My boat floating floats my boat!!
It took me most of dinner to come up with that little witticism.
But my boat floats! We're in the water, refueled, just waiting to do some more tests before getting underway to test things at sea. Four days short of five months, nearly 450 square feet of hull metal replaced, over 100 linear feet of interior stiffeners and metal framework replaced, and well over 3600 man hours of firewatch stood...and we're 48 hours away from being back at sea.
My Boat Floats :)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Stirring the Pot
So I thought I was just tilting at windmills. But it turns out that I was stirring the pot...vigorously.
This drydock has been difficult for the crew. While I acknowledge that staying in a hotel in Waikiki for a few days sounds relaxing and enjoyable, living here for five months, without personal and dedicated transportation, no kitchen, and a nearly 2 hour round-trip commute has turned arduous. They're spending a ton of money on food, eating out nearly every meal in one of the most tourist-plagued, over-priced spots in the country. Some of them are trying to economize by buying frozen dinners or convenience meals at the commissary. But the hotel rooms only have a mini fridge and small microwave.
I feel for them, but haven't really had to deal with the frustrations of such uncomfortable circumstances. I've taken some time off, gotten to stay at my Mom's house, and have my own set of wheels (the cutest little yellow Mini Cooper!!). And I make a bunch more money than they do...like probably a couple four of them put together.
So, instead of just sitting around whining about what a short-sighted non-solution I walked into, I decided to do some research and find out if I could get these guys some compensation for their suffering. I looked at some websites, read some manuals, read some other manuals, checked back with emails sent when the drydock first started, talked with my XO and read some more manuals.
The sticking point with all the initial discussions was the abundance of military dining facilities available on the island of Oahu. There are four galleys within close proximity to the route between our hotel and the shipyard, so the crew should have been able to find their way to any one of them for a decent meal at a reasonable price. Oh, for a perfect world.
The reality is that our working hours at the shipyard preclude the use of the galleys for all intents and purposes. We start too early, have too short a lunch and work too late to get dinner.
And the guys get thoroughly grimy at the shipyard during the day, which necessitates a pretty extensive clean-up before they head to a military-run facility, if they expect entry through the door. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock...there's just not enough minutes in the day.
I discarded the idea of per diem pretty quickly. Drydocks are different than regular temporary duty because a member is still with their permanently assigned unit, so that was a non-starter. In fact, I think the manual specifically addresses that per diem is not applicable for drydock availabilities.
But as I was researching per diem, I came across an additional subsistence allowance that seemed like it was just the ticket. The manual said to submit a request to Headquarters with an explanation of the situation. So, in the time-honored tradition of working smarter, not harder, I emailed the HQ office with a very general description of our situation and asked if they had a "template" request I could use to plagiarize from...oh, I mean, use as a model. I kinda thought I'd get an example memo back, and it would be pretty straight forward.
Instead I got back more questions...why didn't you think about this before? What about galleys in the local area? Why wasn't there discussion of a messing contract at the beginning? Why is the hotel so far away from the shipyard?
So, I calmed myself, took a deep breath, and settled in to write a very, very long, descriptive email. I tried to be professional with my response, though I do remember saying something like, "it only took a short time for the crew to get heartily sick of white bread sandwiches, a mealy apple and a packet of oreos," in my description of the box lunches we were getting. I spent about a full day on the email, and then sent it on it's way.
In the meantime, my XO has mentioned to his friend in high places that we're pursuing some alternate compensation possibilities for messing. Thank god for my XO, because I think without this critical step, my goose would have been cooked (sorry for the food-related pun).
The next day, I get an email back, not from the guy I sent the original email to, but from his boss. He recommended that I start to draft the request while they continue to discuss the issue within his office. That way, it would already be in process and shorten the response time in case it was approved.
