The last two weeks for me have bee extremely relaxing and eye opening at the same time. I’m on what is called “Christmas Block Leave” or “Exodus” and have been since the 19th of December. Since the time I left the last post and and writing this one a number of things have changed: the first one, most important because it directly affects this blog which affects the readers, is that I now have access to technology capable of communicating with the outside world on a consistent basis. The second major thing that has changed is where I am at. I am now stationed at Redstone Arsenal for AIT (Advanced Individual Training).

The one thing I have noticed about this whole military experience so far is that my family is the only thing I really miss all of the time. Other things bother me from time to time, but it’s my family I think of on a regular basis. Next to them is my cat. Beyond that everything else is pretty much business.

After leaving my sister’s house in Oklahoma I wound up staying a day longer at the base than they or I had initially anticipated. I had been given my orders and I had the expectation that I would be shipping out within the next 24 hours. They had misread the date on my orders and it would end up being 24 hours after I was initially supposed to get up and move out.

I arrived at Redstone on the 5th of November. I started classes in basic electronics a week later. I left that class two weeks after that and waited, doing details, until the 19th of December when I took a plane home. I’ve been here at home in Washington for the last two weeks and I will be flying out tomorrow night back to Redstone Arsenal. I begin my targeted classes on the 5th of January. It ought to be extremely interesting, at least more so than sweeping leaves in an empty and windy parking lot.

Timothy, always good to see you. Say hello to ‘Let for me. And Matt.

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