A Day of Preparation

Finally up to speed!

Military: Today my platoon ran a PFT but since I already ran one I just stood around and held a clipboard. The fun didn't end there. Then we had a spontaneous wall locker inspection afterwords... and Dewey got busted. I need to find a way to whip my fire team into shape. This is unacceptable and I'm responsible for them. Tomorrow is the re-inspection with Huey.

Apartment: I put my $130 worth of cleaning supplies and my groceries to work today. Cleaned the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom... Tidied up the living room a bit. Which is good because my squad leader and platoon sergeant are both visiting tomorrow. Then I cooked! I made devilled eggs and oatmeal. Nothing fancy, I know, but very tasty and good for me.

Personal: As predicted, some of my friends don't share my excitement. In lighter news, I chatted with my sister today. She's doing a lot better and is getting A's and B's in her college prep courses. Just a couple years ago she was in the special classes... So this is great. And she's aiming high for life after high school. I hope she keeps it up.

May 4: Ugh...

Language: Started a new unit today. I know all the vocab but my concentration was really lacking today. I also received my final grades on the test. I scored a B+ on my speaking test so my average for Unit 10 is a B+. I need to do better than that to go on the immersion trip.

My mentor was very excited to see my comics.... Eh. Screw it. This whole "You don't know what my language is!" thing is getting too obnoxious to maintain and interfering with what I'm trying to say. So I showed her my Korean manhwas today. She borrowed this silly one about a traditional Korean story involving two brothers, melons, and magpies. Then she decided that she and I would discuss the book sometime next week. Now I need to get it back from her in order to reread it so that I know what is going on!

Military: Bad day today... A few Marines got NJP'd. My new platoon commander is not pleased as today was his first full day and it's all jacked up after our old platoon commander said how great we are. The CO is not pleased. I also had to chew Louie out today for his attitude and then he went and jumped the chain of command to talk to Corporal about a matter before I could handle it. It's challenging trying to figure out to get people of different personalities to change and comply.

Personal: I replaced the lily this morning... I managed to get it through the rain without getting wet or smashed. The Momrine and I quoted Lords of the Rings ("Is it secret? Is it safe?") and had a good time. Despite the fact that her eye is royally jacked up. I love it when medical doesn't listen to people so that a condition deteriorates! She had to be rushed to specialist, had her eye (painfully) scraped for cultures, and now she can barely see. There's pretty much nothing I can do too. Grr.

Then the Hooah invited me to dinner as she was in a good mood. We chatted about this and that. It was nice. The Chinese... Not so much. We had never been there before and decided to give it a shot. It was edible but not something I'd pick again.

May 3: More Tests

Language: Reading and listening tests today. B+ and A- respectively. The reading had a lot of grammar that just tore me up and my concentration wavered a bit during the listening test. However, I was also catching a lot of information on the first run through of the sound files, which is a nice sensation. It means that I am actually learning this language and won't have to ask the enemy to repeat themselves. Today my class also discovered that we are going to our target language country this August. Now I have to make sure I wind up on that list. I'm hoping that my extra work and desire to study the culture covers for my less-than-stellar grades.

My mentor and I had another chat about anime and manga today. We started talking about Neon Genesis Evangelion and I was tasked with talking about what I liked, what I didn't like, and to describe the characters. It was an interesting challenge. Tomorrow I'm going to bring in some of my target language comics to discuss with her.

Military: So Huey failed his room inspection today thanks to a broken lock. Now, it's happened to me before so I'm not angry. However, now I have to show up on Sunday to stand re-inspection with him and I think Corporal said something about my whole fireteam doing it so I told everyone to make sure their alphas are ready just in case. I'll clarify the matter later.

Personal: Well... Today was nice. The Momrine and I fell right back into harassing each other on a regular basis with texts. There was a downside though. Someone went into her classroom and destroyed the origami lily that I had made her on Valentine's Day. It had survived my episode of clearing house and reclaiming the little bits of myself I had left here and there just to be destroyed the day after she and I become friends again. I was also in there this morning to return the Lumnidriver set I had borrowed and used to dissemble and reassemble the desk she gave me. There was a brief conversation on if I was the culprit of the lily smashing. So... Someone out there doesn't like the idea of the Momrine and I being friends.

