Our shift work scheduled was modified to account for some unexpected equipment conditions. My shift had Wednesday night off, so a bunch of us went out to dinner and then to see Horton Hears a Who!, which actually wasn't too bad. It's easy to see why I enjoyed this movie: for one, Steve Carell and Jim Carrey voiced the mayor of Whoville and Horton respectively; and for two, I was drunk for the full duration of the picture. I had turned the keys of the Minivan o' War over to my associate SafariMaster, who drove my car more conservatively than I ever would. All of my resolve was required to keep my composure and not be a passenger seat driver, which is one of my biggest personal annoyances.
Last night was different than most nights at work. All of the major problems with our equipment had been fixed, and we were finally ready to bring the reactor back to a condition near that at which we normally operate. For me, as a Reactor Operator, it meant I actually got to operate the reactor plant, vice sitting in front of the panel and watching nothing change. I once wrote one of my friends that "eighty percent of the time, it's 'reactor by Geico' - so easy, a caveman could do it." This was not one of those times. And that was a welcome change; not only did it help to keep me awake, it kept my mind focused on something other than the conditions to which the Submersible Death Trap subjected my body. I am the only Reactor Operator on my shift, so from when I assumed the watch just before 4 p.m., until I was relieved a few minutes prior to midnight, I was locked in. No bathroom breaks, no food breaks. I didn't need any of the former, but I was starving when I got out of there, not having eaten in eleven hours. This was quickly fixed by way of a hot-pocket type thing for "mid-rats," followed by leftovers from Wednesday night's dinner.
I've decided not to tell the story of the "Poland colon" here, as I was in no way directly involved with it. If asked privately, I might be willing to tell it.
Stat sheet time once again..., as of 8 a.m., (x < 10,000), where 'x' is the number of hours remaining in the Seagoing Military Force. If the next 417 days go by as quickly as the last three months have, the rest of my time in the Navy will be a breeze.
