With the intent of 'selling' it when I got out of the Navy, I had been saving up my accrued leave (vacation) so I had a 'little' bit saved up, over 30 days. So with my recent 'appointment' as Indoctrination Officer, and have a little time before I had to assume that position and start the task of 'receiving' new reports, I decided to take a vacation! So I put in for 'time off,' 30 days worth of it, I thought for sure that would be 'enough' time to head back home to Houston, and have a taste of 'life.'
It wasn't that memorable of a vacation, after all, I was just going home, there were no memorable events or 'snapshot' moments worth capturing for a lifetime of memories. The entire experience was though noteworthy and in some ways very memorable. To say the least, it 'wore' me out!
Having been gone from home, all the people and all the 'things' of home, my time was to say the least 'full.' Being a sailor, life 'was all about' the party, which is pretty much the way it had been in the days and years before I went into the Navy. So it was easy to 'go back' and pickup where I had left off essentially. Though I had been gone for a couple of years, it was not enough time so that anyone had really 'grown up.' That coupled with the fact I was back, the trip home became one big party. Then, as now, the biggest socializing habit seemed to revolve around alcohol. And it was no different with me being home.
Every night there was somewhere to go, someone to see - reason for the party to continue! My drink of 'choice' in that day was Jack Daniels on the rocks with a beer back, with a couple of shocks of tequila mixed in! With a seemingly cast iron stomach and liver, a 'liquid diet' was often time the norm for me. Along with all the socializing and partying came a lot of late hours and miles.
Although I had four weeks of leave schedule, at the end of three weeks, I was ready to call it 'done' and made plans to go 'home' back to the ship and a sedate and dry life! After three weeks of 'living' the life I had left and missed, I was ready to be back to the live I had come to know, so I packed my bags and got on the 'silver bird' and made my way back to the ship and reported back on board, three weeks to the day since I had left and still with one week to 'burn.' That week turned out to be a blessing!
Before I had left on leave, after accepting the I-Doc assignment, I had received 'ownership of all the divisional spaces. Most notably at the moment, the small berthing space that would be that of the "I" Division staff. As it was a Sunday and late when I got back on board, checking in could wait until the next morning, so I made my way to the new berthing compartment that was to be my 'room' for the next few months. Since I had not 'chosen' my staff yet, the compartment was empty and I had it to myself! As soon as I got into the compartment, I 'jacked' down the thermostat on the A/C as low as it could go! Now thermostats on the ship aren't like 'normal' thermostats. So when I turned it down to 50, 50 is what the temperature got down to - at least it was a good test of the A/C in the room! And it passed.
With the door locked, the A/C 'jacked' down, I made my way to the 'rack' [bed] and after undressing climbed in, closed the curtain and turned out the light! Trust me, lights out there produce dark unlike anything most people ever experience until the lights 'go out' permanently! The kind of dark, where you can put your hand in front of your face and not even know it is there until you touch your nose!
Being 'set' and ready for a nice slumber, it was a matter of moments and I was out! 'Dead to the world.' And I slept. And slept. and slept. When I finally woke up, I made my way out of the compartment and stumbled to the head [toilet], It was 'quiet' on in the passageway and I did not 'run' into anyone for awhile. This seemed normal to me, after all I had came on board on Sunday night, the ship was in the yard so a lot of people would be on vacation and away for other things, life on board would not be normal at the time, there would not be a lot of people or a lot noise.
While I stood at the sink shaving or whatever it was that found me there - a shipmate walked in and I inquired as the time of day. When he told me it was around 2100 on Sunday night, I exclaimed that it could not be! It was about the same time on the same day of the week that I cam back on board ship - I know that I had to have been asleep longer than just a few minutes! So I had to 'press' him and inquire as to the date. When he told me the date all I could do was shake my head in amazement! It had been a solid week that I had been asleep!
So after I finished my shower, I headed back to the compartment and wondered what to do. After all it was Sunday night, most everyone was gone and there wasn't a whole lot to do, so what did I do? I climbed back in my rack, this time setting my alarm to get up the next morning and went to sleep!
It wasn't that memorable of a vacation, after all, I was just going home, there were no memorable events or 'snapshot' moments worth capturing for a lifetime of memories. The entire experience was though noteworthy and in some ways very memorable. To say the least, it 'wore' me out!
Having been gone from home, all the people and all the 'things' of home, my time was to say the least 'full.' Being a sailor, life 'was all about' the party, which is pretty much the way it had been in the days and years before I went into the Navy. So it was easy to 'go back' and pickup where I had left off essentially. Though I had been gone for a couple of years, it was not enough time so that anyone had really 'grown up.' That coupled with the fact I was back, the trip home became one big party. Then, as now, the biggest socializing habit seemed to revolve around alcohol. And it was no different with me being home.
Every night there was somewhere to go, someone to see - reason for the party to continue! My drink of 'choice' in that day was Jack Daniels on the rocks with a beer back, with a couple of shocks of tequila mixed in! With a seemingly cast iron stomach and liver, a 'liquid diet' was often time the norm for me. Along with all the socializing and partying came a lot of late hours and miles.
Although I had four weeks of leave schedule, at the end of three weeks, I was ready to call it 'done' and made plans to go 'home' back to the ship and a sedate and dry life! After three weeks of 'living' the life I had left and missed, I was ready to be back to the live I had come to know, so I packed my bags and got on the 'silver bird' and made my way back to the ship and reported back on board, three weeks to the day since I had left and still with one week to 'burn.' That week turned out to be a blessing!
Before I had left on leave, after accepting the I-Doc assignment, I had received 'ownership of all the divisional spaces. Most notably at the moment, the small berthing space that would be that of the "I" Division staff. As it was a Sunday and late when I got back on board, checking in could wait until the next morning, so I made my way to the new berthing compartment that was to be my 'room' for the next few months. Since I had not 'chosen' my staff yet, the compartment was empty and I had it to myself! As soon as I got into the compartment, I 'jacked' down the thermostat on the A/C as low as it could go! Now thermostats on the ship aren't like 'normal' thermostats. So when I turned it down to 50, 50 is what the temperature got down to - at least it was a good test of the A/C in the room! And it passed.
With the door locked, the A/C 'jacked' down, I made my way to the 'rack' [bed] and after undressing climbed in, closed the curtain and turned out the light! Trust me, lights out there produce dark unlike anything most people ever experience until the lights 'go out' permanently! The kind of dark, where you can put your hand in front of your face and not even know it is there until you touch your nose!
Being 'set' and ready for a nice slumber, it was a matter of moments and I was out! 'Dead to the world.' And I slept. And slept. and slept. When I finally woke up, I made my way out of the compartment and stumbled to the head [toilet], It was 'quiet' on in the passageway and I did not 'run' into anyone for awhile. This seemed normal to me, after all I had came on board on Sunday night, the ship was in the yard so a lot of people would be on vacation and away for other things, life on board would not be normal at the time, there would not be a lot of people or a lot noise.
While I stood at the sink shaving or whatever it was that found me there - a shipmate walked in and I inquired as the time of day. When he told me it was around 2100 on Sunday night, I exclaimed that it could not be! It was about the same time on the same day of the week that I cam back on board ship - I know that I had to have been asleep longer than just a few minutes! So I had to 'press' him and inquire as to the date. When he told me the date all I could do was shake my head in amazement! It had been a solid week that I had been asleep!
So after I finished my shower, I headed back to the compartment and wondered what to do. After all it was Sunday night, most everyone was gone and there wasn't a whole lot to do, so what did I do? I climbed back in my rack, this time setting my alarm to get up the next morning and went to sleep!
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