May 2: Tests

Language: Speaking test today with my mentor... She's a hard but fair teacher and she expects a lot from me. Once again, I tripped over past vocabulary and grammar. I also sucked pretty hard at the monologue but did well with the roleplayed dialogue. I'll get my grade later but I know I didn't do terribly. The thing is, I actually felt pretty good about how the conversation was rolling and she understood what I was saying. It is just that, while I conveyed my meaning, I butchered some of the details.

Fitness: Today is the last solid PT day before my platoon's PFT (which I will not be taking because of the one I took two weeks ago). Therefore, we pushed it. Dewey and I did a lot of pull-ups and my smoker of an abs routine... And I tore through it. All of it. I wonder if I've broken that mental barrier that was keeping me from performing before.

Apartment: Today I received a desk, rolling chair, bookshelf, and a bunch of kitchen stuff... All for free. Woo! Thank God for friends hooking friends up (see below for who).

Personal: Speaking of which, today was another sort of test... I finally had my chat with the Momrine about, well, everything. I know that a lot of my friends and family are rolling their eyes right now. But I'm happy. I'm happy that she and I got to talk and clean out a lot of the air between us. I'm glad that not everything I thought was true. Of course, it's a bit sad to see what stemmed from miscommunication... She and I always had great, productive talks. It's just hard for us to actually start talking at times. Anyways. I feel like I have my friend back and it's a good feeling. She's been working hard to get her life in order, like I have been with mine. I respect that.

May 1: Anime and Feet

Marathon: Still recovering! And at a much faster pace than I expected. I really thought that my muscles were going to be shot for days but today they just felt exhausted. Not sure. Just like there was no energy in them for me to do anything. Therefore, I was still walking a little funny but nothing terribly noticeable.

Language: I had speaking practice with my mentor today and we literally chatted about manga and anime. How awesome is that? Apparently she really, really likes it. We'll talk more on this later. I also had my normal speaking drills with another teacher... I wasn't as fuzzy as last time but I wasn't a shining star either. I hope my actual speaking test goes better.

Medical: I had a meeting with my podiatrist today. My feet are getting better, which is good, but I need to keep the treatment up or I'll regress. Unfortunately, life has been rather chaotic lately and I've been slipping.

Personal: I read my copy of this month's masonic newsletter... Turns out that the guys I was idly chatting with are some of the highest ranking members around. Go figure, right? That's actually really encouraging that the senior members of the order are that accessible.

April 30: Freemasons and Sore Muscles

I think my life is starting to settle down... but I have to post these late entries.

Language: I've been cutting it really close lately with my homework. I pull it off but I don't like it being this shaky. I also was a bit distant in class today.

Marathon: So. Sore. So very, very sore. It got better as the day went on but people kept asking if I was okay as I limped around the base. I just told them that I felt like someone took a baseball bat to my legs as I ran a marathon yesterday. Then I had to run for a couple minutes so that I wouldn't be late for class... That sucked. My legs felt like lead. Strangely enough, even though my legs are shot, my upper body is working great. Better than before the marathon.

Apartment: The apartment is a wreck and this is a big reason why life has been so hectic lately. I'm constantly running back and forth trying to put stuff together, find stuff, etc. I called in the work order for my sink and fridge today.

Personal: Today my classmates were going on about their problems in life and what they did this weekend and it sounded so... petty. Like they aren't doing anything. Or that what they are doing doesn't really amount to anything. It's an odd sensation to sit back in class, look at the people around you, and wonder, "Why?"

Tonight was also my social with the local Masonic Lodge. It was great. One of the families prepared a lot of traditional Filipino food and, even though I had just ate a big salad, I inhaled a lot of chow. After I was introduced to various ranking members of the lodge I just sat down and chatted with some of the men for a bit. It was a good time to just sit, eat, and chat with other adults. They all seem like men of character and I've already filled out my application.

D-Day: The Big Sur International Marathon

It's going up quite late because my life has been hectic lately but here it is!

