A short "catch-up"

May 6, 2006

Here's a short (well, short for me!) note to let you know what's happening on this side of the world. Sorry for the long silence! Fearless Husband arrived home a few days after my last "Adventure" e-mail and was home for the rest of April, and between spending time with one another, both of us fighting some sort of icky virus for a week or two, FH's long work hours and my freelance work, a new "Adventure" just hasn't been written. But there is plenty still to write about, and I hope to get something out in the next few days!

FH has headed out with the USS Essex to Thailand and will be gone through the first week or two of June. Then he'll (hopefully!) get to be home with me all summer--though I have to be prepared for the fact that the Navy changes its mind more than I do! He's been working hard as the LPO of his crew, and has gotten some good "pats on the back" from his superiors. In his miniscule "spare time" on the ship, he's working on his ESWS, which, when completed, will mean he's learned a huge list of jobs on the ship and has the certification to prove it. It's a big deal, and I'm really impressed with his hard work. I've attached a photo of his "home away from home".

The typhoon season is coming in June, but we've got big steel storm shutters, a great "emergency kit" with food, water, flashlights, batteries, radio, etc., and a disaster plan in place. I've never felt so prepared for weather in my entire life! Though it's possible I might lose Internet access occasionally, and I'll be waging war against mildew and mold, that will probably be the worst of it, or so say the spouses who've been here a while. Today it's pouring rain for the first time in two weeks, and though it isn't really hot (might be 70F?) the air is very heavy and humid. I'm enjoying the sound of the rain on the roof, and the cool wind blowing the sheer curtains. We'll see if I feel the same way in a couple of months! Ha ha!

I'm headed next week on an adventure to Yokosuka, a free mini-vacation courtesy of the US Navy. They're flying me up to the big hospital to remove some suspect skin on my arm--not a big deal, and not any sort of major surgery (just a local anaesthetic for example) but they are kind enough to want this done by a surgeon at the big place, to minimize scarring. I'm really grateful for my great doctor here in Sasebo, and the Navy's health care system! So, they're paying for me to fly up on Wednesday and fly back on Saturday, with the minor surgery on Friday, and they're putting me up in the BOQ (Bachelor Officers Quarters) which I'm told are really nice. That means I can spend Thursday exploring! I think I'm going to head to Kamakura to see the Daibutsu (the Big Buddha), which everyone tells me is worth seeing. I'm also really excited about shopping in the much larger commisary in Yokosuka, which is kind of funny--if you'd told me a year ago that I'd be so thrilled to go to a grocery store, I would've laughed at you! But trust me, the fact that I might find the canned tomatoes and chiles I like best, or low-fat turkey kielbasa, or some grits that are NOT instant, or instant yeast that isn't expired--well, I'm thrilled at the prospect! And I'll take my camera (for the Daibutsu, not the commissary!) and will send photos.

My cousin M, stationed with her husband in Okinawa, is coming to visit for a few days this month (May 22-25) and I can't WAIT! The two of us will add to the adventures with photos and stories, I'm sure.