So much so fast

Too bad I am on duty; there are some good pics that could be posted. Then again they are all posted on facebook (for the most part), and that is my plug to say if you don't have facebook then you are missing out on something. My old man and I go back on forth for it's worth. It should go without saying that I find networking to be a huge tool in my life, and facebook has truly made my world a lot smaller. Especially been living in Japan I find all ways of quickly connecting with my world back home of use and great worth. I think my dad only sees facebook as this virus that opens him up to be bothered by people he really never liked, and never really knew. That is true, that is a sacrafice I am willing to pay for exchange of keeping in touch with old time friends, creating new friends, and I may never know when I mean to call upon to someone who I will have to ask for their help. Facebook is the gateway to so many options. Hey though, that's just me.

Wow, 50 posts. It's hard to believe that it has been so many!! I have begun to copy and paste all my blogs onto Microsoft Word, and I was amazed at how much I have written and shared for the world to see. My Japan story is not short, so far I am at 175 pages. Yes, that includes pictures and paragraph breaks, but still the fact remains that no one was kidding when they said that I write too long of posts at a time! Time flies when you're having fun, and I have always maintained everyone has a story to share. Thing is with me though is that I like to actually have people read my story. When this is all said and done my blog will be printed off, and copies will be made. That is something I am looking forward to very much. More importantly I will like my grandmother to read my blog. Grandma Mongin isn't into reading things on a computer screen so I have a feeling she will appreciate the gift I will give her. With that said I know how much Grandma hates gifts that don't come in the form of chocolate, but still I think everyone gets the point especially if you know her, and how much she loves to read.

In a way I make it a point to not read my previous post(s) before I start a new one. I am aware that things may overlap and it may seem like I am repeating myself. This is noted, but remember that everything I say will be again reread in years to come. If it is brought up more than once it must mean that it is weighing heavily on my mind and thoughts. Let this be a disclaimer to my supposed failing mind!

First thing is first. I have decided not to complete my EOD package. This may come as a shock to many of you, and in a way it is shocking to myself, but I feel that this is the best thing for me. To save a lot of already written words, I will post an email I had to a doctor here below. This doctor knew of my EOD ambitions, and periodically would forward me emails of articles revolving around the field. This is my reply to him:

From: Rastall, Calvin W. HM3
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 8:06 PM
To: Locke, Jonathan LCDR
Subject: EOD

Thank you for the emails, Sir. I appreciate being thought of. As much as I
enjoy the articles, I must tell you though that I have changed my mind on
EOD. This revelation only came on Monday night, so you're not too far out of
the loop. On Sunday I was laying in bed having one of those "what do I want
to do with my life/when I grow up" conversations with myself when I was
trying to find sleep. EOD was not on the list. As cool as I think it would
be, and as much of an adventure as I think it would experience myself to, it
isn't something I'm hellbent for anymore. EOD is something I've come to
realize you have to totally committed for, and I'm not sure if that's me. An
EOD Chief came into the clinic earlier this week for a hearing aide
consultation...he's 33 years old. I don't want to be that guy. The wear and
tear and all the traveling might be fun for a while, but I could get bored,
lose my focus, and find myself in a major situation at the most inopportune
time. I don't want to be that guy. It was incredible to see the support I've
had to gain behind me, and part of me feels like I let some of them down,
but the cross-rate has been on my mind for about 13 months now, and I have
reached a decision. Dive Med Tech (DMT) is not out of the question, and I
will continue to my physical/hyperbaric chamber test, etc just to make sure
that option is still possibly available.

v/r
HM3 Rastall

EOD is a field that takes much commitment. As I was told in my interview with the EOD locker, it is a lifestyle. I did not think after much thought that it was for me. I'm not going to be 33 and needing a hearing-aide. I hope this all make complete sense for everyone.

Dive Medical Technician (DMT) is next on the docket. I wanted to become an EOD tech most of all because it could get me out of being a pharmacy technician the quickest. That was the wrong reason for being an EOD tech. Now, I have talked to my chief, and he said he will call the detailer seeing if he can get my obligated service as a pharmacy tech waived sooner than the 3 years I am contracted for. Right now I have 2 years to go. Depending on manning issues (in my favor) and how hard he throws his anchors around (because rank talks in the military as we should all know about now), there is a possibility I could get waived and eligible to go to DMT school after Japan. That is the most ideal. The DMT package and EOD package are essentially the same thing. Wednesday I get pressed (the date has been officially set), and I will have my interview with the dive locker and master diver. That is crucial. If I have his support that can only help me.

What is a DMT? Well, they obviously specialize in dive medicine. I will learn a lot about dive science. Through Kristoph I have become familiar with the dive locker and their DMT. He does more diving operations than actual corpsmen work. He said he knows guys who he went to school with that have been attached to special warfare commands and are now going to jump school. A DMT can do everything a rated diver can do, and they are the complete medical side of the house on top of that. They can get their diver warfare pins, become supervisor qualified, and wherever there is a mission, there is a corpsmen. The sea/shore rotation is also more fair than EOD as well. At first I wanted to be a DMT, but I found out I would need to stick out my obligated service as a pharmacy tech first. I was too impatient to do this. Now I am willing to do what it takes, plus as I suggested earlier my networking is well placed to help me out even that much more.

