an artillery officer

yes folks, i have been looking into every option which presents itself. and just before the new year, i was told:

"you will be back in the military in three months, i guarantee it"

i will have to rewind a little bit. i was in the military one time before, in 1995. i remember thinking that it would be a great way to make some money for university. anyway i got into the reserves for the 722 communications squadron, signed some papers, got a kit and boarded a bus for kingston, ontario. this was the first time that i was going to be alone and away from my rents and somehow i know i was going to be in for an experience.

in the summer of 1995 i was 19 years old. this was not old by any stretch of imagination, however in a room of 16 year olds, i may have well been Mrs. Garrett from the Facts of Life. i was the de-facto beer buyer and party girl - though managed to stay fairly innocent in the eyes of the instructors who saw me as a weak and homesick - only child - east coast girl. they made me do push-ups and sits just to earn the right to read my mail because i was just that terrible at the physical aspect of the training. i did alright with the strength training but really sucked it at the running and endurance parts.

i got almost to the end before the homesickness and fatigue really took its toll. and with only one graded exercise left to finish i backed out and left the training, opting for catching a bus back to kingston from the outdoor training phase in borden ontario. (PS the last graded exercise in the course was the 16km forced march - epic fail)

fast forward to now. there really are not many jobs in the economy at the moment and i am stuck sitting on my ass, collecting EI. dont get me wrong it i a good opportunity to get the statistic course done for school, and get everything finished up so i can hopefully get some work in planning. but for right now, what about going back into the training from the military again. i have always regretted not finishing the course the first time around, so this would be an excellent opportunity to do it again. the course is a lot longer now than it was the time that I went in. the basic training in 1995 amounted to roughly 8 weeks (comparatively - it is now 13 weeks. ) - plus there is an additional 8 week course tacked on after that course is finished.

the pay is pretty amazing considering it is the military i always tend to hear the negative - bum rap - side of things.