Okay, so today around 6 a.m., the fine warship that This Man proudly sails on rolled into San Diego Bay and onward to our homeport. Finally, we'd arrived and every sailor that I spoke to was anxious to get back out there to running the streets. You know, get back familiar with the old stomping ground and get reacquainted with old friends and perhaps make some new ones as well.
This Man was so excited to see L and D that I could hardly contain myself! And when the black Ford Explorer SportTrac finally arrived, I eagerly tossed my bags into the back and immediately embraced the both of them. It was awesome!

This Man would never wish for anyone to be separated from their friends and loved ones, however, homecomings make for some of the most joyous moments that I can think of!
At that moment, the time I was away didn't seem so long at all! The three of us gabbed and gabbed all the way home. While some small things had changed (for example, D had certainly grown a couple of inches and the construction in my neighborhood was further nearing completion), it was almost as if I hadn't left at all.
Absolutely Priceless!

Here's a hypothetical question for you...
If you were being paroled tomorrow, how would you spend your last day in prison?

Well for This Man, the situation isn't quite as drastic but when I dwell on the notion that this deployment is almost over I can't help but relate it to that situation. Of course, wouldn't you know it, this day is going by so slow. I declared that I wasn't going to do any work today, and so far I've stuck to that. It was so cold today that I could think of doing nothing more than slipping into my pajamas and catching a quick nap. Alas, I skipped that, knowing that if I did, I would definitely be up and wide awake tonight. So in turn, I went out and took some pictures around this fine warship.

We're still carrying the civilians onboard and basically, the entertainment crew failed at keeping these people occupied. Today, however they were engaged in some Damage Control Olympics, which included donning fire fighting gear and manning a fire hose in a relay style. They all looked unenthusiastic!
Later throughout the day, This Man pretty much spent doing absolutely nada! Earlier this evening, however, I came across an email from a friend of a friend's. His name is WX. WX and I emailed each other back and forth and he posed the following question.
He'd been in San Diego for just over a year now, and why hadn't he and I gotten together to meet? Interesting enough, I'd wondered the same thing. I met WX one evening while chatting on Gay.com. At the time, he was stationed in Rota, Spain. After chatting, I'd mentioned that I had a friend who was stationed there also. Instantly, he knew who it was!
Eventually time went on and we would chat whenever the both of us were online. We'd even went so far as to attempt to meet in person over beers, but our schedules kept conflicting.
So the next thing you know, it's been a year and This Man feels like an ass! WX seems like a nice guy and I can't figure out why I didn't go out of my way to meet him. Nonetheless, I did promise that while I'm on vacation, I would get together with him because too much time has passed. That and This Man could always use another friend.
It's only 1830, This Man hasn't packed any of my things and I'm getting a bit tired. I already know that tomorrow is going to be a long action-filled day, but the good news is, I'll be able to tell you all about it from the comforts of my own workstation at home. Plus, I'll be able to finally add all of my pictures. So until tomorrow...

Mahalo

Lately, I've been so preoccupied with getting back to San Diego, that I forgot to beat off last night! Perhaps that's why I woke up a bit frustrated (hmm, could be; don't know).
Well we're still sailing along with San Diego as our destination and things are going pretty smooth. It's always a treat for sailors when there are civilians onboard ship as guests. On this fine warship of mine, the accommodations have been quite noteworthy! The food is better than it's ever been and the officers and members of the crew have really been keeping up an appearance that everything is fantastic. Then there are those such as This Man who sees this as an opportunity to slack off on work and cash in on days spent doing absolutely nothing.
See, it's a good thing that I didn't start my leave in Hawaii, don't you think?
Moving onward, today was kicked off to a running start when my division was informed that we had a mandatory meeting the Chaplain from Staff, who was flown over from the carrier. Reluctantly, we gathered in the classroom and allowed ourselved to be humored by Ol' Chaps. He was a nice man, who tried with little success to get us to open up and talk about pent up feelings, us anticipating our return to San Diego and our reactions to our brief tour in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. It was almost as if we were being forced to go to therapy without the hope of getting a prescription for Zoloft in the end! Well, my division wasn't having it. We all listened as he attempted to humor us with his stories of having briefly served in Kuwait and in Iraq while stationed with a Marine Battalion. No matter how he prompted and prodded, we weren't talking.
So when he finally admitted defeat and resigned, knowing that he hadn't suceeded in obtaining any knowledge from the 11 of us, he let us go.
And that's when we began to talk--about him.

