It took a while, but our internet connectivity has finally been restored to a point where I can finally get a blog entry out. Sorry for those who have been monitoring it; I will try and keep this updated as much as I can.
My last day in Hawaii was pretty fun. I got off duty and met up with Rob, and we hung out with his old buddy Bruce (who is stationed in Hawaii), Bruce's wife Tina, and their two daughters. We spent the day snorkeling and swimming with sea turtles. The most amazing fact of the day, though, was during a conversation Tina mentioned that she has actually been struck by lightning...twice. What are the odds of even meeting someone to whom that has happened?
The whole ship is in the process of getting vaccinated for smallpox. For those of you who don't know, the smallpox vaccine was the very first vaccine to be produced, and was so successful that naturally-occurring smallpox has been eradicated from the face of the earth. The last reported case of smallpox was thirty years ago or something like that.
So why are we getting vaccinated for an "extinct" disease? Well, I did say that all "naturally-occurring" smallpox has been eliminated, but not necessarily smallpox created as a biological weapon. The odds of us contractin smallpox this way is very small, but they aren't taking any chances. I am also in process of getting vaccinated for anthrax.
Anyway, the smallpox vaccine is pretty nasty. For the first week it develops a nasty white blister at the vaccination site and may cause flu-like symptoms. After a week it will scab over and fall off, leaving a scar. Although it is impossible to get smallpox from the vaccine (it is a different bacteria), it is very contagious before the blister heals and can cause infection if the site is left uncovered. So far I feel okay, but how nasty is this vaccine?
Anyway, about two and a half weeks of deployment is done. It is starting to go a little quicker, which is good. Hopefully the rest of deployment goes this fast, but if history holds, the days will start to pass slower really soon, especially as we get to the nastiest place on this planet: the Arabian (Persian) Gulf.
I'm sure I'll have more to talk about on that topic later.
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