I started my daily inspections and I thought I was back in Seattle, minus the temperature when I went on my outside route. Looking up at the masts the rain was coming down like snow in cold country, slow and drifty, characteristics of the way I am whenever I am in the tropics. We are winding down the cruise with a return stop at Maro Reef. We were here several weeks ago and the scientists went out to get coral samples for analysis. This reef is underwater but it is shallow along with the surrounding waters. This area played havoc with sailors during the Age of Exploration and the whaling era with ships running aground. We were here for most of the day and then left around three in the afternoon for transit to French Frigate Shoals. I guess I need to pay more attention to the Plan of the Day as it indicates Saturday will be a transit day and Sunday we will be at French Frigate Shoals. We are to arrive in Honolulu on Wednesday, October 21 around nine in the morning.
I am going to have to get to an ATM and get cash to pay for the three heavy sweatshirts with the ship logo and a new ball cap. A heavy hoodie is not in demand for those who stay in Hawaii but for people like me from Seattle, we seem to be the biggest customers of the ships store’s sweatshirts. As for the ball cap, I needed a new one as the old one has been in the washer one too many times. Tropical weather and sweat beats the living daylights out of ball caps. In the Navy, our squadron used to have mesh ball caps for deployments to warm places.
Today was another day of frustration with the gyrocompass. The problem is intermittent but it will not malfunction entirely. Every cruise seems to have a single piece of equipment that gives you nagging problems. I realize these are just “dumb” machines but after a while, you take it personal and a good whacking will straighten them out. I cannot do that as it will be destruction of government property and my career is much more important than my ego bruised by a silly machine. The Inmarsat-C satellite transceiver could not find the proper satellite earlier this year. Another time it was the deep-water fathometer and now the gyrocompass. It looks as if gremlins are thumbing their noses at me and laughing. As usual, they always cause an issue that is never in the troubleshooting section of the manuals.
Another finding was a server I set up to download and distribute operating system updates throughout computers on the network worked too well. It did distribute updates and installed those on the machines but it also reset it too! Those who use this particular operating system that starts with a “W” know what I am talking about. This happened even after clicking boxes to have it not to occur. Ah, but knowing the designers of this particular operating system, there has to be a hidden box somewhere in an array of pull down menus. I found it and in the morning, I will check to see if the data streaming computers were reset as well when I commanded it not to. This experience with W$%(*s has made me a Linux and Apple convert.
On all my correspondences related to my profession, I always end the e-mails after my name with a quote “Zen and the Art of ET Maintenance.” I borrowed this from a book published in the early 70’s called “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” I remember reading it but it was over 35 years ago. I forgot the contents but always remembered the title. This quote started as a witty one-liner. When I returned to Seattle, it caught the eyes of fellow ETs and I received some comments on it. It was positive and I have to say it helps in dealing with frustration I face daily like the...gyrocompass. From what little I read about Zen in Dr. D.T. Suzuki’s books, it was hard for me to comprehend. I just do not have the personal discipline. I finally donated those books to of all places, Deseret Industries Thrift Stores, owned by the Mormon Church in Tooele, Utah when I moved to Seattle.
We forward our clocks one hour tonight so I lose an hour of sleep. We will be in the Hawaiian Time Zone so only three hours behind the west coast. Two hours once the mainland gets off that silly daylight savings time, especially at this time of the year.
I bid you goodnight on the transit to French Frigate Shoals. We will have drills tomorrow so I will be ready for that.
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