It's a Small World

So my sister is going to be marrying another Naval Officer. He's an Ensign in the Supply Corps currently going through their school in Athens, GA but he recently came up for orders and it looks like he will be coming to my ship. Who'd have thought that we'd not only end up in the same port/area but actually be at the same command? I mean, it's a big ship with a lot of officers, but considering how many billets are out there the odds still aren't all that incredible. So the fact that this is working out is pretty cool. :-)

My Favorite Conversation

"So where are you coming from?"
"ROOSEVELT."
[insert looks of confusion, questioning glances at me, and random blinking]
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Yep, ROOSEVELT."
"So like, there's another one?"
"Ummm...yep."
"Why would the Navy have two ships with the same name?" (only got this response once)

I have had variations on this conversation with just about everyone, including the CO and XO today. Is it bad that I intentionally work to have this sort of discussion now for my own amusement? :-P

Hot or Not? Take 2

Confined space containing two load centers and no ventilation during the yard period? HOT (literally)

That is all...

Three days in Hampton Roads: Random Thoughts

-To all Virginia drivers: What the heck? Stay in your lane please!
-There's a road named "Witchduck." Really? I guess that's one that floats when you throw it in water...wait, what?
-The area around the shipyard drives like Jacksonville: a nice grid pattern where it isn't hard to figure out which way you are going or how you need to get from point A to point B. The rest of Hampton Roads drives like Atlanta: roads going every direction where you can take many different routes to get to the same place, assuming you start heading in the right direction in the first place and don't miss a turn.
-Does anybody in VA use a microwave? Pretty much none of the apartments have one and the selection is limited in a number of stores that carry kitchen appliances (however they have like seven models of toaster ovens...).
-While it may be the hottest summer on record up here, it is not that hot...
-I'm pretty sure that many of these roads have not been repaved since Jefferson trod upon them.
-That said, my car hates these roads and is going to suffer a lot more wear and tear than normal due to them unfortunately.
-It seems that online all the apartment complexes here have a bad case of "the angles" (See chapter 1 of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBOfD2JBv0w).
-Apparently everyone here believes that a posted speed limit of 55 actually means 55. Strange...
-I've driven over 300 miles since getting here Friday evening. Does it show?
-Shoe with the insole that doesn't stay in place: you have got to go.
-So there are like ships everywhere. EVERYWHERE...
-No cell phones allowed at work = lame. (no cameras allowed)
-If you screw up going through the turnstiles to access the shipyard you can lock out your badge and have to go get a new one. One must wonder if this design flaw was accidental since you have to pay to get a new badge...
-Apparently the last time Northrop Grumman had a day without an accident was April 12. This is going to be interesting. They had seven in one day last week...
-Apparently whites was not the correct uniform to wear for check-in, but I looked nice. :-P
-You can't park in the Navy parking lot without a pass. You can't get a pass without going to the ship. You can't park near the ship unless you park in the Navy lot. Catch-22 at its finest.
-Favorite conversation that I keep having:
"So where are you coming from?"
"ROOSEVELT."
"No I asked where you were coming from."
"Right..."
"???"

That's all for now, but tomorrow I go back to the ship and possibly finalize getting an apartment. New adventures await!

Hot or Not?

Let's play "Hot or Not?" with my trip to Norfolk for Fire Fighting school.

$120 for a rental car? Not Hot
Cheap Chinese food for dinner? Not Hot
Learning my new CHENG might not be okay with me taking househunting leave? Not Hot
The first fire that my hose team fought? Not Hot
The corpsman declaring black flag conditions after we had only fought one fire? Not Hot
The actual temperature at the time that black flag conditions were "met?" Not Hot
Spending ~$500 to fight one fire? Not Hot
Getting to check out the Hampton/Newport News area before moving to it? A little Hot
The Hampton/Newport News area? Not Hot
Catching an earlier flight out? Hot if I can get it

So the tally:
8 Not Hot's
1 A little Hot
1 Conditional Hot
0 Hot's

This is D-port from Norfolk Int'l Airport, out.

