Awful Monkey

Well, this patrol has been interesting to say the least. A few days out at sea and I was getting back into the old routine, but this time I have a lot more free time. Too much Guitar Hero playing going on! Not enough reading, and writing. By the way, I vowed to finish writing at least one short story this patrol. So wish me luck! If I deem it good enough, I'll post an update about it. Anyway, everything was running smoothly in my shop. No deluge of troubles right off the bat like the last one. Sure, we experienced the usual problems you would when you bring up equipment that's been stagnant for an extended period of time, but we fixed every problem as it came. It was going great. I have the weekend off back home, which will afford me the opportunity to pick up some vital items I forgot.

One thing I do have to take care of while I'm back home, is fixing my blasted cell phone! I was transitting aft on the port side weather deck, and was warned by someone I may get a little wet as they showed they had a couple of spots of water on their shirt. I laughed at them and said I'd keep an eye out. Then all of a sudden a rogue wave decided to pick that exact time and place to strike. This wave completely drenched me and slammed me into the bulkhead. Of course I was right next to the galley window when this happened so a good majority of the crew which was still eating chow, happened to see me, and quite possibly heard me yelling at the water (it's odd the irrational things we do when we're surprised). After the initial shock, I just started laughing quite loud and noticed the people standing around me (completely dry) with this look of total shock....then their laughing began. Anyway, it was a fun little experience, and certainly cheered a few people up as I walked forward through the main passageway sloshing water all over the deck on my way to shower off all the saltwater. It was at that time that I realized I had my cell phone on me because I was coordinating shore transportation and mail delivery at our previous port call. The camera is wrecked, it has a tendency to randomly initiate the vibrate feature, and about 20 minutes ago it just started functioning to the point that I can receive phone calls again, even though the ring is severely muted. But, the good news is, because I bought the most expensive phone in the store (I'm such a geek), I also bought the stupid insurance policy. So, my new phone will be 2 day rushed to me when I file my claim when we pull back into port. I've already talked to Verizon and everything is covered. I'm actually glad this happened because I've beat this phone up quite a bit in the 2 months that I've owned it. There are scratches and dents all over it.

About the only downside of this trip so far has been that I had to book someone this morning. For the civilians out there, this is Non-Judicial-Punishment, a.k.a. Captain's Mast, which is a quicker way of dealing with UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) violations. Or, in layman's terms, a trial where the Captain is Judge and Jury and hands down punishment. I can't go into details of what happened, but this is something I wanted to avoid for my entire career. But that was just wishful thinking. I like to run a squared away shop, and I hand down discipline when I feel it's warranted, but I hate having to put someone on report. Needless to say, this put a bit of a damper on my day today when I should just be elated to have another day on shore at home.

By the way, I scanned in some old photos I had lying around. They're from the past couple of years:

Too much fun at Busch Gardens last summer (read: too much free beer)

This was Tom's birthday party. Apparently someone thought it was funny to throw green food coloring on my head after trying to light my hair on fire. It was even funnier walking around WalMart the next morning trying to find Lava Soap and a loofah sponge

This was after a long night of computer gaming (Note: that is not my closet. I do not wear polkadots)

Do not attempt to impersonate Geordi LaForge from Star Trek on New Years Eve when someone next to you has a permanent marker (Note: this is the same guy that got me with the food coloring)

After posting these pictures I just realized I have an odd tendency to fall asleep in strange places.

Posted by xKinetiCx at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, it's that time again to depart and see some new sites, and experience some new cultures. I'll be gone for some time and be incommunicado via the normal means, so if you need to get ahold of me E-MAIL ME. Or leave a comment on the site and I'll get back to you. Fortunately I was able to get all my personal e-mail setup for underway viewing so I don't have to give out my work address.

I'll definitely try a lot harder this time to update the site with more pictures and with my "adventures" on this trip. Fortunately this trip will be shorter, but I expect to be a lot busier. I'll spend a lot of my time becoming qualified in another department and finishing my Chief Petty Officer practical factors (Woooo! MO' MONEY).

I'm looking forward to visiting these new countries, but not as much I was the last trip. I had been waiting to see East Asia most of my life. But this will still be a treat.

This is just a short blurb because I actually have more important stuff I should be doing. Wish me luck, bon voyage, and fairs seas!

Posted by xKinetiCx at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As many of you may know, I am typically looked at as kind of a Scrooge around the holiday times. Almost every Christmas for the past few years I've had work, I don't decorate around my house, and I talk about how I don't really get into the holidays. Trust me, that's a big charade. I put up a gruff exterior and act like I'm not really jolly at the holidays, but deep down I really enjoy them.

