The Travels of a Scubabum

Amazon Web Services...

2011-12-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

On the topic of virtualization... it seems AWS is a version of virtualization. Not as much control as a local version (duh) but something to look at anyway.

Another interesting concept of the AWS system is scalable web hosting. A service is offered that allows running a WordPress blog from an AWS account for about $1.50/month. Very interesting stuff, gonna have to look in to this more!

All atwitter

2011-12-08T21:42:00.001-05:00

No, not Twitter (though I'm scubabum there too it you want to follow)...

My ADD is kicking in hard tonight... three screens, three computers, one remote connection and a virtual machine! Gotta love it!

I got interested in hardware virtualization long ago but never had the hardware or software to support it. Last year I built a modern computer (AMD Phenom 6 core processor with 8 GB of RAM) and started playing with virtualization.

I never really got things cooking because every virtual machine requires software and each instance requires its own license so toying with Windows would have cost me $100 a pop for new installs (my old Windows XP installation media was corrupt, never saved any Vista media). Now, since I'm a student (check out Dreamspark), I have access to free versions of Windows Server 2008. I installed Virtualbox and away we go!

The first step was to create the space for the virtual machine (VM) to run in. The Virtualbox software stepped me through the process and very quickly I had a 20 GB virtual harddrive for my install.

Installing Server 2008 wasn't much different than installing it directly on a computer. I downloaded the software to my file server (Unraid server that will soon be virtualized using ESXi) and shared the ISO using an addon for Unraid and attached the ISO to the VM I created above. On initial start of the VM the installation media booted as if it were a CD-ROM in a real computer and allowed me to install my operating system.

Once Server 2008 was running it automatically detected virtual network access and started downloading updates and service packs. After a few restarts to get all of the updates installed I had a fully functional VM.

Running Windows 7 Professional and Windows Server 2008 on the same hardware was causing some serious lag issues. My initial thought was that I was overburdening the processor but after downloading Windows widgets to track CPU, RAM and SWAP usage I found that my 8GB of RAM was the bottleneck. Luckily, RAM is cheap right now ($45ish for 2x4GB DDR3 non-ECC 240 pin RAM) so I upgraded to 16GB and my lag went away.

Great, now I have two OSs running on the same hardware (dual monitors are important here), so what? Since I'm a student... I also have access to a free version of MS Visual Studio 2010 Pro! I have a modern MS OS that is isolated from my production/play machine that I can install an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) in! If I right some code and it breaks my machine, it's a virtual machine that can be quickly returned to a useful state, all while I keep plugging away on my real machine!

The remote connection is to my Unraid server, I'm moving files from four smaller drives to two larger drives in preparation for moving that machine to a virtual OS. Should be fun!

And, for the haters, I already installed Ubuntu desktop and server and Slackware as VMs. Ubuntu works like a champ but my Linux noobishness has kept me from getting the Slackware VM up, probably going to host those on the ESXi box when it's up, speed of execution for me will be more important on those OS's so I'd rather they be closer to bare metal rather than running in a VM on top of another OS. Those installs will be another post though.

Dinner

2011-12-07T15:50:00.001-05:00

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie!

Twice in one day!

2011-12-06T22:00:00.004-05:00

Yup, trying to be more communicative....

I really was looking forward to coming home and finding out how to move my blog but, the internet was down!

After about 2 1/2 years and a trip or two around the world, my Linksys WRT-120N called it quits. The thought crossed my mind that it might be under warranty but going without internet at home for the period of time to do the warranty exchange was out of the question. Now I'm the owner of a new Belkin N-750DB. So far so good...

I was a bit leery about getting the Belkin, I've had issues with their stuff in the past, but it had very similar specs to the Linksys E4200 I was going to buy but cost $50 less. We'll see how it goes.

Off to check on that warranty, a spare world traveling router isn't a bad thing to have!

EDIT: WRT-120N waaayyy out of warranty, tech supports best advice "Dispose of properly." ;-)

I'm baaack!

2011-12-06T15:23:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to get back into blogging for a while.

I liked blogspot/blogger because it allowed me to email my post to my blog. I didn't like the layout of the blog. I always thought I would just use blogger and then forward the site to my domain (scubabum.com). I kind of forgot about it.

Now I've come back and tried again. I still haven't gotten the posts to forward but I have found new cool tools to post stuff to this obscure address.

