Carrier Aviation

Up until now I have been part of a squadron that has been doing its life's work supporting guys on the ground: the expeditionary lifestyle.  But as of 21 October 2010, the Wizards of VAQ-133 returned to naval aviation the way it was meant to be -- on the boat.

The 18's coming in for a trap... the view from Vultures Row

So much to learn, like another side of aviation I haven't seen yet, and it only gets better!

Night traps

Trying out the Hotel Room Workout by Zuzana

Based off of a recent post I read from Flying Stiletto, I decided to check out this website called bodyrock.tv which features this lady Zuzana from the Czech Republic.  She is really hard core looking with these bodacious boobs that almost remind me of the types of females on the Sims games... haha!

Anyways, I have tried two workouts in the past two days.  The one I just recently completed was the Hotel Room Workout featured here.

12 minute circuit which I did in my very own living room (small space that it had left) and kept track of my numbers too.  I like the style of these short but very intense workouts, a big time saver!

Zuzana's results

My results are as follows:

Exercise                                             Round 1     Round 2

Squats on the left shoulder                10 reps       10 reps
Dive bombers                                     4 reps         4 reps
Squats on the right shoulder               9 reps        10 reps
Diagonal knee tuck pushups               6 reps        6 reps
Squats on the left shoulder                10 reps       11 reps
Tricep Leg Lifts                                 7 reps         10 reps
Squats on the right shoulder              10 reps        9 reps
Santana pushup                                  6 reps          4 reps
Squats on the left shoulder                10 reps       11 reps
Monkey pushups                                5 reps         6 reps
Squats on the right shoulder              9 reps         10 reps
Sumo pushups                                    6 reps        6 reps

I think I fared pretty well for the first time doing this workout, don't you think?  She did all the squats with a 35 pound sandbag, I did it with my flight bag which had all my flight pubs in it.  It's comparable, but I have no idea how much it really weighs...

How's your score?

Whidbey Island is just... different.

It's not the city, but I am learning to love the simple yet elegantly beautiful this wonderful place highlights.  How could anyone get tired of the scenery of driftwood beach, water, evergreen trees, morning fog just above the lakes, and planes in the sky?

I needed a study break from my house (which had no a/c because lets face it, Whidbey isn't really one of those places in Washington that needs to have a/c's installed in houses) and to enjoy the sunshine, a friend and I rented a boat and took it around the southern tip of the island up to the famous Deception Pass.  How simple is that? 

Yesterday I went to the Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival to purchase a painting that I caught at the Anacortes festival, and its now sitting above my fireplace. 

I think this place inspires creativity.  In an odd yet simple and quiet manner.  That's why I like it. 

B.I.T.S. (Back in the Saddle)

Well folks, its been a while... since the last post I've:

1. Finally left Iraq (for the last time hopefully)
2. Been told I was gorgeous by a girl at a club in Azores and then asked if I was a lesbian.  When I said no, I think I hurt her feelings...
3. Bought more goodies for my house but it still looks as if I sprinkled possessions to cover every piece of available carpet
4. Reconditioned my body during a Washington low-level flight
5. Spent many a twopence in London
6. Camped out and had my first Wimbledon experience
7. Worn nothing but dresses since I "spreed"
8. Hugged my furry tuxedo wearing cat
9. Reunited with family and friends
10. Met newborns aka the "New Whidbey Clique"

The biggest thing was spending time with my sister.  Face to face time really counts with this one.  I wish I had hugged her more during this trip, but she's all grown now and doesn't need me... unless I'm paying for something :)

 At the palace...

  

Jump picture!

Rafa's Booty!! Saw him pick a bunch of wedgies... =)

The visit to London was good.  People spoke English, my cousins and the boyfriends/husbands were very accommodating and welcoming, and I got my fix of second-hand smoke. 
The Tube was extremely easy to use as well as the boat trips up and down the Thames.  I realized how very little I knew about London and was learning the whole deal as I went.  I also found out my iPhone can last 3 days without charging it, the biggest worry while camping. 
Reunited with Janos my good friend from Italy who with both his Nikon camera and his brand new iPhone 4 (which he couldn't stop using) took tons of pictures of the tourist girls.  Learned not to wear big shoes while walking around a big city because they will cut your feet up badly at the end of the day.  Proper arch support is key when being a tourist -- I neglected to follow advice at the expense of my feet in order to look and feel pretty. 
The transition from daughter to philanthropist is taking place, naturally...