Take for example the Christmas decorations at COMMSTA. I decorated that Operations Deck for 5 years in a row. It started with me kicking and screaming the first year, and each additional year I could act all grumpy and begrudgingly put up all the decorations for the operations department, and decorate my office. People thought I was miserable while I was putting up and taking down all these decorations, but no no. Underneath I was enjoying every minute of it. I really enjoyed bringing a little Christmas cheer to those unfortunate people having to stand those 12 hour watches during the holidays. I liked seeing the look on their face when they saw that 8 foot tall inflatable Santa for the first time of the season as they entered the Operations Deck. Last year was the best, we spent so much money on gawdy flashy decorations, that that place looked like Santa's workshop exploded and there were Japanese ceisure robots attacking.

You know the incessant Christmas music that plays where ever you go? The same songs that have been played for the past few hundred years around this time. I love them. Every time I walk into a store and hear Christmas carols coming over the speakers, I get a smile on my face. What do when I get back into my car? I tune up whatever radio station is playing traditional Christmas carols and I sing my silly head off for the entire drive. Now that I have an iPod, it's filled with all my favorite Christmas tunes so I can keep my juvenile Christmas cheer going whenever I please.

People don't suspect this. People think I just see this as another day on the calendar, and the possible chance to get a few extra days off and drink some Evan Williams Eggnog (by the way, egg nog is my favorite part of the holidays). Well, the secret is out, I'm a big stupid Christmas nut that gets all cheery and goofy around the holidays.

On this same note as I blather on and on about my holiday silliness. I'd also like the mention something that I've been pondering for the past couple of weeks. These past couple of months have had their ups and downs for me. It's been a rollercoaster ride to say the least. But the past few days I've been monitoring a forum thread about "Random Acts of Awesomeness - Restoring Our Faith in Humanity for the Holidays", and it has really touched me. I don't usually get all insightful and say anything meaningful on this blog, but I felt like I should bring this up. Reading about some of these unreal acts of kindness and selflessness, and also just the small things that people do day to day to brighten the lives of others had some impact on me.

I'm not trying to toot my own horn here. But, I've always tried to be courteous and polite to people, and treat my fellowman with the respect that I'd like to be treated with myself. But these stories have inspired me to go a step further. One re-occurring trend was mentioning treating retail people with a little extra kindness. Strike up conversation with these people, be congenial, don't just swipe your card, grab your goods and run. They have a miserable but necessary job, treat them like human beings. This is one I've tried to take to heart. Many times over there were stories of helping those in an unfortunate situation. After reading these for the past week, it actually caused a spark in my brain when I saw someone in trouble, and I didn't hesitate to come to their aide. Here's the story as I posted it on the forum (it's late and I don't feel like typing it out twice):

"My story is kind of short and not that big a thing, but I directly attribute it to having read this over the past few days.

I just thought I'd share that this thread has certainly inspired me to help others when I get the chance. It made me feel great the rest of the night."

I try to keep my eye out for situations like these from now on. Everyone has a bad time and needs a helping hand, and it's even more surprising and welcome when it comes from a complete stranger. Me being the sappy holiday nut that I am, I also decided to sponsor a child on Christian's Children Fund. Some people find this as self serving and in some ways it is because it ends up making you feel good about yourself. But in the end you're helping a person in need, who cares if you get some enjoyment out of it.

As I mentioned before, these past few months have been interesting. Leaving my friends in Kodiak, starting a new job, losing about $18,000 by getting my car totalled and not having many options of recourse, making a patrol to the other side of the world on a boat I'd never been on before, getting a ridiculous medical scare, injuring my wrist, and preparing for another trip to South America. These things started to get to me. I was getting stressed out. But as I sat at the Starbucks tonight and thought over the last couple of months and what's happened, and pondered the stories I've been reading lately; I realized that I'm not doing that bad. I have a job that I love and find rewarding. I have a new car that I like more than the one I lost. I have an apartment, food, good friends (new and old). I have no reason to complain. There are people out there that are much less fortunate than I. I have no right to complain or feel depressed during the holidays. I should be greatful everyday for what I have and I should try to share it with others. So remember, next time you're feeling down and out and think you got a bum lot in life, it could be a heck of a lot worse. The difficult times are what make us stronger and influence our abilities and personalities. The hard times are the times you remember the most, not that you should dwell on them, but they help mold who you are.

Well, anyway, I've rambled on enough for this evening, and you all probably think I'm bordering on insanity at this point or someone has hijacked my login for this blog. But, in a long running tradition of mine. I bring you my own brand of Christmas cards that I create every year. This batch is especially strange.

PS. The quote in the topic is from one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. My mom and I started the tradition of watching this every year quite some time ago. I've never missed it since.

Posted by xKinetiCx at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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