The Big Sur International Marathon: The Culmination of 104 Days of Training

I woke up at 0330 after a fitful night of sleep. I tried to go to bed at a somewhat reasonable time (around 2200) but as soon as I laid down I had a headache. It wasn't going away so I got up to take an Aleve and wait for it to kick in... Didn't get to bed until 2300. As if four hours of sleep weren't bad enough, I woke up twice during the night thanks to my air mattress deflating.

I woke up and threw on the clothes I laid out the night before. I didn't get to wear the clothes I normally wear for PT as they were soaked with sea water. Instead I wore the same kind of clothes but a different combination of top and bottom. I also couldn't find my personal championchip so I used the rental they gave me... Minor discrepancies in my plan that were annoying but not terrible.

The cold was another story. Fortunately, I was sporting my Marine Corps Detachment sweatshirt as I stood in line for the bus. Worse than that was my cold... I still haven't shaken that bug. So there I was standing in line to board a 0415 bus in downtown Monterey for an hour-long drive to the starting line. I drifted a bit but didn't really sleep. There was too much energy and taking naps without my CPAP doesn't help me anyways.

We show up at the Big Sur ranger station just as dawn is breaking... I ran into a few of my Marines there. I, however, am both hungry and a bit dehydrated so I head out in search of the pre-race handouts. Experience has taught me that running with an empty stomach first thing in the morning wipes me out. Experience and logic tell me that running a marathon dehydrated is a recipe for disaster (and a few fatalities over the years). I get a bagel, a banana, and some Gatorade in me before hitting the head. Then it's time to drop off my sweats and make my way up the hill to the finish line.

During all this an announcer is chatting it up and music is playing. He's talking about the "Grizzled Vets" who have run every Big Sur Marathon since it's inception 22 years ago. He also talked about how only 1/10th of a percent of the population ever run a marathon, even though at the start line it seems like everyone does. There were literally thousands of people there. Somehow I found one of my Marines in the mix... Not one of the crazy super-PTers who had a speed goal in mind for this marathon. Just another Marine hoping to finish it.

Right before the start the announcer plays Eye of the Tiger. I am now addicted to that song.

Then there was the gunshot and, slowly, this huge mass of people starts moving forward... It's a veritable tide of bodies. From my vantage point near the top of the hill I could look down and seeing this horde of colored shirts and bobbing heads slowly creeping forward until we all spaced out and picked up speed. I reminded myself that I needed to keep it slow at the start and not fall for the trap of running forward thanks to all the energy in the air. There was a lot of it. Everyone was laughing and joking and it felt like a carnival of sorts for several miles. There were even bands positioned alongside the course and local families came out to cheer us on.

The other Marine and I were cracking jokes as we ran together. All sorts of stuff came up from bringing a backhoe to wreak vengeance upon a hill to abducting one of the marathon girls. Some of it was just awe-inspiring. There was a man there who ran the whole marathon with a full-sized American flag. There were young people, old people, couples... Everyone from all sorts of walks of life were there. The relay was going at the same time and I even saw school kids running 5-7 miles for their part.

The scenery out there is beautiful and I really got to enjoy it since I was on foot and not in a car. We started in the forest on some gently rolling hills that took us right past some of the little shops (one actually called 'general store') that make up the local community. Before too long we found ourselves at the coast. I could run right up to the edge of the course and look down to see the ocean waves pounding the rocks below us. By this point I was still feeling really good and was smiling like an idiot for anyone who would look my way. I was excited to finally be there. Before too long the pain started and anyone who has run long distances can tell you this: The pain never leaves. It just changes location.

The other Marine and I also drifted apart as I stopped to work on my shoe. We would periodically pass each other for a good portion of the race. Then I didn't see him until near the end when he passed me then I passed him once more and kept on going.

I was still feeling rather good (despite the pain) all the way until Hurricane Point. I think a lot of it had to do with the aid stations. I'm used to running dry so the aid stations with their Gatorade and water were a nice change of pace for me. I know that I have a tendency to cramp up in my calves so I was pounding the Gatorade. Then when they started setting out fruit I would eat that, especially the bananas.

