A Few Hours and a Fantastic Weekend

Because of the craziness at work this week, I didn't have much time to myself. With the time I did have, I finished organizing the paper stuff in my house... brochures, programs, tickets, documents, etc. It was the last set of things that needed going through, and although it took me a couple nights (Thursday and Friday), I managed to get through it. I also picked up the last of my home improvements...  a bunch of frames from Michaels on Friday... set out my 31 postcards (from recent trips) and put them in a couple small poster frames in groupings. Also found a big 22x28 framed picture of something that vividly reminds me of a very special day in college... for $20! Put that and one of the Sleeping Beauty posters up in the bedroom for a big improvement. Panera Bread sits right next to Michaels, and I had an old favorite combo... veggie sandwich and creamy tomato soup for a convenient dinner.

Saturday I picked up the last of the Walmart.com orders... a big brown carpet for the bedroom. It's looking nice and cozy up there now, with the art and the furniture and the little lamp. A marked improvement from a mattress and a dresser. I also broke down and bought the small matching pillow to the comforter (that I bought about a year ago...), and finally found a simple weight scale. My weight always hangs heavy on my head right before the PRT... LOL... so now, I can keep better track of how I'm doing.

But goodness, that wasn't all I did on Saturday! I started off going to Newport News for a toy soldier show at the Virginia War Museum. This I remembered on Friday after checking out the website from a catalog I found while going through my stacks of papers. So it was... perfect timing! I bought three figures online,

and at the show on Saturday, I bought a Spanish-made French Cuirassier on horseback (1806 period), and a English-made 1950s mounted knight.

After dropping them off at home, I continued on to a Greek Orthodox Church in Norfolk for their annual Greek Festival... lots of great Greek food: I had a lamb gyro, a delicious Spanakopita (phyllo pie with spinach and feta cheese), a Greek salad, some buttered rice, and a piece of Baklava to finish! Then I stopped by the church to look around... they have lots of medieval paintings of the saints, apostles, Christ, and Mary. It was very interesting to look at, and I picked up a handout history of their church. Went right back home and watched the first couple episodes of Downton Abby, which I've been rather interested in seeing since it came out. I enjoyed it at first, but but into the fourth episode, things were sprawling out of control, just like they did in Upstairs/Downstairs... whiny, bratty daughter who is "so oppressed"... and gets into lots of trouble and whines about having to get married to get out of it.

But, by today, I made it to the sixth episode where people seem to redeem themselves and all seems pretty much to be righted. I don't think I want to watch any more though... I know it will delve into scenes of hard emotion where everything spirals out of control so you have to watch the next season. I don't think I want to get that far into it. I enjoyed it where it is now, and I don't want to go through the heartbreak of the great war yet again. As things are now, people are getting engaged and they are happy... so I'll leave it at that.

Otherwise today, I've mowed and trimmed the lawn, did the dishes, not ate too much (fried egg and cream of wheat for breakfast, sandwich/carrot/cheese roll-up for dinner), and managed a brilliant strategy for working out and doing my laundry at the same time: Q-80 on base provides washers and driers, and while I first washed, I went in the gym for a 12-minute PRT-type bike ride (134 calories!), then after I went and put them in the drier, I did 1,000 yds at the pool. Came home for the shower, and all was in order!

I missed church tonight though... and I felt kind of lonely after I watched a very silly film from 2009... 17 Again. I remember seeing the ad in the paper for it when it came out, so I didn't mind the $1 rental fee to be satisfied. It was obvious in a lot of ways, but it was funny in places and entertaining. But as for being lonely, I prayed to the Lord and thanked him for all the good things he's given me, and I felt a lot better.

Jw

More of the Same!

When you're speaking of relaxing, watching movies all day, and only taking breaks to play with very lovable dogs, more of the same is exciting!

I re-watched a scene from Arn, then tried out Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which I really enjoyed. It has a very odd sort of reality to it, and it was very moving. I wonder how much of it was based in actual events, and where the fiction started. Very fun to watch! I looked at a couple cartoons from my Warner Bros. disc, and finished the day with a re-watching of The Borne Identity.

Had just enough time to get home, return the movie rentals, get a pizza, mow the yard, and pack before heading off to the ship for a Sunday evening liberty expiration.

