Coasties Can Dance - Kinda

(Trent and I doing what we do best...being goofy.)


So last night was the 1st ever Pacific Northwest Coast Guard Ball. The truth is that I was kind of "voluntold" to go. See...I was tasked with marketing the event and since I refuse to be one of those people who sells a product that they themselves would never buy, I decide that I was on board. I wasn't sure it was going to be my kind of event but I figured that it was only one night so what the hell? Obviously, I am not ashamed to admit that I am a CG geek and therefore I am not ashamed to admit that I had a GREAT time. It was turned out to be one of the most fun events I have been to in the Coast Guard and so here is a brief recap of the night since I want to capture as much of it before I forget any of it.



It started by Mikel (the blond seen above jamming with Dino) and I arriving early to help greet the guests. This actually turned out to be a lot fun because I got to see and greet just about everyone on their way in while not having to make awkward conversation with people like I would have had to at the cocktail hour. It was pretty enjoyable.


(Trisha, who worked really hard on this, and I after the work was done.

BZ Trisha for helping to make this an awesome night!)

So I finally made it upstairs and went to find Mikel and our table. We were pretty bummed out to find that our group was not sitting together. Nevertheless....we watched as the Color Guard did a great job with presenting the Colors and honored our fallen shipmates. Then they started getting ready for dinner and that's when things got interesting.

As I was waiting for my salad...Commander A. (above) came over and asked me if I would be willing to "rise to the occasion" and help out by leading the 400+ people as we sang Semper Paratus. I am no singer and in spite of the fact that Semper Paratus is on my iPod (I told you I am CG geek!) I don't actually know the entire song by heart. Not a problem, said the Commander, because he had the words. I knew that I could have said no, but I also knew that I couldn't. I couldn't because I knew that Commander A. had put so much into this event and deserved for it go well. I couldn't say no because I knew that I probably would never get another opportunity to sing the Coast Guard's motto with so many of shipmates, most of whom I know and respect. So at the risk of embarrassing myself in front of said mentioned shipmates, as well as the 3rd in command of the Coast Guard, I said I would do my best.

(Dino, Me, Commander A, and Mikel representing P Division, YO!)

It wasn't as bad as it could have been. I vaguely remember walking up the stage when they called my name. I strongly remember Retired Admiral Houck walking up and lowering the microphone for me (ruining my plan to keep it up high so it wouldn't pick up my voice). I remember singing the first two verses pretty well, with reliable shipmates like Julie and Trent in the back and Commander LeBeau towards the front helping by singing loudly as promised. I also remember totally screwing up the 3rd verse. Oh well...two out of three ain't bad.

(The brass can dance!)

I received my award from the Navy League and Admiral Currier as planned. Admiral Currier thanked me for my singing which was nice. Yet, one of two highlights of the evening was when Vice-Admiral Papp stood up for his keynote speech and called me out and had me stand up again. He thanked me for leading the song and praised me for having the courage to do so in front of so many people. He was right when he said that having so many of my shipmates in the room made it easier to do. That is the second time that an Admiral called me out by name at a formal ceremony in the past year. How awesome is that???

(Mikel and Julie, who got everyone to do the Electric Slide!)

The second highlight was when the Headquarters CMC came up to me afterwards and gave me a coin. (Thanks again to YNC Harris for teaching me the proper way to receive one!) I knew that he knew that I had been given less than an hours notice that I would be doing this. It made it all worth it to know that he respected that enough to give me a coin. Of course the word spread quickly that I had done this at the last minute which I think redeemed the fact that I screwed up the 3rd verse. I got high-fives and hugs but I have the feeling that everyone at the Pier is going to hear about on Monday.

(Mr. Hill cutting it up on the floor!)

And then the dancing started! My knee didn't allow me to dance as much as I would have liked to but that is okay. It gave me the opportunity to take pictures and enjoy everyone else dancing. It was amazing to see so many Coasties out there dancing and having fun. Everyone from the Admiral to us junior folks were cutting loose and having a blast. I did the group dancing thing a little bit (for those of us who were not there with spouses/dates) and actually had fun. I did get one real dance. At the end of the night (at least the end for me since Mikel and I called it quits at about 11) the band started to play my favorite song to dance to which is Brown-Eyed Girl. I said it was my favorite song and being the great guy that Trent is, he dragged me out on the floor. It has been years since I danced anywhere other than the shower or while vacuuming. We looked silly but what else can you expect from two geeks in a restricting uniform?

