The Story

So.

I disappeared for a while.

Unfortunately, I am not writing this from beautiful British Columbia or from the quarterdeck of a ship.

I am still at RMC.

I had a steering gear breakdown on the way to graduation and, though I did my best, I was so far off-track by the time I could maneuver that I crossed the reduced clearing bearing. I am thus showing three red lights and sounding three separate and distinct strokes on the bell immediately before and after the rapid ringing of the bell. (In non-MARS terms: I screwed up.)

I am trying to convince the chain of command that although I messed up, I am still worth keeping around for another semester to finish my degree, and then go on with MARS IV and actually be a junior, qualified, MARS officer. The academic side has, so far, supported me--as the head of the history department said, an extra semester of university really isn't that big a deal--but the military side has, understandably, been less accommodating.

In any case, I am still alive, still not an A/Slt, and still not where I belong, but I'm doing my best to get there somehow, and I'll attempt to go back to writing about naval and leadership issues.