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.
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