Holeeeee shiiiiiit ...
So I'm not moving to night's (or the other ship). Since half our duty section, and most of our duty section student staff, IS moving ... I'm now the Section Leader for our duty section.
Wow, half the time, half the people, same stuff to get done.
Time to get to work.
J
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
=(
So I'm on the list of people to move to night class schedule. Currently they're planning on moving us to a different (although immediately close) ship as well. So I need to pack tonight. I think there may have been a mistake with my name getting on the list though. I'm no longer on the 'Radar' lessons, and there's a rumor that the communication systems labs (the ones I'll be needing) won't be staffed during the night classes. I need to verify all these details tomorrow at the schoolhouse. Needless to say I'm annoyed (although I should mention that both of my roomates and most of the duty section is being moved) but "welcome to life in the Navy".
Time to pack.
J
So I'm on the list of people to move to night class schedule. Currently they're planning on moving us to a different (although immediately close) ship as well. So I need to pack tonight. I think there may have been a mistake with my name getting on the list though. I'm no longer on the 'Radar' lessons, and there's a rumor that the communication systems labs (the ones I'll be needing) won't be staffed during the night classes. I need to verify all these details tomorrow at the schoolhouse. Needless to say I'm annoyed (although I should mention that both of my roomates and most of the duty section is being moved) but "welcome to life in the Navy".
Time to pack.
J
Monday, August 27, 2007
Holding ...
Today I spent a day on "hold". Basically instead of going to class I helped clean the ship (barracks, dorm, etc.) for 6 hours, but at least I got to skip heritage (and do laundry ... weeeeeee). I also took the FC comp. test ... 94%, true to form I missed one question from each of the three topics covered. On Tuesday I start ET A school, which will be the communication equipment not covered in FC A school.
Went out with Wendy to celebrate finishing FC A school, went to a great Moroccan restaurant ... mmmmmm ... lamb. Yes, still steamed we got fourth in the competition the week prior.
Things I will never complain about again: having to clean my room / bathroom / kitchen (hey, I'm going to be the only one 'inspecting' it), meetings, an 8 hour work day (ONLY 8 ... not 12?!??!).
Things I will complain about a lot more: people not doing what they are supposed to be doing, especially at 'critical' times (yes that includes me).
The ship had 7 (seven) ARIs over the weekend. Most involved underage drinking (see above). The SDCs are not pleased, but so far seem more interested in cracking down on the 'basics' (clean rooms, proper watchstanding, proper military bearing, etc.) rather than willy nilly mass punishment (ie. putting the entire ship on duty 7 days a week for a month).
It's strange what you think about in public restrooms. Nowhere in Chicago public restrooms are there the little paper seat covers for the toilets. First I thought it was limited to the base, seeing as us low ranking personnel clean them on a regular basis (once an hour today while on hold). I have yet to see a public restroom in Chicago with them. This isn't terribly offputting or anything it just makes me wonder ... what good are they? Does SF have a lower rate of than Chicago? It would be interesting to look up ... not that I have the time or the inclination to do so now.
And now that I've weirded you all out, it's time to fold my laundry.
J
Today I spent a day on "hold". Basically instead of going to class I helped clean the ship (barracks, dorm, etc.) for 6 hours, but at least I got to skip heritage (and do laundry ... weeeeeee). I also took the FC comp. test ... 94%, true to form I missed one question from each of the three topics covered. On Tuesday I start ET A school, which will be the communication equipment not covered in FC A school.
Went out with Wendy to celebrate finishing FC A school, went to a great Moroccan restaurant ... mmmmmm ... lamb. Yes, still steamed we got fourth in the competition the week prior.
Things I will never complain about again: having to clean my room / bathroom / kitchen (hey, I'm going to be the only one 'inspecting' it), meetings, an 8 hour work day (ONLY 8 ... not 12?!??!).
Things I will complain about a lot more: people not doing what they are supposed to be doing, especially at 'critical' times (yes that includes me).
The ship had 7 (seven) ARIs over the weekend. Most involved underage drinking (see above). The SDCs are not pleased, but so far seem more interested in cracking down on the 'basics' (clean rooms, proper watchstanding, proper military bearing, etc.) rather than willy nilly mass punishment (ie. putting the entire ship on duty 7 days a week for a month).
