The Computer Ate My Homework!

Let me start with my apologies to all who searched high and low for my pictures of the Farewell Ceremony and decided they must be computer illiterate. It turns out the internet connection out here in the Pacific isn't the greatest. And the pictures I attempt to load are floating somewhere out in cyber space. Don't fret yet. I will periodically try to download the pictures, and with a bit of sailor's luck it just might work for me. Besides, the pictures weren't that exciting anyway (I wasn't in any of them). Day 3 and the boat is still a rockin' and a rollin'. And I am happy to report that I have yet to see the contents of my stomach displayed before my eyes in splatter patterns. Unfortunately, the rest of the ship's company hasn't been as lucky. And my smiling face bobbing up and down the flats (hallways) only meets glares of jealousy. So far we have been attacked by various aircraft and torpedos, sustained major damages, and suffered several casualties (relax Mom, I'm talk make-believe). But the Sea Trainers insist that we are winning the fake 'War' and so we fight on. I actually quite enjoy the training process onboard. It gets you heart racing a mile a minute and your mind going even faster, as we attempt to fight fires and stop floods from stealing valuable ship's realestate. The only draw back is that fires, floods and enemy attacks don't stick to the 8 to 4 work day. More often than not, you're trying roll out of your rack at 2 in the morning and get fully dressed while the sailors above you are jumping down from their racks onto your head. It gets pretty hairy, pretty fast, but somehow no one gets injured. Oh, my favorite time of the evening has just arrived. It is time for me to scrub toilets and make the Chief's heads (washroom) sparkle and shine. I used to complain about cleaning the bathrooms at home when my brothers had used them, now I realize that experience was to steel me to this one. Time to go, myrubber gloves await me!