Two random pictures

Well, I guess two turned into three. Here they are. Two from the Cherokee Nuclear Project that Tim and I 'visited' a couple weeks ago, and one from a ride I took a few Sunday's ago. The weather is too cold now for riding, but hopefully it warms up again soon. South Carolina isn't supposed to have weather that gets to 19F like last night...

Still alive

I know I haven't written in a long time, but I'm still here. Tiger team is over with, and I'm back on crew now, training students again. Kind of nice in that the hours are back to normal, but I really did enjoy doing maintenance work. Tonight is the last night of mids, and then life can go back to 'normal' for a couple of weeks.

Tiger team continues...

Well into week two of tiger team. I've learned a LOT so far about the equipment on the boat. Lots of work, and long hours, but I'm enjoying it anyway. It's actually really good to not be on crew for a while. We're split up into a days and a mids tiger team, and we overlap each other by about an hour on either side, so it ends up being 13 or 14 hours a day, which isn't all that bad. No time to get anything done outside of work, but enough to get a decent amount of sleep once I get off work. Today we start installing new flash arrestors on all the battery cells, which is going to be very cramped, awkward, itchy work. The battery well is pretty small, and there's lots of fiberglass to work into your skin while you're working. The whole job will probably take about 48 hours, so I get two shifts of it...

Tiger Team

We just started a month-long maintenance availability shutdown at work yesterday. I'm on the tiger team for this one which means that I'm working for EOD instead of my crew for the next month. All the big-item repairs and replacements that can't be done when we're critical and steaming get pushed off until a shutdown, and then tiger team tries to get three months of work done in three or four weeks. So for the next month or so, I'll be working 14-18 hour days at all kind of wierd hours, doing maintenance around the clock, and not doing any student training. I'm kind of looking forward to it for the experience, but I'm not sure yet how tough it's going to be. We'll see

Where I work

With the exception of my brother Tim, I guess nobody else has seen where I work... so here's a picture.


Pretty boring looking place, huh? I spend about half my time in that building (called the TSB, or Training Support Building) and the rest of the time out on the boat. You can see the whole site courtesy of Google Maps by clicking here.

I'm not too sure why there are no windows at all. I suppose it's due to all the classified material and stuff in there. Anyway, there you go.


Anson

House buying

Should be closing on my house on August 31. I'm starting to get excited. Other than that, not much happening. Just spent a nice weekend at home in Waxhaw. There's some pictures of the new house and some other random stuff here. Thanks Tim for the PNG pics.

Qualified

I finally qualified as staff two nights ago. I'm glad that's over with. I am now qualified as:

Electrical Operator, Shutdown Electrical Operator, Throttleman, Auxiliary Electrician, Radiation Worker, Damage Control Party Member, Asbestos Class III/O&M Worker, Quality Assurance Craftsman, 3M Maintenance Person, and NNPP Staff Instructor.

Wow.

The Nuclear Navy is big on lots of qualifications. The next ones I have coming up soon are: Shutdown Reactor Operator, Battery Charging Assistant, Battery Charging Electrician, ESF Electrical Operator, and Damage Control Petty Officer.

Lots of words that don't really say much. All each qual means is that I can be made to do more work that someone else doesn't want to do. :)

Tim is down visiting this weekend. I guess he's leaving this afternoon sometime. We had a good time despite the fact that I'm working mids and sleep most of the morning and afternoon after I get off work.

Still waiting to hear back from the seller of the house. They are out of town from what I hear. Hopefully I hear something next week.

Lots of changes

So I'm still living in Summerville, but it turns out that Harris will be here for another six months, so as it stands now, I'm the third man in a two bedroom apartment. I sleep on the couch, and all my stuff is in the corner of the living room. It pretty much stinks, but hopefully it shouldn't last much longer. I am in the middle of buying a house. It is a small single-family house in a nice neighborhood in Goose Creek, called Crowfield Plantation. It will need some work, but I'm getting it for fairly cheap. I'm actually kind of excited about the work I'll have to do... it's been almost two years since I did construction work, and I miss it.