WHOOOPPEEE!! It's not a "no!" So I start to draft the response. I took most of the second email and made it sound more professional and rational. But I had a question about who it needed to be see it along it's way to the HQ office. I sent another email back, asking that, and pretty much expected to hear something back this morning. No email in the queue this morning...so I called. Not so much my style, but I'm kinda in a time crunch because I want some resolution to the question while it still has some relevance to the guys.
What I found out from the phone call was that I needed alot more specifics about the situation, which was really helpful, and will make my request all that much stronger. But I also found out that my situation had been briefed to their office's O6, and that said O6 had called my boss to chat about the request. Things happen when O6s talk to other O6s, so I'm really hopeful that this will have a positive outcome.
But my O6 is a big picture kinda guy, looking for how to make the situation better in future similar circumstances. So he started asking how we got into the pickle (tee hee) we're in, who approved the initial plan, what other options could have been. And then, thump bumpthump thud, the bus rolled over the folks that had set up our original arrangements.
I didn't mean to set them up but I don't have any sympathy for them...they really did screw us over by not caring about the impact of their decision on my crew. They took the easy road rather than putting their critical thinking skills to work and coming up with a better answer.
And so the pot was stirred.
This drydock has been difficult for the crew. While I acknowledge that staying in a hotel in Waikiki for a few days sounds relaxing and enjoyable, living here for five months, without personal and dedicated transportation, no kitchen, and a nearly 2 hour round-trip commute has turned arduous. They're spending a ton of money on food, eating out nearly every meal in one of the most tourist-plagued, over-priced spots in the country. Some of them are trying to economize by buying frozen dinners or convenience meals at the commissary. But the hotel rooms only have a mini fridge and small microwave.
I feel for them, but haven't really had to deal with the frustrations of such uncomfortable circumstances. I've taken some time off, gotten to stay at my Mom's house, and have my own set of wheels (the cutest little yellow Mini Cooper!!). And I make a bunch more money than they do...like probably a couple four of them put together.
So, instead of just sitting around whining about what a short-sighted non-solution I walked into, I decided to do some research and find out if I could get these guys some compensation for their suffering. I looked at some websites, read some manuals, read some other manuals, checked back with emails sent when the drydock first started, talked with my XO and read some more manuals.
The sticking point with all the initial discussions was the abundance of military dining facilities available on the island of Oahu. There are four galleys within close proximity to the route between our hotel and the shipyard, so the crew should have been able to find their way to any one of them for a decent meal at a reasonable price. Oh, for a perfect world.
The reality is that our working hours at the shipyard preclude the use of the galleys for all intents and purposes. We start too early, have too short a lunch and work too late to get dinner.
And the guys get thoroughly grimy at the shipyard during the day, which necessitates a pretty extensive clean-up before they head to a military-run facility, if they expect entry through the door. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock...there's just not enough minutes in the day.
I discarded the idea of per diem pretty quickly. Drydocks are different than regular temporary duty because a member is still with their permanently assigned unit, so that was a non-starter. In fact, I think the manual specifically addresses that per diem is not applicable for drydock availabilities.
But as I was researching per diem, I came across an additional subsistence allowance that seemed like it was just the ticket. The manual said to submit a request to Headquarters with an explanation of the situation. So, in the time-honored tradition of working smarter, not harder, I emailed the HQ office with a very general description of our situation and asked if they had a "template" request I could use to plagiarize from...oh, I mean, use as a model. I kinda thought I'd get an example memo back, and it would be pretty straight forward.
Instead I got back more questions...why didn't you think about this before? What about galleys in the local area? Why wasn't there discussion of a messing contract at the beginning? Why is the hotel so far away from the shipyard?
So, I calmed myself, took a deep breath, and settled in to write a very, very long, descriptive email. I tried to be professional with my response, though I do remember saying something like, "it only took a short time for the crew to get heartily sick of white bread sandwiches, a mealy apple and a packet of oreos," in my description of the box lunches we were getting. I spent about a full day on the email, and then sent it on it's way.