Nadal in the finals!!!!!! This is a historic Wimbledon (not only because I watched it) but because of the 11 hour match, the defeat of No. 1 Federer, and that the weather in London has been absolutely beautiful for the fortnight!

Hermaphroditus

A lesson presented in a novel.  It fascinated me enough to post this after a blog I wrote yesterday!

It was called evolutionary biology.  Under its sway, the sexes were separated again, men into hunters and women into gatherers.  Nurture no longer formed us; nature did.  Impulses of hominids dating from 20,000 B.C. were still controlling us.  And so today on television and in magazines you get the current simplifications. 

Why can't men communicate? (Because they had to be quiet on the hunt.)
Why do women communicate so well? (Because they had to call out to one another where the fruits and berries were.)
Why can men never find things around the house? (Because they have a narrow field of vision, useful in tracking prey.)
Why can women find things so easily? (Because in protecting the nest they were used to scanning a wide field.)
Why can't women parallel park? (Because low testosterone inhibits spatial ability.)
Why won't men ask for directions? (Because asking for directions is a sign of weakness, and hunters never show weakness.)

This is where we are today.  Men and women, tired of being the same, want to be different again.

Excerpt taken from Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Not Going To See Me That Way

72% of the women I used to know when I was growing up...

have become overweight or obese.



I've been given all the facts; I know the problem is huge for Americans, but can we really give in that easily? Can we really afford to lose control like that?

I just finished watching the movie Idiocracy starring Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph.  The movie had a bit of a time travel theme in it where they fast forwarded 500 years into the future.  Everybody's IQ lowered significantly and slang became more of an official language... they ate from Carl's Jr and Buttfuckers (yes, Buttfuckers) -- the only thing that the filmmakers couldn't see was that the future population was going to be obese as well (apparently they could not find enough big people in L.A. to use as extras or maybe didn't have such an "enormous" problem back in '05).  I think WALL-E did a good job showing that we were heading that direction and if so, why do we still fall towards laziness?

Technology... savior or killer?

Red Dawn

Since I've returned for the last weeks of deployment in theater as part of an expeditionary Prowler squadron, the temperatures have risen significantly (thank God not the humidity!) to the triple digits.  Rain is hard to come by but the lightning shows are more abundant.  Sand storms are more of an everyday occurrence as most of our day flights involve playing games with the forecasters, listening to their predictions and then comparing them to our observations (and actual inhalation) of the dust lingering in the air.

A small chunk of us has already left to set up back on the Rock -- and in a flash like that, six months is over and we'll soon be home, back on deck, tackling the next set of challenges in our seeming future.  Our change of command will be life-altering in conjunction with our transition to carrier aviation.  I have to say, I think the learning curve will be awesomely steep, as most of my fellow JO ECMOs have none to little experience on a pitching deck.  That will make for a lot of new guy "d'oh!"'s and mistakes to learn from... all with the support of our ungodly amount of hinges.  On top of big picture changes, I scored a division billet fairly early in my aviation career (at least in my "new gal" opinion) of which I am humbled.  I have now so many goals in mind--some I am not even aware of, but trust me, they're there) and my homework is to figure out a plan to accomplish them.

Anyways, I have thought about a lot during this tour, and the next step is to go out and DO.  Do it all. 

See you all soon, where the mountains are snowy, the rain is weak but cold, and where I become rich and poor--all at the same time.

Yes, I Have a Crush On Your Husband.

I was sitting at a bus stop at 10 minutes til midnight and I found how funny it was to be amused at the sight of an ant working really hard to carry a piece of sand-rock twice the size of his body.  It looked like it was trying with all of its might to carry it somewhere, but instead its little legs were so fast and the rock was so anchored that it ended up moving around the prize in a circle.  I sat here, leaning over to watch the ground and at all of the little ants doing their thing.  Then, as my attention diverted to the bus arriving, another ant came upon the other in a battle of this reward.  Two fierce ants fought over this one piece of of rock, probably mistaken for a food crumb, and they appeared as dancers, circling around it.

