It's been a while...

Like the title says, it's been a while since I've posted. I bet you thought I had abandoned this place. I'd like to tell you that there's been so many exciting things going on since the last time you heard from me. Unfortunately, that's not the case. At least it's not exciting to me.

I guess a good place to start would be my preparation for OCS, which in case you're counting, is less than 6 weeks away. I've been to 3 Phase 0 drills since my last post. I've learned a lot during these drills. We've review the OC guide more, we've studied land nav, and best of all we even made a trip to Ft. McClellan for April's drill. That was an interesting experience.

The weekend of the April drill just happened to be the same weekend that the government shutdown was looming over our heads. There was much confusion on whether drill would happen or not, but in the end it worked out. Getting a sneak peek at where I'd be spending the majority of my summer was very helpful. I know where I'm going, where I'll be living, how the DFAC procedures go, etc. This takes some of the mystery out of OCS, which eases my nerves at least a little bit. We also did a day and a night land nav course while we were there. I'll definitely have a small advantage when land nav comes up at OCS. I've already got a feel for the terrain and how AMA runs there land nav courses.

Physically, I'm much better off than I was in January. I've stuck with my workout plan almost religiously for the past 3 months. I'm still doing Crossfit at my local affiliate, Caustic Crossfit. I can tell a huge difference in my conditioning from January to now. I've been able to complete workouts that I thought would be impossible 3-4 months ago. I can honestly say that I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. I would have crushed BCT if I went there in this condition. I really feel like I'm well prepared for the physical demands of OCS.

I still have a lot to do in the next 6 weeks though. I have to make sure I have all the necessary gear and equipment for OCS, I have my last Phase 0 drill in a couple of weeks, I have to choose a branch, and that's just a few things I need to do on the Guard side. I won't even go into what I've got to do to make sure my family and work situations are squared away before I head off on my quest for that little gold bar.