What happened to Customer Service?

I am frustrated today.  My frustration actually started about 30 minutes after I woke up, which makes for a crappy day.  Spencer was supposed to go to the vet this morning to get all of his vaccines.  His appointment was at 8am.  I usually don't wake up until between 8 and 9, so I already had to get up earlier than normal--not really a big deal, though.  When I got to the vet's office to check in, I was asked if I had changed my phone number.  I have had the same number for nearly a decade--it's the same number they have in their computer system.  Apparently, they had tried to call me yesterday, but my number was "disconnected."  Then, I was told that they only have one doctor today, and they need to reschedule my appointment for next week.  If that won't work, I can drop him off and pick him up later--like around 6:00 PM when they are finished.  Are ya kiddin' me?  Also, I hardly think that calling me YESTERDAY to reschedule was an acceptable solution.  I still wouldn't be able to get another appointment until next week.

Spencer has doggie insurance through Banfield Pet Hospital, which is associated with Petsmart.  This post will hardly be a commercial for them, and I WILL be writing a complaint later on today.  They recently opened a new Banfield in the area.  Rather than hiring new vets, they just pulled vets from the other area hospitals to staff this new hospital.  The end result?  Now ALL of the hospitals are understaffed.  Is that my problem?  No.  Are they making it my problem?  Um, yes.

Spencer's appointment has been scheduled for several months.  Yes, I said MONTHS.  I didn't just call last week to set it up.  Yet, this morning, I had to rearrange my day because of their scheduling error.  My baby has to spend his day locked in a crate, just so he can get his shots.  Then they act like I have no right to be frustrated about this.  Seriously?  I pay these people $20 a month.  AND they didn't even apologize for inconveniencing me!!  

What the hell happened to "the customer is always right"?!

O is for Over-Achiever

I've always been one.  I hate to fail.  I love to learn.  I love to be good at things.  Growing up, my parents didn't tell me I was pretty--they told me I was smart.  Maybe that has something to do with it.

This semester, I went back to college.  I'm only taking one class, but it is a calculus class.  I've taken this particular class before, but it has been about 6 years since then.  I haven't missed a single class.  I have done all my homework.  I have done well on all the tests.  I haven't really even studied.  I'm finding that going to class, paying attention, and doing the homework helps me retain the information--crazy!

I'm really tired tonight, so I'm having trouble intelligently connecting my thoughts.  I have noticed a lot of things about my classmates that piss me off.  I don't know if this stuff bothers me because I'm an adult, or if the Navy has just ingrained in me that there is a certain way to act as a student in a classroom.  Either way, these kids are killing me.

There are no less than 6 people who come in late EVERY SINGLE DAY.  You can't leave 10 minutes earlier?  My professor doesn't even seem to notice, which blows my mind.  I would be kicking people out if I were him.  If you can't show up to my class on time, then don't come.  Get out of my class.

Several of those same people don't even take notes.  Seriously, this isn't a psych class--it's a calculus class that is geared toward engineering students.  Some of them don't even bring a pen or pencil with them.  That is called not being prepared.  Get out of my class.

The guy who sits next to me sleeps through every class. Why are you even showing up?!?  You (or someone, probably Mommy and Daddy) paid MONEY for you to attend this class.  WAKE UP!  Get out of my class.

So what I'm getting at is, I would not make a very good teacher.  Or maybe I would.  To my teacher friends--am I crazy by thinking that students should show enough respect to their instructors to show up on time, stay awake, and take notes?  How do you handle this kind of behavior?

I is for Idiocracy

I had really intended for this challenge to force me to be creative and find fun things to blog about.  I hate that issues keep coming up that are turning my posts into rants.  I guess if the issues are fitting for the letter of the day, I should go with it.

I don't think Idiocracy is actually a word.  Goggle Chrome is telling me it's not.  But it's the perfect fake word to describe what has been going on lately.  Yeah, the movie was terrible.  I think they got the point across though, and I feel like that's where we're heading.  Our government has strayed so far from what it was when it was first created.  In the beginning, government was supposed to help the people.  Now, our politicians are worried about re-election, personal agendas, their image, and a bunch of other crap that doesn't matter.  Government is so bastardized that our founding fathers probably wouldn't even recognize it anymore.

