The surprise was lacking when NOAA announced in the final determination that the fleet was moving to Newport, Oregon. Everyone knew it as the farce as the GAO allowed NOAA to “re-evaluate” it's initial selection instead of going to a neutral and binding arbitrator. Despite of all the “technical details” on why Newport was selected over Seattle and Bellingham, everyone knew it was all about the money. The boasting by the local Oregon press tried to make it as if the mini-research facilities located there were equal to the labs you would find at Scripps in San Diego or the University of Washington in Seattle. What we see here is corporate welfare at it's worst with the State of Oregon subsidizing a federal government agency. I am shamed to admit I work for an organization that is a welfare recipient.
I know Oregon State University did some significant plankton research on the Ka'imimoana years ago whenever we sailed to Marquises in French Polynesia. I kept in touch with the chief scientist who was in charge and may drop him a line as well as another scientist who I sailed with from the days he was an intern.
Meanwhile I need to find a silver lining in the cloud over this entire matter. This is not like the time we moved from San Diego to Dugway. We wanted to leave San Diego and California. That move, through a reduction in force action, was welcomed. We owned a house in San Diego and had to go through the stress of selling it and the paperwork involved for reimbursement of travel money and keeping of receipts and so on was very, excuse the pun, taxing. Bureaucrats make moving sound easy with their habit of throwing money at the situation and as I said before, always omit the social cost. Of course all the NOAA folks who had their signature on the final report will never move. This happens when you are part of the peasant class.
Today is my son's graduation from high school. I am so proud of his accomplishment. He is showing interest in pursuing a career in the maritime industry and is interested in coming to work for NOAA. We worked hard for him so he can graduate from the high school of his choice. I have to thank “G” and “L” for taking him in and treating “I” as if he was an integral member of the family for the past year. If not for them, “I”s wish to graduate from Burlington-Edison would have never happened. Saturday he moves in with us and start his post high school life.
“L” made a “lolly necklace” for “I” and his friends whom she met. Lolly necklace is a Samoan tradition that you see in Hawaii as well. In fact you would see mass produced Chinese “lolly necklace” for sale in markets and department stores during graduation and holidays. These necklaces are made by hand in Samoa by mothers whose children are graduating of being promoted from elementary to high school. For those not familiar with “king’s English” a lolly is candy.
I scheduled my sailing time so I would not miss this day. Like any other major event the planning and marking the calendar seems to take more time and then when it is here, it is completed before you know it.
Now is the time to move on to another chapter in this serial mechanism called life.
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