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Notes At Sea (Wednesday, March 28) · Apr 5, 10:10 AM

[NOTE: When I get back to Newport, I’ll put up some of the reading material I was given before the test started, explaining some of the basics of what to expect on a submarine ride.]

1414 EDT — I’m bunked at the aft end of the 9-man room, curled on my side to write. The small of my back is against the bulkhead and my knees brush against the orange privacy curtain if I bring my legs up. From the surface of the mattress to the ceiling I can just fit my forearm and hand (only if I curl my fingers up into a fist). The rack is as long as I am tall, minus about 1.5 inches.

There’s a small metal box over my feet where I’m stowing a few personal effects. Beside that is a tangle of black hose and metal fittings — supposedly an emergency breathing apparatus. The rest of my stuff is stowed beneath the bunk, which lifts on a hinge to allow limited access to a 3-inch deep storage area. Good thing I packed in a duffel bag.

I have nothing to do, so I sleep, read, sleep, eat, and read more. Question: what’s bigger than a breadbox, but smaller than a phone booth? Answer: the rack where I spend all my time.

2008 EDT — I wanted to continue a descriptive narrative of the layout of my bunk, proceeding out to the room, the adjacent passage, the ship, and her crew. Instead I turned off the light and dozed off, waking up just enough to flip, toss, and turn frequently.

We had dinner, and that’s another novel experience. Then a meeting with a number of officers (including the captain and XO) in the wardroom. Ed briefed the test plan. Now we’re back in the crew’s mess. Four sailors are killing each other (Halo 2). Another half dozen are watching Munich on a flat-screen opposite the gamers. The kitchen crew is cleaning up. The ship is rumbling — we’ve been moving at flank or full ahead for some time.

I’m getting a glimpse into a life I narrowly missed. For better? Worse? I think about that a lot — what else is there to do for now: stare at bulkheads, rack out to read and sleep — but I never to a conclusion that sticks for long.

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