2011

Morning in Jerusalem

moocowinthecity 2011-04-17 No Comments

It’s 4:16 in the morning here in the West Bank city of Ma’aleh Adumim, where I spent this past Shabbat. Today I have 63 actual days (eight weeks-ish), 45 work days until I’m a civilian again…it can’t come soon enough. It’s not that I don’t love the army – I still do – but after three incredibly intense years I need a major lifestyle change, different scenery and to be my own man again.

I have something around 900+ emails in my in-box…the fact that there aren’t villagers with pitchforks surrounding my place of abode is astounding. My biggest problem is that I’m not allowed to bring a civilian computer into my office and our army computers – quite wisely – aren’t connected to the outside world…by the time I get home (if I get home…) I’m too exhausted to take off my boots, let alone turn on my laptop and write anything more than “hi” before I crash.

For those of you who want a quick catch up:

1. I’ve moved to the Soldiers Hostel in Jerusalem for the remainder of my service…in retrospect, I should have done this sooner even though it makes my daily commute 3.5 hours in total (without traffic).

1. I’ve been accepted into graduate school (yay!). I’ll be studying at the Open University of Israel in Ranana (through distance education) from New York. My M.A. is in Cultural Studies focusing on Middle Eastern culture and literature…expect a lot of posts about this once I’m a civilian again…posts filled with Hebrew, Arabic and lots of pictures and music…ahh things I’m allowed to blog about without having to worry about the Intelligence Corps throwing a fit.

1. I’m waiting to hear back on a few jobs I’ve applied for in New York. One of them is to be a project manager for a construction firm. I figure if I’ve just spent three years executing missions around the world on behalf of the IDF than I can certainly transfer those skills to project managing construction plans, approvals, certificates, variances and projects instead of international permissions, agreements, contracts, visas and flight itineraries.

1. I’m heading back to New York for a couple of years to work on my M.A. while holding down a full time job and trying to save as much cash as I can…sadly, I am not independently wealthy and travel requires money.

1. The return to the U.S. in no way should be considered permanent…I just can’t work in any of my chosen professions until I complete my M.A. (at a minimum) and – ideally – my Ph.D.

1. Within my first year on Long Island I also hope to finish the four additional teaching addenda to my teaching certification so I can get that out of the way.

1. I’m chomping at the bit to register for classes…that’ll happen two or three days after I’m done with the IDF.

1. I really need to go shopping in the Old City of Jerusalem, this will also happen a day or two after I’m done registering for courses.

1. My travelogue is five pages away from being completed and sent off – I think it’ll happen before the Passover Seder, but no promises.

1. I really, really want a vegetarian Margie Meal.

1. I’ve been approved to be a soldier on a Taglit-Birthright Israel bus

1. I now have a folding camping shovel which makes me incredibly happy…I also have a poop shovel with ruler on the side (to measure the depth of the cat-hole you need to dig), but I’ve had that for awhile so it’s not nearly as exciting.

And now it’s 04:40 so I’m going to ‘get up’, get shaved and get dressed…63 days…63 days…

I’m officially a graduate student…

moocowinthecity 2011-04-06 No Comments

…I’m also technically homeless right now…but I have a tent so really it’s okay…though perhaps I should be doing motivational speaking while living in a van down by the river…updates: I has them, emails: I’m perpetually behinds on them…though hopefully soon I’ll be caught up…if nothing else, in 74 days I can once again regularly use my email while at work…

It’s Been That Kind of Week

moocowinthecity 2011-03-26 No Comments

From Sunday: 11 Weeks (84 Actual Days, 60 Work days) Until I Finish The Army

We are officially at the beginning of the end folks. 84 days until I have a real life again, 84 days until I’ll be moving on with my career, 84 days until I’ll be able to start earning money again and get off of army welfare and army food stamps, 84 days until I can write down everything about my day because none of it will be top secret, 84 days until I close what has been an incredibly exciting, three year, chapter of my life.

אוג’ 08′

I decided that as my going away present to those who I work with, I’m making a CD of songs that I’ve listened to on repeat during certain periods of my army career (like the song I listened to on my draft day, the songs I listened to during basic training, during my NCO course, etc.). Above is the CD cover I made. I like it because the symbol for the IDF Ground Forces Command is behind me, as I’m moving forward, and the symbol of the Education & Youth Corps on my beret is in the forefront moving forward towards the future.

