Two girls one sub

With the viral video rage these days, I'm thinking of releasing a short I've been working on. It involves two girls, taking turns sampling the primary without procedure, permission, or anti-c's. They then take a swig of primary and then proceed to make pop-tarts in nucleonics. GROSS!

While you all wait for that amazing video to hit the streets, mull on my razor efficient movie reviews . With winter stand down, I have had a chance to catch up on my books and movies.

I'll start with the less satisfying of the two, movies:

1. I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry: Adam Sandler and that fat guy from "Hitch". Hilarious jokes with a solid plot, great message (don't hate!), and Jessica Biel. Two Periscopes up.

2. Rush Hour 3: Jackie Chan still throws furniture with his legs and Chris Tucker still won't shut the f up.

3. I am Legend: Movie peaked at the scene where he chased deer through the streets of NY. Too much zombie, not enough Fresh Prince. Plus a huge pie of religious allegory smashed into your face at the end. No thanks.

4. The Bourne Ultimatum: Bourne runs. Bourne kicks ass in hand to hand combat. He gets into a car, chase ensues. Repeat x5 = one full movie.

5. Live Free or Die Hard: John McClane drives a car into a helicopter. Love it.


Books:
1. "Blink" by Malcom Gladwell: Another great book by Gladwell, it examines the process of split second judgements. At first, it is hard to believe that one could write an entire book on this, but after reading it, one could write volumes on the topic. Much like his other book, "The Tipping Point," it delves into the underlying reasons for simple human behavior and interactions. Enlightening.

2. "Mind Gym: An Athlete's guide to Inner Excellence" by Gary Mack. I actually found this book on Amazon while clicking on one book, then clicking on "other customers bought," repeatedly, which eventually leads you to some completely unrelated book that you find interesting. This book is written at a fourth grade level, so that any "athlete" may understand. This actually made it hard for me to read. However, it still gave good tips on improving your performance in sports. After gleaning some tidbits in being "present minded" while playing your sport, I headed out to play a round with the pop's at the local course. I lost a ball at every hole, and at the ninth hole, I "presently hated golf." Thanks Mind Gym.



Fair winds and following sea's

Nuclear Winter

My sacrifice was sufficient in the eyes of the gods, and I finished prototype, ahead of schedule, as our entire class got pushed out right before Thanksgiving. HOORAH!

After an overly restful leave period, I embarked to SOBC. For those in the know, it is effectively the calm between the storms for a JO. Yes, still a training command, still studying, etc., however it is RADIATION FREE. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, NO dosimetry required!
It is a true winter here in SOBC, and I am freezing, as my genteel skin, accustomed to the year round arid and warm climate of my hometown, is not prepared for this. I hope that I will make it out of here, and to my boat, whether she likes it or not!

Fair winds, and Freezing seas!

And the Lord said, let there be hell

In the beginning, God created the surface ship and the airplane. And all was good.
On the second day, he created Rickover. And Rickover said, let there be neutrons.
And here I am.

Prototype is one huge pain train, but it's all for the better. As a masochist, I manage to keep in sight the invaluable lessons learned from rotating shift work, inevitable double standards, ephemeral scheduling, and infinite red tape.

So far I have escaped 'plus hours', some steam leak by, and malaria from living in the "low country" as they call it down here.

It certainly is low on:
- The amount of good drivers
- Culture
- Egalitarianism
- Good drivers
- The much touted 'red drum,' a regional croaker species.

There is plenty of:
- Really really bad drivers
- Swamp stench
- Paper factory stench
- Bad driver stench
- Blue crab

Only a few more months to go, we finish on Thanksgiving. I will then be giving much thanks for having gone through and COMPLETED prototype on an S5W.

Oh and of course, there are no more S5W's in the fleet.

Tuna Salad, Nuke style

Hello Shipmates!
Do you love procedure?
Do you circle x when you read the morning paper?

If so, this recipe is for you!

So get your grease pencil and your warm up your "point - read - operate" hand, because you're in for a treat!

How to make a great Tuna pasta salad, perfect for lunch at work, a picnic, or a snack:

For the remainder of this discussion, refer to the following table for reference guides:
KDOP: Kitchen Department Operating Procedures
KDCP: Kitchen Department Casualty Procedures
KPM: Kitchen Plant Manual
-Vol. 1: Systems
-Vol. 2:
-Book 1: Operating Instructions
-Book 2: Operating Procedures
-Book 3: Casualty Procedures
SPILLCON: Spill Control for Kitchens
Ing Chem Manual: Ingredient Chemistry for Kitchen Plants

GO!
This is your last piece of informal guidance; begin by using KDOP - 2, table 22: Tuna Salad.

