Back in the northwest

So, the contract ended a little early and I stayed on an extra week in Norfolk to help get the ship ready to sit for a while, but now I'm back in the northwest. Currently, I'm staying in Seattle and enjoying my free time. Winter's not quite over here, so I'd like to get in at least a few more days of snowboarding if I can. Just last week, I had a beautiful day of spring skiing at Crystal Mountain. Blue skies, warm weather, and soft snow! What a delight to come back to.

Overall, the experience to Haiti didn't really live up to any sort of expectations that I had, but nonetheless, it was a positive one. As a company and crew, I think we did as good a job as anyone could have hoped or expected. In the bigger picture I do have some doubts about how the whole relief effort is going. But, I guess considering the level of destruction and the state of the country before the disaster, I can see how one might not quite know where to start and when to say the job has been finished. After all, Haiti was in desperate need of relief long before the earthquake.

So, I'll be bouncing between Portland and Seattle for the next month or so. My plan is still to enjoy my free time and travel to DC for my brother, Orrin's, wedding. But, who knows - if a short term job shows up, I might just decide to take it if I can still make that wedding.

Coming home soon

So, it's definite. Our contract has been cut short and pretty soon,
we'll all be layed off. Right now, we're off the coast of Florida and
on our way back up to Fort Eustis, VA. However, since some bad
weather is supposed to make it's way to the area, we'll most likely
spend a few days waiting it out in Jacksonville. The good news is
that it'll be a few more days that we'll all get paid. The bad news
is that it's Jacksonville. Again.

Although I'm a little bummed that what I thought was going to be three
months of work turned in to six weeks, I'm looking forward to being
back in the northwest where I can hopefully get a few more days of
snowboarding in.

Aside from the grim reminders of what an earthquake can do to an
already desperate population, this trip has been a positive one. I've
made some new friends, got the chance to work on a modern ship and
done my job well enough to hopefully be asked back in the future.
Working on this ship, with this crew has really been a pleasure.
Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't do it for free but all things
considered, it's a pretty easy job.