Arrived
Well we made it to our final destination and boy howdy let me tell you how beautiful it is to wake up in a smog filled sky surrounded by burning oil platforms. It took a little over a month to get here and now we will be cruising at 2 knots around these platforms for the next 5 months. So this is what fighting for freedom feels like? Amer-i-Can!
Earlier this week I passed my DC test so I am officially sanctioned to fight fires and what not. It’s not really a qualification I want because it means they will most definitely put me on some sort of fire fighting squad which I am not too keen on. Currently my job is stretcher bearer which is basically the most kick ass job you could have for General Quarters. I dispatch to a scene after a casualty is called and then provide first aid if it hasn’t already been provided (which it usually has) and then transport the casualty back to the Battle Dress Station. It’s pretty great, especially compared to what a lot of other people have to do during GQ.
I am still on the mid shift and will be on it for a few more weeks until we get to our next port. I should be using this time to get ESWS signatures but I am mostly just in radio working or goofing off. Hopefully Langston will stay on me about it since we are on the same shift now. Today I am working some whack ass split shift where basically I worked last night then worked till 1500 today then slept for a few hours and now back at work till 0800 tomorrow morning. I know it’s glamorous and as an added bonus, I will look fresh as a daisy after this shift!
I found out that our port visit to Dubai is getting pushed back and we might end up being there on my birthday which would be pretty kick ass. I could definitely enjoy myself in Dubai for my birthday. I always wanted to visit while I was in Italy but never could get anyone to commit to it and it did not seem like a place that I would want to visit alone.
Not being able to spend money is really sucking. I just bought a ton of shirts this week that will probably not arrive until the end of the cruise the way our mail system is working and it’s the first money I have spent since deploying (with the exception of Thailand and that was mostly drinking money) and I am salivating over the iMacs that Apple just introduced yesterday. I can’t wait to get home and order one of the 21” iMacs and a Mac Mini for my media center. Money well saved and spent and even though I just bought a kindle and I love it, the new B&N Nook e-book reader looks amazing and since I must have all gadgets on the face of the earth (even if I have a perfectly good gadget that does the same thing) I will probably be ordering it when I get back.
After a month of being on board, I am no longer the new guy. We just flew in 8 new people today and are getting a few more over the next couple of days. I have started to make a few more acquaintances on board even though I never get out of radio and I am starting to get a little better known on the ship. For better or worse, we’ll have to see. This week I rebuilt the ships internal website which got me in the headlines for a few moments in time which is always nice. Previously the only time I had gotten attention was unwanted because rumors were running rampant that I was messing around with this married girl (Langston) from my division. Those of you who know me well are getting quite amused right now but I seriously got counseled on 3 different occasions about fraternization. It was retarded!
Well this is gonna be a long night. Time to fill my cup to the brim with the sludge that they call coffee.
PS – I just got pics of Thailand. Update coming as soon as I do some filtering =P
