The title says the most of it. Today I spent over 2 hours waiting in a line to get my computer access card and then I sat at a computer and watched some guy somewhere else control my mouse and set up my email account.
On a more fun note, we had a quick presentation by a guy this afternoon who not only works at the shipyard but volunteers his time for the Washington State Parks. He gave us a lot of information about where to hiking, fishing, sailing, hunting, surfing and even scuba diving. I'm excited to get out and figure some of these things out!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sure Does.
Today had a bit of a slow start. Despite all my efforts, I am struggling to convince my body that 10pm is a good time to go to sleep so I can get up at 5am. Needless to say 5am seemed too early this morning. After some internal arguing I made it off the air mattress, to the shower, into clothes, and on the bus. There was of course a cup of coffee included in that process.
Change of subject in class today. We began discussing surface ships ie: air craft carriers, battle ships, cruisers, sub tenders, and many more. This was just plain cool. I mean really cool. I think this goes back to my fascination with ferries. We looked at tons of pictures and discussed the development of many of the surface crafts alongside the development of the shipyard. We learned about the several different purposes the shipyard has served through out its history. From building ships from the keel up to reparing many of the ships bombed at pearl harbor and being chosen to be the second nuclear shipyard on the west coast.
Above is a picture of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt during construction at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. This is prior to the nuclear years obviously and at a time when ships were constructed here.
This is a picture of the Kitty Hawk as she sits in port at Puget Sound. She was just decommissioned in January and replaced by the Navy's newest nuclear aircraft carrier the USS George H. W. Bush.
Commissioned in 1961, the USS Enterprise CVN-65 became the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Following her construction she and other nuclear powered vessels of the US Navy circled the globe without refueling just to say, "Hey look what we can do." The picture above was from this trip. We saw another picture of the Enterprise in class today that had all the sailors spelling out E=mc2 x 40 for the 40th anniversary. The Enterprise is currently the oldest ship in the navy and she will be decommissioned at the age of 53 around 2014.
The USS Ronald Regan conduction rudder tests. Traveling at high speeds the rudder is set full one direction and then full the other direction. At around 78,000 tons she can perform this in around 3 minutes. Pretty darn cool.
There are a ton more pictures and countless stories to tell, but I'll let you do the researching if you want. All the pictures I've provided are available to the public at www.navsource.org and most of them have descriptions alongside. Go. Look. Be amazed.
Today's instructor pointed out that there has been two major transistions at the shipyard. When the shipyard went nuclear many practices had to change. Most of the shipyard mechanics were accustomed to taking over a ship from the forces afloat, bringing her in to dry dock, diagnosing the problem, making the needed repairs, testing her, and handing her back over to the sailors. With the nuclear transistion, practices became much more restrictive. Shipyard employees were no longer allowed to pilot or control the ships, forces afloat had to be on hand to do this, and every operation or test had to have descriptive documentation authorizing the process. "These ship experts who were used to doing everything on their own had to wait for a written test process from kids just out of college like you guys. Many of them decided to retire at this point rather than adjust."
The second transition is something I probably wouldn't have thought of had he not pointed it out. Around 1994, the shipyard went digital. "Can you believe that in 1994, there were people in building 850 and 850-A that didn't know how to turn on a computer or print a document?" It was around this time that every test process, tag out, and authoriaztion had to be written up and printed from a computer. I know there have been vast technological advancements in my life alone, but I also know that I often take these for granted. I'm sitting here communicating with people upwards of 2000 miles away, and I can take my communication medium virtually anywhere I want. I remember windows 98 and the ski game that entertained me for hours in the basement. I remember the mac we had growing up with the alphabet search game and glowing green screen. This is technology that has grown up with and faster than I have, but I had never thought about the stress it could cause on an enviornment such as the shipyard.
After work I grabbed a drink with Joe and Andrew so I missed the ferry take home bus, and the next bus wasn't scheduled to be in till 5pm. I could have waited around, but the weather was nice so I just walked. As I approached the Mannette Bridge, I saw what looked like a sea gull chasing an eagle. I thought that was a little strange; I would expect the roles to be reversed. When I got to the bridge I noticed a man and his dog looking over the side into a tree, "hey, check it out." I looked. Not 50 feet way on a tree branch sat a bald eagle calming looking up at us and ignoring the sea gull making a racket overhead. Another passerby stopped to look with us, and as the eagle spread its giant wings to glide away toward some distant trees (presumably a sea gull nest), the woman said, "Its things like that that make you glad to be alive."
Sure does. It sure does.
Thanks for reading! Much love to you all!
Change of subject in class today. We began discussing surface ships ie: air craft carriers, battle ships, cruisers, sub tenders, and many more. This was just plain cool. I mean really cool. I think this goes back to my fascination with ferries. We looked at tons of pictures and discussed the development of many of the surface crafts alongside the development of the shipyard. We learned about the several different purposes the shipyard has served through out its history. From building ships from the keel up to reparing many of the ships bombed at pearl harbor and being chosen to be the second nuclear shipyard on the west coast.
Above is a picture of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt during construction at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. This is prior to the nuclear years obviously and at a time when ships were constructed here.
This is a picture of the Kitty Hawk as she sits in port at Puget Sound. She was just decommissioned in January and replaced by the Navy's newest nuclear aircraft carrier the USS George H. W. Bush.
