SOBC was a great time, we still had to work, however compared to power school and prototype, it paled in comparison. This is how the Navy tricks you. Horrible working hours are made the norm, and then when they give you a 9 to 5, suddenly you become grateful and forget about all the hard times. Great strategy I have to say.
Let me recap a few of my trips and escapades while here at SOBC:
New York City: 4 trips, lots of eating out, nightlife, museums (the MET, MOMA), and musicals (Avenue Q). I tried walking as much as possible and over the 4 trips, covered everywhere from downtown (to see the WTC site, check that box) to the Met, all the way uptown around 82nd. NYC is a great city, and I would love to continue visiting: I'm not sure if I could make a life there, it's a freaking zoo.
Boston: 2 trips. It's actually a very small town, and in my opinion, with not much to do. I saw everything I needed to see in two trips, and left with the sound of belligerent drivers ringing in my ear.
Newport RI: 1 trip, stayed at a friend's place, who is from Newport. I got there at dark, and left in the morning, so I didn't see much, but it was fun for the 18 hours I was there. Also, the winter season doesn't seem to lend itself to be a bustling town.
New Haven: Hung out at Yale once, but also made 5-6 more trips, to the climbing gym there, trying to get back into my climbing grove. Lots of fun.
Skiing/Boarding: Went up to some small mountain in MA. I skied and tried boarding for the first time, and did quite well.
I was kept quite busy, and to be honest, am ready to work!
Of course there has been other things going on, i.e. national and world news!
One day was particularly a blockbuster news day:19 FEB 08, Fidel Castro announced his resignation as the president of Cuba! Almost surreal. What will be the effect? Honestly, I'm not really that interested, because there are bigger problems out there.
That same day (plus or minus a few), Blu Ray was declared the victor in the epic Blu Ray v HD DVD battle. The world has not seen such blood shed since the VHS v Betamax battle of the 80's. In the recent war, Toshiba ceded to Sony after several major Hollywood studios, who were on the fence, ran to Blu Ray. Ironically, Sony LOST the battle in the 80s as Betamax was their proprietary standard, and VHS was JVC's.
There are a few other on going stories that affect every American.
1. The recession. No one wants to use that term, but we ARE in one. A recession "is a slowdown in a country's gross domestic product (GDP), or negative real economic growth, for two or more successive quarters of a year." (thanks wikipedia)
Done. So now that's out of the way, are we in a depression? I think we're headed for one. You can see it everywhere. Housing continuing its slide like a sorority girl in a jello wrestling match. The stock market is stuttering in the downward direction. And this is some bad luck right here:
A few days ago, the dollar hit its ALL TIME LOW against the Euro, while on the very same day, Oil hit its ALL TIME HIGH of over $102 a barrel. HOLY COW, is anyone worried? Well I am only sort of, because I have a secure job, and in fact, we just got a navy wide pay raise this year. However, I'm worried for my fellow Americans.
2. The presidential primaries: Well, McCain's got the republican nomination secured, while Obama and Hilary are duking it out, alternating between periods of peaceful, positive dialogue, and shin breaking swipes. As Obama slowly edges ahead, I am realizing that this is the first presidential election that I'm looking forward to, because I like both Obama and McCain. Now, you may wonder, why is the possibility of indecision a good thing? Well because either way, I'll be happy with the election results.
You have McCain, a liberal-ish conservative and a former naval officer + POW (street cred!), and Obama, a man who has inspired America in a way not seen since JFK. You can't lose!
[image credited to their respective owners: not me!]
As I head off to my boat, I bid the Northeast fair winds and following seas!
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