December 14

Hey,

Work is very long. We did another unrep today and I had
watch back aft from 0000-0400. Then immediately after another UNREP. I'm
hopefully done after this next watch from 16-1800 (watches are 4 hours
except the two that straddle dinner so everyone can eat).

Food is meh. Its actually better NOW than the galley at the base (which
doesn't say much). Everyone says the entrees get worse. However, chicken
wings basically last the entire deployment, everything can be improved with
tobasco AND being on a carrier has its perks like a full bake shop that
other ships don't have. Near the end, everyone says you basically eat cake,
rice or boxed mashed potatoes flavored with tobasco/ketchup and peanut
butter.

Also let Lt. Cmdr Summa know I'm jealous. They get some pretty good cookies
and hot pastries up on the bridge, which I of course get to deliver as
Messenger of the watch (thankfully the bakers downstairs always leave a few
extra in the box to disturbed amongst the rest of us).

Ok job wise. I have been told many different things about this since there is
a department career counseler and a ships counseler. The rumor is that Deck
is notorious for holding onto people for dear life. We have a few people who
struck for a rating like OSSN or QMSN and are still in the department for a
few months after picking it up. Deck is always semi under manned and 1st Lt
is in a situation where he has to keep people who aren't idiots in the department or else nothing would get done. I am told I will definitely be taking the ratings test in March this is by the ships counseler). I may not pick up RANK (make 3rd class Petty Officer) but I will pick up a rate, so I'd be Gunner's Mate seaman or something to that effect. You basically have to qualify for all my stuff and then STOP and don't do anything extra before you qualify for a watch that only 3 people on the boat have and you have to stay in your department. There's something called master helmsman and they man the helm during GQ, heavy seas, and get to do the whipperdills (basically power sliding the ship while going 35 knots.) One guy got qualed and can't leave the department because he's one of the only people who has
that qual. Oh and if I wanted to go to A school you have to be on the ship
at least a year before they let you even apply.

Right now I am REALLY looking towards the Seabee rates. One because I think
I'd genuinely enjoy it. All the work I did on hold after SWCC was for
various seabee commands at the base and I love their command atmosphere. And
I get to shoot guns and do cool stuff like that. Few undes's strike into
Seabees since theres a lot of requirements. No legal/disciplinary problems
(that cuts out about 1/2 undes's) and high PT scores (which cuts out most of
the rest) and various medical requirements. All of which I know I already
qualify for since I qualified for it in specwar.

There is another more self serving motive for the Seabees. One since it's a
non sea rating the ship HAS to let me go once if I pick up the rate. I kinda
sort of forgot to mention but we're doing back to back deployments (6 months
out, 6 months in, 6 months out again NEXT December). While the ship is pretty
cool in its own way and I'm happy for the experience right now, I'm almost
positive I'm going to hate that next deployment. So getting off the ship
before then is sort of a priority. Cross your fingers I get it.

Love
Al

PS. I can sort of get on facebook when people don't do stupid stuff like tell
where we are going.

No laptop access to internet. No zip drives on the gov computers

PSS. And we are still off California. That's not really a state secret yet. Where
we are going, well, Grandpa Alex would be proud.

PSSS. Oh other fun stuff. I saw a whale trailing the ship on watch the other
night. Dolphins were jumping off our wake this morning. And I saw a really
freaky shooting start the other night while on lookout watch (looking for
sea and air contacts).

Funny quote of the day
Heard this exchange over the comm net while I was aft

"Bridge, forward lookout. I have an air contact bearing 000. Moving forward
at 100 yards now 200 yards now 300 yards..."
"Forward, Bridge. Are you calling out our planes as they launch?"
"Uh yeah"
"WHY?!"
"I am really, really bored"