I'm almost done with my staff quals. Should be done this week, if all goes well. Our boat was down for maintenance for two weeks, but it's finally fixed, and back up. I start swing shift this afternoon (4:00-12:00).

New apartment

Well, I moved to Summerville over the weekend. Right now, it's me, Stork, and Harris living here. Harris has to re-board sometime next week, I think, and then he leaves. I start BIT (basic instructor training) school on Monday morning. I really don't feel like going back to NPTU, but I guess I better get over that. Grad on Friday was very short and sweet. It didn't even last twenty minutes. Which was nice, I thought. Anyway, I'm tired, I'm kind of depressed about two more years here, even though it's what I wanted, and I'm still trying to settle into a new home where I don't really know anyone at all.

New orders... again, but different

Well, I found out a couple of days ago that I'm actually staying here in Charleston for two more years as an instructor at the school I just finished. So I'm in the middle of trying to find a new place to live, since my lease here runs out the end of this month, packing my stuff up, getting ready for grad, lots of stuff. Fun, fun....

Orders came in!!!

Well, our orders came in while I was on leave last week. After I graduate here on June 23, I am headed to the USS Florida, SSGN 728, homeported on Kings Bay, GA. The SSGN's are former ballistic missile subs that have been converted for use as SEAL insertion boats. I can't wait. Finally, after over 18 months in the Navy, I get assigned to a real seagoing sub. Cool. I'll write more when I find it out.

RIght now I'm on my weekend between mids and days. I have off until Saturday morning, and I've been enjoying spending time reading and lounging around on the beach. The water is really warm already, not freezing like it was in NJ last week. But I did have fun at the beach up there, too, since I got to go with my siblings. Tabitha and Matthew brought down two kayaks and we tried surf kayaking. Fun, but a little chilly.

Anyway, there's the updated version of Anson's life.

Seven Simple Prayers

Seven Simple Prayers

SEARCH ME, LORD (Psalm 139:23-24)
Father, I invite you to search me and point out any sin in my life that grieves you and hinders your blessing in my life. I confess it to you and trust you to lead me in your ways.

TEACH ME, LORD (Psalm 86:11)
Lord I come to you and open my heart for you to teach me your Word. Show me today from your Word yourself and your will. Give me an undivided heart that I might fear your name.

CHANGE ME, LORD (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Lord, my desire is to become more and more like you. Change me into your likeness. May people see your beauty in me.

BREAK ME, LORD (Psalm 51:17)
Lord, break me of any pride in my life. Give me a humble spirit that is dependent on you. You resist the proud, but you give grace to the humble. Whatever you need to do to keep me humble, I ask you to do it.

PROTECT ME, LORD (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
Lord, I praise you that on the cross satan was defeated. He is still on the attack, but in your strength I can be protected. Keep me alert to his attacks. I claim your strength and armor today.

FILL ME, LORD (Ephesians 5:18)
Lord, I praise you that you sent your Spirit to live in me. Today, I invite Him by faith to fill me and take control of me for your glory. He will fill me with praise and thanksgiving. He will fill me with boldness to share. He will fill me with your power and presence.

BLESS ME, LORD (1 Chronicles 4:10)
O Lord, I pray that you would pour out your blessing on my life. And everything that you have put under my care, take it and enlarge it for your glory. Expand my impact for your kingdom beyond what I could think or imagine. Let your powerful hand be on me. And keep me from temptation. Keep me from being swept away by the enemy.

Qualified

I'm DONE!!!! I had my final oral board on Friday night from 2130-2310, and passed with a 3.25! I'm very happy to be done. We had Saturday and Sunday off, and start T-week tomorrow (Monday). I'm not sure yet what I'll be doing for the last two months before grad, but I heard that I might be starting staff quals, which would be cool.