“I could never get the hang of Thursdays…”

Last Wednesday I was a couple of blocks away from the explosion in Jerusalem. Due to one of those weird turns of fate (or, grace of God if you prefer) I wasn’t there. Earlier in the day I had planned to finish what I was doing and either visit my friend in Ma’aleh Adumim or return to Tel Aviv and work from HQ. I had decided I was going to go back to HQ, so I called my friend in Ma’aleh Adumim and canceled. Then, for some reason, I decided to let work go for awhile (something I rarely do) and decided to continue on a tour with my friends instead. I called my commander and he had no problem with it, so off we went.

Had I went to Ma’aleh Adumim, I’d have been at that bus stop and around the time the bomb exploded. Had I decided to return to Tel Aviv, my bus would have dropped me off at the bus stop at around the time the bomb exploded. I’ll talk more about rockets and bombs and things in my travelogue (which I hope to be putting out tonight, since it’s 8 months due) so I’ll save you all the x-posting.

Job Hunting, Dating, The Real World

I’m incredibly excited to be moving forward with my education and my career…I’m chomping at the bit at this point. I’m really attempting (and hopeful) that I’ll be able to finish all of the training that I need to get a good start on the professional portion of my career (when I’ll actually be doing field work, instead of learning about it) within the next seven years…which would put me at 32, which for an academic and field linguist isn’t such a bad starting age.

Dating is something I’m looking forward to as well, though I’m also slightly cringing at the prospect at the same time. I’m not exactly the easiest person to date: I’m intense, active, slightly to moderately weird and sometimes people find it hard to keep up. I also need someone who I find interesting, who is equally (or more active) and who holds my attention.

I understand that dating isn’t easy, across any age range or sexuality…the whole kissing frogs until finding the handsome prince thing, but there has got to be an easier way than constantly going on dates. I may try speed dating (…gay Jewish speed dating?)…we’ll see. I am looking forward to getting back out there though…if nothing else, for the stand up material.

More later. Now, time for coffee and the travelogue.

It’s Been That Kind of Week

moocowinthecity 2011-03-26 No Comments

From Sunday: 11 Weeks (84 Actual Days, 60 Work days) Until I Finish The Army

We are officially at the beginning of the end folks. 84 days until I have a real life again, 84 days until I’ll be moving on with my career, 84 days until I’ll be able to start earning money again and get off of army welfare and army food stamps, 84 days until I can write down everything about my day because none of it will be top secret, 84 days until I close what has been an incredibly exciting, three year, chapter of my life.

אוג’ 08′

I decided that as my going away present to those who I work with, I’m making a CD of songs that I’ve listened to on repeat during certain periods of my army career (like the song I listened to on my draft day, the songs I listened to during basic training, during my NCO course, etc.). Above is the CD cover I made. I like it because the symbol for the IDF Ground Forces Command is behind me, as I’m moving forward, and the symbol of the Education & Youth Corps on my beret is in the forefront moving forward towards the future.

“I could never get the hang of Thursdays…”

Last Wednesday I was a couple of blocks away from the explosion in Jerusalem. Due to one of those weird turns of fate (or, grace of God if you prefer) I wasn’t there. Earlier in the day I had planned to finish what I was doing and either visit my friend in Ma’aleh Adumim or return to Tel Aviv and work from HQ. I had decided I was going to go back to HQ, so I called my friend in Ma’aleh Adumim and canceled. Then, for some reason, I decided to let work go for awhile (something I rarely do) and decided to continue on a tour with my friends instead. I called my commander and he had no problem with it, so off we went.

Had I went to Ma’aleh Adumim, I’d have been at that bus stop and around the time the bomb exploded. Had I decided to return to Tel Aviv, my bus would have dropped me off at the bus stop at around the time the bomb exploded. I’ll talk more about rockets and bombs and things in my travelogue (which I hope to be putting out tonight, since it’s 8 months due) so I’ll save you all the x-posting.

Job Hunting, Dating, The Real World

I’m incredibly excited to be moving forward with my education and my career…I’m chomping at the bit at this point. I’m really attempting (and hopeful) that I’ll be able to finish all of the training that I need to get a good start on the professional portion of my career (when I’ll actually be doing field work, instead of learning about it) within the next seven years…which would put me at 32, which for an academic and field linguist isn’t such a bad starting age.

