Hail & Bail

Day too.
It's about ten till two. am. Most of the wardroom is at Trilogy, over at Medinat Jumeirah. I am sitting in a quiet atrium lounge on the 33rd floor of the Oasis Beach Towers surrounded by a glass wall extending ten stories over my head. Through the glass, I look out over Dubai Marina and the "trunk" of one of the palm islands in Dubai. Of course, I can't see that part in the darkness, but what I do see are the dozens of half-built skyscraper condo's that are under construction throughout the Jumeirah Beach area. Each of the projects is capped by a giant crane covered in flashing lights (as a helicopter pilot who flies frequently at night, I greatly appreciate those flasing lights). When I was here in 1999, none of this was here. There were a couple of small hotels, a Hard Rock Cafe, and that was it. Now, there are perhaps 30 finished skyscrapers and at least twice that many under construction. It is mind boggling.

We just finished a "Hail & Farewell" celebration at the Marketplace restraurant in the JW Marriott. Outstanding dinner and location. Unfortunately, it was a two hour cab ride to travel the 20 miles from our hotel here in Jumeirah Beach up to the Marriott. Dubai is growing at an exponential rate, but the transportation infrastructure is lagging that growth at an equally exagerated rate. Between 3 and 9 every day, all major roads come to a complete stand still.

The Hail & Bail was a great time. We said goodbye to two of our junior officers, both outstanding officers and pilots, who leave very big shoes to fill. We also "officially" said good bye to our CO. Change of command isn't for two more weeks, but this was our chance to socially and officially thank him for an outstanding couple of years under his leadership. The two JO's are, at this moment, sitting on a jet at Dubai International Airport, bound for home. They literally walked from the hotel right after their scrolls were read, and went straight to the airport. Fair winds, guys. You will be missed.

Scrolls. I'm not sure if this is a tradition throughout naval avaiation, but certainly within the HS community, no one leaves a squadron without receiving a "Scroll". A letter or commendation, written by your peers, often with an overall theme, highlighting the less than stellar moments of your time in the squadron. For example, when I left my first squadron as a JO, my scroll was a letter from Bill Gates, explaining why my application to Microsoft Flight Simulator Test Pilot School had been rejected. At the time, I had received two "thin envelopes" from the Navy's TPS. The "rejection letter" is a very popular theme, as it allows the author to provide a long and embarassing list of reasons why the individual was not worthy of the honor of selection. No. I'm not going to go into details of anyone's scroll here. But they were good.

Many of our JO's were joined by their wives during this port visit. It was fun having them at the Hail & Bail tonight. Hopefully they weren't too embarrassed by the scrolls. I doubt it. I had the opportunity to fly Janell out to join me in Hobart, Australia, during my first deployment. That was an awesome experience. I know the guys and their wives are enjoying this much needed reconnection close to the half-way point of our deployment. As I was meeting some of the wives tonight, one quickly recognized me as "the guy who's been writing the blog". I guess Janell sent a link to the blog to the wives club back home. I'm glad that my ramblings have helped other families help stay connected. It's been fun to see the secondary and tertiary effects of my blogging. I noticed today that Adam's sister started a blog recently. That reminded me of a comment I made on my sister's first blog post...

Amanda,
Great start to your blog! It's been a fun way for Janell and I to journal about what's going on. Obviously, we didn't keep up with it much either for the first 18 months or so. It took me leaving to really commit to writing regularly. Life gets busy, but it sure is neat to share what's going on real time with those who don't see you frequently and to write it down for "posterity's sake". With so little written via paper correspondence, and emails deleted every day, I think the blog may provide a modern way to document the daily (weekly or even monthly) goings on in everyday normal people's lives. It's not earth shattering stuff, but it's our stuff. Our story. Not everyone cares, but we do! So keep writing and have fun with it. Thanks for giving it a try!
-Scott

I truly believe those words. It's our story. This is my story. I have a terrible memory for events. When it comes to telling "sea stories" (a navy art form), I flounder because my long term recollection of things that I've experienced is so poor. I've always wanted to write a journal. But my discipline for writing just for writing sake is equally poor. Somehow, in writing this blog, I've managed to find a way to stay motivated to keep writing. Perhaps it's the feedback I get in the form of comments. Mostly, I think it's the knowledge that I'm staying connected with the people I love. They're seeing a piece of my life that otherwise is almost impossible to share. And boy is it a strange life.

Well, it's now 0230. I have an "appointment" to meet the XO and PXO (that's Prospective XO) at 1000 for a doubles tennis match. I'd better get some sleep. Of course both of them, and my partner are both still at Trilogy. I already have a head start. The nice thing about not being a night club kind of guy is that I get to sleep in a bed tonight. Last night I crashed on some cushions on the floor. Still, I managed to sleep for about 10 hours. Even in the middle of 10 other guys getting up and heading out around me. I take my sleeping seriously. The two previous nights, I slept a total of about 7 hours.

This lounge has free wi-fi, so I'll be writing more soon. I can't beat the view. I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow. For now, I'm off to go claim a spot on a bed before the crown rolls in. Signing off from Dubai.