In the meantime, my XO has mentioned to his friend in high places that we're pursuing some alternate compensation possibilities for messing. Thank god for my XO, because I think without this critical step, my goose would have been cooked (sorry for the food-related pun).
The next day, I get an email back, not from the guy I sent the original email to, but from his boss. He recommended that I start to draft the request while they continue to discuss the issue within his office. That way, it would already be in process and shorten the response time in case it was approved.
WHOOOPPEEE!! It's not a "no!" So I start to draft the response. I took most of the second email and made it sound more professional and rational. But I had a question about who it needed to be see it along it's way to the HQ office. I sent another email back, asking that, and pretty much expected to hear something back this morning. No email in the queue this morning...so I called. Not so much my style, but I'm kinda in a time crunch because I want some resolution to the question while it still has some relevance to the guys.
What I found out from the phone call was that I needed alot more specifics about the situation, which was really helpful, and will make my request all that much stronger. But I also found out that my situation had been briefed to their office's O6, and that said O6 had called my boss to chat about the request. Things happen when O6s talk to other O6s, so I'm really hopeful that this will have a positive outcome.
But my O6 is a big picture kinda guy, looking for how to make the situation better in future similar circumstances. So he started asking how we got into the pickle (tee hee) we're in, who approved the initial plan, what other options could have been. And then, thump bumpthump thud, the bus rolled over the folks that had set up our original arrangements.
I didn't mean to set them up but I don't have any sympathy for them...they really did screw us over by not caring about the impact of their decision on my crew. They took the easy road rather than putting their critical thinking skills to work and coming up with a better answer.
And so the pot was stirred.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Good Kind of Problems
Yup, I got good problems...
First, I am so freaking full. Like belly-popping, sitting on the couch moaning kind of full. I'm staying in Waikiki tonight, and hadn't made any prior arrangements (read: no TV dinners in the freezer). So I went out to find some grinds. I stumbled on a teeny sushi bar, and gorged myself. For only $15.50!! In Waikiki!!! Too cool.
I got rained on walking back to my hotel. The remnants of Hurricane Felicia. But we need the rain, and it gives me a good excuse to take hot shower and wrap up in comfy pjs.
And my arm hurts. For the fifth day in a row. From my new tattoo :) It's gonna be so pretty when it's done. It's not so pretty right now, all peely and scabbed up. But it hurts from the skin being too tight, kinda like a bad Indian burn all around my bicep.
Like I said...the good kind of problems.
But while I was feasting on too much sushi (yummy shrimp tempura rolls, spicy hamachi, miso soup, spicy sesame salad, and edamame--it hurts just thinking about it all), I thought about how much my brain is going to ooze out of my brain when I go to a shoreside job. I got a phone call from a good friend today who is CO of another patrol boat in another location. We spent a delightful 45 minutes railing against poor support for our beleaguered crews and cutters. It was so cathartic.
First, I am so freaking full. Like belly-popping, sitting on the couch moaning kind of full. I'm staying in Waikiki tonight, and hadn't made any prior arrangements (read: no TV dinners in the freezer). So I went out to find some grinds. I stumbled on a teeny sushi bar, and gorged myself. For only $15.50!! In Waikiki!!! Too cool.
I got rained on walking back to my hotel. The remnants of Hurricane Felicia. But we need the rain, and it gives me a good excuse to take hot shower and wrap up in comfy pjs.
And my arm hurts. For the fifth day in a row. From my new tattoo :) It's gonna be so pretty when it's done. It's not so pretty right now, all peely and scabbed up. But it hurts from the skin being too tight, kinda like a bad Indian burn all around my bicep.
Like I said...the good kind of problems.
But while I was feasting on too much sushi (yummy shrimp tempura rolls, spicy hamachi, miso soup, spicy sesame salad, and edamame--it hurts just thinking about it all), I thought about how much my brain is going to ooze out of my brain when I go to a shoreside job. I got a phone call from a good friend today who is CO of another patrol boat in another location. We spent a delightful 45 minutes railing against poor support for our beleaguered crews and cutters. It was so cathartic.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Eeek
It's been a while since I posted. I went on a trip to Southern California to visit my sister and some friends. I had a really good time. It was refreshing to hang out with people that knew me before I gave up my social life for a professional one. I'm working on getting the social life back, with some limited success.
