2nd day on set.

Saw/actually paid attention to a whole bunch of the up and coming stars at today's shoot - Isabel Lucas, Josh Peck, Chris Hemsworth, Connor Cruise... not sure who else. Didn't really interact with them though Josh Peck did wave hello, but they seem pretty chill for the most part.

It's crazy, now that I think about it, how little free time I have with being on set all day - 12/13 hours at Red Dawn from 6:30 AM-7:30ish PM, sleep from 9 PM-5 AM... damn! It's pretty decent money, and the catered food is pretty good, it's just that I've realized what a time drain it is. I don't regret doing it though, it's not often that you get a chance like this to being in a major Hollywood film, even if it's only for a few seconds.

1st day of filming

Being in a movie is a lot like being in the Army - you spend a lot of time waiting before rehearsing and executing the mission, haha. I find it amusing that I've been railing against negative Asian stereotypes most of my life, only to willingly volunteer for one of the worst stereotypes out there. It doesn't matter, I'm getting paid!

Red Dawn

It's been a whirlwind of activity since I got back to Michigan, especially this week now that the Labor Day weekend's over.

- Processed into unit, will participate in 9/11 memorial on Friday, drill this weekend

- Found out I'm most likely going downrange next year

- Got fitted for a costume to be an extra in the remake of Red Dawn

- Started working at my old job again

I'm intrigued by the possibilities of going downrange, but I simultaneously fret about the danger. Even though I'm "only" 23 it seems like there's a huge time crunch to try to get things done before I go overseas. I don't think I'm fretting as much as realizing how valuable time can be.

Maybe we can start again.

It's bittersweet to be back in Michigan. On one hand, I've really missed being home with the family and friends, and it was definitely nice to be back in AA. However, Ann Arbor is such a transient place with people coming and going! It was cool to attend Bubble Tea Bash and a tailgate at Yellow House, but it's just not the same without the old crowd. I may not go to a football game until I get part of the old gang back in town.

It's interesting to me which habits I've retained and which ones I've broken already - the first night I was home I went to bed at 2230 in PTs, woke up and tried to run PT but my feet got really fucked up during AIT so I'm gonna take it easy with that for a little while.

Yay?

Basic Combat Training is over! It was definitely quite a learning experience with highs and lows, right now I'm just chilling before Advanced Individual Training, or more focused job training, begins - dunno if I'll have internet access then, so just doing what I can now to add a couple of entries from the past two and a half months. I have to report to Fort Bragg soon, we'll see how that goes... right now I just need a breather.

Some thoughts from BCT:
- Having a dump pouch to drop empty magazines into is REALLY convenient and I really missed having one during training, as opposed to the ease of reloading I had when playing airsoft. I'll definitely have one for future deployments.
- I curse more prodigiously now than I have in the past, I was trying to ease up on it but it's the nature of my profession.
- It's funny, I've been trying to break my habit of wearing hats all the damn time, and now they're required whenever I'm outside in uniform, whether it's a beret or a patrol cap. They sure are useful though, my head would burn otherwise!