This coming weekend is Trevor's birthday, and I'm going to try to make it up to Waxhaw for that. It depends on what my schedule for this week looks like. I hope I can get up there.

I found a new church. The one I've been going to doesn't have many people my age, and I've been looking for one with more of a college/career age crowd. I went to one called Seacoast church, in Mt. Pleasant last night. They have services not just on Sunday morning, but on Saturday night, too, which is cool. I really liked it. They sang a lot of 'Soul-Purpose' type songs, which I enjoyed. The pastor spoke on the origins of the New Testament, and a little bit about early Church history. It was good.

Campout picture

I love my brothers and sisters... :)















Trevor and Travis working on their catapult launching.

Back to work

I had a nice four-day weekend at home with the family. Trevor, Travis, Dad, and I went camping on Friday night with the Cub Scouts. Mom, Aimee, and Mariah came out on Saturday, and spent saturday night there, but I left on Saturday afternoon to fix a flat rear tire on my motorcycle, and spend some time with Mandy and Tim. We were going to go bowling, but it took us an hour and a half to find the bowling alley, and then they said there was a half hour wait, so we just went home. I'm going in to work late today, because it's such a nice day outside, and I don't feel like working. I'll probably leave here in about an hour or so. I got some pictures from the weekend that I'll put up soon. But my computer is about to run out of batteries right now, so this is it for the moment.

T-Week

T-week stinks. It's a lot of training events, not a lot of progress, no standing watches, and just is not much fun. But the good thing is that it's only a four day week, and then a four-day weekend. So I'm halfway done with my week already. Nice

Random picture of the day

Two more days of mids!!!

Almost done with the mid-shift. It's been sort of a rough week. Trying to get used to a schedule where I work from eight at night to eight in the morning, and then sleeping all day. Work is fine until about 5 in the morning, when I just start dragging. Once I get home, though, I don't feel like going to bed because it's been so nice and warm outside, I don't want to spend the day inside sleeping. So it has taken some getting used to, but after tomorrow, and my 'weekend', I start day shift, and have to adjust again. It's definitely been wierd switching schedules every 7 days, but I think it'll work itself out soon enough. I've gotten to stand Auxiliary Electrician and Electrical Operator both so far this week. I had a blast. Especially with EO. It was so much fun. This is what I've been training to do for the last year or so. I love it. Much better than school, much better than doing construction work or working on an oyster boat.

Another long weekend :)

This being the second long weekend in a row, I'm starting to run out of laziness, and am almost looking forward to going back to work. I had a nice four-day weekend... Friday at 2:00PM until tomorrow (Tuesday) when I have to be at work at 4:00PM. Tomorrow starts day one of swing shift. Wonderful... tomorrow is a short day (only eight hours) and then six days of working from noon to midnight. Followed by two days off, and then seven days of working 8:30PM to 8:30AM. Great. I'm ecstatic. So it's 12:36AM and I'm trying to stay up for another two hours or so... hopefully then I can sleep in until 10:00 or so... and be able to stay awake for work tomorrow. I have a feeling that these next few months are going to be somewhat challenging. Seven days of one sleeping pattern, and then an eight hour change. Kind of like jet lag, but every week. Even jet lag isn't that bad, because at least the sun rises and sets at the appropriate times in the new time zone. I have a hard time sleeping when it's light out. Something to get used to, I suppose.

Long weekend

We get Presidents Day (tomorrow) off. It's supposed to rain, be cold, and generally miserable. I think I'll use the day to catch up on some reading. My books from Amazon finally got here, but I have to finish the one I'm in the middle of first, so I can return it to the library.

I went into work today after church. I had to put in two hours since I left early a couple of days during the week. I have to put in a total of 52 hours a week, and a minimum of 9 hours each weekday. Tuesday is our Off Crew exam, so I spent time today going over stuff, reviewing for that.

The picture a couple days ago was of a paper plant that I pass every day on my way to work, for those of you who were asking what it was. No special significance... just a 'random picture'. :)

Where I work...

