Mars is no place to raise your kids
This is the closest I've ever been to writing at 4:30am on a Tuesday
while listening to this song, haha.
There is so much that I want to say, but when I finally get here, I'm
overwhelmed because I haven't updated in so long. So, I've decided I'm
just going hit the ground running and the gaps will be filled as time
goes by. However, there is one thing that I need to mention before we
start.
My grandfather (known as Papa to myself and all the people closest to
me) passed away September 11, 2008. That morning, I was aboard the USS
Nassau getting ready to take the E-5 exam for the first time. There is a
funny story to be told about the exam but I'll save it for another day
(if Victoria reminds me). I can't remember how much time passed after
the test before I found out but it couldn't have been more than a day or
two. I do remember, though, that I had been out to sea for a couple days
already and needed to call Victoria (as promised) badly. The ship had
pay phones... HOWEVER...
a) you could only use phone cards purchased on the ship
b) you could only purchase things with prepaid cash card
c) you could only acquire said cash card by bringing cash on the
ship
Lucky for me, the guy who slept in the rack right next to mine (my
current roommate) let me borrow $20. Well, I got to call Victoria and,
as they say, the rest is history. The ship was on its way to Galveston,
TX for hurricane relief and we happened to be "mid-florida" at the time.
I flew in a helicopter for the first time (one of the ones I worked on)
and was dropped off in Ft. Lauderdale. I proceeded to rent a car (also a
first) and went straight to papa's house in Tampa, 3-4 hours away. The
Packers were playing the Lions that day and I got to listen to the
updates during the drive. I guess that's all I have to say about that.
I think that's enough for today. I just felt like it needed to be said.
You can probably expect future entries to be littered with random Papa
memories.
On a lighter note, there is still so much I need to document since my
last entry (the one before the one previous to this one). I went to New
York on that same ship for example. Now that is a heck of a story... if
I can remember enough of it to stay interesting, haha.
Two more things I'd like to add! I advanced on that E-5 exam. I'm a 2nd
Class Petty Officer... and I give the credit directly to Papa, who I
believe was watching over me that day. Also, we received the
humanitarian award for the hurricane relief... and even though I didn't
make it to Texas, I believe I still get to wear the ribbon.
Oh! And one more thing... I am a shift supervisor. Can you believe that
shit?