Today was my day off again, so I spent it like any respectable guy my age would: passed out in bed. Spent some time wandering through the mall for the afternoon, and picked up some paper and markers so Lois and I can add some color to the room. Attempted to wrap my head around some dive physiology after dinner, then settled in for a quiet night.
Then Lois arrives home, riding shotgun in a car full of already drunk people. They invited me to join them, and without much persuasion, I did. It was a moment for the Bad Decision Hall of Fame.
The night started out rather tamely, having a few beers at Sam's place, and I though the highlight of the night would be the visit we received from an awesome possum. Whoever insisted we do shots had different ideas entirely.
I'll break the travel blog-writer's creed here, and go light on the details. What I will include, for the sake of intrigue: spent a good half an hour speaking as Tiffany, my sorority-girl alter ego, insisted on playing guitar, got lost for a bit in the garden, had a nap on the porch, and left wearing a girl's jacket. Not my best of nights, but I woke up in the morning, so it can't have been that bad.
And I didn't throw up in my Ugg boots!
Yours in Not Looking Forward to the Morning,
Robert
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Day 13: I Think I Was Productive?
Today was dedicated entirely to working on a few projects Carl's been giving me over the past couple of days. No joke, there's a ton of work that goes into making a shop run. Something I've been taking for granted, clearly. I'm now attempting to teach myself how to do some hardcore target marketing. So if you have any brilliant ideas, or just plain ideas, feel free to send them my way. I'm also working on documenting my trip for people who might be interested in doing an internship with Abyss. Which you're now reading!
Not planning on much for tonight, maybe going down to the pub for a bit. I'm currently hanging on to my money until I can find a job, which restricts my fun.
But there's always theory waiting!
Yours in Falling Asleep on Books,
Robert
Not planning on much for tonight, maybe going down to the pub for a bit. I'm currently hanging on to my money until I can find a job, which restricts my fun.
But there's always theory waiting!
Yours in Falling Asleep on Books,
Robert
Day 12: A Day of Theory
I spent all day in the classroom today. I'll be starting a gas blender course next week, which Carl hopes will keep me from ruining anymore nitrox fills haha. Halfway through the manual on mixing ratios and flow rates, I realized how little I missed my doomed semester in chemical engineering. But luckily most of the science I'll run into I've already learned, or have seen and attempted to learn. Should be smooth sailing.
I also spent a good part of the day reading divemaster theory, which is fairly easy but terribly draining. Finished up with a bit of hands-on work with EVE, the shop software.
I know, you can hardly stay in your seat, this is terribly exciting. Once my ear is healed I'll be doing all sorts of underwater breathing, and swimming, and running and jumping and shooting fish with spears. So stay tuned!
Yours in Remembering How to Sign Off Properly,
Robert
I also spent a good part of the day reading divemaster theory, which is fairly easy but terribly draining. Finished up with a bit of hands-on work with EVE, the shop software.
I know, you can hardly stay in your seat, this is terribly exciting. Once my ear is healed I'll be doing all sorts of underwater breathing, and swimming, and running and jumping and shooting fish with spears. So stay tuned!
Yours in Remembering How to Sign Off Properly,
Robert
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Day 11: "If I hear a bang, I'll be sure not to hurry out."
After two days of time off I was ready to be productive. Today's main lesson was on filling nitrox tanks. For the non-divers, nitrox is a mix of air (about 79 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen) and pure oxygen, making a blend that's more oxygen rich than regular air. This allows divers to stay down longer, which is awesome.
I know, this may sound boring, but it's by far the most nervous I've been so far in my trip. Pure oxygen is prone to fires and explosions, and in a room full of tanks filled with pressurized air? Not something to take lightly. Add to that the hissing and creaking of the pipes, and the heat that comes from forcing air into the tank. I spent the better part of the morning in legitimate fear for my life. Peter left me to fill the last tanks on my own, leaving me with the quote above. After a while though, I managed to get my swagga' back, and was filling tanks like a champ. Then I got to learn how to test the tanks for the oxygen percentage. Even a slight percentage difference can mean death in the right circumstances. I managed to get the first few tanks, but the last few (the tanks when I had my swagga' back) were miserably wrong, making me an almost murderer. Luckily, the Abyss staff can fix that sort of thing, and it was only my first time.
The rest of the day I spent learning about nitrox diving, so I can use the tanks I don't mess up, and learning how to run the dive shop software. Bit of a slow afternoon, but book learnin does the body good.
Again, the night wasn't very eventful, so I was asleep around 10. Party animal!
I know, this may sound boring, but it's by far the most nervous I've been so far in my trip. Pure oxygen is prone to fires and explosions, and in a room full of tanks filled with pressurized air? Not something to take lightly. Add to that the hissing and creaking of the pipes, and the heat that comes from forcing air into the tank. I spent the better part of the morning in legitimate fear for my life. Peter left me to fill the last tanks on my own, leaving me with the quote above. After a while though, I managed to get my swagga' back, and was filling tanks like a champ. Then I got to learn how to test the tanks for the oxygen percentage. Even a slight percentage difference can mean death in the right circumstances. I managed to get the first few tanks, but the last few (the tanks when I had my swagga' back) were miserably wrong, making me an almost murderer. Luckily, the Abyss staff can fix that sort of thing, and it was only my first time.