I swear, this was like a moment of joy and amusement, like the kind that you get when you watch a dog chase its own tail.

Out here I've had plenty of those moments, those I can only enjoy by myself, and those that I hope to recall someday to tell others when I want to.  I'm not a very good storyteller, and for some reason I cannot remember details well enough to explain them to others, but I hope that one day I can.  This part of deployment has been rough.  I don't have many close friends to talk to, no spouse like most have, no one in particular to listen... so my stories from day-to-day just bounce along the small conversations of people passing through.  In a word, nomadic.  Strange to hear that its been like that for me in the past few weeks, but that's how its been.  How do I change this? I need somebody.

Snapshot

My first evening in Qatar and the base has an outdoor place with tent and bar and weird music... but 3 beers rationed a day? Not bad! All I need is one and I'll be good!  I work from midnight to noon but everybody's shifts are all over the place so drinking and socials take place 24/7 :)

Click on Delete

I just had to delete two of my music/dance video track pages.  All because people in the Navy like to Google and stalk when they are bored on deployment.

When I'm free from the arms of arms, I hope to have not lost my talent by then.  I'm just sayin'.

Easter Brings in Silliness

Got some new Easter care packages in... totally demasculinated the Ready Room

Decided to do a PeepShow -- aka Chubby Bunny with Peeps... a March's Edition of "Feat of Strength".

I failed to make it past three... VK did fairly well.  Impressive, actually... because Peeps are so awfully gross tasting with its lack of taste and sugar-dye mix on the outside...

Enjoy the video! (This video was taken courtesy of Capt, Time 3:30am ish)

The Worst Can Happen... a Sunrise Can Turn It Around

The day is beautiful... and beautiful will end my day.

I walked out of headquarters at 6am to only find myself facing the sun peek along the undefined horizon.  That shade of periwinkle in the sky was gorgeous, and I have missed it for quite a long time since I have been on the night page, taking off and landing in only darkness.  I normally have been asleep by 4am where it is still dark outside.

I went to the outdoor bathroom to brush my teeth and came out to where the sky brought in a brighter blue and orange and pink and an even higher sun.  Such a joyous view.

Just prior to all of this, I had my second ever major emergency in the Prowler, this time sitting in the front seat and coincidentally, with the same pilot.  Of course these problems just don't happen due to the pilot or navigator, some days jets will experience problems on their own and there is nothing that we can really do about it but to act appropriately and expeditiously to get us all safely on deck.  We experienced power surges and electrical arcing at the time we were just about to rendezvous with the tanker.  We were 15 miles away from contact with the drogue where we experienced a left generator failure.  Just like we briefed, we executed the boldface, cleaned it up by reading through the rest of the checklist items.  As calm as I could sound on the radio, we left the tanker orbit and I coordinated us to get home as soon as we could, safely.  My heartbeat was anything but calm hearing that the generator has tried to reset four times with no luck.  Thankfully, the jet can operate with one generator picking up the load of two.  As for the electrical arcing, if that had occurred as we were aerial refueling, it may have not been a pretty thing to mix sparks and fuel near big engines.  Our prioritized mission was complete and the timing could not have been more perfect.

On deck at zero knots, found that a wire that had caused the dimming lights had been loose on the left.  Confident that we did the right thing by taking it back to home field, my crew and I engaged in a debrief that took place on the HQ roof.  With cigars in hand, the buzz helped to calm my heart beat back to normal cadence and we talked about the learning points.  Following thereafter, we created queso from blocks of Velveeta cheese and tomatillo cans sent from a care package and watched Shawshank Redemption, a great film.

Which brings me back to this morning.  My flight suit smells like smoke and my tummy full of cheese dip, but I am most thankful for the sunrise I was able to witness--even for a brief second transiting to and from the bathroom--and its power... even without a beach below it.

Urges

Just like Dexter... I have urges.

With the light at the end of the tunnel still faint, I am tempted to seek for it all the way to the end.