As we were all leaving, most of us going for a smoke and the others heading for their racks, we openly discussed the nerve of not the Chaplain, but the carrier strike group for sending this poor man over to attempt to console us all while attempting to gather what we were all thinking. A couple of us concluded that he was sent here, merely as a precaution in the event that some poor sailor got home to his family and decided to have a nervous breakdown as a result of this cruise.
It was, This Man gathered, something else for our upper chain of command to strike a check near on the pre-arrival checkoff list.
Crew in tip top shape mentally...CHECK!
And that was it. We'd bonded as a group for once and managed to cut a designated 45 minute discussion down to about 15 minutes and Chaps never knew what hit him.

Mahalo

Okay, thanks everyone for letting This Man find out the bad news on my own!
It happened yesterday when I was thumbing through an issue of People magazine. I can't tell you who was on the cover, but feel free to take your pick; it had to have either been Brad & Jen, Julia & the twins, Nick & Jessica, Lindsay Lohan or probably those fucking Olsen waifs--I don't know. It's always the same people on the cover of that rag or in the content.
But that's neither here nor there.
The bad news was-- and I'm still devastated as I type this, Mike Piazza got married!
I know, I know...it's even worse when I type it (not to mention, to see his name in bold print). All this time, This Man was convinced that Ole Mike played on the same team as I. I mean, who knew! And I'm not even going to remark on the fact that he'd shaved the infamous goatee and appeared with his bride in the nude. His face was totally free of hair!
It was all too much.
This is worse than the day, Juan Gonzalez left the Rangers! OY!
And apparantely Mr. Piazza has been married since the last week in January--pretty damn close to This Man's birthday. I just want to know how could he do me like this!
WHY! WHY! WHY, Mike...I really thought that I had a .000001% chance of actually hooking up with you when I came to New York--perhaps even a threeway with you and Derek Jeter, it could've been my own personal Subway Series, in a manner of speaking. So if you're reading this, Mr. Piazza just know that you've been quickly replaced by one of my new favorite Yankees--Alex Rodriguez.
And now that that's out of my system, I can resume living in the real world. While I'm on the subject of teams, players and the "Team", I have to mention the new guy that's now stationed onboard this fine warship with yours truly. He arrived when we were in Singapore (but This Man was a bit too drunk to notice or care) and almost immediately the rumors and whispering started about him. He was quite obviously on the "team". When I finally met him, I could finally see what all the snickering and whispering was about. He was awfully feminine but seemed nice. The funny thing was, when I spoke to him, he jumped as if I'd startled him.
That can't be good, can it?
So for the most part, I've left him alone. For the record, I'm not mean to him, I just don't go out of my way to speak to him. I mean, sure he and I may have one sure thing in common, but does that instantly mean that we'll hit it off and become the best of friends? This Man finally concluded to just treat him the way I treat everyone on this warship; pretty fairly until you give me a reason not to talk to you at all!
Moving on...
Last night while hanging out and eating ice cream on the messdecks with my friend, S, he ended up at the table that we were sitting at and was talking to her. For once, I was pretty short on words and just took the opportunity to just see what he was all about. It was just as I'd imagined. He was a serious, typical feminine type (the type that This Man usually steers clear of), but he was a bit old skool and that was cool. Once he left, S teased me as she'd been doing lately about his being my replacement as her friend. It was good hearted and This Man enjoyed it. But that one question kept looming in the back of my mind, Just because we play for the same team, does that instantly make us teammates?
I'm going to figure this one out and I'll definitely keep you posted. So until then...
3 days until San Diego


Mahalo

So FINALLY, we're back in the States and This Man couldn't be any happier! Well, let's get technical first...we arrived in Hawaii for customs and to allow some sailors to start their leave almost a full week early than the rest of us and also to pick up some civilian guests who would be making the trip back to San Diego with us (called a Tiger Cruise).

