Parvati

A Glimmer Realized, An Opportunity Jumped At Having previously travelled to Honduras via C130 on a whim with my friend David Verde, we flew over some exquisite photo opportunities on the way to visit his family in Tegulcigalpa (the capital) and Palmerola. Sitting in the cockpit with the pilots, I asked about the Earth's artwork that we saw. "Oh, that's Roatan." I had never heard of the tiny little Honduran island, had never even thought about Honduras as a diving destination. Of course, at that point, I had only been diving for about a year, but it sparked an interest and I carried that as a place I'd like to see one day. Who would I take? Now, add a chance view of a former high school classmate's Facebook page. I see a photo of Ronna ... read more

28 October 2010 Female Supply Corps Officers Selected for Submarine Service The Supply Corps has selected 8 female officers for duty aboard submarines. These warfare qualified Supply Corps officers were selected from a group of talented individuals based on their demonstrated superior performance and leadership. The 8 Supply Officers will attend the Submarine Officer Basic Course beginning in September and will be assigned to submarines upon graduation. The selectees are as follows: LT Britta Christianson LT Kelly Chufo LT Heidi Davis LT Rebecca Dremann LT Melissa Gonzales LT Sohnhwa Lee LT Krysten Pelstring LT Helen Ringer Please join me in congratulating these outstanding Supply Officers on their selection as they continue the Supply Corps ... read more

One thing I've learned about Southeast Asia is that there are multiple cheap airlines with no rhyme or reason to when they have what rate (at least that i can find). It's also a great thing that I research airports and such. Two airports? In the same city? Yes, that's right. Seriously. The Low Cost Carrier has a separate airport about 5 miles or so away from the international airport. We weren't there for very long but it seemed familiar. Are you sure we aren't in Singapore? Really, the only reason I'm publishing this is to add the country to my list. We drove around for a while, so yes I'm going to claim I've been to Malaysia now. ... read more

Vietnam has to have been one of the most beautiful places I have seen in Southeast Asia. Yes, there are temples and beautiful scenery. Patrons of those temples purchase small fish to "give" as offerings into the ponds there. The streets are swept by the villagers, the streets are lovingly cared for and the artwork and detail of every building, step and even street corner are a wonder. But... the most beautiful part of the country was the people. Speaking only a few Vietnamese words, I was helped at every corner it seemed. Smiles abounded, children laughed and families shared their food with us. I will be back one day.... read more

Could it be that I'll never be back here again? One of the more pleasantly stressful moments on board a ship is when you’re waiting to get off the ship for good and move on to you next duty station. Whether you have a great boss or not, love your co-workers or not, enjoy the galley food or not... things get annoying in little ways, but not one or two at a time, all at once. GET ME OUT OF HERE! AAAHHHhhhhhh! So maybe not that dramatic, but it’s the same thing that happens to us in high school, at least I think it happens to everyone. Come on, you remember it. It’s your senior year, you’ve been dating from the same limited gene pool for a few years, been accepted to college, have the teachers ... read more