I highly, highly recommend the Coast Guard to anyone of reasonable age for military (18-27). While you have to deal with a lot of BS (in what job do you not? Though it's a bit different when you are unable to voice negative opinions and aren't allowed to quit if it gets too bad), the benefits are magnificent (about half of my paycheck is untaxed, and the part that is I get most of the taxes back, awesome full health insurance, travel around on the government's dime for training and physicals, etc.) and my job is actually a lot of fun. I ride around in boats in the sunshine, get to be trained as a Federal Law Enforcement agent, carry and get trained to use multiple weapons, do a bunch of very hands-on work, and generally feel at the end of a duty period like I haven't wasted hours upon hours of my life (like I did at Cablevision). And I will probably be able to get my Bachelor's while still in the Coast Guard without ever touching my GI Bill money, which means if I'm in for 10 years, I could just give the, like, $45k of college tuition and books to one of my kids. Though I think I might highly suggest my kids join to earn their own college tuition. I think it would be better for them.
ANYWAY, outside of the rambling, my future is starting to take shape. I will probably have another surgery to fully resolve the... issue I've had... And after that is healed I should be right in time to go to an Air Station (either December or soon after). After that, I go to Avionics Electrical Technician "A" School in Elizabeth City, NC, and then... well, I think I might try to skip ahead in the schedule and go straight for Port Angeles, WA or Oregon if I can. My life plan has changed slightly and there may be higher priorities in 3 years than adventuring. But who knows? My life plan has been pretty fluid since my initial plan to get a Music Education degree and become a band teacher by 23 and get married and have kids by 24/25 lost its allure. I like not having EVERYTHING planned out.
I will have more interesting news in the future (plans are in the works), but for now, that's all I've got. Time to go mow the lawn, since I've been putting it off for... days...
My work is going well. The longer I'm there, the more I realize how awesome my job is. I highly, highly recommend the Coast Guard to anyone of reasonable age for military (18-27). While you have to deal with a lot of BS (in what job do you not? Though it's a bit different when you are unable to voice negative opinions and aren't allowed to quit if it gets too bad), the benefits are magnificent (about half of my paycheck is untaxed, and the part that is I get most of the taxes back, awesome full health insurance, travel around on the government's dime for training and physicals, etc.) and my job is actually a lot of fun. I ride around in boats in the sunshine, get to be trained as a Federal Law Enforcement agent, carry and get trained to use multiple weapons, do a bunch of very hands-on work, and generally feel at the end of a duty period like I haven't wasted hours upon hours of my life (like I did at Cablevision). And I will probably be able to get my Bachelor's while still in the Coast Guard without ever touching my GI Bill money, which means if I'm in for 10 years, I could just give the, like, $45k of college tuition and books to one of my kids. Though I think I might highly suggest my kids join to earn their own college tuition. I think it would be better for them.
ANYWAY, outside of the rambling, my future is starting to take shape. I will probably have another surgery to fully resolve the... issue I've had... And after that is healed I should be right in time to go to an Air Station (either December or soon after). After that, I go to Avionics Electrical Technician "A" School in Elizabeth City, NC, and then... well, I think I might try to skip ahead in the schedule and go straight for Port Angeles, WA or Oregon if I can. My life plan has changed slightly and there may be higher priorities in 3 years than adventuring. But who knows? My life plan has been pretty fluid since my initial plan to get a Music Education degree and become a band teacher by 23 and get married and have kids by 24/25 lost its allure. I like not having EVERYTHING planned out.
I will have more interesting news in the future (plans are in the works), but for now, that's all I've got. Time to go mow the lawn, since I've been putting it off for... days...