Well, today is the day the Wife and I decided to pretend to be tourist here in my home town of more than 30 year. The top of our list of touristy things to do; go and tour the USS Midway. While the USS Midway is seen as a tourist stop in San Diego, I feel kind of bad that I have never gone and actually seen it up till now. I mean, it kind of feels worse because I served in the military too. You would think I would have made it there by now.
Before all our adventures could take place the felt like she needed remind me that I had not worked out once since we’ve been here. She’s good like that. So, like my man Jules in Pulp Fiction say, “My girls a vegetarian, so that pretty much makes me a vegetarian.” Same thing here. The Wife decided it was time to work out, so we worked out.
After our workout and subsequent shower, we headed out to get some grub. We headed off to Jamba Juice to grab a smoothie and some food. I was pleased to see that Jamba Juice has expanded there menu since I have been gone. They have these really good oatmeal items now. They have several different fruits flavors with oatmeal. It was a perfect little meal to hit the spot.
The Wife and I finally headed out to the USS Midway. Surprisingly, for a weekday it was really busy. Touring the USS Midway was very cool. Walking the entire ship I could not help but be awestruck on how this ship was literally a floating city. Every twist and turn, doorway and stairwell that we climbed seemed to take us to a whole new world. My father served in the U.S. Navy, and like all branches when I see what they had to deal with on a daily basis, it helps me have a continued respect for everything those men and women deal with.
We got to see some really cool things on the USS Midway, but the one thing that seemed to stick with me the most was the absolute contrast between the “haves” and the “have not’s.” I have really noticed that this has been a topic that has come up a lot with me as of late. This is something that I see every day in D.C as well as other place in the world. I see in D.C. the complete lack of caring, or even thought for those who may be struggling, or who don’t have it as good as the next person. And it’s those people who seem to be kept in a constant state of…..well, have not if you will.
I know it may seem like I’m rambling, but follow me for a second. In Washington D.C. there is a place known as South East. This is the poorest of the poor areas in our nation’s capital. Even in such as city that is comprised of the very people who are supposed to have a direct effect on those have, and those who are made to have not, has one of the worst areas in the country. In South East, many of the people would rather rob you than help you. And that’s just a fact of life. And because that’s the way it is there, the city itself, the lawmakers, and people as a whole just brush South East off as a lost cause. All the while there are good people that (and people in general) who live there. 2 years when D.C., Virginia and Maryland got hit by the worst snow storm in over 50 years everyone was socked in and could not get anywhere. Eventually the surrounding areas began to get dug out and life started to return to normal. As cities dug themselves out and retuned life to normal for their citizens they would lend help to other areas. Where we live (Northern Virginia) was one of the first to get to this point. Lower Maryland was a close second. Both areas lent aid to the city of Washington D.C. as they were hit harder than most. As D.C. began to get dug out, they started to send the services that helped them, along with their own services to other areas (i.e. lower Virginia and Upper Maryland) to help them. But you know who didn’t get any help? South East D.C. That’s right, every other part of D.C. got dug out (North West, South West and North East), but not South East because they were viewed as not important. The same went for retuning life to normal (i.e. getting power and running water back). Some citizens in South East went almost 2 weeks without any power (which means heat) and running water, all because they were viewed as less important than everyone else.
I tell this story because as I walked the ship yesterday I noticed the drastic, and I mean “drastic difference between the enlisted sailors quarters and the quarters of officers. The enlisted sailors quarters were like living in a prison cell with like 20 people per cell. The bunks felt like laying in a coffin. God forbid anyone actually be claustrophobic. As we moved through the ship I noticed that the higher your rank got, the better your room got. And I get it, I was in the military too, but the differences were so glaringly different it was almost criminal. There were even parts (i.e. the Admirals area and the Capitan area) where these officers could be on a ship for 6 months or more and never have to even look at an enlisted sailor. Anyway, I guess I should get off my soup box….but then again, that’s what my blog is all about right, lol.
The tour was still very cool, even though I had these kind of thoughts running through my head the whole time. I loved it. We took some really cool pictures. After the tour the Wife and I decided that with our workout this morning, and with all the walking done on the USS Midway we had earned a treat. So we finally set our sights on one of the great institutions of the West Coast….In-N-Out. I have been craving this food ever since we moved almost 3 years ago. In-N-Out is the single greatest burger joint in the entire country. I’m not even asking for a debate on this, because I’m telling you it’s a f*&%king fact!!! I always get the same thing every time I go to In-N-Out. The #1 which consists of a Double Double (no onions because onions are f’ing gross), fries and a large Root Beer. People, I tell you right now, that meal is a closest thing to perfection I have ever tasted.
When I finally got my Double Double in my hands I was literally giddy with anticipation. I could not wait to sink my teeth into that goodness wrapped in two buns. In fact, I didn’t wait. As the Wife was taking a picture of our delicious meal with her phone to upload onto Facebook, I grabbed my burger and proceeded to destroy it. By the time the Wife looked up I was almost ¾ done with my burger. She looked at me in pure astonishment and said, “Hungry?” But she knew what was up, because she did almost the same thing moments later. I couldn’t help but feel like that burger was a little slice of heaven. Lol….little did I know how right I was.
As we were finishing our meal I was in a delirious state of bliss from the goodness that is In-N-Out. Out of nowhere the Wife said, “Hey, did you notice the writing on the back of our burger wrappers? They’re bible verses.” Think that I didn’t hear her correctly I said, “What?” But she was right, on the back of her wrapper was “Revelations 3:20.” When I looked up this verse it reads as follows:
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
Confused what that hell that had to do with my burger, I looked at the back of my wrapper which also had a bible verse written on it, which was Nahum 1:7. I don’t claim to be a bible scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but I had never heard of the book of Nahum. I looked it up on my phone, and sure as shit there it was. The verse reads as follows:
“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”
Again, confused why these were on the wrappers of In-N-Out burgers I did what I always do. I posted about it on Facebook because surely some of my friends would know something about this. Within a matter of minutes several of my friends posted how they had worked for In-N-Out in the past and that the company is an openly Christian Based Organization. While they do not shove their views on any of their employees, they (as a company) follow a Christian lifestyle, and run their business with the same values.
While I am not at all bothered by this discovery, some of my friends posted on my question that this is the very reason why they will not eat at In-N-Out, because they do not want their money given to “the church” under false pretenses. I found this kind of sad. I respectfully informed those same friends that on a daily basis I am sure they use many products, as well as services, and that they give their money the companies that provide those products and services. And that I am almost as sure as the sun rising in the East that most of those companies either give money to Big Oil, or to some sort of other company that produces products that hurt the environment. And that they do so without ever telling you where your money is going. I also reminded that there are a lot of worse things in this world than “the church,” or a company that tells you up front that they donate to church.
The Wife and I chose to veg for the remainder of the afternoon, mainly because the USS Midway wore us out, but also because In-N-Out put the final sleepy nail in the coffin. We later met up with Mark for dinner down in the Gas Lamp district at The Old Spaghetti Factory. We also all decided to catch a film to close out the evening. I would give you a lengthy review of the film, but that’s not what I’m for this time. All I will say is go see Cedar Rapids with Ed helms and John C. Riley. Great flick.
I can’t wait for tomorrow because it’s Saint Patty’s day and we are doing a happy hour with a bunch of old work peeps and friends. Should be a good time.
Lost in Frustration 