The Ocean, she calls me..but I screen my calls.

Not too bad, the time has gone by a little quicker than I thought it would. My first and only summer has passed me by, and I feel that we had a pretty good time of it. Went to some beaches, and took in everything that the California coast has to offer for the most part...complete with the idiot drivers that seems to flock to the greater San Diego area. For the first time since joining the Navy, I was able to spend my entire summer/fall with my family, and it was superb. I even had a chance to take a vacation to Europe with my wife, courtesy of the USS Shiloh.

The only thing standing between me and the rest of my life, wherever that may end up being, is my longest deployment. Although it's going to be an extremely lengthy deployment, it looks like it may be my most interesting, going to places that I've never been to before! But, like all underway periods, I'll probably become very depressed and won't be able to really fully appreciate the places I'll see. So, here's to hoping I'll get my head out of "Emo Mode" and get out to enjoy my last trip 'round the world.

Listening to Pink Floyd's "Animals" album, a hidden gem in the midst of their catalog really.

While doing some research online for my self-assessed evaluation for this year, I came across the job detailing website that lets you put in applications for jobs/location in the Navy. Two shore duty offers for Japan came up, one of them was not my particular skill, but the other one was for working security for the Naval Air Base in Atsugi. My wife and I starting talking about how we missed the Yokosuka area. By no means do I want to be a "lifer" in the Navy, but the steady pay, the Cost Of Living Allowance we get for living in Japan, the Japanese lifestyle, and the benefits we get make it a strong argument. We both miss it, a lot. I can't speak for Laura, but for myself living in San Diego has brought to light a lot of the things I dislike about my own culture, and living in Japan exposes a lot of the things that we as American take as a god-given right...To be rude, to not work as a people as a whole, and not take pride in what we do, among so many other things.

I'll get off my soapbox, but I've found myself being so much happier and proud to be a part of something when I'm not in the US.

So, deployment...then school, with any luck. I was planning on visiting MTSU and taking a tour of the campus with our pre-deployment stand down leave, but the rumor now is that the leave period is going to be cut substantially...by HALF! So, instead of the 12 or 13 days that as talked about, it's going to be around 6. Unfortunately I can't justify spending $800 to fly to NC/TN for 5 days. So, there goes that idea. The good news is that, with any luck, my early separation will go through and I'll be separating from the Navy AS SOON as the ship pulls into home port!

So, it's been a fun run, but I've had my share of being ordered what to do. The constant threat of having your pay reduced for ANY and all infractions. I was late one day by 5 minutes, I kid you not, because of the insane traffic here and was written up for it and told that if I was ever late again I would be sent up to the Captain. The senior enlisted leadership doesn't seem to lead by example here; they also don't stand watches like the rest of the ship. Even the junior and senior officers stand at least one watch.

I'm tired of making comparisons though, I'll be done with it soon enough, and I need to keep remembering what drives me to want to separate. I'm sure that I’ll run into some of the same damned things out in the civilian sector that I've forgotten about. But I remember thinking in boot camp, "What the hell was I so whiny about the Navy, that was nothing!” So, we'll see.

I found an old classmate's blog the other day. They were talking about relationship troubles and how they were glad to be done with it. Wish I knew her well enough to pass on good thoughts. "All Things Must Pass"

Sending the zen,
~chase