Hurricane Point is infamous. It's a two-mile climb from sea level up to the high point of the marathon at 560ft. The music was a lot less frequent after the start of the race but at the base of Hurricane Point there were these drummers. You could hear them before you even rounded the bend to bring you to the point. They were a sight to behold and did a good jump of pumping you up for the run but the effect quickly fades as you start the climb.

Hurricane Point marked the start of my walking breaks. I would walk through the aid stations but it wasn't until Hurricane Point that I started walking up the hills. The lady I ran with during my 20mi training run explained it to me: You hit a certain point during your runs when running up hill isn't any faster than walking. The only difference is that you're tearing up your body and burning your stamina that much faster. Instead, you power-walk it up the hills and if you really stretch out your stride you'll not only keep a decent pace but you'll rejuvenate your muscles to run the flatter land and downgrades. So on Hurricane Point I'd run most of it and walk the really obnoxious parts of it... I was still pretty fresh so outside of the aid stations there were only one or two walking points.

Hurricane Point is also where signs started popping up with names for points on the course invented by runners. Most of them were puns. Horrible puns. Some of them referred to the pain I was quickly becoming familiar with. Hurricane Point is also the largest collection of warming layers that I have ever seen. Everyone who started the race with something to keep them toasty quickly abandoned it... I know why. Wearing a warming layer during a hike at MCT almost guaranteed a visit from the corpsman and his silver bullet. Knowing this, I was running with no such warming layer and stayed pretty warm. My hands quickly lost function though.

Then you top the Point and think that you're done with the hills. It's a horrible lie. I knew better but my mind was still thinking, "Hey, that's the worst of it, right?" "No, mind. It's not." "Damn you, Marine! Damn you for making me do this!" I shut up the complaining pretty quick by contemplating the run. My thoughts were more and more grandiose as time went on. Before too long I was contemplating how the marathon proved that man is in fact made in the form of divinity. Here I was proving my mastery of the terrain and the elements (thanks to the predicted weather of 'sunny with no wind except a slight tailwind' turning into 'foggy with a strong wind in your face' for much of the run) and, more importantly, myself. Of my own volition. I just decided to go out there and prove what I am made of. It made me feel like I am capable of anything. I also considered what extremely tiny fraction of a percent of humanity I was elevating myself to... I'm a US Marine. I'm a linguist. I'm a marathon runner. How many people are any one of those things? How about all three?

I don't think you can call it a 'superiority complex' if it's true. :D

As the race went on I was hurting more and more and feeling more and more fatigued. The carnival feeling was long gone and by that point I was working off of willpower. It was a gutcheck. Also, despite what I was saying earlier, I found myself counting the miles and minutes. The first hour passed by like it was nothing (how strange it seems to say that... "My first hour of running was nothing"). I was keenly aware of the rest thanks to the time shouters at the mile markers, many of which were Marines. Hitting mile 13.1 on the bridge was nice. Then I had little fractions in my head as I kept going like "3/5 done" or something similar.

Finally I hit mile 20 and the fun began. The course was already really starting to wear on me by then but mile 20 was a big deal for me as once I hit mile 20 I was running farther than I had ever ran before. My record before the marathon was my 20mi training run so every step after mile 20 was something new. It was also important as I had been feeling like my calves were going to cramp up for a few miles by then and it was in the final mile of my 20mi training run when my right calf cramped up twice and my left calf once. I have run through all my cramps on my training runs but they quickly drained my legs of all strength. It took everything I had during those runs to finish.

I never did cramp during the marathon and I think that's because of the care I took during the whole event. I hydrated at every aid station, ate bananas, and walked when I thought it would be a good time to. Therefore, my body never forced me to walk. That's hard to recover from. Instead, I pushed on... Mile 21. Mile 22. Mile 23. Each one had me counting it down in my head, "Just five more." "Just four more." "Just three more... PFT!" People were starting to re-emerge alongside the road to cheer us on. Earlier some of the vehicles in the convoys had messages written on their rear windows or drivers would shout at us from the windows.