Commissioned in 1961, the USS Enterprise CVN-65 became the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Following her construction she and other nuclear powered vessels of the US Navy circled the globe without refueling just to say, "Hey look what we can do." The picture above was from this trip. We saw another picture of the Enterprise in class today that had all the sailors spelling out E=mc2 x 40 for the 40th anniversary. The Enterprise is currently the oldest ship in the navy and she will be decommissioned at the age of 53 around 2014.
The USS Ronald Regan conduction rudder tests. Traveling at high speeds the rudder is set full one direction and then full the other direction. At around 78,000 tons she can perform this in around 3 minutes. Pretty darn cool.There are a ton more pictures and countless stories to tell, but I'll let you do the researching if you want. All the pictures I've provided are available to the public at www.navsource.org and most of them have descriptions alongside. Go. Look. Be amazed.
Today's instructor pointed out that there has been two major transistions at the shipyard. When the shipyard went nuclear many practices had to change. Most of the shipyard mechanics were accustomed to taking over a ship from the forces afloat, bringing her in to dry dock, diagnosing the problem, making the needed repairs, testing her, and handing her back over to the sailors. With the nuclear transistion, practices became much more restrictive. Shipyard employees were no longer allowed to pilot or control the ships, forces afloat had to be on hand to do this, and every operation or test had to have descriptive documentation authorizing the process. "These ship experts who were used to doing everything on their own had to wait for a written test process from kids just out of college like you guys. Many of them decided to retire at this point rather than adjust."
The second transition is something I probably wouldn't have thought of had he not pointed it out. Around 1994, the shipyard went digital. "Can you believe that in 1994, there were people in building 850 and 850-A that didn't know how to turn on a computer or print a document?" It was around this time that every test process, tag out, and authoriaztion had to be written up and printed from a computer. I know there have been vast technological advancements in my life alone, but I also know that I often take these for granted. I'm sitting here communicating with people upwards of 2000 miles away, and I can take my communication medium virtually anywhere I want. I remember windows 98 and the ski game that entertained me for hours in the basement. I remember the mac we had growing up with the alphabet search game and glowing green screen. This is technology that has grown up with and faster than I have, but I had never thought about the stress it could cause on an enviornment such as the shipyard.
After work I grabbed a drink with Joe and Andrew so I missed the ferry take home bus, and the next bus wasn't scheduled to be in till 5pm. I could have waited around, but the weather was nice so I just walked. As I approached the Mannette Bridge, I saw what looked like a sea gull chasing an eagle. I thought that was a little strange; I would expect the roles to be reversed. When I got to the bridge I noticed a man and his dog looking over the side into a tree, "hey, check it out." I looked. Not 50 feet way on a tree branch sat a bald eagle calming looking up at us and ignoring the sea gull making a racket overhead. Another passerby stopped to look with us, and as the eagle spread its giant wings to glide away toward some distant trees (presumably a sea gull nest), the woman said, "Its things like that that make you glad to be alive."
Sure does. It sure does.
Thanks for reading! Much love to you all!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
I'm Alive I Promise!!
I know all of the recent celebrity death coupled with my blogging silence may have caused you to think otherwise, but I'm still here.
So I survived my first week in the real world (complete with a real world weekend!). I'll do my best to recap the past week's events, but for security purposes I can't tell you everything I've done. As my dad likes to point out, I have a tendency to join groups with "secrets and secret plans"; this is no different.
Monday:
Monday, June 22nd marked the end of the previously mentioned transformation. I became an employed, renting, college graduate! There was an actual pin-pointed time when this occurred. We all stood up raised our right hands and swore oaths and stuff. Many of us clapped following this event. We had a presentation about security and took tutorials on how not to leak sensitive information, read booklets about how not to leak sensitive information, signed papers about not leaking sensitive information, and got certificates saying we've been told not to leak sensitive information (I think you may be able to determine the theme for the morning). After terms such as NOFORN, Classified, and Secret were tattooed on the back of our eyelids, we got to go on a scavenger hunt. Joe (our instructor) gave us all maps of the shipyard and pointed out all the important places we need to go and collect things. We got transit cards for the local bus routes (I don't have to pay for that club), green hard hats, safety glasses, and steel-toed boots. Yeah, I went shoe shopping at work; it's okay to be jealous. We were then dismissed for the day at 4:02 PM. I walked home as I didn't quite have a feel for the bus systems in the afternoon.
Tuesday:
Day 2 started promptly at 7:20 AM on the ninth floor of a building. One of the first things pointed out here, was that the women's bathrooms are located on the 5th, 3rd, and basement floors. Melissa and I made attempts to find the first two but had no luck. We spent the first half of the day covering benefits and healthcare. I'll be honest, I can do calculus but this stuff threw me for a loop. The second part of the day Joe covered all the different types of alarms we may hear in the shipyard and the basics of how to respond to each. He told us that it will be next to impossible to find the fire phone on the submarines with the billowing black smoke in our faces. He told us about all these things as if they were already scheduled to happen to us, not as though they might occur at sometime during our employement. During a break I looked out a window to watch a giant crane move around a dry dock, and couldn't help but wonder, "wow. they're really going to let me do this? They trust me? Black smoke? whew. I don't know man, I just don't know." The day again ended at 4:02 PM. I figured out how to take a ferry take home bus!
