Norfolk, VA

I'm going to go back in time now to catch up on where I've been. Like I said (I think) I started the going to Iraq process in Norfolk, VA. I had one week there for a very military sounding "pre-mobilization processing" before proceeding to South Carolina for "pre-mobilization training." It may sound very exciting that I was "mobilizing" like perhaps I was a car shaped robot that would transform into a people shaped robot while making numerous robot-changing noises, but it actually leads into:

The worst part of pre-mobilization!

I have to set the stage a bit here. As many of you know there are sometimes complaints I may have about the Navy, so saying something is the worst part of this whole process is a hefty claim. We find ourselves in a fairly standard Quality Suites branch, located conveniently on US Rte 64 and a straight shot to the base where I would be enjoying my week of processing. A week of "processing" may sound more like how tuna fish and the occasional dolphin end their lives, and you may not think this enjoyable. If so, you are correct sir. But now you know where I was staying, along with twenty or so other Navy sailors of all shapes and sizes bound for some strategically non-nautical task around the world. As a group of proud patriots bound for war, we would surely be shining stars in this hotel, a beacon of hope for our fellow Americans and proof that freedom is the right of all men. Unfortunately, there was someone a little more important than us at the hotel, stealing our thunder and making the whole week seem a little more like the last moments of the life of a fish destined to be smashed up into an easily stackable product with an exceptional shelf life.

The best part!

Fret not, the Quality Suites were not a place for Gladys to feel the power and recognition only a mid-level hotel banner can provide, but one that would make my week back in Norfolk, VA memorable for all time. Being lodged at the hotel instead of on base, I needed some way to commute to and from work. To accomodate this important need, the Navy authorized me a rental car (that means they pay for it). Not only was I now lodged with the likes of celebrities like Gladys; I was also traveling like one, riding comfortably in this sleek and stylish motorcar: