Scattered Thoughts . . .

For more than a week, I've had severe ankle pain which has left me unable to walk without aid for most of the week. I am now limping around but that pain is still constant. I've had my ankle elevated everyday and I am taking a maximum-allowed dose of an anti-inflammatory medication for the maximum-allowed time. The only side effect thus far is just a bit of drowsiness but that is hardly worth mentioning since I can't do much else anyway. So, what has caused this severe, disabling pain in my ankle?   I often struggle with terrible, debilitating bone and joint pain so this is more than likely contributing to my current problem with my ankle. Now that the pain in my ankle has waned slightly, there is no doubt that in addition to my ankle pain, I am also struggling with my usual debilitating bone and joint pain. The ankle pain was so severe in the beginning that it masked most other pain in other areas of my body. These regular bouts of bone and joint pain are very typica...

As most of you know, Adam has been in the process of enlisting in the US Air Force. I had mentioned in previous blog posts that standards had risen considerably in recent months but didn't give many details. I think I'll take a little time to list some of the disqualifying factors that today's young adults face when attempting to enlist in the US Air Force. I recently read that more than 90% of potential recruits are disqualified in the initial telephone interview. NINETY PERCENT DISQUALIFIED before they even get into the recruiter's office! Here are some of the reasons for being disqualified immediately: - Prior arrests (whether convicted or not) - No high school diploma - Overweight - Prior drug use - ADHD/ADD diagnosis, especially use of ADHD/ADD drugs - Tattoos - Piercings - Moving motor vehicle violations - Certain allergies - Responsible for more than two dependents. Single parent recruits with less than two dependents must apply for a waiver...

This week a new chapter has begun in Adam's life journey.  Now 18 years old, a Cadet/Chief Master Sergeant in the Civil Air Patrol/Air Force Auxiliary, a student pilot, and a hardware store sales associate, Adam is now in the process of enlisting in the US Air Force.   Adam has had two meetings with the recruiter this week with another meeting scheduled for tomorrow. He has already submitted his 120 page application. Next week is a visit to MEPS. For those unfamiliar with military acronyms, MEPS is the Military Entrance Processing Station. He will spend a couple of busy days there on an active base for his medical exam, more interviews, a written exam and some psych and physical testing.  At this point things are progressing very quickly for Adam. This is the "hurry-up" stage which will probably last another week or so. This "hurry-up" stage is always followed by a grueling "wait" stage. This two-stage cycle will be the everyday mantra for his new ...