I don't follow politics.  Politics piss me off.  My Dad watches Fox News for probably an hour a day, on average.  I don't have the patience.  Fortunately, Fox News is "Fair and Balanced (for Republicans)."  I happen to be a Republican.  I'm Conservative.  I'm a Liberal-hater.  I find it ironic that Liberals actually want take away more freedoms from the average American than they want to grant. I think that's crap.  I have a hard time following or even talking about politics because I always just end up wanting to say "You're entitled to your opinion--but your opinion is still WRONG."  All that being said, there is one issue where I don't keep with the ideals of the Republicans.  Get ready to hate me.

I am Pro-Choice.  Yes, I know.  I'm a terrible person.  I really have put some thought into this though, and I have justification.  Let me start by qualifying my statement.  I am Pro-Choice, under certain circumstances--like rape and incest.  I also think abortions should be performed as early as possible.  I don't believe in late-term abortion.  You'll notice I didn't say Pro-Abortion.  That isn't because I think saying "Pro-Choice" sounds less terrible.  I wouldn't have an abortion--therefore, NOT Pro-Abortion.  My current situation has actually helped to affirm my viewpoint on the issue.

My daughter's father and I are no longer together.  We never will be.  I love her every bit as much now as I did before we parted ways.  No circumstance will EVER change the way that I feel about her.  However, it is hard sometimes to know that when she comes out, she is going to remind me of him.  It is very hard to think that every day, I am going to look at a reminder of the pain he put me through.  I know that someday, that pain will fade away, but it hasn't yet.  I can't imagine how much harder it would be to look at a child every day who is the product of rape or incest.  Sure, there is adoption.  But I don't think it is right to ask a woman to put her body through 9 months of carrying a rapist's baby, followed by 57 hours of labor to deliver that baby.  Pregnancy is hard.  Even an easy pregnancy (like mine) is hard on the body.  I certainly don't want some middle-aged, male politician telling me that I have to put my body through that.  So I will always be Pro-Choice.

But...BUT...I don't think that American tax-payers should be financing abortions!!  I support a woman's right to obtain an abortion in a sterile clinic where she will receive the appropriate level of medical care.  I don't think I should be paying for it.  Yeah, that sucks for the victim, but I think that is an appropriate compromise.  It infuriates me that Planned Parenthood is such a sticking point that I almost didn't get a paycheck.  Pssshhh...Liberals.

I don't have a good segue, but this is definitely related.  I used to claim zero exemptions for tax purposes.  I let the government "borrow" the maximum amount of my money they could, without charging them interest.  I used to consider it my After-Christmas Savings Account. Not anymore.  I would rather OWE money in April.  Loaning my money to the government is becoming a gamble, and I'm not taking the chance that I'll get an IOU next year.

Alright I'll get off my soapbox now.  Hopefully J will be more fun!

G is for Government

I am very much in disbelief at how screwed up this budget situation has gotten.  Today's post is going to be a rant.  It is sort of a half-hearted rant, because I'm really exhausted from reading about this all over my Facebook news feed.

Yes, I am outraged.  It is unfathomable to me that congress would even fucking consider suggesting that the Military go without pay.  Are they going to go without pay?  No.  And they make a lot more money than I do.  Maybe they have no concept of what men and women in the Military really go through. These people put their lives on the line.  They leave their homes and loved ones and go over seas for months and months at a time.  They miss out on the births of their children.  They don't even have the everyday comforts that we as lazy, fatass Americans take for granted every single day--like the ability to shower daily, eat a decent meal, or even use a toilet sometimes.  (I'm really not exaggerating either.  There were times on the ship when none of our toilets would flush.)  They tell their families "Good Bye" without knowing that they will get to come home again in one piece, or even at all.  They do it because they love their country.  They do it because they know that the military offers them good benefits.  They do it because their recruiters told them it was a "Guaranteed Paycheck."

Today I read a press briefing given by Press Secretary Jay Carney.  Mr. Carney was discussing the impact of the government shutdown.  He spoke about the different services that will not be available in the event of a shutdown.  The fact that the Military will not receive a paycheck was the TENTH THING on his list.