I think the third most motivating (after the flag) sight I saw during the whole race was two Marines from the volunteer crew who were bored of being stuck in traffic and were running in the race in boots and utes. One of those Marines is the guy I recruited from back home. The marathon girls were a nice distraction too. Besides being wonderfully fit, just think about how much commitment and strength of character it takes to train for a marathon and then get up that morning and see it through. I'm intimately aware of it. I'm also aware of how easy it is to quit as my training partner did. So I have an intense admiration and respect for everyone who was running that day.

Anyways... The running. Mile 23. By this point we were in more rolling hills and working our way inland towards Carmel. It was also at this point that I topped "Strawberry Hill" and found a small unofficial aid station where locals were giving out strawberries with the tops cut off. Oh. My. God. Best strawberries ever. It was an explosion of flavor and juiciness and general bliss in my mouth. I nearly ran back to grab more.

It was shortly after Strawberry Hill that I hit what I think is the hardest part of the race. Harder even than Hurricane Point and this part is flat. Yes, flat. The thing is that during a long run varying degrees of grade work the muscles slightly differently. Walking the uphills and then running the downhills was giving my legs a nice variety to the workout so different parts were smoking and recovering at different times. The last part of the marathon is pretty much flat. That means that my legs are working the exact same muscles the exact same way for a longer period of time.

It hurt. Quickly. It was also the end of the aid stations but I wasn't going to give up that close to the finish line. Mile 24. Mile 25. Mile 26. "One more mile to go! Just one!" It was a very, very long mile.

Then I started hearing strains of an announcer's voice and a crowd on the wind... Finally I rounded a bend and saw it: The bright red gateway that marked the finish line. This was when all my pacing paid off. I sprinted out the last bit of the marathon. After 26 miles of my cruising speed I pushed the pedal to the medal and pounded pavement.

It's a delicious feeling to pass people at that point. You feel like your sailing through the air. All your pain leaves you as you push towards the finish line and you glance to the left and to your right to see people puttering out. Then you reach down inside, grab hold of something, and surpass them. I crossed that finish line and shivered from the excitement. From the sense of accomplishment. I just had to let out a little warcry... This July I'll shake some windows in San Francisco with my voice.

Then I hobbled over to get my medal, cut of my rental chip, and get some free food. Then I hobbled to pick up my sweats, put them on, and proudly displayed my finisher's medallion right next to the MCD emblem on the front. Next was hobbling over to the buses. On the bus I met another marathon runner who, despite running many marathons, ran slower than me... That was nice to hear. He also said that the Big Sur is the hardest course he's ever ran and he's ran in different countries. His last bit of information for me was that his little body monitor device estimated the calorie burn at 3860.

I was hungry. Ravenous. I broke regs and stopped by a Quizno's in my sweaty PTs to pick up a large sandwich. After running a marathon, I really didn't care. If an NCO chewed me out for it, I was just going to stand there, take it, and puff out my chest a bit until he saw the medallion. Heh. Instead I made it home in peace to inhale my sandwich and ramble at my friends.

It was an amazing experience... Amazing. Simple awe-inspiring. The terrain, the volunteers, the runners, and myself. Doing this was a big deal for me. I started this long, long race with a partner. And then she dropped out and, for a little while there, I stagnated while waiting for her. Finally, I had to make a decision: Drop out too or go on my own. I decided to go on my own having realized that I would always regret doing anything else. It was hard. Extremely hard. To just will myself to run farther and farther.

I went on my own... And I did it. While life has proven to me time and time again that I really can't rely on other people, I can rely on myself. I've proven that. Also, just two years ago when I decided to enlist I had to run an Initial Strength Test. I could do zero pull-ups, twelve crunches, and I think I finished the 1.5 mi but we weren't sure... I still vomited afterwards. Two short years later and I can do twenty pull ups, 100 crunches, and I just ran a marathon. I've also proven that I can do anything I put my mind to.

I have mastered myself. My body obeys my mind and my mind obeys my will. There is nothing I can not do if I feel so inclined. As I've said before... Some people are destined for greatness. Most are destined for mediocrity. A select few decide to make themselves great.

I have decided to be everything that I can be. I am going to live my dreams.

Finishing the Big Sur International Marathon is just the start.

