I went back to work yesterday.

[Nords]

Perhaps what I should say is "I visited the old office yesterday." (OK, TH, you can wipe the spewed nasal milk off the monitor now.) I've been outta there for three years and never had any reason/interest to go back, but friends of the family are in town this week so we finagled a tour.

The tour brought back all sorts of nightmares fond memories that I'll doubtless be reliving at 2:30 AM for months to come, but what really impressed me are the changes. For example a simulator's computer has been upgraded from a 286 to a Pentium. (No kidding. You can't rush change, so they kept the 9-pin dot-matrix printer just in case.) At that same simulator, one of the troops connected an old thermal imager to a B&W TV for a monitor that cost, uhm, ZERO and will probably be implemented at all submarine trainers next year. (Your tax dollars at work, folks.) Another simulator was renamed for a WWII submariner whose heroism saved his ship but who was only recently awarded the Silver Star. Now the students pass by his memorial for an example of how their new skills could help their on-the-job performance.

It was good to see the troops, too. I got a few "Who the heck are you?" reactions from the new staff, but they were muted by the high-fives & hugs of those whom I haven't seen for months. The contractors are enjoying life now that our job-quality changes (started five years ago!) are finally producing the benefits. One of them is retiring in a couple years and he's eager to learn more about how we did it. I was flattered to discover that the guy in my old job has marketed some of his ideas by saying "I discussed this with Nords and..." He's planning to ER in about five years (when he reaches his 20 years of service). A shipmate and I rediscovered each other after a decade; he's teaching there and his kid goes to school with mine. Another of the instructors left the command in 1997 (as I was arriving) under a shoplifting conviction but has returned a changed man-- completely turned his life around, the father of new triplets, advanced from E-4 to E-6, hit the top instructor qualifications, and he's bucking for chief petty officer. He's already a success whether he promotes or not.

Our friends couldn't stop talking about all the cool things they saw and the neat people they met. Their 18-year-old daughter is asking an awful lot of questions about the Navy.

I'll probably be going back someday for lunch. And I think I'm going to have to give some surfing lessons...

[Eagle43]

Was there one word about the ponytail?

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle43 Was there one word about the ponytail?

Apparently that word was already out.

I told the guy I hadn't seen since 1997 "You haven't changed a bit!" and he said "You sure have!"

[MJ]

I've been back to work several times. The last 2 times was for lunch with several friends.
It actually feels good to visit because
(4) It's a nice 9 mile bicycle ride to the place.
(3) I don't have to carry my 8 lb laptop in my backpack. Did that for 3 years.
(2) I get to arrive noonish and leave after lunch for parts unknown.

(1) I am still getting paid!

I went back to work to go to lunch with one of my former co-workers.

It was just after they had sold the company to the competition. I took a 'victory lap' so to speak. There were not a lot of happy faces around there.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Never set foot in the building (any of them) since I left.

Every time I drive by though, I sing-song out "Thanks for allll the monnnneyyyy! And the free computer!"...which the last year or two has been "Thanks for alll the monnneyyyy! And the crappy computer thats been in my garage for the last two years!"

Lots of invites to stop by and have lunch. Followed by honest statements that they really just want to spend the next 2 weeks getting peppered by people asking if I'm coming back to work or what I had to say about the company...those have sort of fallen off now that its been four years though.

The good news is I'm still on ALL of the joke email lists...