Dating is something I’m looking forward to as well, though I’m also slightly cringing at the prospect at the same time. I’m not exactly the easiest person to date: I’m intense, active, slightly to moderately weird and sometimes people find it hard to keep up. I also need someone who I find interesting, who is equally (or more active) and who holds my attention.

I understand that dating isn’t easy, across any age range or sexuality…the whole kissing frogs until finding the handsome prince thing, but there has got to be an easier way than constantly going on dates. I may try speed dating (…gay Jewish speed dating?)…we’ll see. I am looking forward to getting back out there though…if nothing else, for the stand up material.

More later. Now, time for coffee and the travelogue.

Transition

moocowinthecity 2011-03-21 No Comments

I am tired, exhausted, getting ready to move to yet another city (I’ve lived in Zichron Ya’akov, Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael, Tel Aviv, Kibbutz Zikim, Ashdod and as of next week Jerusalem in what amounts to a glorified hostel), behind on emails, lacking any and all energy, overloaded with work, burdened with training a new commander, his deputy (since she’ll be taking over for me since I’m not signing contract) while also training (and in some cases re-training) three soldiers…lacking nutritionally satisfying food, attempting to not panic about the work situation in the US, refreshing my inbox and waiting for a letter to come to say I’ve been accepted into the M.A. program, waiting to hear back from the Plainview Volunteer Fire Department in the hopes that I’ve been accepted as a volunteer so I don’t have to pay to be an EMT, am both excited and slightly bummed that the next round of EMT training I can do will be in September, I was hoping for August, am reflective on my army service and slightly sad that I wasn’t really able to do what I wanted over the past three years, proud however that I gave the army what it needed and always did my best, overjoyed that I got to become an NCO and a specialist…because if nothing else five of the six guys I was on course with became my brothers and literally made my entire army experience, sad that I’m not leaving the army as an officer despite having letters of recommendation from two of the former commanders of the officers school and recommendations from a half dozen people, including Lt. Colonels…all because one very small man stood in my way and didn’t want me to leave, which wound up with me leaving anyway,  but happy because this entire experience stopped me from making the terrible mistake of ever wanting to work in an office environment because if I’ve learned anything over these past three years it’s that I fucking hate working in an office…and need to be doing fieldwork…happy I got to build the first Ground Forces Wide ESL program, sad that there’s no one to continue it…and just a mixture of a hundred other emotions that I know will hit into a brick wall on June 19, 2011 at around 14:00hrs when I once again become a civilian…and my days filled with missions, important phone calls around the world, constantly keeping up training to do emergency evacuations and a dozen other things will, with the snap of a finger, become totally irrelevant…and the only thing I’ll be doing in July is re-integrating and relaxing…and de-stressing…and much like the small steps necessary to achieve anything in life, August I will find a job, September I will enter the EMT program and October I will enter the M.A. program…and hopefully by November I’ll at least back on the dating scene because it’s been too long and life is too short.

Transition

moocowinthecity 2011-03-21 No Comments

I am tired, exhausted, getting ready to move to yet another city (I’ve lived in Zichron Ya’akov, Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael, Tel Aviv, Kibbutz Zikim, Ashdod and as of next week Jerusalem in what amounts to a glorified hostel), behind on emails, lacking any and all energy, overloaded with work, burdened with training a new commander, his deputy (since she’ll be taking over for me since I’m not signing contract) while also training (and in some cases re-training) three soldiers…lacking nutritionally satisfying food, attempting to not panic about the work situation in the US, refreshing my inbox and waiting for a letter to come to say I’ve been accepted into the M.A. program, waiting to hear back from the Plainview Volunteer Fire Department in the hopes that I’ve been accepted as a volunteer so I don’t have to pay to be an EMT, am both excited and slightly bummed that the next round of EMT training I can do will be in September, I was hoping for August, am reflective on my army service and slightly sad that I wasn’t really able to do what I wanted over the past three years, proud however that I gave the army what it needed and always did my best, overjoyed that I got to become an NCO and a specialist…because if nothing else five of the six guys I was on course with became my brothers and literally made my entire army experience, sad that I’m not leaving the army as an officer despite having letters of recommendation from two of the former commanders of the officers school and recommendations from a half dozen people, including Lt. Colonels…all because one very small man stood in my way and didn’t want me to leave, which wound up with me leaving anyway,  but happy because this entire experience stopped me from making the terrible mistake of ever wanting to work in an office environment because if I’ve learned anything over these past three years it’s that I fucking hate working in an office…and need to be doing fieldwork…happy I got to build the first Ground Forces Wide ESL program, sad that there’s no one to continue it…and just a mixture of a hundred other emotions that I know will hit into a brick wall on June 19, 2011 at around 14:00hrs when I once again become a civilian…and my days filled with missions, important phone calls around the world, constantly keeping up training to do emergency evacuations and a dozen other things will, with the snap of a finger, become totally irrelevant…and the only thing I’ll be doing in July is re-integrating and relaxing…and de-stressing…and much like the small steps necessary to achieve anything in life, August I will find a job, September I will enter the EMT program and October I will enter the M.A. program…and hopefully by November I’ll at least back on the dating scene because it’s been too long and life is too short.