NUMBER.TEN.

Men and women who signed a contract that said "I know that I could die while I'm defending my country.  I'm willing to make that sacrifice," will not be compensated for their service, and there were NINE other things he felt he should address first.

Among those NINE other things:
1.  The FHA will not be able to endorse loans.
2.  No approvals of SBA-guaranteed loans.
3.  National Parks, National Forests, and the Smithsonian will be closed.
4.  NIH clinical center will not accept new patients or start new drug trials.  (WTF?!?!)
5.  People who filed paper returns won't get their tax refund.
6.  Permits and other Approvals will not be processed.
7.  The Mine Safety and Health Administration will not be able to conduct inspections.
8.  Only emergency passport services will be available.
9.  Most of the veterans benefits customer support services will be suspended.

By this point, I really hope some of you are thinking "WHO GIVES A SHIT!??!" in reagards these nine things.  I wish I hadn't read this press briefing, because it made me even more livid than I already was.

I'm starting to get to the point where all I can really do is call names, and say "Fuck you, Government," so I guess I should wrap this up.  I'm pissed off; I'm frustrated; I'm in disbelief.  I don't trust the government.  I have lost faith in the American people for electing a useless liberal for a president, a democratic house, and a democratic senate.   I Would like to thank all of you who voted for change in the last presidential election. Now if you would please put your campaign signs back in your front yard, our military families know where they can go to eat while waiting on their paychecks.

I'm moving to Canada.

A Lesson in Nukular Physics

Here is some ejamacation. I'm really not trying to sound superior. However, the Navy spent 12 months teaching me about Nukular Fission, and I feel I owe it to humanity (or maybe just to my own sanity) to pass on what I know. I'm no expert, but if I can pass on enough information to give even a few people some peace of mind, I'll fell better. My motives aren't entirely pure. You see, this "crisis" reflects badly on the entire nuclear power industry. It's a pretty sizable industry, if you didn't already know that. It's also the industry that will someday employ Baby Daddy, my brother, and many, many of my friends in the nuclear community. We put in a lot of time training in this field, and we would all (selfishly) like our guaranteed jobs to still be available when we separate from the Navy.

Here we go. I can't take credit for writing the bulk of this. I took my facts from this article. Please read it if you have the time. It will explain a lot of "the basics" of how a nuclear reactor works, in more detail than I have included here.

How does a Nukular Reactor work?

Here is my "Basic" explanation of this Boiling Water Reactor (not the same as the Pressurized Water Reactors used by the Navy): Hot Rock (Uranium) + Neutron (small atomic particle) = Nukular Fission. Nukular Fission makes smaller radioactive particles and more neutrons, which make more fission. The chain reaction makes heat. Heat boils water (coolant) into steam. Steam spins a turbine blade roundy-roundy to generate electricity. The chain reaction is controlled using control "rods." Heat is carried away from the Hot Rock using the coolant, which keeps it from becoming Molten Rock. Good times.

So what actually happened?
(This is where I start plagiarizing)

The earthquake that hit Japan was 7 times more powerful than the worst earthquake the nuclear power plant was built for. When the earthquake hit with 8.9, the nuclear reactors all went into automatic shutdown. The nuclear chain reaction of the uranium stopped. Now, the cooling system has to carry away the residual heat. The earthquake destroyed the external power supply of the nuclear reactor. The power is needed to keep the coolant pumps working.

One set of multiple sets of emergency Diesel power generators kicked in and provided the electricity that was needed. Tsunami came (much bigger than expected). The tsunami took out all multiple sets of backup Diesel generators. The reactor operators switched to emergency battery power. The batteries were designed as one of the backups to the backups, to provide power for cooling the core for 8 hours. And they did.

Within the 8 hours, another power source had to be found and connected to the power plant. So mobile diesel generators were trucked in. The external power generators could not be connected to the power plant (the plugs did not fit). So after the batteries ran out, the residual heat could not be carried away any more.

At this point the plant operators begin to follow emergency procedures that are in place for a “loss of cooling event.” All of this, however shocking it seems to us, is part of the day-to-day training you go through as an operator, right through to managing a core meltdown.

