Ladies and Gentlemen!!

I have decided to change my LJ username, seeing as I am an adult now, and 'spacekat13' is something that I am really trying to leave behind!! LJ charges to change a name (and quite a bit too) so instead I am starting afresh with a new journal.

So.....I am now jiaryn (20 points to anyone who can comment on why I chose that name...clarachan isn't allowed to play...)

I am just going though and updating my friends and such now, and will get on to adding in posts as I go.

I hope you will all join me over there. Sorry for any inconvenience caused....

Kat

I kicked a table!! Dumb, yeah? You know how it goes....you are walking along and you swing your foot out too far and you catch your little toes on a table leg. It isn't that rare. Usually, it just hurts for awhile, and you feel really dumb for walking into a table, and you go about your day.

However, I think I did a little bit more damage this time. Probably dislocated, possibly broken. But really, a broken little toe is nothing to cry about. They don't even really bandage it anymore. And it isn't at a funny angle or anything like that, and I have full movement, so obviously no lasting damage.

But it is big and blue and sore :( I can walk on it mostly fine, but in shoes it hurts a lot more. And I am very annoyed because I am supposed to be running a lot this weekend, and I have to take at least a few days off my toe so that it can heal fine!!

So there you go. Ouch!!

Now who knew this was on at the moment???????

(thanks http://www.scaryfangirl.com)

(gacked from asgard)

Go to Wikipedia and look up your birth day (excluding the year). List three neat facts, two births and one death in your journal, including the year.

April 9th

Neat Facts
1940 - World War II: Germany invades Denmark and Norway.
1967 - The first Boeing 737 (a 100 series) takes its maiden flight.
2005 - HRH Charles, Prince of Wales weds Camilla Parker Bowles

Births
1757 - Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, British admiral (d. 1833)
1794 - Theobald Boehm, German inventor of the modern flute (d. 1881)

Death
1961 - King Zog of Albania (b. 1895)

Just a final comment - Edward Pellew is a character from the Hornblower books, which is why I chose him (hehehe his frist son's middle name is Bastard! Poor boy...). And King Zog is just such a cool name :p

It got off to a great start...Dad made French Toast, Bacon, and Banana for breakfast :D

Then it was into the pressies...I got some make up, a cheese slicer (long story), a computer chair, a camelback, an FM transmitter for my MP3 player, a book, some vouchers, a few little bottles of alcohol (yummy), a picture frame, and a toiletry bag. YAY for birthday presents :D

This afternoon we are going out for afternoon tea with my grandmother, and out for dinner with my family tonight.

And on Friday night I had drinkies at OTS (and a friend bought me an ice cream birthday cake), and then I won $50 at Poker!!! And last night I had civvy friends over here, and we had drinkies and pizza and that was really really great too.

So all in all, not a bad way to turn 22 :D

In the Navy, for some reason, we call dessert duff. I am sure there is a traditional reason for it, but I don't know what, so it just remains one of those words we use (such as goffa, scran, dit etc...)

Anyways...tonight for duff, we had Chocolate Mousse (which is really really fake and from a tin) but it is definitely the BEST dessert EVER!!!! I took an extra large bowl, so I could take it back to my room and enjoy some later.

And now I am feeling sick. If I so much as look at chocolate again, I think I will throw up :p

(Article here)

Well, they have officially named the new ships.



The 4 Inshore Patrol craft names are not new news to me. And I really like the names for the two Offshore Patrol craft. But calling the MRV CANTERBURY??? It seems too soon, with the old Canterbury still alongside here in Auckland, to name a new ship after her!! Although it will be quite cool to serve on two ships of the same name (I served on the old Canterbury from Aug-Dec 04, and will probably serve on the new Canterbury either next year or soon after). But still...I mean, I see where they are coming from, and it is better than the alternative (which I shant mutter here) but it is still going to cause some ill-feeling I reckon. Doesn't matter though...it isn't as if we can do anything about it :) And it is a very good name for a ship :p

On another note, the middle column of the table contains the following information...
MRV/OPV1/IPV - the type of ship (Multirole Vessel, Offshore Patrol Vessel, or Inshore Patrol Vessel)

Pennant #### - the letter and number which appears on the side of the ship. It belongs to the name...so the old Canterbury also had the Pennant number 421 (although it was F421 rather than L421). It also carries on the battle honours of that name/pennant...so even if THIS Canterbury wasn't at the battle, there was a previous (perhaps British Navy) Canterbury there and the honours carry on. The L stands for ??? (Landing? I will try and find out...), and the P stands for Patrol. You can also get F stands for Frigate, and A which stands for Auxillary (support).

