Advancement

I've got tons of exciting news (exciting to me at least), and I'm sorry I haven't written sooner. You have to believe I've been busy! To begin with, I finally passed my physical fitness test a couple of weeks ago. It has been about three years since I've passed one, and my career has been in a holding pattern because of it. But after two months of steady work, I finally managed to earn a pass, and actually scored well!

A couple of days later, I was elated to learn about the good consequences of passing. My commander decided that I had shown good job performance and was an outstanding soldier all around, and since my PT was finally in order, he decided it was time for a promotion! So now, I'm earning a little more money and have a little more rank on my chest.

Not only that, but as a reward for my hard work, I was selected to accompany SGT Yankee for a mini-pass to Kuwait. Normal passes are 4 days in Qatar, but this time we were sent for a special MWR mission: a chance to participate in an event by Pro vs GI Joe! They are a wonderful organization with a great idea: they get pro athletes together to play a few rounds of video games with soldiers all over the world via the internet, and even get the soldier's families involved! SGT Yankee arranged for his family to fly to Tampa Bay for a couple of days to watch the match. For me, it was just a couple of days off, but I did get a chance to play. Our internet connection held us back, but it was a fun event overall. You can read a little about the event here.

Beyond that, the office has been relatively busy. We've taken several new units under our care, so business is booming. I'm still taking the RCIA classes, and I'm still enthusiastic about the whole process. I've signed up for a couple of computer courses that should prepare me for several certifications, although I'm not sure if I can use the college credit towards my degree or not. The format of the classes will be interesting, though. Rather than local teachers or mail correspondence, the course will be delivered by videos on an iPod, with an online system to submit homework and get instructor help. I'm not sure how that will work out, but it will be interesting to try. If I don't enjoy the iPod class delivery, I'll copy the course DVD from the field rep, and get a free iPod out of the deal.