Letter I Sent To My Parents

moocowinthecity 2011-02-16 No Comments

Hey Gang,

I just wanted to get everyone on the same page. I also wanted to alleviate some concerns that you both might have right now (we’re all in for some life changes, and it’s a tough economy) and I figured the best way to do that was to give you guys a detailed sketch of the next few months.

I ask you to both take the time necessary to read this email twice so we can all get caught up to speed.

The Game Plan

June 19, 2011:

I finish three years of service in the IDF (HOORAY!!!). I leave (as far as I know) as a Staff Sergeant, as a Non-Commissioned Officer, as a commended soldier and as a better person than when I entered.

July 2011

I’m taking July off. I’ve just spent three years in the IDF and I need about a month to clear my head and to readjust to civilian life. While during your visits here you’ve gotten to see the fun side of the branch (as you should) there’s another side to the branch. The other side of the branch is where I have to explain the unexplainable, where I have to translate things at a moments notice or an entire mission will fail, where I have to wake up in the middle of the night to try and get an officer who’s stuck in a snowstorm, who is confused, who is having an emergency from the situation he’s in to a situation where he can complete his mission and return safely to Israel…and I have to be able to do that for any officer I’ve sent abroad in any country in the world at any hour of the day by telephone…and that’s what I do during peace time…it gets a lot more complicated during times where peace is – shall we say – lacking.

After three years (mostly in some kind of command position) I need to move from giving orders, constantly being intense, being on call and ready to be sent on a mission 24/7/365 to asking instead of telling and using words like please and thank you. July is the month where I’ll be doing that. The IDF Psychologist says I should take three months to reintegrate into civilian life…I believe I’ll be able to do so in a month.

July is also the month where I’ll be getting us set up on Etsy, Ebay and Amazon.com and getting our shipping and distribution system setup. Fortunately, I’m an Ebay and Amazon selling maven and, while I’m still getting used to Etsy, I’m sure we’ll do great.

August:

Work, work, work.

First, here’s the deal with J****: if there’s a position for me at J****, awesome! If there isn’t a position for me at J****, awesome! Please don’t stress about it.

Personally, for me, 500.00 a week is 2,000.00 a month, 24,000.00 a year and over a four year period (not taking into account taxes) comes to 96,000.00. I would love to earn 96,000.00 before I start my Ph.D.

That kind of income would not only help me create a nice nest egg, it would mean that I would have the freedom to start my Ph.D. and then look for work in whatever state or country I eventually do my Ph.D. in, instead of having to find work first and then apply to the Ph.D. programs.

It would also provide me with the necessary finances to have an easier time doing my research in graduate school.

That being said: I don’t want to be hired because I’m your son. I would like to be hired because I am incredibly bright, because I have a track record of success, because I have glowing letters of recommendation from every single employer and commander I’ve ever had and because I’m competent, professional and a fast learner. You’re familiar with my CV and you’ve seen a handful of my letters of recommendation.

J***** is – despite a lot of involvement – not a “family business.” I have no delusions of entitlement: J***** is not a corner store – it’s a multi-million dollar corporation.

You owe it to yourself and to your partners to make the best decision for J***** and to hire the person that most meets J*****’s requirements. I strongly urge you to make the right decision for you and for J*****. J***** needs your leadership right now whereas I’ll be able to manage whether I’m working for J***** or elsewhere.

September:

I turn 27! According to my numerology, this should be a better year than the last.

October:

If I’m accepted to the Open University of Israel (side note: I turned in my application today…cross your fingers and wish me luck!) then I begin my distance studies.

November:

Thanksgiving (you guys have no idea how much I’ve missed Thanksgiving)!!

November is also my personal deadline for myself.

If by November I haven’t found work which allows me to earn enough a week where I can continue paying for my M.A. (I do have some leeway, because the IDF is putting 15,000 shekels towards my M.A…not much leeway, but some) then this is the month that I pack my backpack and send out my resume to Teach For America, The Peace Corps, Doctors Without Borders and numerous countries throughout the world – the benefit of being an applied linguist with an ESL teaching certification is that I’m certified to teach in any country in the world (with the one, large exception, of the United States).

If all that doesn’t work I’ll see where the adventure takes me. Remember it’s not really washing dishes at a pub in Ireland…it’s background research to investigate the language dynamics and use of modern Gaelic between lower-class workers and their higher-class patrons…and as a writer, it’s the chance to continue a great story.

RENT (Not Just a Broadway Show!):

The two of you have managed to raise incredibly competent children. I’ve just come back from a week where I was told “use your judgment, if you have to shoot to kill – do so.” I like using my judgment…I will be paying rent (whether covertly or overtly). There’s not much you can do to stop me…I’m persistent. A fixed number I can’t give you (because I don’t know how much I’ll be making yet) but I like the concept of tithing and I know exactly what percentage of my pay will be making its way to the family coffers.

In short, don’t worry, don’t panic, and relax…I’m not stressed at all. I’m excited to see where this leg of the journey takes me! And if I’m not stressed you shouldn’t be either! I know exactly the kind of things I’m facing (insurance, poor economy, bad job market, etc.) and I say bring it on.

Love you both and I look forward to seeing you in July!!!!!!

The Nomadic Son

Letter I Sent To My Parents

moocowinthecity 2011-02-16 No Comments

It’s 02:21 and I just finished straightening out most of my roommates’ mess…anyway:

So I was talking to my Dad while I was getting ready to head to the guard tower last week and he was really confused about what was going on (mostly because he doesn’t always pay attention to what I’m telling him on the phone, or what my mother tells him). I spoke with my Mom about it, mostly because my Dad’s freaking out about the whole thing and the ‘what ifs’ and the possibility something might go wrong…and the only thing I’m nervous about at this point is making sure my M.A. application is processed right…not worried about getting in, worried that the administration will lose important papers or that I’ll have to have my Mom mail me my original documents back from the U.S….anyway, I wanted to get everyone on the same page. I’ll write more soon…for now, the last friends only post on the matter before I can start posting publicly (I hope)…I wrote this going on no sleep, so I don’t apologize for what will no doubt be a letter rife with grammatical errors:

Hey Gang,
I just wanted to get everyone on the same page. I also wanted to alleviate some concerns that you both might have right now (we’re all in for some life changes, and it’s a tough economy) and I figured the best way to do that was to give you guys a detailed sketch of the next few months.
I ask you to both take the time necessary to read this email twice so we can all get caught up to speed.
The Game PlanJune 19, 2011:

I finish three years of service in the IDF (HOORAY!!!). I leave (as far as I know) as a Staff Sergeant, as a Non-Commissioned Officer, as a commended soldier and as a better person than when I entered.
July 2011
I’m taking July off. I’ve just spent three years in the IDF and I need about a month to clear my head and to readjust to civilian life. While during your visits here you’ve gotten to see the fun side of the branch (as you should) there’s another side to the branch. The other side of the branch is where I have to explain the unexplainable, where I have to translate things at a moments notice or an entire mission will fail, where I have to wake up in the middle of the night to try and get an officer who’s stuck in a snowstorm, who is confused, who is having an emergency from the situation he’s in to a situation where he can complete his mission and return safely to Israel…and I have to be able to do that for any officer I’ve sent abroad in any country in the world at any hour of the day by telephone…and that’s what I do during peace time…it gets a lot more complicated during times where peace is – shall we say – lacking.
After three years (mostly in some kind of command position) I need to move from giving orders, constantly being intense, being on call and ready to be sent on a mission 24/7/365 to asking instead of telling and using words like please and thank you. July is the month where I’ll be doing that. The IDF Psychologist says I should take three months to reintegrate into civilian life…I believe I’ll be able to do so in a month.
July is also the month where I’ll be getting us set up on Etsy, Ebay and Amazon.com and getting our shipping and distribution system setup. Fortunately, I’m an Ebay and Amazon selling maven and, while I’m still getting used to Etsy, I’m sure we’ll do great.
August:
Work, work, work.
First, here’s the deal with J****: if there’s a position for me at J****, awesome! If there isn’t a position for me at J****, awesome! Please don’t stress about it.
Personally, for me, 500.00 a week is 2,000.00 a month, 24,000.00 a year and over a four year period (not taking into account taxes) comes to 96,000.00. I would love to earn 96,000.00 before I start my Ph.D.
That kind of income would not only help me create a nice nest egg, it would mean that I would have the freedom to start my Ph.D. and then look for work in whatever state or country I eventually do my Ph.D. in, instead of having to find work first and then apply to the Ph.D. programs.
It would also provide me with the necessary finances to have an easier time doing my research in graduate school.
That being said: I don’t want to be hired because I’m your son. I would like to be hired because I am incredibly bright, because I have a track record of success, because I have glowing letters of recommendation from every single employer and commander I’ve ever had and because I’m competent, professional and a fast learner. You’re familiar with my CV and you’ve seen a handful of my letters of recommendation.
J***** is – despite a lot of involvement – not a “family business.” I have no delusions of entitlement: J***** is not a corner store – it’s a multi-million dollar corporation.
You owe it to yourself and to your partners to make the best decision for J***** and to hire the person that most meets J*****’s requirements. I strongly urge you to make the right decision for you and for J*****. J***** needs your leadership right now whereas I’ll be able to manage whether I’m working for J***** or elsewhere.
September:
I turn 27! According to my numerology, this should be a better year than the last.
October:
If I’m accepted to the Open University of Israel (side note: I turned in my application today…cross your fingers and wish me luck!) then I begin my distance studies.
November:
Thanksgiving (you guys have no idea how much I’ve missed Thanksgiving)!!
November is also my personal deadline for myself.
If by November I haven’t found work which allows me to earn enough a week where I can continue paying for my M.A. (I do have some leeway, because the IDF is putting 15,000 shekels towards my M.A…not much leeway, but some) then this is the month that I pack my backpack and send out my resume to Teach For America, The Peace Corps, Doctors Without Borders and numerous countries throughout the world – the benefit of being an applied linguist with an ESL teaching certification is that I’m certified to teach in any country in the world (with the one, large exception, of the United States).
If all that doesn’t work I’ll see where the adventure takes me. Remember it’s not really washing dishes at a pub in Ireland…it’s background research to investigate the language dynamics and use of modern Gaelic between lower-class workers and their higher-class patrons…and as a writer, it’s the chance to continue a great story.
RENT (Not Just a Broadway Show!):
The two of you have managed to raise incredibly competent children. I’ve just come back from a week where I was told “use your judgment, if you have to shoot to kill – do so.” I like using my judgment…I will be paying rent (whether covertly or overtly). There’s not much you can do to stop me…I’m persistent. A fixed number I can’t give you (because I don’t know how much I’ll be making yet) but I like the concept of tithing and I know exactly what percentage of my pay will be making its way to the family coffers.
In short, don’t worry, don’t panic, and relax…I’m not stressed at all. I’m excited to see where this leg of the journey takes me! And if I’m not stressed you shouldn’t be either! I know exactly the kind of things I’m facing (insurance, poor economy, bad job market, etc.) and I say bring it on.
Love you both and I look forward to seeing you in July!!!!!!
The Nomadic Son

Okay

moocowinthecity 2011-02-15 No Comments

So back from a week of guarding…my office on base has exploded (we got a new commander…who has, literally, no idea what he’s doing…and he’s struggling…and desperate…we’ll try and get him through it)…my roommates left a huge mess in the apartment…I’m under-slept and underfed…but will be taking care of both at the moment. I handed in my M.A. application today…lots of updates…and ones that I can publicly post about since we’re now officially at the beginning of the end…well, we will be on Sunday.

Okay

moocowinthecity 2011-02-15 No Comments

So back from a week of guarding…my office on base has exploded (we got a new commander…who has, literally, no idea what he’s doing…and he’s struggling…and desperate…we’ll try and get him through it)…my roommates left a huge mess in the apartment…I’m under-slept and underfed…but will be taking care of both at the moment. I handed in my M.A. application today…lots of updates…and ones that I can publicly post about since we’re now officially at the beginning of the end…well, we will be on Sunday.