So all and all...it was a great night. We Coasties know how to have fun!

3 Cheers for One Heck of a Captain!

Following the ISC tradition to have All Hands on the 1st Thursday of the month...that is what we did yesterday. I think that I am one of the few people who actually enjoys it. I like seeing my shipmates that I don't normally get to see. We get to hear who is coming and who is leaving the unit. Steve J can always be counted on to say something witty and I get a chance to work on my public speaking skills. The training was actually interesting and quick...so not a bad way to spend a morning, especially when your damn computer is still on life support. Yesterdays was a home run for us FOT folks. CWO M got recognized for his ESO of the Year Award, Mikel's advancement was mentioned, and Dino and I both got medal. FOT kicks ass and we reminded the rest of the unit of that yesterday.

So afterwards Dinolicious said something to me yesterday that really stuck with me. He told me that I have more pictures with the Captain than anyone else he knows. When I got home last night, I reviewed my pics on the computer and he is right...I do have a lot of pics with the CO.

I think that Captain B is probably the finest of Coast Guard Officer corps. I love working for him and aspire to be a similar leader to him. I doubt I would have saved all of the pictures if it wasn't for the fact that I do respect him. I hate having to pose with someone that you have absolutely no respect for. So here are a few pics that I enjoy of the Skipper and I.

I choose these two pics because...

I am pretty damn proud to have received an CG Achievement Medal.

I still can't believe that Bruce spent that much time photo shopping a Red Sox jersey on me...nor the fact that some people believe that I would actually wear it to receive an award from my commanding officer.

Again...3 Cheers for a great Captain who makes the Pier a pretty great place to work.

It's the little stuff...

They say that it is the little stuff that make life interesting. So here a few little things from today that made my day quite interesting.

So the day started with the drive into Seattle. It is about a 30 minute drive that I truly enjoy. It gives me time to get ready for the day. I hit the AM Playlist on my iPod and sing along to great morning motivators like Livin' on a Prayer, Don't Stop Believin', and Handle with Care. Not this morning. No amount of Bon Jovi or Journey could counter the three accidents that I stuck behind (It's Seattle for crying out loud...how can anyone with Washington plates not know how to drive in the rain???), the idiots who have to slow down to look, and my favorites...the dumb asses who cut across four lanes of traffic to get to the carpool lane for five minutes only to cut off the very same cars when they see their exit two miles up the damn road. At least my car charges itself when I brake. I had a full battery by the time I reached the base.

So...continuing on...it's 0630 and it is the first day back after a long weekend in the last month of the fiscal year. So naturally I find my computer isn't working. I know that I probably have 65+ emails from people frantic to have a good year or people who are panicking because they missed our August 31st deadline for next fiscal year. Either way...I need to get moving. At 0736 my computer is working (working...not fixed as we will get to later on)and I find out that I guessed pretty close...I have 71 emails, including one from the security officer saying I have been randomly selected for urinalysis.

I'll save you the details of the fun of being into a cup in front of people that you work with and sum it up with this thought....the whole thing totally sucks. You have to chug water for an hour, then you have to stand in line with all of the other people who chugged water since there are only three rooms being used to for the testing. Everyone is line in front of the sample tracker (I don't if that is the official title but you get the idea) so everyone gets to hear what medications everyone else is taking and what color their sample is. We're supposed to be adults damn it! Haven't we grown passed commenting on the shade of pee in a cup?

So that fun ends and I get back to the office at 0912. Did I mention that it is still raining so of course by the time I get back to the office I am completely soaked? The rest of the morning is rather uneventful and I actually get some work accomplished. I break for lunch and feel ready to take on the afternoon...until the computer tech calls and says that he needs to work on my account. So another 30 minutes of the network and I should be good to go, right? Of course not. See...I have the unsolvable computer problem of the Pacific Northwest.

I don't know why no one can figure out why I can't print in black and white. I don't know why they can't figure out why I just have to move the cursor near the print icon and the computer shuts down. I don't know why the damn printer icon is next to the damn save button in Microsoft Excel therefore resulting in me losing tons of data. I just don't know. I do know that I am a Yeoman and it isn't my damn job to figure out why. I refuse to believe that I am the only person in all the world who is having this problem. There has to be answer. Thank God the best tech on the base is working on my account because I am sick of people fixing it for two days and then it breaking again. If I had that kind of failure rate in my job I would get demoted.

