...is the one year anniversary of our graduation. Just thought that was interesting.
Happy anniversary! Happy Monday!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
BACK!
DIASPORATIC IS NOT DEAD! Does everyone remember that scene in The Matrix where Neo gets shot by the agent and dies? Remember how Trinity brought him back to life by kissing him? That is how it is with Diasporatic. It can be revived. All it needs is a little love!
I am officially back from deployment! Most of you already know that because with a few big exceptions (Sarah! Michelle! Steven!) I have seen most of you guys already. I can hardly describe how great it was to reunite with Amar, Sam and Dean for Foxfield. I would try to explain the elation I felt, but if I did Amar would accuse me of being emo. So I will just say it was a long-awaited pleasure. I even ran into a few people I wasn't expecting. Maha and Tommy both ambled by as I was having dinner at the College Inn with Amar and Sam.
I also got to go home for a few days and see my parents, my sister and the baby. She is huge now! She has started talking in complete sentences which are hilarious for their complete candour and unjaded logic. I have always had an incredible fondness for that child - all the more now that she is interactive! On a sadder note, I finally got to hear the details of my sister's divorce. It was very hard for me to hear her describe all that she went through while I was away. I felt terrible about having been so completely absent for the whole debacle. It was one of those moments where you start to question whether or not your career choice is worth the sacrifices. I am sure you have all had similar moments.
On 27 April I had to report to Newport, RI to continue my training. The Navy is always training you for something. No matter how many things you qualify yourself to do, they are forever trying to teach you to do something else. By getting my Officer of the Deck letter, I demonstrated that I know how to operate my ship. Now the Navy wants me to learn to operate every other kind of ship! That's what this three-week school is supposed to be about. It is called Advanced Shiphandling and Tactics. The first week was spent entirely in the simulators. They have some amazing sims here which more or less exactly approximate a real ship. Every day you go in and take your virtual ship through all kinds of hellish scenarios while a guy with a clipboard watches and grades you. The idea is to give you practice doing things with the ship which you ordinarily wouldn't get to do and to give the staff up here a chance to see how proficient you are. The second week has been a succession of interminable lectures on combat systems and tactics. This stuff is not nearly as interesting as it sounds. A 3-hour power point presentation about anti-submarine tactics is brutal treatment for even the most interested mind. Several such briefs in a row is the intellectual equivalent of waterboarding - a practice I thought we were supposed to be getting away from.
Aside from all that, I am having a great time up here. I am getting a lot of much-needed time with Arlene which is the most important thing. We spend most of our evenings trying out all the great restaurants and pubs in Newport. I have always been something of a hedonist when it comes to food and alcohol. Being with Arlene and having disposable income has only amplified that behaviour. She and I have those two vices in common, which is convenient. I have been attempting to work out regularly to mitigate the damage I am doing to myself. I am trying to be healthier in general. I have realised that I can't keep up my drinking and sloth indefinitely without significantly shortening my life expectancy. I have no intention of giving up drinking so I have been trying to do something about the sloth. So far I feel good!
I encourage you all to update Diasporatic with your experiences! We are coming up on a year since graduation. Can you guys believe that? The one year anniversary of our departure from college is a good occasion to revive our efforts to stay in touch and document our experiences and thoughts in this blog.
I am officially back from deployment! Most of you already know that because with a few big exceptions (Sarah! Michelle! Steven!) I have seen most of you guys already. I can hardly describe how great it was to reunite with Amar, Sam and Dean for Foxfield. I would try to explain the elation I felt, but if I did Amar would accuse me of being emo. So I will just say it was a long-awaited pleasure. I even ran into a few people I wasn't expecting. Maha and Tommy both ambled by as I was having dinner at the College Inn with Amar and Sam.
I also got to go home for a few days and see my parents, my sister and the baby. She is huge now! She has started talking in complete sentences which are hilarious for their complete candour and unjaded logic. I have always had an incredible fondness for that child - all the more now that she is interactive! On a sadder note, I finally got to hear the details of my sister's divorce. It was very hard for me to hear her describe all that she went through while I was away. I felt terrible about having been so completely absent for the whole debacle. It was one of those moments where you start to question whether or not your career choice is worth the sacrifices. I am sure you have all had similar moments.
On 27 April I had to report to Newport, RI to continue my training. The Navy is always training you for something. No matter how many things you qualify yourself to do, they are forever trying to teach you to do something else. By getting my Officer of the Deck letter, I demonstrated that I know how to operate my ship. Now the Navy wants me to learn to operate every other kind of ship! That's what this three-week school is supposed to be about. It is called Advanced Shiphandling and Tactics. The first week was spent entirely in the simulators. They have some amazing sims here which more or less exactly approximate a real ship. Every day you go in and take your virtual ship through all kinds of hellish scenarios while a guy with a clipboard watches and grades you. The idea is to give you practice doing things with the ship which you ordinarily wouldn't get to do and to give the staff up here a chance to see how proficient you are. The second week has been a succession of interminable lectures on combat systems and tactics. This stuff is not nearly as interesting as it sounds. A 3-hour power point presentation about anti-submarine tactics is brutal treatment for even the most interested mind. Several such briefs in a row is the intellectual equivalent of waterboarding - a practice I thought we were supposed to be getting away from.
Aside from all that, I am having a great time up here. I am getting a lot of much-needed time with Arlene which is the most important thing. We spend most of our evenings trying out all the great restaurants and pubs in Newport. I have always been something of a hedonist when it comes to food and alcohol. Being with Arlene and having disposable income has only amplified that behaviour. She and I have those two vices in common, which is convenient. I have been attempting to work out regularly to mitigate the damage I am doing to myself. I am trying to be healthier in general. I have realised that I can't keep up my drinking and sloth indefinitely without significantly shortening my life expectancy. I have no intention of giving up drinking so I have been trying to do something about the sloth. So far I feel good!
I encourage you all to update Diasporatic with your experiences! We are coming up on a year since graduation. Can you guys believe that? The one year anniversary of our departure from college is a good occasion to revive our efforts to stay in touch and document our experiences and thoughts in this blog.
Anatomy closing ceremony
Quick update: we finished anatomy a week ago and earlier today had our closing ceremony, where we pay respect to those who donated their bodies. For the closing ceremony, I wrote a poem and performed it with a friend. I wanted to share it with you guys too.
PS - Weird that someone other than Sarah is posting on this thing, right?
Anatomy Poem
PS - Weird that someone other than Sarah is posting on this thing, right?
Anatomy Poem
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