Ensigns log, supplementary. Hello all. The 31st of May is my birthday! Yippee! I will be on duty on the 31st, but at least this gives me time to reflect on the past years accomplishments, trials, and tribulations. So what have I done in this past year? Here is a look at what has happened to me in part of this last year:
1. I got back from Deployment (Oct – 2008)
2. Elise visited San Diego (Oct – 2008)
3. I got a “GEO-BAT” pad, 250 square feet of pure joy (Nov – 2008)
4. I got a new Bike, a purple Cannondale (Nov - 2008)
5. I went to Elise's for Xmas (Dec – 2008)
6. My stuff was moved down here (Feb - 2009)
7. I went to ASWE school (Feb/Mar – 2009)
8. My ship went into the yards (April - 2009)
9. I Bought myself a new bicycle (see above pic); I cracked the rear axel in my Cannondale (April - 2009)
I have also read the following books:
1. The Drunkards Walk, How Randomness rules our lives – Leonard Mlodinov
2. Aesop's Fables – Thomas James, George Townsend
3. Men Of Mathematics – E. T. Bell
4. On the Shoulders of Giants – Stephen Hawking
5. The Trouble with Physics – Lee Smolin
6. Welcome to The Monkey House – Kurt Vonnegut
7. Opticks – Newton
8. Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics – Timothy Ferris
9. A History and Philosophy of Fluid Mechanics – G. A. Tokaty
10. Being There – Jerzy Kosinski
11. Did You Say Mathematics? - Ya. Khurgin
Deployment. What can I say? I had good times, I had bad times. Where do I fit in with the wardroom? Meh. They are nice people, and I have enough of a professional report with them to work with them, but I have trouble imagining myself hanging out with them on weekends. I say that now, and my relationship with them will probably evolve as time passes.
As Repair Divisional Officer, I am in charge of three work centers, each with around 8 guys each. R-div is in charge of all the portable and installed damage equipment, CHT (plumbing) equipment, overboard discharges, and the general workshop which has a lathe, drill press, grinder, and an engraving shop. The general workshop contains both tools and knowledge that I need as a junior officer. Knowledge from my chief, DCA, and my men, and tools I can use for creating anything the ship needs.
I would have liked to have been present for the entire deployment. It is too bad that I got to my ship while it was half-way through its deployment. There was not enough time to get all the qualifications I needed, and some of the qualifications I can only get while underway. For example, I needed to be Combat Information Center Watch Officer (CICWO) qualified before I could go to Anti-Subsurface Warfare Evaluator (ASWE) school. It was quite a scramble to get me ASWE qualified before I went to that school. There are a couple more qualifications I still need in order to progress in ship life that I have been really lax in. I think it would have been perfect if I got to my ship while it was still in port just before the training cycle, and then got underway. I'll learn to live with the cards I am dealt.
So what have I accomplished? I graduated from college and got a well paying job. What have I learned? A LOT! I have learned the following:
1. Rules of the Road (which are how to drive a ship on water)
2. A preliminary understanding of the captains standing orders
3. Maintenance Materials Management (3M)
4. How to fight the ship as ASWE
5. A preliminary understanding of shipboard engineering
6. A better understanding of what is involved in Quantum Mechanics and General relativity
7. That it is really cool to ride my bike EVERYWHERE!!
8. How to manage my money better than I ever have before
9. How to play about three songs on the piano.
Not learning new things, not growing in some way is the most dangerous thing to a human. Humans invented a method to control fire, the ability of language, the ability of being able to write and read, a methodology of science, and all of the things that go with it! I am thankful to my ancestors for creating this. I too want to contribute in some small way to all of this. I need to develop some plan so I don't stagnate. One of the things that I hate about my own life is it seems as if I get comfortable in following a routine that is not always efficient. I loath stagnation in life more than anything. While I know it is impossible to do in my line of work, I hate the feeling of being somehow rushed in getting my PQS signed off or getting accomplishments complete. I have so far developed a layman's understanding of the operations of a ship, the engineering plant thereof, Electrical Engineering, and the laws that bind our great universe. Here is my plan for a general day:
0500 Wake up ready to tackle the next day, shower, shave, make breakfast
0615 Leave on bike for work
0700 Arrive and prepare for work
0800 While at work, devote two uninterrupted hours to each of the following:
1. General Operations of the ship I am on,
2. The Engineering plant I work with
1600 ~Get off work, ride home
1700 Arrive at home, cook dinner and food for next day
1800 Develop a working relationship with Quantum Mechanics
1900 Develop a working relationship with General Relativity
2000 Practice piano or read
2100 Get ready for and fall into bed, exhausted from the previous day.
This plan has all the aspects that I enjoy; it is robust, difficult, and involves self discipline. I will annotate all hours spent on each task throughout each day, and try to stick to this plan. We'll see where I am in one years time, and how well I stuck to this plan. I have most of the resources for this plan, and hopefully I can stick to it.
I will try to write whenever possible, and with any future accomplishments, problems or anything else I find interesting.