Jw

Time Off

Not much time at home this week... at least to speak of.

When I was home, I managed to do some things around the house that I've never gotten around to since I moved in. First it was the pantry/closet by the dining/living rooms. I had half-arranged things when I unpacked them, but ever since then I've dreaded going through it and straightening it out. Somehow, I got the bug to take care of it, and I did. Gathered a few things to donate, and otherwise I feel much better about the arrangement.

The next day, I did something else I'd been avoiding... going through all my clothes, trying on all my pants, and getting everything organized. One thing was very silly: I hadn't even unwrapped a half-dozen tops from my move from San Diego, just under a year ago. Overall, I feel much more put-together than I have in years.

The day after that I had duty, so it didn't matter how late I got out. I was stuck on the ship until Friday afternoon. When we were let go, I did make it home to change and eat a snack before heading out to my friend Kristin's house in Chesapeake to house and dog sit for her and her husband. They have a boxer named Rudy and a miniture shnauzer named Scarlet, and both very well behaved. I've got them for the whole weekend. I spent most of my time watching movies... Picked up a couple films at the rental store near home... Argo, the Best Picture winner, and Arn: the Knight Templer. This last was a Swedish TV mini-series from 2008... and I fell in love with it so fast that I watched four of the six, one-hour episodes, on Friday alone. Today I finished the other two, bought the first book of the series, and bought the bluray online for a gift for someone who never reads this blog. :)

Other than that and Argo, which I also enjoyed, I also watched Dave and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera for the first time straight through. I well remember many of the song scenes from a music video my grandparents showed us on a few different occasions. It was nice to finally tie it all together. Goodness, Raul needed a major haircut! And to accent that distinct music, the major lightning storm out the back window provided quite the background.

A perfect way to relax and unwind between two very stressful weeks.

Was able to call and chat with my parents and my grandparents as well, which is always nice.

Jw

Breaks Between Duty

Last Sunday was my only day off between a duty day and a week-long underway... and I spent it carefully! In fact, I planned out everything I wanted to do while on my last watch.

I came right home, made breakfast and enjoyed it a bunch. Then it was backyard time... put the new weed-whacker together ($25 from the NEX), had to make a trip to the Home Depot to get the right kind of extension cord (which interrupted the plan a bit), then whacked my weeds, planted some flowers in some new potting soil I laid down next to the shed, mowed the lawn, and refilled the bird feeder and water dish.

Then I went to go swimming. Tried the Norfolk pool first, but that wasn't open on a Sunday. Continued on to the base, where I did a 500-yard workout, and was able to teach a girl in my lane how to improve her crawl stroke. She was very thankful for the advice, and it made me feel useful and happy in turn.

Back at home I made a big sandwich for lunch, then headed over to Ocean View with my laundry. Went shopping across the street while the clothes dried, and watched a bit of the ABC presentation of Disney's Cinderella on the TVs while I waited for them to finish. It's definitely not one of my favorites... mouse voices are rather irritating after a minute... and all I can think of is Maleficent as the evil stepmother... and that is disturbing. Better to just watch Sleeping Beauty and be done with it.

Had to go straight to church from the laundry in order to make it on time. I was so wiped out from the previous day's watch and the super-busy day off, that I sat down during worship (because my right heel hurt so much) and fell half-asleep during the sermon (because I was finally sitting down). Kristin and Dan invited me out to eat at Ynot Pizza afterwords, and I had some delicious French onion soup and a Caprice salad (along with sharing some of the cheesy bread they got).

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This weekend I had both Saturday and Sunday to myself. The first day was a bit frustrating, trying to work out plans and relax at the same time. I had just eggs and toast, and put out the birds breakfast as well (they had used up all their seeds while I was gone). I cut the grass and watered the flowers, then started putting the things that had come in the mail together... including a $16 tiny Dirt Devil with which I could finally vacuum my little area carpet... and I did. Then I went to Walmart to pick up the dresser and end table that were waiting from my online order, and tried out a Mexican restaurant on Granby street that I've wondered about before as I've passed it. It turned out being mediocre. But then when I got home, I unpacked the car... and shouldn't have, as everything was heavy and I was very full. This made my stomach upset for the rest of the day, and I ate nothing else.

