Sleepy in Seattle

I'm writing at the Saltwater bunkhouse in Seattle. I've got the apartment to myself which is nice...all the other observers in town are out painting the town red so to speak. We're in the University District of town, which is nice because there's a lot of cool stuff within walking or bus distance. I still haven't branched out to the outlying areas like I wanted to, but I did see Pike Place market and a bit of downtown. Otherwise, I've sorta stuck to the neighborhood on my runs and adventures.
The parks and greenery here are beautiful. Everything is in bloom, and there are tulips and gorgeous flowers everywhere. I spent some time at a place called the Arboretum a few days ago and had a lovely walk through 200 acres of trees, shrubs, and flowers. Last night and today I attended a seminar on creativity put on by the Guild for Jungian Psychology at the Quaker meeting house, which was very cool. I'm planning on returning to Meeting tomorrow there as well (I went to last week's service too).
I started my debriefing yesterday and it went MUCH better than my little head predicted. I have an understanding debriefer who's familiar with my particular boat and it's challenges. She's also working extra hard to get me out of here quickly which is really cool. Maybe government employees don't QUITE deserve their rep...hopefully I'll finish up by Tuesday so I can get home and meet up with my mom for our Unitarian Universalist Women's retreat this weekend in the Angeles National Forest.
My plans for another contract are to return to Anchorage in June to train for the scallop fishery. There's a spot on a really cool boat that fishes out of Homer, AK, and it sounds like a neat experience. Scallops are managed at a state level, so I would be dealing with Alaska Department of Fish and Game instead of the National Marine Fisheries Service. This in and of itself is appealing!

Beaurocratic woes and link to pics

4/11/08 Right now we’re en route to new fishing grounds Southeast of an area called Yakatat. Fishing has been really good in the Gulf, and we’re just a couple days away from starting our steam back to Seattle. I’m really happy I get to go with the boat and crew down to the shipyard. We might take the Inside Passage which is supposed to be really scenic and interesting. A stop on Kodiak island came and went; I think we were only there for 4 hours or so. Barely enough time for me to go by the bunkhouse, say hi to some old friends from my training class, and then go to the National Marine Fisheries Service field station for a mid-cruise debriefing. I was sorta bummed I didn’t get anymore time to explore or go on a run, but if I decide to come back there’s a pretty high probablility I’ll spend some time there if I do another contract. We picked up a new captain in Kodiak. We also changed out some crew in Dutch Harbor, so the vibe on this trip is a little different. Still great, but I guess some of the novelty is gone. Today the weather is kinda rough so that’s affecting my mood too…I just want to get some aerobic exercise so bad! I ran around the bow of the boat a week ago and up steps and tried to jumprope but it really wasn’t that great.

4/12/2008 Today we pulled up our sister ship’s gear accidentally. They attached a pair of nunchucks theto the line. It was frickin hilarious...I thought they actually got dragged up from the bottom but apparently this is a common prank on longliners. It illicited stories of past items planted by the crew who set the gear so that the rollerman finds nice surprises when he's hauling it. Ha ha.

4/14/08 Steaming back to Seattle. I can’t believe that I did my last haul. I’m ready for land but already nostalgic for boat life already. Whatta journey.

4/19/08 Damn I knew this job was too good to be true. Things finally got unpleasant yesterday when I reported to the National Marine Fisheries Services for the first time. G-men! Hallways! Miscellaneous forms to file! Our government is crazy complicated and now I'm a pawn in the whole thing. Apparently things are backed up 2 WEEKS...I am debating how insubordinant I want to be since I already have a plane ticket home for next Saturday AND I JUST FOUND OUT I'M NOT GETTING PAID TO WAIT AROUND. Inconcievable!
My little head could barely handle the culture shock...imagine, early in the morning I'm on my boat, steaming into Puget Sound ahead of a lone killer whale. Me and Captain Jim are shooting the shit in the wheelhouse as the sun comes over the Seattle skyline. There are only 10 other people in my little self-contained universe. A few hours later, I'm desperately trying to navigate the maze of the NOAA complex, running from cubicle to cubicle in a massive government compound. When I finally find someone, I got all flummoxed and discombobulated trying to explain things about my data, like I had to learn to communicate in governmentese or something. It was uber-frustrating.
Today was a little better...I did some much-needed self care (a run, a meeting and a massage) so I feel slightly more positive. I'm still not really feeling Seattle though. Yeah, it's true, the weather is really sucky.
Pictures are up, follow this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/passionflower24/ClipperEndeavor