I have decided to go on a shopping spree.  It involves lots and lots or Victoria's Secret ordering and wanting to feel like a girl again.  My hair is long enough to look sexy, which is divine.  A deep tissue massage and Gene Juarez pampering would be the cherry on top.

I also have the urge to learn as much as I can as the next guy.  I have the least years and least experience, yet am expected to know all that they know.  That means... a lot of reading and practical application.

Under the oath of Lent, I am not to eat dessert, soda, cookies, or candy.  I have broken the rules for the last two in the past few days.  God is ALWAYS watching, and I tried to play the game.  Carbs are bad for me, my body and I know that, and I must face the music.

In other news... softball team won 32-17 in a comeback where we had 3 at bats and I got home every single one.  Also, I almost got killed by a really fast softball coming my way while waiting at third base.  I showed off my matrix skills (thanks to yoga and stretching) and ducked it thankfully to save my face.  I even had time to pick up my hat after it fell off due to my 'standing bridge' move.

a + b = c

I am too young to know everything

I am too old to know nothing

A nice word said while we were airborne...

Atrophy = FOCUS


p.s. my friends are pregnant! does that mean we can't drink at their house anymore...?

I Woke Up Today and...

I was in a sweat, there was no electricity, but...
My boobs got bigger.


I swear.

Deployment Day 103

Now I wasn't really going to keep track of the days, however we are past the halfway mark and finally over 100 days! So this calls for a celebration!

For my new health kick, I have written up an exercise schedule for myself following a yoga/running/P90x regimen.  With the thanks of Lent and my sacrifice for most sugary foods (responsible for my visceral fat), I am going to follow the Jennifer Aniston way.  Yogalosophy.  Run 3x a week, yoga 2x (if I can get it), P90X Kenpo and other freebies I can fit in.  It is going to be great! I am going to look awesome, yeah? Its about feeling good in the end, feeling good in the body and skin you're in... and if I feel good, that is one less thing I have to feel insecure about.

The latest news regarding the weather here: March is starting to jump up and down in temperature, hot and cold, rainy and windy.  Its so temperamental you can hardly predict how the next day is going to pan out in regards to your flight schedule.  Dust has found itself into my air conditioning filters and lightly housed on the vents and any other flat surface, corner, and crevice in my CHU.  I was reading something on my bed when I heard my plastic bag holding plastic bags making noise! I looked over at my pillow, and there is something small and golden brown... the only thing I could have called it was a "sand flea", although that's not what I think it is really called.  Now I"m going crazy, thinking that I have creepy-crawlies in my room.  Eeek..! Shakin out my boots in the morn...

Interior Design

I have been shortening my time on Facebook to get on an even more addicting kick... previewing and researching for the perfect setup for my living room!

I have been searching for furniture model rooms, different sofas, HGTV... heck I even printed out pictures of the home---that I so miss right now---in order to imagine the possibilities.  How I wish I had David Bromstad with me so I can finally fix my unfinished project...

Can somebody enter me to win Design on a Dime? Please???

Gimme me some sugar... sugar

Lent

Sacrifice:

Soda/dessert/candy aka things with lots of sugar

As if I'm not already giving up a lot by being on deployment... 

but everytime I refuse candy or some pop tart or piece of chocolate, I feel like I'm being punished for a second... and then I think about the number of calories I just escaped!

Meet Me Halfway

Many of us have started to get the Mid-Deployment crazies...

I, too, have been a victim but sometimes its absolutely necessary to go crazy. 

 Spread from a softball mag (showing off my catcher skills... aka crouching):

 

A Week Without Internet Access

So much to catch up on...

We were battling a server connection with the country of Greece for a while... and in that time:

Mustache Island went from this:

to this

Funny... we still aren't even sure if we're transitioning, going boat, or both...

I've been swimming a lot more and finally finding a nice pace to crawl at......

Playing softball regularly and even made the starting list as catcher! We've been having a good season here in the desert... Wizards bringing the 'rain' to the desert, so far 9-2 (every Sunday).  Here's the other LT, Mark and I with our ballcaps (even though mine is really more of a trucker hat)

Been eating more

Beer x 2 day finally came with the Super Bowl... Number 44 Colts vs Saints

I won the Football pool with a 10-0 score in the first quarter... a nice yellow ribbon and 15 tax free big ones

Nothing tastes better than real beer (...so good when it hits your lips...)

and an evening of jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, and buffalo wings

The pose before I get drunk off of one

Interior decorating continues...