For anyone who's interested... here's satellite pictures of where I work. You can see the two subs parked out in the river, a couple of support and training barges, and the Training Support Building surrounded by parking lots. The bottom right boat is mine, the MTS-626, the Ex-Daniel Webster...

Bedtime...


http://maps.google.com/?ll=32.944414,-79.929308&spn=0.002003,0.003659&t=k

A Familiar Face...

So I was walking back into the building today coming from the boat, and heard someone behind me say... 'Anson..?'. When you're used to being called 'VanDoren' all the time, and there's only a handful of people who even know my first name, let alone use it at work, it's a little surprising. So I turned around, and saw someone who I didn't really recognize. Then I saw his name tag... It was Sammy (Sam?...) Caddell. He graduated UIS with Tabitha, and joined the navy in 2000 or 2001. He just finished a sea tour in Pearl Harbor (I think) and he's back as an instructor at prototype now... Cool. We talked for a little bit, but then I had a lecture and had to go. He's on crew A on my boat (I'm on crew C), but we'll still see each other around. So that's my random topic for today.


Random Quote: "A man must not deny his manifest abilities, for that is to evade his obligations" -- William Feather, The Treasure of Franchard

Listening to: "Trying to Find Atlantis", Jamie O'Neal

Almost halfway done...

I figured out today that by the end of this week, I will be halfway through with my qualifications (in terms of total points) for all of prototype! This is week 6 now, out of 24 weeks. The rest of the points will take a little bit longer, because each checkout from here on out is a smaller point value, but it still feels nice to be almost halfway done. Thank you God!

Hopefully tomorrow morning will be warm enough for me to ride my bike in to work. The last few mornings have been miserable for riding. The warm weather is finally coming back, though. I can't wait. Unfortunately, it looks right now like it'll be raining this weekend, which is a bummer... I wanted to ride. Oh, well. One of these weekends will be nice.

Random picture of the day

Currently listening to: "The Dollar" (Jamey Johnson), "The Piano Man" (Billy Joel), and "We Delight" (Caedmon's Call)

Currently reading: Leviticus, Psalms, "Workouts for Workaholics", and "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed"

Radworker's Practical

That was what I spent my afternoon at work doing. Towards the beginning of prototype training we had a Radworker written examination which qualified us as limited Radworkers (radiation workers) which meant that we were allowed in to Radiologically Controlled Areas (i.e. the boat) but we weren't allowed to perform any work there nor stand watch. So today was our Radworker practical exam where we had to perform a simulated Reactor Compartment entry, perform work in a HRA (high radiation area), use dosimetry equipment consistent with working in a HRA, maintain our exposure record cards, all kinds of fun stuff. So I did that, and am now a qualified Radiation Worker, for whatever that's worth... fun stuff.

My books from Amazon

I had ordered a few books from Amazon a couple weeks ago, and last Monday they were supposedly delivered to my apartment here. The only problem was, when I got home at 7:45PM, they weren't there. I called the apartment complex office, and they hadn't recieved them, there was no note on my door from the USPS, and no books, but the USPS website said they had been delivered at 2:23PM. So after a week of trying to get a hold of the Post Office people, I finally talked to someone at the local post office this afternoon, and they basically told me that they had delievered it, they left it outside my door, that someone had probably walked off with it, and that they weren't going to do anything about it. But then I called Amazon, told them what had happened, and before I even had a chance to ask if they could do anything about it, they offered to send me a replacement for all three books, and to send it by two-day mail so I could have it soon. Wow! I was surprised. But anyway, that kind of made my night. Thanks, God for the little things that sometimes work out better than I expect them to.

School update

Tomorrow starts week 6 at school. At the end of week 7 we start rotating shift work. 7 days of days, 2 days off, 7 days of mids, 2 days off, 7 days of swings, 2 days off, 4 days of T-week (in class training), 4 days off, and then it all starts over again. Fun stuff. My goal is to be one of the first 5 electricians qualified so I can get day staff hours for the rest of prototype (7:00-3:00 Mon-Fri) which would be nice. So far I'm doing pretty well, but it starts to get harder once we get in-hull. We'll see. I'm loving it, either way, though. It's challenging, but fun.

