I like showing them around the USS Cowpens, around Japan, and around Yokosuka Naval Base.  There's a lot to talk about, but I love being the tour guide.  Why?  Because I still think I've got one of the best jobs in the world. 

Well, we're back out to sea.  So long Japan.  *salute*

For now, it's back to work onboard The Mighty Moo. 

I've had this series in my binder a while, but I never got around to watching it.  Now that I am and am almost done, it's better than I expected.  Having read the actual "Count of Monte Cristo", the series does a good job paralleling the story in a much more futuristic setting.  I highly reccomend it.

Because I do not think everyone here has seen me, here's a photo of myself recently taken. In fact, let me include an old shot of myself from around three years ago, and one recently taken a few months ago.

 This was around three years ago...

And this is me now...

Ah, how time passes by so quickly...

Three years...

Well, that's all for now.  I'll post more interesting ones later.  Oh, and we're back in Japan now.

...is a balancing act that is no small feat

Stop rocking!!!

It's a sequel for Final Fantasy IV!  Why am I the last to know about these things?  ¬__¬

Anyways, the game looks pretty good.  It's got that old school feel to it that I've always loved about the first Final Fantasy installments.  Anyways, click if interested!  Man, I wish I had a WII.

The Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

Let's see...
I speak English, obvious enough.  I'm also proficient in Spanish.  I've become exceedingly good at Japanese, thanks to all the Japanese friends I've made while stationed in Japan. 

Currently, I'm still perfecting my Japanese, but that'll take a while. 

So, this is day three of CONSTANT ROCKING onboard the USS Cowpens.  We've been hitting some mega swells in the ocean, and it's knocking us around like a floating cork.  I'm not seasick, but I can't say the same for several others. 

This is just a HUGE annoying inconvenience for me.  I've smacked the B-Jesus out of myself in several locations simply because walking from point to point is a literal balancing act.

Ah, the life of a sailor.  >_>

Living life to the fullest...
is the greatest honor we can bestow...
to those who've laid so costly a sacrifice...
upon the alter of freedom...

So that others may live...
in Peace.

Life has been going rather well for me, as of late.  When I look back at the three years that've passed by, much faster than I could've dreamed, I'd like to think I'm doing very well. 

When I decided to enlist, I was working as a bartender and front desk clerk at a hotel and country club.  I was making around $6.00 an hour, and I didn't have any benifits.  No medical, no dental, no life insurance.  I was living with the folks.  Still, I was balancing work with college classes.  Still, life wasn't compelling me to go above and beyond.  At my job, I was a hard worker and did more than my fair share, yet it wasn't as rewarding as I wanted.  Then, the thought of joining the military started.

When I was in college, I was in the Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Program).  Being in that convinced me not to join the Air Force.  It wasn't for me.  Not to say I lacked the intelligence, no.  To be honest, the thought of being in the Air Force, enlisted or officer, seemed more of a stigma than a benifit.  Sorry, but I'm not to keen on the idea of being thought of as a desk jockey, not to mention even when giving the recruiter a talk to, he didn't seen to inclined to sign me up.  The Army and Marines were begging me to join them, but I thought back to my late grandfather and his time in the Navy.  My dad had also expressed interest in joining the Navy, but in the end, he loved my mom too much and wanted me to have a dad that was always around.  I will always respect him for that. 
So, into the Navy recruiting office I go.  I was convinced that same day to join.  It's ironic that after having spent two years in the AFROTC in college, I end up enlisting into the U.S. Navy.  Still, I thank that ironic set of circumstances that paved the way for the current, and hopefully future, me.  

Three years have passed, and the stories and experiences I've surmassed is unfathomable.  I can't even imagine those that've spent an entire career in the Navy, or the things they've seen.  I've traveled up the ranks with relative speed and success.  Having begun my career as a lowly Seaman Recruit at Enlisted Rank 1 (E-1), I've worked hard and long hours studying and proving myself as a capable sailor.  Now, being a Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5), I'm expected to lead those who work for me now.  It's odd when I'm still learning how to take on a leadership possition, that my upper chain of command is expecting me to lead lower enlisted. 

Just three years ago, I was trying to play the system, punching into work 15 minutes ahead of time, and staying 15 minutes after my shift, in hopes I'd get a little bit of overtime pay.  Now, I make good money, am fed three hot meals a day, not always the best food but it sustains us and our nutrition, and a warm bed.  Three benifits, free college, and a chance to see the world are no short commings.

These years have been good to me, and the irony of circumstances that led me to it prove that nothing can be ultimately planned in life.  Sometimes, a small hurdle here steers us on a path to greater success.  I have the love of my family, the respect of my coworkers, and the affection of a special someone back home.  Here's to three more years.

