#reverb 10 12-6-10

in

December 6 - Make.  What was the last thing you made?  What materials did you use?  Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?  (Author:  Gretchen Rubin) The last thing I made was a passage plan.  Yesterday we departed Sitrah, Bahrain bound for Doraleh, Djibouti.  My job as Second Officer is to compile all the necessary information that the other officers will require to navigate the vessel safely from Point A to Point B.

The modern mariner is privileged.  Almost all pertinent information has already been compiled and can be used electronically.  For example I receive several daily e-mails which contain my weather forecasts.  I save the downloads into the applicable software and voila! I have a weather map.  The same software program lets me program my routes so that we can see the weather relative to our position.

My Passage Plan lives in a binder with dividers for every component.  There is information regarding weather, tides, radio frequencies, etc.  However the bulk of the passage plan is an excel spreadsheet which contains a latitude and longitude for each waypoint as well as things to expect between waypoints.  For example I highlight any hazards to navigation,  bearings on easily identifiable points of land, position fixing intervals, as well as our underkeel clearance.  Underkeel clearance is found by taking the lowest charted depth for each leg of the voyage and subtracting our vessels draft (depth in the water).  This portion of the passage plan is the most time consuming....

My favorite part of the passage plan is prepping my charts.  I find there is something wonderfully simple about chart corrections.  Almost zen.  Prior to leaving port I ensure all my charts in use have the most recent corrections applied.  This is a never ending task.....the charts are constantly changing.  I love plotting our courses and selecting the best route to travel. 

I've heard many times over the years the expression 'the art of navigation' and would have to say that in this day and age it is almost more science like.  Although I love taking the sextant out on longer sea passages the reality is that we rely very heavily on electronic navigation (GPS).  I wholeheartedly believe that we as seaman have an obligation to keep the art of navigation alive and well - keeping the romance of going to sea alive and well.

This has kind of turned into a boring post....the most recent 'creative' thing I made was a magazine collage to house my calender.....I also made a magazine collage for my stateroom....

#reverb10 12-05-10

in

December 5 - Let Go.  What (or whom) did you let go of this year?  Why? My first thought was of course 'a Him'.  Then I started thinking about it - I really haven't let go yet.  Then I started thinking about it some more and came to the conclusion that I really don't let go of anything ever.  I'm a total grudge holder.  I even hold grudges against things.  Like my old fridge.  I bought that thing on sale - and it had a pull out bottom freezer - which I loved.  It broke to the point of no repair and I had to turn it in on warranty.  Of course, because it was on sale I didn't get full value for it which meant that I had to 'down grade'.  Now my fridge has a conventional freezer.  I'm still irritated at both of those fridges - the one that broke down and the one that doesn't measure up!

I don't mind letting go of things physically - but, even then I have to add a qualifier - I don't mind letting go of some things.  I always have a big bag for the church rummage sale.  However, I have a really hard time letting go of things that have been given to me (sadly, this includes objects which I've given myself - like my first Persian rug).

This is not to say that I don't make allowances for people and things - if I can attribute a particular behavior to a known 'deficit' then I can let go of quite a bit.  Like a family member that I consider crazy can get a way with a lot more than a family member I consider normal.  A car that I consider a jalopy can get away with a lot more than a car I consider a gem.  My Father gets concerned about my 'rigidity' - I tend to see things in black and white.  I realize that there is a grey area - like a normal person who is having a bad day and takes it out on me - heaven help them.  I have been known to look a sailor in the eye, waggle my finger and say 'oh no you didn't'!

I think I need to work on letting go. 

If the question was:  what do you want to let go of?  I'd have to say that I'd like to let go of my house....to either rent or sell.....but, I'm not sure that I'm quite ready - like I said...I need to work on it.

Reverb 10

in

I started my blog on a whim.  I am still very shy about my blog and haven't told very many of my friends about it.  My friend (who I call Little Miss Sunshine) told me that people would like my blog better if it wasn't too much like a diary.  I totally agree.  Since I've been blogging I've been reading a lot of other blogs.  There are some great blogs out there!  I think I'm even addicted to some.  Even though I'm not a huge touchy feely blog fan I have found some blogs that are so artistic and aesthetically pleasing that you can't help enjoy reading them.  I came across an online project called Reverb 10 - and yes, I ran across it on one of the touchy feely blogs I've been reading.  Reverb 10 is an online collaborative to reflect on your year and manifest what's next.  Each day Reverb10.com will post a prompt - the goal is to create, journal or blog every day in December.  I'm clearly joining in a little late - I plan on playing a little catch up.  Reverb10 also encourages 'tweeting' - tangent:  My Mom thinks she needs an iPhone to help keep her 'in touch'.  She says that unless you are upgrading your technology then you are being left behind.  I would kind of chuckle to myself when she said this - mostly because I already have an iPhone and I thought she was just making excuses to go get one herself!  Today I signed myself up on Twitter - OMG!  I'm totally getting left behind!  Today was my very first tweet ever.  I felt confused!  I didn't know what to do after my first tweet....then I signed up on Reverb10 and I didn't know how to get their button on my blog.  My Mother is right (it really chaps my ass to say that) - I'm getting left behind!  (I'm going to use that as my excuse to get an iPad - ha) 

Although I'm kind of nervous about this turning my blog into a diary I'm going for it.  I read The Secret - I totally believe in manifestation.  I also kind of figure what's the point of having a blog if you can't rant and rave and get touchy feely every now and then?!

morning has broken

in

I've been a bit of a blog slacker....I'm trying to get caught up - in my defense it has been a CRAZY few days (I'll fill you in when I don't think I'll get in trouble for blogging about it). One of the BEST things that has happened is that I'm back on the day watch!  This is very exciting because it means I get sunrise and sunset!  I keep bankers hours - woot woot! 

This is my first sunrise on my favorite watch....

anthrax

in

Because we have a military contract we are required to get anthrax vaccinations.  It is a series of five with an annual booster.  I'm not a big fan of the anthrax shot.  First of all - IT REALLY HURTS!  Second of all - WHAT THE HELL IS THIS STUFF DOING TO MY BODY?! 

I'm the vessels medical officer - which is a whole separate entry for a whole separate day.  One of my responsibilities is to maintain the vaccination records.  The Navy base in Bahrain supplies the vaccination and will dispatch medical personnel to administer the shots.  A few days ago when they attended the vessel I asked if I could give the shots (I've never given a shot before) - they said yes and I got to give shots!  I'm kind of a medical nerd and so it was one of the most exciting things that has happened to me in awhile.  Even better - my first shot ever was to the Captain (paybacks a bitch ain't it)!  The shots actually went in smooth as butter...it was much easier then I thought it would be!