Wednesday:
I realized my paper started showing up on Tuesday, so I had a bonus crossword and sudoko to do this day. 7:20 am: class time. We had a guest presenter come in and talk about the basics of submarines. This lesson was much more reassuring because I understood what he was talking about and it didn't involve unintential floods or fires. He did, however, tell us the proper way to look for a steam leak: use a mirror on a stick, not your hands unless you are trying to cut those off. We covered several different topics in submarines the rest of the day. 4:02 PM.
*********
ok. pause. you should probably go get a drink of water, maybe use the restroom, whatever you need to do. meet back here in 15 minutes? I know I've been droning on for some time now.
All set? okay.
*********
Thursday:
7:20. More classes on submarines. Watched a movie about the history of submarines. Dismissed at 4:02.
Friday:
We started class at the normal time. I'll guess at this point you've figured out my work schedule. The exciting event of this day was the lunch plans. We had a hotdog lunch with our bosses and mentors. The shipyard sets each new employee up with a mentor to help show us the ropes around work and gives us a point of contact for questions that might arise during our initial time here. We can ask them everything from how do I request leave time to where can I get my hair cut in this town. I didn't get to meet my mentor at lunch, but Joe (fellow new guy, not the instructor) and I had a nice chat with our boss Bob. I found out a little bit more about where I'll be working. I'm in code 260M which, unlike the rest of code 260, is not located in your typical office space; it is on the mezzanine level of the machine shop. I'm pretty excited to be right there on the floor picking up how things are actually being built for the ships as they come in to port. I will be spending 3 months in 260M before I transfer over to 260.2. We had quite a lot of free time in the afternoon, so we went exploring over to the naval base side and located the gym and rec center. We still left around the same time. Friday night, Roger, a fellow Coloradoan invited us over to his place to spend some quality non-work time. I like the my fellow newbs. We seem to get along pretty well.
Saturday:
Real world Saturdays are sooo much cooler than college Saturdays. This day actually becomes a day off. I don't have anything that I HAVE to be doing. It's a little strange, but sooooooo nice. To my IIT friends: there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There will be a Saturday in your future when you don't have to do homework. I slept in a little bit yesterday, but 8 am was as far as I could push it. Its strange that that's a whole 3 hours later than will become normal. 8 used to be early. I read the paper and decided that some organizing had to be done around my apartment. I may not have all my stuff yet, but my newspapers are mixing with my new employee papers on my deluxe card table/dinner table/ desk. I set out for walmart to purchase a filing cabinet and found a nice little office desk and rolly chair while I was there. I also stopped by the Goodwill to see what they were giving away this week. I stumbled upon some great stereo speakers that were just too good to pass up. (more on that in another edition.) I put together all of my furniture which was probably my favorite game of the whole day and tested the speakers.
Sunday:
I got up and caught the 10:15 ferry over to seattle and did some walking and exploring today. I just kinda wandered around. I saw them setting up for a moonwalking competition that they were having in honor of the late Michael Jackson. I grabbed some food to go and caught the 4:20 ferry back.
This has been a summary of a not so typical week in the life.
We have another week of classroom training coming up this week and real work starts Monday the 6th. As a government employee I get this upcoming Friday off to celebrate the 4th. Two weeks in and they are already giving us a holiday... man life is rough. I've got another two weeks to go before I get paid, so things will be a little tight but by no means will it be bland. I'm a master ramen noodle chef and my netflix free trial has got another week yet.
I've gotten quite a bit of feedback from people concerning my bus ride in the mornings since it is so atypical of the public transportation many of us are accustomed to, so I have another small anecdote to leave you with:
As we pulled up the shipyard on Wednesday morning, the bus driver announced, "I'll remind you all later on this week, but I just wanted to let you know I will be going on vacation next week. You may want to get out to your stops a little bit earlier in the mornings because the sub bus drivers always seem to come a bit earlier and they may not recognize your faces or know who to expect on the bus." This announcement shocked me. What a genuinely nice thing to do! Some of my previous experiences with public transportation include running to a bus at a stop, making eye contact with the driver, and watching the bus pull away.
Thanks for reading! I'll try to do better this week!
Much love!
***********
Because this is such a long post, it seems I have missed several grammatical errors. I have gone back and fixed some, but I apologize for the others.
So I survived my first week in the real world (complete with a real world weekend!). I'll do my best to recap the past week's events, but for security purposes I can't tell you everything I've done. As my dad likes to point out, I have a tendency to join groups with "secrets and secret plans"; this is no different.
Monday:
Monday, June 22nd marked the end of the previously mentioned transformation. I became an employed, renting, college graduate! There was an actual pin-pointed time when this occurred. We all stood up raised our right hands and swore oaths and stuff. Many of us clapped following this event. We had a presentation about security and took tutorials on how not to leak sensitive information, read booklets about how not to leak sensitive information, signed papers about not leaking sensitive information, and got certificates saying we've been told not to leak sensitive information (I think you may be able to determine the theme for the morning). After terms such as NOFORN, Classified, and Secret were tattooed on the back of our eyelids, we got to go on a scavenger hunt. Joe (our instructor) gave us all maps of the shipyard and pointed out all the important places we need to go and collect things. We got transit cards for the local bus routes (I don't have to pay for that club), green hard hats, safety glasses, and steel-toed boots. Yeah, I went shoe shopping at work; it's okay to be jealous. We were then dismissed for the day at 4:02 PM. I walked home as I didn't quite have a feel for the bus systems in the afternoon.
