(no subject)
Short version: Warning - SHOCKING!
So, I went to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) overnight, learned why they call it "Processing", and passed my height weight (by the grace of GOD). I signed up for Air Traffic Controllering, swore in, and am shipping out to basic training on March 14th.
So I went to my recruiter on... God, Tuesday? Life is a blur right now. Weighed in at 170. Measured in at 5'6 and 3/4. Remember that, it will confuse you later. So we are like, "Hey, let's go take a try at MEPS, you'll probably fail, but it's a start, and yanno, whatever!" So Wednesday afternoon my recruiter calls me and is like "Meet me at 9am for MEPS in Jacksonville." and I'm like "Sweet." So I tore around the house to find my high school diploma and Jonathan's birth certificate and Social Security card. Took me some time, but I found them, and now was only short my own Social Security card, which they took away from me when I registered for a new one (with my new name). Well I couldn't sleep that night (at ALL), so I stayed up and did laundry and talked to people on IRC. 'Round about 7am I took a shower and packed, and met my recruiter at the door a few minutes to nine.
At the recruiter's, I had to fill out some more paperwork, sign a few things, and have Jonathan sign a few things. Then we parted ways, and she took me up to the main branch in Orlando. The shuttle to take me to Jacksonville was supposed to arrive at 10.20. . . . . One explanation of the college computer system, a video about boot camp, and two hours later the bus showed up.
The bus driver was suppose to take me from Orlando to Daytona, with a quick stop in Deland to pick up some Air Force kid. I was displeased with his driving ability. I would take flying fenders any day over him. I had to teach him how to use a Nextel cell phone (because it had a walkie talkie, it was a completely foreign object to him. Even though all I taught him was the CELL PHONE features. So we arrive in Deland and he checks with the Navy to see if it is them that needs picking up. No. Checks Marines. No. Checks Army. No. Calls his boss, again, and asks about it (did I also mention he said that it was his first day with the company (I also assumed it was his first day driving. Ever.)), boss says it's an AF kid. So he calls AF recruiter, they say no one is there (he probably left because we were late), so he leaves. We arrive (THANK GOD) in Daytona, an hour behind schedule (I was by myself on the first bus, this one had seven guys in it and had to wait for me to arrive) and I RAN from the bus I was on to that one, and we took off. No incidents on the second bus.
Arrived at MEPS, in Mandarin, and fairly quickly get processed in to take my ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). English was a breeze, tried HARD on the math, and completely bombed the machinery and shop questions. Waited two hours, then got put on the shuttle to the hotel (Ramada Inn on San Jose right by 295).
Bus conversations--
Marine Corps kid: Let's go buy some beer and sit in the Jacuzzi!
Army man (I call him a man because he has already ran one tour of duty, not because he was much older than me): Do you know what TIME we have to get UP in the morning?
MC kid: No...
Army man: 5am.
MC kid: Shit. Well maybe just a six pack then.
and
Army chick: Food at the hotel sucks.
Me: You goin' out to eat instead?
Army chick: Yeah.
Me: Taaaaake meeeee!
Army chick: Sure.
Me: Yay!
____
So we make it to the hotel and check in. First, however, we get a stern talking to from the manager about what we can and can't do. Midnight curfew, and no drinking, even if you are over 21. I looked over at the MC kid, and yes, his face fell hard.
A few minutes later...
MC kid: Do you have a jacuzzi?
Manager: No.
MC kid: *looks like he's gonna cry*
____
So I wound up being the odd man out, or woman out, as was the case, and got a room to myself. I went and dropped my stuff in my PRIVATE room, and then met up with Army chick, Army man, and the scrawny blonde chick, and walked over to Bob Evans. By this point, I hadn't eaten anything since 4am, and it's like 7pm. So I ate a cheese omelette. Yummy.
Walked back to my room after dinner, much more wizened about the process that I was in the middle of, and called Jonathan.
A snippet...
Me: I think they're gonna have me sign to my job and swear in tomorrow.
Jonathan: Yeah?
Me: Yeah. So sooner is better, yes?
Jonathan: I think so.
Me: Alright, so if they tell me I can leave tomorrow, I'm leaving tomorrow.
Jonathan: Right. I don't think they're gonna tell you to leave tomorrow.
Me: I don't either, but you see my point.
____
Then I called Mum and told her about everything, and told her that she could come for my swearing in. Then someone tried to enter my room. I had a roommate! So I put on clothes and let her in, talked with Momma some more about stuffs, roommate left to get food, and I then ran out to find where MEPS was located, and then called back and told her I would call her in the morning with more information about time.
