10. It was docked in the Port of Los Angeles, which meant we had the opportunity to visit it. With our mouths hanging open.
9. Crew members Cat and Adam, two of the nicest people on Earth (I'm not exaggerating) were on the last leg of our journey there. Matt struck up a conversation with them. They said, "You want to see the ship?" We were all like, oh, we found out the lines were too long, they closed it for tours, we're just gonna see it from shore ... They said, "You want to see the ship?" We were like, oh, you're busy, it's okay, we're having fun just riding the bus ... They said, "You want to see the ship?" At that point, I think I pinched Matt. And then myself.
8. Every known condiment to man is on the tables in the mess decks. Securely fastened to the tables, of course.
7. The elevators carry fighter jets, helicopters, and really big, cool other stuff. We got to ride them. Twice!
6. These nifty patrol boats circle the ship and whenever a civilian vessel gets too close, they charge it like mosquitoes going after my legs in the summertime, in all of their buzzing, blood-sucking aggression. I think I said, out loud, "Take that, civilian vessel!" (It was probably more like, "Ohhh, bad move, little boat.")
5. In the berths, the mattresses are four inches thick and are rolled up to head of the bed during non-sleeping time. Crew members sleep in stacks of three, and their storage space consists of a series of shallow trays beneath their mattress. We've been griping about our 650 feet of living space? The enlisted crew members might get 64 inches. Total.
4. The top three observation decks are for the Commanding Officer, the Captain, and the Admiral of the fleet. They each get one. What, they can't share?
3. Adam said, "When a fighter jet takes off, you hear it." I bet!
2. In the communications room, Matt noticed that the electrical cords had to be coiled up off the floor. Cat said, "Yeah, nothing on the ship can be grounded." I yelped, "Right! The entire ship is a Faraday box!" I never suspected my MLS degree would come in handy on an aircraft carrier.
1. The USS Abraham Lincoln's motto is, "We shall not perish." It should be, "We restore youth to middle-aged men." Matt is still grinning like a school boy.
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