Not carefree but nonetheless Riverwalkin’

It’s a hunka hunka burning Earth here in San Antonio. I am on the Riverwalk this week for training. It’s a cool place. I haven’t been here in years, but it is so freaking hot out. Right now it is 99 F. That’s not bad. I’m looking at the local weather and in Pleasanton, just south of San Antone, it is 103 F. The training has been very useful. That seems kind of a strange statement sometimes. Nonetheless, it is true.

The Riverwalk is a very tourista-type happening if you have never been there. It’s cool though. It is sort of reminiscent of the French Quarter. You see a young freak-type girl dressed up like a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader except for the tats and piercings here there and everywhere. Then one can see young-middle age couples wearing similar shirts except they don’t say something like “I’m with Stupid –> I am Stupid.” There are a lot of teachers in town right now. Of course, there is a lot of Air Force, as there has long been.

I remarked to a colleague last night when we went out for a couple of drinks that the young E-2, E-3, enlisted remind me of what such carefree times it was for me when I was in the Navy, just barely past boot camp. My colleague, a retired Marine, or Marine  (I think once a Marine is always a Marine is what they say), agreed. The young airmen got the world by the tail. Three squares and a rack. Most out on their own for the first time. Although the economic situation makes that somewhat different. Some enlist when they find the job situation is in the can in the civilian world. Then it gets tougher to get in the service, at least in some of the services and some jobs. There is also the possibility of getting sent to Iraq, Afghanistan or some vaca spot such as that.

Oh well. It’s about time to see if a colleague wants to go to dinner. Hopefully somewhere cool.