Tuesday:
Day 2 started promptly at 7:20 AM on the ninth floor of a building. One of the first things pointed out here, was that the women's bathrooms are located on the 5th, 3rd, and basement floors. Melissa and I made attempts to find the first two but had no luck. We spent the first half of the day covering benefits and healthcare. I'll be honest, I can do calculus but this stuff threw me for a loop. The second part of the day Joe covered all the different types of alarms we may hear in the shipyard and the basics of how to respond to each. He told us that it will be next to impossible to find the fire phone on the submarines with the billowing black smoke in our faces. He told us about all these things as if they were already scheduled to happen to us, not as though they might occur at sometime during our employement. During a break I looked out a window to watch a giant crane move around a dry dock, and couldn't help but wonder, "wow. they're really going to let me do this? They trust me? Black smoke? whew. I don't know man, I just don't know." The day again ended at 4:02 PM. I figured out how to take a ferry take home bus!
Wednesday:
I realized my paper started showing up on Tuesday, so I had a bonus crossword and sudoko to do this day. 7:20 am: class time. We had a guest presenter come in and talk about the basics of submarines. This lesson was much more reassuring because I understood what he was talking about and it didn't involve unintential floods or fires. He did, however, tell us the proper way to look for a steam leak: use a mirror on a stick, not your hands unless you are trying to cut those off. We covered several different topics in submarines the rest of the day. 4:02 PM.
*********
ok. pause. you should probably go get a drink of water, maybe use the restroom, whatever you need to do. meet back here in 15 minutes? I know I've been droning on for some time now.
All set? okay.
*********
Thursday:
7:20. More classes on submarines. Watched a movie about the history of submarines. Dismissed at 4:02.
Friday:
We started class at the normal time. I'll guess at this point you've figured out my work schedule. The exciting event of this day was the lunch plans. We had a hotdog lunch with our bosses and mentors. The shipyard sets each new employee up with a mentor to help show us the ropes around work and gives us a point of contact for questions that might arise during our initial time here. We can ask them everything from how do I request leave time to where can I get my hair cut in this town. I didn't get to meet my mentor at lunch, but Joe (fellow new guy, not the instructor) and I had a nice chat with our boss Bob. I found out a little bit more about where I'll be working. I'm in code 260M which, unlike the rest of code 260, is not located in your typical office space; it is on the mezzanine level of the machine shop. I'm pretty excited to be right there on the floor picking up how things are actually being built for the ships as they come in to port. I will be spending 3 months in 260M before I transfer over to 260.2. We had quite a lot of free time in the afternoon, so we went exploring over to the naval base side and located the gym and rec center. We still left around the same time. Friday night, Roger, a fellow Coloradoan invited us over to his place to spend some quality non-work time. I like the my fellow newbs. We seem to get along pretty well.
Saturday:
Real world Saturdays are sooo much cooler than college Saturdays. This day actually becomes a day off. I don't have anything that I HAVE to be doing. It's a little strange, but sooooooo nice. To my IIT friends: there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There will be a Saturday in your future when you don't have to do homework. I slept in a little bit yesterday, but 8 am was as far as I could push it. Its strange that that's a whole 3 hours later than will become normal. 8 used to be early. I read the paper and decided that some organizing had to be done around my apartment. I may not have all my stuff yet, but my newspapers are mixing with my new employee papers on my deluxe card table/dinner table/ desk. I set out for walmart to purchase a filing cabinet and found a nice little office desk and rolly chair while I was there. I also stopped by the Goodwill to see what they were giving away this week. I stumbled upon some great stereo speakers that were just too good to pass up. (more on that in another edition.) I put together all of my furniture which was probably my favorite game of the whole day and tested the speakers.
Sunday:
I got up and caught the 10:15 ferry over to seattle and did some walking and exploring today. I just kinda wandered around. I saw them setting up for a moonwalking competition that they were having in honor of the late Michael Jackson. I grabbed some food to go and caught the 4:20 ferry back.
This has been a summary of a not so typical week in the life.
We have another week of classroom training coming up this week and real work starts Monday the 6th. As a government employee I get this upcoming Friday off to celebrate the 4th. Two weeks in and they are already giving us a holiday... man life is rough. I've got another two weeks to go before I get paid, so things will be a little tight but by no means will it be bland. I'm a master ramen noodle chef and my netflix free trial has got another week yet.
I've gotten quite a bit of feedback from people concerning my bus ride in the mornings since it is so atypical of the public transportation many of us are accustomed to, so I have another small anecdote to leave you with:
As we pulled up the shipyard on Wednesday morning, the bus driver announced, "I'll remind you all later on this week, but I just wanted to let you know I will be going on vacation next week. You may want to get out to your stops a little bit earlier in the mornings because the sub bus drivers always seem to come a bit earlier and they may not recognize your faces or know who to expect on the bus." This announcement shocked me. What a genuinely nice thing to do! Some of my previous experiences with public transportation include running to a bus at a stop, making eye contact with the driver, and watching the bus pull away.
Thanks for reading! I'll try to do better this week!
Much love!
