My Chief has recently sent me a gentle reminder of my past weekend's failure: "You were supposed to give me your evaluation input during this past drill weekend so we could discuss and finalize the information on your evaluation..."
Oy! As if life wasn't already busy enough! Well, I know that it was a terribly busy drill weekend, but I do not have any excuses to lean upon at this level of the game. Really, I should have been a bit more cognizant of this oversight and taken the necessary steps to make sure that Chief and I sat down and finalized my evaluation input prior to the end of the drill period. After all, my Naval career is fully within my own hands and I am the master of my own destiny, victories and failures. (Sigh!)
Today, I sit at work, sleep deprived thanks to a 2 1/2 week old son with an abundance of paperwork stacked before me that needs to be processed, reported upon and put into the medical reporting system for future use. Quite honestly, I would rather have a "play day" to go out into the sunshine and just "be" for a couple of hours rather than be sitting here as a slave to my paperwork! Regardless, the belly aching will not get the paperwork where it needs to go, so dutifully and methodically I will plug away at the list and relieve some of the stressors here at work that have been bugging me now for the past two weeks.
This weekend will be spent re-evaluating my "time budget" and seeing where I am successful and where I am failing. Although my "honey do" list continues to get longer and longer as the days run by like wild horses, I have come to realize that I have not put as much energy and time into my home responsibilities as I should have and that my relationships within the Navy, Work and Home need to be revised in order for me to balance out everything and manage my time a bit more wisely. Yes, it may actually mean NOT getting to sit down and play Madden 09, but it is a very small price to pay for a bit more time and a bit more peace of mind!
This weekend is shaping up to be a good one as I have plans to barbecue for friends and family on Saturday and reconnect with one of my Army buddies that I spent time in Iraq with that I've not seen in 4 years! We'll likely get into mischief and just sit around talking about our days in Oklahoma and Iraq, but the reconnect and the time to just be myself will be time well budgeted and spent!
As lunchtime hunger sets in, I am scheming for a device (and excuse) to curb this growling within my stomach. The remedy for this lies not behind this keyboard, but somewhere beyond the four walls of my cubicle and somewhere outside my place of employment and within the friendly confines of some eating establishment here in Beverly Hills! Well, that suits me just fine!
So for now, it is off to the comfort of the "Beemer" where you'll find me with both windows down, sunroof open, sunglasses on and radio echoing upwards toward the noonday sun and warmth of yet another carbon-copied pseudo-summer day in mid-October Los Angeles!
Enjoy the weekend! Mine has only just begun!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Day After
November 20, 2008 - Initial entry
It is the day after a long Naval Reserve weekend and I am a mix of fatigue, accomplishment and pain. It appears as though the many long hours of this past reserve weekend and loss of sleep have taken their toll as I sit at work looking more akin to a zombie (which is right in line for Halloween) rather than an industrious nurse!
Such is the life of this part-time "doc" who spends three to four days a month wearing a camouflage uniform, sporting a "high and tight" haircut and doing my best to fit into the role as a leader in today's Navy.
In my full-time life, I embrace the honorable monikers of "husband," "father" and "nurse."
Four jobs - one man - one life...
It is no secret that I am getting older, my body is failing to listen to me, the corpsmen in my unit are young enough to be my children (had I had children when I was 20) and an abundance of my stories often begin with, "Well back when I joined the Navy..." I am in the grips of what could be politely described as a "transitional phase" within my Naval Career and soon I will have to deal with retirement, twilight and an eventual boat ride into a glorious tropical sunset. It is a hard bit of reality to have to come to terms with, but one that I am sure to see through, cursing, fighting and kicking my way right to to its very end.
All in all, the past drill weekend went well for our little band of "misfits" in our BAS (Battalion Aid Station) as we managed to place robust "checks" into most of the "Things To Do" boxes.
Dental? Aye-aye!...
Flumist? Roger!...
SAAR-N paperwork? Uhhh...what?...
IA Training? Ooops! Wait...here is my certificate! Check! (whew!)
Did I mention that drill weekends can be tough! How so? Try accomplishing 30 days worth of work in a 2 1/2 day work period and see if you can still manage to squeeze in some sleep somewhere!
Leaning forward into the "foxhole," we are busily "squaring away" our dress blue uniforms and shrinking our waistlines in preparation for the upcoming Marine Corps Ball!
Additionally, I am nursing a knot on my scalp after bashing it on a .50 caliber machine gun handle while trying to jump into the turret position of a 7-ton vehicle. 14 years in the service and I forgot a critical rule when around weapons and vehicles: Always wear your "brain bucket" (Kevlar helmet).
Tired of working for the day, I am looking forward to defensively piloting my vehicle along a severely congested San Diego Freeway to home where my wife, children and pillow await me. Usually I the customary Monday night football game is mandatory "relaxation" but for some reason tonight I find myself more enthused about getting into a warm, comfortable bed rather then seeing a bunch of knuckleheads chase the pigskin around for 3 hours!
I am a part-time "Doc" in a full-time world who is looking forward to a good night sleep!
Good night! I'll see you on the other side!
It is the day after a long Naval Reserve weekend and I am a mix of fatigue, accomplishment and pain. It appears as though the many long hours of this past reserve weekend and loss of sleep have taken their toll as I sit at work looking more akin to a zombie (which is right in line for Halloween) rather than an industrious nurse!
Such is the life of this part-time "doc" who spends three to four days a month wearing a camouflage uniform, sporting a "high and tight" haircut and doing my best to fit into the role as a leader in today's Navy.
In my full-time life, I embrace the honorable monikers of "husband," "father" and "nurse."
Four jobs - one man - one life...
It is no secret that I am getting older, my body is failing to listen to me, the corpsmen in my unit are young enough to be my children (had I had children when I was 20) and an abundance of my stories often begin with, "Well back when I joined the Navy..." I am in the grips of what could be politely described as a "transitional phase" within my Naval Career and soon I will have to deal with retirement, twilight and an eventual boat ride into a glorious tropical sunset. It is a hard bit of reality to have to come to terms with, but one that I am sure to see through, cursing, fighting and kicking my way right to to its very end.
All in all, the past drill weekend went well for our little band of "misfits" in our BAS (Battalion Aid Station) as we managed to place robust "checks" into most of the "Things To Do" boxes.
Dental? Aye-aye!...
Flumist? Roger!...
SAAR-N paperwork? Uhhh...what?...
IA Training? Ooops! Wait...here is my certificate! Check! (whew!)
Did I mention that drill weekends can be tough! How so? Try accomplishing 30 days worth of work in a 2 1/2 day work period and see if you can still manage to squeeze in some sleep somewhere!
Leaning forward into the "foxhole," we are busily "squaring away" our dress blue uniforms and shrinking our waistlines in preparation for the upcoming Marine Corps Ball!
Additionally, I am nursing a knot on my scalp after bashing it on a .50 caliber machine gun handle while trying to jump into the turret position of a 7-ton vehicle. 14 years in the service and I forgot a critical rule when around weapons and vehicles: Always wear your "brain bucket" (Kevlar helmet).
Tired of working for the day, I am looking forward to defensively piloting my vehicle along a severely congested San Diego Freeway to home where my wife, children and pillow await me. Usually I the customary Monday night football game is mandatory "relaxation" but for some reason tonight I find myself more enthused about getting into a warm, comfortable bed rather then seeing a bunch of knuckleheads chase the pigskin around for 3 hours!
I am a part-time "Doc" in a full-time world who is looking forward to a good night sleep!
Good night! I'll see you on the other side!
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