Emails, Hurricanes, and Brief Phone Calls

After John passed RLP last Thursday, they usually receive payphone privileges on Friday. I waited patiently, and excitedly the next evening. Call times are 8-10 p.m.(EST) on Saturdays and Sundays. On Sundays they're between 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. The reason I'm giving you these details? DON'T CALL ME DURING THESE TIMES. :) 7 p.m. was quickly approaching, and I was getting anxious. I hadn't heard his voice in about 4 weeks, mind you. About a quarter after 7, the phone rings. That can't be him yet. It's not phone hours. The area code isn't from RI either. I had been getting a lot of phone calls from Full Sail University that day, and it looked like their area code. I went with my instincts, and answered the phone anyway.

Me: *pause*
Me: Hello?
Male voice: Hello?
Me: Hello?
Male voice: Hello?..
Me: Heh. Hello?
Male voice: Can you hear me, or are just saying hello?
Me: Who is this?
Male voice: It's John. Hehe.
Me: Oh my gosh, John! hahahaha!
John: *laughs*

 And that's how our 5 min. conversation started. Hahaha. So we only had 5 min. to talk, because they had not received privilege, and probably wouldn't that weekend. At the time he couldn't tell me why, but I would later find out through an email, that a girl in their company went out of the chain of command to ask for phone privileges. That's a major, major no-no. So she basically screwed it up for everyone. As disappointed as we both were, it was a good phone call.

 So hurricane Sandy was headed directly for New York. It was a huge storm, only a category 1, but she packed a wallop! John told me Sunday in an email, that they were packing sandbags, in preparation for the storm. NYC got the worst. They have flooded subway tunnels, cut power, and I learned today that 10 people have died. It was a 13 foot surge. It's a horrible tragedy. Newport was blessed to not get very much at all. Today their classes resumed, and they're moving forward. They did Wet Trainer today, which is a mock up of a ship, called the "USS Buttercup". The candidates go in and practice sinking ship drills, trying to stop leaks from overhead pipes and bulk head breaches. There should be photos soon for that.

And that's all I've got for now. I'll keep whoever is reading this, well informed.