UPDATE: So there I was, sitting on the earlier flight as a standby when inclement weather caused them to hold the flight. So while we're sitting there still connected to the gate the flight attendant comes and tells me that I have to grab my bag and get off the plane. Turns out that while the plane was being held the guy who's seat I was in showed up. So I got to sit on the plane long enough for this guy to show up and claim his seat, and then right after I get off the hold is lifted and the plane leaves. Okay, fine, I still have my 7pm flight. Except that the hold on flights affected most of the flights on the east coast and so my 7pm became a 1am flight instead. Completely Not Hot. But I did get to talk to a couple of former naval aviators for several hours and swap sea stories with them, so it at least helped make the wait a little bit bearable.

Silver Bar, Out!

Sorry, that line had to be included one final time and then laid to rest. But such is the case. Left this morning and now I sit in no-man's land: a space between my previous command and the next command, between the previous apartment and the next apartment, between...well, you get the idea. But that's not all bad, because now I am on leave, which means only one thing: Leave Beard!



Okay, maybe not...

Betrayal

We talked about this. I would be ready and you would come and take away my stuff. We agreed on a time too. 0700. That's what you said. I decided I would be helpful and be awake when you showed up, so I got up early. 0620 early. After going to floor (my bed is dismantled) at 0200. But what hurts the most is the bacon that is getting cold on my counter. That's right, I fixed you bacon. But you didn't show. I had bacon grease splatter on my hands. And you didn't show. And now it is cold. True, a quick second in the microwave would fix that, but that's not the point. I had hoped for so much more in this you take away my stuff and I give you bacon relationship and I feel that I have been let down even though I held up (or tried to) my end of the bargain. What do you have to say for yourself Brutus?

Packing: A pack rat's tale (tail? n/m...)

So it is that time. Must pack everything and have it ready for the movers coming in the morning. 0700 in the morning...Gonna be a long one, hence stopping at Publix for the six-pack of 24oz MD's. :-)

There is a good side to sorting through all my worldly belongings, namely, the realization that I really need to go through and clean out. No, REALLY. I have got all sorts of random crap that may have had a purpose eight years ago when I got it, but I haven't done anything with it in the last seven and a half except move it to and from college, down to Jacksonville, and now to Newport News. The travel definitely far exceeds the mileage in some cases.

And boxes. Oh the boxes. I have saved pretty much every box I have acquired in the last two years. Boxes for products, boxes for moving, boxes for shipping, you name it. Saved them all. Now this has been helpful when it was time to wrap Christmas gifts and such because it pretty much ensured that I had an appropriately sized box for just about everything. But now I am throwing out probably 30 different boxes that have done nothing for me but clutter my apartment. I'd give them away, but it's just not the same as going to your neighbor to see if they would like an unopened package of bacon (that's going to get cooked tomorrow, my mover is so lucky and he doesn't even know it yet!). "Hi, would you like these boxes that have no immediate purpose and have been cluttering my apartment for the last two years?" Just doesn't sound appealing, does it? Unless they really need a box. For my waste, box-needing neighbors that I never met in the last two years, I apologize.

Okay, time to attack the clothing. This is a bear in and of itself because I have to make critical decisions about what needs to go with me and what goes with the movers. Because for me, moving will take two weeks while my stuff will disappear in the back of a truck tomorrow and then magically reappear in VA at my bidding when I finally find an apartment. Which is probably another post just waiting to happen.

Until then, to all the pack-rats out there: clean your room!

The Burning Question

I know what you are wondering. "What is this?" Well I'm glad you asked. On July 23, 2010 my time on USS ROOSEVELT (DDG 80) will come to an end and I will begin my transition process for becoming the newest officer on USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71). Since life on a small boy (destroyer) and life on a big deck (aircraft carrier) are probably quite different animals, this is sort of a way to log the interesting experiences encountered along the way. Some things may be funny, some may be frustrating, but all along the way hopefully it will be interesting and I'll manage to keep from getting into too much trouble.

Now where did I put my Kool-Aid???