***********
Because this is such a long post, it seems I have missed several grammatical errors. I have gone back and fixed some, but I apologize for the others.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Point B
Friday, following the dry run trip to the shipyard on kitsap 25, I met up with my parentals at the near by Starbucks. We went back to their hotel to get them checked out, and then we took the ferry over to Seattle. I just think ferries are so cool. I can't really explain why, or what about them is so fascinating, but come on, its like floating building and it traverses large distances at relatively high speeds getting lots of people from point A to point B. It is a much better use of my time versus taking I-5 down around puget sound and into Seattle through traffic, fading radio stations, and constant pressure to pay attention. We simply parked the car, picked up newspapers and enjoyed the ride. There was time enough to do the puzzles and converse.
We spent the rest of the day doing the tourist thing. We saw the space needle, rode the monorail, trecked through pikes place market, took pictures of the first starbucks ever, and drove around. When we sat down to lunch, my dad said to me:
"You know, Lydia, this is point B. This is where I've been working for years to get you. From point A to point B. Memorial hospital to here."
I think its pretty perfect that I arrived at point B the week before father's day.
Consider, if you will, this metaphor:
My trip from point A to point B was in the honda accord on I-5. The trip from point A to point B was long and arrduous. There many things to juggle. Music faded in and out. Billboards shouted for my attention off the path. There were times when life was at a standstill or barely crawling along and times when things were only seen in the rearview mirror. Sometimes somebody occupied the passenger seat, many times I was alone.
Certainly my parents could have put me onboard a ferry to shuttle me from point A to point B. I could have had my every need met. I could have had time to do a puzzle here and there, take naps, and read books. The catch is this: when the ferry docked at point B, I would have to get off the boat and take the accord with me. Having no skills in opperating said vehical, I would have been stuck.
So although things may be a little rough right now, I may sleep on a blow up mattress and dream of the big screen I don't have, I love point B. I love point B because it's everything I've worked for, it's everything my parents helped me work for, and it's mine. Nobody gave it to me, there was no express lane, I earned it.
From point B, I bid you all good night.
**********************************
Thanks mom and dad for helping me along the way, and thanks too for challenging me to take the harder route, to work for my dreams! I love you!
We spent the rest of the day doing the tourist thing. We saw the space needle, rode the monorail, trecked through pikes place market, took pictures of the first starbucks ever, and drove around. When we sat down to lunch, my dad said to me:
"You know, Lydia, this is point B. This is where I've been working for years to get you. From point A to point B. Memorial hospital to here."
I think its pretty perfect that I arrived at point B the week before father's day.
Consider, if you will, this metaphor:
My trip from point A to point B was in the honda accord on I-5. The trip from point A to point B was long and arrduous. There many things to juggle. Music faded in and out. Billboards shouted for my attention off the path. There were times when life was at a standstill or barely crawling along and times when things were only seen in the rearview mirror. Sometimes somebody occupied the passenger seat, many times I was alone.
Certainly my parents could have put me onboard a ferry to shuttle me from point A to point B. I could have had my every need met. I could have had time to do a puzzle here and there, take naps, and read books. The catch is this: when the ferry docked at point B, I would have to get off the boat and take the accord with me. Having no skills in opperating said vehical, I would have been stuck.
So although things may be a little rough right now, I may sleep on a blow up mattress and dream of the big screen I don't have, I love point B. I love point B because it's everything I've worked for, it's everything my parents helped me work for, and it's mine. Nobody gave it to me, there was no express lane, I earned it.
From point B, I bid you all good night.
**********************************
Thanks mom and dad for helping me along the way, and thanks too for challenging me to take the harder route, to work for my dreams! I love you!
The Kitsap 25 Morning Social Club
This post is from Friday. Internet is hard to come by when you don't have any...
***************************************
5:50 Pacific Time- Friendly strumming from my trusty iPhone prompted me to lurch from my queen size camping bed.
A shower, clothes, and yogurt left me with some time to spare, so I sat at my deluxe folding table/desk/entertainment center and tapped my fingers for a bit. I made the decision to subscribe to a morning paper then and there.
6:45 Pacific Time- I strapped into my bag, got my 2 dollars cash ready, and strolled out the door to the bus stop that is conveniently located in my back yard. I stood out there for 10 minutes awaiting the Kitsap 25. I did a well enough job impersonating a local, as two men in a truck pulled up and asked me for directions.
6:55 Pacific Time- The bus arrived!! I got on the bus looking for the "insert cash here" machine and was a little shocked to see that the bus driver did not have a bullet proof screen placed between us.
"uh, I'm new here... I have cash?"
"oh yeah, just shove it in there." He gestured toward a plastic container with nothing covering it to prevent some street heathen from running off with the cash.
I took my seat toward the front of the bus to watch the events that ensued. I was unaware that I had entered an elite social club.
1) At the next stop the women sitting across from me quickly moved over to sit next to me in order to leave two seats open for the lady from the IRS.
"oh thank you. You didn't need to do that."
"oh no no, have a seat. Its no big deal."
Their conversation went on for some time about shift changes, bus times, and ferry schedules. There were clearly friends, not the strangers awkwardly conversing on the Chicago buses and trains.
2) As we neared a stop further along the way, I noticed a woman running outside the bus. She's in wedges, and running quite swiftly despite this fact.
"Perpetually late." drones a guy from a few seats over.
The bus driver slows a little next to the women, and continues at a slower pace toward the stop.
"Is this cruel?" He asks the other bus riders. (He certainly wasn't asking me, I'm the newb)
"nah."
"no way."
"she's always late."