I added a new blog to my roll...Obama Foodorama is all about food and our President. I *love* the post about the President celebrating his birthday with Ms Helen Thomas, who turned 89 today. So cool!
While at a Very Important Meeting (well, not really, but it was a bad combination of taking itself too seriously and demeaning itself like clowns...kinda weird), I gave myself a series of deadlines for getting my graduate school stuff done. I'm giving the folks that I'm asking to write letters of recommendations nearly 90 days to get them in. All the schools I'm applying to (narrowed to U of MD, UC Berkeley and GWU) have online applications, which my SME (Subject Matter Expert=Bro-in-Law) has assured me is far easier than the old paper copies. And I've got a date to take the GRE (again...for a third time). And I've got a due date for my Statement of Purpose. Expect to see at least one draft of that here. My deadline for myself is 11 Sep...plenty of time to revise it a million times.
I added a new blog to my roll...Obama Foodorama is all about food and our President. I *love* the post about the President celebrating his birthday with Ms Helen Thomas, who turned 89 today. So cool!
While at a Very Important Meeting (well, not really, but it was a bad combination of taking itself too seriously and demeaning itself like clowns...kinda weird), I gave myself a series of deadlines for getting my graduate school stuff done. I'm giving the folks that I'm asking to write letters of recommendations nearly 90 days to get them in. All the schools I'm applying to (narrowed to U of MD, UC Berkeley and GWU) have online applications, which my SME (Subject Matter Expert=Bro-in-Law) has assured me is far easier than the old paper copies. And I've got a date to take the GRE (again...for a third time). And I've got a due date for my Statement of Purpose. Expect to see at least one draft of that here. My deadline for myself is 11 Sep...plenty of time to revise it a million times.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
A Better Week
I've been meaning to get to the computer and post about last week since, well, last week. Probably just as well that I never did. Last week was pretty bad. We found more holes in hard-to-get-to places on the ship, that translate into another week's extension in the drydock. We had an outboard motor stolen from where it was locked up outside the ship. And I sent a couple of pointedly antagonistic emails, fighting about various needs for money and funding.
The responses I got back from the emails were nicer than I expected. But I had to say my piece, and I feel better for having done so.
We've got a long-term plan in place for fixing some of the deteriorated metal above the waterline. Though I make no promises about not painting one of the patches just like what it is...a band-aid. At least for long enough to make my point.
And the shipyard has said they would pay for the outboard, since they're responsible for the security of everything while we're in their yard.
So...just as well I didn't post about anything last week. This week is shaping up to be fairly good so far. Except for that darn speeding ticket I got today. I can't even use the excuse that I was late...even with having to stop for the citation, I was on time for my meeting. I was just going fast for the sake of going fast. Too bad I didn't see the cop with the speed gun sitting on the side of the road. He didn't even have to chase me; he just flipped the lights on his motorcycle on, pointed at me, and I pulled over. No reason to blow him off, I knew I was busted. It's the priciest ticket I've had in a while. Aah, the cost of a little fun. And that Mini can go!!
The responses I got back from the emails were nicer than I expected. But I had to say my piece, and I feel better for having done so.
We've got a long-term plan in place for fixing some of the deteriorated metal above the waterline. Though I make no promises about not painting one of the patches just like what it is...a band-aid. At least for long enough to make my point.
And the shipyard has said they would pay for the outboard, since they're responsible for the security of everything while we're in their yard.