And while our stay will be brief, This Man is happy nonetheless. However, I wasn't able to get out and run around the island like I would've in the past because, well someone had to stand duty and who better than me, right?
But, I did get my new mobile in the mail and that made for a good evening because there I was yakking away on the phone to everyone who would answer once I called. It was quite refreshing to, for once, have a conversation with my oldest sister and not have the urge to drink while on the phone with her. She had lots of good news to share about all of my family. Of course there were those for whom bad luck can't seem to escape, but the good news by far overtook the bad.

I talked to my son, D, who like my last entry stated, reinformed me that he has been recording my favorite TV show (Law & Order, in case you didn't read it) and everything was good with him. L and I gossiped about her relationship with R and how they've decided to take a pause to get situated. All in all, This Man has had a wonderful time in Hawaii...talking to others on the mainland!
I also begged my buddy, JCA to make a run to Tower Records and stock up on some CDs for me. And while This Man wasn't able to peruse the aisles, searching for CD after CD, I still may as well score some new tracks for the last leg of our journey.
And there you have it, some new CDs, a new phone and getting caught up on all the gossip that I could handle. That's how I spent my brief stay in Hawaii.
Seeing as it's only appropriate that I finish this entry describing my brief stop in Hawaii, I think I'll end this with an appropriate Hawaiian word...Mahalo!

I had this email in my Inbox today, it was from L. It read:

I noticed the DVR has been recording a lot more than
usual, that red light has been on off and on all day.
I thought nothing of it, I just thought he was
recording a marathon of Teen Titans or The Kids Next Door.
Until I settled in to watch one of my shows. D.
That son of yours has started the DVR recording Law &
Order again, so you and him will have some to watch
when you get back. Isn't that sweet?

Now THAT was enough to floor This Man! I'll explain why...
I am a huge fan of Law & Order--not L & O: Special Victims Unit, L & O: Criminal Intent or L & O: Trial By Jury. I'm talking about Law & Order the original (and if you put Angie Harmon & Benjiman Bratt in there--This Man is sold). Nevertheless, like I mentioned, This Man loves Law & Order. Well, thanks to the invention of the DVR, I make it a point to record the show whenever it comes on--which is, like, 5 times a day if you have cable and watch them either in the evening or on the weekends.
Before this fine warship departed San Diego for Asia, my son, D, had finally jumped onboard and started watching the show with me. Granted there are some things in each episode that he doesn't have a clue about, but I don't mind explaining what it means to supress evidence, or what's forensics, or Why Jack McCoy is perhaps the best Assistant District Attorney on television! because like, D, I enjoy the quality time with us curled under a blanket, with a couple of candles lit, staring at the 60 inch screen.
So to get this email, informing me that he's already started making preparations for my return was enough to leave me speechless! I've been told more times than I could count that, "D is my biggest fan," and that, "he loves me more than I'll ever know." And if I've ever needed proof of my son's loyalty and love, it's in the email above.
Only a week left, D, then it's you, me, Det. Green, Lt. VanBuren, Assistant D.A. Jack McCoy and the whole criminal justice system!

Mahalo

Simply put, and I'm only going to say it once, aside from being stranded out at sea with a bunch of men that I know I have a very small chance with--that, and only a couple of them would really do it for me, there's nothing worse than a dick tease.
And if RL doesn't stop being a tease, then he's going to find himself in a very uncompromising position...
and that's with his lips (and man, are they nice) wrapped around This Man's 9 incher.
There!
I've said it and I meant it.

Mahalo

Oh man, what a morning this one turned out to be for This Man! From the moment I opened my eyes and heard a bunch a jibberish coming across the 1MC (loudspeaker, for you non-Navy types) and into my berthing on this fine warship, I knew it was going to be a shitty day and I wanted nothing more than to pull the covers over my head and sleep this one away. But of course, all hell would break loose if I were to even attempt that notion. So This Man proceeded to throw on my coveralls, slide into my boots and rush down to Radio for quarters, where believe me, I didn't miss anything of grave importance.

