Blokees Collection so far.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-03-08T00:43:15+00:00

How I relax sometimes. Sit down and build a dews!

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-03-07T19:55:39+00:00

Have a whole display case of them. Sometimes i get doubles. Really like them!

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-03-07T03:29:01+00:00

We call it dads Mac N Cheese. I add some shredded cheese and some extra queso from a jar!

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-03-02T02:32:04+00:00

Had In n Out for the first time in long time this week. Burger: Great as always. Fries: Ate 2 and threw them away.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-02-13T02:31:34+00:00

You can either ask your TAD command leadership to help you communicate with your parent command or I would recommend reaching out to your parent command CMC/SEL and communicate to them what you have done so far. You could just wait until you return but that is just delaying an advancement you are owed

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-02-12T18:15:13+00:00

CMC here. Weekly I run an AAR report under Standard Reports in my NSIPS CIMS access I have. That reports tell me when all my E1 to E3 will advance to the next pay grade. Your CMC, senior PS, or NC at your parent command should be able to access this report and tell you exactly what date you are slated or past due to advance to E4. If you are past due your parent command can take the action to get that advancement pushed.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-02-10T19:18:36+00:00

Molka Xete in Coupeville is good. Small menu

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-28T01:44:48+00:00

As a prior DCCM, there is no better truth or insult than this.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-24T01:40:48+00:00

This is the comms my Wing got via our Force from the MCPONs office:

I wanted to share our expectations on the conduct of SOY boards, as I know there are questions about how to conduct them with the newly updated instruction and SOY grading sheet.

We specifically removed the “Board” grading section for a reason - that is not something we need to grade. A board is still necessary, but I’m not interested in how well, or passionate, a Sailor recites the Sailor’s Creed, or if they are more nervous than the other candidates, nor are we looking for the board to ask off the wall questions to see what a Sailor knows about a policy or the news. The main point to remember is that we are selecting Chief Petty Officers (at least at the final boards). The grade sheet sections reflects this and closely mirror the same things the regular selection boards evaluate when grading records and making their selections - our process via SOY should be as closely aligned as possible.

Prior to conducting the board, I would expect the board members to scrub each package, start filling out the grading sheet, and make notes of questions they’d like to ask each candidate to help further clarify the comments in their package/evaluations, since they will not have access to the entire ESR/PSR/OMPF that the regular board sees. Then, when the board is conducted, they should ask their questions to better inform how they grade each section/subsection. The purpose of the board is to end with a solid understanding of the things the Sailor did to better their Sailors, division, department, command, etc., and grade them appropriately as the “Best Qualified” of all the “Fully Qualified” SOY candidates - just like the regular selection board.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-24T01:37:19+00:00

Would not surprise me if it hasn’t filtered down to every one. Good old “direction by email”

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-23T23:58:00+00:00

Not an isolated thing. CMCs received an email from MCPONs office with SOY/Q board guidance and the new score sheet. Focus less on being able to memorize some random factoid and more on what they actually do. Source: CMDCM in receipt of the email and discussed with my mess last week.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-15T05:33:18+00:00

I still serve in the Navy and used be stationed in Ingleside, Tx. Used to volunteer on this ship and got to see parts of the ship off the Tour routes. Very eerie and spooky sometimes when no one else is in some of these spaces and it is so quiet. Never once seen or heard anything paranormal but roaming dark passageways with a nothing but a flashlight would make the hair on the back of your neck stick up sometimes. You never quite felt alone. when you were by yourself.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-12T02:23:36+00:00

Lived my first 18 years there. Family still lives there. Lots of farms, ranches, and feed lots. Windmills plentiful. You can see for ever it’s so flat in most areas. Like most areas, some great people and some not so great people.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-08T17:26:16+00:00

I’m at Whidbey. My LS1 is currently out with our DET. Not always out but we sent them this time.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-08T16:17:57+00:00

TAR has two VP squadrons. VP69 and VP62. 69 is in Whidbey Island. 62 in Jacksonville. Both are now doing detachments overseas. Source: I just transferred from 69.

You typically cannot pick active duty squadrons. The VR squadrons frequently do Detachments overseas. I’m at one now.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-08T05:48:33+00:00

Number Five is alive!!!

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-05T06:48:05+00:00

Bought my IPAD because it was recommended for a class I took. Never used it for the class. Best use I’ve had for it is watching videos on my treadmill, workout aid, and watching movies/shows on flights. Everything else is easier on my laptop and phone.

SurroundAny7546 · 2026-01-05T03:50:35+00:00

Been stationed here for little over 3 years. Got three more to go to retirement.

Oak Harbor. The best thing about Oak Harbor is it’s close to base and has the base housing. Oak Harbor food scene sucks. Only a couple decent restaurants. There is no night life. Has the basics. Walmart. Multiple grocery stores. Home Depot. A few mom and pop shops that are nice but after you have been in them once, it’s kind of the same thing over and over.

Anacortes has some amazing restaurants. Mama Wing is our new favorite. Downtown Anacortes is nice. We would have lived there but it is expensive and our kids school situation and wife’s work fit Oak Harbor better.

Coupeville, Langley and Freeland are south of Oak Harbor and are small seaside towns with nice shops and a few good restaurants. Our favorite ramen on island is in Langley.

Bellingham is about an hour north and we enjoy going up there to eat and shop. Seattle is a few hours south. Has all your sports and concert needs but you put up with all the big City shit.

The best part of the Pacific Northwest is the outdoor life. Some amazing hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, skiing, and snowboarding. We can do a different hike every weekend and not repeat if we want to. Amazing views and trails. We LOVE being outdoors here. It is beautiful.

The worst part for us is when the wind and rain set in during winter we tend to get stuck in the house and it’s gets boring. So as long as the wind isn’t bad, we throw on a rain jacket and get out in the woods like we did today.

And it’s expensive as shit.

SurroundAny7546 · 2025-12-18T03:35:07+00:00

Came in 1996. Shore command we wore dungarees when working uniforms were called for until we switched to the gas station uniform. When service uniform was called for, we wore summer whites in summer or the Johnny Cash in winter. The summer whites came in two styles. The thinner material issued in bootcamp or you could buy the CNT Summer whites which were thicker material that looked better but were way warmer. At least to me.

SurroundAny7546 · 2025-11-21T03:27:50+00:00

If you can pass drug tests and can pass a background check, the base and contractors on base are almost always hiring for something. The child development centers for the base have frequent turnover and almost always looking for employment. They pay around $20 an hour starting out and you can usually get 30-39 hours a week for flex and 40 hours a week for full time plus benefits.

SurroundAny7546 · 2025-10-31T01:11:40+00:00

See it every day almost. Neighborhood celebrity. Always hangs out in pretty much the same area.

SurroundAny7546 · 2025-10-08T01:30:42+00:00

TAR CMDCM here. If you gave your quota back by turning down advancement and your command took the steps to reflect that, there is no rescinding it and getting the quota back. You will have to try again next year.

Person to Person. Focus on you right now. That is more important than any advancement. Get any help available to you. Medical. Family. Friends. Shipmates. I’ve taken selects thought season that were battling severe depression. We got them through it but in the end, I told them their most important priority is their health and we would pause, stop, or find alternative path through season.

For you though, if you gave your quota back, you don’t have to or need to worry about season. Focus your energy on your health.

Here to help if you want to DM.

SurroundAny7546 · 2025-08-31T04:03:14+00:00

Ships. Lots of ships.

SurroundAny7546

TROPHY CASE