Finishing Things

I just took the test that I been waiting on for a year (nailed it) . If it wasn't for my remarkably poor performance on the Fall 2008 AME 404 midterm, things would be very different right now. For one, I wouldn't have an extra set of loans to pay. I also would not be making a long commute into a city I really don't care for.

I am making the best of the situation in the mean time. I going to do my open water dives at Catalina this weekend, completing my SCUBA certification course. I have been fishing regularly. I have been learning to do real BBQ in a smoker. I also will be teaching another Family Science course with Iridescent Learning in a couple weeks. You can see some shots of me in action in the following video.



That is all great, but I am finding that I am always anxious for the next step. For example, summer was great, but I am ready for some fall weather. Same thing with part-time school and part-time work; I am ready to start supporting myself. I want to be an engineer.

After a month and a half of time away from the job search, I am ready to start up again. I learned a lot this summer about finding jobs in a tough economy and I am ready to see how things go now.

SCUBA Class is ON!

After a week of actively recruiting friends(0% success rate) to take a SCUBA diving course, I just got the call I was looking for. Pacific Sporting Goods just informed me that they were able enroll the minimum number of students for the dive course. This means I leave work at 5pm, drive to Long Beach, grab a quick dinner and start learning the essentials of SCUBA diving. From 6:30 to 10:30pm I will be underwater or sitting through small lectures about Barotrauma, Decompression Sickness, and Nitrogen Narcosis (fun to learn about, not fun to get).

Crescent Bay Diving

The bro and I went to the Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach for some snorkeling. This actually was the first time that I have ever snorkeled from the mainland. I got used to thinking that Orange County beaches and harbors are silty, dirty and green. I neglected to give South County a chance, despite knowing in the back of my head that it is known for being a great dive spot.

We went out in about 10-15ft visibility with a light-moderate surge. I saw some nice calicos, a big sheephead and schools of shiny baitfish. I dove and swam next to beautiful rock walls with Garibaldi nibbling on the mossy faces.



After getting a little too close for comfort at Seal Rock, we traversed the coast, absolutely pumped to be enjoying one of the prettiest coves in Southern California. Andrew said that the palm trees on the point looked like paradise.


A hammock and some iced water could really make it paradise.

I checked the sandy bottom for halibut but found none. It became more fun to get near the surf zone and ride the surge back and forth floating inches from the constantly resurfacing bottom.

I can't wait to get back out there...especially with some SCUBA gear.

SCUBA Certification

After work today I am starting a my SCUBA certification course. The course is on Monday and Wednesday nights for 3 weeks. At the end of the course on a Saturday, I get to do 3 out of my 4 open water dives in Catalina. Awesome! The next day I do the beach entry dive in Laguna Beach and I should then certified by the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI).

In no time I should be swimming in schools of tropical neon clad lady divers. . . or at least that's the plan.