When I got back, I took a shower, and during that time I heard roommate return. Got out of said shower, offered it to roommate, we talked for a bit (she's 10 years in the Marine Corps and is here for her (easy) physical to get back onto active duty), and then 9.30 turned out the lights and went to sleep. I remember thinking 'Man, I am so nervous, I am not going to sleep again tonight!' and then I remember nothingness.
That is, until 4.15am. I woke up because I had to pee, remembered where I was and what I was doing, and then was WIDE awake. Roommate's alarm went off at 4.45 and she went to take a shower. I got the wakeup call at 5 and got dressed. Talked with roommate while we got ready, and then went over to breakfast together.
I then learned why I didn't eat dinner there the night before. Two bites and I would rather starve than eat that shit. It seemed to be the general consensus.
Menu sign: We have coffee!
Me: It says you have coffee. I think it lies.
Hotel woman: I could get you coffee.
Me: Could you?! I would love you forever!
Hotel woman: *brings me coffee*
Everyone: *is jealous of my coffee*
____
So from there we took a charter bus (our number over doubled from last night) back to MEPS and got signed out and in lines. Got yelled at at 6am (in the dark and cold, I might add) about random stuff by people who thought because we were in civvies and they in uniforms, that this was boot camp. I was displeased.
So I got paper work.
Got asked when the last time I smoked marijuana was.
Took a vision test.
Got asked if I had ever smoked marijuana.
Got a lecture about the (false!) penalties of 'fraudulent enlistment'.
Got asked if I had ever sold marijuana.
Took blood pressure.
Got asked if I was addicted to marijuana.
Freaked out about the blood test.
Got asked... okay, you get the point.
Took a urine test.
Waited an hour.
Took my height/weight. On this I will go into more depth. Weighed in at 170. Was crushed, because I didn't lose enough (so close). Measured in at 5'5 1/2 inches. WTF? Sets weight requirement at 163.
Me: Shit.
Nurse: Man, I didn't even look yet and you're already bumming!
Me: I failed.
Nurse: Well let me measure you.
Me: Why bother? I'm gonna fail it.
Nurse: I have to anyways.
Me: Okay.
Nurse: *measures and does crazy math* You're at 33% body fat.
Me: Wait, what is the limit?
Nurse: 33%. You still need to lose a few pound though.
Me: ...but did I PASS?
Nurse: Yes.
Me: OMFGYAY! *dies, then starts (minorly) crying 10 minutes later*
____
Then I took a minor physical, hearing test, duck walked (among other things), and a feminine physical. And then I got
FED!
YAY!
FOOD!
RARARAR!
Then I walked out and found Momma just entering, so I told her the news, found my recruiter, so I told HER the news, and then had to return to do random ass shit. Got my paperwork finished, signed and approved from Medical, and I went back to the front to give it to my liason. Did a bunch of random pointless shit that I barely remember, because I was so fucking brain-fried by this time, ran with Momma and recruiter (who had to sign me out like I was in friggin' high school) to the Federal Building to get a "new me" (temp Social Security card), ran back, processed, and then heard my ASVAB score. I made a 92 out of a total possible 99. Then got talked to about Nuclear something or another because my math score was "high". 61 of a possible 80 in math (that's a 77%). Told the woman that the ASVAB lied and that I truely suck at math, and then went to talk to the... job man?
Job man: When do you want to leave?
Me: ASAP.
Job man: Here are jobs that we have gauranteed opening for.
Me: *shuffle, shuffle, read, read, shuffle, shuffle, read* Air Traffic Controller, but... could I go talk to my Mom before I sign anything?
Job man: RAR! Yes.
Me: *flee!* *explains everything to mom*
Mom: *says go ahead, you're doing the right thing, etc*
Me: *runs back* *gets caught by recruiter*
Recruiter: I wanna know! Tell meeee!
Me: *explains again* *flee!*
Job man: RAR! Sign here.
Me: *signs* Well this is anti-climatic.
Job man: Yeah, pretty much.
___
So I go back out, talk to Momma, sign a couple of random things, get finger printed (inkless, on a computer thingey-ma-bob), and then swear in. Accidentally say my maiden name whilst doing so. >.> Shh...
So we leave, stop off for food, drive home (no bus YAY!) and then she drops me off at UCF in time to meet club for dinner. Everyone snugglehugs me and life goes on as normal.
Left a kick ass voicemail for Amada.
And uh... wrote this journal entry!
Future
I am still not in the clear, because I have to be weigh/measured again the day before I leave for basic, so I still have to keep it down. I also have to memorize a large booklet so that I can take a test and enter as an E2 instead of E1. I also have to start working out hard core. I e-mailed my boss saying byebye, and... uh... Now have to meet with my recruiter every day from here until March 12th.
Recruiter: No! You can't leave! I'm getting seperation anxiety! *cling!*
Now... I have to pee/sleep.
So, I went to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) overnight, learned why they call it "Processing", and passed my height weight (by the grace of GOD). I signed up for Air Traffic Controllering, swore in, and am shipping out to basic training on March 14th.
So I went to my recruiter on... God, Tuesday? Life is a blur right now. Weighed in at 170. Measured in at 5'6 and 3/4. Remember that, it will confuse you later. So we are like, "Hey, let's go take a try at MEPS, you'll probably fail, but it's a start, and yanno, whatever!" So Wednesday afternoon my recruiter calls me and is like "Meet me at 9am for MEPS in Jacksonville." and I'm like "Sweet." So I tore around the house to find my high school diploma and Jonathan's birth certificate and Social Security card. Took me some time, but I found them, and now was only short my own Social Security card, which they took away from me when I registered for a new one (with my new name). Well I couldn't sleep that night (at ALL), so I stayed up and did laundry and talked to people on IRC. 'Round about 7am I took a shower and packed, and met my recruiter at the door a few minutes to nine.
At the recruiter's, I had to fill out some more paperwork, sign a few things, and have Jonathan sign a few things. Then we parted ways, and she took me up to the main branch in Orlando. The shuttle to take me to Jacksonville was supposed to arrive at 10.20. . . . . One explanation of the college computer system, a video about boot camp, and two hours later the bus showed up.
The bus driver was suppose to take me from Orlando to Daytona, with a quick stop in Deland to pick up some Air Force kid. I was displeased with his driving ability. I would take flying fenders any day over him. I had to teach him how to use a Nextel cell phone (because it had a walkie talkie, it was a completely foreign object to him. Even though all I taught him was the CELL PHONE features. So we arrive in Deland and he checks with the Navy to see if it is them that needs picking up. No. Checks Marines. No. Checks Army. No. Calls his boss, again, and asks about it (did I also mention he said that it was his first day with the company (I also assumed it was his first day driving. Ever.)), boss says it's an AF kid. So he calls AF recruiter, they say no one is there (he probably left because we were late), so he leaves. We arrive (THANK GOD) in Daytona, an hour behind schedule (I was by myself on the first bus, this one had seven guys in it and had to wait for me to arrive) and I RAN from the bus I was on to that one, and we took off. No incidents on the second bus.
Arrived at MEPS, in Mandarin, and fairly quickly get processed in to take my ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). English was a breeze, tried HARD on the math, and completely bombed the machinery and shop questions. Waited two hours, then got put on the shuttle to the hotel (Ramada Inn on San Jose right by 295).
Bus conversations--
Marine Corps kid: Let's go buy some beer and sit in the Jacuzzi!
Army man (I call him a man because he has already ran one tour of duty, not because he was much older than me): Do you know what TIME we have to get UP in the morning?
MC kid: No...
Army man: 5am.
MC kid: Shit. Well maybe just a six pack then.
and
Army chick: Food at the hotel sucks.
Me: You goin' out to eat instead?
Army chick: Yeah.
Me: Taaaaake meeeee!
Army chick: Sure.
Me: Yay!
____
So we make it to the hotel and check in. First, however, we get a stern talking to from the manager about what we can and can't do. Midnight curfew, and no drinking, even if you are over 21. I looked over at the MC kid, and yes, his face fell hard.
A few minutes later...
MC kid: Do you have a jacuzzi?
Manager: No.
MC kid: *looks like he's gonna cry*
____
So I wound up being the odd man out, or woman out, as was the case, and got a room to myself. I went and dropped my stuff in my PRIVATE room, and then met up with Army chick, Army man, and the scrawny blonde chick, and walked over to Bob Evans. By this point, I hadn't eaten anything since 4am, and it's like 7pm. So I ate a cheese omelette. Yummy.
Walked back to my room after dinner, much more wizened about the process that I was in the middle of, and called Jonathan.
A snippet...
Me: I think they're gonna have me sign to my job and swear in tomorrow.
Jonathan: Yeah?
Me: Yeah. So sooner is better, yes?
Jonathan: I think so.
Me: Alright, so if they tell me I can leave tomorrow, I'm leaving tomorrow.
Jonathan: Right. I don't think they're gonna tell you to leave tomorrow.
Me: I don't either, but you see my point.
____
Then I called Mum and told her about everything, and told her that she could come for my swearing in. Then someone tried to enter my room. I had a roommate! So I put on clothes and let her in, talked with Momma some more about stuffs, roommate left to get food, and I then ran out to find where MEPS was located, and then called back and told her I would call her in the morning with more information about time.
