Week Fifty-Three: A Year and a Day

Now, this was not meant to be an entire week of photographs, and as such it is not. What follows are the final (i.e. 365th) day of the Year of Thirty, plus the first day of Thirty-One (i.e. my birthday). Also there are a number of random thoughts and observations, purely out of my sickness-addled mind.

Day 1 (365): 8th of December
Much shorter trip to London this time, but just as fun as always. Birthday treats to oneself are a great thing. The weather keeps strangely cooperating with me on these sojourns, so I must be doing something right. Honestly, though it was a bit chilly, it only rained one morning, and the rest of the time it looked like this. 

As this was my departure day, I had a well planned travel schedule to get me to Gatwick in time to spend a bit of time (and money) in World of Whiskeys. Sadly, Thameslink was not in on my schedule (or perhaps it was and was having a bit of fun). This train was stuck and motionless at my station, which meant both north and southbound trains had to use the one open platform. As I watch the expected arrival time for the next train to Brighton slide ever further into the future, my planned purchases of booze slid ever from my grasp.

In the end I made it to the plane just in time. And because Life has a sense of humour, we pulled away from the gate and were told by the captain that we'd be sitting there for a while due to a broken ATC radar in Milan. One hour, more fuel and a new flight plan later, we made it out, and I got to see the sun set over the clouds at 30k feet.

Day 2 (366 or 1): 9th of December
So I say it's my birthday. Happy Birthday to me. As the sun set on my first day as a 31 year old, I thought a great deal about Deep Things (and a greater deal about Silly Things). And thankfully, had a friend to make me dinner and celebrate a rather unremarkable birthday (no one cares again until one turns forty). Got to take His Lordship home as well, and now get to focus on getting him back into live-outside-again shape. If ever there was a cat that wanted just to live outside, Merry is that cat.

Lovely drive home in the waning light.Seriously, if you've never taken an iPhoneto over the steering wheel whilst driving at 120 km/h, I highly recommend it.

10th of December. Felt rather naughty going a whole day without taking a photo. Kind of like liberation, but I do genuinely enjoy taking photos. At least now the pressure is off and I can focus more on taking the photos I really want, rather than just because I have to.

So after a year and a day as a "thirtysomething" I've come to some interesting conclusions. Firstly and foremostly, I still have no idea what being a grownup is supposed to look like. I've reached the point in my life where hearing a news report about a "28 year-old mother of three" makes me scratch my head at the very thought of what I was like at 28 and how horrible I'd have been as a mother of three (and still would be at that). The world has shifted a great deal in the last couple of years, and I find myself less equipped than ever to even think about being responsible for another human. Life is cluttered enough on its own, you know?

Secondly though not necessarily forelessly, Things are remarkably interconnected, and in ways that still don't make a huge amount of sense. By that I mean to say a theme of Being Thirty (or maybe just of 2014) is one of pushing limits. My car and my body were both pushed to their respective limits on the second day of the year, when some anonymous Italian slammed into the backside of my poor downtrodden vehicle at great speed, proceeded to leave the, and later attempted to file a claim for damages against me. Nearly a year on, Gertie is slowly coming to pieces even after the repairs, and my back has only regained about 80% of what it was before. Besides my spine, my face literally took a beating when a drunk Irishman smacked me in the face in Dublin. I'll not go into the story, as it is a bit ridiculous. Even my foolish heart took its share of lumps thanks to that ability people have to have a go with others' emotions. Then there's Work. The dreaded Job. It is one that I love doing, but it unfortunately results in long days, and in people loading seventeen things on my plate, fully knowing that I can only do ten of them, and expecting only half to get done. Not my preferred MO for leadership, but what can one do?

Thirdly, though firstly and secondly were quite a lot, is that dreams are a wonderful thing, and not something to be ignored, squandered, or taken for granted. This year I did rather a lot of crowdfunding, and discovered that there is something really quite special about helping another person realise his or her dream. The perks one gets are fun as well, but mostly it's cool to be a part of a creative project. One day I hope to have the wherewithal to realise my own dreams, but for now, supporting the dreams of perfect strangers (and the occasional old friend) will have to do. Dreams are what keep us going; even if we don't have a clue how to get there, the thought that we might just do it is often enough.

Week Fifty-Two: Things Need Done

Almost done with this thing. Only a couple days until the birthday. Turns out back in Week 14 of this blog thing I managed to mess up the numbering of the days. Sadly, that was only the first of several cascading number issues, resulting in this week initially ending nowhere the 364 that is correct. Figures I'd not catch on until the bloody end. Now have to go back and fix many weeks of wrong days. Oh, and putting in another plug for the Birthday Campaign.

