Acceleration
December came quickly this year. The paradox of slow days and fast months continued since last I wrote. Days in the office come and go, each week seeming to blend in to the next while I do basic tasks occasionally punctuated by a three or four day weekend. The Soldiers are generally on good behavior, I've had a decent amount of free time, and I'm never asked to accomplish a task too large to handle so I have a lot to be appreciative of on that front. Now that the Holidays have arrived, I can finally gather my thoughts while I prepare for yet another year of change and adaptation.
Sitting here the night before Christmas, I foresee several options for my road ahead. The only thing that I'm sure of is that something is about to change.
I've been a rear detachment commander ever since I got back from Age Group Nationals in August. I got a phone call while I sat in the San Fransisco Airport, en route to Anchorage, from my then Commander. "I have a new mission for you." See, just a week ago (early August), I was promoted to First Lieutenant in the United States Army and around the same time, I made it known that I wanted to move to Fairbanks, AK to be stationed at Ft. Wainwright. As it so happened, I had met the most stunning, attractive, kind [insert every other adjective someone in love would say about their loved one] person back in June at the Eagle River Triathlon. She lives up there now in her newly built home. Turns out, this option worked in my favor as my job opportunities weren't looking good in Anchorage. That is, the demand for Engineer Officers on JBER were becoming more and more limited. My new "mission" would basically put me in a position that set me up for a potential move toward the beginning of the year. Well, the beginning of the year is one week away...
By February, my job will end; if I had done nothing to pursue a job elsewhere, the Army would almost certainly curtail me to who-knows-where lower 48 and that would be a bummer. I had an interview with a Lieutenant Colonel about seven weeks ago about a job as a project manager with the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Fairbanks. The interview went as well as I could have hoped and ever since then, he's been patiently waiting to hear from the military Human Resource Command, the ultimate authority on moves, about a transfer. This has taken a long time.
By now, 24 December 2014 at 1910, I see three roads ahead, listed as most desirable to least:
1) After the first business day of the year, the civilians at HRC decide they want to get some work done on my behalf and approve a move for me and my orders are cut thereafter. I would report to Ft. Wainwright as soon as 15 January.
2) Deliberation continues but I eventually get approved and I PCS around mid February when my current job would expire anyway.
3) Despite all my efforts and common sense, the Army disapproves a move and I get curtailed sometime around mid February to late March.
Whatever the case, I'm gonna have to start packing soon.
My racing portfolio today looks entirely different from this time last year. Before 1 June, it had been something like a year and a half since my last tri. I took great pleasure in bike racing and pursued that outlet wholeheartedly as my body quickly made powerful adaptations to the new sport. During my training camp, though, I had a few conversations that led me to change my focus. I've been pouring my heart and soul into triathlon since then and even went as far as hiring a coach to help me reach my lofty goals. I even got to meet him face to face after my solid performance in Milwaukee.
I competed in five USAT events and placed well enough to land a spot in the ITU (International Triathlon Union) World Championships in Chicago next fall. It sounds way cooler and elite than it is; I'm not racing at a professional level or getting sponsored to go or anything, but it is the highest level I could ever hope to compete at considering my situation. Until then, at the very least, I have an ultimate goal for each and every training session I endure.
As the new year quickly approaches, my future shroud in a veil of uncertainty, I can at least take the next few days to reflect, unwind, and go on some epic fat biking adventures. I just hope this time next year I can do these things with a special someone by my side.
See y'all in 2015.
Sitting here the night before Christmas, I foresee several options for my road ahead. The only thing that I'm sure of is that something is about to change.
I've been a rear detachment commander ever since I got back from Age Group Nationals in August. I got a phone call while I sat in the San Fransisco Airport, en route to Anchorage, from my then Commander. "I have a new mission for you." See, just a week ago (early August), I was promoted to First Lieutenant in the United States Army and around the same time, I made it known that I wanted to move to Fairbanks, AK to be stationed at Ft. Wainwright. As it so happened, I had met the most stunning, attractive, kind [insert every other adjective someone in love would say about their loved one] person back in June at the Eagle River Triathlon. She lives up there now in her newly built home. Turns out, this option worked in my favor as my job opportunities weren't looking good in Anchorage. That is, the demand for Engineer Officers on JBER were becoming more and more limited. My new "mission" would basically put me in a position that set me up for a potential move toward the beginning of the year. Well, the beginning of the year is one week away...
By February, my job will end; if I had done nothing to pursue a job elsewhere, the Army would almost certainly curtail me to who-knows-where lower 48 and that would be a bummer. I had an interview with a Lieutenant Colonel about seven weeks ago about a job as a project manager with the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Fairbanks. The interview went as well as I could have hoped and ever since then, he's been patiently waiting to hear from the military Human Resource Command, the ultimate authority on moves, about a transfer. This has taken a long time.
By now, 24 December 2014 at 1910, I see three roads ahead, listed as most desirable to least:
1) After the first business day of the year, the civilians at HRC decide they want to get some work done on my behalf and approve a move for me and my orders are cut thereafter. I would report to Ft. Wainwright as soon as 15 January.
2) Deliberation continues but I eventually get approved and I PCS around mid February when my current job would expire anyway.
3) Despite all my efforts and common sense, the Army disapproves a move and I get curtailed sometime around mid February to late March.
Whatever the case, I'm gonna have to start packing soon.
***
My racing portfolio today looks entirely different from this time last year. Before 1 June, it had been something like a year and a half since my last tri. I took great pleasure in bike racing and pursued that outlet wholeheartedly as my body quickly made powerful adaptations to the new sport. During my training camp, though, I had a few conversations that led me to change my focus. I've been pouring my heart and soul into triathlon since then and even went as far as hiring a coach to help me reach my lofty goals. I even got to meet him face to face after my solid performance in Milwaukee.
I competed in five USAT events and placed well enough to land a spot in the ITU (International Triathlon Union) World Championships in Chicago next fall. It sounds way cooler and elite than it is; I'm not racing at a professional level or getting sponsored to go or anything, but it is the highest level I could ever hope to compete at considering my situation. Until then, at the very least, I have an ultimate goal for each and every training session I endure.
As the new year quickly approaches, my future shroud in a veil of uncertainty, I can at least take the next few days to reflect, unwind, and go on some epic fat biking adventures. I just hope this time next year I can do these things with a special someone by my side.
See y'all in 2015.
Comments
Post a Comment