A Change in the Air in General

A Change in the Air

About 20 years ago I was working in the attic over my garage. Trying to build in some storage space between the rafters. I had a CD player and a couple of my boat speakers, the little ones you could buy back then to attach to CD players.

The weather had had gone from bright and sunny to gloomy and abruptly turned cold. Even in the usually stifling attic it was quite cold. The music was playing on my workbench below me as I was running screws through 2x4s so I could then lay down 3/4” plywood so I could have a place to put all the shit I wouldn’t be taking with us to San Diego.

I look back at that time and all I see is misery. I wasn’t getting along with X1. We had to have the house rental ready, which included building a retaining wall along the north side of the property and putting a railing up on the deck. Between work and getting ready to move I was running myself into a ditch.

X1 and my son were anything but helpful. Basically all they did is bitch and whine and pule and complain and give me a fucking headache. And argue.

For the first time in my military career we had actually sat down and voted where my next assignment would be. We sat at the same table that is now in my dining room. And had a vote. Note to self: Don’t let anyone participate in your life choices.

I had two-ish choices. I was going into what was called a “dissociative tour” - meaning I was not going to be flying, but rather working on a battlegroup staff. My choices were San Diego and Norfolk. The only other choice was as a TLAM coordinator in Dam Neck, which is also in Virginia.

Two to one, my son and wife sent me to San Diego. I would have preferred to go to Damn Neck. I have always been a specialist, and that TLAM job sounded like a specialist job.

I talked to the detailer, and he penciled me in as the Flag Electronic Warfare Officer for Cruiser-Destroyer Group One. And away we went.

Southern California was nothing close to the idyllic Beach Boys/American Graffiti image I had in my head since I was a kid. It was insane traffic, shitty weather. Beach access was almost impossible. We lived first on Point Loma, the later in base housing in Tierrasanta.

The boat was stationed at NAS North Island, which is at the north end of Coronado.

I ended up living most of my 2.5 years in San Diego on “Hotel 64” - the USS Constellation.

You know as you get older you find yourself wondering, even while knowing it can’t make a difference, how things might have been different.

If I had taken the orders to Dam Neck instead of San Diego. Would the cycle of deployments have allowed me to see X1’s schizophrenia coming on?

I know it is a stupid exercise. But I wonder.

Still haven’t gotten into the air. The money is all set, and the clock is ticking. I can’t seem to get a callback from the flight school. But ground school starts again on Thursday, so if I can’t get a callback tomorrow I will just show up on Thursday and get a sit down with an instructor.

I feel a change in the air. And it isn’t just because the A/C units are pulled and the heat is on.

Last updated October 02, 2017