Marketing

2010-04-05T00:45:00.000-04:00

Hello world!
It's been a very long time since I posted on my blog but I'm sitting
at the airport in Dubai with a few minutes until boarding.
That brings me to the title of this post. I'm sitting in one of 4
Starbucks in this airport. I'm enjoying a venti coffee of the day
(Kenya if you're into such things) and I heard a Windows computer
start up. Here I am, very remote from the US, surrounded by US company
branding. I walked past a Costa coffee shop to get here and I know it
was a Windows computer because of the distinctive chime when it is
turned on.
Some things, like the Windows computer, aren't here so much for the
brand or current marketing as for past marketing and making the PC
user friendly. Starbucks though? That's all marketing!
There are not many computer operating systems out there that are
accepted by the masses but there are a ton of coffee shops! Here in
Dubai I can visit big chains (Costa, Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Gloria
Jeans, Coffee and Tea House, Caribou to name a few) or any smaller
chain but the one with 4 in the airport is Starbucks. In all fairness,
Costa has three here.
They just passed a boarding call for an Iranian Air flight to Tehran.
I wonder what an Iranian thinks of all these American brands with such
dominance just a few miles from their shores?

Not looking forward...

2009-12-22T00:51:00.001-05:00

I’m a Dad now. That’s a great thing. I’m headed back out on deployment. That’s not such a good thing.

This dad thing is pretty awesome. I never realized how much one little person could influence your life! He’s a bundle of joy and just so precious you want to hug him all day.

Tomorrow is going to suck though. Time to head back to my unit and the work that I’m not looking forward to. The only upside is that we have been so busy the last few months that it kind of slipped on by. Hopefully the remaining few months will do the same so I can get back to my family.

Daddy?

2009-12-04T07:36:00.001-05:00

Well, almost. Sitting here in the hospital waiting for the newest member of our family.

We came in today to induce but Kris is already having contractions and is dilated to about 1cm. Not far along but progressing!

Headed home...

2009-12-01T12:51:00.001-05:00

And that means it’s almost time for baby!

Frigid day in the UAE

2009-11-24T19:55:00.001-05:00

Who would have thunk? With lows in the 60’s at night people actually wear jackets here.

The temperatures have been downright pleasant lately, mid-80’s during the day with a pleasant, non dust stirring breeze and down to the 60’s at night. If there were more green it would be the perfect climate!

Dubai, UAE

2009-11-20T23:16:00.000-05:00

Dubai really is a unique town. It’s a global city in the fact that it takes its global connections for the city to thrive.

It is built in the desert adjacent to a salty body of water. They basis of the growth of the city hasn’t been that it straddled any important trade route or was the seat of an empire, it was oil.

Luckily for Dubai, early on the ruling body realized that oil is a non-renewable commodity and they started investing in what we now call the service sector. Dubai has built an economy around tourism and service. Tourism is the base and service is being added on. The hotels here run from nice to amazingly ostentatious. Shopping can be done in a modernized souk (air conditioning, food courts, etc) to some of the largest malls in the world. Dubai has opened an international banking center and the first stock exchange in the Middle East. It really is visionary.

The history of the city is short, much like south Florida, but it has Arab influences it can pull from that keep it interesting. So far, it has been an interesting visit. Couldn’t live here though, too flat and too brown…

Long time no post...

2009-11-20T23:09:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. I’ll get to it…

Another day in paradise

2009-10-12T22:13:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm at Dubai International airport getting ready to fly to Bahrain again. The great thing about DXB is that it has free WiFi everywhere! I was able to track my progress through the airport using Google Earth.

I'm starting to get settled in here in Dubai. It really isn't that difficult to adjust because everything here is very Western. If I long for Chili's I can go to the Mall of the Emirates, if I want some Lean Cuisine I can go to Spinney's and get it (not LuLu's though, but they have great spicy chicken shwarmas!)

The return trip through the Bahrain airport won't be nearly as much fun. Bahrain's airport isn't the equal of Dubai's, it is like a regional airport stateside, smaller, more crowded but a lot easier to navigate.

Well, I'm off to fly Gulf Air (broke down and got their Frequent Flyer Club card too).

On the way again

2009-10-02T07:07:00.000-04:00

I'm airborne enroute for another deployment. This one has got to be
one of the hardest I've ever done. 12 years of sea duty and 13
deployments and this is by far the worst.

The saving grace is that this is probably my last deployment.

Last Pasha brunch

2009-09-27T18:56:00.000-04:00

We just finished another wonderful brunch at Pasha Mezze in Norfolk.
It just hit me that this is the last brunch before I deploy. It's been
a short but fun filled break between deployments

On the way again

2009-09-25T17:18:00.000-04:00

Here it is, less than a week before I deploy again for the third time
in two years. I did get back early from the last one but that was
because of my transfer.

Like numerous other deployments I've done I'm leaving Kris at home.
Unlike those other times the next time I see her we will be headed
somewhere to have a baby (I'm a bit vague on this detail, maybe from
Babys R Us?).

After 19 years of being married, our entire world is about to be
turned upside down and I'm going to miss the last couple of months.
Admittedly, this deployment is one of the most unique I have ever
done. Living conditions promise to be very nice if not downright posh
and there will be lots of money thrown our way to pay for living where
we are headed but still, I just want to be home!

