The Holidays Approach!

So the temperature on Thursday was in the low 60s, rather like Sandy Eggo two weeks ago, without the fog. While the fog out there no doubt irritated the local mariners, I found it fascinating.

Hearing a ship's horn from San Diego Bay from my hotel room was pretty neat. Not being able to actually see more of the ship than its wake and the stern was even neater. Knowing that it was the ship I was going to be working on was even neater than that, I'd never seen her underway before.

Once again I got to have the satisfaction of work outside the dreary confines of an office or lab. Though there were many aggravations this time (some of which echo still among the higher ups, hopefully action is taken to prevent such stupidity in the future, but of that I'll say no more) there was still the knowledge that I was aboard a warship.

I probably could have gone underway for a live fire exercise in December, which isn't nearly as exciting as it sounds. Being inside CIC¹, within the skin of the ship, isolates one from the pyrotechnics. But I've heard that you can feel the thing being fired, which stands to reason.

I opted out of the underway for a couple of reasons, one of the civilian guys riding knows way more about the basic system than I do, that is the underlying infrastructure which makes everything else work and communicate. While I might know more about the missile system itself, anyone can figure that out. The crew has had training, and they'll be the ones pushing the button, the contractors are there if the system goes wonky.

Then there is the thought of having to wander the ship in the middle of the night looking for the head. It's an old guy thing ya know. That plus the good old diverticulitis makes me want to stay ashore. I don't want to eat a seed unknowingly then get to take a helo ride to get ashore.

So I'll leave all that to the youngsters. It would have been interesting, but I know my limitations.

Like the title of the post says, the holidays are indeed approaching. We're headed off to New Hampshire where the gathering will be somewhat smaller this year. Half of the clan will be up in Maine with my new grandniece and grandnephew. Born premature, the twins are now beginning to thrive. So the Olde Vermonter and his expanded tribe will be elsewhere.

The Missus Herself, my Mom, The Musician, and Your Humble Scribe will dine once again at a quaint inn in a small town near my hometown. I used to work for a map maker in said town, now defunct (the map maker, not the town). My first real job after my first year of college. While the paper route in high school was indeed a job, it doesn't get more part time than that. Roughly eight hours a week dontcha know? At least the map maker was forty a week, so it counts as a real job. At least in my reckoning.

I am thoroughly enjoying being completely footloose and fancy free after the long toil in Sandy Eggo. As they say, "It's good to be home." Still being lazy, writing wise, but I'll climb back into the saddle soon. I promise ...

¹ Combat Information Center. Technically speaking, on the Zumwalt class it's called SMC, Ship's Mission Center. But the captain of USS Michael Monsoor must be old-school, they call it CIC.