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Hello Humility.

22 March 2008
After riding high for so long, I got a little taste of reality. I'm not as smart as I was letting myself believe. Or maybe if I am it's not my place to talk about it. I have always believed that it's ok to admit to yourself that you are good at something. It is when you start admitting to others that you are good at something, or you start gaining that arrogance that a lot of times comes with skill, that you will get put in your place. Well I found my place.

I know this is a bit of a different style post for this blog but it applies. I had gotten used to being "the smart one." People brag on me here, and I let it go to my head.  I began to hold myself to the standards everyone else has, and because of that I felt a lot of pressure to keep up the work.  Then I started the video broadcasting course. Ten days of 2 years worth of schooling. Not a lot of time to learn a lot of information.

By Wednesday of last week I was two hours from failing, Scoring a 38% on my second graded assignment. Me and about five others in my class of 12 were given two extra hours to fix the mistakes we had made and redeem ourselves and our grades. 

I made it up and passed the class Friday. The worst part, though, was all the comments like "Wolfe is failing!?" "I thought you were the Genius!" "bla bla bla" none of them meant to be insulting I don't think, but were none-the-less. All in all I think of it as a reminder that modesty is a valued trait in anyone worth admiring. Something that I had forgotten.



on another note... Orders are still not in for the 5 of us in our class who don't have them yet. Chief is going to a diving school on April 2nd and says we should have them before he leaves. Rumor is that there are no good sets of orders left, so I'm not even worried about it anymore.

6 weeks to go! I think.

15 March 2008
It has been another week since my last post, and still no orders. We are off lock down at least.

Actually wednesday I had an interview for a writing job in Annapolis, for the Naval Academy. Where Officers are made. I didn't want the job, so when the Chief interviewing me asked me, I told her I'd rather do graphic design or take photos than write stories. I told her that I had confidence that I could do it, but writing was my least favorite of all the things we've learned so far. So, I didn't get those orders. Now, again, I am waiting to find out where I am going. I have my fingers crossed for this week, usually orders come mid-month.

In other news, I graduated from Basic Still Photography last week. Finished with an average over 93% that's all I know. On our final project I got a 98%, my instructors said it was the best grade they've ever given out. Kinda blew me away when the said that! Below is a smaller version of what I handed in.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Now we have moved on to EJC, or broadcast journalism. It's supposed to be the hardest class we'll have, so I'm a little apprehensive. So far though it's a lot of fun, recording video, narrating news stories, doing interviews, and then editing it all together.

I will update this as soon as I get my orders... well after I call a bunch of people first.

LOCK DOWN!

04 March 2008
Due to some people making some bad decisions, and us not doing the right thing and looking out for them, the whole Navy detachment here is on seven glorious days of lock down.

What that means:
  • Everyone is in uniform at all times
  • We will meet in the day room at 4:30, 6:30, and 9:00 p.m. after school everyday.
  • We can have uniform inspections at any of those musters.
  • No one is allowed to leave base.
  • No one is allowed to leave the building unless to go to chow, otherwise special permission has to be granted by their section leaders.
The worst part of all of it is my section was supposed to be on duty this weekend. However, since all sections will be on duty, my section's weekend is getting pushed back to next weekend. Which happens to be the three day weekend during which I was planning on going back to Ohio to surprise visit my family and friends.

So the moral of the story is if you know someone is doing wrong, correct them. If they wont listen take it higher. Look out for your shipmates.

P.S. >> still no word on orders I will find out soon though, I think.

Orders and other things...

24 February 2008
Since it has been almost two weeks since I have posted something new I thought I had better get on it. 

I have been in Basic Still Photography class since my last post. Since then we have taken a field trip to Baltimore and Washington D.C. to take photos of people. All I have to say about that is people do not like to be photographed. Either that or they LOVE to get photographed and just ham it up for the camera. Neither are really good for the assignment.  The point of the field trips are to show us that it's not easy to take good photographs when people aren't comfortable around you. Our job as a photographer requires us to make our shipmates or our subjects feel comfortable around us so they will continue on with what ever they are doing when we come around with the camera.

