Updates from the edge

Just to get the ball rolling, I'm going to recap the major events of my life from the last month or so.

1) I left the Army.

In 2001 I joined the Army as a Signals Intelligence Analyst. It was a last ditch effort to get my life in order and overall probably the best decision I've ever made. Despite getting injured in Basic Training -- and consequentially spending nine months in a rehabilitation platoon -- I don't regret it at all. I got incredible training (including 63 weeks of intensive Korean at the Defense Language Institute), did some really cool stuff that I can't tell you about (or else I'd have to kill you), and met some of the most interesting and unusual people in the world (and some absolute assholes). The taxpayers of America paid for me to live in Korea for a year, where I worked with probably the best analytic team known to man. Here's a picture of us from my going away party:

I'm the third guy from the left, with my arms around the two people next to me.

Unfortunately, my last year in the Army was pretty disheartening. I was stuck in a crappy unit doing boring work in support of a mission that I thought was -- excuse my language -- bullshit. So when my five year enlistment ended, I got out.

2) I got a new job.

Just yesterday I signed the papers making it official: I'm now a systems analyst for Unisys. I was pretty lucky; the job just fell into my lap following a recommendation from one of my former supervisors in Korea.

Pros of my new job:

• I'll be getting paid over 75 grand a year.
• My coworkers seem like interesting people to work with.
• I'll be working in the National Intelligence Programs section.
• For my first project, I'll be living in Morocco for six months or so!

Cons of my new job:

• I won't be getting nearly as much vacation time as I did in the Army.
• I'll have to learn some French and Arabic.
• What exactly does a systems analyst do?

I start on Monday.

3) I'm about to take the Foreign Service Written Exam.

One of my medium to long-term goals is to work at the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer. The first step to that is the FSWE, which I'll be taking this Saturday (from 8 to 2!). I have no illusions about passing; it's supposed to be a very difficult test and I haven't been studying for it much in the last few weeks. Many people take it multiple times before they pass. Anyway, I already have a job right now, so this time is just for practice. The exam is given only once every year, so I figure the earlier I get a feel for it the better. This way, five to ten years down the line, I'll be confident when I'm applying in earnest.

If you pass the exam, you are invited to an oral assessment which is even more selective. Supposedly, thirty thousand people register for the exam every year for a total of only 300 to 400 new positions. The written exam eliminates eighty percent and the oral assessment whittles the remaining 6000 or so down to a few hundred. If I pass the exam this time, and I'm not overseas when the oral assessment is given, I may go just to see what it's like.

4) I'm enjoying my free time.

Since I left the Army I've been enjoying the warm hospitality of my parents in DC. So yeah, I'm that loser guy who goes back home to live in his folks' basement...My excuse is that it's only temporary and it doesn't make much sense to get an apartment when I'm about to leave the country. I haven't been worrying about it too much, though; mostly I'm just glad to be home.

For the last year I had been living in El Paso at Fort Bliss, probably the world's most egregiously misnamed Army post. I can't tell you how great it is to be back in DC, where I can go to lectures and concerts and real restaurants. Right up the street from my parents' house is Politics & Prose, my second favorite bookstore (no need to ask about the first). They bring in a guest speaker pretty much every night. Over the last few weeks, I've seen Elizabeth Kolbert, Karen Armstrong, and Seth Lloyd, to name some of the most interesting ones. Studs Terkel is speaking tonight.

Two weeks ago I saw Ted Leo & The Pharmacists down at the Black Cat. This Sunday I'll be rockin' out to Neko Case at the 9:30 club. This dude took me out to see The Cloud Room a while ago too and tomorrow my mother's friend's son is playing somewhere downtown. In El Paso, the best band I ever saw was called King Octopus and my next door neighbor was the guitarist.

Oh, and I went to the zoo. Which fucking rocked.

5) Believe it or not, I still have friends in DC.

Although I grew up in the District, I don't know a whole lot of people here. I've lost contact with many of my friends from childhood and many others have moved away. Fortunately, Chris is still here, along with his charming girlfriend Val. Chris is my oldest friend; we've known each other practically since birth. So I'm very pleased to wish him a slightly early 28th birthday. Happy b-day dude! I'll be there for chili next Sunday!

Also, some of my friends from the military have moved into the area as well. Meier attends JMIC and now lives only a block from the house where I grew up. Good ol' David is marooned out in Fort Meade fighting the good fight against the evildoers, but I've had the pleasure of his company too. Of course Nico is here studying abroad, and Bill, my old partner-in-crime from High School, may stop by from his place in Baltimore. All in all, a congenial crowd.

So that's my life, at least until Monday when my long post-military vacation stops and I have to return to the daily grind.