At the stop, the woman boards the bus huffing and puffing to catch her breath. Holding up her hand she bends over and continues to gasp.
"Take your time. At least you'll be on time the rest of the day," says the driver.
When she finally caught up to her lungs, she proceed to monopolize the conversation with the bus driver for the rest of the trip.
For the remainder of the trip, I sat there, wide eyed, just trying to figure out what alternate universe I had boarded that morning. This is public transportation right? Perhaps things are just different here, or perhaps I got a limited time offer to join a club?
***************************************
5:50 Pacific Time- Friendly strumming from my trusty iPhone prompted me to lurch from my queen size camping bed.
A shower, clothes, and yogurt left me with some time to spare, so I sat at my deluxe folding table/desk/entertainment center and tapped my fingers for a bit. I made the decision to subscribe to a morning paper then and there.
6:45 Pacific Time- I strapped into my bag, got my 2 dollars cash ready, and strolled out the door to the bus stop that is conveniently located in my back yard. I stood out there for 10 minutes awaiting the Kitsap 25. I did a well enough job impersonating a local, as two men in a truck pulled up and asked me for directions.
6:55 Pacific Time- The bus arrived!! I got on the bus looking for the "insert cash here" machine and was a little shocked to see that the bus driver did not have a bullet proof screen placed between us.
"uh, I'm new here... I have cash?"
"oh yeah, just shove it in there." He gestured toward a plastic container with nothing covering it to prevent some street heathen from running off with the cash.
I took my seat toward the front of the bus to watch the events that ensued. I was unaware that I had entered an elite social club.
1) At the next stop the women sitting across from me quickly moved over to sit next to me in order to leave two seats open for the lady from the IRS.
"oh thank you. You didn't need to do that."
"oh no no, have a seat. Its no big deal."
Their conversation went on for some time about shift changes, bus times, and ferry schedules. There were clearly friends, not the strangers awkwardly conversing on the Chicago buses and trains.
2) As we neared a stop further along the way, I noticed a woman running outside the bus. She's in wedges, and running quite swiftly despite this fact.
"Perpetually late." drones a guy from a few seats over.
The bus driver slows a little next to the women, and continues at a slower pace toward the stop.
"Is this cruel?" He asks the other bus riders. (He certainly wasn't asking me, I'm the newb)
"nah."
"no way."
"she's always late."
At the stop, the woman boards the bus huffing and puffing to catch her breath. Holding up her hand she bends over and continues to gasp.
"Take your time. At least you'll be on time the rest of the day," says the driver.
When she finally caught up to her lungs, she proceed to monopolize the conversation with the bus driver for the rest of the trip.
For the remainder of the trip, I sat there, wide eyed, just trying to figure out what alternate universe I had boarded that morning. This is public transportation right? Perhaps things are just different here, or perhaps I got a limited time offer to join a club?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Home Sweet Home
Today was spent getting all the essentials for my new place. Thanks to many of wonderful family members I had some money to spend at Target in Silverdale, which is about 10 minutes up the road from here. I got everything from the air mattress I'm sleeping on for a while to hangers for clothing and ice trays for the freezer.
My parents then generously donated a trip to the grocery store to the feed Lydia fund. In return I fed them dinner. I made some chicken fried rice with onions, carrots, and tomatoes. I was fairly impressed with my skills and nobody went hungry. :D
So my dad suggested a dry run attempt at getting up and getting to work in the morning, hence I'm spending the night alone here and getting up pretty early to catch the bus tomorrow. The 25 bus will basically pick me up in my back yard and take me to my work front door for 2 dollars. I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow.
The following pictures are of my apartment. I realize its a bit sparse right now, but I'm on a pretty limited budget until I get my first pay check in 3 weeks. Which means I'm open for visters starting in 4 weeks, just give me a heads up!
Front Door
Looking Upstairs
Master Bedroom
Bathroom
Extra Bedroom / Hobby Room
Living Room
Kitchen
My parents then generously donated a trip to the grocery store to the feed Lydia fund. In return I fed them dinner. I made some chicken fried rice with onions, carrots, and tomatoes. I was fairly impressed with my skills and nobody went hungry. :D
So my dad suggested a dry run attempt at getting up and getting to work in the morning, hence I'm spending the night alone here and getting up pretty early to catch the bus tomorrow. The 25 bus will basically pick me up in my back yard and take me to my work front door for 2 dollars. I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow.
The following pictures are of my apartment. I realize its a bit sparse right now, but I'm on a pretty limited budget until I get my first pay check in 3 weeks. Which means I'm open for visters starting in 4 weeks, just give me a heads up!
Front Door
Looking Upstairs
Master Bedroom
Bathroom
Extra Bedroom / Hobby Room
Living Room
KitchenWednesday, June 17, 2009
A Few National Blocks Away...
Whew! The last couple of days have been quite busy.
My mom and I arrived at Seatac Airport around 7pm Pacific Time. I called my brother to find out where he and my dad were only to discover they were awaiting our arrival outside the B gates. We spent the night at the near by La Quinta and I advise against staying there if you are in the area. If you are familiar with the sound a metal cable makes as it weakens nears its lifetime limit, then you know the sound the elevators made. Couple that with a comforting squeaking when my brother jumped up and down, and lets just say I have a new respect for the slow steady pace of the elevator in Main Building (for my IIT friends).
