Getting ready for stage 1

Getting excited for course to start on Monday. I will be spending the weekend preparing. Especially polishing shoes and ironing my uniform while watching lots and lots of hockey on Saturday (Hockey Day in Canada, gang).

I really don't like it when people power trip just because they hold a rank or position. This morning, I showed up for morning Colours as I am on duty at 0737. The orders, which are taped to the desk where we meet states "Duty personnel will muster at 0745 for morning brief". I happened to be the last person to show up and the senior duty officer proceeds to chastise us about being junior officers and setting good examples and that we always need to be 5 minutes early for any timing. He keeps looking at me the whole time. I bit my tongue, but was very close to saying "well, I guess we are all good, since we are all here more than 5 minutes ahead of the timing".

Oh well, a little rant and now I will just learn once again to remember not to treat people like that.

Starting next week, these updates will most definitely increase as my course starts.

Happy Friday everyone!

Sunday

Been a bit of a slow week. The parade was super basic and no problem. The only drill we actually did was 'attention' and 'stand at ease'. I was able to have another good time on Friday night with my brother for a little bit. He appears to be in a better head space lately as he is getting some potential good news; which is nice.

Great hockey last night as both the Habs and the Canucks won.

NFL Playoffs today. I will be working on polishing my shoes, ironing my uniform and adding in some studying as well.

Hope the sun is shining in through your window today

Wednesday

Got to do some actual work today. We have a big inspection of the rooms tomorrow, so myself and one other guy checked all the rooms on the third floor. Most were good, but even for officers, it was sad to see the state of some of the rooms. The other guy has been working here for quite a while now and he was the one writing the notes in the rooms. He was not nice to some of them (not to say that they did not deserve it).

Parade tomorrow morning too. Been polishing my shoes and ironing my uniform. Should be interesting.

I kept thinking about all the snow that Saint John was getting and was hoping that it was not getting too bad for Cynthia. Maybe tomorrow will be a snow day for her and the kids and they won't have to go anywhere.

Tuesday

Had a fantastic time with Peter and the family on Sunday. We went to Sidney and saw a Lego display. It was pretty cool. They also have quite a few book stores in Sidney which carry really old and unusual books. It was neat to wander through them and see some of the super old books.

Was going to play dodgeball today, but it turned out to be floor hockey. They needed a goalie and I volunteered. Not too bad, I recorded a shutout. Weather has been dry, but very windy. We were fine here at Venture, but parts of downtown Victoria had their power knocked out due to the winds this morning.

Just had another video conference with Jena and Joel. Got to see Jena's new glasses and top teeth with no braces. She will get the bottom ones taken off tomorrow. Joel and I played a game of bowling on-line.

I am going to focus on a couple of hours of studying tonight and probably watch NCIS.

Weekend

The rain has held off this weekend and we have had some sunny periods, which has been nice. I got a call from a guy who I met here in Victoria during my Naval Assessment Board who just started Basic Training. He was quite sick with the flu and had been quarantined, so was feeling a little down. Had a good talk with him and he is doing fine now. Been watching the NFL playoffs this weekend and enjoying my video calls with the family.

Friday afternoon, my brother knocked on my door and we went to the gunroom for a few beers. First time we have ever done that. It was a great time and I will be going over to his house this afternoon for supper with his family. Looking forward to it.

Going to go for a run before lunch now.

Have a great day everyone. Remember to find your positive thoughts in any situation.

Thursday

Pretty quiet couple of days. Got to meet more of the people who are going to be on my course with me, so that has been nice. They are fresh out of Basic Training and are full of questions (some of which I can answer for them and others I am told them that I will find out at the same time as them). Went for a run on the treadmill this afternoon as the rain was really pouring down. One of the guys that I worked at NTS with who is starting his MARS III course this coming Monday offered me the use of his car if I need it. Very nice of him and I will be taking him up on it for small trips to places like Canex.

Jim, the gentleman who I now work for has accumulated quite a lot of stuff that people have left behind over the years, including lots of clothing and such. He bagged a lot of it up today and has made arrangements to have it sent to Haiti to assist with relief. Nice of him to do that. The amount of parts of uniforms that people leave behind is astonishing. Clothing stores does not want them returned either, so I am glad to see them being put to good use.

It is a quiet night tonight, so I am just going to go to bed early and do some reading and get a good night's sleep.

Tuesday

I started my new job for the next 2 1/2 weeks today. Pretty laid back, not really too much to do. We did do some inventory checks on some vacated rooms in one of the barracks to make sure they all had things like a lamp, a chair, pillows, linen, etc. Then checked all the Emergency Preparedness boxes. These are large plastic boxes full of supplies in case of something like an earthquake. Things like flashlights, freeze dried food, emergency blankets, etc.

I did get to test out our new webcams with Cynthia and the kids. It was really good to be able to talk and see them at the same time. I look forward to doing it again. Definitely a good purchase in my mind.

Went for a run in the evening and just hung out in my room reading, watched NCIS and the new Kids in the Hall show, then went to bed.

Have a wonderful day everyone.

First day back

Well, not a lot happened today. I did not report to NTS, but instead will be working for the gentleman who is in charge of the accommodations here at Venture for the next 3 weeks until my course starts on Feb 1. It is a pretty sweet deal as I will be working in the same building that I live in, so no worrying about getting rides to work. I start tomorrow after I go to the Base Orderly Room to finalize my travel claim from Christmas.

I spent the day getting organized and went for a run on the treadmill. I had wanted to run outside, but the rain was pretty bad and the wind was even worse, so I chickened out and went to the treadmill. I have a long way to go to get back into shape and lose that mini Buddha belly that I have got going on; but will get there with hard work.

Enjoy your day!

Back in Victoria

I had a fantastic time with my family and am sad that it is over already. I am grateful to have as much time as I did, but now that it is over, it sure feels like to went way too fast.

I am back in Victoria now and getting ready to get back into the daily routine here. My flights went well and there were no issues. I have unpacked everything and quickly ran out of hangers as I brought back a lot more clothes than I had here before.

I did gain a few pounds over the holidays and will be working extra hard to get rid of them as quickly as possible. I still need to organize my stuff and have some pictures that I bought from Saint John and will post tomorrow.

Happy New Year to all and my 2010 be all that you make it.