I will be posting more now that I'm headed out again so stay tuned.

Previews...

2009-07-22T14:52:00.000-04:00

Just finished the 20 week preview of our 13 ounce baby boy! He is
doing well and a bit of a show off, jumping around, waving at the
crowd...

Everything looks good and mother and baby are fine!

Gotta have it!

2009-07-15T15:35:00.000-04:00

Diving that is. I really need to go diving soon. If I can get it
together, I will go diving off North Carolina in a couple of weeks.
I'm looking forward to diving the Graveyard of the Atlantic again with
Discovery Diving.

Monday's

2009-07-06T09:14:00.000-04:00

they really aren't so bad when the boss rolls them into a holiday
weekend. Our Independence Day celebration was a success! How about
yours?

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T09:30:00.001-04:00

Or Happy 4th of July however you like to celebrate it!

This is the last 4th of July for just Kris and I, next year Baby will
be here to enjoy the festivities!

That great American tradition of the cookout will be celebrated here
today. Chicken, corn, potato salad and snacks followed by ice cream
or fruit salad. Yum!

Have a fun and safe holiday!

Visitors...

2009-06-22T15:08:00.002-04:00

He just wouldn't leave!

We're having a baby!

2009-06-19T19:34:00.000-04:00

At least Kris is, I think I'll just coach from the sideline!

Kris is pregnant with our son! Everything is progressing smoothly and
our little bundle of joy will arrive in December, the perfect
Christmas gift for Mom and Dad!

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

2009-06-05T02:35:00.000-04:00

NOT! I’m leaving the ship I’ve been on since February of last year. Time to move on!

It hasn’t been a bad ship, just time for a change.

Long time coming

2009-05-25T13:19:00.002-04:00

I always start with the best of intentions....

It's been awhile since I posted here. It's kind of sad because it is
just soooo easy to make an entry! The blogspot people let you make an
entry straight from the web, via SMS or e-mail and yet, I can't seem to
do it!

Part of the problem, I'm sure, is my general malaise at writing.
English and Comp classes always seemed so difficult, "a 4 page paper!?
Double spaced, right? 40 pt font?" I know I will get some bashing from
her but, it's easy for her to write!

Enough on the complaining though.

It's been an interesting week. We pulled in to Costa Rica with the
intention of painting some schools and giving out some stuff. This is
all part of the US intention to let Central and South America know we
haven't forgotten about them. The big news items seem to focus on Iraq,
Afghanistan and what is happening in Europe but down here in our back
yard things are happening too.

There have been a lot of good things happening here recently. The
Fourth Fleet folks have been sending ships down to less visited ports to
see what we can do. Usually ship's company will happily volunteer to
paint and clean schools and churches and hang out with kids. When a big
hospital ship pulls in they bring medical (and veterinary) care that
some of these smaller communities never have the chance to access.
These are the kinds of things going on down south. They don't make the
news most days but there are thousands of people down here making them
happen nonetheless!

Moving on out...

2009-05-06T14:30:00.002-04:00

We are in Mayport again this week. After this though, we really start deployment. Our next port is Cartagena, Colombia.

The war on drugs has kind of put a dent in the fun that can be had in Cartagena. There are impressive fortresses and museums there but going on liberty requires two buddies. Finding two buddies that would rather see something historical is much more difficult than finding two buddies looking for 90 centavo brewskis....

Sunday at sea

2009-04-26T12:30:00.001-04:00

Another Sunday at sea. We are very busy participating in UNITAS GOLD but we were able to squeeze a late reveille into the schedule this morning.

We had some recent personnel turnover so my watch wasn’t fully manned. The result was port and starboard watch, 6 hours on watch (from breakfast til lunch), 6 hours to work and 7 hours of watch (from dinner until 12:30). That makes for a long and tiring day. Luckily, that’s over. Now I’m on a better rotation and getting a chance to rest and catch up on the work I had to let fall aside for watch.

Deployment day...

2009-04-15T09:15:00.002-04:00

This pretty much sums up deployment day...

Lunner at No Frill Grill!

2009-04-14T16:04:00.001-04:00

Lunner at No Frill Grill! Pierogies or a Crispy Chicken Burrito... choices, choices!

Getting ready again...

2009-04-14T07:46:00.001-04:00

It’s getting to be about that time, time to head out on another deployment.

Those that keep track of me here, hopefully I will have some good stories and news to pass along!

Money and grace

2009-03-01T09:19:00.002-05:00

I was watching ABC news the other night and the Person of the Week was Leonard Abess of Citi National Bank in Miami. Mr. Abess sold the bank to a community-minded group and pocketed a nice profit.

In his interview this CEO told ABC News, he understood the success of his bank wasn't so much about him as about his employees so, he gave $60 million to them! This money was distributed to 476 current and former employees of the bank! That's an average of $126,000 per person! Wow.

