Never would have thought.

I'm thinking of joining the United States Air Force. Not just, hey wouldn't it be fun and boy would it surprise everyone, but as a serious job opportunity. Here's how this came about:

Wednesday when my dad and I were driving back and forth between the city justice court to take care of a ticket I told him a funny story about how I knew more about cars than my institute teacher. We talked about learning more about cars, and left it at that. Then, later that day when I mentioned that I wanted to learn kung fu, out of the blue dad said I should join the Air Force. I still don't know where it came from, but after the initial laughing off the idea I really thought about it.

And I liked the idea. Sure, I would have to endure 8 1/2 weeks of basic training, four years of enlistment, etc. But I would have guaranteed housing and food, I would learn great personality traits that I don't have (like dedication, mental and physical strength, etc.) and I would be physically fit.

I did as much research on the Air Force and their basic training as I could, and even talked with (read: listened to) an Air Force recruiter.

I think I might actually do this.

It's all very weird to me, because a year ago I never would have even considered joining the military. That was going to be my brother, Paul. But now that I have almost no options for living and earning money when my parents leave, the idea of free housing and food on top of pay is really enticing.

The downsides are, of course, basic training. I am not 100% sure I would make it through, though my mom seems to think I can do it which is very weird. That, and the waiting period between enlisting and being shipped off to basic is up to 6 months, unless you are willing to leave at the drop of a hat if someone drops out.

So, if I have to wait for up to 6 months before being shipped out, I will have to get another job and a place to live, so that I can survive until then. On the flip side, if I volunteer to leave if someone drops out, I will have to be ready for it, which means everything of mine has to be packed and moved to Iowa with the family, and I have to have a duffel ready for basic at all times.

All of this, plus the fact that I'm not physically able to pass the initial fitness test. I have never run a mile much less a mile and a half, I have never been able to do push-ups, and I'm pretty sure I can't do sit-ups. But, I plan on being ready. If I work hard at it every day, then I'll be able to do it in about six weeks, minimum. But if I get sent out early, I'll have to push myself harder to get ready.

So, I'm thinking of joining the Air Force. Who would have thought?

I'm ready to scream now

Tuesday, my mom put too much oil in the car and it started to smoke really bad. I didn't have much of a choice, so I drove it to institute on Wednesday. On the way home, I was pulled over by a police officer. The officer was polite and considerate, but he gave me a ticket for the smoke, and for not having proof of insurance, since I couldn't find it. (It's mom's car, so I didn't know where it was)

So I have officially gotten my first ticket. It wasn't a moving violation, so it's not on my record, and mom said that because it wasn't my fault she would pay for it, so I'm really all free an clear. But I still have to go see a judge to explain what had happened, show him that it was fixed, and prove that the insurance really was in the car, I just couldn't find it. Dad's going to help me with that.

I still feel like my (almost) perfect driving record has been irreparably marred. And I don't like that feeling.

In other new, the half of the family that was in Iowa is back now, and already it's a nightmare. Joe, my sixteen year old brother, brought a friend, who is just as obnoxious and annoying as he is, so now I have four 'brothers' again. And I had gotten so used to one...

Just Don't Breathe

I went shopping with my mom today. We didn't buy clothes or shoes, like normal people, no, we went to Home Depot and bought manure. If that wasn't bad enough, Home Depot was one of our first stops in a long list of errands. So we put the four packages of manure in the back of Hank (the suburban) and drove to our next stop.

The stench of the manure filled the truck so much that it was hard to breathe without gagging. Let's just say lesson learned.