So...just as well I didn't post about anything last week. This week is shaping up to be fairly good so far. Except for that darn speeding ticket I got today. I can't even use the excuse that I was late...even with having to stop for the citation, I was on time for my meeting. I was just going fast for the sake of going fast. Too bad I didn't see the cop with the speed gun sitting on the side of the road. He didn't even have to chase me; he just flipped the lights on his motorcycle on, pointed at me, and I pulled over. No reason to blow him off, I knew I was busted. It's the priciest ticket I've had in a while. Aah, the cost of a little fun. And that Mini can go!!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Last Few Weeks
Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. This first one is from a hike that I took from Schofield to Waikane in the center of the island (Oahu). It was about 14 miles round trip. Yes, I was tired when I got done...and hungry when I got to this spot, which looks out over the windward side of the island.
Then last week I went to the Big Island for about six days. I stayed at a lovely little studio place just outside of Kapoho, called Lava Rock Hale. Eric and Diane have made a wonderfully inviting place out there, with this little round house, complete with four nice dogs and one old horse. I got a kick out of saying "Hi, horse" to him every morning. The last morning I was there, I shared a papaya with him, and laughed as he dribbled papaya juice down his chin.
But the main reason I went to the Big Island was to check out my property at Leilani Estates. I've had it for about four years, bought it when I was stationed out here before...and haven't really done much with it since. And, oddly enough, things grow fast and big here in the tropics when there's plenty of rain like there is in Leilani. So this is what I was facing...
I weed-eated (weed-ate?) for hours, for days. I was able to find the driveway.
And then some of the back of the property.
And lots of cut trees in the middle...
I got about half of the 1.29 acres cleared back. Some of it I kinda cheated on. The grass was mixed in with some sort of pea-like legume. I cut the tops of the grass and legume back to about mid-thigh level on me, and then crushed it by stepping on it. I'll have some great mulch/compost in a little bit.
But I enjoyed myself. There's something very gratifying about working hard, and being able to look back at the end of the day and seeing in such a graphic way what you got done.
One last photo from the trip. This is looking down one of the back roads near Kapoho. I love these old mango trees. The state of Hawaii has designated them Exceptional Trees...and I totally
agree.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
What the Future Holds
One of the great things about being in drydock, is that it gives me plenty of time to plan my next move professionally. The Coast Guard has already accepted me into their Advanced Education program for a Masters in Public Administration. Now it's up to me to decide what school, where, with what focus.
It should be of no surprise to *anyone* who knows me that I've already been through about three iterations of the plan (Anne :), thanks for being so patient with listening to me stew through them all). But I'm developing a new plan. Shocker, I know. I guess that's one way in which the Coast Guard and I really do get along...nothing is for certain in the Coast Guard until it actually happens, kinda like one of my plans.
Here's my thought process:
-Location, location, location: I am really tired of moving around. I've been in the CG for (one month shy of) 10 years. In that 10 years, I've had seven jobs, in six locations...but that doesn't count the two months of Basic Training in New Jersey, four months of Officer Candidate School in Connecticut, 10 weeks of Tactical Action Officer School in Rhode Island or the two months of Pre-Deployment Training in Virginia...or the five month drydock away from homeport. I need to be in one place for more than a year or two. Because of the program I've chosen, I have three choices for locations of my pay-back tour (the required follow-on job, since the CG will be nice enough to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for my degree): most likely is Washington, DC at CG Headquarters, and significantly less likely at either Alameda, CA or Portsmouth, VA.
In this decision process, and god knows it is a process, I've used that location issue as the basis for starting to look at schools. In those three areas are some good schools:
Washington, DC area (heavy emphasis on the "area" part) has American University, George Washington University and University of Maryland at College Park (Sis, I know your mouth is hanging agape at my suggestion that I'm considering College Park, but this is all still very early discussion stages yet).
Alameda, CA has University of California at Berkeley. And that's it for schools ranked 50 or below in the entire San Francisco area. I was really shocked. I mean Berkeley is ranked two or four depending on who you ask, but still. And I would have to do some fancy talking to get the CG to send me here...it's a longer program than the others and kind of a long-shot for the payback tour.
