There may be hope for me afterall..., page 1

Well, after sitting out a full 4 years, I've finally got myself back into school- back to the stuff I'm really good at. I'd like to say I don't know why I waited so long, but I do.

I got engaged right after highschool, so I had to start working. That didn't work out- I saw it was trouble waiting to happen and I broke it off before it was too late. Then I found a job that paid great- and I was OK at it, even though I hated it. Eventually there were layoffs though- so I finally found the discipline- or perhaps the desperation- to do what I've always wanted to do- become a Marine. I hurt my back though, and a few other things went wrong too- within a year I was discharged.

After the two best things that ever happened to me (my first love and my career as a Marine) fell apart, I guess I just gave up, and didn't even realize it. I just bounced from job to job, going back and forth between making big checks and being out of work for a week or three at a time. That was right about the time I found ATS in fact. All I've done for the last year plus is work my butt off at jobs I hate and write/debate on ATS. I wish that was an exaggeration, but it aint. I may drink a little, play a little cards or whatever now and then, but I haven't got much of anyone to do that with- wrting and debating here is all that I consistently have. I've known I was miserable the whole time, but it took me a while to really get the big picture on why. If I'd kept it up much longer I probably would have given into the temptation to put my criminal mind to work, just to have a little fun, and go out with a bang if I had to go out.

This summer though I guess I finally realized what I ought to be doing, and after I let it boil up in me for a few weeks I gave the boss a piece of my mind and decided to go to school, get my Bachelors in Political Science and Masters in Policy, then jump into politics and make a name for myself.

I started classes today. It felt dang good to be back in my element. There never really has been anybody I've known who could keep up with me in the classroom. All I've got to do is knock out a few years of this stuff and then start scratching and clawing my way up the ladder. Maybe I'll get what I really want- end up in the California Legislature and later in Congress and have a chance at bringing my ideas to life- or maybe I'll have to settle for political journalism, speech writing, or who knows what. All I know is that for the first time since I hurt my back and had to leave the Corps I feel like I'm going to be able to do something I love and do it well, and have some kind of a future ahead of me. I'm in the mood to conquer the dang world right about now. Just felt like telling somebody about that- and since I haven't got any real friends to speak of, I guess that makes BTS the place to do it.