Back to the grind...
Stand down ended on Monday, so now we're working normal hours again every weekday. Which means I *should* be going to bed at reasonable hours from now on if I don't want to be sleep-deprived. Crap. I've been drinking a lot of coffee this week for sure! Also note to self: looking at digital photos and reminiscing is a dangerous thing that can keep one up till 2:30am (when the alarm clock is set for 5:30, no less)!
On the bright side, today was a milestone day on the ship for me. I got another qual done (of the dozens I need in order to get my surface warefare pin in the next 18 months) - but most happily of all I got to do an interview w. this awesome female LT Commander regarding some of the...issues...our ship has been having lately. I love the Navy but I will admit that it has its quirks and my ship recently decided to crack down hard on a bunch of people for issues regarding fraternization (illegal and mucho bad) and dating (NOT illegal w.in the crew of a ship by the UCMJ as long as it doesn't become fraternization as well) - some of the cases that were investigated on my ship were legit and in other cases I know that good people got burned and had their careers wrecked for not-so-good reasons...Anyway, sufficed to say I had a chance to air all of my concerns about the way our command handled this issue to a third party who was actually willing to listen to me and it was like a HUGE weight lifting off of my shoulders! I actually talked myself hoarse during the 40 minutes I interviewed with her...;-)
This has been the week of fun excursions and more apartment "modding" for me (yes, I know - I'm a geek). This weekend I finished undecorating the Xmas stuffs in my apartment and finally started the task of finding homes on the walls for all my other spiffy posters, scrolls, hangings, etc. It was so nice to come home on a Saturday and actually be productive instead of passing out like I normally do!
A friend and I also made a massive road tripping experience out of the day, including: (a) travelling South of Seattle to pick up my friend Jim from RPI, who now just got a job w. Boeing out here (because he's an aerospace genius!;-)) (b) travelling out to Renton for a first ever trip to Ikea. Lessons learned: that place is big, intimidating, and extremely dangerous because it has a lot of cool stuff and one can potentially spend WAY too much money there. I had fun shopping for light fixtures, mirrors, and kitchen nick-nacks and actually managed to spend less than $100... (c) back to Seattle for our first experience driving downtown there (confusing, but not hell on earth like in Boston) and then dinner and a movie there. "White Noise" turned out to be an OK horror movie but pales in comparison to truly freaky movies like "The Ring." THOUGH if you go to see it I guarantee you will never look at TV or radio static the same way again!
I also starting receiving the metric ass-ton of packages that I have coming to me from the Holidays this year. Two massive boxes of everything my family gave me at home, two computer keyboards that I ordered (my logisys full size backlit keyboard is spiffy and classy and has great scissor keys so it feels more like typing on my laptop!) - I still have at least two more packages w. various orders coming. Shipping services that won't simply place the package outside your door w.out you first filling out some stupid form saying they can and THEN figuring out all on your own that they expect you to place the permission on your doorknob rather than back on the apt. mailbox where you found it SUCK!!!! Like Fed-Ex for instance...if they don't deliver my package tomorrow and I have to drive all the way down to freaken' Bothell to get it I'm going to be upset...
OK time to get back to my state-room decorating project (picking out cool photos to print on glossy so I can have nifty pics all over the walls of my room on the ship like everyone else) - so I hope everyone has a good night/early morning!
On the bright side, today was a milestone day on the ship for me. I got another qual done (of the dozens I need in order to get my surface warefare pin in the next 18 months) - but most happily of all I got to do an interview w. this awesome female LT Commander regarding some of the...issues...our ship has been having lately. I love the Navy but I will admit that it has its quirks and my ship recently decided to crack down hard on a bunch of people for issues regarding fraternization (illegal and mucho bad) and dating (NOT illegal w.in the crew of a ship by the UCMJ as long as it doesn't become fraternization as well) - some of the cases that were investigated on my ship were legit and in other cases I know that good people got burned and had their careers wrecked for not-so-good reasons...Anyway, sufficed to say I had a chance to air all of my concerns about the way our command handled this issue to a third party who was actually willing to listen to me and it was like a HUGE weight lifting off of my shoulders! I actually talked myself hoarse during the 40 minutes I interviewed with her...;-)
This has been the week of fun excursions and more apartment "modding" for me (yes, I know - I'm a geek). This weekend I finished undecorating the Xmas stuffs in my apartment and finally started the task of finding homes on the walls for all my other spiffy posters, scrolls, hangings, etc. It was so nice to come home on a Saturday and actually be productive instead of passing out like I normally do!
A friend and I also made a massive road tripping experience out of the day, including: (a) travelling South of Seattle to pick up my friend Jim from RPI, who now just got a job w. Boeing out here (because he's an aerospace genius!;-)) (b) travelling out to Renton for a first ever trip to Ikea. Lessons learned: that place is big, intimidating, and extremely dangerous because it has a lot of cool stuff and one can potentially spend WAY too much money there. I had fun shopping for light fixtures, mirrors, and kitchen nick-nacks and actually managed to spend less than $100... (c) back to Seattle for our first experience driving downtown there (confusing, but not hell on earth like in Boston) and then dinner and a movie there. "White Noise" turned out to be an OK horror movie but pales in comparison to truly freaky movies like "The Ring." THOUGH if you go to see it I guarantee you will never look at TV or radio static the same way again!
I also starting receiving the metric ass-ton of packages that I have coming to me from the Holidays this year. Two massive boxes of everything my family gave me at home, two computer keyboards that I ordered (my logisys full size backlit keyboard is spiffy and classy and has great scissor keys so it feels more like typing on my laptop!) - I still have at least two more packages w. various orders coming. Shipping services that won't simply place the package outside your door w.out you first filling out some stupid form saying they can and THEN figuring out all on your own that they expect you to place the permission on your doorknob rather than back on the apt. mailbox where you found it SUCK!!!! Like Fed-Ex for instance...if they don't deliver my package tomorrow and I have to drive all the way down to freaken' Bothell to get it I'm going to be upset...
OK time to get back to my state-room decorating project (picking out cool photos to print on glossy so I can have nifty pics all over the walls of my room on the ship like everyone else) - so I hope everyone has a good night/early morning!