Obama At The Naval Academy May 27, 2009
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I have now had the privilege of seeing two different presidents make commencement addresses at military academies. I saw George W. Bush in 2007 at the Coast Guard Academy and I saw Barack Obama at the Naval Academy this year. This gives me a chance to compare the two, not only from my own perspective but also based on the comments other people made about each of them.
Bush was an eloquent speaker, not at all like his critics like to portray him. His speech was well delivered and he did not exhibit any of the claimed misspeaks and mispronunciations that are frequently attributed to him, even though his speech included many people and places with difficult to pronounce names. Obama was a very charismatic speaker with a pleasant voice. He delivered this speech quite well. As speakers, I would rate the two as being equal.
But, the they were really far apart on the topic of their speeches. Bush’s speech was very substantive. He gave a speech that dealt with acts of terrorism that had been prevented. This information was classified up until the day of the speech. Obama gave what amounted to a campaign speech. There was no substance and their was no message. He was all over the place and made a bunch of feel-good statements that are appealing to a crowd, but really mean nothing. When it comes to substance, Bush was way ahead of Obama and there is no debate, Bush’s speech was much superior.
You might chalk it up to Bush’s more than six years experience in the Whitehouse in 2007 to Obama’s four months worth. That would be fine, but there were several comments that Obama made that I found interesting. For instance, when he said,
It’s a promise that as long as I am your Commander in Chief, I will only send you into harm’s way when it is absolutely necessary, and with the strategy, the well-defined goals, the equipment and the support you need to get the job done.
I really hope this was just a statement to please the crowd and that he doesn’t really mean it. This country has been sending its military into combat without the necessary training and equipment since the first Continental Congress and every president since then has followed suit. The first thing you do when there’s a military situation is send a military force there in the hope that if you can’t stop it quickly, you can at least get some control over the situation. I hope the commander-in-chief of this country would never decide that he was not going to take the necessary actions to defend the country because he didn’t feel the troops had the necessary training or equipment.
The crowd, I thought, was friendly, but not enthusiastic. The biggest cheer of the day occurred when Senator McCain was introduced by the graduating class (Senator McCain’s son graduated this year). I read once that McCain carried over 80% of the military vote and this reaction would reflect that (By the way, how I actually voted is my business, but I’ll say that I was not part of the 80%).
I talked to several people after both speeches and I heard mostly the same thing, so it wasn’t just my perception of the speeches. I think the conclusion I can reach is that Bush’s reputation for bad speeches was not warranted and Obama needs to put more effort into his military academy speeches.
But, if you just want a nice sounding speech without substance, it was a fine speech.
Goodbye To New England July 31, 2008
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On July 15th, I got in my car and drove the 400 miles from Rhode Island to Annapolis, Maryland. It was almost exactly three years since I had first arrived in New England, and what a great three years it was!
I first applied for the position at the Coast Guard Academy mostly on a lark. I had never spent very much time in New England, had been away from the ocean for many years and had a brother in Rhode Island that I hadn’t seen for a while. I thought it would be nice to work in the area, never really thinking I would get the position. But, surprise! I not only got the position, but I ended up getting the third year of what was advertised as a two-year position with a possible third year.
The job at the Coast Guard Academy was a great one. The people I worked with were great and my supervisor was one of the best I’ve ever had. I made some friends there that I plan on keeping in contact with and, hopefully, I’ll be seeing all of them on occasion. I left New London with a great deal of respect for the Coast Guard and the people that serve in it.
I also leave with a deep love for New England. I really can’t say anything bad about the region or the people I met. I met many people that I am glad to have met and truly enjoyed exploring the region. The area really is just drop-dead gorgeous. And, all of this talk I’ve always heard about how rude the people are in New England is something I never saw or experienced. I actually experienced exactly the opposite. I found the people to be warm and gracious and a pleasure to be with. The culture, the restaurants, the outdoor activities, the wonderful weather, the very pleasant lifestyle, all of this added up to a remarkable experience. With New York a daytrip away in one direction and Boston a daytrip away in the other, there was never a shortage of things to do or see. In fact, despite being very active, I was unable to get to all of the things I wanted to. I guess that means I’ll have to go back.
I wanted to stay in New England, but that’s not the way it worked out. So, I’ll leave with very fond memories of my three years there and think about how much I’m looking forward to the next three years here in Maryland. And, who knows what will happen three years from now.
Martha’s Vineyard July 8, 2008
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I had some time off for the Fourth of July weekend and decided to go to Martha’s Vineyard, just to relax and see what was out there. Martha’s Vineyard is a triangular shaped island within sight of the southern coast of Massachusetts and is roughly 30 miles east-west by about 15 miles north-south. Although the water is shallow around it, there are no bridges to it and the only way to get to the island is by air or ferry.
I didn’t know what time I would be getting off of work Thursday, so I didn’t make any reservations in advance. By the time I started making my reservations I didn’t even know if I could get on the ferry going over. This put me in the situation where I didn’t want to make a hotel reservation until I knew I could get a ticket on the ferry. But, I didn’t want to buy a ticket on the ferry until I knew I could get a place to stay. To solve this quandary, I got online and opened up windows for both the ferry and a hotel listing. Then I started calling around.
All of the first hotels I called were booked up, but I finally found a place for an acceptable price and made all of my reservations. I’m glad I don’t do this kind of thing often because it cost a ton of money between the ferry and hotel room. But, I’m not paying any rent right now, so it was OK. I was talking to a guy on the way out and he reminded me that Martha’s Vineyard was the setting for the film Jaws. Not only that, but the movie took place on the Fourth of July weekend. We both got a laugh out of that.
The ferry was one of the best parts of the weekend, at least for me, because it gave me a great viewpoint of the coastline and the islands. The weather was bad and the seas were rough, so it was about 45 minutes late. When we finally got underway, they went through the eastern channel to stay out of the open waters as much as possible. This wasn’t their normal course and it took us under the beautiful Newport Bridge. I was up on the weather decks and had a great view as we went underneath it. I have really enjoyed looking at that bridge over the last three years and it was a real treat to see it from this vantage point.
Out at sea, they hugged the coastline to get some shelter provided by the smaller islands along the coast and the geology of these islands was nicely visible. Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket Island, Cape Cod, Long Island, and going on down into New Jersey are all remnants of the last ice age. This is where the glacier stopped before retreating, piling up all of the sand, clay and stones that make up these formations and leaving them behind when it melted. They are all eroding now at a furious rate and will last only a few more centuries before being washed away.
When we got to the town of Oak Bluffs I followed the directions to the hotel, only to find out there wasn’t a hotel there. This is when I discovered the first flaw in my plan. I thought I was being clever getting a hotel that advertised that it was only a block and a half from the ferry landing. Problem was, it was the wrong ferry. They were talking about the ferry in Vineyard Haven, not Oak Bluffs. So, I had to find my way over there, which was only a small problem, but then I found the second flaw in my plans.
It was getting kind of late by then and I hadn’t had any dinner, so I went walking around the little town and found out there was only one restaurant in the whole town. There were diners and sandwich shops, but only one restaurant (and now there is one fewer diners because I saw one of them burn to the ground while I was there). So, with limited choices, I decided the one restaurant was the place to eat and ordered a glass of wine with my dinner. That’s when I found out Vineyard Haven is dry. DRY????!!!!!!!! Apparently, a tribe of Cromagnums escaped extinction and is now residing in Vineyard Haven.
Suddenly, things became clear. I now understood why there was only one restaurant in the town. I also understood why my hotel still had a vacancy the afternoon of my arrival and why several other places had vacancy signs up. No one wanted to eat or stay there! I didn’t blame them and thought about checking out and going to another town. Then, I understood something else. Now I knew why my hotel required everyone to book two nights minimum. I’m sure that people check in and then want to move on once they find out the town is dry. Since I was looking forward to some anonymous drunken debauchery, this really forced me to change my plans.
But, I survived.
The next day I got a day pass for the buses and a map and I was off sight seeing. The bus system there is quite efficient and I was able to go from north to south and east to west on the island. There’s a lot to see there. I didn’t get the benefits of having a tour guide tell me about everything I was looking at, but I did things at my own pace and I figured out enough. At one point, I spotted a quiet, country road and just took a long walk down it. The air was very fragrant with the smell of all of the blooming flowers and the clean sea air and there was no traffic or noise. It was a wonderful walk and I could see why someone would want to live out there. Unfortunately, housing costs are 100% higher than the country average and the cost of living is over 60% higher.
One of the interesting things I noticed was how many trees had that swept appearance trees get when they are in frequent storms. The wind strips small branches off one side and allows them to grow only downwind. As a result, the branches on the trees are windswept and point in the direction of the prevailing wind. This told me they must have a lot of severe storms in the winter. I learned later that the winter storms are so bad there is a real problem with alcoholism on the island. Storms are so frequent and so severe that people just stay inside and get drunk. I’m guessing its not such a problem in Vineyard Haven.
I ended up in Edgartown at the end of the day to watch the Independence Day parade and then the fireworks that evening. With all of the crowd, it took a long time to get out of there and it was way past midnight before I finally got back to my hotel room, tired and dirty, but pleased.
Then, I went back to the mainland on Saturday. One day was enough for me. It was a pleasant place, but the world is full of pleasant places and most of them are a whole lot cheaper than Martha’s Vineyard. It was a good time and I’m glad I went. Now, its time to move on.
The Thin Man Returns June 28, 2008
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My life the last month, or so, has been a classic case of someone spreading themself too thin. Way too thin, for that matter. I was working two separate angles of my legal fight, I had to plan and then go on a house hunting trip to Maryland, then I’ve had all the work of purchasing a house. At the same time, I was working the issues of selling my house in South Dakota and had to pack up and move out of my house in Connecticut. It was the end of the school year for my son, so there were a bunch of issues involved with that and arranging for his activities during the summer. There were some problems with my orders recalling me to active duty, but fortunately, the Naval Academy pretty much gets what the Naval Academy wants and I got those issues resolved. But, while I was working these issues, I was invited to come in for a job interview somewhere else. Now what? Do I go to the interview, or do I count on the issues with my orders being resolved? (I turned down the invitation.) I tried to get a mover to pack up my house in SD and move my things to Maryland, but they were all completely booked that week and I had only the one week that I could go out there, so I was left to make the move myself. There were also a few items from the home inspection that had to be taken care of while I was out there. There were some important business issues I had to deal with. And, on top of everything else, I was enjoying a pleasant private life.
All of that was going on the last five or six weeks. And, I’m pleased to say that I got it all done and with only a small amount of stress for brief periods. A number of things helped me get through this with my mind and body in tack.
First, meditation has helped me enormously. It has allowed me to keep the stress level down and to stay focused on the issues at hand. Most importantly, it has helped me to sleep at night and a good night’s sleep is worth so much when dealing with difficult situations. Sleep is a weapon in these kinds of fights and meditating has helped me get it. Take care of your mind and your body. That, more than anything, will get you through.
Just as important are the people you have around you. I was lucky to have two good real estate agents. Kelly McKelvey in Vermillion has been extremely helpful and I would say she was the best real estate agent I’ve ever had, except that I have to give that title to my agent in Annapolis. Ginger Allen is by far the best real estate agent I’ve ever had and if you’re looking for an agent in that area I can’t recommend her enough or speak too highly of her. She has really made the process move smoothly. There was also my sister in Kansas City who helped me pack in Vermillion and my brother and his wife here in Providence that have helped me here so much. Even my son has had his moments. And, of course, there were friends that have provided support. And, picking out good merchants that provide quality service has made a difference. The people you surround yourself with will make or break the whole deal and I’ve had great people around me.
Organization has also been important. I’ve worked this whole thing like a military operation by making timelines and lists of chores that I needed to get done. This allowed me to make a work schedule so that things were done on time and prevented me from forgetting something important. Forgetting to do even a small item can make the whole operation unravel.
Front loading the work helps a lot in getting things done in a smooth manner and avoiding crunch times. I don’t know what may be waiting around the next bend in the river. So, if I have some slow time, I might as well do as much as I can while I can. I might not have an opportunity like this later on.
Then, lastly, always go in with the understanding that no amount of planning and preparation is going to take care of everything. There will be those items that turn up at the last minute and are out of your control, or even your ability to foresee. Armed with this understanding, I can prepare myself and be in a position that I can think quickly on my feet and deal with them. The most important tool in these situations is the ability to make a quick decision, move on, and not look back. It may not be the most optimum solution, or even the best one available at the time, but the important thing is to just make the decision so that everything can continue moving forward.
Above all, remember that the world keeps turning and tomorrow will be another day. Whatever situation you’re in, it will come to an end. You may find yourself beat up and sore, but if you just get up and put one foot in front of the other, all of this will be behind you before you know it.
My situation isn’t over, but it is really a whole lot better now than it was. So many things have been removed from my plate that the remaining issues seem pretty minor in comparison.
Tomorrow, I check into the quarters at the Newport Naval Station to spend two weeks doing my annual active duty for the Navy Reserve. You can tell I’ve been working too hard because I’m looking forward to this as a vacation. After all, I only have to go in and work. There will be no major issues I have to spend my day on and I won’t have to lift any heavy boxes. Ah! Just the thought of that last one makes me feel good.
So, I’m through the worst of it and not so thin any more. And, for those of you that are not familiar with the source of title of this posting, The Thin Man was a series of murder mysteries involving detective Nick Charles and his wife Nora. They were very good stories and were made into very good movies with William Powell and Myrna Loy. I highly recommend the whole series.
Two Down! June 26, 2008
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Just a quick note to let you know that I’m still here and making progress on the big move. This isn’t much of a post, but I’ll have share some thoughts with you in the future.
The last couple of weeks have really been eventful. I managed to move out of my house in Connecticut and put my household goods in storage. Then, I flew out to Nebraska where I picked up a big rental truck and drove to South Dakota so I could move out of my house. It was a much larger job than I had expected and needed to get a trailer to go with the truck. But, I managed, with the HUGE help of a sister that drove up from Kansas City, to move out of the house.
The more abuse my body took, the better my mind felt. Every box and piece of furniture out of the house was that much closer to resolving and closing this chapter of my life. That house is the oldest house in Vermillion and I loved it and loved living in it. But, there are bad memories with it and I’m ready to move on. By Monday evening I was so tired that it not only didn’t care about anything, I didn’t care that I didn’t care. I just wanted to get that last box moved out. By that time, my body was sore and aching and covered with bumps, bruises, cuts, and scrapes. But, boy, was I ever relieved to be out of there!
I thought about checking into a motel Monday night because I didn’t have a place to sleep. But, I wanted to spend one last night in my house, so I slept on the floor. Then, Tuesday morning, I dragged my aching body to the truck and began the 1300 mile drive to Annapolis, Maryland. I took two days, but the driving was mostly easy. So, here I am now in MD, trying to put my things in storage so I can get back to Rhode Island in time for my two-week active duty.
The Heart of Insanity June 19, 2008
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Today is it. The very heart of my most recent insanity. I’m busy moving out of a house in Connecticut, selling a house in South Dakota, and buying a house in Maryland. All at the same time. And during this process, I’ve been working on getting my orders for recall straightened out, I’ve been working on my legal issues, been doing my single dad things, and even been having a bit of a private life. All of this has been stretching me thinner and thinner and today is make or break day.
This has all been possible for me because I love to make to-do lists to help me keep organized. I started making my to-do list before I left the Coast Guard Academy more than a month ago. This one has evolved and grown into a real doozy. I may have to keep it for posterity. Either that or my competency hearing.
I find a perverse pleasure in marking things off my to-do lists. Its almost a personal thing, kind of like saying, ‘There! Take that!’ But, my to-do lists aren’t just work items, I also include fun things. Its too easy to forget to enjoy yourself when you’re busy and its a necessary part of finding the strength and energy to see things through. You won’t get far if you never have any fun and even the best engine needs some down time. So, my list has kept me focused on the things I needed to do to get to this point.
Today we move out of the house in Connecticut and put everything into storage at my brother’s. Its the one event that really doesn’t have any flexibility. My son leaves tomorrow to visit his mother. The next day I fly to South Dakota to finish moving out of my house there so that I can close on it. The movers were completely booked up, so I have to put everything into a truck and drive it to Maryland myself and put into storage because I wont’ close on my house there until the middle of next month. Then, I have to fly back to Rhode Island so I can report into Newport for my two-weeks of active duty with the Navy Reserve (that’s going to feel like a vacation). After that, I have to get the things I stored at my brother’s and drive it to Maryland in time to close on my new place. Just in time to report in for active duty at the Naval Academy. As one sister said, its a house of cards. If one thing comes apart its all going to collapse. On my head! And, everything depends on today.
So, I’ve been packing like crazy and am now sitting here surrounded by boxes. I’m convinced they are really empty and I’m just imagining I’ve been packing because there can’t possibly be that many packed boxes with so much still to pack. But, the trailer place opens in a few minutes and I need to get going before the nervous breakdown starts. I don’t want to do that in public.
One way or another, I will be out of this house this evening. If I have to, I will keep everything together through shear strength of will power.
Then, I’ll scratch ‘Move out of house’ off my to-do list. There! Take that!
Summer Season Starts May 25, 2008
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Well, the annual seashore migration has started here in Connecticut with the roads and beaches both loaded. Its nice to see the families back. It provides a nice diversion to sit on the porch and see the kids playing in the street and the good-looking women on their power walks. The sunbathers are all out at the beach again. I could even smell sunscreen, so at least some of them are protecting themselves. A lot of people think that they don’t need it because it isn’t very hot. The breeze coming in from the Atlantic Ocean is quite cool and keeps the temperature down, even a little chilly at night. But, we are less than a month from the summer solstice, so the sun intensity is actually the same as it will be in the middle of July.
But, there is one thing that drives me nuts. Why is it that people will make the effort to come out here for a nice quiet weekend at the beach, just to fire up all of their noisemakers as soon as they get here? It has been constant lawn mowers, leaf blowers and high-pressure water jets since Friday evening. My landlord lives a couple of doors down from me in the summer. He got into a lawn-mowing groove one day and mowed my lawn for me. Really nice. But, then he pulled out the leaf blower to clean up the grass cuttings. I said I would be glad to clean them up, but he kept saying it wasn’t a problem with the leaf blower. Finally, I had to tell him that the sound of that thing was so annoying it was driving me crazy. It took me less time to do it by hand and it looked just a good.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I should just suck it up and stop whining. OK, you’re right. So, I’ll stop now.
All Done May 16, 2008
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Today was my last day at the Coast Guard Academy and I leave with mixed feelings. I could not have wished for things to come out better and am sorry to be leaving. But, I’m also looking forward to the next adventure.
The fact is, this was a great job and I have only good things to say about the academy and the people I worked with. My supervisor was an outstanding man that I really enjoyed knowing and my coworkers were all pleasant and friendly. They were professionals that knew their jobs and were dedicated. The cadets were well disciplined and intelligent. With the exception of a few bad apples, I mostly felt the cadets I worked with are going to make very good officers. What more can you ask for from a job?
But, there’s more. I was in bad shape when I got here from South Dakota and this place was very good therapy for me. I was treated very well and leave feeling like I was valued. The Superintendent’s Award for Excellence that I received a couple days ago was unexpected and greatly appreciated. My attitude and outlook are very much better today than they were this time three years ago.
So, why am I not staying? Well, it was a temporary position and I was told when I first applied that there was no chance for it to become permanent. I was filling in while some active duty Coast Guard officers went to graduate school to get their degrees. They weren’t released from their commands to go during my first year here, so I ended up getting a third year as a result. But, now they are graduating and will be here this fall, so there is no room for me. I would stay if I could (and they were clear about wanting me to stay), but they are only authorized a certain number of people.
But, my knack for finding adventures still works and I’m looking forward to moving on. I’ve known this day was coming for three years, so I’m not upset or disappointed. And, I’m sure that I will still have more than my fair share of stories to tell in my next chapter of Travels.
Keeping the Tradition Alive May 9, 2008
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Well, the Yankees were playing an afternoon game yesterday at home. So, my son and I enjoyed an old tradition and played hookey yesterday to take the train down to New York to go to the game. Believe me, we weren’t the only ones. We were standing in line to catch the subway train at the end of the game and my son asked me how many people I thought had played hookey. I said just about everyone there was supposed to be either at work or school. I noticed all the people around us nodding their heads when I said this. But, it was a great day and we had a blast. The Yankees beat Cleveland, 6-3, with four home runs. It was certainly a good mental health day for both of us.
When I bought the tickets online I got the best available. These happened to be in the VERY top row of Yankee Stadium. We were closer to the International Space Station than the playing field. The vendors were yelling, ‘Popcorn! Peanuts! Oxygen! Popcorn! Peanuts! Oxygen!’ Actually, they weren’t bad seats and we could see all of the action very clearly. There was also a bonus. It rained on and off all afternoon. But, we were so high that we were under the roof supporting the stadium lights and were out of the rain.
Right in front of us was the new Yankee Stadium and it is looking very good. Its supposed to be ready for the season next year and, based on what we could see, they should make it pretty easily. It will be sad to see the old stadium, the House that Ruth Built, go away. But I think the new stadium is just a modernized version of the old one. And, let’s face it, the old one really is getting pretty decrepit. Still, there is so much history and tradition there. Just think of all of the great moments of baseball that occurred in that stadium.
One last note, I have to say that the price of going to a game is getting ridiculous. Even with the top row seats, it cost nearly $200 to take my son to the game, including roundtrip train fare. As we were leaving, I saw a game day ticket booth. The top tickets had a list price of $400. That means it would cost nearly $1000 dollars for the two of us. How can anyone afford those prices? As it is, I would go to more games, but they are just too expensive. Of course, in a city the size of New York, there are a hundred people waiting for every seat in the stadium. They can pretty much charge as much as they want.
So, while I can’t go to as many games as I would like, we really enjoyed the one we got to go to. I wonder. Was I being irresponsible by playing hookey and taking my son out of school for the day? Or, was I being responsible by spending some time with him and having a good time?
Actually, I don’t really wonder about that question at all.
New England Spring April 24, 2008
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There is a really wonderful phenomenom here in New England that I will miss. Almost all of the trees sprout new leaves within a few days of each other, something that occurs right across the species. As a result, the forests will be bare of leaves one day, then will be covered with small, new leaves just a few days later. Also, the new leaves don’t have any cholorphyll at first and it takes a while to make it, so they have the same color as they do in the fall. The leaves are very small at first, so it isn’t quite as spectacular as the fall colors. But, on the other hand, the spring also has flowers. The combined result is a beautiful period in the spring where everything is coming back to life and getting ready for the summer. This is something different than what I am use to from growing up in Texas. Down there, with a long spring, things take their time and can take weeks to go from winter to spring foliage. I guess the vegetation has to make the most of the available time up here. And, I’m doing the same by enjoying the spectacle while it lasts.
