WHEN: February 8-12, 2010 WHERE: 803 Front St., Norfolk, VA Moving. I'm kind of used to moving. I don't like it but I've become accustomed to it. Moving is synonymous (on some level) with change and change can be difficult; so most of us have a hard time embracing it. For me, moving has meant living in 3 different states in little over 2 years. Moving out of my parent's house for the first time and directly in to marriage quickly followed by permanently leaving the family, friends, and life I had known for the first 24 years of my life was hard. Then moving away again from the new life my wife & I had begun just 2 years later was an entirely new challenge. But aspects of the moving and new life were also not as hard as expected or what I thought they would be. The past 3 years have been an adventure and full of ups and downs, challenges and thrills. But all that is another post(s). I suppose from a blogging perspective, I'm also forcing myself to move away from weather-themes. That's for your benefit. If I don't do it now I may never move away from that. I really wanted to blog about the fact that parts of Florida were under a Winter Weather advisory today. Good grief winter. C'mon! But that too is not the story I'm telling. Instead, I'm talking about another move in my life that I am in the beginning of. Last Friday was the last day of work in my personal cubicle at work. Monday, the entire second floor began work in 4 attached double-wides in the "backyard" of our building while our floor is being renovated. Floors three and four have already gone through this process, which began back in October. In fact, back on November 11-12 we here in Hampton Roads experienced a nor'easter with near record tide levels and 70+mph winds (I knew I'd get my weather bit in here). Work for the whole building was closed both days and the trailers (which lie behind the main building about 3 feet from the harbor) were surrounded by water up to their base. They were literally an island. We on second floor are now the unfortunate ones to be "roughing it" out there. Part of this "roughing it" includes sitting about 2 feet away from the next guy/gal and in a small, cramped room of about 6-8 people. We've kissed privacy, personal space, and concentration goodbye! But like moving from state to state, the process has been much better than expected. Besides packing up our effects (i.e. nothing, for a guy that's been there only 5 months) in marked crates, the entire move was done by a contracting company last weekend. No physical labor - check! My bigger worry, though, was what spending 7-8 weeks in a sardine can would be like, doing work that "begs to have any semblance of excitement". Monday would come too soon. But again, the change was much better than ever expected. Not only were the trailers not freezing (they were actually too warm), yours truly had the coveted spot right by the window, looking down the harbor at downtown! Granted we are on the side that faces the building and not the water, my "desk" was one of two spots on this side of the trailers that had a down/up-harbor view. Me. The contractor. The new 'kid'. Five months out of school. With earbuds in his ear. I had just been handed "the Man's" window office on the top floor, so to speak. What did I do to deserve this? And in a room full of veterans who have been working at this office for the past 35+ years. I could get used to this! Great view - check! I do not have pictures of the flood back in November or even the trailers as they are today. But what I do have are snapshots of the perks of my first week into "the move". Like every week, there are quiet and busy days on the harbor and this week was no different. The difference, however, was that I had a front row seat to whatever WAS happening and didn't need to get out of my seat to see it (though I did every time, because...I could). I had my camera on my desk and ready to roll every day to capture whatever was happening, whenever it was. First, a (geographical) overview ;)
We live at the yellow dot and I work at the red dot.
The green dot is the USS Wisconsin, which is in the heart of downtown.
A view of our building from the deck of the USS Wisconsin (November 25). The trailers are the buildings with the green roof in the center of the picture.
The view of the Wisconsin from my desk in the trailers (February 8).
The whole view. I'm literally ON the water!
"Century Queen" (Flag: Panama, Length: 449ft.).
"USS Mitscher DDG-57" (Flag: US Navy, Length: 505ft.).
And the "house boat" for the sailors to live on.
A paddle boat passenger ferry.
A wild crane on top of the mooring.
"MSC Kim" (Flag: Panama, Length: 866ft.).
"Rising Sun" (Flag: Marshall Islands, Length: 564ft.).
Chinook and other military helicopters fly up and down the harbor (only 100-200ft. above) to various locations throughout the day. If you're unable to see them, you definitely hear them!
"Elegant Sky" (Flag: Marshall Islands, Length: 620ft.).
"Inase" (Flag: Marshall Islands, Length: 554ft.).
Go Hawks!
Go Team USA!!
Vancouver Olympics 2010
1 comments:
And that's why I love ya Jesse!! Your posts are entertaining every time you write one...and they make me long for a different move of one sort. The move that brings you and Stacie back HOME :) To us. In the midwest. I know you're not surprised!
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