It's strange what you think about in public restrooms. Nowhere in Chicago public restrooms are there the little paper seat covers for the toilets. First I thought it was limited to the base, seeing as us low ranking personnel clean them on a regular basis (once an hour today while on hold). I have yet to see a public restroom in Chicago with them. This isn't terribly offputting or anything it just makes me wonder ... what good are they? Does SF have a lower rate of
And now that I've weirded you all out, it's time to fold my laundry.
J
Friday, August 24, 2007
Got It!
I got orders to switch rates to ET (Electronics Technician)!!! On Tuesday I start the coursework for ET. On Monday I take the comp. test for Radar side (FC school). So ... there's a good chance I'll get BOTH rates (only the most recent one really counts, but it'll be in my record at least). The remaining work for the ET rate should take 3-4 weeks. I'm so excited (despite having to clean the ship for 3 hours or so as part of a punishment for our Duty Section)! I won't have to start over again or anything I'll keep my 94.9 GPA and +3 day status. I learned something too ... the squeaky wheel does get the grease but it has to be VERY squeaky.
On top of that since I'll be here an extra month or so (and I technically have completed an "A" school) I might be able to qualify for my 'pushbutton' (automatic) advancement to E-4. I may just be Petty Officer Falk before coming home.
Everyone thinks I'm crazy for being the only person here trying to stay LONGER, but I think it's worth it. As an FC I would rarely if ever work with the equipment the rate deals with, which would hurt come time for advancement. FC is a weapons rate, there's not much flexibility or opportunity; while ET's are put to work everywhere ... they aren't nicknamed "everything techs" for nothing.
Well back to the rest of Duty Day. I have a comp. test on Monday which will cover the equipment taught, need to look over my notes for a bit; on top of getting uniform etc. ready for Monday.
Still so excited!
J
I got orders to switch rates to ET (Electronics Technician)!!! On Tuesday I start the coursework for ET. On Monday I take the comp. test for Radar side (FC school). So ... there's a good chance I'll get BOTH rates (only the most recent one really counts, but it'll be in my record at least). The remaining work for the ET rate should take 3-4 weeks. I'm so excited (despite having to clean the ship for 3 hours or so as part of a punishment for our Duty Section)! I won't have to start over again or anything I'll keep my 94.9 GPA and +3 day status. I learned something too ... the squeaky wheel does get the grease but it has to be VERY squeaky.
On top of that since I'll be here an extra month or so (and I technically have completed an "A" school) I might be able to qualify for my 'pushbutton' (automatic) advancement to E-4. I may just be Petty Officer Falk before coming home.
Everyone thinks I'm crazy for being the only person here trying to stay LONGER, but I think it's worth it. As an FC I would rarely if ever work with the equipment the rate deals with, which would hurt come time for advancement. FC is a weapons rate, there's not much flexibility or opportunity; while ET's are put to work everywhere ... they aren't nicknamed "everything techs" for nothing.
Well back to the rest of Duty Day. I have a comp. test on Monday which will cover the equipment taught, need to look over my notes for a bit; on top of getting uniform etc. ready for Monday.
Still so excited!
J
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Hahahahahahha ....
Must share this before I forget. Our new class instructor is strict, but hilarious. A student was having a (pointless) semantic argument with another instructor, so Genius #1 was sent to the hallway to stand at parade rest and whenever anyone walked past he was to pop to attention and announce, "I will not argue with senior Petty Officers". This is funny enough in and of itself but it doesn't end there. Another Genius from another classroom is having too much fun walking past Genius #1 and pointing and laughing. Our instructor hears this and has Genius #2 post 3 feet down the hallway with a similar routine announcing, "I will not harass the EMI guy". (EMI = Extra Military Instruction) Still not funny enough? Genius #3 is happy to oblige, he figures Genius #2 is fair game for harassment. Our instructor demonstrates otherwise and Genius #3 suffers the same punishment as Genius #2.
It is now time for the classes to clean the classrooms, this involves a small parade of people walking to the gear locker for cleaning supplies. Every time someone walks down our section of hallway they are greeted with ...