Blow the candles out!

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I was going to spend a birthday in a war-torn country, but God works miracles, doesn't he?  Even though I would have been celebrating it somewhere in downtown Seattle clubbing and drinking it up, (probably doing something I would regret later after seeing the photo on Facebook) it definitely wasn't bad here.  

The lead up to my birthday (although quiet) started off with making smores and listening to a marine sing crazy stories on the guitar...

Woke up and wrote the schedule, went to softball and played the actual Base Command Group Team.  They didn't have 18 players show up like we did, so they weren't able to sub in when they wanted to... beat them 9-6.  Asked to do a rematch and kicked their butts 23-0 (and I finally scored two runs on this team).  'Bush league' of us, Chief called it.

Almost spoiled a surprise, but I got a funny card from Puddy (we go back to the FRS) with what used to be a valentines day card--its all they sell here on this side of the airfield--and a bag full of candy.  As if I need more.  Such thoughtful people.  Pecker said he was even gonna give me a card too... quite possibly a cake!

Doc picked me up and I got to ride the ambulance for the first time.  I lit up the sirens as soon as we were free from most of the hangars and honked the horn before we turned into the Turkish restaurant.  I enjoyed the aromatic preview of the food we were taking to the movie.  Indulged in my 10 minutes of European MTV and headed to the theater to watch Avatar.

Got to the theater and ate half our chicken kabobs outside the door and saw the movie man run upstairs with the VHS of Avatar.  We experienced an hour of technical difficulties (and opening credits of Super Troopers) before they realized the VCR needed to be swapped out.  But it was ok because Muffs joined us and we spent the whole hour gossiping and venting.  Quality girl time, yes?

Before hittin the sack, I watched the last half of the Colts vs Jets game and enjoyed my cup of tea. 

It wasn't until I called my sister and started breaking down that I realized I was really missing family then and there.  I get a hot feeling in my face and my tears start rolling before I figure out that I need to hang up...

It is now WAY past my bedtime, and I'm going to start the grind up tomorrow once again.  Now that I got that "Quarter of a Century" out of the way... I had better be 25% more productive tomorrow.  Or rather... today.

Til the next...

Preview

Coming soon to a theater near you... sooner than you think.

Afternoon

All I hear out everybody around here is "Afternoon," or "Morning," or even just "Ma'am"... have we gotten so lazy that we're shortening the greetings now? What the heck does "Afternoon" mean to me anyway? Are you telling me that its afternoon? You won't even wish me a good afternoon? It's more of just a way to announce to everyone that you know what time of day it is, or that you are being that smart ass telling everyone what time of day it is.

And folks,  that's what really grinds my gears.

Also the first dust storm I have ever experienced was this very day, followed by a bit of light rain.  I drove through it all for some KFC, but it really wasn't worth it.

100110

Binary numbers? Try today's date.
Still making mistakes writing the dates out, 2010 is such an odd year, yeah? We're all so used to writing 9's or 0's in sequence and suddenly...

Just when I fear that I am losing my femininity being Miss Flightsuit, I get a complimenting Christmas card from one of the Ugandan gate guards checking IDs at the DFAC.  A nice card (and in almost perfect English)... and one to Amy as well from another guard-- deserves a nice New Year card back, right? So, to be cordial, we both write cards from the same pack and deliver them while going to breakfast.

Two days later, after a day's work, there is an envelope stuck in my door addressed to LT Vanessa.  I open it, enclosed is a note taken from a flower-shaped notepad.  The note tells me that he is hoping I am having a good day and that he would like to meet outside of chow to talk sometime, or maybe to have lunch.  Write me at this email address.

I'm getting admirer notes? In uniform?? This is the first proven incident.

At first I am thinking... "This guy knows where I live??" At the time (1-2 weeks ago ish) our names were clearly labeled on the outside of our doors, so I thought he just paid a lot of attention to how my last name spelled out on my desert name tag.  Turns out, after I brought the situation to Amy's attention, she was the one who stuck the note on my door.  The guard, who will remain nameless, handed it to Amy to give to me.  What's great (sarcastically) is that we have to see these guards everyday, so there's no escaping.  But I proceeded to go with my initial idea: Pretend like I never got the note.

About three days later, I was almost late to duty, so I walked to breakfast alone.  Strength in numbers, I always said, but this time I couldn't help the situation unless I wanted to be hungry for 3 hours.  After I cleared my weapon, I saw that the guard was not him.  But after I showed my ID and began walking in, I hear "LT!" over my shoulder and lo and behold, its him running to me to ask me how my day is going.  From what I can remember I told him I was tired.  He guessed, 'Gym?' I said, just flying (white lie).  I walked faster, knowing I was going to have to get a take-out box anyway so relief fell over my face.  As I opened the door, he handed me an envelope.  Great, I thought.  Another one. 
  "You wrote me a note?"
  "Yes."
  "You wrote this note."
  "Yes."
  "For me?"
  "Yes."
So I was basically making sure that he was writing this note to me, showing that I was surprised by his move.  He followed me inside, and I told him okay.  I continued in, got a take-out box, still on a hurried pace, got my food, never looked behind me and left.

Basically the same note... told me his email address and his English is a little forceful but of course being a girl, I will read into these things (I need a time to meet... I know you are busy because of your position... write me at this email...) and be a little creeped out.  I have kept the same manner in showing my ID to get in, saying hi, but nothing has changed.  I am finding myself, however, making sure that I am talking with somebody else while having my ID checked, as to not be interrupted.  Silly, I know.  But when he does catch me, I'll have to tell him I don't have time, I cannot write, and its nothing personal.  I wonder if he'll get that cliche.  Who knows?  I just don't think it's fair I have to be the subject because I am one out of [enter single digit number here] females here on the base's southside.

Today, I blew the third of my wall outlets out, also burning my lights.  In doing so, I had no other options but to visit Billeting.  In there, is James, a black man who looks to be the age of 30, smile on his face and all.  Very nice guy, funny, says hi to me all the time at the DFAC.  The second time I go into the office b/c they locked my room up, he tells me he hopes I'm not offended when he says it, but I am a very beautiful woman.  I am in a freakin flight suit.  Really? Because he's a civilian, he feels he can say it.  First off, I'm not even good with compliments in spite of your position--civilian or military.  I told him thank you, but later he makes this comment about our first date being a fix-it appointment in my room.  Incident number two. 

It's because there are a limited supply of females and we are high vis, high target.  It was going to happen even if we were ugly-to-average looking. 

Gaaahh.  Maybe I should stop wearing makeup and chop the hair.  I really do need to chop the hair.  Really.

Okay, that was a fun-filled workday consisting of 3 hours at work total and no flying.  The rest... connecting with the outside world (6 mile run with Amy) and figuring out ways to avoid talking to boys I don't want to know.

That'll be all.

SUN

Beginning (or End?) of a Decade

Bringing in the new year with a Montecristo cigar, Cup 'O Noodles, and "chardonnay" cider... and calls to the east coast (despite the fact they were 8 hours from midnight) was completely different from last year's celebration, of which I spent with my one and only baby sister on the streets and clubs of downtown D.C., uncomfortably surrounded by what looked to be the city's own Asian mafias... from a large social celebration to a peaceful private celebration in my room...

I really don't want to feel down in the dumps, and I don't, but every time a major shift happens such as a new year, graduation, or marriage, its hard not to think about the fact that I always manage to go stag to every celebration.  Plus, being deployed is a totally different way to be separated... All these guys are new people, I am not attached; people I know from high school are mostly married and parenting (or expecting;) its just such a dynamic thing to hear about every single update when I check FB -- if it wasn't for Skype, I wouldn't be able to call or video chat with my parents as much as I had originally anticipated.

No need to get worried, folks.  I'm just thinking again... and you know what happens when people think--things get said, or things happen.  Well, something like five months left... time went by fast, but still 150 more days left?! I really have to commit to this "reading books" thing I was going to do while I was out here, not burning my eyes into the screen of the computer watching movies.

Felice Anno Nuovo