So I laid down on the couch to watch A New Hope (original 1977 version) in honor of May the Fourth, preceded by a Warner Bros. cartoon. For some reason, I got into my head that I wanted to go to the Norfolk Tides game that night. I got a great seat, but I had to tell a guy a couple seats down from me in the row to not lean forward so much, so I could see the batter. It was pretty cold again, but this time it was better since I already had the third layer with me and I sat on the 3rd base line (not directly in the wind). Strangely enough, it was Star Wars Day at the ballpark, complete with pictures of characters on the screen instead of players. The Tides led off with a home run, so I thought it'd be a good game. So wrong. They didn't score again. I sat through seven innings and five opposing scores before giving up. I wanted to finish putting the dresser and nightstand together more. I didn't care that I'd be missing a fireworks show afterwords... I did get to see some after the home run, and after God Bless America at the 7th Inning Stretch.

I found out today that I missed 4 more runs by the other team in the 8th, and a couple more errors from the Tides. And I also realized today that there were three things I had wanted to do that day that I forgot about while underway... a church picnic, a live radio show production of "A Prairie Home Companion", or a symphony concert. Such is how it goes sometimes. And I also realized I forgot to sign for something on the ship and had to go back ASAP... which ended up being this morning.

I had a quiet breakfast, finished up the nightstand, went back to the ship, signed the paper, fixed my rack, and stopped by the commissary on the way back... bird seed for the back, and a hanging flower pot for the front. I then realized that I should get rid of the myriad of shipping boxes I had lying around from the new bed frame, the dresser, the nightstand, various appliances ranging back to the DVD player, lawn-mower, and weed-whacker. I completely filled up my big recycling bin with flattened and folded cardboard. Then I made myself an outstanding lunch (that I had been planning for Saturday's dinner)... shrimp, fettuccine Alfredo,  Brussels sprouts, and butter-flavored Pillsbury biscuits (that my husband has mentioned).

Then I headed out to Kristin and Dan's to hang out, get instructions for house-sitting, go to a Cinco de Mayo dinner, and then church... but because the restaurant took too long, church didn't make it in our schedule.

Jw

Two Very Fine Evenings

Yes, they were!

Only short evenings off this week... early on I managed to relax with watching a couple favorites... Ever After and Persuasion. In the car, I started listening to Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy. Right now I'm in the middle of Thomas Truxtun's first battle with the French in the Quasi-War. It's a very interesting read so far.

But Thursday and Friday were particularly nice...

Thursday the 25th, I went downtown to the Virginia Arts Festival's International Tattoo.

(That's His Majesty the King's Guard from Norway, and Pipes and Drums from the 1st Battalion, Scots Guards, UK, joined with pipe bands from Canada and Australia.) I loved the Norwegians, and all the Bagpipers, and the French Paratrooper Band. Also the fifes and drums from Colonial Williamsburg were fun to watch.

Friday, I joined a few of my fellow Sonar Techs at a Sonar Tech's house in Chesapeake for an evening of fun: snacks, chicken wings, grilled stuffed mushrooms, fresh baked crab dip, sweet tea, and I had two samplings of fruit flavored beer (peach, watermelon). We stayed until it got dark, chatted around a camp fire, and generally had a wonderful time hanging out and watching all the little kids play.

Jw

To Maryland and Back

Plan of the Day:

Drive 3.5 hours to Luray Caverns, VA. A national historic landmark, and the most impressive cave I've seen.
Go a little further to New Market, have dinner at the Southern Kitchen, visit the local battlefield, continue 1.5 hours to Harper's Ferry National Historic Park. This was incredibly gorgeous, as Thomas Jefferson had commented in 1783. Stopped by because of its Civil War significance, but mostly enjoyed the view. Especially the bald eagle that flew overhead as I crossed the bridge on the Shenandoah... words can't describe how happy I felt. Merely a half-hour to Antietam, the bloodiest day of the Civil War, which happens to fall on my wedding anniversary, September 17th. It moved me to stand in the Bloody Lane and cross Burnside's Bridge. The day was so pretty, and the birds so happy... you could hardly believe what had happened just over 150 years prior. Then drive 4 hours home... and it was so worth it! I listened to the beginning of Jeff Shaara's Civil War Battlefields, and the majority of Jane Austin's Mansfield Park as I went. All those rolling hills of farmland and pastures... and perfect sunshine the whole day.