Genius #3: "I will not harass the EMI guy."
Genius #2: "I will not harass the EMI guy."
Genius #1: "I will not argue with senior Petty Officers."
... and two classrooms worth of students trying VERY hard not to laugh.
That is all for now.
J
Must share this before I forget. Our new class instructor is strict, but hilarious. A student was having a (pointless) semantic argument with another instructor, so Genius #1 was sent to the hallway to stand at parade rest and whenever anyone walked past he was to pop to attention and announce, "I will not argue with senior Petty Officers". This is funny enough in and of itself but it doesn't end there. Another Genius from another classroom is having too much fun walking past Genius #1 and pointing and laughing. Our instructor hears this and has Genius #2 post 3 feet down the hallway with a similar routine announcing, "I will not harass the EMI guy". (EMI = Extra Military Instruction) Still not funny enough? Genius #3 is happy to oblige, he figures Genius #2 is fair game for harassment. Our instructor demonstrates otherwise and Genius #3 suffers the same punishment as Genius #2.
It is now time for the classes to clean the classrooms, this involves a small parade of people walking to the gear locker for cleaning supplies. Every time someone walks down our section of hallway they are greeted with ...
Genius #3: "I will not harass the EMI guy."
Genius #2: "I will not harass the EMI guy."
Genius #1: "I will not argue with senior Petty Officers."
... and two classrooms worth of students trying VERY hard not to laugh.
That is all for now.
J
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Twice in a row?!?!?!?!
Had some time to kill waiting for laundry. So since I have to change my morning routine to accommodate my "new" duties as work center supervisor, I've changed my evening routine accordingly. More cleaning and whatnot at night plus trying to get to bed an hour earlier to cope with the 4am personal wakeup (so I can have my stuff ready so that I can spend time inspecting everyone else in my work center). We'll see how it works. Plus we have a personnel inspection tomorrow morning at school (after I conduct one for my work center of course). I'll be finishing the FC school content this week (technically Monday of next week), and I hit my last dead end with trying to get the new orders on my own, so tomorrow will be spent calling the person who helped me initially every hour until I can actually talk instead of leaving a message (very hard to get a hold of). Hopefully this won't piss off the office folks too much, but the alternative is getting caught with a cell phone in school so I'll take stepping on a few toes. I know the orders are "there", it's just that no one seems to know (or more accurately they THINK they do) where "there" is.
Nothing much exciting planned, starting to organize stuff for packing and sending home just in case.
Laundry should be done ... good thing I remember how to fold from boot camp.
J
Had some time to kill waiting for laundry. So since I have to change my morning routine to accommodate my "new" duties as work center supervisor, I've changed my evening routine accordingly. More cleaning and whatnot at night plus trying to get to bed an hour earlier to cope with the 4am personal wakeup (so I can have my stuff ready so that I can spend time inspecting everyone else in my work center). We'll see how it works. Plus we have a personnel inspection tomorrow morning at school (after I conduct one for my work center of course). I'll be finishing the FC school content this week (technically Monday of next week), and I hit my last dead end with trying to get the new orders on my own, so tomorrow will be spent calling the person who helped me initially every hour until I can actually talk instead of leaving a message (very hard to get a hold of). Hopefully this won't piss off the office folks too much, but the alternative is getting caught with a cell phone in school so I'll take stepping on a few toes. I know the orders are "there", it's just that no one seems to know (or more accurately they THINK they do) where "there" is.
Nothing much exciting planned, starting to organize stuff for packing and sending home just in case.
Laundry should be done ... good thing I remember how to fold from boot camp.
J
Monday, August 20, 2007
Hello again ...
Right, so almost a month between posts. Bad form I know. Let's see what have I been up to ...
I'm working on getting my rating changed to ET (what I want, hence the blog address), one last hiccup is getting the orders to the people that need them before I finish my coursework for the FC rate.
I entered a swing dance contest with Wendy last Friday, and I cheated ... I wore my dress whites. It was a lot of fun even though we weren't as prepared as either of us would have liked. We did well, and were robbed of 3rd place (we took 4th behind a couple that fell out of an aerial). The best part was the dozen or so audience members who were simply appalled that we didn't win ... and went on to complain to the judges about it. That was a huge ego boost, the crowd (in the section of dance floor that we staked out) did seem to enjoy us a lot; and that helped us have a great time competing ... and the whites definitely helped. No pictures, but there may be a couple coming in here and there. Of course, injury was added to insult as Wendy got her purse stolen while we were dancing in the contest.