Day 1 (358): 1st of December
So I have this list. It moves from page to page as things get crossed off, but it never seems to go away. It just inches its way through the notebook, wending amongst the doodles and bits where I've splashed tea. On the way home, it seemed as though someone had lit Naples on fire. The whole region was awash in smoke and smelled like a pile of burning logs (surprisingly enough, not like burning Detritus). Made the clouds look quite cool though.

Sunset through smoke is always neat.

Day 2 (359): 2nd of December
It turns out a mind that is rather active is not good bedfellows with Adequate Sleep (pun intended). That list I mentioned yesterday? Keeps growing and changing and not having any part of this whole Getting Things Done plan of mine. Should really end one's year on a high note, no? Never one for doing as one should, I've decided it will be more fun to stress myself into oblivion so when people hear it is my birthday, they assume I'm turning 45. Silly unnecessary trip to the other base. But got to see more mad armageddon clouds.

Day 3 (360): 3rd of December
Got a birthday email late last night from the grandparentals. Now, some might be upset that one's own relations have one's birthday off by a week, but as I am the most rubbish at remembering anyone's birthday (including my own...honestly, I've nearly missed my own a few times), I'm hardly one to judge. Gives me a surprise happy note in the inbox. And were this blog not in existence, I'd take it as a reminder to myself to not toodle on and forget that 9th December is significant for more than just the Butkus family. Drove into a freak hail storm just as I arrived at home. Nothing like the feeling that someone is dumping gravel on one's less than perfect soft top. This is really what the sky looked like.

This is what Week 14 looked like. Where it all went wrong. And I forgot how numbers work.

Day 4 (361): 4th of December
Company holiday party this evening. Cat carrier to fetch before so Merry can go to the vet (I know) tomorrow. Sitting in the usual airplane crossing traffic. Gotta love it. Best timing ever. Getting in the way of Doing Things. Bloody Alitalia.

This is much improved over WorserFence.

More mad clouds. But portending of Bad Things. Update: holiday party was a smash. And by that I mean some car windows were smashed and many doors opened to nick many things from many cars. Thanks, Pozzuoli. People ought to have known better than to leave anything in their cars, but still.

Day 5 (362): 5th of December
Big Plan to the Merry to the vet today was utter failure. He must've known or sensed what I had planned, because he never showed up. Not in the morning, and not in the evening. And I did such a great job of Getting Things Done. Felt I was on a roll. Now it'll have to be done before going to the airport in the morning, which will add loads of stress and things and may not be feasible. Grrr. Fool Cat. OOh...Pretty Sky.

Day 6 (363): 6th of December
Thank you, London, for being you. Now, I'm not one for Big Cities. In fact, I usually avoid them like deep and meaningful relationships. Did I say that out loud? I mean to say like adult wardrobe choices. That wasn't any better. Fine. I avoid them. Leave it at that. But Town is always so welcoming. I don't even hold a grudge about the whole burgling my government phone business from last time. One can hardly blame a whole city for the action of one Artful Dodger. I love the Blackfriars area. Has an interesting rough beauty to it.

Many Santas on the steps of St. Paul's. Apparently for some mad pub crawl. In the whole area there must've been at least a thousand (fine, maybe two hundred) people in fancy Santa dress.

But St. Paul's itself was lovely, as usual.

Day 7 (364): 7th of December
Lovely typical December day in London. Bit soggy, bit cloudy, bit chilly. But not unpleasant. And as usual, a refreshing change. Thus the soggy rooftops.

This is out a window in my hotel room. At least I can run away in a fire...

Many Things on The List this week, and it's unlikely The List will get smaller anytime soon. I guess this is what that whole Being a Grownup business is all about. 

Week Fifty: On a Boat?

Most of the week on the boat this time. Not much of it properly underway, and not as much of it as was originally planned (thanks, there, higher-ups). A little insight into the naval goings-on for a girl on shore duty. Oh yeah, not much traction yet on the charity:water campaign (thanks, family and friends, for the enthusiastic response). Wow, that was a trifle passive aggressive, but ah well. So here's another plug for the thing. Not asking for a huge amount. Any you feel like donating is grand, as all donations are matched by Keurig. My Birthday Campaign.