It was at this stage that people started to talk about core meltdown. Because at the end of the day, if cooling cannot be restored, the core will eventually melt (after hours or days), and the last line of defense, the core catcher and third containment, would come into play. This design allows the core to meltdown completely without causing harm to the public.

Imagine a pressure cooker on the stove, heat on low, but on. The operators use whatever cooling system capacity they have to get rid of as much heat as possible, but the pressure starts building up. The pressure has to be released from time to time, to prevent exceeding the pressure rating of the system and causing it to rupture. The operators now started venting steam from time to time to control the pressure.

This is when the reports about “radiation leakage” starting coming in. This steam contains radioactive particles. Those radioactive particles have a very short half-life, that means that they decay very fast and split into non-radioactive materials. By fast I mean seconds. So if these radioactive materials are released into the environment, yes, radioactivity was released, but no, it is not dangerous, at all. Why? By the time you spelled “R-A-D-I-O-N-U-C-L-I-D-E”, they will be harmless, because they will have split up into non radioactive elements.

(Insert my ranting here)
**If you live on planet Earth, you are exposed to radiation EVERY SINGLE DAY. You get it from the sun, from bananas, from cigarettes, from all kinds of things.**

Sometime during this venting, the explosion happened. The fuel DID NOT explode. The reactor DID NOT explode. Hydrogen (which was generated from water dissociating into Oxygen and Hydrogen at a very high temperature) exploded. This explosion happened OUTSIDE the reactor. IT DID NOT AFFECT THE REACTOR IN ANY WAY!!! THE REACTOR IS NOT GOING TO EXPLODE.
(end rant)

The water in the vessel continued to boil. The operators continued to vent the vessel to prevent over-pressurization. Unfortunately, that meant that they were boiling the water out of the core and never replacing it. This began to uncover the fuel, which would eventually cause it to melt. As parts of the rod were uncovered, the material surrounding the fuel (NOT the fuel itself) began to melt. This allowed some Iodine and Cesium (which are created during Nukular Fission) to be released into the steam, and then into the environment.

At this point, they began using seawater to cool the fuel. The seawater will cool the fuel just the same as the pure water that is typically used, but the impurities in it can become activated, creating more radioactive material. Creating more radioactive material poses no threat to humanity or to the environment, it just makes more work for the techs who are responsible for decontaminating the facility. The seawater worked just splendidly to remove the residual heat.

To summarize:

• The plant is safe now and will stay safe.
• Japan is looking at an INES Level 4 Accident: Nuclear accident with local consequences. That is bad for the company that owns the plant, but not for anyone else.
• Some radiation was released when the pressure vessel was vented. All radioactive isotopes from the activated steam have gone (decayed). A very small amount of Cesium was released, as well as Iodine. If you were sitting on top of the plants’ chimney when they were venting, you should probably give up smoking to return to your former life expectancy. The Cesium and Iodine isotopes were carried out to the sea and will never be seen again.
• There was some limited damage to the first containment. That means that some amounts of radioactive Cesium and Iodine will also be released into the cooling water, but no Uranium or other nasty stuff (the Uranium oxide does not “dissolve” in the water). There are facilities for treating the cooling water inside the third containment. The radioactive Cesium and Iodine will be removed there and eventually stored as radioactive waste in terminal storage

My Thoughts:

• American news anchors are ignorant, and they are creating panic over nothing.
• "Radiation" is all around us. We will not begin growing 3rd eyes anytime soon.
• LOTS of engineers spent LOTS of time designing these plants so they could operate safely, even in the event of a natural disaster like this one.
• The reason that you find the information that has been released "confusing," is because YOU, CNN Lady, are NOT A NUKULAR PHYSICIST, or even a scientist of any type. You're a REPORTER. If NASA released information about a failure of one of the space shuttles, I'm sure I would find it confusing because I am NOT A ROCKET SCIENTIST.
• Saying that these reactors are not safe to operate because they were built in the 70s is like saying that it is not safe to drive a car built in the 70s. It is ludicrous. Whoever said that, I really hope someone punches you in the face for being so damn stupid.
• Nuclear power is not dangerous. Natural Disasters are dangerous.

