I watched the Doctor Who season 1 finale ("The Parting of Ways"). Wow.

( Bad wolf behind the cut. Spoilers. )

( Requisition me a beat )

If you're wondering why I posted this, it's partially in reference to this entry (note: it's behind a filter- you need to be logged in. If you still can't see it and would like to be added to my military filter, comment)

This will be my last post of the day. Honest. I know three posts in a day is a pain.

Military/Grad school
It seems like the government would rather have me in the military than in grad school. Spending for the war/conflict in Iraq (and Afghanistan) is over $400 billion (as I heard on ABC news tonight)... and will keep going up. Where does the government get this money from? Oh yeah. Education. Particularly the whole student loans thing... which is something I'll probably need to pay for grad school (since I'm kind of an unemployed bum... err... full-time student. *cough*).

Diet
My mom got mad at me tonight after I made it clear I probably won't eat any of the three boxes of ice cream bars she bought at the grocery store (each a different flavor). Why won't I eat them? Each bar contains 70% of the daily value of saturated fat (using the 2,000 cal/day diet). That's a very high number. I'm trying to ween myself off of "junk food," but it's not easy while living at home- with my mom. She likes desserts. We almost always have some kind of dessert in the house- and not healthy alternative desserts, either. The junk food type. This is one reason I'm looking forward to being out on my own. I'll have much more control of my diet. I'll be able to control what food is in the house at any given point in time.

I think I've been watching too much Phil of the Future (POTF). My last dream involved me, possibly a lover, and an old blind/deaf woman named Cinderella... or she was just nicknamed that... or I'm totally confusing parts of my dreams with fairy tales. Somehow, the three of us got turned in for something and the military wanted us. We used a wizard (from POTF) to turn ourselves into other people. It got weird. I also think time travel may have happened. I remember having to take the form of perhaps three people--- at the same time... in order to cross the border because of how many people were after me (and I needed a really good disguise).

Before all of the whole changing into other people stuff happened, however, I did fall in love (stupid love dreams). I remember there was much cuddling involved. I think alcohol later came into play, as I woke up and saw something carved into some wooden furniture... or a tree... something... that I don't remember writing (then again, with my memory, maybe alcohol wasn't a factor).

I just wanted to make it clear that right now I have no plans on enlisting in the military. Yes, I'm talking with a recruiter and just took the ASVAB to determine what jobs I'm qualified for, but it's only for the purpose of seeing what options are available to me after I graduate.

At the moment, I think I'm thinking much more about grad school or working at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), a non-military intelligence agency that focuses on aerial and satellite imagery for its source of intelligence. I've already applied there... hopefully will hear from them in a few months. If I don't hear back from them, grad school is my next option. I'm going to apply to three schools (I might apply to more, but there are only three at the moment): University of Alaska Fairbanks (for their northern studies program), University of Alaska Southeast (for their education program), and New Mexico State University (for either the applied geography program or education). Finally, if it works out that I don't get accepted or simply cannot afford grad school... and for whatever reason, I haven't found any other job, then the military will be an option.

That's where I'm at currently, anyway... so I won't say I won't end up in the military, but I just think it's fairly unlikely.

I took the ASVAB today, a test that determines what jobs I'm qualified for in the military. My scores pretty much let me do anything. The test is divided into 10 sections, including 2 math sections, sections in words/meanings and paragraph comprehension, mechanics/physics (ie, how parts move), automotive, shape placement (where there several given shapes and we had to determine which option was the correct way to assemble them), electical comprehension, and 2 others I can't remember.

Looking at the Army aptitude scores (which use slightly different categories), I did worst in the automotive stuff- not a big surprise. I know very basic car stuff, but not much. I did well enough in that section, however, that I am qualified to become one of several types of mechanic. I got the highest scores in clerical jobs, followed closely by surveillance and communications, and "skilled technical" (which includes journalist, military intelligence, etc). That works for me. I think military intelligence is the area I'd like to go into. If I knew Arabic or Chinese, or some other useful language, I might go off to become a linguist.

( My day )

I told my mom I was going to meet with an Army recruiter after supper tonight. She wasn't very happy about it. I guess she thinks that I'm going to join the Army and go to Iraq. Of course, I'm just going down to talk with the recruiter and see if the Army has any jobs I'm possibly interested in. I'm not at all very serious about enlisting, but I realize I graduate in May and have no idea what will happen to me afterwards. I figure it's a good idea to keep my options open- know what my options are available, even if some of them aren't really pleasant. At least I'll know they're there just in case things don't turn out how I'd like them.