Shinnfans,
I sat down last night under the inspiration of Chief Isidro Cartagena to start working on my Coast Guard memoirs. Before I go too much farther, I need to know this: How much would YOU pay for a professionally-bound hard back signed first edition?
Waiting with baited breath,
Andrew
No comments on the last two posts!? I’ve both laid out my wierd dreams and revealed my move from white lies to petty thievery, an no one has anything to say abou that? At least I know Jon’s reading, because he left a comment, brief and cryptic (to me) though it was. Does anyone else have any thoughts on my downward spiral into crime or temporary nighttime insanity?
– Andrew
Last night I dreamt I was on a cruise ship that pulled into Cape Cod, where I met my long-lost uncle Joseph. He was the last of the Kennedys. His mother’s maiden name was McIllhenny, which was significant, too. Maybe because the McIllhennys own the company that makes Tabasco sauce? Anyway, my newly discovered uncle Joe packed us into his brown ’86 Cadillac with the two-tone leather top and took us to Wal-Mart, where we shopped for some things and played a few arcade games. I remember they had an Atari version of Pole Position, which you could race on a motorcycle instead of a car. It was cool, and cheap: like 25 cents for 5 days of racing.
Jon was the last one out of Wal-Mart, and uncle Joseph didn’t like him much, so he started the car and drove slowly down the parking lot, making Jon run to catch up. Jon finally caught us when we reached the road, but then the electric razor he had bought from Wal-Mart fell out of his bag and started to fall apart. He was trying to throw his stuff into the window and put his razor back together and catch the car all at the same time. He eventually did it all successfully. Then we were driving up a windy wooded mountain highway, maybe toward the ancient Kennedy estate. Uncle Joseph was going to tell us the family secrets and show us the secret Kennedy handshake when we got there. Unfortunately, I woke up sometime before we reached the estate, so I don’t know any of the Kennedy family secrets OR the Kennedy secret handshake!
My proudest moment yesterday came when I stole some cereal. That probably doesn’t sound too good, but reserve judgement while I explicate the situation:
Aboard a Coast Guard Cutter, the enlisted men’s meals are paid for and they do not receive a subsitence allowance for food. The officers, however, receive an allowance and are required to pay monthly for the meals they eat. Certain junior officers have decided to take their food money and spend it on other little trinkets (like a brand new BMW). Instead of paying to eat from the galley, they bring massive stores of breakfast cereal with them and consume such cereals three times a day. This practice of cereal stockpiling is a pretty big insult to the food service staff, who work from 4 a.m. until midnight every day, pouring their best work into the crew’s contented mouths.
Last night, one of the cooks who lives in SPO (Senior Petty Officer Berthing, where I live) put a hit* out on one particular junior officer’s cereal. I happened to be sitting across from this officer. All night, SPO-dwellers were walking by him, making cereal comments and trying to snatch the prize from his pocket, where he had secured it from theft. He and I carried on a nice conversation, talking about his wedding plans and other niceties. In fact, I think I was the only person to talk seriously with him for the duration of the meal. As the meal drew near its conclusion, the cereal-stealing-wannabees gathered at the First Class Petty Officer table in the corner. They glowered, cast dark looks in our direction, and passed ill-concealed whispered schemes around the table. Trouble was brewing. I continued the pleasant conversation. When he had finished his cereal, the officer stood up, revealing for a brief second the cereal bag stuffed into the cargo pocket of his cargo pants. The world held its collective breath and time stood still. Visions of betrayal and glory flashed through my head. As if by instinct, my muscles all tensed and propelled me out of my seat. My hand closed on the bag, then time started again. By the time the clock had caught up to the moment, I was across the room with my band of cheering buddies. I turned around just in times to see the betrayed officer’s jaw hit the floor.
It was a moment of glory and silliness, all wrapped into one. I handed the cereal bag back to the officer. Equilibirum was restored, the redness drained slowly from my cheeks, and all was again right with the world. I gave the SPO crew a no-look thumbs-up as I left the room and continued my life.
*I think we’ve been watching too much of Season 1 of the Sopranos!
Mom,
It’s Sunday, so I took my malaria pill!
Everyone,
Thanks for your updates! It’s even better than I was hoping for. I’ll certainly post a picture of Brighty soon. It really helps me feel in touch knowing what’s happening at home. Becky, good luck with the new school. That’s a huge change after 15 years in one spot! Where is it located?
Dad, congrats on the plane! I’ll look forward to a ride as soon as you’re taking passengers. If we can figure out how to make money taking aerial photo, I’ll pay for the gas! It makes me proud to hear about Aaron, as well.
Well, we’re in Cape Verde for a brief stop. I think we’ll meet the president of the country, then it’s off to the next port!
All my love,
Andrew
Not much new to post, Shinnfans. So we’re taking this unprecedented oppotunity to let you sound off and let the Shinnfan community know what’s going on in YOUR neck of the woods! So go ahead, post your life update in a comment. Or, if you want, we’ll make you a full-fledged member of the blog and give you posting permissions! As a third option, you can e-mail me text to be posted (alshinn@gmail.com) and I’ll put it up for you. With so many options, you have no excuse not to post! So go ahead, step up!
I’m going to go outside and shoot skeet off the flight deck while I wait for the e-mail and blog posts to come rolling in!
Peace out,
Andrew
P.S. – As a reward for a good response, I’ll post a picture of Brighty!
Shinnfans,
Week 5 of the Coast Guard Cutter Bear deployment photo essay is up. You can see it at Fred’s Place. I’m pretty unhappy with this week’s images as a whole. It was a time for “family business” for the Bear. I didn’t use my 12-24mm lens at all this week, unlike last week, where all but one image was shot with that lens. If there are any redeeming images or photos you liked from this week, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. It’ll help me feel like I wasn’t a waste of skin and oxygen this week.
Thanks,
Andrew
Not something you see every day, unless you happen to live in Agadir! (Photo by Andrew Shinn)