Footlockers!

So I spent 3 hours on the 29th maneuvering my belongings between a backpack, a small tub, 3 footlockers, my deployment back, my ILBE pack, and from under the rack. My tiny little living area no longer looks like a twister went throug it and actually looks a bit austere. One footlocker is mostly packed and ready to be sent to IL so that I don't have to worry about lugging it around everywhere later. Another footlocker is filled with items that I don't need at the moment but will as the time out here passes such as books and cold weather gear. The third footlocker and the deployment bag are mostly filled with snacks and food although each of those containers hold other objects. Pictures will be posted in a few hours of where I live in order to give a better idea of how I live. Life is getting a bit better as the move winds down and now I will get a 1/2 day every Thursday (supposedly). I'm also planning to begin my 'cutting' regimen (no flesh will be rent) with cardio and HIIT while eating a lot fewer calories. This should only last three or four weeks, but it should help drop my body fat %. That should start on Monday the 2nd or perhaps in two weeks depending on what I need for it. Pics to be posted soon.

Staring at the sun

Today started off cooler than usual. While walking back from breakfast (my dinner) I noticed that it wasn't that bright out despite the sun being up. I took a look over my shoulder and stared directly into the sun.

The dust in the air is apparently higher up today and dense enough to diffuse the direct sunlight to the point that it was actually pleasant to look at the sun. Quite like seeing a blank moon during the daytime. So beautiful, and so rare that I can look directly at it! Just a perfect orb of light seeming so much more peaceful than usual without its typical harsh rays and heat. I know that it will not last, but enjoying it in the moment made this day a good one.

Ah hot July

Disappearing World by Fair is a great album and topping off a nice night of work with some great catchy tunes. Aaron Sprinkle, you are a pretty chill dude and your music keeps me rocking.

This juggling act can be stressful, but well worth it! Now that I'm finding a decent groove (finally) I'm happy to say that I am quite enjoying this deployment.

Gym: I'm doing a few different regimens as I attempt to incorporate strength building with (H)igh (I)ntensity (I)nterval (T)raining and then throwing in calf and abdomen workouts every other day alternating. There is also a bodyweight conditioning program called Convict Conditioning that I am also trying to incorporate, and as this groove becomes a little more settled it should become easier to maintain that training as well throughout the night. I have also taken to eating healthier and being intentional about what I eat. I stick to proteins and vegetables with the occasional fruit. I also make sandwiches for an interim meal (thanks mom and dad for the constant supply of bread!) and have 2-3 protein shakes per day. I drink almost strictly water although I supplement that with V8 and I have soymilk with my cereal. Due to my pact with Mindy, I drink zero caffeine and have stopped drinking soda, gatorade, and juice. I am certainly feeling a lot better throughout the day and know that I am getting healthier.

School: I have finished my first two classes at American Military University and am currently in the middle of Introduction to Psychology and Microeconomics. I should finish those two up at the end of August and get started on International Relations and World Civilizations prior to 1650 in September. That will put me at 36 credit hours out of the 61 I need for my Associate's degree. If it is possible, I will be taking three classes at a time starting in November and do that for Nov-Dec and Jan-Feb. This should put me at 54 credit hours and allow me to take 2 more classes after the deployment in order to finish my degree. The school is regionally accreditted and should allow me a better opportunity to get into competitive undergraduate programs after I end my active service so long as I keep a high GPA.

Martial Arts: I was able to go through a one on one training program for the (M)arine Corps (M)artial (A)rts (P)rogram and received my green belt at the beginning of this month from Sgt Villazon. He is working on his black belt, and at the end of this month he said that we could work on getting my up through my brown belt. By the end of this deployment I hope to have my black belt and perhaps an instructor tab to help train other Marines. Sgt Fields has some kickboxing gear coming out here and he agreed to teach me a lot of techniques and train me to gain a lot more power in my strikes. He is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has had extensive training in Muay Thai Kickboxing. As a former soccer player I hope to build my kicks up quite a bit and follow on with Team Quest after the deployment.

God: My prayer life has skyrocketed to new heighths this summer and is a very active part of my day. I am currently studying the life of David and the book of James. My reading through the Bible is kind of intermittant as we are currently moving three battalions worth of people from our tents that we used to work in to the new buildings that my shop and I just finished wiring. I hope to be adding pics of that wiring to this post soon. I have CDs of sermons from my church in El Cajon that bring me a lot of encouragement and help me grow. I am also reading a book called "Battle Ready" that Tim Burk sent me that is particularly good. Blue Like Jazz is another book that I am currently rereading.

Work: We have all of the higher classification units moved over to the new scif and are waiting for word to move the rest of the scif ppl over here. As I am on the high side, I am now working in an actual room within a real building. There is air conditioning that is thermostat set so overcooling at night is no longer a problem. The servers are still rather loud, but a few of us are hatching a plan to put up some fake walls in order to buffer us from the noise. It is still dusty, but not nearly to the degree that it was. Seeing the ability to keep things clean, and a bit more secure/private, I am really hoping that we move into cans soon in order to enjoy such luxury 24/7. :-P I am finally able to drop into learning quite a few things about this job without the distraction of being fapped out, moving 3 battalions (although there is a little of that left), or dealing with turnover from another unit. Bit by bit, work actually gets better.

I am about 90 days out from R&R and when I return from R&R I should be about 90 days out from redeploying back to California. w00t! Then I'll just have to come back to Illinois to hang out with friends and family for a few days, pack up all my stuff into a Uhaul and drive back out to California to whatever apartment I will have found. Perhaps I can get a friend or bruddah to come back with me . . . If you are interested in such a road trip, let me know. :-)

btw, Mindy sent me a book, note, and a 2GB thumbdrive with tons of pictures of the family. It was awesome and I will especially treasure it for the remaining time that I have out here, and also regularly treasure it for the rest of my life. :-)