So I am 2 weeks away from finishing this class. The time commitment is a bit more than
I was thinking, but then again what was I thinking? It’s a graduate level marketing class. But I have a couple nights a week where
I do the schoolwork, and one night a week is the actual class. Couple it with something like the
scenario I had this weekend, where I had drill with the Air National Guard and
it makes for one hell of a scenario.
I know having all of these commitments is a good thing in the end, but I
have an uneasy feeling thru all of it.
So other exciting things in my life, well I interviewed for
an officer position in the Guard.
What is the significance of this?
In the National Guard you must be commissioned as an officer before you
turn 35 years of age. And those of
you who know me know that (GASP!) that window of opportunity is closing quite
quickly. So I had to put together
a package with school transcripts, write a letter of intent, submit AFOQT
scores (Air Forcer Officer Qualifying Test), my PT scores, a letter of
recommendation from my commander, and a couple other pieces of
information. I have interviewed
for 3 positions like this in the past, yet never have been successful. The last time I sat thru a board, it
was 2006. And I left the interview
thinking, OH MAN THEY LOVED ME. I
answered every question like a friggin champ! I might as well start planning the rest of my career around
this. And then WHAMMO! This very political process passed on
me, and chose someone who I felt was the polar opposite of what I was. Now, repeat the process 6 years
later. Still the same enlisted
rank, no gray hairs yet, but about 25 lbs heavier. In that six years I managed to move from RI to MA to VA to
MA. In that six year period I went
from being an uncle of two to an uncle of four. I went from being the son of two hard working parents, to
the son of two parents who no longer work. And at a time when I thought I would never find anyone to
date; now I am married, go figure.
Six years has flown by. And
I found myself answering these canned questions very similar to the way I
answered them in 2006. Only time
will tell if this time around they actually listened to what I was saying, or
will I once again fall into the “We regret to inform you that you were not selected”
category.
Other exciting things, I brewed my first beer at a place
called “Incredibrew” in Nashua NH last week. It was a fun process, gave me an appreciation for how the
Lord’s nectar comes to be. We head
back next week to bottle it.
Looking forward to it.
Um, my drill weekend also was spent 30 minutes with a doc
who had to counsel me about my weight, and nutrition habits, because of the
weight and the tape measurement of my abdomen recorded prior to last drill
weekends fitness test. Ignore the
fact that no one in the group (40+ folks) finished within 90 seconds of me for
the 1.5 mile timed run. Ignore the
fact that I may not have the genes of someone with a 6 pack. The USAF / ANG feels that measuring my
waistline and having me step on a scale is a true reflection of whether I am fit
to fight. I wish they would do
something a tad more practical, like say, put on a ruck sack, fill it with 55
lbs of weights, and have you jog across a football field a few times, climbing
over obstacles. Lets see the
chain-smoking dude that happens to have crack heads as parents, and his 29 inch
waist line keep up with me! Let
him drink his 5 Mountain Dews a day, walking duck footed, and taking almost 20
minutes to do the 1.5 mile run. I
know I am in the worst shape of my life right now, but MY worst shape exceeds
the majority of the clowns that get a better assessment score because of what
they take into account. 1 min of
pushups and 1 min of sit-ups also helps put together an idea of just how fit to
fight you are.
If Scott Brown is re-elected this year I am going to write
to him and have him question the thinking behind that scoring for these annual
assessments. I have enjoyed having
a Senator who serves in the military as someone to throw ideas at. For me to wait for an hour to meet with
a Doc to have them tell me I need to be aware of my saturated fat intake,
question if I drink (um, yeah doesn’t everyone) and advise me to have plenty of
fruits and vegetables is a complete waste of time.
What is a funny thing though is to see my health record,
from when I enlisted, 12.5.1998 to present, and see my annual weigh in’s for
the physical, begging as a 168 lb Airman basic, and now a 204 lb Staff Sergeant. Good stuff, It is quite the bell curve,
well at least half of one so far.
So part of me wants to correct this, and make some significant
improvements, and then part of me wants to try to pack on 40 more labs, tip the
scales, but try and blow everyone out of the water on the run again. J
With all of this being said, I enjoy my time in the Guard, I
like serving the country and the state I serve in, and for every one of those
moments I shake my head at, I have 8 moments that I can stand and say with
pride and confidence that this remains a great choice for me.
Other things..
Had an alumni event in Plymouth at the Cabby Shack last week. Shipyard in a glass with a cinnamon
rim, nothing beats it! Good to see
a few of the people I liked from school.
For a Thursday night it is tough to get people to travel to something like
that.
Grabbed 3 buds and played golf on Friday at Indian Pond in
Kingston. I know I golf you
ask? Not really and not well at
all. Once in Panama in 1998. Once in Wareham in 2000. Once in Maine in 2002. Once in Egypt in
2005. And last Friday in Kingston,
MA. Pretty random, but my claim to
fame was that I held on to the same ball thru the first 16 holes! And no one in the foresome could have
said that either! Jake, Jon and
Matt, thanks for making it a fun time!
Anyways I have procrastinated too long, I need to brush my
teeth, head to bed, and catch the rest of the Monday Night Football on the
iPad.
By the way, I did not edit this, nor go back and spell check
or correct anything. I just
started typing, and now I am submitting this. Because that is how I roll. If I needed you to be Suzanne Blanchard on my ass, I would
ask for it.
Josh
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