The rest of the day I spent learning about nitrox diving, so I can use the tanks I don't mess up, and learning how to run the dive shop software. Bit of a slow afternoon, but book learnin does the body good.
Again, the night wasn't very eventful, so I was asleep around 10. Party animal!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Days 5-10: Not Dead in a Ditch, Just Disconnected
Due to my now-intermittent internet connection, I haven't posted anything in almost a week. So to make it up to you, here's everything you've missed.
--------
Day 5: (Thursday) An Introduction to Camp Cove
Jan, the Open Water candidate from Wednesday had another three dives to make before getting his cert, so off we went to Camp Cove, a site just inside the mouth of the Sydney Harbor. Not only is it a fairly easy dive site, I'm told the beach is home to nudist sunbathers in warmer weather, which should make diving there interesting. Lois and I observed as Cem ran Jan through the last of his skills tests. I even had a chance to participate, as a tired diver needing towing, and as a navigation point. Baby steps. Not too many fish I haven't seen on other dives, although I did see my first pufferfish in Australia. May not sound exciting, but it's kinda funny to see this tiny fish give you the evil eye then turn into a spiky ball. Not too much went on Thursday night, just had a drink or two at Northies with Emma and Lois. I was feeling so wild, I made it until 10:30 before I fell asleep
Day 6: (Friday) Learning to Be Social and A Surprise
Every weekend, Abyss offers free shore dives for anyone who'd like to come. As I'm a bit behind on my required number of dives, that includes me. The site of the day was again, Camp Cove! On the bright side, the sun was out all day, which hadn't happened yet. My ride to the dive, Frank, was also my dive buddy. On the way, I worked on what seems to be a paramount divemaster skill: holding conversation.
In charge of the day's dive was recently-certified divemaster Dani, overseen by Cem. One of my favorite things about doing this internship is the opportunity it provides for me to see many different teaching and leading styles. Which hopefully means I'll be ready when it comes time for me to give a dive briefing or teach a course. We spent two hours on our dives today, not terribly eventful, but we did get a chance to explore the rocks on the other side of the cove, where several seahorses have allegedly been seen. I've started bringing my camera along on dives, so hopefully I'll soon be adorning this page with some photos. Still haven't seen a seahorse, but my hopes are high. I did however find an unopened condom floating near one of the rocks, which Lois and I presented to Dani as a congratulatory medal. Then we headed back to the dive shop, and for the first time since Lois moved in, we stayed in for the night. She's a terrible influence, hopefully she won't be the death of me.
Day 7: (Saturday) And on the Seventh Day, He Dove at Camp Cove (And Was Soon Punished for the Sacrilegious Title)
Due to the awful weather that's been rolling in (the word cyclone is being tossed around), we were forced to make the day's dives at Camp Cove again. But I remained hopeful that I would see my elusive seahorse, and my sense of adventure was renewed. Today's divemaster was Emma, so I got to see how a seasoned pro handles dive briefings. Always learning, I am. Today's dives were good, great visibility and tons of fish I've never seen before. I managed to snap some pictures before the camera died, including some close ups of a very pissed octopus. In a brilliant move, I removed weights from my buoyancy control device (BCD) between dives, and spent the second dive gathering rocks to cram into my pockets. For you environmentalists reading along, I didn't disturb any sort of sea life the rocks, so settle down. After the dives, we headed to The Intersection, a pub down the road from the shop. Jamie, an instructor with Abyss was departing for Fiji, so going away celebrations were in order. After a few drinks, words were exchanged, and the unthinkable happened.
There are allegations that yours truly incited the events of this fateful night. I will neither confirm nor deny these slanderous words, in the sake of being impartial. Long story short, I received a slap to the face from my new friend, Lisa. Many say it was the slap heard round the pub. I say it was the last thing I heard on the right side of my ear that night. I wasn't in much of a party mood after that, but managed to get some dancing done at Northies to cheer me up. Then to bed with me.
Day 8: (Sunday) You Could Hear My Heart Break (But I Couldn't)
I awoke on Sunday to dried blood in my right ear. I live my life under the impression that as long as I'm not bleeding out of the ears, I'm in pretty good shape. So before I could even look at my wetsuit, I was ferried off to the waiting room for emergency patients. After ages of waiting, I was let in, only to be told (into my good ear) that I had ruptured my tympanic membrane and wouldn't be allowed in the water for four weeks, at the very least. In the meantime, I was the guy who got his eardrum popped in a bar. Sweet.
On the much more positive side, I would not be out of commission for the next few weeks. Peter and the other folks at Abyss created a schedule for me that would let me learn the business side of the industry. My family has thought about running a dive shop of our own once I graduate from college, so this experience will be extremely beneficial. Just another reason I'm thankful I went with Abyss. Got the rest of the day off to adjust to my new world of muddled sound.