Hats off Mr. Abess, that's what America should be about. $60 million is a lot of money but, more than likely, Mr. Abess didn't notice not having it. He passed along this money to the folks that could use it more.

This is the real 'trickle down' economics. Having the rich get richer doesn't really benefit anyone but the rich. Not to sound pretentious, but this is one of the reasons I keep a lawn service and take my car to the mechanic for routine maintenance. Could I do it? Oh yeah, have for years. Could I do it cheaper? Ditto. But by saving a few bucks, I impact a business that employees numerous folks that need money to continue living. It ain't $60 million, but it's my contribution.

Thank you Mr. Abess for restoring my hope that not all rich folks are self-interested asses!

Retirement...

2009-01-31T17:39:00.000-05:00

I had a talk the other night with my dad about his retirement. He
worked for a manufacturing company for about 30 years. In September
they went on strike because, as their old contract ended, the new one
didn't look very good.

In the interim, the cooling of the economy has continued and other
manufacturers have been laying folks off creating a sizable pool of
people to hire from if the company decided to break the strike. The
union voted to accept the new contract thinking it better to have a
lousy contract than no job. My dad decided to retire.

It wasn't the happy decision I like to think of retirement as being,
but a torturious choice between the lesser of two evils. Needless to
say, it makes me glad I stayed in the military.

Sunday at work...

2009-01-25T19:13:00.002-05:00

Sunday duty really isn’t too bad. Other than getting up early and coming in it’s usually quiet and allows me to get a jump on the next weeks work.

Duty today has been full of studying and preparing for ship exams next week and trying to keep tabs on that thing loosely referred to as a schedule. It has also been a time of reflection, catching up on things that others have been doing and formulating a short term plan ahead.

This week we lost our Annabelle. She was a 17 year old cat of many social graces, idiosyncrasies and pure, unadulterated love. You can read more here. We miss you Annabelle and I miss you too.

Memories...

2009-01-19T21:26:00.002-05:00

I love Facebook. I linked to a friend from high school who, apparently, has sought out and found every member of our high school class.

I ran across a buddy from high school. We actually go back further than that with many hours spent riding the bus to and from school from about 7th grade.

While I bitch and complain about duty and working long hours and being gone from home, this guy has really had it hard. He was severely burned over a large portion of his body and is just trying to make it day to day.

His blog doesn't sound like the mullet wearing guy I knew all those years ago but more power to you Maddog!

Ahh, memories....

2009-01-09T10:51:00.002-05:00

Kris and I were having a conversation last night over pizza when we heard the song Faithfully by Journey. I said I remembered the song from basement parties in junior high school. She swore that was too old for this classic hit because she remembered it from her junior year in high school (I won, I was in 9th grade (junior high then) when she was a junior in high school.

She mentioned that one of the barristas at our local Starbucks had mentioned that this song reminded him of college parties, he's 19...

Memories of songs that have become timeless, nice!

End of Christmas break

2009-01-04T18:45:00.002-05:00

Remember when you were a kid and looked forward to Christmas break? I'm lucky enough to have a job with a kind of Christmas break, kind of because it is counted as vacation. Christmas break is over tomorrow and, just like in school, I'm dreading it!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T17:13:00.001-05:00

It's almost 2009 and I'm at Starbucks with my girl.
2008 wasn't all bad but it sure didn't have much good about it. Too much time away from home and loved ones. There were some bright spots (Machu Picchu and the Casa Monica to name two), but overall not all that great. 2009 will be better! More assertion than prediction but we'll go with that for now. Happy New Year!

----------
Sent from the father of Shazaam, Prince of the short, blond dogs.

Knitting!

2008-12-27T20:37:00.001-05:00

I found a great little knitting shop in Virginia Beach today, unfortunately, the owner is retiring and closing the store in March. Very sad...

Luckily though, I got some yarn and new needles to start a new project, a Clapotis shawl for Kris. We'll see how it goes!

Yummy food!

2008-12-27T15:46:00.001-05:00

Yummy Cheesecake Factory! Brought to you by Too Much Food December.

Evernote

2008-12-26T11:44:00.001-05:00

Wow, sometimes cool things unexpectedly pop onto my radar. One of those things is Evernote (evernote.com). It allows you to make notes on their system and then search them. No big deal, right? But:

You can e-mail notes to you Evernote account.

You can scan documents to your Evernote account (and it will OCR and make them searchable).

You can send pictures (of whiteboards, notes, etc) and it will OCR and make them searchable.

Clip web pages….

The list goes on, I’m sure. After all this data collection you can use it from anywhere! Your web-enabled device, computer, laptop, work computer, etc. Simply astounding!

Is this cloud computing? If so, I like it!

I’m off to explore some more of Evernote!

Hello! Christmas Eve at my house.

