6 pounds!

The average weight of a human head is approximately 9 lbs. This really isn't as important as the fact that, in the span of two and a half days, I have gained 6 lbs. Thanks to the wonderfully indulgent holiday of Thanksgiving (and the days of feasting both preceding and following it), I am now unable to see my belt buckle without leaning forward.

A Man Ahead of His Time

I am going to tell you something important right now, and I expect you will have one of only two responses. The information? Several years ago, I invented the spaghetti burrito. Your response? Either, "Yeah, sure you did!" or, "What's a spaghetti burrito?"
If yours is the latter response, let me redirect your thoughts so that you might ask the more pertinent question. An understanding of what a spaghetti burrito is is less important than an appreciation for what it does. I mean, sure it appears to be the simple result of placing homemade spaghetti (although other types of pasta are theoretically possible) on a tortilla, grating cheese over the top of it, and wrapping the whole thing up as you would a standard burrito for the purpose of eating it with your hands. True, this makes it taste better, as it is a well known fact in much of the world that food eaten with the hands (as opposed to silverware, chopsticks, shovels, etc.) tastes better. However, this is not the true function (and thus, genius) of the spaghetti burrito. To appreciate this, one must understand the dire situation which led to its discovery.
I have spent much of my adult life living as a bachelor of sorts. And a large portion of that coincided with being a student, and thus technically poor. Between being perpetually low on funds (as any student is), and rather lazy by nature, I struggled to summon the motivation to spend any more than the bare minimum time necessary to prepare meals. They say that you are what you eat. I am living proof that this is a lie, because if it were true I would undoubtedly resemble a plate of the cheapest spaghetti known to mankind. I ate the stuff as often as five times a week. For years. If anyone has eaten more of the stuff than me, I haven't met them. I mean, what could be easier? You boil pasta, drain the water, add a jar of sauce, and heat to taste. I only needed one pot so it was easy to clean up, and I could make enough food to last me for several meals.
You may be asking yourself, "So where did the burrito aspect come in?". The truth is that I didn't particularly care for spaghetti. You can imagine how hard it is to drum up enthusiasm for a meal when roughly 70% of time, it consists of the same thing. To keep up this pace (and thus keep my food budget low), I would treat myself to cookies afterwards. Now, those of you who know me know that I have a serious weakness for milk and cookies. Some people have alcohol, others cocaine. I have cookies and, for me, they are serious business. I have been known to polish off an entire bag of Oreos in a single sitting. I freakin' love the things, and so I made a deal with myself shortly after leaving home for college: I could eat all the cookies I wanted so long as I had a real dinner first. At first it was a challenge, as I would struggle to shovel fork fulls of spaghetti into my mouth one after another, all the while keeping my eye on the prize. Literally. I set the cookies on the countertop and stared, unblinkingly, at them while damned near choking myself with the spaghetti I had to get through in order to justify ripping into them.
So one day, a day like any other I should note, it occurred to me that I had a couple of tortillas in the fridge as well. In one of those cartoon moments when a light bulb suddenly beams to life over some dumbfounded fool's head, it suddenly occurred to me that I could probably eat the spaghetti faster if I could hold it in my hands. What better way to do so than wrapped up in a tortilla? Thus, genius was born. It worked! Suddenly, I could scarf down the equivalent of two plates of spaghetti (my usual fare) in almost half the time, toss the plate aside, and move on to the cookies. I was a rejuvenated man. I was still staying true to the original pact I had made with myself (dinner first, then cookies), but now I was actually enjoying it a bit because the tortilla gave the burrito a different (I daresay a better) flavor than just by itself.
I tell this story in the hopes that someday, when the spaghetti burrito becomes world-famous, you will remember that I invented it.
Now, I believe I left a half-opened bag of cookies on the counter.

Thanks, but no thanks

Recently, a friend invited me to attend a small party. It was to be outside, overlooking beautiful Monterey Bay, and would feature the usual assortment you'd expect to find at a late summer gathering: food, beer, nice people, etc.
My response?
"Thanks, but no thanks".
Or rather, that was the gist of it. What I said was "Ah geez, I'd love to but I'm busy tonight. I dropped a pencil behind the refrigerator and it's pretty important that I get it out right away", or something equally preposterous. Before he had a chance to inquire as to why that couldn't wait (which it could, of course, even if it were true), I thanked him for the offer and walked home.
You see, I don't really like parties. I don't drink, or particularly enjoy being around anyone who is. Plus, I generally get bored having the standard conversation with someone you've just met (what's your name? Where do you work? Do you live around here? Oh really, you're a lint biologist? How fascinating!).
I wouldn't say that I am anti-social (though I've been accused of it on more than one occasion), it's just that I am not a great fan of making the pretense of being interested, when in fact I have no reason to expect you to find me amusing either, at least not based on what I say. Plus, with my atrocious memory capacity, an hour from now I won't remember two-thirds of what you tell me anyways (even if you are a merry-go-round operator), so what's the point? The main attraction for me will undoubtedly be the hamburgers, so I might as well quietly park myself next to the grill with a bun in my hand, and wait to catch the next hot thing to come off of it.
So does this mean I don't like socializing then? Not at all. I just like to know that, if I am going to invest the appropriate (and in my case, strenuous) effort to actually remember your name, I have to have some confidence that we will want to talk to each other again in the near future. Thus, an ideal social occasion for me involves actually doing something, rather than simply standing around talking. Invite me to play soccer, go for a hike, or even attend a tupperware party and I'll arrive on time and ready to participate. At least then, the chances of us having fun are greatly increased, plus we'll have something to actually talk about, some shared experience to reference when next we meet. In my mind this is is how friendships begin, not while standing in a small cluster with a drink propped in your hand in a show of camaraderie, chatting about the last movie we saw. Boring.
So in light of all this, you might be thinking that I stood up my friend on account of my not wanting to having to talk to other people on the supposed basis of exploring behind the refrigerator. Not so. Earlier in the day I had taken him diving at two of the best dive spots in Monterey, as per his request, and had a blast. I imagine we'll be talking about that a lot longer than anything that might have happened at the party.

