Success! After several weeks of trying to get a group together to play D&D with, we finally have everyone we need. We made our characters last night, and the start of the game is planned for next week. There were a few ups and downs but we pulled through in the end. Getting a group together is always the hardest part. What's more, it's a party full of furries! This should make things interesting.

At long last I've graduated from basic training at Fort Benning. For almost two and a half months I've endured Arduous training, both night and day, to hone my body and mind for the trials awaiting me in my future as a soldier in the Texas Army National Guard.

I wasn't in prime physical shape as a 26 year old with no history of playing sports or any other intense physical activity for the past 8 years since high school. There were a few times my body felt like it had reached its limits, but part of being a soldier is never giving up, and I'm proud to say I never quit, no matter how hard it got.

People younger and in better shape than me failed to meet the standards because they gave up when things became difficult or because they didn't want to push themselves. My goals at basic weren't just to graduate but also to improve myself mentally and physically, and I'm proud to say I did. Not only did I become more disciplined and attentive, I also improved on my Army Physical Fitness Test score significantly. I started out with a score of 123 at the beginning of basic and ended up with a final PT score of 242. For those wondering, 300 is considered the official maximum score, though there are higher possible scores.

It's my goal to get at least a 270, but for such a short amount of time, i consider it a huge achievement, one that wouldn't have been possible without my drill sergeants and battle buddies pushing me, especially Drill Sergeant Willie. He alone is probably one of my favorite things about my basic experience for many reasons, but I probably can't go into details here. Needless to say, he was a very unique and unorthodox drill sergeant, but very effective too. He's probably the main reason we got Honor Platoon and earned a reputation as the most driven, capable, and disciplined platoon in the entire battalion.

I'm sure the discipline and character that basic has driven home will carry over to my civilian life a I resume my semi-normal lifestyle back home after basic, and I'll continue to strive to improve myself in preparation for Officer Candidate School in the Spring. I feel like I've made the right choice in my life by joining the Army and I'm proud of the new me.

I'm on my last week of actual training here at Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning. It's been a long and interesting journey and I've learned quite a bit while I've been here, especially about myself. Overall, it's been a pretty positive experience, and I'm glad I went through what I did. I'll be heading back home after graduation and resuming things as normal for the most part as I drill with my new unit each month and go through OCS, but the Army has changed my perspective and attitude already in many ways. Anyways, three more days of training and ruck marches ahead for me. I'll have more to share when I actually get home. (posted from my phone)

I've just arrived in Georgia and today is the day basic training officially begins. I'll be out of contact for a while and just wanted to let everyone know why. Hopefully the next time I check my FA I'll be a full-fledged soldier! Farewell~

Well, it seems that my parakeets, Pterry and Verdy, have decided they want to make eggs. Luckily, Pterry has taken an interest in the make-shift nesting box I put in there as soon as I noticed them going at it, so she'll have a place to lay the eggs. I've never tried breeding birds, but I'm hoping if I just give them food and water, the parakeets will feed and look after the babies themselves till they're old enough. Anyone have any suggestions for helping my keets out?

...when I update my age info on FA. It's been about a year since I last had to do it.