Hello, Mississippi. Meridian, to be specific. I'm at the base/"A" School here in Meridian, where I'll soon enough be starting my training to be a Personellman. Soon enough meaning I got in about 3am on Friday night/Saturday morning (after a delayed flight from Atlanta -- where our layover was -- to Meridian) and will start indoc tomorrow (Monday) which will last four or five days, and then hopefully I'll be able to class up and get on with training. Arriving here was only slightly less hectic than arriving at bootcamp (except they didn't INTEND to keep you up all night, and there wasn't anyone yelling at you like they did there) but it's been great since. I unpacked all my stuff, did a little shopping at the Navy Exchange and the Commisary to get me through for at least a couple of weeks, and learned a lot about what life here will be like these next two monthsish. It'll be two more weeks (maybe a bit more) before I can wear civilian clothes again -- and staying in uniform also means adhering to all the uniform regulations, like only two barettes/hair clips and they have to match your hair color, or no colored nailpolish, etc.. but that's just two weeks, and then I'll be able to do anything I'd want to do (and that means what I'd want to do.. people with different desires may still feel more restricted) within a 150 mile radius of the base so long as I'm back on base and in my mod by 10pm. Then after another two weeks, I don't have to worry about the time restrictions on weekends, so long as I'm in my mod by sunday night at 7pm or whatever. So, that's all good to know.

The rooms are indeed set up kinda like dorm rooms at a not-great college. Really, since you're only here for two months and many of you are coming straight from boot camp, it doesn't have to be that nice to feel great. So you've got two or three people to a room (SO much better than 86!), and four rooms to a mod. The roommates share a bathroom and a regular-sized fridge (I was picturing dorm sized when they said fridge, but no, it's a real one), and the modmates all share one common living room-type area (or lounge, really.. which I think is what it's actually called) which comes complete with some comfy sofas and chairs, and a TV and vcr. Fabulous.

I'll be standing watch every so often here, along with some other possible duties, and I can vote myself as unlikely to achieve honor graduate here since that's based on getting the highest scores on all academic tests, outstandings on all inspections, and at least goods on all fitness tests. The latter two may not be much of a problem, I hope, but if I'm a fraction of as busy here as I was at bootcamp, the academic tests will be a struggle for me like they were there. But then, I won't be missing any classes here as I had to there, and I'll have a heckuva lot more time to study.. so maybe I have a shot at at least getting good scores if not the highest.

I've already dropped off my dress whites to be dry cleaned, which is an experience I'd only had once (with my bridesmaid/formal dress) back home, but will be doing often enough here. I'll be ironing all my utilities tonight, and finishing the last of my unpacking, and hopefully making arrangements to get my cell phone to me asap.

Life here will be entirely better than at boot camp.. and once I get outta here, things should be pretty darn tootin' sweet.