Thank God, I hadn't bothered to wash my face, brush my teeth or shave, considering I was only there for a total of 10 minutes.
From there, I could feel myself slowly moving into my despondent manner. I was sick of looking at the guys that I work with and I was tired of being out here in the middle of the ocean with this bunch of clowns. And just hearing their voices was enough to send me over the deep end. Simply put, This Man was not in the mood for anyone or anything!
And a sailor in a bad mood is merely a challenge for other sailors to see how far they can go to piss you off!
So I guess to avoid any unnecessary confrontations and to keep myself out of trouble, I've pretty much remained low key and have avoided talking to anyone. However, I've found myself smoking like crazy--and without feeling the least amount of guilt. I know back in December, This Man touted that I'd finally been able to put the cigarettes down and was going to make sure I never started back smoking, but today even as a couple of so-called friends came up, wondering what I was doing smoking, I merely shot them a look that would've silenced Joan Rivers!
I told you I was in a shitty mood.
But I suppose my mood changed once I chatted with my friend, JL during my quick trip to this warship's store to buy more soap. This Man and JL have quickly become friends by way of a maze of secrets. It's kind of funny really, she tells me some of her secrets and I tell her some of mine. So I guess in a way, you could say we've bought each other. We both harbor the other person's dirty laundry. It's a friendship based on the knowledge that one slip up and the crew of this warship will know all of my business or hers for that matter. I think it keeps us honest.
So chatting with her for a while kind of took my mind off of whatever it was that was driving me crazy and I was able to just relax.
And that's it. I still have a ton of work that needs to get completed but believe me, it's nothing that threatens the safety of the crew so it can wait a while. I still plan to avoid interacting with these people if only because they all seem to get on This Man's nerves. And in a while, I'm going to slip off and find a nice place where noone will find me and sneak in a midday nap.
See, I'm feeling better already!

13 days until San Diego!

Mahalo

For everyone who's in love, This Man would like to say Happy Valentine's Day.

So in honor of this day of protesting your love for someone, I've been thinking about relationships. Mind you, relationships are something This Man knows very little about and I have to admit, I go out of my way to avoid them. To date, I've only been in one major one (my marriage) and then there were those that I attempted with men and those went sour pretty fast. Turns out, This Man didn't know that relationships had to be worked at constantly!
Which brings me to J. I've mentioned J before and the things that I like about him (his heart is genuine and his spirit is contagious, not to mention, the sex is out of this world), but the one thing that initially scared me about him was during our first couple of get-togethers, he would ask me about why I wasn't in a relationship. This Man would usually respond with, "Because I'm not looking for one" or "Because I don't want one."
But the more I think about it, I can't help but wonder, what is it about a relationship that I don't want?
I mean, my friends that are happily coupled seem to be having a great time sharing their lives with someone! For example, my friend DSS and his partner, Steve have been together for almost 7 years and they seem to be doing fine. Then there's my friend, AL who the minute he's out of one relationship, he meets another guy who instantly wins him over and BAM--he's in another relationship. And of course, there's L...her and R are in the initial stages of what seems to be a perfect match, albeit somewhat rocky, but they're making it happen. So why can't This Man join the crowd and get a partner?
Simply put, because I don't want to.
I think it's because I don't want to put myself out there all exposed for one guy to see. Hell, it's bad enough to constantly feel like you're under a microscope on a daily basis, but the fear of having to give someone your whole life's history and allow them to see what it is that has lead you to the point where you are in life, I have to admit, it scares the hell out of This Man.
And not only that, but I like variety. So to settle down with one person just wouldn't do it for me.
Slutty, yes.
Selfish, definitely.
But it's the way I like it.
So what's a man to do? Well, if you're like This Man, you keep a good pair of running shoes near by. Because for as long as I can dodge it, I'm running. But between you and me, it's only a matter of time before I realize that it's not so great being alone.
That or I run headfirst into the arms of J.

Happy Valentine's Day

Mahalo

Let's see, so it's been a couple of days since This Man posted anything on my blog and that's partially because there really hasn't been anything of interest going on. By now, you surely have realized that we've since left Singapore (and hopefully, that was This Man's last time ever visiting there) and are well on our way eastward and back to San Diego.