On another note, I should be receiving my orders soon, within the next three weeks I would say. I asked Chief if I could go to London, and he told me we don't have a base there anymore, and then mentioned that there are a few other bases located in England, but I wouldn't be getting orders to any of those. So with that knowledge and the fact that the orders to the graphic design headquarters of the Navy in Millington, Tennessee have already been handed to one of my classmates, I have decided that I will just be surprised with where I go. I should be ok, the only bad orders I have heard come out of this place were for people who have earned them.

Well I have food on the way so I will wrap this up. Take care.

Graduation Number 1!

12 February 2008
Today was the day we graduated from the Basic Public Affairs Specialist - Writer course. The biggest chunk of our training at the Defense Information School. It covers all of the journalism/photojournalism aspects of the job. From here I move on to Basic Still Photography, followed by two more courses before finishing up at the end of April. Also from this point forward I'm only in class with other sailors. No more soldiers, no more airman, no more marines, no more coasties... it's all Navy, all of the time.

While it is nice in some aspects, it also sucks in others. Mainly the fact that I'm losing my best friend to Minnesota of all places(told you, you should've joined the Navy...) I'm noticing a common theme in the military though, you make friends and then you watch them leave. No worries though, I'm sure we'll keep in touch. At least I would hope so.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Q & A: pt 1

Recently I received an email with some questions from someone who found my blog. So I answered his questions as best as I could, and then decided it would be a good idea to post this info just in case any one else may have similar questions. Also there is someone who wrote me a while ago and I haven't responded yet, so I'm sorry for that, I will respond as soon as I get a chance! but anyway...




He wrote:
So I've been researching on the MC rating in the US Navy and I'm pretty interested. While googling for info I stumbled upon your civilian to sailor blog. It has great insight. Is it true the chances of getting that job is as slim as you said in your blog? I'm just going to have to get lucky when I walk into the MEPS and hope there is a vacancy at that position. How is 'A' school at Fort Meade? Reading your boot camp blogs, how could you have better prepared yourself? Sorry for the bombardment of questions, I'm just curious to see if this is the right path for me.





Thanks for reading! Glad someone other than my family takes interest in my blog.

Actually it seems the rating has opened up a bit. There are a few people here who didn't even know what an MC was when it was offered to them. We get about 9-12 new recruits from boot camp a month. When you think of how many people are recruited total each month, that's not much, but hey I got it, right? Someone has to fill the slots.

A-School is amazing. Classes aren't too tough, the instructors are good, and all the staff are pretty helpful if you need it. Honestly I'm having the time of my life. But, as cliche as it is, life is what you make of it. There are, of course, some people here who hate it, but it's easy, just keep your priorities straight and you'll be fine.

If MC is unavailable you can always hold out, the recruiters may be difficult to deal with afterward, but it is your life. Personally I was prepared to join regardless of what I got. My second choice was IS(intelligence specialist) but I wasn't eligible because of my eyesight.


Preparing yourself for boot camp:

Mentally, just be prepared to be treated like a dumb little kid for a while. You'll feel useless and possibly even afraid, but just keep your head low, and get through it, it's only two months. Just remember, it is the RDC's Job to make you feel stupid, they are there to weed out those who can't make it, but you'd be surprised at some of the people who have made it through regardless.

Physically, although I wish I would've been more routine with my work outs before I shipped out, boot camp wasn't that bad. I wasn't really used to the steady physical training regimen that they have in boot camp, but if you push yourself harder before you leave it will be easier once you get there.


On one final note:

I would not go any other branch than Navy. Here on Fort Meade is what's called a "Purple Environment" meaning all the branches mix. And while you have to have respect for all the branches, I love the Navy. I feel like we have the most well rounded, and down to earth people out of all the people from the other branches I have met. I suppose maybe I am biased though, but I've met a few soldiers who say they should've went Navy. Never met a sailor who wished they went to another branch though, not yet anyway.

Hope that helps someone if not him, feel free to ask me any question you have and I will try to answer it.

Quick Update

08 February 2008

Hey, in the middle of Final Cut right now. Final Cut is the mock newspaper we produce at the end of the Journalism course, which happens to be my situation. Anyway, what that means is I'm pretty busy lately.


but here is what i've been working on... kind of:


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