Military and Money, part II

2008-05-25 08:48:55 ET Holy crap. It's been awhile. So, about the military thing . . . yeah, I'm in the USAF now. Through basic and now stuck Biloxi, MS training at the Keesler base. I've been leafing through my old posts, journals, and pictures. Only recently has it hit me how much I've changed since way back then. I used to be this idealist punk with die hard beliefs about anarchy and "anti-system" stuff. Now look at me. I'm married, planing on having kids, in the military looking at becoming a Commisioned officer. The most disturbing thing about it though is how comfortable I am with it. I'm okay with the person I've become, short-haired & clean shaven as I am. It's all very strange.

Military & Money

2007-07-02 23:52:15 ET So Suzy and I've have run into some financial trouble. It's not really that big a problem, but a solution has to be found fast. I may be certified now, but I'm not making any money yet and after talking to my colleagues, I may not ever make a really livable wage. However, in the back of my mind there has always been a thought: military service. I've been researching the various branches and I'm considering the Air Force, Navy, & Coast Guard as possible career paths. Right now it's about 80% likely that I'll enlist. I have to make an appointment with a recruiter for later in the week and I'll have around 25-30 questions and won't be signing anything. The pros and cons are looking like this. Pros include: decent wage, housing allowance, food allowance, medical/dental insurance, promotion possibility, job security, various military discounts, useful training, enlistment bonus, tuition assistance, 30 days paid vacation each year, and the possibility for becoming an officer after college. The important con is this: significant time away from family (especially if I'm stationed at a base other than Davis-Monthan). Suzy and I haven't spent a night apart since we were married, or maybe even after officially dating. That's about 1095 days sleeping together. We'll miss each other terribly, but I feel a need to provide for my family and I'm too proud to accept anymore help from friends and family. At any rate, I'll keep you all posted and I'll let you know what I decide.

Shinken Bikenjutsu

2006-09-06 05:53:03 ET I spent most of saturday at a tameshigiri seminar. It was awesome and I learned a lot. Things about the history, anthropology, and etiquette revolving around the sword. We debunked some myths and discovered some of the major differences between Bujinkan kenjutsu and the more . . . common? sword arts. Push cuts v. pull cuts and kamae changes, and just how much harder it is to control a sword than a boken with just a few ounces of weight difference (and weight distribution). All in all, I had a lot of fun. Now if only I could actually carry my sword around . . . 1 comment

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