We went to Dave's Diner across the street from our hotel for dinner. We decided the good reviews on urban spoon were either made by the staff, or they were somebody's idea of a cruel joke. My brother ordered an Alaskan Amber to drink, the waitress asked if he wanted the large or the small glass. When it was my turn I ordered a Bud Light and her response was, "Did you want the big... or wait, its a can so never mind." Indeed I was served a can of Bud Light. While at first I found this to be disappointing, I was thankful for it later when my mother found something floating in her wine. There were several other little "quirks" about this establishment, but I'll move on.
Tuesday, oh Tuesday. We started the day out pretty early as the first appartment viewing appointment was at 9am and we had 4 people with 1 shower. We went to a total of 5 places that day. I had reduced my 12 locations to 6 prior to that day and by the time we go to the neighborhood of the 6th place, I had decided I didn't care anymore. (not to mention, it didn't look like the best of places). The winning property was a two bedroom in East Bremerton.
My new apartment (I can say that, I signed the papers and got keys today) is in East Bremerton. Its an older property, so no, it doesn't have a club house, free tanning, or a raquet ball court. Although I'm sure it will be difficult, I think I will adjust to not having these ammenities. If worse comes to worse there is a tanning, espresso, and tea bar up the street from my new place. :) So, right my new place, its a two bedroom townhouse with the living quarters upstairs and the living room, kitchen and dining space on the main floor. (all for the low low price of about 300 dollars less than the tanning-racquetball-pool equipped place) My landlord is this older quirky guy (much like my apartment) who likes to talk about all the other properties he's owned over the years. From Aspen, to Oklahoma City, to Chicago, to Washington, he's been there and owned some portion of it. His name is Chuck and he drives his "truck" which is conviently disguised as a jeep liberty. I met one of my neighbors today too! His name is Mel. His girlfriend lives next door to him and he assured my parents that he would look out for me. :) I'll get pictures up tomorrow, I promise.
Here I am rambling on and on and I almost forgot about why I titled this blog as I did. As I previously mentioned, I had a graduation party at my grandparents house in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. My grandparents live on a street called Mountain View, and as fate would have it, as do I. So if you were to start there in Scottsbluff and drive North West for some 20 hours, you'd find me, just a few national blocks away.
I hope you all are doing well! I miss you all and I look forward to hearing from you. Email me, or call me if you want my full address; I didn't want to just post it out there for anyone to read.
My mom and I arrived at Seatac Airport around 7pm Pacific Time. I called my brother to find out where he and my dad were only to discover they were awaiting our arrival outside the B gates. We spent the night at the near by La Quinta and I advise against staying there if you are in the area. If you are familiar with the sound a metal cable makes as it weakens nears its lifetime limit, then you know the sound the elevators made. Couple that with a comforting squeaking when my brother jumped up and down, and lets just say I have a new respect for the slow steady pace of the elevator in Main Building (for my IIT friends).
We went to Dave's Diner across the street from our hotel for dinner. We decided the good reviews on urban spoon were either made by the staff, or they were somebody's idea of a cruel joke. My brother ordered an Alaskan Amber to drink, the waitress asked if he wanted the large or the small glass. When it was my turn I ordered a Bud Light and her response was, "Did you want the big... or wait, its a can so never mind." Indeed I was served a can of Bud Light. While at first I found this to be disappointing, I was thankful for it later when my mother found something floating in her wine. There were several other little "quirks" about this establishment, but I'll move on.
Tuesday, oh Tuesday. We started the day out pretty early as the first appartment viewing appointment was at 9am and we had 4 people with 1 shower. We went to a total of 5 places that day. I had reduced my 12 locations to 6 prior to that day and by the time we go to the neighborhood of the 6th place, I had decided I didn't care anymore. (not to mention, it didn't look like the best of places). The winning property was a two bedroom in East Bremerton.
My new apartment (I can say that, I signed the papers and got keys today) is in East Bremerton. Its an older property, so no, it doesn't have a club house, free tanning, or a raquet ball court. Although I'm sure it will be difficult, I think I will adjust to not having these ammenities. If worse comes to worse there is a tanning, espresso, and tea bar up the street from my new place. :) So, right my new place, its a two bedroom townhouse with the living quarters upstairs and the living room, kitchen and dining space on the main floor. (all for the low low price of about 300 dollars less than the tanning-racquetball-pool equipped place) My landlord is this older quirky guy (much like my apartment) who likes to talk about all the other properties he's owned over the years. From Aspen, to Oklahoma City, to Chicago, to Washington, he's been there and owned some portion of it. His name is Chuck and he drives his "truck" which is conviently disguised as a jeep liberty. I met one of my neighbors today too! His name is Mel. His girlfriend lives next door to him and he assured my parents that he would look out for me. :) I'll get pictures up tomorrow, I promise.
Here I am rambling on and on and I almost forgot about why I titled this blog as I did. As I previously mentioned, I had a graduation party at my grandparents house in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. My grandparents live on a street called Mountain View, and as fate would have it, as do I. So if you were to start there in Scottsbluff and drive North West for some 20 hours, you'd find me, just a few national blocks away.