2008-12-24T20:11:00.002-05:00

Wow! I haven't blogged in forever! The holidays are rolling right along seemingly far too fast. I remember, when I was a less age-challenged kid it seemed like the holidays took forever to get here, now they just blow right on by....

We just finished our new traditional lasagna dinner. We started this tradition last year for an unknown reason and it worked out so well that we decided to keep it. I love turkey, but that's so... Thanksgiving!

Here's hoping everyone has a wonderful Christmas Eve and a Merry Christmas!

A used Zamboni?

2008-11-29T20:07:00.002-05:00

Did they get this at the used Zamboni dealer?

Local hockey

2008-11-29T19:09:00.002-05:00

Yay, local hockey. Wait, where are the players?

It was the night before Thanksgiving....

2008-11-26T18:52:00.002-05:00

and I had duty. At least I have the rest of the weekend off.

Sheri is in town and it has been a busy few days. My schedule is off as I shift from that 24 hour at sea work day (not that I work 24 hours, I'm just on call all day) to being at home.

Other than that, things are good and, of course, I'm very thankful to be home for Thanksgiving this year!

Another day...

2008-11-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

Sometimes being down in the Bahamas can be fun, sometimes it’s just work. That’s what it is this week. It is at least work that is fun!

At the game.

2008-11-09T12:05:00.002-05:00

Free Dolphins game! Gotta love the Navy League, they know how to take care of us.

But I just got home!

2008-11-07T20:39:00.000-05:00

Back underway again. It seems like just yesterday that I was pulling into Norfolk and learning to be human again. Duty calls though.

This one isn’t all bad, we will be spending a few days in Port Everglades enjoying the hospitality of the Broward County Navy League, those folks really know how to make us feel appreciated!

Memories

2008-10-27T22:18:00.002-04:00

It’s a duty day (back in homeport obviously) and I was just topside doing a tour and I glanced over to the ship across the pier, the USS COLE (DDG-67). It’s a cold, rainy night here in Norfolk and the COLE sits on the pier looking no different from the other hard working warriors on the water front except for that patch in her port side where terrorists attacked her while she was taking on fuel in Aden October 12, 2000.

The Navy doesn’t give up on ships, the TRENTON, the STARK, the SAMUEL B. ROBERTS, the COLE… we bring them home, we fix them we send them back in to harms way. It’s been that way since the beginning.

The Sailors standing watch on the COLE’s quarterdeck understand the history of their ship, but the history doesn’t have the same impact as memory.

I was a Strike Officer doing a training exercise on another ship that day. We were in Norfolk practicing how to launch missiles in a timely manner when we heard on CNN that our sister ship had been attacked. We were one of three ships to serve as a backdrop when President Clinton came to Norfolk for the ceremony honoring 17 Sailors, we gave tours to stricken families so they could see spaces resembling the ones their loved ones died in.

I’m an old hand at this Navy thing and over the years there have been many memories, more good than bad but a melancholy memory goes with a rainy duty night.

Political ugliness.

2008-10-14T07:54:00.004-04:00

This is a very interesting piece from the NY Times. Many folks feel the Times doesn't do well at fair and impartial reporting, that they are too liberal, but this is just plain scary. McCain should be ashamed, this is not what I ever thought he, or anyone associated with his campaign would stand for, perhaps it is a sign of a win at any cost mentality that is setting in?

I'm seeing the same ugliness show up in political ads in Virginia, not directed so much at Obama but they keep slinging around the four letter word liberal. It wasn't that long ago that John McCain was considered a liberal. It wasn't that long ago that liberal ideas set this nation's founders on a path to defy the conservative power of Britain and declare their independence. What's wrong with being a liberal?

Post deployment recipe for success

2008-10-09T15:21:00.002-04:00

Decadent days... Slept in then went to Macaroni Grill... time for a nap!

Home, Day 1

2008-10-08T09:27:00.001-04:00

This being home stuff is kinda nice. I wake up without a pipe, no funny smells and the temperature is quite pleasant. I think I have to say, this being home stuff is pretty nice!

Home at last!

2008-10-07T10:33:00.002-04:00

Moored! Shift colors!

Hampton Roads Bridge/Tunnel

2008-10-07T09:34:00.002-04:00

Even closer! That is the Hampton Roads Bridge/Tunnel.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel

2008-10-07T08:53:00.003-04:00

Almost home. That is Lynnhaven anchorages and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel!

Headed home!

2008-10-05T11:17:00.001-04:00

Headed home! Fair in the channel headed out of Mayport basin, can't be long now!

Better than laundry?

2008-10-04T18:18:00.001-04:00

And this is a recreation facility....

Pictures from the laundry mat....

2008-10-04T13:05:00.002-04:00

Saturday in the laundry mat...

