Dan’s Mustache

I haven’t been able to add to the blog in a while. It has gotten busy on the ship, or I have just been doing other things with my free time. The past week has been a lot of fun even though this is a deployment.

Now for the next Martin J. Blomberg installment:
Listen: Here’s what is going on.

1) So, we are adding a picture of our sweet ‘staches that we have been working so hard to grow. I can’t even begin to describe the amount of pride that I have in my mustache.

2.) I have been reading a great novel called ‘Voyage’ that a salty old friend of mine named Wayne let me borrow. Wayne is 72, lives in Tijuana, and has sailed to Hawaii twice… alone! The book is good.

3.) I am watching a show called “The Shield” and it is action packed. I start season three today. That’s right I am averaging one season per week. I am really looking forward to our next port of call.

4.) I have recently (at least relatively recently) advanced to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade and I have a celebration event planned called a “wetting down” The basic premise is that I have to put the difference in pay from my old pay grade to the new one up on the bar and everyone gets to help drink it. Should be fun.

5.) Did I mention that Mitch and I are growing mustaches? As you take a good look at this shot of me and Mitch I want you all to remember that these are the guys that the U.S. Government has deployed to defend her freedom across the globe. Those mustaches are as symbolic of that freedom as a bald eagle perched up on one of the crowns of old lady liberty. Take Care folks obviously… your in great hands.

So the mustache. I have been working on this bad boy for close to a month now and it shows. It’s hard for me to eat, because of how much hair hangs over my mouth from my upper lip. I have been waiting for someone to tell me that it is out of regulations and that I need to trim it back, but I think everyone is just amazed by it’s ferocity. Finally the time has come for all to see the greatness:

Alright so it’s one of the worst mustaches that anyone could ever grow. Give me a break, I grow facial hair in patches. What do you want me to do?

I have gotten a few care packages from the momma, and they have both been great. Some of the girlies that live a few doors down really like the rice crackers that were sent, and the bag is halfway done (they think that it is good for them because it says rice on it and there are peas in it). The garlic olive oil is great too. The CO wanted freshly baked bread, and what the CO wants the CO gets. It works for me, garlic olive oil on fresh baked bread is a rare delight on a deployment.

We had another steel beach picnic this past Sunday and it was a rather fun one. One of the guys that sits at a certain watchstation in Combat called over to a pilot on the carrier and got him to give us a fly-by. Because this isn’t the civilian world the pilot got pretty close. It was really impressive. The pilot was a nice guy and didn’t go mach so we didn’t get our ears blown out.

More importantly people started dancing to some line type dancing music during the steel beach. One of the members of the crew tried to get me to come do the electric slide, but that is a bit slow for me and after your fourth go around it isn’t that fun. I told him that if he got someone to play “Crank that Soulja Boy” then I would get up in dance. Sure enough the next song was “Crank that Soulja Boy”. I got up and did the whole thing as I promised in front of the Captain, crew and a nice little video camera. The video is on the network here on the ship and I have been receiving some comments (good or bad, it’s hard to tell).

A lot of people have been leaving comments with questions about the Navy and what I would like in a care package. They are a bit hard to keep up with. I will continue to answer questions as I can, and I would post a list of things that are good for care packages, but that is tough to do because then I would get boxes with repeats (I think… if people love me). Instead I will try and send out some individual emails that have some ideas of stuff I would like. All that love in box form is really appreciated.

On to the questions.
These are a little more personnel questions, but still Navy related. I think that people will like the responses.

What is the best part of your day?
The best part of my day probably differs from day to day. I like working out, but if seas are too rough it’s hard to get a good lift in and running on a treadmill is near to impossible (sprinting then keeping yourself from hitting the front is not a good way to run). Blogging is also really enjoyable. It is a fun way for me to keep in touch with all of you and I always look forward to seeing the comments that people have posted. I think most consistently though, I enjoy my thirty minutes out on the aft missile deck just relaxing. Some days are hilarious, other days you just reflect. It is nice to have that break from a regular work day.

Any weird superstitions onboard?
Although there are some superstitions about shaving on UNREP days and other things of that sort, they aren’t that much fun. Something more enjoyable that I think you would all like to hear about is WOG day. I have no idea what WOG stands for, but I do know that if you have not crossed the equator you are still a WOG. If you have, then you are a shellback. When we cross the equator there is a tradition that all the WOGs are harassed by the Shellbacks. I have been told that it is a very messy, smelly, humiliating ordeal, but all in good fun. I have been told to watch out and to just try and get through it or I will have to start back at the beginning of the supposed “obstacle” course that is put up. I plan to make a little more fun out of it, and see how long I can last. Maybe causing some trouble (throwing gross things back at the people doing the damage will be fun). I am looking forward to the whole ordeal.

I do need to get going. I will send out some emails when I get a chance. Write again soon.