Training Day 104 - Pre-Race

The race is tomorrow (2007 April 29 - ignore the post date). Tomorrow.

Marathon: So today I went over to the expo to pick up my packet. But I couldn't find the ChampionChip I bought, which sucked. Then I went to the pasta dinner with another Marine/classmate/runner and his fiance. I actually spent the whole time talking with the fiance as the Marine is quiet and a bit childish. In a good way. But it's obvious who the adult in the relationship is. One discusses law, plans for the future, etc. The other is thrilled by apples.

This is it... None of the people I thought would be here are. They've all dropped out and recently scheduled something that overrides my crowning achievement second only to becoming a Marine. My back-up didn't show (partially my fault but not entirely) either. I am doing all of this alone. I guess that isn't a bad thing looking back at how things go when I count on anyone but myself.

Language: Really short speaking practice today. I didn't accomplish much but confuse myself trying to explain English grammar to my partner.

Medical: Sick. In pain. Great start.

Apartment: The power is on! So I moved all my stuff today... I really over-loaded those boxes. Then I dumped them all over the floor trying to find stuff. Still... I'm officially in my apartment! Finally!

Oh, look! The bathroom sink is leaking and the plug doesn't work. There's no shower curtain. The fridge doesn't work! Great...

Personal: You can't keep me down. The world can't keep me down. So why do you think you can?

Training Day 103 - Meeting the Neighbors

Language: So... slow... And we've finished up all the real work so next week is a long march of nonsense leading up to the test. Fun times.

Military: Louie is being increasingly flaky and it's up to me to stop it... I'm trying just talking to the man first but I get the feeling it won't stop here.

Medical: Still sick... Marathon in two days...

Apartment: I was calling PG&E all day on my friend's phone because mine died and the charger is packed away. They were giving me the run around. Then I got to my apartment and the power was still off. Fortunately, my neighbors from across the way saw me step out of my car in cammies and immediately started cheering and screaming, "MILITARY! WOOO!" Therefore, when I found my power off, I thought they were a good bet for borrowing a phone.

Very nice people but also very noisy. Tickled pink the whole time I was there.

I was on the phone with PG&E for two hours. I was handed up the ladder twice after the phone monkey tried to shut me down and I told him it was unacceptable. People don't mess with my medical. I take my health seriously. Anyways... I was just about to get through with the third guy when he asked for my landlord's number. The office had just closed so I needed her cell but no one had it. Then, when I was trying to find it, the phone I was talking to died. My cell phone, which had come alive for about 30 seconds so that I could find the number, died at that exact same moment too.

I called PG&E back and handed the phone off to my neighbor while I ran off to find the number. I couldn't find it and came back. My neighbor said that the lady on the other end needed to talk to me. She also told me she told them that I was a Sergeant... Please don't promote me, ma'am. Especially not twice. That's hard to explain.

For some mysterious reason, this bottom-rung support lady was able to do what all the other support people and the various supervisors couldn't: Turn my power on. She said she briefly talked to her supervisor and that they both agreed that it wouldn't be a problem. I shouldn't be held responsible for the previous delinquent tenant's problems, which is why they turned the power off on Wednesday. When she said that the power would be turned on Monday I told her about my medical problems. Not only did she override procedure again to get them to turn my power on tomorrow but she sent out information on the "Medical Base Line" program. Now my power has to stay on and there's a credit every month on my bill.

That's about the one good thing that happened today. I'm still sleeping in the barracks though.

Personal: I'm weathering the storm. That's where I am right now. I know that awesome things happen at the end of all this so I'm doing what I can but I'm scraping by in some pretty important areas while I'm at it. I had to buy PB&J and a ton of ramen (at $0.13/pack) at the commissary to get me through payday. Then I was talking to mom and laughed about how I was eating ramen like I did back in MA and she decided to send me money.

That turned out screwed up to thanks to Western Union but a moneygram from Wal-Mart did get through so I got to eat real food. Thanks Mom for "sponsoring" my race! Honest. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope not to repeat this episode.

Training Day 102 - The System is Down

Language: Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. That's class right now.

Apartment: I ran down to the office during lunch today to go over the lease. Wow. Stuff. It took a lot more time and even more signatures than I was anticipating. However... It is done! One kink in the plan, however: AER made the check out straight to the company and they already sent off my money orders. I'll get a credit but not the refund I was counting on. Now, I can still feed myself but it's going to be tight until payday. I also picked up my rental stuff from the loan closet so that I can move in...

Oh! Wait! The power's off and the landlord didn't know about it until we did our walk through. I can forgive her for last night because her phone died (but she left the charger in the office...) but not knowing the hows, when, and whys of her power in her own units? Not encouraging. As I need a machine to breathe I can't move in without power and PG&E told me to fax over a lot of personal information and check back tomorrow.

Personal: I hate relying on other people (see above). Every time I do, I get shafted. It's because people aren't up to my speed. They don't do what they say they will when they say to do it. Now, I'm not perfect but I at least make an honest attempt and deliver more often than not. This is getting ridiculous.

Training Day 101 - Men plan...

Language: I mentioned my target-language apartment idea to my mentor. She whole-heartily supports it. Now I need to figure out what all goes into such a home and where I can get it. Also how much with my sucky budget.

Fitness: I wanted to do something different today so Dewey (I am going to refer to my three fireteam members as Huey, Dewey & Louie in order of seniority) and I went for a stairs workout. It's quick. It's dirty. It hurts. This will be my last bit of running before the marathon.

Apartment: ...And God laughs. No sooner than I tell my brother that life is going really well and that I am going to ride this "wave of success" for all it's worth than it all starts falling apart. I think it's a cycle to keep me humble.

Anyways, I was supposed to move in today but the authorization hadn't come back in time so I couldn't pick up the check until the afternoon. But my landlord was hoping to do it during lunch because this afternoon she was going to be a couple towns over handling business and then going to a meeting. After that her daughters had sports games but she said she would call me. She never did. Now I'm in my barracks room, having already signed out, with my stuff in boxes.

Personal: I am... displeased. Let's leave it at that.

Training Day 100 - 100!

Can you believe it? I've been training for a hundred days now. Some more than others... but I've been making that little bit of effort (and more) everyday.

Language: I've been thinking about my apartment... What if I were to model it after the homes in my target country? I could try to live in accordance to their culture, patronize the various shops they have in this area, go to their church, join the local friendship society... I'm thinking if I blur the line between my life and my target language that I'll be a better linguist. I also need to learn the culture to really understand the language and the Corps has tasked me with being the resident expert.

I showed up to speaking practice today and waited for half an hour before recalling a vague memory of my partner telling me she wouldn't be coming due to work. Whoops. And it's all my fault.

Fitness: Same ol', same ol'.

Medical: My disease has progressed to the 'headache' phase. Ugh. At least my feet feel a bit better.

Apartment: I called around and figured out that AER is a better deal than a pay advance from admin... So I went to AER today. We took a few minutes to go over my budget (OW) then I had to fill out a bit of paperwork. He says he is going to call the Marine Relief Society for authorization tomorrow morning and that then I could pick up the check during lunch! Then I can move in!

Personal: A few of my projects are slipping to the wayside as other ones take on more prominence... but when this is all said and done, life is going to rock. And in the middle of all this something has come out of that little whim of mine... Where all this leads I don't know but I'm willing to try if other people are.

Training Day 99 - Monday

So very, very late... But it's been a crazy week.

Language: Went to class today... I don't know what happened. I've lost a lot of the fire and the hours are ticking by. Maybe it's because I'm stressed out.

Fitness: More pull-ups and crunches. Things are going to be pretty boring until after the platoon's PFT. My platoon sergeant did pull my squad's fire team leaders aside (at random) to talk to us about how we need to run more.

Apartment: My application was approved. So was someone else's who put theirs in on the exact same day. Then it came down to whoever could put the holding deposit down first... So I rushed over there with my $200 in money orders and waited. Then waited some more, worried that every phone call was someone trying to take the apartment or that my competitor would walk in at any moment. He didn't so now the apartment is mine! Well, I still need to get the money for the rest of the deposit and then I can move in.

Personal: Things are starting to come together... Mwaha.