So there it is...minor aggravations of the day that remind me that life isn't meant to be perfect. If it wasn't for traffic jams, computer troubles, and peeing into a cup, how on earth would I enjoy the days where the Yankees win and I get my work done with little interruptions?

Sweeping the Sox

I swore that I would not become one of those obnoxious fans who blogs constantly about their team but sweeping the Sox is just too great to pass up!

How awesome is it to go from getting spanked 16-0 to sweeping the #1 team/long time rival Red Sox? (Pretty damn awesome.) Johnny Damon played great...The Rocket pitched like the good ole' days...A-Rod hit a home run, Derek Jeter looked and played GREAT. It was a great series of the Bronx Bombers.

Yet the highlight of being a Yankee fan this week was release of the statement "Wherever Red Sox Nation is...I wish Bush would invade it." My political and military commitment frowned on the stab at my Commander in Chief however I loved the statement.

I respect the die hard Red Sox fans who have put up with years of disappointment from their boys. I wish them the best as they enjoy their time in 1st place (short lived as it may be). It is the damn bandwagon jackasses who drive me crazy. It is for them that I challenge that this week is only the beginning. Get ready for your first taste of being a real Red Sox fan...which is disappointment during the playoffs. It might not come at hands of the beloved Yankees...but after the ignorant things that the Red Sox Nation have said this past year...I just hope the pennant goes to any team other than them.

Let's Go Yankees!!

iPod Trouble

I have spent the past week using every bad word in known to Millie over the past week as I struggled to repair the nightmare that is Millie's iPod. I am not electronically savvy to begin with, so I probably made it harder than necessary. Nevertheless...it totally sucked.

It all started when my $349.00 80gb iPod started to act up. (I only mention the price to further stress my frustration. My old $69.99 Sony mp3 player never gave me any trouble until it got stolen in my SUV last year. Damn Crystal Owens for stealing my car. Her hearing is soon BTW, so stay tuned for update on that saga.) It started to cut off songs before they were over, sometimes seconds into the song. It usually happened to really great songs like Don't Stop Believin' or Someday, Someway as opposed to boring songs that are on the iPod because I am too lazy to take them off. Of course, I listen to these songs more than the boring songs so I guess it increases their odds of being cut off. The point is...it pissed me off.

So I trouble shoot on various websites, I go to iPod blogs, I even flirted with Apple Store Geek Manny (who automatically had a strike against him because of my hatred for Manny Ramirez) for help. They all told me the same thing...restore the iPod. So I did and ended up having to import a bunch of movies and songs manually because for some reason iTunes couldn't find them. Hours later...it is still cutting off songs.

So I went back the Apple store to seek help from anyone but Manny. Yet as fate would have it, Manny was working and remembered me and rushed over to help. Poor Manny is nothing like the namesake that makes me see red (no pun intended) and I try to remember that as I explain to him that his plan didn't work. So he offers another precious piece of advice...run an update on iTunes. This should repair the error. So I did and things just got worse. I lost everything but my purchased music.

No big deal right? Wrong...for over half of my collection was added from CDs or other music sources. So once I again I had to manually import the lost tracks. This time it was 1107 songs that had to be manually imported. I lost my playlists, my song counts, etc. I might have been the cause of this...since I as I already admitted that computers are not my strong point. However, I admitted this to Manny too...and I wish that he would have warned me that this could happen. RK asked me if I would be this pissed off if the guy at the Apple store was named Derek as opposed to Manny. The point was well taken. I think it proves my point that nothing good can come from someone named Manny.

I have no real point...except to vent. As mad as I am about the iPod (which is still cutting off songs) I am even more pissed that the Yankees are losing while the damn Red Sox are winning. Yet...there is still hope. Can I get a "Let's Go Yankees!"???

TAPS to my Loved Ones

The truth is that Millie the Geek is destroying Millie the Coastie as of late. It is kind of sad since Millie the Coastie has been on top since January. I suppose nothing great can stay that way indefinitely.http://www.militarycity.com/promos/SMOY/cgy07.php?loc=cg This is my link to the Navy Times. (For those of you who don't know...Millie is actually Jacqueline. Shh...don't tell.) The point is that Millie the Coastie was doing well...at least for a little while.