I talked to Leah Pfantz on the phone tonight. I haven't talked to her in forever. It was cool. It reminded me of how little I keep up with Ukarumpa MK's, though. I never really make the effort. So I'm glad she called me.

It's past my bedtime. I'm going to sleep.

Weekend home

Went home for the weekend with Curt, one of my room mates. It was kind of short, but I had a good time. We helped Dad with the new clutch for Mandy's car. Then back down here this morning since Curt has finals this week and had to study. I hung around home, read the book I'm in the middle of... "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" by Jared Diamond. It's an interesting book. I read his book "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Societies" a couple of years ago, and found this one at the library last week. It's interesting to read about not just what happened to different societies over the history of the world, but the underlying causes and reasons that history turned out as it did. A nice change from reading technical manuals, ship's information books, reactor plant manuals, systems diagrams, electrical circuits, and naval reactors technical bulletins. :)

It's bedtime. I have to ride my bike in tomorrow morning since I need to leave early to get some errands done. It's going to be cold... Not really looking forward to it, but my room mates who I usually ride with don't leave until 7, and everything I need to do will be closed then.

More school

Same old stuff. School 12 hours a day. Then home to eat, sleep, and start again. It's exhausting. It's 5:30 on Sunday night, and I'm going to bed. I'm so tired.

School

OK... so this is a little overview of my new school. For the first 7 weeks we are with the Off Crew Training Group (OCTG), and we have lectures and training events and seminars sporadically throughout the day, usually for a total of three hours. For the rest of the 12 hours, we have a one-inch thick book of qualification cards, with multiple checkouts on each page. There is a certain number of checkouts we have to complete before Off-Crew is done, and all of them have to be finished to graduate. There are two libraries, lots of computers with lots of information, and the two subs. That's about all the guidance we get. Then it's just "Get your quals done. Have fun." So my day involves deciding which checkouts I want to get done, looking up my references for that particular topic, system, component, part, etc, going to the library to find those references, sifting through all the information (hundreds of pages sometimes) to find the important parts, learning as much as I can about the topic, and then finding an instructor qualified to sign off my qual-card, presenting all the information to them in oral form, answering lots of questions about the system (checkouts are usually 20-40 minutes each of an instructor grilling the student on obscure details) and then hopefully getting my checkout signed off. Sometimes the instructor will send a student to do a lookup on a point the student was weak on, have them come back and show off their new-found knowledge, and then sign their checkoff. Then it's off to start studying for another checkout. It's fun, though. The problem is finding an instructor who has time to listen to you regurgitate all that information. The best part is being able to actually walk around on a real, operating, nuclear-powered sub. They just cut us loose in there and say 'learn it'. I love it.

More later.

Trip over, school started again

So I made it down to Key West at around 10:30 that night, found out that there were no rooms available at any of the hotels there, so I drove back up to Homestead and spent the night there. Next day I drove all the way back to Charleston. About 12 hours and 600 miles. It was a long day, but the trip was enjoyable anyway.

So now I'm back in school, and it is crazy. 12 hour days (0700-1900), lots and lots of work to get done. Crazy, crazy. I'll write more soon with some pictures hopefully.

Trip Part 1

I rode from Waxhaw to Jacksonville yesterday, and spent the night with Nita and Daniel Bryant. The whole trip there was rainy and wet. I had a rain suit thanks to Dad, but I managed to still get soaked down to the skin. I left this morning at 7:00, but haven't made it too far yet. First I stopped in St. Augustine and took some pictures. Then I stopped at a Walmart to get some tie-downs and a bigger bag. Now I'm at St. John's County Library. I'm going to head down to Daytona Beach, get some lunch, and then hopefully down to Key West by tonight.