I am currently at the Transient Personnel Unit (TPU), awaiting to go aboard my ship the FFG Curts. I wake up at around 0800, start the coffee brewing, take a shower, drink the coffee, and then at 0900 I sign a muster sheet saying I am here. Then I come back to my room in TPU, and relax while reading either the Division Officers Guide, or Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut. That is pretty much all I do for the Navy. I have asked my sponsor aboard the FFG Curts if there is anything else I can do to better prepare myself for life aboard the Curts. He has given me explicit instructions to "enjoy culture," and that is what I have been doing.The day I got here, I was walking back from the wetside Naval Exchange (NEX) when I noticed there was a female ensign who looked around my age who was following close behind me. I introduced myself to her and started a conversation. That evening I got invited out to go bowling with her and 5 other people from the Naval Academy and from other ROTC units. As my mother often says, I am an "ambassador of goodwill," thus I have no problem making new friends. Without any other tasking from the Navy, I am kind of the self appointed Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) officer. I research the things to do around here, and I generally try to find the most inexpensive things to do. Thus far I have gone to a movie, gone to Seaworld for free, swam in the beach, and gone to Dave and Busters with my newfound friends. In short, I have made some connections with a network of awesome people, and I am having a blast down here in San Diego.
The picture above is one I took of some flowers with my new camera. Apparently, it is illegal to take pictures on base without a permit. I asked the security guard here if it was alright if I took pictures of the different ships that were down here, but alas; no cameras are allowed on base. I'll need to get permission from my CO before I take any pictures of the ships that are on base. Until then, the pictures of the different ships I discuss are available on either the navy's main website: http://www.nvr.navy.mil/ Or you can just copy the ship name and use that as a search string in Google or Wikipedia to find lots of information about that ship.
The purpose of this log is to inform people of my adventures while I am in the Navy, as well as to act as kind of a journal that I can review in the future. I hope to make another log entry as soon as I can, in about two weeks. If you have any questions, please write them below in the comments section and I'll be sure to answer them. Until then this is Ensign Williams here, wishing you fine weather and fair seas.
6 comments:
Hey Ensign, sister Jenny here, of the Dorner persuasion. I linked your blog to mine, just for the heck of it, so I can live vicariously through you. www.traveljenny.blogspot.com. You can check out my whopping 2 Bahrain pictures-- one of the water and a bridge and one of the condos and sand and asphault. I think it's one of the most beautiful places. You should check out Dubailand also if you can. Well, the water will look gorgeous when you get there... Keep having fun in San Diego. Dorner OUT
Greetings, Ensign Williams. It sounds like your adventures are off to a good start. I shall enjoy hearing more about them in the future. I wish you and your crew mates a good voyage.
End Transmission
Uncle Ron here
We accessed you blog on 7/20/08. Grandpa and grandma both are looking forward to any information that you post. I put a large world map of the up in the dinning room for them to look at. Maybe they will use pins and a thread to show your travels. California is stilling having fires depending on the wind direction we have smoke or it is clear. Last night I could see the stars, this morning the temperature is in the 60’s. I just finished programming (this week) a control system for a new product we will be marketing starting in August. I still need people to test and critique the program but the hard stuff is now done. I need to go mow the green grasses this morning that growing at grandma’s and grandpa’s. more later … Uncle Ron.
From Grandma:
Your Grandfather and Grandmother are following you on your journey. Grandmother finds it remarkable that because of your air travel toward the east, when you return to San Diego, you will have already been completely around the world.
Grandfather is living your adventure with you. He has memories of his time aboard ship in the Pacific. He recognizes and remembers the names of some of the places you mention in your e-mail. I think he once again smells the sea air and is exhilarated by the sense of adventure.
Hey bro-slice! Sister Becky reporting -- thanks for the awesome care package. That "baby" picture of you is so... creepy, and yet surprisingly adorable... I just can't stop staring at it... ANYways, hope all is going well, I'm excited to read your next blog entry. Take care!
Hey Mike, Mom here. Nice blog. I'm looking forward to hearing about daily life on ship board. How's the grub? What is your work schedule like? Are you learning the ship from stem to stern? Do you get to go up on deck and see the stars at night?
Smooth sailing,
Mom
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