Days 9 & 10: Less Thrilling Things Here
I was allowed to have these days off, since I only had one ear. I was productive for most of the days, so I don't feel too horrible about not going into the shop. Managed to open a bank account, should I find work in my time on the injured roster, and did quite a bit of theory study. Monday night, had a movie and brownie night at Emma's with Lois and Emma, which was fun. Got to bed early both nights, like a good little intern.
Caught up! (kinda...)
--------
Day 5: (Thursday) An Introduction to Camp Cove
Jan, the Open Water candidate from Wednesday had another three dives to make before getting his cert, so off we went to Camp Cove, a site just inside the mouth of the Sydney Harbor. Not only is it a fairly easy dive site, I'm told the beach is home to nudist sunbathers in warmer weather, which should make diving there interesting. Lois and I observed as Cem ran Jan through the last of his skills tests. I even had a chance to participate, as a tired diver needing towing, and as a navigation point. Baby steps. Not too many fish I haven't seen on other dives, although I did see my first pufferfish in Australia. May not sound exciting, but it's kinda funny to see this tiny fish give you the evil eye then turn into a spiky ball. Not too much went on Thursday night, just had a drink or two at Northies with Emma and Lois. I was feeling so wild, I made it until 10:30 before I fell asleep
Day 6: (Friday) Learning to Be Social and A Surprise
Every weekend, Abyss offers free shore dives for anyone who'd like to come. As I'm a bit behind on my required number of dives, that includes me. The site of the day was again, Camp Cove! On the bright side, the sun was out all day, which hadn't happened yet. My ride to the dive, Frank, was also my dive buddy. On the way, I worked on what seems to be a paramount divemaster skill: holding conversation.
In charge of the day's dive was recently-certified divemaster Dani, overseen by Cem. One of my favorite things about doing this internship is the opportunity it provides for me to see many different teaching and leading styles. Which hopefully means I'll be ready when it comes time for me to give a dive briefing or teach a course. We spent two hours on our dives today, not terribly eventful, but we did get a chance to explore the rocks on the other side of the cove, where several seahorses have allegedly been seen. I've started bringing my camera along on dives, so hopefully I'll soon be adorning this page with some photos. Still haven't seen a seahorse, but my hopes are high. I did however find an unopened condom floating near one of the rocks, which Lois and I presented to Dani as a congratulatory medal. Then we headed back to the dive shop, and for the first time since Lois moved in, we stayed in for the night. She's a terrible influence, hopefully she won't be the death of me.
Day 7: (Saturday) And on the Seventh Day, He Dove at Camp Cove (And Was Soon Punished for the Sacrilegious Title)
Due to the awful weather that's been rolling in (the word cyclone is being tossed around), we were forced to make the day's dives at Camp Cove again. But I remained hopeful that I would see my elusive seahorse, and my sense of adventure was renewed. Today's divemaster was Emma, so I got to see how a seasoned pro handles dive briefings. Always learning, I am. Today's dives were good, great visibility and tons of fish I've never seen before. I managed to snap some pictures before the camera died, including some close ups of a very pissed octopus. In a brilliant move, I removed weights from my buoyancy control device (BCD) between dives, and spent the second dive gathering rocks to cram into my pockets. For you environmentalists reading along, I didn't disturb any sort of sea life the rocks, so settle down. After the dives, we headed to The Intersection, a pub down the road from the shop. Jamie, an instructor with Abyss was departing for Fiji, so going away celebrations were in order. After a few drinks, words were exchanged, and the unthinkable happened.
There are allegations that yours truly incited the events of this fateful night. I will neither confirm nor deny these slanderous words, in the sake of being impartial. Long story short, I received a slap to the face from my new friend, Lisa. Many say it was the slap heard round the pub. I say it was the last thing I heard on the right side of my ear that night. I wasn't in much of a party mood after that, but managed to get some dancing done at Northies to cheer me up. Then to bed with me.
Day 8: (Sunday) You Could Hear My Heart Break (But I Couldn't)
I awoke on Sunday to dried blood in my right ear. I live my life under the impression that as long as I'm not bleeding out of the ears, I'm in pretty good shape. So before I could even look at my wetsuit, I was ferried off to the waiting room for emergency patients. After ages of waiting, I was let in, only to be told (into my good ear) that I had ruptured my tympanic membrane and wouldn't be allowed in the water for four weeks, at the very least. In the meantime, I was the guy who got his eardrum popped in a bar. Sweet.
On the much more positive side, I would not be out of commission for the next few weeks. Peter and the other folks at Abyss created a schedule for me that would let me learn the business side of the industry. My family has thought about running a dive shop of our own once I graduate from college, so this experience will be extremely beneficial. Just another reason I'm thankful I went with Abyss. Got the rest of the day off to adjust to my new world of muddled sound.
Days 9 & 10: Less Thrilling Things Here
I was allowed to have these days off, since I only had one ear. I was productive for most of the days, so I don't feel too horrible about not going into the shop. Managed to open a bank account, should I find work in my time on the injured roster, and did quite a bit of theory study. Monday night, had a movie and brownie night at Emma's with Lois and Emma, which was fun. Got to bed early both nights, like a good little intern.
Caught up! (kinda...)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)