Kaddywampus

Decided it was time for another haircut… not for me.

Put the boy in the chair and pulled out the clippers. He no longer fights it, but does squirm a little.

I proceeded to run the clippers over his head, using the 1/8″ shield for a nice and close cut; not going to mess with blending and fading this time.

When it was all done and he first figured out what I gad done to him, he was a little upset with me. 

Weekend one, the confined water (pool) dives are under my belt.  The scuba class started Friday evening, using equipment I was all too familiar with equipment, a pencil and paper.  Ok, so that’s not the exciting part… you want to hear about the underwater portion don’t you?

To simply say it was exciting seems less than sufficient.  There were times it was fun, and times it was a little scary.  Other times were frustrating, and others that were confusing.  It was a mixture of experiences, that yes, in some strange way bubbled up (pun intended) to exciting.

Saturday started our underwater experience in the shallow end of the pool.  We learned to put the gear together and how to put it on.  We learned that the regulator does provide air to breathe and that we could trust in that. 

I was excited about my first descent to the bottom of 18 feet. I felt the pressure in my ears and sinuses as I moved down the buoy line; cleared and was relieved.  Getting to the bottom, I settled into my position and waited for the next exercise.

Being at the bottom of the deep end did feel differently. I couldn’t just stand up, but would have to swim for the surface.  There was a sense of feeling trapped, but only because the mind was having difficulty accepting that I could breathe underwater.  I was breathing deeply and deliberately as if my body would forget how to do it instinctively.

The exercise we were about to do involved removing the mask underwater.  First we broke the seal and filled it to the top. Then we cleared it by blowing through our nose while holding the top of the mask in place. It takes me a couple tries. My nasal passageways just don’t seem big enough. In any case j get it cleared.

Now, the instructor wants us to hand him the mask for 30 seconds. What?!  It was the most disconcerting feeling and I struggled to not sucknin water through my nose. At first I held my breath.

Honestly, I don’t understand why my brain was against this. I prefer to swim underwater in pools and always do it without a mask.  Plus, the mask has nothing to do with air.  I still had a regulator in my mouth filling my lungs with fresh dry air.
 
We did several more “dives” over the next day and I became more comfortable. I still would have liked more time to swim underwater or practice descents without going to the bottom.

I bet it is easier to get comfortable once you have your own gear also. I look forward to when I do it enough that buying my own gear becomes worth it. Can I ever pick an inexpensive hobby? 

I’m looking forward to two weeks from now when we spend two days at a local man-made lake, Clear Spring Scuba Park.  We’ll see all sorts of things, though it will be nothing like reef diving you see on TV.  By that Sunday I will be certified and can dive without an instructor.

This weekend was a much needed break from the daily grind.  Work has been a beast the last couple weeks, and I’m not sure it will ease up soon.  I’ve also been trying to keep my energy up in the evenings to get little things done on the house to prepare it for selling.

This weekend I spent in Dallas.  Now first, the hotel was terrible and luckily I got a good deal on it beforehand.  The aloft is one of these nouveau spots for the truly “hip” in Dallas.  I found it to be cramped, unfriendly, and just uncomfortable in general.

It’s one of those “masonary” wonders that appeal to some people, I suppose, where unfinished concrete rules the day.  The room itself was oddly designed and left me feeling closed in with no room to just be.  The green, blue, and purple furniture item they called a couch was taken from some psychedelic psychiatrists office (say that ten times fast).  Placing it directly under the flat screen TV just made it all the less appealing to sit on. The plastic green clock was twenty-two minutes ahead.  The toilet acted as the little engine that could.  The desk was ill-placed, like the couch, so it was likewise useless.

The lighting was terrible.  The TV was placed over the window, which was covered with a heavy drape.  If you opened the drape, the TV was no longer viewable due to the light pouring in from behind.  If you kept the drape closed, well, the room was dark.  Two lights over the bed were a little too focused downward, so offered no light to the room, but spotlights on your head when in bed.  The main light lit the bathroom/closet area, but also the main room, so that there was no way to light just the bathroom without flooding the main room – learn to pee in the dark, I guess.

The service personnel were unfriendly and slightly helpful.  They practically scoffed when we asked if they had room service.  They made me come down from the third floor to the bar for a cork screw (I had forgotten mine).  I felt a little odd walking around with a chilled bottle of wine in my hand.

Now to the good part…

Saturday night Hilary and I went to the Nickelback concert, or the Breaking Benjamin Concert (depends on who you ask).  I’m a big Breaking Benjamin fan and she’s the Nickelback fan.  Bottom line is the concert was awesome.  It’s the first stadium-sized concert I have been to since The Who back in 1988, I believe.  Breaking Benjamin’s set was too short, as was Shinedown’s.  Nickelback’s set was fun and rocking.  I particularly enjoyed the crowd interaction and the occasional small sing-along interludes; Garth Brooks – Friends in Low Places, Metallica – Four Horseman, and Journey – Don’t Stop Believing.

The pyro and technical affects were quite amazing to be sure.  I was amazed at the flame throwers jutting up balls of flames or streams, depending on the song, and how we could feel the heat from them at the opposite end of the American Airlines center.  You know it was hot on the stage.

I wish Nathan was older, so he could have gone.  Several of his favorite songs were played that night.  I played back a recording of Rockstar for him when I got home.  He immediately recognized it, but still doesn’t understand the fact that it was a live concert.  It’s just good music to him.

I slept in Sunday morning.

On Sunday, Hilary and I signed up for our scuba lessons.  I’m really excited about this.  I’ve already started reading my homework assignments that are part of the Open Water training certification.  The class will be two weekends and we’ll start in a pool and finish in a local lake for scuba diving.  We picked out our basic gear that was required – mask, snorkel, boots, and fins.  The rest will be provided for use during the course.  We have it planned for July.  Can’t wait!

Tomorrow another week begins, but this weekend was relaxing and I’m looking forward to the week ahead.  Of course, there are some not so fun things coming up.  Nathan needs immunization updates and Pig (the cat) needs to go to the vet again – he’s limping.

There never seems to be a dull moment…