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Busy, busy, busy....
Dec. 10th, 2002 11:28 am... how busy? Well, I'm writing this from work, though it's more like I'm waiting for an answer back on a computer system that needs to be monitored while it's running. It's not running all the time... only when I need it or when periodic maintenance needs to be done on it.
In any case, to recap the past week and a half or so....
I last updated this journal about 2 days before Thanksgiving. I spent the Thanksgiving weekend having lunch and dinner with friends and family... then had another friend fly in from the Mainland on Tuesday. Needless to say, the past week was filled with work, sightseeing, and attending a couple of Pearl Harbor Day (Dec. 7) memorial events. It's actually kinda funny to realize how much -- or how little -- you know about where you live or even work.
For example, if you pick up a book on touring Hawaii's historic military sites (Pearl Harbor and Hickam), you can actually see several areas on the PACAF Headquarters Building that were shot up during the war and patched/repainted... but the damage is still there. The building's integrity maintained intact, though at the time of the attack the building was a barracks. Some 70 men died inside the barracks during the attack.
It's a rather sobering thought when you meet and interview the Dec. 7 survivors and can only imagine what they must have gone through that morning. Japan had a brilliant strategy and executed it well, but didn't realize what the U.S. response would be.
Also, such memorial services take on a whole new meaning when you're on active duty... you realize and appreciate those who put their lives on the line so that we can enjoy what we have today. I'll admit, I initially went active-duty because I wanted the work experience... nobody was hiring in the private sector for what I wanted to do. Now, however, I'm staying in partly because of family support, partly because of Sept. 11, 2001, and partly because of Dec. 7, 1941. Also, if you think about it, no matter what you do career-wise, you'll have good days and bad days. It's just that in the military, there's a higher chance that bad days can be lethal, not necessarily to yourself, but to others.
But I digress. The visiting friend leaves today, and after that it's back to the normal, everyday routine. With Christmas just a little over 2 weeks away, and none of my Christmas cards done (!!!), I'll probably need some downtime for myself. Not sure how much downtime I'll need or have though... it really depends on how my parents are doing, as they aren't in the best of health right now....
In any case, to recap the past week and a half or so....
I last updated this journal about 2 days before Thanksgiving. I spent the Thanksgiving weekend having lunch and dinner with friends and family... then had another friend fly in from the Mainland on Tuesday. Needless to say, the past week was filled with work, sightseeing, and attending a couple of Pearl Harbor Day (Dec. 7) memorial events. It's actually kinda funny to realize how much -- or how little -- you know about where you live or even work.
For example, if you pick up a book on touring Hawaii's historic military sites (Pearl Harbor and Hickam), you can actually see several areas on the PACAF Headquarters Building that were shot up during the war and patched/repainted... but the damage is still there. The building's integrity maintained intact, though at the time of the attack the building was a barracks. Some 70 men died inside the barracks during the attack.
It's a rather sobering thought when you meet and interview the Dec. 7 survivors and can only imagine what they must have gone through that morning. Japan had a brilliant strategy and executed it well, but didn't realize what the U.S. response would be.
Also, such memorial services take on a whole new meaning when you're on active duty... you realize and appreciate those who put their lives on the line so that we can enjoy what we have today. I'll admit, I initially went active-duty because I wanted the work experience... nobody was hiring in the private sector for what I wanted to do. Now, however, I'm staying in partly because of family support, partly because of Sept. 11, 2001, and partly because of Dec. 7, 1941. Also, if you think about it, no matter what you do career-wise, you'll have good days and bad days. It's just that in the military, there's a higher chance that bad days can be lethal, not necessarily to yourself, but to others.
But I digress. The visiting friend leaves today, and after that it's back to the normal, everyday routine. With Christmas just a little over 2 weeks away, and none of my Christmas cards done (!!!), I'll probably need some downtime for myself. Not sure how much downtime I'll need or have though... it really depends on how my parents are doing, as they aren't in the best of health right now....
