Thinking and Re-Thinking

Just went and visited my brother this last weekend.

He's coming up on one year in the Corps next week, and he's pretty much not thrilled about being stuck in Yuma. He is isolated there and keeps talking about how he is looking forward to getting out... making plans for how he's going to leave and what he'll do when he gets home.

I found out, by him talking about coming home for the 4th of July, that weekend leave is very restricted. You can only go so far away from your station depending on how long a weekend (I was already familiar with this part), but what I didn't know was that when you go on liberty (personal time off), weekends count as part of the days you take from your allotment.

It's always un-motivating to hear him talk about how backwards and boring the military is, but it's better to go in with your eyes open than to have a romantic picture of it (as I'm sure he did).

I think I will get along just fine. I've gotten to the point where I can control some of that impatience with things I don't agree with or understand. Working at Aerojet has certainly helped with that. I had a really rough time in ROTC, because I just wouldn't conform... and most of the fun things were too difficult, physically. I regret many of the attitudes I had then and I'm ready to make up for it now and serve with dignity. I'm excited to go into this with a perspective on what it's like to hold a regular job and how unfulfilling it can be... to live for weekends and then not know what to do with them when you get them... yuck.

I was thinking about what it is I like to do; what I *really* want to spend my time on. All I could really think about was photography, sports and reading classic books... So why waste most of my life going to an office working on something I don't really believe in (finding life in outer space) when I could serve the Navy instead, which I do believe in (with oppertunity to do what I enjoy anyway)? Thank the Lord I'm joining the Navy.