Getting off the I-95 at Fredericksburg,VA, continuing west on SR-3 through Chancellorsville, by the edge of the Wilderness and Salem Church, through the tiny towns of Culpeper and Sperryville, across the Skyline Drive of the Shenandoah National Park, through Luray, and New Market, VA, on I-81 to West Virginia, through Charles Town (didn't know it at the time, but that's where John Brown met his end) to Harper's Ferry. Then getting a little lost through Boonsboro, and Funkstown, MD, then back to Antietam National Battlefield on the Sharpsburg Pike. Leaving Antietam, back through Keedysville, Boonsboro, and Myersville as I labored to find I-70. Passed numerous towns and cities (only stopping for gas once I was well past the outskirts of Washington) on I-270 to I-495, back to I-95 and I-295 outside Richmond to I-64 and home.

Left at 5:20am and returned at 11:00pm.

Whew!
Jw

Laundry, History, and Ballet

Well, goodness, since Wednesday morning, much has happened. Most importantly though, I have a new niece, a very cute little girl named Jonna, that was born very early Wednesday morning (April 17th). I've only seen three photographs (that I got via email on my phone today), and I can't wait to meet her in person! Meg sent me a text that morning that I didn't see until after class. I called Mike right away, but he had received it too... I ended up waking him from a nightmare, so that was alright. Dad called as well to make sure I knew, so overall, it was a very pleasant morning.

In the rest of the day, I managed to clean my house (mostly sweeping), re-stock the bird-feeder, trim the grass, eat a sandwich, finish all my laundry, and read the book of Colossians while I waited. It beats watching General Hospital any day of the week. I was subjected to a TV talk show while folding my laundry, though. I felt tangible relief when I walked out the open double doors to my car.

That evening I missed watching a movie because I spent the whole time coming up with an idea for Saturday after I bought a ticket to the ballet for Friday. It was quite an idea, and came to me after considering how far the Tides away games were (central NC and near Atlanta). Compared to those places it wasn't far, but for a day trip it would be ambitious. 9 hours of driving... but you'll read about that in Saturday's post. I was very excited as I told Mike about it that night. It was a beautiful, cool spring evening too, so I went outside to talk.

Thursday after class I decided to go to Hampton (just across the bridge/tunnel). Tried out the Hampton History Museum and Visitor Center... I had reservations about going... thought it would be mostly visitor center. But I was very mistaken! It was a very impressive walk-through of Hampton's early history. I really enjoyed the short film they showed about one of the first photographers of the area who had a studio. Besides the myriads of portraits (the samples of which are always interesting) the guy also documented the area with his glass plates. Fun little surprise. And not only that, but they had a temporary exhibit upstairs of Civil War artifacts from the area. This was also quite interesting and even poignant, with articles such as the frock coat of a local son who was killed in a battle just outside his hometown and brought home to be buried. God, I could not imagine. Something I thought very interesting were two photographs of a church next to a window. One pre-dated the war, the other showed its destruction... and looking out the window, the church stands before you.

I continued on from Hampton to Newport News where I picked up a few things at Walmart (like a stool to put drinks on next to the couches) and had an old-fashioned burger at a little take-out place next door. Then I continued down the street to the archery range where I had the lanes to myself for most of the time.

Friday's class time was practically non-existent. I went home and changed, stopped by the library, saw my ship coming in off shore, and still arrived at the Norfolk Indoor Pool by 10:30. I had all five lanes of that to myself as well! Did a continuous thousand yards for the first time... ever. It wasn't lighting fast or anything, but I certainly enjoyed twenty solid minutes of fine cardiovascular exercise. After taking a shower at home, my friend who just got out of the Navy was on her way back home from taking care of her car in Florida, so she stopped by for lunch. We shared Lipton's chicken noodle soup and a couple grilled cheddar cheese sandwiches for a delightful time together.

