Scuba Doo

Part I

Today I completed five hours of scuba training in the pool. After
several hours in the classroom receiving the majority of book
information and passing quizzes with 100s, I figured that I was really
ready to plunge into the water and begin my underwater adventures. I was
only partially right.

Today showed this relatively athletic Average Joe just how difficult
diving can be. I remembered the basic rules well enough. The concept of
breathing continually is continually stressed in training, making it an
easy one to remember. And some of the harder skills like removing my
Buoyancy Control Device (the vest that holds the tank and weights)
underwater were not too difficult.

The exercises that whacked my confidence were the ones involving the
mask underwater: starting with clearing a little water from the mask,
moving on to full flooding of the mask and clearing it, and finally,
removal & reinstallation of the mask after one minute of maskless
swimming.

Now I realize that this will get better in time and with practice, but I
have not figured out my fascination with the mask being installed and
dry on the inside. It is my underwater blankey that keeps me from
breathing in water through my nose. It is the giver of sight. It absence
drops my mad confidence to a whimpering nut case. After swallowing water
following its planned removal, I instinctively shot myself up to the
surface choking and coughing up my throat.

Take away my air source temporarily, have me monkey with equipment all
day, but do not take away my blankey.

Part II

Have you ever started a new job and worked hard to learn needed skills?
Do you remember starting a new series of learning that resulted in a
flood of new concepts streaming into your brain within a short period? I
have had this experience twice in my life. In both cases, it was after
taking a new job. I worked tirelessly to absorb all the information that
my brain could handle as quickly as possible. Nights during those times
were filled with going-to-bed-times when the brain replays the day. I
suspect this is the brain's time to stuff the day's activities into
long-term memory.

Tonight is such a night. The experience of diving, even in a nine-foot
pool, was so new that I am unable to actually fall asleep thanks to my
cerebral hijacking of needed sleep. It is now after midnight. It is time
to end this penning and reattempt a plunge into sleep.

Yawn.

Writing Moods

Today I realized why I am not a prolific writer. I enjoy the expression,
but an obstacle stands in the way of many would-be great writers: Mood.

I have thought several times recently about writing my thoughts and
sharing what is on my mind. These are the opportunities on which I pass
because I choose to supress the negativity. On one hand, keeping sad or
angry thoughts to myself is not healthful. But more importantly, I would
rather brighten my world than to darken the place that I already
consider to have enough sadness.

There are many places for all emotions. A glance at modern music renders
a snapshot of the many perspectives and experiences human beings have.
Naturally, the best music does not even require a study of its lyrics
(for compositions that have them) to know the intended mood.

That is all there is to say here today.

Dual Religionship

Dear Reader:

I must share something about me that may come as a surprise to you. I
know you will keep this under your hat, because you care about me and
you know I wouldn't want anything to mess up my dual-religionship.

You should know that several years ago, I started my own religion. I am
still a member of my father's faith, but I am also High Power Priest of
a religion that worships the Great Mystery While. Those of our faith are
said to follow the While Way, and to study Whilinism. I must admit, I
have considered changing my religion's name because Whilinism and
Whilists are two words that are difficult for rich old ladies to say.
And we do rely on the rich old ladies for more than their tributes; our
dependence is also on their ability to spread the faith through word of
mouth.

My plan has the added benefit of having TWO chances to get into heaven.
Just in case one of my religions is wrong, the other one might still be
right. In fact, if one is wrong, it actually increases the chances of
the other being right by simple statistics!

As you can see, this is clearly an opportunity, and I am confident that
you have already been asking yourself, "Self, how can I join this
magnificent movement?" It just so happens that I have an opening for a
Long While Priest/Priestess. Now, normally, I hire newbies at the Little
While level, so this is a rare chance. Certainly, as you have surmised
already, the goal is to reach Quite A While level, but this road is
difficult to achieve. Even so, the reward is great.

Very Small Rocks

Tonight, Seth and I are sleeping on the rocks under our tents. The tent
pads at Guadalupe State Park are exactly as one expects: They have been
specially selected and prepared from rocky landscapes for suckers like
me who forget important things like a sleeping pad/mattress.

Still, we are under the open sky and the weather is unbelievably great
so far. The crickets will put us to sleep just fine.

Seth's cub scouts group is here for the weekend for fun and some
activities. Seth is lucky to have a great bunch of peers here.

And now, a cartoon.

Testing 1-2-3

I appeared dead before, but now I'M ALIVE.

Fun with the boyz at the Mitchells

I had intended to post a couple of photos of the boys having fun at Elijah's birthday party. Unfortunately, I just realized that blogger.com/blogspot.com don't actually host images, although a blog entry can point to pictures posted elsewhere. Rats.

So, just take my word for it. We all had a great time. ha!

-Randy

"My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening
thru a cosmic vapor of invention." -Hedley Lamarr, Blazing Saddles

Creating

Here's an excerpt from an email that I sent to a friend a few days ago.

These days, I busy myself with plenty of activities. Besides work, basketball and music playing keep me entertained. I watch the Spurs, of course.. I'm always a fan, which is a great excuse to see family and friends.

The most important thing I do to stay busy is being in a band. We're just playing in my garage right now, but we're actually writing songs. It's a 3-man group that is perfect blues. I play the bass. Our guitar player, Mike, has taught me a lot about life and faith. His theory is that when God made man in His own "image," part of that image is a reflection of God's ability to create. Most people who find that something they enjoy deeply to the point of getting engrossed and fulfilled usually are engaged in the creation of something. It could be painting, cooking, writing words, writing/making music, or making jewelry. The ability to create something that is art and not purely utilitarian separates us from animals. Having
that ability makes us feel joy and fulfillment in a way that animals cannot, and those things are gifts from God.

I hate hearing married people complain now, when for no legitimate reason they start thinking divorce is an answer. It just shows a selfishness or mental/emotional sickness or immaturity. People decide to intertwine their life stories and then decide they didn't want that after a while. They make up excuses to split up because they're too weak to make things better. Yes there are exceptions but the problem is that those who believe in divorce think that their case is deserving of an exception for some reason. Most of the time there is a lack of commitment and selfishness takes hold. It takes two but that's the point of marriage: to stick by each other. I truly admire those who stay in imperfect situations and try to make them better until death. THAT is commitment. THAT is promise. Anything less is just imitation.

I tell married people all the time now to go home and "love your spouse." And this is why: I believe God gave us the ability to promise, commit, love and create. All of those things work together. The result of those verbs (mostly action verbs, by the way) is art. What you have created together can never give more joy and fulfillment than what you may create alone.

Juss Getting Started

After writing a few emails to friends and family over the past few months, and receiving some nice feedback, I've decided that a better way to share this stuff is in my very own blog. So, here you have it.

-Randy S. ("Power" is a moniker. I use it like a red tie.)