KDOP - 2, Table 22:
1. Gather all ingredients:
a. 1 Can of Albacore tuna, 1 stick of celery, 1 tbsp of Onion, one cup of Farfalle pasta, salt, black pepper, 2 tbsp's of light mayonnaise, 1 tsp of lemon juice, half of an avocado.
b. Observe all expiration dates and packaging requirements per (Ing Chem Manual). Do not use expired ingredients.
c. Place on Kitchen counter, per KPM, Vol. 2, Book 1, OI 6.2: Kitchen Counter
2. Boil water using a class B, type II receptacle.
a. Fill receptacle per KPM, Vol. 2, Book 1, OI 10.1: Filling a pot, and condition water per Ing Chem Manual.
b. Boil water, per KPM, Vol. 2, Book 2, OP A.1, Gas Range Startup, and perform a normal Gas Range Startup
i. Refer to KPM, Vol. 1, Book 1, OI 12.1, Operating the Gas Range
c. Monitor water per KPM, Vol. 2, Book 2, OP B.2, Steady State Heat Operations, and add pasta when the prerequisites of the following references are met:
i. Ing Chem Manual, 533.3: Indications of a Wet Vapor
ii. KPM, Vol. 2, Book 1, OI 9.2, Adding ingredients to a Wet Vapor
d. Remove the pasta upon completion, according to article 440, Ing Chem Manual.
3. Chop and dice the celery, cilantro, and avocado, per reference KPM OI 15.1: Knife Operations.
a. Pare the ingredients as follow:
i. Celery & Avocado: .25 x .25 in.
ii. Cilantro: Finely chopped (see Ing Chem Manual for chopping guidelines)
4. If any spills occur, refer to SPILLCON.
5. If any burns (thermal or chemical), lacerations, punctures, during the procedure, refer to KDCP.
6. Combine all prepared ingredients in a OSHA approved bowl, and mix, as per OI 19.2: Mixing in medium to large bowls. Add Mayonnaise, Lemon Juice, and pinch of salt and pepper (see Ing Chem Manual for pinch guidelines)
7. Transfer to a non-porous storage container, meeting guidelines of Ing Chem Manual article 800: Perishable Food Storage
8. Clean up the kitchen, per KDCP - 2, Table 18: Kitchen Cleanup
9. Enjoy at any time, don't forget to wash your hands!

(Note: your tuna salad will in no way look or taste like
the professionally made one above
- photo credit: not me)

The Dog Days of Prototype

Some recent notable events:

1. We have finished one full cycle of shifts. The most notable was the swings to mids shift, where we got off work at 2330 (11:30PM for you scrubs out there) and commenced partying till 8 am in order to adjust to the midnight shift (1900 - 0700).
Quick breakdown:
2330: Get off work, go change out of our smelly coveralls
2400: Our crew meets up at a local wings/sports bar. We had a buttload of wings and some beers. We ordered the "china syndrome" and "chernobyl" flavored ones, and sat with bated breath.
We briefed the procedure, checked our dosimetry, and established communications. The wings arrived, and we dug in, eagerly hoping to exceed our yearly exposure limit so that they would tell us that we couldn't come into work anymore.
Needless to say, we received more exposure from the radon gas that was baked into the wings, and went to work a few days later.
0100: We went to an after hours establishment and spent about an hour grabbing a beer or two. For some reason, all of Charleston closes down after 12pm on Monday nights. Ridiculous!
0200: Our entire crew assembled back at our house to begin imbibing with no repercussions. Instruments were collected, and the house began to fill with the sounds of 2 djembe's, 2 didgeridoo's, a guitar, and some horrible singing.
0330: A crewmate and myself walked over to the dock to do a little night fishing. Results: one croaker, which was grudgingly tossed back into the briny deep.
0530: Return to the house, to find half the crew passed out on the couches. We grabbed some more beers, and headed out back to the dock to watch the sunrise.
0700: Breakfast: we grilled up some steaks, eggs, and I made chocolate chip pancakes. A grand time was had by the 4 remaining awake members of our crew.
0800: End mid's party. We are officially shifted over!

2. A grandmother gives her grandson a gift. The gift of red lobster. A shipmate of mine received a gift certificate to red lobster from his grandmother, for five-zero dollars. Naturally, he wanted to share this gift with his colleagues. So thus four Naval Officers embarked on a journey to consume epic amounts of trans fats and triple fried shrimp.