2008-10-04T12:59:00.002-04:00

Saturday in the laundry mat... Not quiet the same as Chicago's song but , you get the picture (or you got the picture, hehe). Just doing laundry waiting to get home!

Another Sunday down

2008-09-28T18:18:00.000-04:00

Ahh, another Sunday down, well almost. We advanced clocks an hour last night, another hour tonight and we are back in the same time zone with home.

It’s been a long deployment, compounded with a long school before deployment. Since July last year, I’ve been home about ten weeks, for those of you counting, that’s 15 months and only 10 weeks at home and I still have another three weeks underway before the end of the year. It’s feast or famine in the Navy, I also got to spend a year of not doing anything but going to school.

Right now, it’s a focus on the positive though, one more Sunday to go!

Trujillio, Honduras

2008-09-20T20:08:00.001-04:00

We are in Honduras and can't go ashore for liberty
because we have to get underway each night, but the scenery here is
beautiful. The weather is hot, but the humidity is as low as I've felt
since we started the Caribbean part of this deployment. Best part? Yet
another day down!

Tweet, tweet

2008-09-19T10:41:00.001-04:00

We must be getting near land, we are starting to
collect little birds again!

The weather is fantastic today, it's hot, but the oppressive humidity
has let up, at least for this morning.

Thursday (?) afternoon

2008-09-18T22:15:00.000-04:00

What does an OPS boss do all day? Well, this has been the biggest consumer of my time today.

I have been trying to address the ship’s long-range schedule.

Every quarter our boss goes to a scheduling meeting and randomly has our ship’s schedule changed. Once the schedule is changed they secretly make changes to a PowerPoint slide surreptitiously called the Long Range schedule slide REV AG (in 12 months they’ve gone through all the letters of the alphabet and then some) and I have five days to locate this mythical document and post changes to my schedule.

On day 4.67 the powers that be check the ship’s schedule and poke me with a dull stick (dull because it has been over used for poking) about why I haven’t updated my schedule amongst all the other things I do.

The meeting ended on the 10th, I’ve been getting poked since the 15th (no accounting for weekends, this is the Navy!).

So, a busy day. The good news? One more down! Not nearly so many to go!

Stealing of a post....

2008-09-12T20:40:00.000-04:00

I'm stealing this from Kris, or just answering it I guess.

1 What time did you get up this morning?
6:10

2 Beer or Wine?
Yes, please.

3 What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Hmmm, don't remember, it was long ago.

4 What is your favorite TV show?
Grey’s Anatomy though I really haven't seen much TV in about 15 months.

5 What do you usually have for breakfast?
Cereal and milk when I can, eggs when I can't

6 What is your middle name?
Edwin

7 What food do you dislike?
I'll try anything once, but if it's slimy and cold...

8 What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Shakira, Laundry Service

9 What kind of car do you drive?
Chevrolet Avalanche, but I want a new Camaro!

10 Favorite sandwich?
Turkey Pretzel Sandwich from Pargo's (sadly, closed)

11 What characteristics do you despise?
Cruelty, lack of a sense of humor, self-centeredness

12 Favorite item of clothing?
Who needs 'em!

13 If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
The islands! London, Italy, Australia, New Zealand.

14 What you wearing now?
White tee shirt, brown shorts (too damn hot in hear for a uniform!)

15 Favorite brand of clothing?
Brand? The clothes type of stuff.

16 Where would you retire to?
Right where I live, it has an airport, I'm down the street from an RV dealer, what more could a retiree want?

17 What was your most recent memorable birthday?
I get so busy I forget most of them, but any spent with Kris make me happy

18 Favorite sport to watch?
Baseball

19 Furthest place you are sending this?
Who's sending?

20 Who do you least expect to send this back to you?
Anyone.

21 Person you expect to send it back first?
I've already seen Kris's.

22 Favorite Saying?
How many more days?

23 When is your birthday?
April 1st

24 Are you a morning person or night person?
Neither, unless I get a nap

25 What is your shoe size?
10.5

27 Any new and exciting news you’d like to share?
Not really, I've been stuck in the same spot for about six months.

28 What did you want to be when you were little?
A porn star or truck driver, never could choose.

29 How are you feeling today?
Tiredly optimistic.

30 What is your favorite candy?
Runts, Milk Duds, Hot Tamales!

31 What is your favorite flower?
Sunflowers and daisies, they are just so optimistic.

32 What is your full name?
James

33 What are your listening to right now?
The whir of an unknown fan, it'll stop in a few minutes and I will be no wiser as to it's source.