I love the Coast Guard. Whenever I am feeling less than Semper Paratus, I will read the Coast Guardsman Creed, I will stare at my plaque of the CG Core Values, or my MLCPAC EPOY Plaque or I will look at the picture that I took last week of the 11 year old who stopped me at the M's game to take a picture. I look at these things and usually feel renewed. Usually I am filled with pride of being part of the world's premier maritime service. Yet for the past few days I feel nothing.

I am not sure what is the cause. Perhaps it is the changes in my office, perhaps it is the one year anniversary of losing some great shipmates...I honestly don't know.

I know that when I think of LT Jessica Hill and BM2 Steve Duque I still break down and cry. I think of MK1 Brian Bernier and I cry. I think of PS2 Eddie Thomas and I cry. I think of PS2 Gill and I cry. These shipmates were not my closest friends so maybe I don't have the right to cry. Yet these are fallen shipmates that I had the pleasure of serving with and their void still pains me. All four passed away in the line of duty about a year ago (or even less).

LT Jessica Hill is the hardest to think about. I liked her so much as a person. When I think of her, I think of how great she was with kids, namely Elizabeth, and I cry. She would have been a great mother. She was a great shipmate and a great woman. As time passes, fewer people remember LT Hill. I was lucky enough to know LT Jessica Hill and plain Jess Hill the person. I don't know if the day will ever come that I don't tear up when I think of my fallen shipmate and friend. Part of me hopes that it never comes. The Coast Guard lost a great officer when we lost LT Hill, and I feel like I lost a friend and role model when Jess passed.

I did not go to her memorial service last Friday. I was a coward. I was terrified that I would see her father. I remember meeting her father in November 2004. He reminded me of my own father. He was so proud of her just for serving her country. I was terrified that I would see him and not know what to say. I often consider sending him emails to let him know that his daughter was one of the great CG role models in my life. I know that I cannot send this. It means everything to me that Jess was my role model. Yet...to a father that lost his daughter...I am sure that my words of praise will offer little comfort.

I did not know Steve Duque...but I feel that I understand what kind of Petty Officer he was. I don't have much to say...except that as long as I wear a CG uniform I will always think of the young BM2 who gave his life for the United States Coast Guard. I often wonder what great changes he would have made if he had lived long enough to climb the chain.

Brian Bernier lived the Coast Guard Core Values. He was off duty and fate put him in a position that required him to be a Coast Guardsman. He lost his life in that situation, in front of his family. I only met Brian once, yet I think of him often. Brian and his family will be in prayers everyday.

I think of PO Gill everyday because he left behind a pregnant wife. I console myself with the fact that I made a contribution to his memorial fund that will hopefully give something to the family that he left behind. I never met PO Gill...my closest tie to him is that I presented colors at his memorial service. A day doesn't pass that I don't think of his wife and child.

Lastly...I talk of PO Eddie Thomas. I honestly feel guilty when I think of him. He was a fine Coast Guardsman and police officer. He died while serving as a police officer. I often think of that night. I remember the sirens, as he died only a few streets down from my house. (It is a safe neighborhood...yet one person can ruin everything.) I remember the sirens...at the time there were merely a noise that was keeping me awake. Yet the next morning I found out that those sirens were the sound of a shipmate in trouble. When I think of Eddie, I think of his smile. He always entered my office with a smile. He loved the Coast Guard and the police department equally.

All of these shipmates passed on in the past year (or less.). Brian and Steve are names and legends that I think of and aspire to be. Jess and Eddie are friends that I continue to grieve for. Their void will never be filled...they will never be replaced...and nothing can erase them from my memory.

Why do I write about this? Maybe it is because their memorials are opening up wounds. Maybe it is because I am frustrated and I am looking for my way in the CG. I don't know.

I have achieved some great things in my 5 years in the CG. MLCPAC EPOY is no small feat. Navy Times Coast Guardsman Person of the Year Honorable Mention is no small feat. Yet is nothing to my shipmates who gave their lives while living the Core Values.

