This is the reality of being a junior enlisted member of the Navy. Your entire career boils down to a single number twice a year, and then the highest ones get promoted to the next pay grade. The above was my reality this morning…I think its pretty self explanatory what it means. I was .27 […]
Category: Navy
Finally I have a bit of time and I thought I would post about my Navy Band audition nearly three (!) months ago. If you don’t feel like reading a lot today, here’s is the long story short…I felt extremely prepared, and I probably played the best I’ve ever played in an audition for a […]
Phase 2 is complete! Wow, the last four weeks certainly went by fast. In fact, it feels like I just started this whole process just the other day, but it was 8 weeks ago! Anyway, back then I really wasn’t sure what I would focus on in “phase 3”, other than a two week “taper”. […]
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Audition prep
Finally, there’s an opening in the Navy band in DC! I’m trying not to be too overzealous about it…I have to win it first. Since the last few auditions haven’t really worked out that great I’m determined to approach this audition in a new way. One of my colleagues (who is actually going up to […]
Honestly, I can’t believe its been three years since I shipped myself off to navy boot camp. It feels as if the three years I’ve actually spent in the Navy has gone faster than the eight months that I had to wait to go to boot camp. Crazy how that is. I’ve never truly regretted […]
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I’m famous!
Hey check it out, a picture of me was in the Navy Times (the navy wide paper)! It was for a story about our wear test of the male “crackerjack” uniforms and wearing the “dixie cup” hats instead of our usual blues uniform, which is a combination cover and neck tab and jacket: We’ve since […]
As you can probably imagine because of my lack of blog posts, I have been insanely busy this summer. So a vacation was exactly what I needed. After spending two weeks in Colorado, I have been thrown back into reality and I am back to work…plus I’m starting a new teaching gig at a high […]
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Advancement Exam
This past Thursday morning marked my very first Navy advancement exam. What is that, you ask? Well, in the Navy, the main way junior enlisted personnel get promoted is through exams on their specific job. The tests for E-4 through E-6 happen twice a year, and the test to make Chief (E-7) happens once a […]
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Summer season
Well, summer is upon us. Here in Virginia, it is uncomfortably hot. I was always used to Colorado summers, hot, but DRY! Here it is the same temps (80s & 90s) but there is so much humidity to go along with it! I’ve been going out on runs before work (6am) and it still feels […]
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Years of service: 1
One year ago today I embarked on this crazy journey called the Navy. Its been a crazy ride – especially those first months. I look back at boot camp with fond memories, I still have a picture of my division on my dresser! Never have I been pushed out of my comfort zone so much, […]
Sandy Herrera, Clarinet 