It's Fleet Week

Sitting in my office yesterday, trying to close out the third quarter nine days after it ends (my bosses have no sense of how much time it takes to collect all the data -- and they work on cash rather than accrual basis). Outside my window, four blue streaks overtake a commercial jet in the SFO landing pattern, making it look like it's suspended in place in midair. The Blue Angels are in town.

They must have touched down and taken right off again, because they circled back into the landing pattern again not long after. I have to admit, they are not all that interesting to me. Given that their sole purpose is to be a recruiting tool for the Navy and Marines (even though they are mainly seen as an entertainment group), I'm not their target audience, anyway -- I'm middle-aged, female and have poor eyesight. Oh, and sonic booms hurt my ears.

I kind of wonder what percentage of Navy and Marine recruits join up because of the Blue Angels' influence. Realistically, the chances of making the 6-man squad, or even the 110-man support crew, are pretty low. Maybe the alternative of serving on ships isn't all that bad.