HM1 Martinez has received official word that she will be leaving in the next 30 days. This is good and bad. Good because that is what she wanted, and a happy sailor is a high moraled sailor, but again it is bad. We have a good team working here at mainbase, and with her being separated she will be discharged leaving the fellowship to be broken. HN Garcia and I both hate working out at Hario. He has his reasons, but I don't like it because it is SO slow and that leads to mediocrity, and that leads to restlessness, and restlessness leasds to complaceny. I'm already not thrilled to be doing what I do for a living so this is just one more stepping stone to overcome. Adversity seems to be my middle name when it comes to working in the pharmacy. It's like a battle I will always try to fight and the monster is always trying to get out of the cage. Learning to contain my disliking has been on the biggest tests of them all. Also with HM1 leaving that shortens the pharmacy on-call watch bill by a week. More on-calls equals more work for everyone else.

Good news on the baseball diamond! Our season is finally over!! Well, at least I'm saying it is. Interesting cluster-fuck here, and I'll try to explain it. We have a team of 7 kids, but one moved away and now we only have 6. As you know it takes 9 players to complete a full line-up. If anything is hit in the outfield it only spells bad news. Well, the trophies were given to us on what I thought was the last game of the season, a 0800 game. After the game, which we won, I handed out the trophies, said my final words, and sent the kids on their happy way. Coach Kim "Meanmachine" Ryan and I then went and had breakfast. We talked for about 90 minutes, and she dropped me off back at my car which was still at the field (we took her car to the diner). I was just about to leave when I got a phone call from Kim saying that Jackie Patterson, the youth sports coordinator, said we had another game to be played at 1100!! No one knew about our double-header that day. Not me, the other coaches, or the parents. Luckily there was one kid on my team who had stuck around (one of the better hitters), and Jackie rallied to have a few other kids from other teams come play for us. Turns out the kids who stuck around were essentially an all-start team of 7-8 year olds! There was nothing I could pitch they wouldn't hit. When we accidently ran up the score, I had purposely strike these kids out so the other team could bat, that's how bad it was. So yes, we won the second game too. My story gets better. Turns out on our schedule that we have ANOTHER game on June 5th!! That leaves me at cross-roads. I want to have my season stay ended, but that will only look bad. I told these kids they were done, and I'm sure the parents were happy about that annoucnement too. Tomorrow, Monday, I will email the parents and give them the "bad" news. I will give the kids off this week from practice, and be back in the saddle one more week for one more game. On the otherhand I could stick to my guns and tell the higher powers that be that we forfeit the game. I will take the temperature of the parents first.

Been logging some really good emails to some good friends. With my computer being shot to Hell (the notebook is still in the mail), I can't call anyone. It is really taking a nip on my calling card, but I'm okay with that. What I've been also doing is writing some long emails to friends. I like doing that in a way, especially when I'm at Hario and I have nothing better to do with my day. I also read my godmother's blog, and I will give a shoutout here and say thank you for referencing me. Blogs are always fun to read.

I did not chaperone the prom. They had enough volunteers the way it was. I was asked though to help out at the next dance though. My work with the school is not finished though. There was a going away party for one of the divers, and Steve Cassner was there with a friend strangely enough. Steve is a major player at the high school as he coaches almost every sport. We have gone out drinking a few times and he is a good guy. I asked him if he was close to the athletic director and he said that he will probably be the athletic director in a couple of weeks. I then asked him on the possibility on making a swim team for the high school. He told me that he'll look into it and bring it up with the incoming principal. Now folks, if this happens, it will have exceeded every goal I have ever set for myself at this point in my life besides being accepted to college and walking-on the swim team at UWGB.

Swimming isn't over. I have began the process of getting registered with the Nagasaki Swimming Association. This way we will have meets and actual competition. No more just practicing. Problem is everything is in Japanese, and I don't quite have the skills to do this by myself. Granted between Kristoph and myself I take care of the administrative ends of the house, but if it isn't one thing bogging me down, it's another. For the swim caps and boy jammers it was a time zone issue, and here it is a language issue. If we can pull this off it will be another feather in my cap. One thing about swimming I hate though is it is hard for people who don't understand the sport to really understand just how much work and time it takes to make something like this work. Espeically for two guys who sat on a couple of bar stools flirting with the idea to begin with.

About the Mt. Fuji climb. I ran the idea past Kristoph. He doesn't want to do the MWR trip route. Instead he wants to climb it ourselves. So we have reserved a van and we will make a roadtrip up there the 4th of July weekend. He is bringing his wife and I have yet to name my travel companion. While we are up there in the Tokyo/Yokosuka area we hope to visit our friend John Benningfield who has recently taken a job at CFAY. Time is flying by and it will be that weekend before we know it.

Have I written enough for one post? I hope so because I am going to bed before my watch!! Morale is high, note that.