In the beginning, there was Wi-fi. Then, the world was plunged into darkness and connectivity was no more.

Well, I used to get wifi in my room, but now the wifi for my entire building is crazy, so insert mandatory GRUMP here. Sheesh. Who do they think they are, letting internet lapse like this? It's like the networks mate and die overnight. Each time I try to connect there are three new networks and the one that I was using last night is dead. Then again, the new ones never work either.

Other than that, Americorps CTI is becoming routine. Waking up at 5:15 to do physical training is not something I will ever enjoy, but it really makes me appreciate the days when I can sleep until 7:30. To add insult to injury, I already wake up at 5:15 on weekends too.

So I am officially on my permanent team now. I have nine teammates with me on Silver 4, the last of the fuel reduction teams in Silver Unit. We will be spending most of our time outside doing what fires do naturally and slightly more dangerously: removing brush. If we get lucky, we will be doing prescribed burns in areas that we personally dig firebreaks around. A good time in general.

I am excited because on Sunday my entire Unit (8-10 people per team, 6-7 teams per unit) is heading to Camp Mendicino, a Boys and Girls Club camp in a redwood forest, where we will camp out and do service work.

We were issued sleeping bags a while ago, but I hadn’t taken mine out of the (scarily large) stuff sack until this evening. I was confused for a bit, and then I realized that I have never slept in a sleeping bag that wasn’t a mummy bag. I did not recognize this rectangular cut of insulating material for what it was. That said, it seems pretty wimpy, and I think I am going to be very happy that I brought my own bag, which (not to brag or anythang) weighs and takes up half the space of my Ameribag.

The only thing that makes me sad right now is that

a) I don’t have a hammock for this trip

b) Even if I did, I don’t have the rope to tie one around a redwood

But, FTR, I strung a laundry line up in my room today. Fire hazards be damned.