05/04 in 2020 Vision

Time for another update! Washington’s Stay at Home Order has been extended until May 31st, but as of tomorrow, hiking is legalized again. Its been driving me crazy seeing people able to hike legally in other states lol. Hiking is literally the safest and healthiest way to social distance because unless you are literally on the edge of a cliff, you can always step off a trail and stand 6 feet away as another person passes. Hiking closures have been grinding my gears since March. And it keeps a person fit physically and mentally! Obesity has been killing coronavirus patients left and right.

I think I’ve persuaded The Young Buck into reinlisting. Not by begging him to or by telling him he’s an idiot for thinking about getting out during a time like this, but by telling him the straight up facts he’d be dealing with once out. His plan was to go to aviation school in Utah, which under any other worldly circumstances, would be a good plan. Right now, during these times of uncertainty, the university he would be attending cannot guarantee that the fall semester will hold in-person classes. In order to get the housing allowance he’d normally be entitled to under the 09/11 GI Bill, he NEEDS in person classes. If all of his classes are online (which is a legit possibility), he’d only get half the normal housing allowance and thats ONLY if his program/course is approved by a State Agency Approving Authority to be taught in an online modality. If its not approved to be taught in an online modality, he gets none of his GI Bill benefits.

His plan was to depend on that full housing allowance and a part time job to get him through his schooling. I let him know jobs other than retail are scarce these days and that minimum wage in Utah is $7.25/hr, but a lot of places are giving their employees small hazard pay bumps.

Sure more businesses might be open come August, but now is not the time to put 100% faith and hope into that idea with the way things have been going.

The bonus he was offered was increased by 8K, and even that he didn’t seem to care about (which hurts my head). But the fact that school may now be jeopardized seems to be getting through to him. I let him know my opinion that I think school will still be there in 3 years along with a better travel economy and to just take the bonus and set it aside for a down payment on something big and fun later on. I don’t think saving and setting aside money was an idea in his prefrontal cortex of his brain. I emphasized that school will still be an option 3 years from now.

He has until May 6th to sign paperwork committing to another 3 years and getting the new and improved bonus. He’s still underwater and a few weeks ago he made it sound like he wanted to talk to me about it in person, but I got an email from him on Friday that made it sound like they were being extended and that was when I decided I’d just email him the 09/11 GI bill facts (which I literally copy/pasted from the VA website, so the info would be their words and not mine). I wasn’t sure if he’d be upset or appreciative or both, but he definitely doesn’t seem mad at me for sending it. Its got to be so frustrating for him having seen none of the coronavirus impacts in his own eyes and having to take my word for all the info he receives. Its got to be crazy frustrating.