Did I Shave My Legs For This?

The iPhone doesn't work underway

It really doesn't. No cell service in the big blue wet thing. I am so ready to get home. Weren't I just out here for seven months straight? Wasn't that long enough? *sigh* This is a three-week jaunt and it'll be another three weeks underway with press in July. Yay fun. So today I received new orders and I get to leave this POS boat in 37 days. I'm staying in the Virginia area, which is fortuitous since I just renewed my lease for $60 less a month and $100 bucks off my rent in August. I can't believe how this place has steadily gone downhill in the almost two years I've been onboard. Maybe I feel that way because I am just plain tired. I can't keep up with the hours or the work like I used to. Back in the day, I could sleep just fine on the metal deck. Nowadays I can barely sleep through the night on a 4-inch mattress. I know I'm getting old when the newest guy onboard was born a year before I joined. It'll be time to retire soon enough...

iPhoning instead

I really haven't had a whole lot of time to sit down and post anything in a while, but I just bought an iPhone and got the TypePad app so I no longer have an excuse.
Hopefully I can follow through.

Home again

*sigh*

It's good to be home.

I spent the past 6 days just decompressing. And spending money.

I bought new glasses on Monday. Seven years after Lasik surgery my prescription is nominal. My astigmatism is showing up again, so all I needed was to tweak my vision a bit. I'll post a pic of me in my new spectacles at a later date. I actually got two pairs because I couldn't decide which ones I wanted. The other pair are on order and I should have them by the end of the week.

Other than that, life has returned to normal. As normal as my life is anyway.

It bears repeating - it is so good to be home.

Day 209

I know it's been a while, but I promise I do have an excuse. I only get to get on the computer on average once a day, and all I really do is check email. For about 15 minutes. But guess what? I'll be home by the end of the week! I am so excited. And relieved. I don't think anyone but the military understands what it's like to return home after so much time away. All I want to do is take a bath (showers only for seven months) and sleep in my own bed. And be away from everyone. The first day, I'm going to have to scrub the hell out of my bathroom and wash my sheets, but it will be all worth it. I should have three days off (cross your fingers) so it'll be a nice break, if not short. I go on leave in May and a short visit to the parental units is planned. Just a few more days!

Day 174

I found my first gray hair yesterday. I think it's funny, though my vanity might kick in later after we get back to Norfolk and it will drive me crazy. I guess I should feel lucky that I have only one.

Tonya asked the question about trash. Onboard we have a machine that basically pulverizes food and paper trash, mixes it with seawater and we dump it over the side. It's all very EPA friendly. We melt plastics into disks and when we store them in a special room until we pull in and can get rid of them. Cans and bottles get crushed and we have to wait until we're inport to get rid of them as well.

Now I have to head back to work. Yay.

Day 168

Sorry about the lack of posting. My job title has changed and I do not get that much computer time lately. I am now the Mess Decks Master at Arms - which basically means I run the messdecks and I make sure that there is enough drinks, condiments and such and that the place gets cleans after every meal. It's a lot of hours on my feet but once we get home, it'll be no working past lunch and weekends off. I get to do this until June and then return to my normally scheduled programming. I'm really excited that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and we are closer to getting home. I cannot wait to sleep in my own bed and take a shower barefoot!

Anyway - I need to head down and eat chow early and get the messdecks ready for lunch.

Day 134

Well, we've been extended. So now I don't get home until April. I am so tired of this deployment. I am ready to go home. But everything else is okay. Thank you for the birthday wishes. Now I have to get to work.

Day 116

I apologize for the delay in posting. The ship did indeed pull into port (back in Bahrain!) and though I had duty the next day, I did celebrate New Years Eve - sober. We've worked every day since, and today I get to go drink myself stupid because I'm celebrating the big 3-6. Wooo! So now I get to finish work and take a shower. Go me!

Day 110

So now that the bitterness over working and getting all sweaty all day on Christmas is over, I can settle down and woosah. I got a few presents, some of them silly, and a card from Mom. Yay. We celebrated Christmas on the 26th, with all the dinner trimmings and caroling, etc. It was pretty lame actually. But what else are you going to do way out in the middle of the ocean with nothing else to do and nowhere else to go. I'm not trying to be negative, just realistic. I really am glad that this is my last Christmas at sea. It wasn't all depressing, but it wasn't a barrel of laughs. Next year though, right?

Supposedly, we are planning to pull into port for New Year's but you never know. It'd be happy to celebrate my birthday inport, let me tell you.

Day 107

Merry Fucking Christmas from a deployed ship in the middle of the fucking ocean getting fuel.

That is all.