In any case, this week has been pretty hellish for me, after a few scandals that went down here at FLETC, and then some personal problems dealing with having a long-distance relationship. (If anyone has any advice, feel free to call my voicemail at 215.990.8975 and leave it; with any luck, I’ll get it and take it to heart).
The first scandal that started out my week was an issue of integrity for which I somehow became the focal point. I won’t go into too much detail, but there was much miscommunication; a ton of finger-pointing, name-calling and the like; and a little bit of a rift was caused between all the alphas we have here. It is all settled now, and I am feeling much better about it, now knowing much more about the people with whom I will have to work. I know who my friends are, who I can trust, and so on.
Now there are a bunch of little scandals running amuck in our group, but it is the predictable outcome of putting a lot of alpha males together for seven days a week, with barely an inch of breathing room and hardly any sleep. I dare say it is nothing we won’t overcome.
On the personal side of things, Vincent and I are enjoying the absence of the other – NOT. So somehow that has manifested itself into all sorts of repression of emotion on both sides, until the powder keg explodes, and I am so off kilter that I actually FAILED to qualify with my firearm today. I am the only one out of 46 who needs to re-qualify. I managed to knock over 60 points off my regular score, to miss quals (i.e. qualification) by about 17 points. Therefore, I now have 8 extra hours of remedial firearms next week (yes, that is above and beyond the 6:00AM-4:30PM, Monday through Saturday schedule I keep), plus qualifications. Good times, yes, good times…
But I worry not. Fear not. Quiver in my shoes not at all. Vincent will be here this weekend and we’re going to whisk ourselves away to the lovely confines of a hotel room on Jekyll Island, where I am told I will be regaled with a very fine Jacuzzi. I cannot wait! And tomorrow evening, i.e. Saturday, Vince and I are going on a moonlit sail. I’ve only been sailing once before, but it wasn’t at night. This should be a wonderful weekend for the two of us to get back in touch with one another…
And then I get to re-qualify NEXT week. No problem…
Of course, more prominent in my mind is this comprehensive test we have tomorrow. I really shouldn’t be on the computer typing up my blogspot at all, but I can’t seem to shake the feeling that you all might be missing me, and really care about what’s going on down here in South Georgia.
Whew. That’s most of my story. Just another day in Hell. Oh, and I think I’ve been counting wrong…There are exactly 33 days of training left, down here at FLETC, not including holidays and our “weekends.” If you want to think of the longer timeframe, i.e. how long before I am back in DC, that would be exactly 43 days…
However, I will be counting down FLETC days…so, 33 and counting, boys and girls, 33 and counting…