I did make amends with L after she attacked me in response to my last entry. Plus, This Man could never stay mad at her for too long (she is my best friend, after all). So everything's back to normal on that end.
Also, after about two days of trying to no avail, This Man has accepted the fact that the CD-RW that contained all of the pictures that I've taken while on this cruise--um, SURGE, are gone. I still blame JCA for that one.
Nonetheless, I had a small breakthrough today. While slaving and cleaning our living quarters today and after damn near three years, This Man decided to speak to none other than my archrival, JLB (yeah, even I was suprised at that one). Don't worry, I still pose a threat to him (because I know his little secret), but when I think about it, it was time to be the bigger Man. After all, there's no one besides him and myself (and my friends S and SML) who can truly recall that night on the bus in the Seychelles Islands, which triggered JLB and me not to speak to each other.
So that should just about do it for This Man. I'm still seeking joy in small wonders and always steering clear of drama.


Mahalo.

I received this email from L today...
Can we seriously discuss getting a house keeper to
come in every other friday. I am so willing to pay for
it. I cant keep up with the heavy duty cleaing, the
baseboards, the bathrooms, the blinds, dusting, etc. I
am going crazy and I cant stand this house so nasty.
The floors alone are driving me mad. If I can find
someone for $60 a week can we at least talk about it.
L

To which, This Man responded with...
No...that's ridiculous and you know it! How much are
you willing to pay? Hell, give me the money and I'll do the
damned cleaning. I can't believe you even thought to ask
me that. My philosophy is this...we make the mess, we
clean it. It's that simple. Please don't mention a housekeeper
to me ever again.
After sending that response off, I was so upset that I
forwarded the message to my friend, S, with the following
attachment...
Can you believe that she had the gall to send me this message?
And S came back with this line...
OOOOHHHHHH!
L MAKES IT SEEM LIKE SHE IS CLEANING FOR 8

And that's where This Man finds himself right now. I know how
this issue is going to end up. There will be no maid, housekeeper,
cleaning guy (except in the fantasy of mine, but now is not the
time for that) coming into my household--ever!
The part that baffles me though is the fact that in my house, it
is I who is the obsessive compulsive one. Which means that,
unless I'm sick and on my deathbed, This Man always makes
sure that the house is spotless (besides, one never knows who
might just decided to stop by, right).
Not to mention, there's only 3 people living in my house!
3!
She's acting as if she has to clean Berthing #3 onboard
This Man's fine warship. So L, I'm pretty sure if you
decide to read this entry, you're going to be pretty
pissed off. But even then, you won't be nearly as agitated as
I was when This Man got that email.
This housekeeper-thing is not going to happen. But then you
knew that before you even hit the Send button, didn't you?

Mahalo

It was This Man, my friend S, a couple of pitchers of Heineken, some new friends, a hot humid day and a lousy Singaporean cover band and that was how today went down.
But before we get to the cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama (and for the life of me, why does every sailor love that fucking song), let's start at the beginning and how some mysterious way, all of the pictures that I've taken on this cruise, specifically to post on this page ended up corrupted on the CD-RW that I was saving them to. Well, this morning when I ran into S, and we'd decided that we were going to head over to the other side of the island to Sembawang (pronounced sim-ba-wa) and do some shopping and have some drinks. I was still furious about the fact that my pictures had disappeared (I still think that JCA corrupted the disk, but I'm not going to confront him about it now).