34 What was the last thing you ate?
Peanut butter on bread (really getting low on food here)

35 If you were a Crayon, what color would you be?
Today, Mango Orange

36 How is the weather right now?
Partly cloudy, humid and windy (it's Panama, what do you expect!)

37 Last person you spoke to
Brian, he wanted my soda!

38 Do you like the person who sent this to you?
More than she'll ever know!

39 Favorite Restaurant?
Max and Erma's, Macaroni Grill

40 Hair Color?
Brown

41 Siblings?
Yup, 3.5

42 Favorite day of the year?
Anniversary

43 What was your favorite toy as a child?
Legos!

44 Summer or winter?
Spring

45 Hugs or Kisses?
Why be choosy?

46 Chocolate or Vanilla?
Vanilla!

47 Do you want your friends to email you back?
Sure!

48 When was the last time your cried?
August 28th

49 What is under your bed?
Jim

50 Who is the friend you have had the longest?
Kris!

51 What did you do last night?
Played video games, sweated...

52 Favorite smell?
Sea air, baking cookies, Kris

53 What are you afraid of?
Forgetting

54 Plain, buttered or salted popcorn?
Buttered and salted!

55 How many keys are on your key ring?
Wish I knew, 4 or 5

56 How many years at your current job?
Depends on who you ask, I call it 22, some call it 21, some ask if I have a job!

57 Favorite day of the week?
Any day I come home!

58 How many towns/cities have you lived in?
8

59 Do you make friends easily?
Not really, I don't like people generally.

60 What and where is your favorite view?
A beach, at sunset beside my girl!

Fridays....

2008-09-12T17:56:00.000-04:00

Fridays in port are always so frantic, everyone trying to wrap up the week's work to get home and enjoy the weekend. It's much the same at sea, except that Saturday is a work day and nobody is going anywhere tonight.

I think this is tied to the shore establishment. We jump through hoops to get them information so they can answer their bosses and go home early. Seems foolish, but we do it nonetheless...

Hopefully your shoreside Friday is going well and (since it's five o'clock here) you are on the way home to enjoy a relaxing weekend!

Another one bites the dust!

2008-09-07T23:54:00.000-04:00

Ahh, the 80’s… what other era could give is such an apropos cliché? Another Sunday down, four to go!

This Sunday finds us escorting a suspected vessel back to port, boring but someone has to do it. In the eastern Caribbean, Hurricane Ike is bearing down on Cuba and the Gulf Coast. If it’s as bad as predicted we may be headed that way next to provide some Humanitarian Assistance.

Laundry is down again. That may seem strange since I haven’t mentioned it here before but, it goes down too often. What that means is everyone is wearing uniforms far longer than they should. Not too bad when it’s cool, but this is the southern Caribbean in the late summer/early fall. It stinks here! And the mold….

Til next time!

Dang it!

2008-08-31T17:19:00.001-04:00

Keeping up with this blog has been harder than I thought! I often tell Ricki I sit down and write long e-mails in my head, they just never make it to the light of day. That’s what has happened here somewhat.

Enough belly aching though, it’s Sunday underway. We try to stick to holiday routine on Sunday, it allows everyone to get a little rest, relax and let their hair down, it also allows me time to catch up on e-mail and blogs.

Right now we are in the Caribbean driving around doing a fantail cookout (technically a flight deck cookout). This evening will be burgers and dogs under the oppressive late summer sun. Hurricane(?) Gustav is to the north and another tropical storm is behind that but the sky is clear and the weather is hot here in the tropics.

I was on the bridge wing last night and it was a brilliantly clear, moonless night. You could see the span of the Milky Way across the sky. I’ve told more than one person, that’s one good reason to be in the Navy, you’ll never see that ashore…

Signs....

2008-08-28T20:20:00.000-04:00

that this deployment is almost done. I finished off my giant bottle of Flintstone’s chewables! I’ve now switched to the small auxiliary bottle.

While we’re on it, are the Flintstones even on anymore? Who are these things made for, us or today’s kids (not the goat kind Kris ;-) )?

Picture of the moment

2008-08-22T15:09:00.004-04:00

Another one of those intriguing pictures... I really
must carry my camera everywhere like Kris does!

Yes, it is off center... that was intentional, no really.

More beer on the pier

2008-08-20T17:27:00.000-04:00

We are 22 hours from being done with our current exercise. It hasn’t been too arduous but it is always nice to check another item off on the “going home” list!

Unfortunately, for the port we are going in to, we are limited to liberty on the pier which boils down to cheap beer at one of three bars located on the pier. Not a bad way to spend an evening but definitely no insight into the local customs and traditions!

Here’s to another check mark!

Busy days

2008-08-17T11:19:00.000-04:00

That does seem to be about all I say sometimes! This week has been particularly hectic as we have been preparing for a multi-national exercise off the coast of Panama.

The problem with these big exercises, or any exercise for that matter, is that no matter how well orchestrated, they are still very hard to keep coordinated. We spend hours trying to get through the last bit of paperwork, decipher intentions and make everything presentable to the rest of the people on the ship. Part of Operations is the translation of intentions to a workable plan by the ship, and that seems to have eaten up this week.

