Ending 2004 with fire n' ice

Okay, there's no fire, but I do plan to spend tonight hanging with old friends who have returned to town, as well as newer ones. Nothing like having your buds around to keep warm - especially when the temperatures are down to the mid-forties (7 degrees Centigrade)! Visions of cashmere, fleece, and hot water bottles are dancing in my head...

It's cold!

Okay, okay, I know my friends in the States would scoff at this complaint of how cold it is - but when the outside temperature is 55F, the temperature in my room is not much different. AND, the temperature fell by 17 degrees in a day, so that's a pretty drastic change. Last night I pulled out all the stops when I went to bed: I put my fleece blanket over my already thick wool comforter. I put a heating pad under the comforter to warm things up. And then I wore a turtleneck, thermal shirt, long pants, socks, and a fleece hat to bed. But I still managed to wake up with a headache from the cold.

A dash of stupidity on Christmas morning

Apparently 911 call centers were flooded with new Christmas cellphone users, according to a blurb on Engadget.

Certified!

I'm now a PADI-certified Open Water Diver - weee! I even saw a sea turtle, and have determined that in a previous life, I must have been some sort of water animal (as I am very comfortable in the water) but definitely not something that would venture on shore (like a crab) because I had undeniable problems entering and exiting the water from the shore. I'm not too smooth on land to begin with (as evidenced by my tripping as I walked away from the van towards my equipment), and even less so when I am stepping among tide pools and rocks with waves surging against my legs, an oxygen tank strapped to my back, and a mask on my face.

Despite the 10-15 minutes of concerted effort each entry and exit took, I decided to go swim at lunch today because as Wayne points out, SCUBA diving is a leisure activity, not a sport. Managed to do an easy 1km swim, with 5x100m on the 2:00. Not spectacular, but I wasn't pushing very hard and getting about 20 seconds rest.

Into the waters at Kending

I'm going to Kending this weekend to complete my four open water dives so that I can finally get my PADI Open Water Diver certification. Trying to be upbeat about the weekend, and approach it as a much-needed break with Eve, instead of a rushed trip squeezed in to get the darn course over with so that we can move on. I'd rather not be on such a tight schedule, and pay all this extra money, but this will be my first time to Kending so should be exciting. At least we are staying at a decent hotel Saturday night so maybe I can relax, paint my toenails, put cucumber slices on my eyes...ha ha.

My face has been irritated (dry and flaky) and I've been reacting to the elastics in my stockings. Neil says that this is probably due to an internal inbalance - perhaps in reaction to stress - instead of merely a change in weather. This is altogether a very Asian viewpoint instead of a Western one, and I have to agree. The Western way is to merely treat the topical symptoms, while the Asian approach is to try to balance the inside. Let's see what the waters at Kending do for me.

People who boast about their I.Q. are losers

...a great quote from Stephen Hawking that appeared in the New York Times. Actually, the whole article is hilarious. Thanks to Matt for pointing it out.

TGIF

Another weekend upon me - I'm late for a holiday party and still have a few things to tie up here. Trying to battle a cold that is trying to creep its way onto me, and wanting desperately to rest, but again trying to juggle a full social schedule and a long to-do list of errands.

Is it still a duck if you don't call it a duck?

If a bird looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck, and swims like a duck, but you don't call it a duck, what is it?

Disavowing reality?

Does it matter?