Fishing and Stuff

This will be my 50th post total. I've kept logs, journals, and online things before, but this is the longest I've ever dedicated to one of them. The last month has gone by at a decent pace; not too slow, not too fast. And while I am curious to see who I'll be working with and what my work will entail back on board my ship, I am still ever hesitant to return to Norfolk. What is keeping me from wanting to go back isn't the fact that my long vacation will come to an end. It's the fact that I will be returning to a place most sailors detest: The Yards. What sounds like a foreboding place out of a fantasy movie, I assure you the place exists. Oh, how it exists.

My experience of the Yards is one of self loathing, depression, drunken brawls, and a place where your very soul is slowly sucked away. While I was there, I was able to achieve 2 stays in the Emergency room, (2 nights in a row for 2 separate reasons), a frantic call to 911, a moment of self reflect where I actually considered my job at Sears was better than what I was currently doing, and the first desire to go to Iraq just to get the Hell away from that place.

While it will be the same place, I know that this go around will be different. I am more mature, smarter, and have a nice shiny second class crow on my sleeve. However, I can't help but think that no matter what they will have me doing, no matter where, I will still think back on what I achieved and accomplished in Iraq, the people I worked with, and what I did every day and sigh a little.

As if it was a sign of things to come, I received an email from my leadership. I got a few extra days and won't have to return till Thursday, vice Tuesday, which makes me a happy sailor. My uniforms are all brand spanking new, cleaned, pressed, hemmed, and patches sewn. I think this is the most squared away I've been my entire career. I've purchased the new blue camies, and while I am not exactly used to the blue digital material, I'm sure I will still look sharp as ever. I'm just happy to finally own a set of dress blues that actually fit.

So what have I done this past month? Well besides a week on the West Coast, not too much. Went fishing with my father, visited some friends, attended a party in DC, and helped around the house the best I could. Now I'm just getting my belongings into a storage unit and then it will be back to Norfolk. Besides all that, I've spent plenty of quality time with my Xbox. Oh how I missed her bliss. Thanksgiving was quiet with neighbors coming over for dinner and talk. Been a nice, relaxing vacation for the most part.

As the days go by, and my return to being a 100% sailor nears, I look forward to doing new things and going to Germany in April. Till then, whatever happens, things could always be worse.

Oh, and the movie 2012 is stupid. Very stupid. Yet, some of the best special effects I've ever seen.

POTD for November 15th, 2009: "Hat and Pipe"

POTD - Pic of the Day - Sailor Harry tries to provide his loving public a glimpse at the what he sees in the Sandbox, out at sea, or wherever he's at.

Wow, haven't done a POTD in a few weeks. Currently sitting in my Grandmother's guest room. Been nearly a decade since I've been in this house, yet when we pulled up in her car Friday, it was all too familiar. No complaints or negativity, just felt very much the same. Save for the new kitchen that was put in, the house felt just as small and cozy as it ever did.

Spent yesterday with my Aunt. Toured the town where my dad went to high school. I like small towns, yet felt a similar urge and desire that my father must have felt when he lived there. The one of looking at the surrounding hills and swearing to himself that he wouldn't be looking at them again by the time he was done with school. We ended up going to the high school's football game, which proved that live football is always better than TV. The game was one sided, with home walking away with a 56-06 victory, though I'm sure we scored again seeing how I walked away five minutes early.

Today took a drive to the Oregon Coast, which was nice. I always enjoy the beach in cold weather. Wait, I know what you're thinking. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? One, keep in mind where I've been the last six months. I've had my share of sun and heat. Been there, got the sun tan and the sand up my butt. Second, I appreciate cold weather.

While nice, it makes it awkward for me to visit family that I haven't seen since my last trip to Oregon. It feels like I have Alzheimer's each time I see family members. It feels like I constantly whisper, "Who's that? What's their name? Which cousin is that?" Seeing how I now have funds and will have less of a hectic schedule, I would like to try to come out and visit much more often.

I go home tomorrow morning. Would be lying if I'd said I wasn't looking forward to it.

Sailor Harry comes home, goes West

Yeah, late posting is no stranger around these parts. Like I said before, thought the adventure is over, I want to keep this thing running. I left Kuwait like a bat out of Hell, looking ahead and ready to be welcomed back like someone you ask, "You were gone?" Nah, just kidding.

No posts from Germany? What the hell Harry, you made us loyal readers a promise! True. But what if I never made it to Germany? Or at least, what if I never was there long enough to post anything? Another reason to add to my list of why I prefer rolling with EOD is that they are resourceful. A few phone calls and demands later, six of us were able to get the tests taken during a brief layover at Rammestine and then we were back on the plane headed for Baltimore. What was supposed to be a couple days in Germany, turned into being able to go home 2 days early.

Such a glorious flight, it was. As we sat on the runway in Kuwait, a random guy started singing John Denver' "Leaving on a Jet Plane". We applauded as the plane took off and at that moment, we all knew each other and appreciated each other's company. As the plane descended into Baltimore we counted down in unison and cheered madly as the wheels struck the pavement. The crowd that met us outside the gate were even louder and we got a last stamp on our passports/custom forms.

I didn't get a chance to appreciate it all as I was nearly tackled by my mother and soon we were on the road and headed for the nearest steak house. Five minutes in the restaurant, I was enjoying the first beer back and nearly in tears. OK, so maybe I wasn't emotionally moved, but it was damn good. We then preceded to head home then to a friend's Halloween costume party. There was a Michael Jackson song theme, as people were dressed up to represent "Thriller", "Man in the Mirror", etc. I didn't have time to change out of my uniform, but was still asked what I was supposed to be. Stunned and viciously biting my tongue to not curse out the majority of liberals in the room, I just responded, "We are the World." Excuse me for having a wicked sense of humor. Yes that's it, go back to drinking your Merlot, shaking your head not getting the joke. Damn hippies.

The next day was spent in Annapolis watching the Navy game. Navy lost, but I did appreciate the people there. Apparently my parents told them where I just had come from, so I was met with hugs and abundant thank yous. While sitting in the stands, a stranger overheard our conversation and shook my hand. When he saw my younger sister he asked if she was my wife or girlfriend. I turned and told him who she was, then asked if his wife was his daughter. The game proceeded with brief rain and Navy forgetting that their quarterback was allowed to throw the ball.

I am currently at my Uncle and Aunt's house in Seattle. it always feels good to be on the West Coast, as I prefer it from the East. There are only a few places back East I appreciate. Just so happens I prefer California, Oregon, and Washington State. Whats even nicer is finally being able to connect with my family, even more so than I've done before. My mother's family is one rife with a history of utter drama and I've only spent a minuscule amount of time with a handful of cousins and nothing but stories about aunts, uncles, and grandparents. My father's family is more stable, yet just as distant. They don't hate each other, they just don't spend time with one another. Perhaps I will write more about it once I speak to my grandmother in a few days.

My family situation is uninteresting and the problem I have with it is that it doesn't bother me. I know very little about them and it seems to not matter. There are relatives I've spoken to and love, but this is the longest time I've spent with my mom's brother. To give you an idea, I rarely use the term aunt and uncle. To me, they seem more appropriate to be refereed as my parent's siblings. Some would consider it sad. I simply refer to my previous statement: It doesn't bug, and I don't know if that should concern me. Shame, really. My Uncle Bob is pretty cool and I wish I could have come to visit him sooner.

A post without a picture; so strange, so unfamiliar.