Hazy gray and almost underway

I’m very excited to report that after 5 months of being here and having to deal with That Awful Commute, we are finally ready to unleash this big girl and get back underway.  I’m grateful to have missed the first 4 months because 5 months of being here has been way too much already. 

We’ve finally gotten the last of the concussion-inducing pipes out from the overheads and no longer have to wear hard hats everywhere.  It is going to be very exciting to feel us start moving again, although that will be short lived as the Oregon coast is keeping rough seas up for a while.  Needless to say, I’ve already got Dramamine in my drawer.

It’s been interesting adjusting to life here.  I was here that one time 5 years ago but I have grown so much since then and I’m in a very different position now than I was then.  I’m truly enjoying the challenges, but they definitely are challenges.  The people here unfortunately have been unequivocally negative.  From the day I stepped on board, I’ve heard things like, “Welcome to hell!” or “You’re going to hate it here.”  All that has done for me is strengthen my resolve to stay positive, and so far it’s working fairly well. 

For example, I tell myself my rack is “quaint” instead of “claustrophobic”.  The food is free, so I really can’t complain much about that.  The job is always interesting, with such stirring topics as “Can one wear kilts off the ship.”  The stories on an aircraft carrier abound, like the guy, Sailor A, whose illegal phone (we’re strictly prohibited from having cameras on the ship while we’re in the yards) got stolen, but he reported it anyway, and then Sailor B saw Sailor C with the phone so he took it from Sailor C to give it to Sailor A, but it turned out that it really was Sailor C’s phone, so basically, everyone’s screwed.

I’ve gotten to know a lot of people already and it’s nice feeling like I have a place here, which makes things nice.  I’m having fun knocking my head, slamming my fingers, and getting mysterious bruises again, and I’m learning new things every day at work, whether it’s work related, leadership related, or history related from my history geek division officer.  It’s fun, and I’m glad I came here - bring on the dramamine!

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