First Steps, Fifth Steps, and Other Notes in the Scale


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North America » United States » Alabama » Huntsville
April 30th 2009
Published: May 2nd 2009
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So, here's the story so far. My roommate, Kay, and I moved to Alabama to get out and away from the mire of our previous lives. We moved here to be closer to our common college friends. Here we found that the land of milk of honey, fill of the government's bounty of contracting companies, was just as hard to get into as any other place we've been. It's actually really annoying. Of course, at the time, we didn't know that the world was about to collapse. I know, I know, it didn't actually collapse, but I think its been closer than anyone would've liked. The point is that I've been sitting here doing the same things I've been doing, and Kay's been almost as bad. Her job down here is actually pretty cool, but she doesn't get paid what she's worth, and she has to deal with too much crap.
So, we managed to survive to Christmas and she starts mentioning the Peace Corps. So I've looked into the Peace Corps before, but didn't feel I was ready. Ok, I was chicken. It was too big and too much. Now though, I'm 27, working at the world's largest retailer, and not really doing anything, or going anywhere. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? They say no? I thought about it for a bit and then filled out an application. That was in February, and let me tell you, it's been kinda slow.
I can't blame anyone here. I mean, if you think about it there are quite a few applicants every year trying for just a very few spots. I have already gone through the application process. Me and Kay drove down to Atlanta, GA to have our interviews. Let me tell you, that should not have been a day trip. She misunderstood which days I had off that week when our recruiter called. It worked out though. We ate at the Flying Biscuit, which was awesome. I'm a veggie, but she isn't, and we both loved it. They gypped us of our biscuits though. I'll forgive them this time though. Even though they are really good biscuits.
So, since then, I've been bumped to the waiting list for May. I'm "up for Nomination" which means that they'll look at me and pick an area that they want me to go to. This is like, say, Asia or Europe. Then I'll have to to the medical screening. You don't have to be super fit to go overseas with the PC, but you do have to be stable. Everyone I've talked to so far assures me that they'll take good care of me, but they don't want to send a timebomb out into the bush. I'll be expensive, but its cool, its stuff that I need to do anyway.
Like, I've already gone to the general practitioner and have gotten referrals for the surgeon and allergist. See, I have, well had, this bump on my neck for awhile. It got big enough that Kay started really getting on to me about it. Well, it was supposed to be a sist, which is nothing big. So I had the day off Tuesday and went to a consult with Dr. Krick. He's cool. He took out my gall bladder years ago, so I figured he would be a good person to go to. Well, he poked my neck a bit and said, "Oh, this is nothing, the operating room will me clear in about five minutes. Just stay here and we'll take care of it." And then he was gone. My mom tagged along because, well, she's my mom. I tried to play it cool, but it didn't help. Let me tell you, local anesthesia hurts! Oh, sure, it works great, but it hurts going in. It was a surreal experience overall. At first I could only feel pressure, but then, went I looked up into his eyes, to see how it was going, and then I noticed, in his glasses, the cut. There I was, open in the reflection of his glasses. I could see him snipping and poking the cut, until he pulled it out. The blood running down my neck, and the stitches weaving in and out of the cut. It was very, very weird.
Well, I think that its for now. It was a fairly easy thing, but being cut up is tiring. I think I'll have a nap and saw a little of the tv. Might even work on my conjugation and declension. Oh baby, I'm going to do some declining. Later

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