So needless to say, no matter how the day turned out, I knew I was going to end up shit-faced if only just to take my mind off the fact that the pictures were gone.
Well, This Man and S ended up at the naval base in Sembawang, did a little shopping and from there it was cocktail hour. What initially started as one pitcher of Heineken (can you believe they didn't have any Budweiser) ended up turning into 7 pitchers and a couple of hours later.
While S and I sat drinking and discussing men and relationships, she ran into a guy that she'd networked with in the course of doing her job. He joined us and the next thing you know, 3 other guys (all from the carrier) approached our table.
It was pretty obvious that we weren't going anywhere for a while.
Throughout the evening, while we sat just talking about whatever and having a good time, there was this lousy local cover band playing on the catina. Thankfully, This Man was slowly becoming intoxicated otherwise I would have had to go and request that they call it an evening.
At any rate, This Man and S had a great time hanging out with the guys from the carrier and who knows if we'll ever see them again (maybe if they stop in San Diego, but I doubt it). Around 2100 we proceeded back to our fine warship to conclude the evening, seeing as tomorrow is expected to be a busy day.
Once back onboard, I ran into JCA (who'd went out and bought a new digital camera, ironically) and like I'd mentioned earlier, I didn't have it in me to confront him about the pictures.
But before I conclude this entry and submit myself into the Heineken-induced slumber that I'm so dearly looking forward to, This Man has to say especially to my dear friend, S...the discussion that you took part in on my honor was enough to send me off to the restroom on the brink of tears. I was so flattered and beyond words. I was well aware of the point that you were making and all I can say is there's no one who at this moment is more honored to have your friendship than I am.

Mahalo

I almost forgot to wish my nephew, Tim, a Happy Birthday. Even though you're 24, 6'3 and built like a Mac truck, This Man can still take you down, buddy! Don't you forget it.

Happy Birthday from your uncle.

So we made it to Singapore (as promised) today and let me tell you, this place hasn't changed one bit. Tonight, This Man, S and JCA went out for dinner, shopping and strolling down Orchard Avenue. It was great. I was able to get into Kiehl's and replace my body lotion and hair cream in the nick of time (WHEW). And even though some people may see it as old skool, This Man still loves shopping for those things called CDs--so quite naturally, the three of us, had an awesome time at HMV (a chain of music stores in Asia). JCA wanted to shop for a decent digital camera, but came up empty handed (we may head out again in a day or two). And ultimately, we finished off the evening over dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant and some drinks.
However, the fun came after we left IndoChine and proceeded to the MRT station. This Man and S were a bit cocktailed and JCA was just in a good mood. We ran into a couple of friends who were brown-bagging a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red (of which S and I gladly partook) and then it was on to the MRT and back to our fine warship. While at the Orchard station, awaiting the train, I did take some pictures, which will be posted soon.
I called L and chatted with her for a while. She was happy that I was able to get her Singapore mug from Starbucks. She's happy to be back in the work force and so am I. Miracuously, we didn't argue and that's a good thing.
Right now, I'm just sitting here typing and listening to Beyonce's Dangerously In Love (WHAT! This Man didn't own an actual copy of it, sue me), nibbling on a piece of chocolate and just reflecting on the great evening that just past.


Mahalo.

If This Man's mother was alive today, she would've turned 61 today. It still saddens me that she past away before we really could've gotten to know one another (This Man--then, That Boy, was barely 5 when she past). But I often wonder how my life would've been different had she lived to see this birthday.
And my brothers and sisters, would our relationship be better if Mama were around to provide the security and be the main constant in our lives? I really can't say. So while This Man continues to sail eastward towards San Diego, I'm wondering if any one of my siblings will take the time out of their lives to drive out to Nelandville, TX to that cemetery that has fallen by the wayside. Drive along the rocky road and seek out the large headstone that bears our mother's name on it, rid the area of the weeds and wild brush and perhaps plant some flowers around the plot. It's wishful thinking, I know.
I also wonder, were she alive, what would my mother think of how This Man turned out. Well, I know she would probably be a bit disappointed that I didn't choose to go to college and become a teacher (at least, I haven't yet), but for the most part, I like to think that she would be somewhat be proud of, not only just me, but her other 5 children as well. Sure we've all done our share of unpleasant deeds, but on the grand scale of things, the fact that we're all still around and healthy should count for something, right? So for my brother, P who dropped out of Texas Tech before the second semester, my sister, D who after many years of wishing for solitude now finds herself alone and sad, my brother, V who's yet to realize the man that he could be, my sister C, who only wants to regale in her youth (though those days are long gone), my brother, R who's wasted more time and energy running from himself.
And lastly, This Man who tries his damnedest to keep them all together.
Happy Birthday, Mama!