1900: We pile in the car, morale was high.
1930: We are lost. In North Charleston nonetheless. It is dark, and the streets are poorly labeled. I think I heard a gunshot.
1940: With the help of my blackberry, I guide us to the eatery. We have arrived at the seafood feeding trough of America.
1950: We put our names down, for 4. 10 min wait she says. TEN minutes? Are you serious? At a flippin' red lobster? I don't wait for subcritical multiplication, let alone the staff at a trashy seafood chain. Seat me now!
2000: We are seated. The host brings us three different menus each. One is the standard menu. The second is there "as seen on TV specials" (no shit, he said this), and the third was... I don't even know what the third was, but it was there. I quickly moved to coloring a kids menu.
2010: After much debate on how we wanted to increase our cholesterol levels, we all settled on what we wanted to eat.
Me: Choose your own feast, coconut shrimp + crab alfredo.
Shipmate1: Three shrimp platter
Shipmate2: Ultimate Feast
Shipmate3: Ultimate Feast. Copy cat.
Bottomless cheesy bread all around!
We also order lobster dip and calamari as appetizers.
2035: The food arrives. After about three bites, I have diabetes.
2100: Red Lobster was a bad choice.
We pay, and pour into the car, there are talks of making large head calls at home.
0010: As I write this, I realize that the waitress didn't bring us our freaking sides!!! I ordered a baked potato. I GOT JIPPED. Add THAT to the list of things I hate about red lobster.

That's all the chronological events for tonight...

Other frequent prototype activities have been: crabbing, sleeping, fishing, and sleeping. I haven't gotten my room 100% light proof for mids, but it's good enough.

I may go see the doctor next week for prescription to help with my newfound high cholesterol.

The Second Step

In a Journey of a Thousand Miles. Power school has been completed! I got out just fine... I had a great 2 week vacation, visiting family and friends back at home, slept a LOT, and read loads of books that contained NO "topical guide objectives," or a table of specs. BITE ME!

BOOK REVIEWS:
I just finished Heinleins "Stranger in a Strange Land," supposedly one of the most famous science fiction novels ever. Very interesting. The ending left me wanting more, something more definitive. However, I think that was the point of the novel, in that "Michael Smith," the Martian, was trying to convey a sense of timelessness & lack of urgency in existence. Too bad I'm only an Earthling, and have to go to work everyday...

Also "The Tipping Point" by Malcom Gladwell. Excellent read, very enlightening. It gives insight into the nature of large scale human interaction. Not much more to be said on that, other than, highly recommended!

NAVY TALK:
Right now, we have started prototype, and it is a complete CLUSTER F**K. The class has a record # of people due to the Navy's infinite wisdom, therefore everything is harder to accomplish due to the crowds (anyone who knows about prototype can relate to this).
However, I'm getting that much closer to the boat, so I'm still excited. And I'm learning a ton of stuff every day.

The favorite outfit of RL DIV (not really):













NAVY NEWS:
I just saw the logo of the USS Hawaii's (SSN-776), a brank spanking new Virginia Class Submarine, the 3rd in its class. It was commissioned on 5 MAY 07, as the first commissioned US Navy vessel to be named after the aloha state. I love Hawaii, and I love submarines... We'll see where my destiny takes me.

Sweet logo huh!















Fair Winds & Following Seas

Halfway...

I am officially halfway through officer nuclear power shool. Surprisingly, it has become much more manageable. I find myself less stressed out, and yet doing fine. I guess I'm finally adapting to the environment. I am enjoying myself as much as the I was the first day I got here, so that is also a plus.

I still think about Hawaii everyday, and getting to my submarine so I can do real navy things. This keeps me going while I'm here busy getting the foundations for my career.

I have been seeing the alligator a lot more lately, likely attributed to the warming weather and longer hours of sunlight.

I have also been dreaming about nuclear power much less these days. I haven't had a power school dream in a few weeks. *crosses fingers*

Fair Winds
and Following seas

Some signs that I'm studying too much

And also that I may like what I'm doing...

I had a dream last night that I was designing a Cadmium based reactor. Haha!! I chose cadmium because it was more plentiful than uranium. Now, I have no idea if that is even true. I actually don't even know anything about Cadmium. I'm pretty sure it's non-radioactive. It could be comparable to making an Aluminum based reactor. What a weird thought.

In that same dream, I was stressed out at one point because my carbonic acid concentration was too high. WTF? Questions for myself: Where was this carbonic acid (H2CO3)?
Why was there too much?
What was I going to do??

All I remember was that the carbonic acid was dissociating in water to produce hydronium ions. I didn't include the fact that carbonic acid is polyprotic. I realized that upon waking up. Hahaha...

If you have read this far without yelling "DORK," outloud, then I thank you. If only you could understand...

If I keep having dreams like this, I will either:
1. Go crazy
Or
2. Invent something really cool (like a magnesium based squirrel poo reactor that auto corrects for carbonic acid concentrations) in my sleep and then go crazy

Fair winds and following seas