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- What do I need to work in cybersecurity?It is currently 0630 on the morning of my ITF+ exam and I’m doing the most appropriate thing I can think of: not studying. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here before, but in true Beata-style I am in a new school (again), this time for IT certifications. No, no, …
- Mom’s Purse: The Original EDC
I’ve gotten a lot of good-natured teasing from my friends over the years about over packing and being “always ready”. I had an inexplicably heavy backpack in high school because I carried all sorts of things; a habit that stuck with me even throughout my time in the Navy.Everybody always … - Duffy the Sea Bear
“Hey! Do you know about Duffy?” “What’s a Duffy?” Louise came to visit me a few years ago while I was stationed in Hawaii. If you know Louise, you know she’s a pretty huge Disney fan so we obviously had to make a trip to Disney Aulani while she was … - Excuse the dust…Had a bit of writer’s block. Hopefully by the time you’re seeing this I’m done re-doing my website. If not, please bear with me, I’m trying a few new themes and plug-ins. I’m still alive. I have new content… eventually. AND I’m 30 now. So that’s a new adventure. -B
- What is a circuit breaker in stock trading? – A Navy GSE’s explanationWhat’s a circuit breaker? No, not that kind. Yeeeeees. That’s the one. I don’t really talk a whole lot about trading because I’m not super active in it most of the time. I’ve been following the stock market kind of on and off since middle school. I have a really …
- Wait For MeIn our recent homeschooling adventures I’ve decided to teach Katherine bits of practical information. (Which, I feel, is the ultimate reason to homeschool.) This week we were going to learn about knife safety. We’ve had this plastic lockback knife kit for a couple of years and never built it. (We …
- Seasons of LifeI recently started listening to The Military Veteran Dad Podcast, excited to find another military-parent resource out there. There’s a specific episode that made an impression on me. In Fatherhood Friday episode “What Season of Life Are You in?”, Ben Killoy talks about the different seasons of your life. Just …
- OPSEC for KidsI grew up in a paranoid family. My mom hides in the closet anytime someone knocks on our front door. Granted, one of my earliest memories was of me almost getting kidnapped when we lived in the Philippines so I kinda get it. I’ve heard a saying that goes “Only …
- Word Vomit Weekly Wrap Up 15NovemberSo it just occurred to me that most of the reason I even started this blog was that it was supposed to be therapeutic. This blog has become just another thing on my Anxiety Avoidance list and I’d like to change that. Back in the days of Xanga and old …
- Too many irons in the fireMy friends pretty often tell me that I have too many ideas and that I’m bouncing all over the place. This isn’t anything new to me. About this time last year I went on terminal leave. This is me at NEST CoWork. I spent a lot of time here after …
- 6 Steps of Troubleshooting: Mental Health EditionI have a knack for remembering really obscure random things. For the past month or so I’ve (tried to) take a break from Facebook. I do this every so often when I notice I’m feeling extra overwhelmed and anxious and can’t pinpoint why. For me it’s like when I’m troubleshooting …
- My 5 Warning Signs That I’m Slipping Into A Depressive EpisodeWhat are your usual “markers” for when you’re entering a depressive episode? I’ve been having a rough couple of weeks and just recently decided to take a break from school.Because… let’s get real, I wasn’t doing any work anyway. With all this newfound free-time, my daughter and I created a …
- Leave While You Still Love ItA funny thing happened to me yesterday. Tiffany, my friend who is staying with me while she waits to EAOS, interrupted the intro to “The Last Ship” and asked me “Do you miss the Navy?”I replied “No… Why would you say that?” as I tucked my USNI membership card into …
- New care reaccI made a care react meme with the emoji holding a DD-214 and got a ton of new followers. I didn’t realize it was going to get so popular but I’m thankful. If you’re new here, welcome and feel free to check out some of my old posts!
- To Go Ashore Episode 003 – Holly, Transition In The Midst Of A Global PandemicNot only did Holly have a difficult time just checking out of her command, she happened to transition straight into a global pandemic. In this beer-fueled rant we touch on several topics: The Artist Formerly Known as SecNav Moldy, Black Death II: Boomer Boogalo, and what’s more important, social distancing …
- The Struggles of Working/Schooling at HomeAs I sit here in a daze, I’m wondering where the last six weeks of my life have gone. First I was having a rough transition out of the Navy and now it seems the whole world is having a rough time.Which, if I’m being completely honest, is actually kind …
- Massive UpdatesHO LY SHIT. After two days of pulling my hair out I think I’ve finally got this website to where it’s supposed to be. I’m a DIY-er, but if I wasn’t broke af I would’ve absolutely paid someone to do all this. This blog should finally be displaying correctly AND …
- I Can Still Love You From HereWe hear it so many times now that it’s cliché.“It’s okay not to be okay.” You know what we don’t hear enough of?“It’s okay not to stay.” In the wake of the recent suicides on the USS George Bush we’ve had an uptick in the discussion of mental health in …
- For No OneHey everyone! Probably all zero readers of mine. I know I disappeared for a little bit so let me give you an update on where I am with my military transition. I am currently on terminal leave and working as a mechanic for a popular micro-mobility start-up (I’ll let you …
- So you’re Limited Duty. (Part I)If you’re landing on this page, there’s a good chance you’ve been Googling what it means to be Limited Duty (LIMDU) in the Navy. Not the definition. You want to know what it MEANS. For you. For you career. For your family. The beginning of your LIMDU period might start …
- The Ten Year ParadoxNot knowing anything about me at all, many people see me in uniform and in an attempt to strike up a conversation, they ask me “So, how long have you been in?” My inability to make bullshit up forces me to blurt out the truth: “Nearly ten years.” I say. …
- What does it mean to Go Ashore?Hello world. For the first time… again, I’m trying this blog thing out so please bear with me. So let’s get started. For those unfamiliar, whenever a US Navy Sailor walks onboard a ship, they ask for “Permission to come aboard.” Whenever they depart, they ask for “Permission to go …