Saturday went out with the guys since Audas is leaving soon for his ship. Hit up a pretty neat bar with a 5 lane bowling alley attached. It was good to hang out with the "rednecks" (Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, etc. are the home states in question) again, since I don't go to the on base bar during the week and I'm usually in Chicago when I have a free weekend. A good time was had by all, helped along by the cheap drinks ($5 double tall Long Islands).
The hassles of being a Class Leader in a class full of turd flinging monkey's resolved itself when a Second Class Petty Officer who is also a student joined the class. He adds considerable weight to keeping the class in line. Our new instructor is great too ... laid back but inventive when it comes to those who get out of line.
My roommate moved out and got reclassed, it turned out he was color blind (bad when choosing between the red or green wire). He's now living it up in Florida as an Airdale (Aviation rates) Females have been assimilated into the 'ship' (barracks, dorms, etc.) and so far there haven't been any major problems (just a few extra watches to staff and a lot of shuffling people through rooms) ... but I honestly don't think that will last. There are waaaaaaay too many hormonally driven 18-20 year olds for there not to be any drama. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.
Photo gallery hasn't been updated much. Best place for the visual take on how I spend my time in Chicago. The answer to the question, "Why are there so many dancing pictures?"; because I've been doing a lot of dancing, and it's great.
That's all for now ... I have to get to bed early since I'll be getting up early to start getting my workcenter in line earlier. One thing is for sure ... I will NEVER complain about having "too many meetings" at work ever again.
Until next time.
J
Right, so almost a month between posts. Bad form I know. Let's see what have I been up to ...
I'm working on getting my rating changed to ET (what I want, hence the blog address), one last hiccup is getting the orders to the people that need them before I finish my coursework for the FC rate.
I entered a swing dance contest with Wendy last Friday, and I cheated ... I wore my dress whites. It was a lot of fun even though we weren't as prepared as either of us would have liked. We did well, and were robbed of 3rd place (we took 4th behind a couple that fell out of an aerial). The best part was the dozen or so audience members who were simply appalled that we didn't win ... and went on to complain to the judges about it. That was a huge ego boost, the crowd (in the section of dance floor that we staked out) did seem to enjoy us a lot; and that helped us have a great time competing ... and the whites definitely helped. No pictures, but there may be a couple coming in here and there. Of course, injury was added to insult as Wendy got her purse stolen while we were dancing in the contest.
Saturday went out with the guys since Audas is leaving soon for his ship. Hit up a pretty neat bar with a 5 lane bowling alley attached. It was good to hang out with the "rednecks" (Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, etc. are the home states in question) again, since I don't go to the on base bar during the week and I'm usually in Chicago when I have a free weekend. A good time was had by all, helped along by the cheap drinks ($5 double tall Long Islands).
The hassles of being a Class Leader in a class full of turd flinging monkey's resolved itself when a Second Class Petty Officer who is also a student joined the class. He adds considerable weight to keeping the class in line. Our new instructor is great too ... laid back but inventive when it comes to those who get out of line.
My roommate moved out and got reclassed, it turned out he was color blind (bad when choosing between the red or green wire). He's now living it up in Florida as an Airdale (Aviation rates) Females have been assimilated into the 'ship' (barracks, dorms, etc.) and so far there haven't been any major problems (just a few extra watches to staff and a lot of shuffling people through rooms) ... but I honestly don't think that will last. There are waaaaaaay too many hormonally driven 18-20 year olds for there not to be any drama. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.
Photo gallery hasn't been updated much. Best place for the visual take on how I spend my time in Chicago. The answer to the question, "Why are there so many dancing pictures?"; because I've been doing a lot of dancing, and it's great.
That's all for now ... I have to get to bed early since I'll be getting up early to start getting my workcenter in line earlier. One thing is for sure ... I will NEVER complain about having "too many meetings" at work ever again.
Until next time.
J
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