After she left, I watched a rather odd 90s movie about the WWII home front in Louisiana that I found at the library. And after that, I watched an old favorite, Ever After, as well. And then it was time to go downtown for the first major performance of the 2013 Virginia Arts Festival: The Birmingham Royal Ballet's performance of Coppelia. This was very colorful and funny too! The sets were gorgeous (and probably very expensive) and the story was unlike any ballet I had ever heard of. A crazy old man makes life-like dolls to confuse the rest of the town and cause distress between a young couple. And everything ends up alright in the end, except for the doll. :) I had a wonderful seat near the back with a full view. Before everything started I noticed a British vice admiral come in, and soon after saw what I found online to be the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, who was also in attendance.

Jw

What to Do

These last couple days I've been feeling sort of at a loss, especially Monday and Tuesday. Sunday was grand, because after seeing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Requiem at the symphony in Virginia Beach, I met my friend Lauren at church, then took her out to Italian for dinner, and watched Follow the Fleet at home (because she knew the song, but not the film). It was a fun, full day. But after "work" on Monday, suddenly I was alone and had tons of time on my hands. I tried out the 1967 musical Camelot from the library... but didn't care much for it. So I watched The Sign of Zorro instead. It was great fun to watch, as always, but then I still had lots of time.

So I got in the car and went to B&N in Hampton to find another Bible (I was very glad to be able to give my new one to Lauren). And along with the very same edition, I found a small soft-leather edition with the imprint of birds sitting on wires and Matthew 6:26... "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" I thought, "This was made especially for me." And it was. I also stopped by Chipotle to bring home some guacamole, and Target (just to look around), and came home with some kitchen stuff I've been wanting and a thin and very comfortable set of plaid pajamas.

Tuesday I amused myself by watching The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, then by making some chicken fettuccine Alfredo, cutting the grass again (it's fun with the push-mower), taking a walk over to our private little beachfront, returning and watching The Major and the Minor. Big news soon from home too... can't wait to hear!

We'll see about today.
Jw

Side Note

Looked out my screen door seconds after coming in from mowing the clover (I mean lawn) and putting out fresh seed in the feeder and on the patio as many prefer it...

What cute little friends. Just waved to a Robin by my little black aluminum fence as I am writing.

Jw

A Day Spent in Brooklyn

But first I shopped at the MacArthur Center Mall. Barnes and Noble just happened to be right around the corner... and the WWII shelf just happened to be first in line. And how could I resist a title like Sailor from Oklahoma (2009) from the Naval Institute Press? It's another rare enlisted Navy man's account of WWII from his experiences all over the world. I can't wait to start chapter 1.. "Escape from Oklahoma". I picked up an inexpensive, hardback ESV Bible (in the same font and style as my childhood 1984 NIV) while I continued looking around. Then I located the mall's only toy store... Go! Toys and Games for a beautiful 500-pc piece peacock puzzle, a 6" globe puzzle, and a gift for my niece and nephew. Put those things in the car, then went to Brooklyn... at the movies for a matinee.

42 was fabulous! Very 40s indeed! I was totally taken in with Harrison Ford's different sounding voice I didn't even recognize him for a minute or two. The details of the story of Jackie Robinson were all new to me, so I enjoyed every minute, wondering what would happen.

Stopped by Chipotle in Ghent for dinner, and looked in an incredible movie rental store... they had huge shelves up and down the store (like a crammed used book store) filled with films categorized by director. I might go there every day if I lived nearer... :) It seemed encyclopedic at the least. Stepped in a small art gallery after eating as well, and if I had a couple extra thousand dollars to burn, I would have come home with a neat impressionistic oil painting of three snowy egrets flying over a river's mouth, and a more realistic painting of birches along a forest lane.

While driving to and from downtown, I kept listening to 1776 by McCullough. Just happen to be in the middle (and now aftermath of) the Battle of Brooklyn, August of '76.

This evening I drove back downtown for the Virginia Stage Company's production of The Odd Couple (Niel Simon, 1965)... which I believe is set in New York (I thought I heard a reference to Central Park). I went to it even though beforehand, while resting in bed, I was hurting from not taking pills in time for cramps. I figured I could lay there in pain or go and watch a fabulous play in pain, the latter taking my mind completely off it (and the pills started kicking in too). I'm so glad I did! It was so funny and touching. That and they offered a Military/Student special of $16.50 tickets for day of the show purchases.

I was completely wiped out when I got home, though. I fell asleep on the couch for a bit after talking to Mike. What a fun day!

Jw