23 March  08

Hard to believe that it is Easter already...although, it is so early this year, I guess I can be forgiven for that. So, indeed, He is Risen! I went to Vigil Mass at Star of the Sea last night, and it was pretty nice. I always try to make the Easter Vigil, as I feel it is the best way to celebrate the holiday.

Today is also special because it marks the 5 year anniversary of Andy's Random Stuff! I am fairly amazed this project has lasted so long. All the other websites I have tried to put together in the past collapsed under their own weight after only a few months. Through 4 Academy semesters, a busy graduation, Nuclear Power School, Prototype, Sub School, and now my shipyard tour on the San Fran, this website has endured. There have been a few dry spells, like the recent one, but I've always come back with some kind of update. Today's is a little bit more of a retrospective on where the site has been, and where it is headed.

08 March  08

Lately I've been renting a 70's anime series called "Star Blazers" from Netflix, which is the localized version of Space Battleship Yamato. This series is obviously a bit dated from a technical standpoint, but I still found it very entertaining (it is sort of like watching the original Star Trek...sure, the effect are old, but the whole package still holds together amazingly well).  Also, its theme music is extremely catchy, to the point where I have procured a soundtrack CD! I'm probably going to post a review for this series in the not too distant future.

Starting tomorrow, it is back to the grind on the boat for me. These last two weeks have been a nice break, what with the JO school and all. However, I'm ready to dig back in to my quals again, now that I've had a chance to re-charge my batteries a bit. The next couple of weeks should be interesting, as a few major items that may or may not delay the boat's leaving the yards are going to be decided. At this point, it is anyone's guess as to when we'll be done.

Today's update is all about a little game called Super Mario Galaxy (yes, I still do game reviews occasionally!). This game is probably the best 3-D Mario game yet, in my opinion.

03 March  08

Goodness gracious, I can’t believe it has been more than two months since I’ve posted an update. I certainly didn’t intend to go this long without one, but as often times happens events overcame my best intentions. So much water has passed under the ol’ bridge since I last updated, I might as well start from the beginning. 

First, I had a great holiday leave period. I got to spend some time with Gwen and my family back in Indiana, as well as spend some time with my friend Vince. I really enjoyed myself, and took some time to relax and catch up with everyone. My parents sure have made a lot of progress with remodeling our house; I hardly recognize the place anymore! I got a metric butt-ton of games for Christmas, too. The list includes Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Zak & Wiki, and Mass Effect. Given how little time I’ve had to play games lately, I won’t need another game until next Christmas!

Since I’ve been back, things have really gotten busy on the boat. We are due out of the shipyard in about a year or so, and as a result a lot more work has been going on. Additionally, I’m past my one year point, which is the normal limit for qualifying Submarines, so I’ve been getting much busier with my qualifications. All the while, I’ve been standing 3-section duty (standing duty every third day), which can be quite draining. Fortunately though, I am going back to a 4-section rotation this month, so that should make it a bit easier for me.

Without a doubt though, the biggest news I’ve had recently is that I proposed to Gwen, and she said Yes! I had been planning the weekend for months, and it went off pretty smoothly. We stayed at the beautiful Fairmont Olympic hotel in downtown Seattle, and had dinner at the nearby Metropolitan Grill. Overall, it is not the kind of weekend I can afford to have often, but then this was a once in a lifetime event, so I figured I could afford to splurge a little! We are currently planning the wedding for sometime in the fall of 2009, as that will be after I’ve finished my tour of duty on board the USS San Francisco.

I’m at JO3 this week, which is a school that teaches basic tactical and ship driving skills. As a result though, my schedule is a little more relaxed than it usually his. Hopefully, this will mean that I can get another update or two in this month!