When I got back, I took a shower, and during that time I heard roommate return. Got out of said shower, offered it to roommate, we talked for a bit (she's 10 years in the Marine Corps and is here for her (easy) physical to get back onto active duty), and then 9.30 turned out the lights and went to sleep. I remember thinking 'Man, I am so nervous, I am not going to sleep again tonight!' and then I remember nothingness.
That is, until 4.15am. I woke up because I had to pee, remembered where I was and what I was doing, and then was WIDE awake. Roommate's alarm went off at 4.45 and she went to take a shower. I got the wakeup call at 5 and got dressed. Talked with roommate while we got ready, and then went over to breakfast together.
I then learned why I didn't eat dinner there the night before. Two bites and I would rather starve than eat that shit. It seemed to be the general consensus.
Menu sign: We have coffee!
Me: It says you have coffee. I think it lies.
Hotel woman: I could get you coffee.
Me: Could you?! I would love you forever!
Hotel woman: *brings me coffee*
Everyone: *is jealous of my coffee*
____
So from there we took a charter bus (our number over doubled from last night) back to MEPS and got signed out and in lines. Got yelled at at 6am (in the dark and cold, I might add) about random stuff by people who thought because we were in civvies and they in uniforms, that this was boot camp. I was displeased.
So I got paper work.
Got asked when the last time I smoked marijuana was.
Took a vision test.
Got asked if I had ever smoked marijuana.
Got a lecture about the (false!) penalties of 'fraudulent enlistment'.
Got asked if I had ever sold marijuana.
Took blood pressure.
Got asked if I was addicted to marijuana.
Freaked out about the blood test.
Got asked... okay, you get the point.
Took a urine test.
Waited an hour.
Took my height/weight. On this I will go into more depth. Weighed in at 170. Was crushed, because I didn't lose enough (so close). Measured in at 5'5 1/2 inches. WTF? Sets weight requirement at 163.
Me: Shit.
Nurse: Man, I didn't even look yet and you're already bumming!
Me: I failed.
Nurse: Well let me measure you.
Me: Why bother? I'm gonna fail it.
Nurse: I have to anyways.
Me: Okay.
Nurse: *measures and does crazy math* You're at 33% body fat.
Me: Wait, what is the limit?
Nurse: 33%. You still need to lose a few pound though.
Me: ...but did I PASS?
Nurse: Yes.
Me: OMFGYAY! *dies, then starts (minorly) crying 10 minutes later*
____
Then I took a minor physical, hearing test, duck walked (among other things), and a feminine physical. And then I got
FED!
YAY!
FOOD!
RARARAR!
Then I walked out and found Momma just entering, so I told her the news, found my recruiter, so I told HER the news, and then had to return to do random ass shit. Got my paperwork finished, signed and approved from Medical, and I went back to the front to give it to my liason. Did a bunch of random pointless shit that I barely remember, because I was so fucking brain-fried by this time, ran with Momma and recruiter (who had to sign me out like I was in friggin' high school) to the Federal Building to get a "new me" (temp Social Security card), ran back, processed, and then heard my ASVAB score. I made a 92 out of a total possible 99. Then got talked to about Nuclear something or another because my math score was "high". 61 of a possible 80 in math (that's a 77%). Told the woman that the ASVAB lied and that I truely suck at math, and then went to talk to the... job man?
Job man: When do you want to leave?
Me: ASAP.
Job man: Here are jobs that we have gauranteed opening for.
Me: *shuffle, shuffle, read, read, shuffle, shuffle, read* Air Traffic Controller, but... could I go talk to my Mom before I sign anything?
Job man: RAR! Yes.
Me: *flee!* *explains everything to mom*
Mom: *says go ahead, you're doing the right thing, etc*
Me: *runs back* *gets caught by recruiter*
Recruiter: I wanna know! Tell meeee!
Me: *explains again* *flee!*
Job man: RAR! Sign here.
Me: *signs* Well this is anti-climatic.
Job man: Yeah, pretty much.
___
So I go back out, talk to Momma, sign a couple of random things, get finger printed (inkless, on a computer thingey-ma-bob), and then swear in. Accidentally say my maiden name whilst doing so. >.> Shh...
So we leave, stop off for food, drive home (no bus YAY!) and then she drops me off at UCF in time to meet club for dinner. Everyone snugglehugs me and life goes on as normal.
Left a kick ass voicemail for Amada.
And uh... wrote this journal entry!
Future
I am still not in the clear, because I have to be weigh/measured again the day before I leave for basic, so I still have to keep it down. I also have to memorize a large booklet so that I can take a test and enter as an E2 instead of E1. I also have to start working out hard core. I e-mailed my boss saying byebye, and... uh... Now have to meet with my recruiter every day from here until March 12th.
Recruiter: No! You can't leave! I'm getting seperation anxiety! *cling!*
Now... I have to pee/sleep.