Well, we're cruising along on a U.S. Navy Warship.  The weather's getting gradually warmer now that summer's approaching.  Sea state is relatively calm considering how fast we're going, and that's fine with me.  Still cracks me up how people get seasick in the calmest waters.  Once we start hitting rougher areas, you start noticing a hell of a lot of green faces. 

Not much else to report right now.  Life is going pretty well.  Work can be a bit stressful at times, but overall it's rewarding. 

At any rate, time for me to get back to work manning the guns.  >=3

One of the most iconic things I've always thought of when it came to Russia was those fuzzy/furry hats.  I never knew what they were called, but now I do.  Not only that, but I now I have my own Ushanka... which I proudly wear around the ship. 

If you're wondering what they look like, here's a link:  Ushanka


They're very warm...

And Russia is COLD!

In Soviet Russia...

...vodka shoots you!

So, I'm in Russia right now.  Will have more details later.  >=3

... and that's one of the main things that's keeping me balanced right now.

These've been some crazy few weeks, and I'm still waiting for a chance to truly catch my breath.  The weekends are nice, but it'd be nice to have a work week where I wasn't running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Missing home, but at least the cherry blossom petals are fluttering carefree.  =/ 

I'll post some photos sometime soon of the cherry trees.  They're amazing.

Going this Saturday.  Got a friend from the ship and a friend of ours (Japanese national) going with us.  She's cool.

I hear Mickey wears a kimono...

... is for the weak.

Didn't you know? 

Zz.z....  Can I go to bed yet?

I about threw a fit when I read this story.  This is ridiculous. 

Wounded Warrior

First off, let's get the pronunciation right.

It's pronounced: 
1)Knock  (Noc)
2)Tie  (ti)
3)Mark  (Self Explainatory)

Anyways, I got this name from an old college roommate, back when I was in Bowling Green State University... up in Ohio.

I played a great deal of EverQuest back in college, but when I was first starting, I didn't know what to name my character!  My roommate had a character named Skeliman, and I wanted to sort of think of something similar.  Well, considering the class type I chose (Shadow Knight), there was a very good weapon most SKs used in the game called the Noctivigant Blade.  Well... it just seemed appropriate that Noctiman would fit, right?

So my character was named Noctiman.  Now, over time, my roommate started just refering to me as Noctimark, as a sort of nick-name.... and it's stuck since.  It's sort of catchy, and I've had it since all those years back.

EverQuest---> Skeliman----> Noctivigant Blade -----> Noctiman ------> Noctimark

Interesting, huh?

Well, we went to Hong Kong about a week and a half ago, and the image of being a tourist is still fresh in my mind.  I won't be able to put any photos up just yet, but when given the chance later on, I will.

Hong Kong was rather interesting.  The cuisine was similar to back in Japan, but the hustle and bustle of city life was most definitely exponential in activity.  Still, we were able to afford ourselves some peace and quiet as an American family living in Hong Kong invited me, and a few others, for a nice sit down dinner.

Overall, it was a fun port visit.  We'd been pushing around 30 or so days out at sea before seeing any freetime on terra firma, so it was a very welcome break from the everyday routine. 

Out at sea, everyday seems to blend in with the previous day.  There's a very tight routine that you become so used to, that days just seem to form into one large day.  After a while, you forget what day it is, let alone if it's sunny or dark outside.  But... that's a story for another time.

Anyone ever been to Hong Kong?  =)

Well, it's been many months since my last entry, and a great deal has changed.  Much of my career life has improved exponentially, and I've had the opportunity to go home for a quick vacation.

During the end of last year's summer deployment, around the end of November, I received word that I'd been promoted to the next higher rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class.  Not only this, but I'd just completed all the pre-reqs for obtaining my Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist chest device (ESWS Chest Pin) designating me as an Enlisted Surface Warfare Expert in the realm of a combat ship.  To receive two awards of this calibur in such a short amount of time, and within days of eachother, is a feat in and of itself.  I was on a high that I'm still slowly comming down from.

With this new promotion comes more responsibility.  More is expected of me as a new leader.  I must now put forth my greatest effort, consistently, so that the younger and newer sailors have a positive impression of those they work for.  I'm really liking this. 

Aside from work, I was able to go home for a brief 2 weeks.  A year and a half had elapsed since my last time home, and despite the relatively short vacation, I treasured everyday with both family and friends.  I've only seen my father cry a small handful of times, and on the day I left to retun to Japan, he couldn't retain his normal stoicism.  Even a statue of stone can chip, I suppose.

For now, we are out at sea, having recently left Hong Kong.  We'll be conducting several evolutions and drills in preparation for many upcomming events that put both our skills and fortitude to the test.  This truly is an accelerated life...

...and I love it.