05 May, Mom & Dad

Dear Mom & Dad,
Liz's issues on the firing range: sighting/aiming at the target and tensing up before firing the weapon.  God after this week I've been wanting chocolate ice cream with chunks of brownies and cookie dough.  That sounds like heaven.  Grandma will be happy to know that my fingernails are growing like crazy since there is NO way I'm putting those in my mouth, it's just gross where I put them and no amount of washing is going to clean them well enough.  It makes eating PB&J sandwiches harder.  Oh, & cream of broccoli is really good.  Had it twice today.
So, Castro has decided to come to Omaha in 2 years so she can try all this food I keep telling her about.  Am I giving off a bad idea on all this food?  It just helps keep me calm.  List the recipe or list food alphabetically.  It works with my stress levels:  think of something else.
Today 2 recruits pissed off Senior.  The first one "stole" gatorade powder from her breakfast box chow & then another.  She's going to end up getting Senior in a heap of trouble.  Instead of working up the chain of command, like you're supposed to, she goes to the company commander and Senior didn't know about the stuff.  Let's just put it this way, I'm happy I wasn't picked to IT yesterday.  Senior left and that just makes me realize how much the DI's are in check with her around.  Hopefully they learned their lesson & Senior's back tomorrow.

06 May

Another day done.  Started out the day with getting dressed and cleaning our rifles.  Then we ran to the chow hall, ate, marched back, then got our gear ready for the day .  Then wasted time until the sun came up and went to the range to learn how to fill out databooks.  The PMI, Sgt Lasselle, made it sound easy then the girls started questioning why, then I started getting confused.  So I wrote down everything he said in the beginning and got un-confused.  Is that even a word?  Then we went to chow and ate quickly, then went to the lawn across the street and practiced snapping in the standing and kneeling positions.  Oh & it rained from 1000-1600 on and off.  Not fun trying to aim in that.  I got blasted today.  Had the ejection port cover open.  So yeah, 5 DI's, one me, not fun.  Want comfort food, can't have any for another five to six weeks.  I want a giant chocolate chip cookie with a load of frosting on top.  Can I have one please?!  Just buy one from hyvee or Bakers & a can of frosting.  That sounds so good!  and gives me another thing to look forward to.  I know my body isn't used to junk food anymore, but I'm craving more Italian food and Pizza that anything else.  I know, still horrible for me.  But after he blasting today, I can't bring myself to care about that little fact.  So tired of the mind games.  Nothing is ever good enough, but I understand that from the DI's, I don't understand the need some of these girls have in ripping each other's throats out.  Hopefully it's just the stress factor.  Can't wait for the next week to be over.  I don't like firing my M16, but I'm SOL right there, gotta pass the rifle range in order to pass on & continue on to Graduate.  I'm hoping to at least pass this cuz with my aim now, there's no way in this world I'll score high enough to get the "pizza box" or pass as marksman.  Maybe I'm just too tense, I don't know.  I'll find out tomorrow and all next week while I write in my databook.
Thanks for saying you'll bring granola bars, make sure to get that specific kind please, thank you.  So David got in a car accident?  Did he learn his lesson?  He's a smart kid so I'm sure he learned his lesson the first time.  Thanks Mom for the image of you holding my head.  That helps a lot, but my issue is when I have to stand at attention & get screamed at, IT'd.  I am at least burning off the rage.  Hopefully you get back in the habit of writing cuz I am literally clinging onto your letters.  They're helping keep my head on and try to keep trucking along.  Dad sends a letter, it seems, every other day.  He gets the title "Writing Letter King" :)  It's actually amazing to me how much I'm gripping onto these letters.  Hey, can you send me like 6 recipes so I can memorize them?  It helps me keep my temper  in check cuz every time Sgt Moffett makes up IT with the M16 the urge to hit her with it is almost too much and I lock my body which you're not supposed to do when you're IT'd.  Trying to figure something out here.  Thanks Dad for the articles and advice as well.  It's just so hard to do, so many things to remember, and being emotionally and mentally exhausted isn't helping.  Oh well, suck it up and live with it.  Sundays, chow, and lights out are what I look forward to.  Don't get screamed at as much there.  5 more weeks of this.  God I can't wait for it to end.  Well until Marine week I think... On grass week, then team week, BWT, Table 2, another week, then the Crucible.  So yeah, 5 more weeks.  Can time speed up now.  I would truly appreciate it, or skip shooting weeks cuz I hate firing the stupid thing.  Oh well, can't wait for it to come.