ZM## - these four letters are the callsign of the ship, and when are sending signals by flags, they are the flags raised to hail that ship. See the flags flying off Resolution in this photo...


So there you go - a little lesson for you all too :D

Well, Saturday night was the first Tangaroa Function of the year. The theme was Hawaii Five-0. I would estimate that there were about 100 people or so. It was actually a great night, mainly because I brought friends! I must do that again....

( Here are some photos... )

I didn't get *too* drunk, partly due to lack of $ and also having to get up at 0830 the next morning to help with the cleanup. Although, that McDonald's breakfast went down REALLY well :p

It should definitely be a surprise to any of you that I have been reading the Horatio Hornblower books recently. Any free time (and sometimes misspent time) I have had has been spent reading these fantastic books. They are unputdownable. So much so that I have been reading them even through lectures!!

It is very interesting reading these books from a Naval perspective. There are many routines, traditions, and sayings in the books that are still widely used throughout today's navies. Even though these are ships of sail, with many more men onboard than we have here on NZ ships, and even though the books are set 200 years ago (and written 100 years ago) there is still so much that is familiar to me. Somethings have changed over the years, and it is interesting too to see the way that things have changed over the years, especially with the increasing technology, but the origins of what we do today are still clear. And somethings (such as the conditions and punishments) I am very glad have changed!!! A few examples...

"...and as it approached the mainchains the midshipman of the watch hailed it. 'Aye aye' came back the answering hail from the lusty lungs of the woman at the stroke ore; by the curious and ages-old convention of the Navy the reply meant that the boat had an officer on board" - excerpt from Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, by C.S. Forester

I remember so well under training (in 2004) learning all about the boat calls. Someone from the ship calls to an approaching boat 'Boat Ahoy' and the reply signifies what kind of passengers they have (such as 'aye aye' for officers, 'guard' for an officer of the guard, or 'no no' if no officers are onboard, to list a few).

"...'Yes, sir', said Hornblower; his senses told him, the moment he said it, that he had used an improper expression - the look on Masters' face told him, and he corrected himself (hardly believing that men really said these things off the boards of the stage) before Masters' had a chance to correct him. 'Aye aye, sir', said Hornblower." - excerpt from Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, by C.S. Forester

Hehehehehe I remember the first time I said 'Aye aye' too and how silly it felt. Same as adding that necessary 'Sir' or 'Ma'am' onto the end of nearly every sentance. I sometimes catch myself somewhere outside the Navy being told something to do, and quickly having to stop myself from adding the address. It becomes such second nature, especially when serving on a ship. I have fallen out of the habit a bit now, having been back at uni for over a year. But it is rather silly thought of in isolation, how normal it feels for me to be addressed as Ma'am by many people, older and younger, in emails and on the phone and in person. Even sillier to think that I have to look about me about everywhere I walk on base incase a salute needs to be given or received! How natural all these things feel/seem, when I am in the Naval mood. But sometimes it catches me. I was walking off the ferry the other day in Auckland, not in uniform, and as I was crossing the bridge between the ferry and the wharf, the attendant beside me brought his hand up to scratch his forehead, and I almost returned a salute to it!!! On a Navy ship, each officer is saluted on and off everytime they cross the 'brow' (the walkway from the ship to land) and I wasn't concentrating, and caught his movement out of the corner of my eye, and instinct almost set in! How stupid I would have felt!!!

So there you go, just a few thoughts that have been going through my head while reading Hornblower. I am getting more used to adjusting to situations, such as the transition between Navy and Normal. I still struggle with the Chinese transition a bit; like if I have been in class for an hour or so thinking in Chinese, I come out and it is the first language I speak for awhile, and I have to stop myself and go back to English. I will get more used to it I am sure - life could be very interesting otherwise :p

I am selling my car on TradeMe at the moment - so check it out if you are interested...

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Rover/auction-51608974.htm



Someone please please PLEASE buy my car :D