Portsmouth, VA area has Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Neither of these are ranked...bummer. The beauty of this location is that I could potentially spend the rest of my career here because there are numerous ships homeported here, and I still want my O4 XO/CO and O5 CO (hopefully) rides.
Next comes consideration of what focus I want my for my program. I had originally thought that an environmental policy would be just the thing. I could look into what it would take for the CG to move to more environmentally friendly fuels, like biodiesel, for their fleet of vessels. But then, as part of the application process, the schools want to know what my goals are, short and long term. What I really want to work with is local food systems, how to develop them, nuture them and sustain them. But...I can't quite figure out how to do that and make it relevant to my CG career. Not without getting into some heavy-duty logistical bean counting. And I'd much rather grow the beans and eat the beans, than count the beans.
I started looking at other options, and found that most schools offer a Leadership focus. They pretty up the name and make it sound a little more impressive, but it comes down to how to influence people. I think this may be a great fit. I can certainly draw on my previous experiences with useful anectedotes and scenarios for discussion. And I still have a lot to learn about organizational leadership and how people work best in different environments.
Am I on the right track here? Is my thought process sound? What haven't I considered?
It should be of no surprise to *anyone* who knows me that I've already been through about three iterations of the plan (Anne :), thanks for being so patient with listening to me stew through them all). But I'm developing a new plan. Shocker, I know. I guess that's one way in which the Coast Guard and I really do get along...nothing is for certain in the Coast Guard until it actually happens, kinda like one of my plans.
Here's my thought process:
-Location, location, location: I am really tired of moving around. I've been in the CG for (one month shy of) 10 years. In that 10 years, I've had seven jobs, in six locations...but that doesn't count the two months of Basic Training in New Jersey, four months of Officer Candidate School in Connecticut, 10 weeks of Tactical Action Officer School in Rhode Island or the two months of Pre-Deployment Training in Virginia...or the five month drydock away from homeport. I need to be in one place for more than a year or two. Because of the program I've chosen, I have three choices for locations of my pay-back tour (the required follow-on job, since the CG will be nice enough to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for my degree): most likely is Washington, DC at CG Headquarters, and significantly less likely at either Alameda, CA or Portsmouth, VA.
In this decision process, and god knows it is a process, I've used that location issue as the basis for starting to look at schools. In those three areas are some good schools:
Washington, DC area (heavy emphasis on the "area" part) has American University, George Washington University and University of Maryland at College Park (Sis, I know your mouth is hanging agape at my suggestion that I'm considering College Park, but this is all still very early discussion stages yet).
Alameda, CA has University of California at Berkeley. And that's it for schools ranked 50 or below in the entire San Francisco area. I was really shocked. I mean Berkeley is ranked two or four depending on who you ask, but still. And I would have to do some fancy talking to get the CG to send me here...it's a longer program than the others and kind of a long-shot for the payback tour.
Portsmouth, VA area has Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Neither of these are ranked...bummer. The beauty of this location is that I could potentially spend the rest of my career here because there are numerous ships homeported here, and I still want my O4 XO/CO and O5 CO (hopefully) rides.
Next comes consideration of what focus I want my for my program. I had originally thought that an environmental policy would be just the thing. I could look into what it would take for the CG to move to more environmentally friendly fuels, like biodiesel, for their fleet of vessels. But then, as part of the application process, the schools want to know what my goals are, short and long term. What I really want to work with is local food systems, how to develop them, nuture them and sustain them. But...I can't quite figure out how to do that and make it relevant to my CG career. Not without getting into some heavy-duty logistical bean counting. And I'd much rather grow the beans and eat the beans, than count the beans.
I started looking at other options, and found that most schools offer a Leadership focus. They pretty up the name and make it sound a little more impressive, but it comes down to how to influence people. I think this may be a great fit. I can certainly draw on my previous experiences with useful anectedotes and scenarios for discussion. And I still have a lot to learn about organizational leadership and how people work best in different environments.
Am I on the right track here? Is my thought process sound? What haven't I considered?
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