finished with the Fort (for now at least)
Sep. 3rd, 2004 11:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaalaMy application for early leave finally got noticed by the powers that be at the Fort. That is to say: I walked into the Program Office, plucked the form out of the box where it still lay, and waved it under the nose of the person sitting there. My final day was bittersweet because I really don't know if I want to work at the Fort again. There's so much I loved about the job--but also a number of things I hated about it.
My last day (last Monday) was rather a nice low-key end to the season. It rained almost the entire day, so we spent most of our time indoors in the "interp wing" (married quarters and soldiers' barrack room)... playing fife, chatting, playing chess, playing cards, polishing boots, singing, dancing, and generally goofing around when not talking to visitors. The Drum Serjeant brought in a Drums songbook from the Seniors' locker room and great fun was had learning the words to tunes we've been playing.
A parade was held--an artillery parade, rather frighteningly, without any prior notice or practice--but I was lucky enough not to be one of the unlucky people suddenly called upon to fire a 24-pounder. 6-pounder training also took place but by that point I had already returned my uniform (the most bittersweet moment of all) and could not have participated even if I had wanted to. I'm afraid that I developed quite a distaste for artillery work over the course of the summer. I simply never seemed to get better at it, at least not to the level that they expected--not enough upper body strength. (Now there's a surprise!) There was also that traumatic experience in my second Armstrong gun race.... (I dropped the powder and disqualified my team.)
* * *
I wrote the following around August 25 but never developed it into an entry (editorial comments in square brackets):
-have developed a crippling addiction to "The Office"
-mired in indecision about whether or not to quit... and depressed myself with my indecision
-now taking Robaxacet fairly regularly [for back pain]
-U.S. Marine Corps visit [1]
-planning on requesting early leave
[1] It was quite exciting actually. The Marines they pick to be in the Silent Drill Platoon and Commandant's Own Drum and Bugle Corps are very friendly, very polite, and apparently quite interested in us. After all that fuss made at the Fort about learning their NCO and officer's ranks, the Marines appeared not to care in the least if we paid our respects. They seemed more relaxed in general about protocol than us, come to think of it. (Perhaps they were more obsessed with such matters in 1867 than anybody is today. I wouldn't know.)
Weird snafus happened during the shows but oh well. They weren't anything major. The joint Drummer's Call went over like wildfire. A Marines officer (don't remember his rank--Colonel or something like that) said he wanted to take us into battle(!). They won the soccer and baseball games, but the Fort team won the 6-pounder Armstrong race!
* * *
School starts on September 13. I've asked to be allowed to take the same flute lesson course again this year and will hear back in a few days about whether it is possible. A massage appointment was missed because I had to work an extra day unexpectedly and didn't get the chance to cancel after leaving the Program Office. They are annoyed with me; I've yet to hear back about whether I'm allowed to schedule another appointment. (I offered to pay the no-show fee, btw.) My left side aches incredibly from the neck to about midway down my back so I need to do something about it.
My last day (last Monday) was rather a nice low-key end to the season. It rained almost the entire day, so we spent most of our time indoors in the "interp wing" (married quarters and soldiers' barrack room)... playing fife, chatting, playing chess, playing cards, polishing boots, singing, dancing, and generally goofing around when not talking to visitors. The Drum Serjeant brought in a Drums songbook from the Seniors' locker room and great fun was had learning the words to tunes we've been playing.
A parade was held--an artillery parade, rather frighteningly, without any prior notice or practice--but I was lucky enough not to be one of the unlucky people suddenly called upon to fire a 24-pounder. 6-pounder training also took place but by that point I had already returned my uniform (the most bittersweet moment of all) and could not have participated even if I had wanted to. I'm afraid that I developed quite a distaste for artillery work over the course of the summer. I simply never seemed to get better at it, at least not to the level that they expected--not enough upper body strength. (Now there's a surprise!) There was also that traumatic experience in my second Armstrong gun race.... (I dropped the powder and disqualified my team.)
* * *
I wrote the following around August 25 but never developed it into an entry (editorial comments in square brackets):
-have developed a crippling addiction to "The Office"
-mired in indecision about whether or not to quit... and depressed myself with my indecision
-now taking Robaxacet fairly regularly [for back pain]
-U.S. Marine Corps visit [1]
-planning on requesting early leave
[1] It was quite exciting actually. The Marines they pick to be in the Silent Drill Platoon and Commandant's Own Drum and Bugle Corps are very friendly, very polite, and apparently quite interested in us. After all that fuss made at the Fort about learning their NCO and officer's ranks, the Marines appeared not to care in the least if we paid our respects. They seemed more relaxed in general about protocol than us, come to think of it. (Perhaps they were more obsessed with such matters in 1867 than anybody is today. I wouldn't know.)
Weird snafus happened during the shows but oh well. They weren't anything major. The joint Drummer's Call went over like wildfire. A Marines officer (don't remember his rank--Colonel or something like that) said he wanted to take us into battle(!). They won the soccer and baseball games, but the Fort team won the 6-pounder Armstrong race!
* * *
School starts on September 13. I've asked to be allowed to take the same flute lesson course again this year and will hear back in a few days about whether it is possible. A massage appointment was missed because I had to work an extra day unexpectedly and didn't get the chance to cancel after leaving the Program Office. They are annoyed with me; I've yet to hear back about whether I'm allowed to schedule another appointment. (I offered to pay the no-show fee, btw.) My left side aches incredibly from the neck to about midway down my back so I need to do something about it.
