Back in the swing of things

Okay, priority number one for me is to get back to running and following the diet better.  Over the weekend, I wasn't on the diet at all.  So, I need to be extra good just to make up for that.  I also need to lose a few pounds to make sure I'm comfortably under the Navy's weight limit during my weigh-in in October. 

It's amazing how going out of town just throws everything out the window.  I'm most surprised by how little running I did.  I had an opportunity on Monday, but it was so hot, I cut my run short.  My hat is off to all the Texas runners down there.  I should have just run indoors on a treadmill, but I tried to run on the track.  Mental note to self:  until I get in a lot better shape, stick to cooler weather or indoor conditions.

Took my first test in Arabic and got 14/20.  Not so good, but the prof curved us because the highest grade was 17/20.  So, I got an 85%.  Not too good, but not so bad, really.  I also didn't study while out of town like I thought I was going to, either.  I need to get back on the wagon as far as keeping up with the class before I fall so far behind that I end up with a crappy grade.

I may also not take the full 4 course sequence in Arabic.  The reason for this has to do with the current political climate.  It looks like we've got 50,000 support troops in Iraq right now.  However, the preliminary word is that they want to draw that down to nearly zero by next year. 

In Iraq, they speak Arabic.

The other two places I could get deployed would be Afghanistan and Djibouti.

Both places, technically, have some Arabic.  However, Afghanis primarily speak Urdo and Pashto, neither of which I intend to learn.  In Djibouti, the official languages are Arabic and French, but few people speak either.  The actual spoken languages used there are Somali and Afar, with a little bit of Swahili thrown in for good measure.

So, basically, if I don't deploy to Iraq, it's sort of pointless for me to try and learn Arabic.  Without some immersion, I won't ever get proficient in the language.  I'll just forget it over time.

I'll finish this semester for sure.  At that point, I should be able to read and write Arabic and if I do go, I can try to cram some Rosetta Stone and might have a good enough basis for learning through immersion.

The other thing is, frankly, attending class is a bit of a hassle.  It presents child-care issues when Logan's Mom gets called in at the last minute to cover a shift at the hospital.  It's inconvenient sometimes, especially in regards to trying to travel to and from drill, etc.  Mostly, I just have always hated sitting in a classroom.  Of all the things I am in life, a student who functions well in a classroom environment has never been one of them.  It's a miracle I completed the education I did.  However, it's not surprising that it took me longer than it should have.

The third thing is that deployments continue to get fewer and farther between.  I am loathe to say it's unlikely that I'll deploy, but where it was once a 100% certainty, it's now more like 50% and looks like it may be trending more towards, say, 20%.  I still want to be prepared, because 20% is still a darned good chance of deployment.  However, it's just not the same environment it once was.

I'm getting closer to buying a rowing machine.  The one I want is for sale in Indianapolis and the seller won't ship.  That usually means a much lower price.  It'll take a full day to drive down to get it and bring it back, but it'd save me about $600.  All in all, probably not the best trade-off if I consider my time to be valuable, but right now, I'm more budget conscious than time-conscious.  I'm eager to get my cardio room set up with a treadmill, recumbent bike and rowing machine.  I already own 2 of those things, but will need 3 men and a boy to help me move the treadmill.  My brother and I can move the recumbent bike pretty easily on our own. 

I've been driving past the country club wistfully, lately.  All in all, though, I can't complain.  The recession hasn't been kind to me, that's for sure.  However, it's been a lot worse to a lot of other folks. 

Logan was sorta clingy last night.  He told me he was excited that I was home.  I felt glad that he said that he didn't really miss me so much while I was gone.  He spent some time with his grandparents and had a pretty eventful weekend, apparently.  I think they took him to one of the local fairs. 

That's sort of how I feel about these things.  I dread leaving him, but once I'm where I'm going, I don't think about it much.  I hope that's how he deals with it, too.

So, I'm back in the swing of things.  Monday, I get my root canal finished.  I can't wait to get a new crown on it.  It was a badly done crown that caused this whole problem to begin with.