As I left my house this morning, I breathed deep the smell of a fresh rain.  It’s warming up and raining a little more frequently, so things around Oppama are turning green.  A small cherry blossom tree in the neighbor’s yard was a bright pink.  The rising sun provided the perfect spotlight.  All around me, dozens of different song birds were singing their unique songs.  It was one of those happy-to-be-alive moments.

Fast forward 30 minutes….

I arrive on base.  The rain clouds from earlier descend again.  The warm spring air is quickly chilled by a cold wind.  All the buildings look drab, like colors warn off after years of being next to the ocean.  The air is filled with the smell of cigarette smoke as hundreds of Sailors walk like zombies toward their ships.  Instead of song birds all I hear is the caw of crows as they circle the trash dumpsters.  Home sweet Kitty Hawk.

———-

On a lighter note, I’m really not depressed.  I just thought I’d like to paint that mental picture for you.  I’m actually enjoying my job almost as much as I enjoyed my job at AFN.  Well, AFN was MUCH better, but I’m enjoying it more than I have in the past year and a half.  I like being in charge of something because that means I can change broken processes.  Also, I’m back to video, which I LOVE and I work mostly with an Apple computer, so my stress level has gone way down.  I find myself working later hours, but liking it.  A much wiser man than me once said, “You’ll always be your own most critical boss.”

I’m really having a good time with all my Lighthouse buddies.  It’s easier to get through life with a strong Christian family.  I’ve felt engaged and strengthened as a Christian much more than any other Christian group I’ve been apart of.  The messages are hard, convicting, and freeing.  I’ve been thinking about recording Paul’s (the director) messages to make them available online.  They’re life-changing.

Also - Dad will be here in 9 days!  Can’t believe it’s happening so quickly!  I’ve been thinking about him coming for months now, using it as a happy thought to get me through the tough weeks, and now the time is almost here!  I still feel under prepared, although I’ve thought of a dozen or more places to go.  There’s that OCD trait showing up again.

I’m back to work aboard USS Kitty Hawk again.  I wouldn’t say it feels good to be productive again, because I usually question just how productive my work has actually been, but it does feel good to have a plan for each day.  Sometimes I’m a very structured person.  I’m Lazy OCD - a condition my dad and I both share.  Most likely genetic.

I spent 3 of my 4 hours of watch intently studying my Frommer’s in preparation for Dad’s visit in a couple weeks.  It’s going to be a lot of fun for me too.  A lot of the places I’m planning on taking him I’ve never been myself.  Plus, I’ve never had three weeks straight in Japan to just explore and enjoy.  I usually do my Japan treks in short day or two bursts.

1 - WiFi is much harder to steal during the day.

2 - Sunlight warms up Japanese houses nicely.  Too bad this has been my first time to witness it.

3 - I haven’t spoken English to anyone in the past two days except over the phone.  I like that.

4 - My “see how clean I can get the house” goal has turned into “see how dirty can I get the house.”

5 - If you have several things you’d like to get done, but none that have to get done, nothing gets done.

6 - I miss carpet, and no, tatami mats aren’t a good substitute.

7 - I still haven’t managed to get my satellite working = watching lots of DVDs

8 - If you don’t shave or cut your hair and then go to touristy places you’ll be mistaken for a European tourist.

9 - As much Japanese as I’ve learned, I still don’t know the word or characters for sweet potato ice cream.  That’s all I wanted today, and I kept ending up with grape (they’re both purplish).

10 - I really need to turn this computer off and study for my final on Thursday.

—–

On a side note, I’m going to Yokota tomorrow.  Most of my buddies have moved on, but it was still my home for two years so it deserves a visit.  I was thumbing through my phone for people out that way to call and it went something like, “He’s gone, she’s moved to the states, he’s in Korea, he’s in Iraq, he left like a year and a half ago!”  It really makes me wish for the simpler times.  Yokota was an amazing duty station.

I just started my first of two leave periods.  This one is only a week long, but it’s a week I really need, especially after the week I’ve had.  I usually don’t like to vent about work, but this one was a bear.

I was moved to the ship’s video team, after a snafu made the team look bad.  I’m happy and sad about this.  I’m happy because I’ve really wanted to do video again, after being taken out of that world a little more than a year ago.  I had a ton of fun at AFN Tokyo.  I liked being able to come up with creative ideas and figure out how to make them a reality on screen.  I really love the technology of film and how it’s all becoming digital and immediate.  Also, the video team on the ship just got a brand-spanking new Apple MacPro (top of the line Apple computer) loaded with Final Cut Pro (industry standard editing software) and I’m really eager to figure out every nuance of it.

I’m sad about this change for a few reasons too.  For one, I’m sure most people would rather step into something that works instead of something that doesn’t, and be expected to fix it.  My division officer already told me one of the reasons he’s putting me there is because he expects me to fix it.  That’s a lot of pressure.  Two, although I’ve got a lot of video knowledge, the majority of their equipment is decades older than anything I’ve worked with in the past.  Three, this is the first time I’ve ever been given something that’s been completely mine.  Before I’ve always been the middle-manager, but now I’m the guy.  That’s a lot of pressure.

We’ll see how this all pans out.  As of now, I’m going to look at this as a good thing.

I’m also thinking about heading down to Yokota for one of my last trips (more and more of my friends are leaving), and plotting out some things to see when my dad gets here.  Mostly though, I’m looking forward to sleeping in.

It was only a matter of time. My addictive personality found a new series to latch on to after finally bucking “Lost.” The new show is Heroes. iTunes makes it too easy. I can download every episode without ever leaving my house!

It’s very well written, and very suspenseful. Every episode ends with you going, “How could you leave me hangin’ like that?! I hate you!…..Oh, I can’t stay mad at you! I love you!” I don’t want to give away too much, because I definitely think it’s a show everyone could watch and enjoy.

Which of the powers would you have? - without the obvious choice of Peter’s. I like how they pair the obvious powers like flying and indestructibility with the more subtle ones like persuasion, mind-reading and clairvoyance. I really get a kick out of Hiro’s power too. There’s just so many uses for it!
A couple powers I think they’ve yet to tap into, that I would definitely want would be the ability to speak any language with complete fluency. The second one would be to be able to play any instrument like you’d been playing it your whole life. Those would be pretty cool.

——————-

I start my first leave period next week! I’m so excited! A week of no obligations!

——————-

My dad will be coming two weeks after that! There’s nothing like two things too look forward to. I’ll probably use this upcoming week off to plan his visit more in depth, take care of some errands before going underway.