Apartment Success!

It may have taken nearly two months and over $3,000 but I finally have it. The most amazing place in all of Sasebo, Japan. Now if you are reading this the odds are I need not remind you how cocky I am, but let me slip on the humble shoes here for a minute and still declare my place a spot of national interest because of the sheer amount of coolness emanating from all four bedrooms of my penthouse. Wait a second - did he really just say four? Oh, he did? Wow. That's what your reaction should be - Simply wow.

Okay, okay, so I may be a little biased as to the level of amazingness my apartment merits. That's an easy call. Now I offer you this... I have a room for trash. I have so many rooms... One is strictly for the containment of cardboard until I feel like disposing of it. If only Japan wasn't tiny I'd throw a damn pool table in there. Also I'm not sure where you'd even get a pool table in Japan - well that's another story.

So despite having an amazing place, and this may to much for the casual reader to handle so I advise you to proceed with caution is absolutely amazing things make you queasy. My friend Cimmi, a fellow Naval Officer, cooks for me because - now get this - she likes cooking... Yeah? I know right? Free food and wait for it... here's the kicker... She does the dishes! I told you guys, this place is borderline paradise. Did I mention the fireworks? I didn't think so - we get fireworks whenever Sasebo has a festival. I know right?

And to claim that my two amazing leather couches are anything short of chariots fit for the Gods would be underselling at it's best. Seriously, I have a more comfortable couch that my Dad. (Sorry for selling you out Dad, but good Lord I love this couch!) Throw in my bean bag room, six seat dining room set, classy coffee table, and full sized bed, and what you have my friends... is the greatest place in all of Sasebo City.

And YES - you can quote me on that!

PS ( I found the most hilarious coaster on this planet... )

Sushi Go Round

So you know those places where they serve sushi little plates on a conveyor belt and at the end of your meal they charge you based on how high your plate stack is? Well neither did I until I got to Japan. Not even until tonight in fact as I write this full of shrimp, fish, eel, rice and pineapple. Honestly I never thought I'd try something like that being as picky as I am but I have to admit I had an absolute blast trying all the different interesting mystery seafoods that I was brave enough to consume. The best part is that my total came to about 20 American dollars, or 1,800 yen, and I racked up a good 12 plates. My stomach full, my eyes droopy, my yawn imminent I still type away as the pictures upload to Facebook. I will also upload a select few to show here. It is funny how in a month I have mastered chopsticks and for 22 years I avoided Japanese food at all costs sans hibachi grills. Funny thing is - I haven't seen a single hibachi place in the whole city. Funny how that works isn't it?

Enjoy the pics!

Thinking On Watch Can Be Dangerous

As I stood on the quarterdeck sweating in the humidity, I relished the moment of peace I had while standing watch. In that moment, I became fixated on the flags flying in front of me. The National Ensign, Japan’s flag, the Navy’s own, our ship’s flag and the POW/MIA banner. Watching the flags wave in the wind, flowing proudly made me stand a little stiffer. I looked to my left, and saw the entirety of Sasebo City with its homes climbing the mountain becoming more and scarce on the way to the top. To my right rested several Japanese warships, their own respective flags waving in the wind, while behind me stood the never changing scene that was the base. In that moment I thought about where I was, what I was doing, and how it played into my defending these great United States. I didn’t have a weapon, there was no apparent enemy, and the land I was fighting for was hundreds of miles away. My watch seemed trivial in the grand aspect of things; that I, a lowly Ensign, was part of the world’s greatest fighting force and that my role was critical. Then it hit me more than ever.

I was in Japan - and I would be for another two years, and in Japan I had a mission. I saluted the next passerby requesting permission to go ashore and let them leave. My attention broken, I looked back and stared at the grey mammoth that was my home. The Essex, LHD 2 if you will… the “deuce” to many. I chuckled unexpectedly under my breath as I realized I was 7,000 miles from the balmy Baton Rouge I left. Surely coming to Japan was never part of my plan… I though back hard, trying to remember if it was ever even an option. After some thought, I had realized I made the decision on a whim literally within minutes on my ship selection day. Then the inevitable question poised itself in my mind. Do I regret that decision? Another moment of deliberation leads me to think that it may have been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Japan isn’t America, not by a long shot. It is an unquestionably difficult challenge I deal with on a daily basis; from the physical distance from my loved ones to the time difference and difficulty in communicating with them. The hardest thing about being in Japan is that no one from Louisiana will ever understand it. The customs, the stress, the multitude of work required to get something as simple as a bike permit or a much needed signature. The pace of work is elevated from what it is stateside and frankly, if someone has never worked as part of the forward deployed Navy there is no real way to describe it. Most days I just focus on the main issue of work but never get a chance to “escape.” It is difficult because while I do have a furnitureless apartment, I still live on the ship. I sleep on the ship. I wake up on the ship. I eat on the ship. I study on the ship. It’s not the easiest thing to cope with. I know from experience that it is even worse underway.

Despite the monotony of the Essex I still have a good time on board and often find new adventures. I find myself now on a beanbag in my air conditioned apartment listening to Billy Joel and typing to relieve the stress. I look out of a crack in the curtain and see the hills of Sasebo. For some reason the houses look different than on the ship, speckling the top of the tree covered mountain. From this spot, in my house, where I have control, they are part of my view… Granted the apartment is paid for by the Navy, but that’s as far as its reach goes. I own this moment, and with it comes the relief and break I have been anticipating for so long. I feel good, relaxed even. I sigh and continue to type away thinking about tomorrow, our morning workout, how many signatures I will need, and of course of all the unexpected surprises I never see coming. But finally before I hit submit and pass this on to the public space that is the internet, I smile.