The only purpose of this post is to show respect for my fallen shipmates...even if no one else reads it. I will probably never be in the position to give my life in the line of duty and I am okay with that. The only thing that I have to offer Jess, Steve, Brian, Ronny, and Eddie is that I will continue to serve. I will continue to be the best US Coast Guardsman I can be. I might not change the Coast Guard... but no one in the CG will forget their sacrifices while I wear the uniform.

Today...Millie the Geek is the winner. Yet Millie the Coast Guardsman morns the loss of 5 shipmates in less than a year. It isn't a fair fight. Please bear with me...as today is a bad day.

I love the Coast Guard...I love America...and I miss my shipmates. Even though today is a day that I am not gung ho Coastie...I still wouldn't give it up for anything. And so I close with a moment of BLOG silence for my fallen shipmates whom I miss and love dearly.

Come to think of it...I started this blog thinking that Millie the Geek won but I have changed my mind. Millie the Coastie won. As long as I continue to think and serve for my fallen shipmates...Millie the Coastie wins.

Semper Paratus!

I'll tell you this much...they ain't getting the TV!

So tonight instead of fighting (and probably losing ) the battle with insomnia I decided to turn the TV back on and find something to the pass the time. Much to my delight, HBO was showing one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies...Mars Attacks...hence the title of tonights blog.

I have met very few people who are willing to admit this that they have seen and liked this movie. I absolutely love this movie! It is a pop culture geeks dream. The cast is amazing, the lines are funny and well written (well most of them), and it has martians! What is not to love? I guess that you either love movies by Tim Burton or hate them, even though he is obviously a genius.

It is hard to say what is the best part of the movie. I have listed a few of the great moments/lines from the movie that make it an awesome flick. (Other than the obvious parts such as Sarah Jessica Parker's head being attached to the body of dog or the senile grandma who is unaware that her retirement home is being invaded because she is jamming to her headphones.)

- Jack Nicholson. The movie would not have been great without him. First, he plays two different, yet distinctly Jack characters. The character Art was okay, but it was his role as the President of the United States that really kicked ass. After Congress is destroyed by the martians, he delievers what is probably the most famous line of the movie. In the role of President Dale, he tells his staff "I want the people to know that they still have 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for them, and that ain't bad." I would vote for Ole'Jack if he ever ran for President.

- Tom Jones (who is a guilty pleasure entirely on his own). Not only does he play himself in the movie, but he sings his signature "It's Not Unusual." So there he is, belting out his classic as the world is being invaded by martians. The stage lights dim and suddenly he is sharing the stage with two martians, who are grooving to the song! It is totally awesome! Later he joins forces with boxer Byron and starts shooting martians after proclaiming that he knows how to fly a plane. He finishes out the movie with in song with animals bobbing their head's to the beat of "It's Not Unusual."

- After the President orders a launch of nuclear weapons, the martians launch their own device that absorbs the nuke into a balloon looking thing. Then the head martian inhales the nuke like helium and talks in an even higher pitch voice, while his minions laugh.

- As referenced in the title of this blog, Mrs. Norris is in the process of loading her 12 gauge and utters my personal favorite line of the movie "I'll tell you this much...they ain't getting the TV." Now, if martians were attacking my home the TV would not be the first thing that I would fight to protect, yet I can't imagine that I would let it go without a fight. After all, I have learned more from TV than any other resource. (Sorry Mom and Dad but to quote Bart Simpson, "It spent so much more time raising us than you have.")

- As subtle as it was, one of my favorite parts is the fact that while the martians are destroying everyone and everything that they come across, one of them is carrying the translator around with him. So as his buddies are shooting and pulverising, you hear the translator saying "Don't run, we are your friends." Now, I have seen this movie at least a dozen times and one of the many times I watched it, it was a good friend named Kevin D and we argued over the intent of this part of the movie. I thought it was supposed to be ironic because they are expressing friendship as they are killing people. Kevin swears that is a reference to shoddy American made products (Kevin is a bit of a hippie). I don't know which one of us is right (probably me because it is my blog) but it is still funny.

Anyway...it is great movie, especially at midnight when you can't sleep and need a break from YouTube. If you do find yourself on YouTube, search for "Coast Guard Academy Fun" "Dancing Coastie", or "Coastie Prank 1" for a quick laugh. (The Coastie in me does not condone the behavior but is still funny.)