And that's all I have to say about that. Again check out this article if you want more details.

Seriously?!

Anyone who has had a conversation with my about my job will probably tell you that I am *slightly* disgruntled. Most of the time, I chalk this up to the old adage "A bitching sailor is a happy sailor."  For the most part, the military has taken very good care of me over the past 6 and a half years.  Yeah, I complain about my job, or the people I work for, or the Navy in general.  But mostly, MOSTLY I lead a pretty good life.  I have been given opportunities and benefits by the military that I otherwise would not have been given.

Then, there are days when I want to stand in the middle of the room and scream at the top of my lungs "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!?" and throw a temper tantrum.

Today is one of those days.

You see, about 6 months ago, I did something that caused Big Navy a great inconvenience.  I went and got myself knocked up.  Thus begins my saga.

I left my ship back in December, about 2 working days after medical confirmed my pregnancy.  Initially, I went to a place called TPU--Transient Personnel Unit--while Big Navy decided where they were ultimately going to send me.  After 2 weeks, I was issued "orders,"  which told me when and where I was to report for duty for the remainder of my pregnancy, and for 12 months following my delivery.  I left TPU, and reported to my new command.  When I got there, the people in charge of the paperwork informed me that my orders were written incorrectly.  Basically, there is a 3-digit code attached to my orders.  My code was supposed to be 100, they put 105.   Seems pretty innocuous, right?  RIGHT.

That 3-digit code might as well have been 666 for all the trouble it has cause me over the past 3 months.

I was told I had to call Millington--the place where the "orders gods" live--and tell Big Navy that my orders were wrong.  A little side note about Navy "customer service:" If there is a problem with something (paperwork, a part is the wrong size, some officer forgot to print his name after his signature on that paperwork, whatever), and that something has your name or social attached to it in any way, it is YOUR fault--YOU, the service member.  So of course, the fact that some middle-aged man in Millington typed a "5" instead of a fucking "0" on my orders is MY fault.  So I call Millington.  I did mention this was in December, right?  So when do you think I actually got a hold of a person in Millington?  Yes, January 3rd.  It took A MONTH to reissue the orders once I finally talked to person.  It only took 10 business days for them to issue the damn orders to begin with, but it took a month to fix them.  This creates a major paperwork problem for the Local Navy.  Without the right orders, Local Navy can't "gain" me, which means that they can't update what command I am attached to, they can't alter my pay, they can't do anything with me.  I'm basically in Limbo...or maybe Purgatory?  I don't know, I'm not Catholic.  I guess it's more like the "Beyond" section of Family Guy's Bed Bath & Beyond (Google it).  No one can do anything with me until my paperwork is fixed.

I know I'm long-winded today, but I'm seriously pissed.

So...new orders, PSD can gain me, everything is good.  Until I get my pay stub for February--it says my check is $500 less than it should be.  Turns out, Local Navy wants me to prove I don't live in the barracks before they stop taking the $286/month meal deduction out of my check.  I find this out after they have taken 2 months worth of this meal deduction. (You know, since I was in Purgatory for the last month and they couldn't update my pay.)  This involves me routing paperwork, getting approval from my command and from the galley, and going back to PSD so they will STOP TAKING MY DAMN MONEY!!  Of course, I can't do all of this in 1 day.  It took about a week, and 2 extra trips to the base ON MY DAYS OFF.  The last trip I made was this morning.

Today had been such a good day.  I was feeling so productive.  I had gotten everything straightened out with my pay.

Then I looked at my new pay stub.

They took another $400 from me.  Don't know why.  They can't tell me why over the phone.

I have to go back over there...18 miles away...while gas is $3.35 a gallon...IN UNIFORM...on my fucking day off.  FML.

So short version:
I'm having a baby--YAY!
Big Navy sent me off the ship--YAY! and messed up my paperwork--BOO!
Messed up paperwork cost me $566.00 last month--BOO!
Big Navy charging me $400 this pay check for being pregnant...or for some other unknown reason I can't find out without driving 36 miles round trip on my day off--BOO!
Don't join the military.  Big Navy will fuck you.
FML.