The good side of that is the week went by quickly and it puts me seven days closer to being home (I’m counting Sundays, some people count Burger Days, some count days inport, etc)

Brazilian coffee, the REAL energy drink

2008-08-13T12:28:00.001-04:00

Just finished a meeting on a Brazilian ship, those guys know how to make coffee! They serve it in an espresso sized cup but it isn't quite as strong as espresso, it's just very strong coffee. With the coffee they serve a simple sugar sweetener that just enhances the flavor even more. Two of those and there is no stopping for the rest of the day!

Morning, noon and night

2008-08-12T19:16:00.001-04:00

Right now that seems to be when I'm working. We are getting ready for an exercise and, as an Operations type, that's when I'm the busiest. It makes the days go by, but I really do hate being so darn tired!

The little things

2008-08-10T20:04:00.002-04:00

Sometimes it’s the little things that make you happy. Talking to my wife, knowing what the weather at home is, little things like that.

Through the power of the Internet, I now probably know more about the weather she is having than she does, just using a little add-on for Firefox called Forecastfox!

Hot, hot, hot

2008-08-10T09:39:00.003-04:00

We are on our way in to Cristobal, Panama. It is the Caribbean port for the Panama Canal and it is hot and sticky.

We left Cartagena yesterday after a brief port visit. Cartagena was an interesting city but I would have like to have seen more of it. When I’ve deployed to the Mediterranean all I ever saw were the poor, industrial port areas of most of the cities I’ve pulled in to. Here in the north of South America all I’ve seen are the cities, it would be much more interesting to see the local culture and sample the local cuisine.

The resort...

2008-08-03T02:00:00.002-04:00

That beach and this resort are at The Riu in Ocho
Rios, Jamaica. That's where I am in the world, how about you?

Almost paradise...

2008-08-03T01:59:00.002-04:00

Kind of like the song, but not quite.
The beaches were beautiful, the water was warm, the drinks were free,
all that was missing was my Sweetie.

It appeals to me...

2008-07-30T21:13:00.001-04:00

Something about this picture appeals to me. Shot from
the flight deck while we were practicing for a burial at sea.

Haze gray and underway....

2008-07-29T17:14:00.001-04:00

Again… Back out at sea for the last part of deployment.

Mayport was a nice break, now it’s back to the daily grind. People ask what it’s like to be at sea, imagine living at your job. There is down time but, when your office is the same room you sleep, work is always intruding.

2008-07-28T18:42:00.002-04:00

Eating dinner... and it is an interesting view.

Hot days, getting ready to get underway

2008-07-28T12:09:00.001-04:00

As I write this, I share my room with the cremains of 10 Sailors. Not sure how that makes me feel, they had longish lives and died of natural causes. It still seems odd that they are all stacked up in here with me.

Other than the odd feeling that I’m being watched, the day is going right on by, it’s hot and we’re getting ready to head back to sea. Thankfully, we are on the last part of deployment!

Ahh, the good things!

2008-07-27T19:15:00.002-04:00

Yummy Peanut Blaster smoothie with strawberries!

New fangled toys part deux

2008-07-27T16:39:00.000-04:00

Don't worry, you didn't miss part one. It just didn't post...

Thanks to a dead, dead battery on my old cell phone and Verizon Wireless's outstanding customer service, I have a new toy!

I got a new-fangled touch screen phone (an LG Dare for those that follow these sorts of things) and so far, I really like it. The phone does web browsing and I got an unlimited Internet account with it just to make sure I don't go over my minutes. So far I really like it.

Having this new toy has inspired me to re-visit blogging. Before I always thought of things to blog about when I was sitting around somewhere without a computer. I tried writing the posts on my Palm but they wound up sitting there and never getting posted. Now I'll try this though and see how it goes.

This is the second time I tried this because although I could write it, I couldn't post it from my phone. I'll keep trying!

Old school

2008-07-13T21:28:00.000-04:00

We went old school on the foc'sle with dress khaki. Check out the aviators in Top Gun form.

We do get to have some fun!

2008-05-26T21:36:00.000-04:00

Pretty women, booze, dancing, I really can't say the
Navy is all bad! This was from Arica, Chile.

Sunrise underway

2008-05-11T16:00:00.000-04:00

This serene picture was taken as we sailed through
the Chilean Inland Passage that runs up the southern coast of Chile.
The Chilean Inland Passage shields ships from the harsh seas and winds
of the southern Pacific. While we were here, the seas were 45 feet and
higher in the southern Pacific!

From the End of the World... almost

2008-05-10T15:55:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken in May as we transited the Strait of Magellean.
The SOM is between South America and Tierra Del Fuego (the end of the
world). It was a very picturesque transit.

Getting the mail

2008-04-21T21:32:00.000-04:00

Here's how we do it....