I'm Sweeping in the Rain

(on the way home after dinner and some errands)

 Friday morning was all that stood between most of the ship's company and a much-needed weekend.

Thursday had been very busy with certain checks on the equipment that needed to get done, and the guys that came in to fix some of the lagging on some of our piping. I helped STG2 with unscrewing the cases of some CPUs to check the status (it seems that much of a tech's job is unscrewing little screws).

So during our "fast cruise" practice on Friday (I wasn't on the watch bill), I did a thorough sweepers in Sonar 2 & 3, cleaning up after the lagging guys and the inspectors we had down there. I buffed my boots a little while we were waiting for the freshwater wash-down, then joined the other E-5 and below Sonar Techs on the boat deck and starboard and port breaks for sweeping water after lunch. We were just finishing when a light rain began. :)

Three Duty Days and Some Work Too

 (navy.mil photo, shared from a friend... thanks, James!)

You can only see the top of our mast, poking out from behind the USS WASP (LHD1).

Well, our holiday stand-down is now a thing of the past. We're back to regular, 6-section duty, after eight days of 3-section duty. I had the pier sentry watch at one time or another every duty day. I got to meet different people from the WASP each time, which also provided pier sentries. My favorite pair was from my last watch... an AC (air-traffic controller) and an AT (aviation electronics tech), both females, both fun to talk to. Our worlds are very different, so it was interesting comparing notes. I was very grateful to the WASP for providing a heater for the last two watches... and AC3 thought of bringing it up to the door of the tent so we could comfortably keep a good watch on the entry point.

We tipped each other off as to which persons in civilian clothes were officers from our boats or not. And AT2 successfully kept me from checking my watch every ten minutes during the last two hours or so... made it go faster. :) But I was relieved about 20 minutes late from the on-coming duty section... just barely had enough time to get breakfast before Quarters (it was a miracle, actually). And on the watch before this one, on Sunday, I was surprised how many people were sightseeing. I stopped two different people from taking pictures out their car windows!

Yesterday's duty day was even exciting at times... we ran two drills that evening... one for leaking refrigerant (toxic gas) on the refer deck below the galley (I got suited up all the way... coveralls, boots, hood, mask, helmet, SCBA - air-, gloves) and I watched the team leader respond on his radio. GM1 selected me to be one of the actors in the ATFP (anti-terrorism force protection) drill after that. I was a disgruntled Sailor who started shooting computers and a shipmate in CSMC... I ended up shot and in handcuffs... the reaction force didn't slip up at all.

What was singular was the real alarm we had after I had gone to bed with my alarm set for 4 precious hours later. Only after a half-hour's rest, I jolted awake and ran up to the repair locker to find the Chiefs in charge and people hustling. I started getting dressed out, even though I was in my undershirt, sweatpants and tennies. I helped someone else get a mask, but that was pretty much it. It was a real refrigerant alarm, which turned out to be false (thankfully).

As for the working days, there were a few jobs on our queue. Finished sanding and painting the dome p-way on the 3rd and the 4th. I was also able to fix a dilemma and get the part number from our tech rep on Friday, for the thing we replaced the day before. Monday, I updated all the security check-lists. On Tuesday (first day with everyone back) I worked topside (pretty much all day), helping the GMs sand and paint rust spots. But before we started that, I took the initiative to mop up the old water up there from the stopped up drains. It had frozen a little, so I was very pleased with myself for getting that bone-dry and ready for the preservation work. We dumped two-and-a-half mop buckets full of rain water over the side!

Wednesday was interesting... I had a couple trainings, one for sponsoring (mentoring) new Sailors, then another quick one for our upcoming schedule. Right after that, there was an all-hands working party for two hours... a mammoth stores on-load of soda and chips and various things for the ship's store. It was kinda neat knowing that everyone was lending a hand. Made passing all those boxes a little bit easier.

What a Way to Bring in the New Year

We turned over leave periods on Sunday the 30th... muster was at noon, and we were let go at 14. It felt like deja vu as we lined up in Sonar 1 for quarters. Strange to be back in uniform, but I didn't mind at all since my Christmas leave was so wonderful and relaxing. While we waited for the muster report to be registered in admin (so we could leave - it makes sense, I promise!), I organized my drawer and shined my boots. I didn't mind leaving when they let us go, either. :)

Had to be there at normal time on New Year's Eve for my duty day... my first one since August (before I was a FSA)! I had the last watch, so it wasn't a problem that I had inadvertently arranged for a dentist appointment that morning. Went to turnover in the morning, then left a bit later for Dental. The folks there are very accommodating, and the doctor was even friendlier than my civilian one back home (retired Navy). I first had an exam with the doctor, then a walk-in cleaning at the clinic upstairs. Went straight back to the ship (felt bad for leaving it while on duty) and had lunch. In the afternoon I stenciled all the pipes in the dome room. It was the only job for the day, and I was glad of it! It ate up two hours! :)

Other than that, I watched some football on the mess decks during dinner and afterwords, and only got about an hour-and-a-half sleep before I got up to usher in the new year with my husband on the phone. It always surprises me how fast an hour will go when I talk with him. Right after his new year, we hung up because I needed to arm-up for my contact sentry watch. I was pretty excited, actually, as I walked down the pier with my weapon belt strapped on. Although it was my first armed watch, I was the senior petty officer present, and made all the log entries. The cold wasn't too bad with all the layers I had on... it was my poor feet that hurt after standing so long. Very glad to do my duty though. Finally, I am a help to my section.

The next morning I was wiped out after turn-over. I was falling asleep as I sat down in Sonar, waiting for the CDO (command duty officer) to announce the official turnover. I went straight home and took a three-hour nap. What a blessing that it was a holiday and I could do that!

Today I had another dentist appointment early, so I went straight there. They were fixing a cracked sealant, and they did more than expected because there was a bit of decay underneath. So my lower left jaw had to be numbed... but I was so glad! I think this was the problem I had right before I joined the Navy... but I (or anyone else) couldn't figure out. It was terribly sensitive in boot camp, but had since mellowed out. How wonderful! Anyway, I returned to the ship as soon as I could, checked in with my acting LPO, and went right to work with our STG3s on sanding our cooling skid. Made a make-shift needle gun out of a screwdriver and hammer for some rust in tight places... and then we painted. Gave one of the 3rds a ride back to their housing on the way home. I'm feeling pretty up-beat about the Navy at the moment. Our new 1st class complimented me on my shiny boots today. Funny how little things like that mean so much.