Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers!!

Since my father is somewhat of a military history buff, we ventured this Father’s Day to the USS New Jersey, a retired battleship down in south Jersey. This venturing took about two and a half hours, during which time the Mets gave up a grand slam to the Yankees (uuuuurg…), leading to their eventual defeat, 4-0 (more uuuuuuurg).

It was worth the drive, though. The ship isn’t exactly the prettiest thing in existence, but it is interesting, historically speaking. Of course, the thing my dad and I liked best were the giant 16-inch guns that the USS New Jersey is famous for. Some other highlights included a tour of the oh-so-spacious seamen's [insert immature snicker here] berths, a brief visit to the fancy entertaining rooms used by the officers (with rank comes privilege, and in the case of the New Jersey, privilege includes a full service silver set and, inexplicably, a mounted deer's head), and a spin past the control room which was blessedly air conditioned. I opted out of the visit to the brig, choosing instead to sit in the galley and contemplate my ever-growing hunger. Gum, I learned yesterday, is not a very good substitute for food.

Despite the heat and lack of foodstuffs (what's the ship word for it? Provisions?), an enjoyable time was had by all, especially the father. If you ever find yourself in south Jersey (for whatever reason), I recommend taking a few hours to go see the USS New Jersey. Just be prepared to walk up dozens (literally: dozens) of very, VERY steep ladders with low headroom (ask me how I know).

Bis morgen!