Day 1 (344): 17th of November
My how time flyeth past. A bit broken-recordish, but rightfully so. Every time I stop and look up, another week has gone by and I'm not entirely sure where it ran off to. Someone really ought to keep me in the loop on these things. Makes one feel all at sea. This shot started like any other sunset shot via iPhone, but then in post I didn't feel like getting too technical, so I just blurred and sepia-ed the lower part. Seemed like a good idea at the time. The colour contrast at least is a bit different. You decide how well the bit works.

Day 2 (345): 18th of November
Up to the boat. Love me some Gaeta. As I've said before, it is a bittersweet thing to come up here to embark on the good ship Whitney. Such a nice place, so it makes a great change of scenery, but it reminds me that we used to be stationed up here in a nice building on the hill  just above the ship. Living up in this neck of the woods would be so much better. Even the drive up is relatively serene. Particularly when that trip starts at 0700. Nice skies.

Not such a bad side of this part of Italy.

And finally the mighty ship herself. In this light she doesn't (really) look like the fourth oldest active ship in the Navy.

Day 3 (346): 19th of November
The rest of the gaggle finally got on board today, so thus began the dance to get senior folks' computer accounts sorted and point out important features such as the toilets and wardroom and gyms. Someone had the bright idea to schedule several meetings in the morning, prior to the arrival of the masses. I thought about attending mine, and just having a good chat with myself at the table. It was suggested later that in that case, I'd at least have minimal arguments, but I pointed out that I can argue with myself better than anyone else I know. It might have made for an interesting side show. This is my room. Note the EEBDs (Emergency Escape Breathing Devices). And the lack of really neatly made beds. Thank goodness no one bothers to inspect officer rooms. Not that this is half as bas as my rooms were on the carrier. Those were decorated and personalised to the max extent possible, because my roommate(s) and I were stuck living in them for many months on end. This one will house me for a few days at the most.

Day 4 (347): 20th of November
Properly underway this morning. I wasn't convinced we'd really pull away from the pier, but in fact we managed to get on the road, so to speak. I have a roommate who I kind of know, but I don't get the feeling she likes me all that much. And she spends rather a lot of time sleeping. Early morning meetings are one thing, but going to bed at 1800? Is ten hours really the going norm these days? I leave for work every day at 0500, and the earliest I fall asleep is 2230. I guess I'm just odd. NO comments on that statement are needed thanks very much. Check out the scenery outside. This is the view from the starboard sponson (that's like a deck on the side of the ship).

Different camera settings. Not too shabby.

Day 5 (348): 21st of November
A day for culinary brilliance. They do feed us well on this ship. And not much money. Three squares for a week costs all of $70. For snack we realised the proper dipping chips were AWOL (thanks, night shift), so the Cool Ranch Doritos had to substitute as a vehicle for the queso. And how they did. After a breakfast of eggs, bacon, french toast, and sausage (all covered in garlic Texas Pete's), and coffee cake, and a lunch of chicken fingers, salad, fries, coffee cake, and cookies, I burgled PB&J fixings for dinner. Such a healthy way to live, no?  I've decided I want the person responsible for the Deadwood soundtrack to do the score for my life. As it is, my dreams have pretty decent tunes, but my day to day needs a good musical treatment and the soundtrack for the much-missed Deadwood is about the right speed. For the longest time I wanted Danny Elfman and/or Curt Smith to do the job, but now I want something different. Not that my love of both those individuals has lapsed; they still have a place in my heart, mind, and dreams. This is a shot of my semi-cyanotic hand (and this is after I'd run it under the warm water in the sink). It gets a bit chilly on board a floating tin can.

You can almost pretend these are normal flip-flops on a sandy beach, rather than shower shoes on blue stateroom carpet. Another change from a carrier room. Those had no carpet.

Good to know which liferaft is mine. But really, I'm on #31 so...

The water on this trip has been like glass. We might as well be pierside as little as the boat has been listing about.There is nothing so soothing as the sound of crew-served weapons shooting into the night. Makes a perfect backdrop to the serenity of a night on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Day 6 (349): 22nd of November
Shafted a day of no commute, prepped meals, and easy living. That said, it will be nice to do crazy things like laundry and not going to meetings on w/end mornings. Pulling back in to Gaeta, the sea state remained the same as it has to whole trip. Look at that surface. An iPhoneto, so bear with me.

A bit hazy this afternoon, but still such a gorgeous, warm (for November) day.

Day 7 (350): 23rd of November
Certain felines have been gimping about noisily, attempting to garner sympathy. And dammit if it's not working. Turns out a tiny piece of an anti-inflammatory in the food seems to be working. Stupid cat. Pretty morning sky.

Leafy thing.

And lemons. Because, well, lemons.

Seems this week was more iPhoneto heavy than usual. Not necessarily for the best, but I kept finding myself in places with no Olympus (and often no Moment lens). Guess I'll just have to hope the intent behind the pics speaks louder than the low quality of the iPhone.

Week Forty-Three: Round and Round

What did the parallelogram say to the circle?
"Not to take sides, here, mate, but you have to admit, you're pretty pointless."
Round things. Circle things. Reminds me of a song from my youth about a wheel of cheese. The line, "round it goes, cheese cheese cheese, wheel wheel wheel" comes starkly to mind. As you can see, some of last week's madness has carried over. Or perhaps it is just part of the perpetual state of semi-madness wherein exists my brain.

Day 1 (295): 29th of September
A blonde has just gotten a new sports car. She cuts out in front of a semi, and almost causes it to drive over a cliff. The driver furiously motions for her to pull over, and she does. The driver gets out and draws a circle and tells her to stand in it. Then he gets out his knife and cuts up her leather seats. He turns around and sees she's smiling. So he goes to his truck, takes out a baseball bat, and starts busting her windows and beating her car. He looks back to see that she's laughing. He's really mad now, so he takes his knife and slices her tires. He turns around and she's laughing so hard, she's about to fall down. He demands, "What's so funny?" She says, "Every time you weren't looking, I stepped out of the circle!" 

This is a ball. It is my constant companion, and is so good to me.

Day 2 (296): 30th of September
Why are the two blondes on the motorcycle arguing? They're fighting over who gets the window seat.

Two blondes fell down a hole. One said, "It sure is dark down here, isn't it?" The other replied, "I don't know; I can't see."

That's all the jokes for today.

Day 3 (297): 1st of October
OK. No more jokes. For now. I was sitting on the sofa in the evening, and the smell of someone burning foliage drifted in the window. Really love that smell. It always reminds me of the few trips to visit my English grandparents. They had a lovely property and a wonderful riding lawnmower I thought was just the best thing ever. And during at least one trip (probably just the one), they were burning a heap of branches and leaves and other garden detritus, and the smell got planted in my brain forever. Such a nice memory. I miss those days. I miss the two of them, even though they both died before I was even six years old. This sunset needed no editing. So lovely.

Madness in the editing room. It happens.

This is what that thing normally looks like.

Day 4 (298): 2nd of October
No internet again at the house. And just before I left work, I thought to myself, "just do your homework now, just in case the funky weather messed with the ADSL."Then I replied, "Naw. It's probably fine." Obviously that was daft, so I got home, saw the dreaded router doing its blinky thing, and jumped back in the car to go in search of wifi. Guh. This was all I had the energy to do. A plate and a bowl. They are round. I had to crop the cat's photobombing tail out of the shot.

Day 5 (299): 3rd of October
So today I added some whisky fudge to my Amazon cart (because of course). This led the Amazon bots to recommend ExOfficio Men's GiveNGo Boxer Brief, and LARABAR Fruit & Nut Food Bar, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Gluten Free. Really not sure what to say about that. Interesting analytical leap, for certain. And that in a week wherein I've had to fight against Other People making analytical leaps unsupported by a net of connected facts and evidence. Such leaps are what make me not get any real normal work done and emphasise my distaste for analysts. One can show them facts and say "this is, quite literally, all we know on this matter," and they will take that to mean a whole host of things that make no sense at all.

I've shot this before, but it fits with the week's theme.

This only sort of does, as the sun is indeed rather circular. But it came out pretty cool.

Day 6 (300): 4th of October
Still no internet, but kind hearts prevail and I am typing this from the sofa in a much too kind friend's apartment. Just finished a goodly chunk of the week's homework and even did some research for the infernal paper due next Sunday. That and this morning I read a whole book, worked out, did laundry, and started to clean my house (didn't get all that far). Such thrilling commentary on the day, to be sure. Though it started right, and that's what matters. Particularly if it means starting with this.

And then it ends with this.

Day 7 (301): 5th of October
The broken ADSL record plays on. But being in a good mood makes it easier to bear. Why am I in such a good mood? Hmmm. Well. Difficult to say, but we'll just go with because. Besides, I'd rather just enjoy it than analyse it to death. Like this, one of the tools of the trade. An older one, but still a goodie.

How do you confuse a blonde? You put her in a round room and tell her to sit in a corner.
How does a blonde confuse you? She comes out and says she did.
What do you call a redhead with a blonde on either side? An interpreter.

Sorry. Jokes came back. As a girl identifying both with the gingers and the blondes, I find the last one quite funny.