Right now, it's a few minutes until 4 o'clock in the morning and This Man has not had any sleep. Usually whenever the insomnia settles in, while I'm tossing and turning, I'll try and figure out what it is that's bothering me. I've found that usually it's something very trivial and can be dealt with without having to get out of my coffin rack.
But for the past couple of days, I've climbed into my bunk, watched some porn, beat off and attempted to fall asleep only to wake up a couple of hours later. So now, I'm in front of this laptop, pecking away because believe it or not, sailors don't like it when you wake them up from their deep slumber to talk about why you can't fall asleep.
So now that I'm online (figurative & literally), This Man may as well recount the events from last night's Final Outchop shindig that we had onboard our fine warship. As you may recall from yesterday's post, we've finally been ordered to proceed onward to Singapore and then on to San Diego. To celebrate this moment, the crew gathered to watch a slide show presentation of the work that we'd done, sing karaoke, play cards and just gather with other shipmates. Trust This Man when I say, there's isn't too much one can do when the only alcohol onboard is Astringent!
I did manage to take a couple of pictures but because I was occupied with other things, I didn't pay much attention to what I was photographing so This Man may have to skip posting the pictures. Nonetheless, it was a good time all things considered.
I suppose I should mention how I was able to outsmart and outwit a buddy of mine, Jon, who's slowly getting hip to the fact that I do, indeed march to a different drum than he does. It went something like this, after challenging me to a staring contest (childish, I know), we then switched to a left- handed arm wrestling match, he quickly found out that This Man is indeed ambidextrous. He lost not only during the left handed match, but the right handed one as well (HOORAY FOR THE HOMO!). But I think it was the fact that I left him with this comment, "Your friends will not like hearing that you were beat by a punk" that kind of set him off. Then as if that wasn't enough, Jon was kind enough to suggest that we hang out in Singapore just to "hang" which would've been a nice gesture had it not been spoken with sarcasm. But don't worry, I quickly responded with, "But if we do that, then the guys will assume that I'm only out to screw you."
Let's just say that Crayola doesn't make that shade of red that he turned! Mind you, this may seem like it's a bad situation to be in, but to tell the truth, This Man kind of likes it. I can't count the number of conversations that Jon and I have had in which he's left flustered and I'm left standing with a evil smirk on my face. Perhaps one day, This Man will take the time to jot them all down for your entertainment.
It's now 4:15 a.m, and I'm still awake. Time to go watch some porn.

Mahalo.

First off, there's good news and there's bad news.

The good news is, This Man and the rest of the crew of our fine warship have finally been given walking papers to leave the Indonesian area, where if you'll recall, we were providing humanitarian relief and assistance to the people of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia. Like relatives during the holidays, I like to think that we kind of overstayed our welcome. Nonetheless, in a couple of days, it will be "All Ahead Full" as we make way to terminate the area and This Man finds himself that much closer to San Diego. I can hardly wait!

The (somewhat) bad news is our next stop is Singapore.
Now before I go on, allow This Man to elaborate about my affair with the city-state of Singapore. I first came to Singapore way back in 1995, when This Man was new to the whole Navy-game. At the moment, I fell in love with the place. The people, the stifling humidity and the shopping (oh man, the shopping) I loved it all. The city is beautiful! This Man can testify that everything that you've heard about the place is true. It was love at first sight. It was the perfect connection--a city too clean to imagine and This Man who has OCD. Can you say, kismet?
I came back in 1997 and continued my international romance with the city that only a person
diagnosed with OCD would love. With all thanks to the Gulf War in 2002, I returned and did a 10-day follow up in 2003. I was this close to renouncing my citizenship.
You see where I'm going with this?
Well just when I think that I'm a bit tired of the city...we're heading back there. UGH!
Needless to say, I'll get some decent pictures, spend more money than I should at Armani Exchange & Burberry and get bloody drunk. And since I really don't have a thing for Asian men, chances are, This Man will not be screwing anyone while in there.
It's about time for This Man to end my affair with Singapore.
The countdown to San Diego has begun!

Mahalo.