I hope you all are doing well! I miss you all and I look forward to hearing from you. Email me, or call me if you want my full address; I didn't want to just post it out there for anyone to read.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Unemployed, Homeless, College Graduate
Since graduating quite a lot has happened, but as my dad enjoys pointing out, I am currently an unemployed, homeless college graduate. I never thought it could be difficult to fill out any paperwork requiring my address, yet that very section has prevented me from filling out a number of things. Fortunately for me, my status is soon to change. In three-day's time, I should be an unemployed, renting college graduate. In a week's time I will be an employed, renting college graduate. Woot!
So a quick run down of the last week or so:
Last Saturday I had the best going away party a girl could ask for in Chicago. It was really awesome to see so many people come out to send me off.
Sunday's adventure will be omitted aside from seeing The Hangover. It was a great movie! (I wouldn't recommend it however if you are say... my parents)
Monday I watched as 4 years of my amassed possessions were carted away in under 40 minutes in exchange for a piece of paper by a guy with a confederate flag on his leg and his friend/worker. Have you ever considered how interesting it would be to be a mover/packer? I certainly wouldn't want to be the worker who did all the carrying, but the other guy got a glimpse into who I am. He saw my pictures, my dvds, my clothes, most everything I own. He got the 40 minute summary of Lydia. weird.
Tuesday I left Chicago. sigh.
Wedneday - Friday not much to report.
Saturday I reconnected with my roots! I had the best graduation party/family get together in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. I realized how time is flying by when my little cousin Jack drove me to the hardware store. We saved "big money at Menards" in order to purchase the necessary plumbing parts for a certain red neck, white trash activity. I'll not go into public detail or name names about said activity. Let's just say it was awesome, and maybe, just maybe, the Scotts Bluff County Sherrif should have paid us a visit.
So here we are. It's Sunday, June 14th and I have less than 24 hours here in the guest bedroom of my parents house. I've known this day was coming for over 6 months, but it never felt real. It still doesn't feel quite real. Tomorrow afternoon, I will embark on one of the biggest adventures of my life thus far. At my going away party and at my grad party people asked me if I was excited. I could see the excitement in their eyes, but my excitement? Its in there somewhere. It's hidden by the apartment details, the work papers, the bank questions, the checkin time, and the biggest obstruction is the fear. Oh, but don't worry, I think later this week I'll feel the excitement. By that time, I'll at least have a floor to sleep on under an adequate roof.
This brings us to tomorrow. Tomorrow, Monday, June 15th at 4:30 pm Montain time I'm "leaving on a jet plane." (I do, however, know when I'll be back again) I've got a bag full of work clothes, my laptop, my cell phone, and my family. Tomorrow with my seatbelt safely fastened and my seat and tray table in thier upright positions, another adventure begins.
***********************************************************************
Tuesday is Apartment day, so look for an update that night if I'm not too sleepy.
So a quick run down of the last week or so:
Last Saturday I had the best going away party a girl could ask for in Chicago. It was really awesome to see so many people come out to send me off.
Sunday's adventure will be omitted aside from seeing The Hangover. It was a great movie! (I wouldn't recommend it however if you are say... my parents)
Monday I watched as 4 years of my amassed possessions were carted away in under 40 minutes in exchange for a piece of paper by a guy with a confederate flag on his leg and his friend/worker. Have you ever considered how interesting it would be to be a mover/packer? I certainly wouldn't want to be the worker who did all the carrying, but the other guy got a glimpse into who I am. He saw my pictures, my dvds, my clothes, most everything I own. He got the 40 minute summary of Lydia. weird.
Tuesday I left Chicago. sigh.
Wedneday - Friday not much to report.
Saturday I reconnected with my roots! I had the best graduation party/family get together in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. I realized how time is flying by when my little cousin Jack drove me to the hardware store. We saved "big money at Menards" in order to purchase the necessary plumbing parts for a certain red neck, white trash activity. I'll not go into public detail or name names about said activity. Let's just say it was awesome, and maybe, just maybe, the Scotts Bluff County Sherrif should have paid us a visit.
So here we are. It's Sunday, June 14th and I have less than 24 hours here in the guest bedroom of my parents house. I've known this day was coming for over 6 months, but it never felt real. It still doesn't feel quite real. Tomorrow afternoon, I will embark on one of the biggest adventures of my life thus far. At my going away party and at my grad party people asked me if I was excited. I could see the excitement in their eyes, but my excitement? Its in there somewhere. It's hidden by the apartment details, the work papers, the bank questions, the checkin time, and the biggest obstruction is the fear. Oh, but don't worry, I think later this week I'll feel the excitement. By that time, I'll at least have a floor to sleep on under an adequate roof.
This brings us to tomorrow. Tomorrow, Monday, June 15th at 4:30 pm Montain time I'm "leaving on a jet plane." (I do, however, know when I'll be back again) I've got a bag full of work clothes, my laptop, my cell phone, and my family. Tomorrow with my seatbelt safely fastened and my seat and tray table in thier upright positions, another adventure begins.
***********************************************************************
Tuesday is Apartment day, so look for an update that night if I'm not too sleepy.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Casting Off
I've set sail on my first post college voyage, and as I have (hopefully) many friends and family members who want know whats going on in my life, I'm starting this blog to help me keep in touch.
I invite you to do with this as you wish: follow it, book mark it, block it, whatever. If you follow and read this on a regular basis, please let me know you're there with a comment or an email, I will reply! I plan to make this about my current on goings, from my apartment search to my new job and new hobbies. I will continue to maintain my old more creative haunts for those that are interested in that particular avenue.
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