This has been a really busy two weeks for me. One thing I’ve noticed is that all through the Navy training pipeline, the message has always been, “Oh, it’ll be better at the next command.” But the only time that was true was during OCS (i.e. boot camp).
I went next to Power School, which was hard but was really pretty easy compared with the next stop, Prototype, where I was always busy and being run ragged with studying and trying to get people to sign qualifications off. Now on the boat I am, if anything, even busier. I’m almost looking forward to going to sea because of it. After all, I haven’t been able to do much with my programming, can’t spend time with my wife, and I never get enough sleep. No wonder the Nukes make so much money, because I can’t find any junior officers who are stoked about signing up for more time in the Navy. ;-)
I bought an iPod for the upcoming patrol. The iPod Nano isn’t horribly well supported but the latest gtkpod (with libgpod) program seems to work well enough most of the time. What I need to do when I get back is see if I can hack in iPod support to JuK in some kind of sane fashion. Beyond that though, the iPod itself is as nice as people claim, very easy to use and no detail left unconsidered, not even the packaging.
Adriaan blogged the other day about how he setup a aggregator for the KDE blogs that actually deal mostly with technical talk. I noticed mine’s not on there, and why not? I haven’t published anything that wasn’t whining about politics or how busy I’ve been in a long time. It’s a pity too, as one reason I’d been working so hard on programming during Power School and the beginning of Prototype was so that I could have an alternative to the Navy when it comes time to decide whether to leave the Navy or sign up for another tour. There’s always the off-crew periods where I’ll hopefully be able to focus on getting my hobbies done, but failing that it almost seems as if I won’t have time until my shore duty comes around in a couple of years.
I may not post again for awhile, but rest assured I haven’t left permanently. I’ll just have to find time somehow. :)