2007/2008

This has been a busy year! I decided on a major for my bachelor's degree, found a school I wanted to go to, and progressed a little further in the way-too-long-drawn-out saga that has been my career in training in the Air Force. I learned that a city like Omaha, NE ain't so bad with the right people around you. I got to travel to a few cities that I've always wanted to go see—Chicago, St. Louis, Cedar Point, Detroit, Kansas City—and I'm still not done yet with the areas that are relatively conveniently accessible to Omaha (there's still Mt. Rushmore, Minneapolis and lord knows what else). I'll even have made my second trip to New York before the year is up. I designed a budget that, barring any catastrophes, will produce a nice balance in my savings before long. Not too shabby! But it's been stressful as hell, too. I made a lot of personal sacrifices to join the Air Force, but I did so knowingly and I still believe it will be worth it in the end. And it will all culminate in the coming year, as I figure out my post-military plans. On January 11^th of this year, I will enter my final year of my enlistment, and you better believe I'm counting down the days...

Looking into the New Year (and my last year as an airman), I'm extremely excited but, for all my planning, completely bewildered as well as to where I will be in a year. The plan for this year was to complete my philosophy degree before separation, take the LSAT, put a resume out, and save up a sizable amount to use either as a down-payment on a condo or house or as one year's tuition at law school (the G.I. Bill would only cover the first year at NYU law, assuming I got accepted...). I will hopefully complete my job training within a couple of months, and I would like to deploy to the Middle East sometime around the late spring/early summer time. Yes, that's right—I WANT to deploy. These days, anyone that wants to go pretty much gets to. Hopefully that'll hold up. It is an excellent chance for me to save up a significant amount of money AND to complete my schooling, since there is little else to do over there and not much to spend money on. And I'd be able to see the Middle East. Freakin' A.

But lately I've been re-evaluating some of my plans. The ultimate post-military goal is still to live in New York City, but one of the greatest catalysts for happiness is, I think, flexibility. So, I've been trying to expand my options. Every time I've come home over this past year, it's become more and more obvious to me that coming back home to live wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. There are some awesome condos going up in central Phoenix, downtown Tempe and Mesa as well. Metro-Phoenix (East Sa-eed!) still feels like my home, and I love it to death. Still, I don't know that I'm quite ready to come back home to live. I just said it wouldn't be the worst thing.

As for my attorney career aspirations, I still go back and forth. The main drawbacks are the amount of working hours (I met somebody this week who has a friend that graduated from NYU law. Apparently, she makes a VERY good living at a big law firm in Phoenix at the tune of eighty hours per week. I do NOT want to work that much!) Also, and this is a prejudiced statement on my part, but there is an ambiance to the corporate attorney field that I'm not so sure I'd fit into. It seems pretty stuffy and uptight. Don't get me wrong, I want to be successful, but I don't want to be a snob. Of course, what I allow my personality to become is largely up to me. Still, do I want to be surrounded by a bunch of arrogant pricks? Plus, though the idea of practicing law sounds very interesting and challenging, the idea of STUDYING it bores me to tears. On the other hand, there are other fields of study that I'd like to consider. I could be interested in journalism, some aspects of psychology and several other subjects as well. New York is home to many of the best schools in the country regardless of the subject, so there's no need to limit my studies to law. And if New York didn't work out, I could live in San Francisco, Chicago or even Boston. The most important characteristics for a city I would want to live in would be a good mass-transit system, a variety of cultures and communities, plenty of things to do and see, and awesome people. OH, and a good paying job. Is that so much to ask for? ;) Yeah, I'm an idealist. But I've learned the art of compromise over my relatively short lifespan. Watch—I'll end up in Poedunktown, Arkansas by the end of it. That's not what I meant by compromise. Shoot me now...

Anyway, the plan for this year is just to continue to work my ass off at my philosophy degree (I got all four A's this semester by the way. Well, one A- which really chaps my ass, but it's still an A, right?). I'll go on my deployment, put out a resume some time soon just to see what I can get; maybe even take some time off after I discharge from the military and see what turns up. Of course, we all know that we're not guaranteed our next breath, so all this himming and hawwing over the future may be completely in vain. But you can't plan for that, right? Whatever happens, I'm very excited (among other feelings) about this next year. Bring it on....

Thanks for reading this, by the way. And I wish you the best in the coming year as well. You deserve it! You wouldn't have access to my page if I didn't sincerely believe that.

Reading: Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany