Check This Out

So, about four months ago I joined the Army. Awesome. Yay. Good for me.

About two months ago, I made it through basic training. Again, hooray for me (did I mention that sucked?).

Also, about two months ago, when I first got to Arizona, where I’m currently in training until December, I realized that I wasn’t quite ready to get married, to my fiance or anyone else for that matter, and that I really was, after all, curious and wondering how things might be like with someone else. It wasn’t an easy decision, and I thought long and hard on it, but I finally realized that just by having those concerns now, I couldn’t let things move any further. So once again, I found myself single; the difference this time? It was of my own volition.

Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. I really did love my fiance – still do, in fact, but not how I thought I loved her. But I’ve come to realize that things probably weren’t meant to be. However, Amy, you’re still one of the best people I know. Don’t change a beat.

So I started looking around. Being the Army, there weren’t exactly many choices. To my surprise, I stumbled across somebody I was really interested in. We shared so many interests it was crazy. Dungeons & Dragons? Check. Crazy movies like Phantom of the Opera, Kung Fu Hustle, and all varieties of anime? Check. Music like Marilyn Manson, Maroon 5, and Metallica? Check, check, check. Crazy, weird, funny? Check to all those, too. Here’s where it gets interesting, though.

So she had (has?) a fiance (that’s a precarious subject, as it is). Now, I’m not exactly the kind of person who would normally do these sort of things, but things started happening. Am I a bad person for that? Or for that matter, is she? Maybe, but that’s not what I’m looking for, and either way, as good of friends I am with all of you (or not, for you strangers), I really don’t care what any of you think (on this subject, anyway – you know I trust and appreciate your opinions).

So I’ve learned a lot, in any case. I soon realized that even though we weren’t "together" or "dating", I would at times get insanely jealous. Bad habit of mine, by the way. Well, I’ve (somewhat) managed to curtail that, learning to deal with the facts of life that no matter who I’m involved with, there’s always going to be some other yahoo hitting on her, and hell, she might flirt back. That’s okay, though. I’ve learned to work with and deal with such complications. As they say, "it’s all good".

It’s been an interesting experience here; both in training and in my other endeavors. True, my weekends make me broke quite often; hotel rooms don’t run cheap, but I’ve got to say that my weekends have been a great relief. Stress and otherwise. Not to mention learning a few things I wish I’d have known sooner.

Crazy weekends don’t make up the entirety of my time here, though. In addition to that there’s class, from 8:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon, formations, one at 5:30 in the morning, another at 8:00 in the morning, another at 11:30, another at 12:30, yet another at 4:45 in the afternoon, then the last one at 6:00 in the evening, and then of course there’s Magic: The Gathering tournaments, Dungeons & Dragons games (one I play in, one I run), book reading (eight books read so far in my time here, working on the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy at the moment), and listening to music and sleeping (which takes up the rest of my time), I have rather busy days. Not to mention laundry, showers with a bunch of naked people (not that exciting, trust me), and CQ (guard duty) shifts.

Anyways…I’d appreciate some notes, however random or whatnot they may be. If anyone feels frisky or bored, gimme a ring at 405-816-4330. Even you crazy stranger looneys who feel like calling a stranger, go for it.

That’s about it. Au revoir, mon amis.

– Bryan