(no subject)
Lying here in bed, I feel as if I am being gently tossed to and fro by the rhythym of the Chesapeake Bay. This is not as crazy as it sounds.
I spent the day aboard a 40 foot Catalina sloop, owned by Captain Frank Falcone, USNR (Retired) -- a friend and co-worker of mine -- along with a handful of others from the State Department. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon with ten knot winds across the water, guaranteeing a smooth sail. My duty for most of the voyage was helmsman, which I instantly took a liking to on account of all of the gadgetry aboard. The boat came with a giant color moving map GPS/chart plotter/radar, electronic gauges for speed, winds and depth, various radios, and a fantastic autopilot. I quickly taught myself the basics in an hour and ended up showing some features to Frank, who has owned the boat for three years; all congratulations are due to growing up in the Nintendo generation.
Sailing is an incredibly peaceful activity (in placid weather conditions, of course). Without a motor running, only the sails snapping in the breeze and the sound of the boat cutting through the water produced any sound. Fantastic margaritas and sandwiches were passed around, and over the hours at the helm Frank explained to me the basics of sailing; how to set the sails, where to position the boat in relation to the wind, tacking, and all the other goodies. It was by no means in-depth, but it certainly built an appetite for more; sailing lessons are on the horizon for me -- and they're probably cheaper than the flying lessons I also want!
Frank invited me to join his crew next summer in the Annapolis to Newport, RI sailboat race. Appropriately enough, he wants me to be the Electronics Officer, in charge of running the gadgets and gizmos that the boat comes with. If I can clear out my schedule, I'll sure as hell go!
This sail also brought back memories of the ill-fated attempt by a few friends and I to rent a sailboat in May and take her out into the ocean for a week. I must admit that after today, I am glad the trip got canceled. Operating a 40-foot sailboat is easy if you've been sailing for 35 years. It's not so easy if you've never been in anything larger than a small sailboat on an inland lake, which would have been the maximum sailing experience of those of us who wanted to rent the boat. I think we all need a bit more experience before we actually attempt such a feat.
Meanwhile, this trip was the last hurrah for those friendships I have made in eight months at the State Department. In two weeks, I'm finishing my internship and moving on to other career opportunities. Tragically, this comes right when things are getting interesting. I've been in charge over the last month of doing the planning for a diplomatic trip to South America that's coming up in a week. My bosses want to go down there to talk with their foreign counterparts about global efforts to ensure compliance with WMD non-proliferation treaties and to discuss the activities that we can engage in to verify that compliance.
I've been coordinating with our embassies to schedule diplomatic meetings, establish the logistical base (customs assistance, cars and drivers, cellular phones, hotels, interpreters, social functions, etc.) and inform them of our general purpose. On a cool, geeky note, this has enabled me to write and send flash priority diplomatic cables down to the embassies, which isn't something that every intern gets to do.
My boss tells me every day that if I would only stay in the Department, they would find ways to take me on future diplomatic missions. I can't tell him that the primary reason I am leaving is his fundamental incompetence in dealing with other people; lord knows I'd love to have a official business diplomatic passport before I have a college degree.
One week till I go to San Diego. Two weeks till my job ends. Three weeks till school starts.
Somebody, please, make the room stop moving.
I spent the day aboard a 40 foot Catalina sloop, owned by Captain Frank Falcone, USNR (Retired) -- a friend and co-worker of mine -- along with a handful of others from the State Department. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon with ten knot winds across the water, guaranteeing a smooth sail. My duty for most of the voyage was helmsman, which I instantly took a liking to on account of all of the gadgetry aboard. The boat came with a giant color moving map GPS/chart plotter/radar, electronic gauges for speed, winds and depth, various radios, and a fantastic autopilot. I quickly taught myself the basics in an hour and ended up showing some features to Frank, who has owned the boat for three years; all congratulations are due to growing up in the Nintendo generation.
Sailing is an incredibly peaceful activity (in placid weather conditions, of course). Without a motor running, only the sails snapping in the breeze and the sound of the boat cutting through the water produced any sound. Fantastic margaritas and sandwiches were passed around, and over the hours at the helm Frank explained to me the basics of sailing; how to set the sails, where to position the boat in relation to the wind, tacking, and all the other goodies. It was by no means in-depth, but it certainly built an appetite for more; sailing lessons are on the horizon for me -- and they're probably cheaper than the flying lessons I also want!
Frank invited me to join his crew next summer in the Annapolis to Newport, RI sailboat race. Appropriately enough, he wants me to be the Electronics Officer, in charge of running the gadgets and gizmos that the boat comes with. If I can clear out my schedule, I'll sure as hell go!
This sail also brought back memories of the ill-fated attempt by a few friends and I to rent a sailboat in May and take her out into the ocean for a week. I must admit that after today, I am glad the trip got canceled. Operating a 40-foot sailboat is easy if you've been sailing for 35 years. It's not so easy if you've never been in anything larger than a small sailboat on an inland lake, which would have been the maximum sailing experience of those of us who wanted to rent the boat. I think we all need a bit more experience before we actually attempt such a feat.
Meanwhile, this trip was the last hurrah for those friendships I have made in eight months at the State Department. In two weeks, I'm finishing my internship and moving on to other career opportunities. Tragically, this comes right when things are getting interesting. I've been in charge over the last month of doing the planning for a diplomatic trip to South America that's coming up in a week. My bosses want to go down there to talk with their foreign counterparts about global efforts to ensure compliance with WMD non-proliferation treaties and to discuss the activities that we can engage in to verify that compliance.
I've been coordinating with our embassies to schedule diplomatic meetings, establish the logistical base (customs assistance, cars and drivers, cellular phones, hotels, interpreters, social functions, etc.) and inform them of our general purpose. On a cool, geeky note, this has enabled me to write and send flash priority diplomatic cables down to the embassies, which isn't something that every intern gets to do.
My boss tells me every day that if I would only stay in the Department, they would find ways to take me on future diplomatic missions. I can't tell him that the primary reason I am leaving is his fundamental incompetence in dealing with other people; lord knows I'd love to have a official business diplomatic passport before I have a college degree.
One week till I go to San Diego. Two weeks till my job ends. Three weeks till school starts.
Somebody, please, make the room stop moving.