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Nov. 15th, 2006 03:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aadlerI got caught up in events, some of them significant but all time-consuming, and then I look up and find it’s been nearly two weeks since I made a post. So, bringing things up to date:
First Cut — Military plans
After some consideration, I decided to pass on the opportunity to deploy to Bosnia. It was very tempting, but a decision needed to be made immediately and, given the situation at the time, I wasn’t willing to commit. For more than four years now I’ve been wishing for — or trying to acquire — a slot to study at the Defense Language Institute, and even though my current odds are a lot lower than I would prefer, that’s still where I intend to put my focus right now. As it stands, I might be able to take the DLPT in January … or I might not, and even if it goes through on schedule, the earliest I would be likely to start at DLI would be late spring or early summer. That almost tipped me over into accepting the Bosnia opportunity, except I realized that I’d be facing pretty much the same situation on my return, with no greater guarantees and another year gone.
I’m continuing my Farsi study via Rosetta Stone, and doing what I can to maintain my physical fitness. I’ve volunteered for brief training classes (non-language) in December and January, and after that I’ll just watch to see how things are standing.
Close First Cut
Second Cut — Finances
Good news: I got notification that my re-enlistment bonus had come in. Less-good news: while in Afghanistan, I’d set my payroll options such that everything except base pay went straight into my military retirement fund … and the bonus did likewise. As a result — except possibly through tortuous procedures I don’t intend to attempt — that money is out of my reach for the next seven years. Better news: cashing out the special savings account I set up (also during Afghanistan) went through smoothly, so that money should reach me within a week or so.
Close Second Cut
Third Cut — Writing
I wound up dropping NaNoWriMo without ever having written a word for it. Part of it was things cropping up in my schedule, part of it was me getting involved in non-NNWM composition. The biggest obstacle, however, came from my getting genuinely interested in the idea that I was going to use, at which point I needed to do extensive planning and plotting before I was ready to begin it. I had thought this was something that didn’t matter to me, meaning I could grab it and run with in and not care whether or not it was good as long as I just jumped in and finished it. Didn’t work out that way.
On the other hand, now that I’ve let NaNoWriMo go, I’ll be getting more firmly into other writing endeavors, mostly (or solely) fanfic. Stay posted for further developments.
Close Third Cut
Fourth Cut — Personal issues
Susan (my ex-wife) and I dropped in on the rectory at her parish Monday morning, and had a quick conference with the priest in regard to investigating remarriage. We’re to go in again for the next phase on Friday morning. As before, this is not an explicit decision; if anything, we’re trying to root out any problems that might be hiding from us, so that we can either deal with them or take that as a warning not to return to something that already failed catastrophically before. Still, even though both of us are carefully not-committing to anything just yet, it has to be recognized as a further step toward something that — six months ago — was still solidly slotted into the “never gonna happen” category.
Close Fourth Cut
We’ve had some decently warm weather recently, but cold rain swept in last night, and looks to last awhile. Not that bad in terms of temperature, but it’s gray and discouraging, and I have to force myself to go out in it.
On the plus side, maybe that will get me focusing more on writing. Something needs to.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-15 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 04:25 pm (UTC)