Tool 03.29.98
06.25.98
10:19PM
Up bright and early this morning at 2:30AM...just a wee
bit *too* early to get ready to leave...so I slept fitfully on and off
until 3:40 until I raised my weary self and showered...no coffee until
I got home for christ's sake...two cherries of food until the same...but
still I felt good.
Lists of "have you had this have you had that, etc. etc." blood test, urine test, breathalyzer test, blood pressure, hernia test & 'testicle test' ('now drop your drawers midway to your knees, turn your head--don't look at me--and cough when I tell you'...as a doctors gloved hand proceded to fondle my genitals...then turn around, bed way over, and spread your cheeks for visual anal inspection--*no* finger thank the lord ;) ) then the hearing test...apparently I've lost some hearing in the 500hz and 6400hz range in my left ears...hearing only to 30db...no real surprise actually...but I'm definately wearin earplugs to the louder shows from now on...for sure the pumpkins front row experience...
But it was the vision test that fucked things up really. Left right, near far all 20/20...it was colors that got me. It isn't something I've ever discussed herein I think, but I've clinically red/green color blind. I can tell between clear cut distinctions...but the closer you get to the 'dividing line' between red and green, the more it all looks the same. So that book test with the numbers 'hidden' in the colored dots...I missed 10 of fourteen (youch!) and missed almost completely the second machine based test...after that test (which was one of the earliest tests that day) I was sweating whether or not I'd be be OK'd for enlistment...
Blood test was cool...I always love to watch that needle go in my vein...feeling no pain due to local anesthetic...I've never had an actual blood test--every other needle was for giving blood...so I was bummed at how short it was...So the physical inspection of motor skills/joints/etc. went fine...except they were concerned over my acne...fucking *acne* for christ's sake...it's never been an issue to me except that I'm always self conscious abou taking my shirt off in public and even somewhat in front of a future girlfriend...but *still*...they said they couldn't let anyone ship needing treatment for anything...so now I gotta make an apt. with a dermotologist to get on tetracyclotine or whatever it is or a close relative of it. Great...hopefully I can get an appointment with a dermo in time. Shit thing is I don't think Kaiser covers it...
For my ear drum inspection...they made me go to anotehr civilian med clinic to have my ears flushed out...too much cerenum (ear wax)...now *that* was super neat...they put this 'softening' liquid drops in your ears, leave it in a bit, then squirt this other solution in your ears and literally force the earwax out...it's this combined feeling of hot water and champaigne bubblin in your ears...I liked it actually...so anyway I saw the big old lumps of wax that came out...and shit me if I wonder how much that crap affected my hearing and my hearing test...I couldn't believe how big those chunks were...and I seemed to have the biggest ones two...
So I was finally done around 12:30PM or so...Sergeant Orr was there, as was Sergeant Larsen...Orr took me back.
Larsen was the soldier who picked me up...he had two other peopel to take, one Van, was shipping out, and I sat in that car just wondering what thoughts were flying through his head, just wished off at 4:45AM by his entire family, bound for boot camp...this his last sight of the bay area for a *long* long time no doubt...I wondered what my thoughts would be three months from now when I'm in the same position as he was...none of us said anything the whole way into Oakland. I didn't want to spoil whatever thoughts he had...
So I passed the physical and checked out for enlistment...but the red/green color blindness disqualifies me for just about all things infantry, and probably electrical/computer as well...so it looks like my options reside heavily on desk jobs/administrative/chaplain's aide/etc...Getting an airborne position is going to be a hassle it looks like. But my mom's happy that infantry isn't an option, and I'm sure christa will breathe easier--both voiced heavy concern over my well being...
So now Monday I'm supposed to go in and pick out my occupation. I talked to dad and he isn't insisting on being there for the signing of all the paperwork afterall...his main concern was that I didn't realize not all jobs come with the Army College Fund (ACF)...an additional encentive on top of the Montgomery GI Bill, which all jobs in any branch automatically give...so monday should be an trying and frustrating day I think...many of the jobs availible to me won't come with the ACF, and I'm sure many of those that do will rrequire more than the 3 year enlistment...particually to go airborne along with it...and then on top of my requested pennslyvania station...which actually isn't *terrible* important...I just know I don't want to be in montana or missouri or georgia...somewhere *near* boston or New York will suffice...300-500 miles away would definately make me happy...but I'm just going to have to wait and see.
Apparently Monday is the last day for the "recruting quarter" and the mission (quota) isn't being met...in other words, according to the recruiter, they're gonna be more willing to pull strings to get my john hancock, to meet their quota, win their station honors for top recruitment/etc. I saw a whole slew of plaques in Sgt. Orr's office today for just that...and we've talked on many occasions...the performance level of his recruiting station is *important* to him...he takes his job serious and I can admire that...but her on my end of the deal, it's a chip in my favor and I may just be calling upon it because I do not in any way want to get stuck doing paperwork every day for three years...that's not the part of the army I want to dig myself into...I'm not a corporate person and never have been...closest I got was that EDD job a coupld summer's ago...it was a good, rewarding job...but a little too stifling for comfort at times...and that was just as a civillian with none of the military pomp and circumstance, regulations, rules and uniforms to adhere to...so I just don't know at this point--I may not be joining the army afterall. I might look into another branch to see if I can find something more interesting/challenging/fucking plain out worthwhile...but I doubt I'll get the same kind of benefits for school...one of the ultimate reasons...
So June of 98 is going to remembered in one of two ways...the month I enlisted in the army and began to make myself my own life, or the month I hit yet another dead end avenue and got stuck back on the railroad towards whatever path I've set my foot to in the past...
11PM