Growing Up

A strange thing has been happening to me lately: I've started thinking like an adult. In the last six months or so, I've slowly been shifting my focus towards more long-term goals, such as establishing a career, staying in one place for more than 8 months, opening an IRA, buying a house, etc. The thought of owning furniture doesn't stress me out anymore. I know that these are things which most people probably come to terms with in their early twenties, but I've made a pretty good go of living the somewhat nomadic lifestyle for a while now. The purpose of the more or less constant movement has been to explore as many places as possible in search of a place to call home. In fact, that was the original thought behind creating and updating this blog, to chronicle the progress made towards achieving that goal. While I have a tough time imagining that I'll ever stop wanting to explore wonderful new places and experiences, I'm feeling pretty confident that Monterey will be a great place to settle for a while. This time, I'll have Jenn to share it with, and that makes all the difference. She's a wonderful, supportive woman who delights in sharing her days with me as much as I do with her. It's been a pleasant challenge making life plans that allow both of us to persue our own individual goals, while still allowing us to grow together as well.
As for individual goals, I'm once again in the familiar position of having to find work in a "new" place. We're moving back up to Monterey this weekend, in search of a place to call home, furniture, and jobs. I feel pretty good about my opportunities, as several of my previous employers have offered me what little work there is to be had in the fall/winter season. I would like to continue teaching scuba and certifying students, but I honestly can't figure out how that's going to happen. Yet. For the time being, I aim to get myself enough work to keep busy and pay rent, while allowing Jenn the freedom to figure out what is available to her. Though she grew up in Carmel (just south of Monterey), she's never worked in the area, except as a teenager. Regardless, I am (as usual) optimistic about the future, and look forward to pursuing it with a big smile on my face.
Life is good.

Time to earn my pay

After three weeks of Junior Sea Camp (ages 8-12), the big kids have finally arrived. They range in age from 12 to 17 and, in addition to simply having a good time for three weeks here in Toyon Bay, many will be earning scuba diving certifications. That's where the other dive staff and I come in. I myself will be assisting with a scuba Rescue class, an Advanced Scuba class, and will be teaching a Skin Diving class. This last one is essentially a freediving course (think: snorkelling, but also breathhold diving below the surface). I'm excited about all three assignments, but also quite a bit nervous. Although I've done lots of onsite briefings ("this is where we will be diving, this is what we will be doing", etc.), I haven't yet had to prepare much in advance for them. This will be a good challenge for me as a new instructor, as organization is definitely NOT one of my strengths.
Time to go meet the kids!

The Plague Revisited

It's the second week of Junior Sea Camp, and I am sick. In fact, I am the latest in a flurry of staff to fall victim to a virus moving through camp. I have never seen anything like this. One after another after another staff member has come down with nearly identical symptoms, thus the confidence that we are all suffering from the same bug. That's the bad news, that about a quarter of the staff are sick. The good news is that the worst of it seems to be over with in about 24 to 48 hours.
My hypothesis is thus: Because the majority of victims are those who have not worked at this camp (or any other, as in my case), I suspect that the more experienced staff have already worked up innoculations against this strain. If that is the case, then I might predict that this is not the last, but only the first in a series of sicknesses that I (and other newbies like me) will fall victim to.
Oh boy...

A New "First"

Yesterday evening, I decided to go for a short kayak after dinner. The hour or so before sunset is my favorite time of day, and so I figured what better place to enjoy the peace and calm it usually instills in me than from the seat of a kayak, a half mile offshore? I loaded up, paddled a short while out, then enjoyed the broader view of this part of Catalina, as seen from the sea.
As the sun dipped behind the island, I turned back to Toyon Bay, with a mind to head back into camp and catch the end of a movie that some friends/coworkers were watching. I didn't make it.
My supervisor, Erica, and several other staff members from various parts of camp were out "surfing". The waves aren't really surfable, so instead they simply tie up to the back of a boat and get towed around, much like water skiing. The only difference is that they use an old surfboard instead of skis.
They saw me paddling in, intercepted me, and invited me to join them. For some stupid reason, I was hesitant. I think I may have said something lame like, "I'm too tired" or "Maybe next time". Fortunately, they ignored my weak excuses and talked me into ditching the kayak inside Toyon Bay and hopping in with them. I'm glad I did, cuz it was awesome!
I love those experiences where, while they are happening, you know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime situation. Of course, I may get another chance to surf with them (I hope so, anyways), but the way the whole thing came together was unpredictable. It is no secret that I cherish random, fun experiences.
The best part was that I stood up on the board on my first try! I've surfed longboards a little bit, but never a short board, and yet there I was grinning my fool face off while surfing behind a boat being driven by my boss at sunset on Catalina island...there's a sentence I have never been able to say before!
What a day...

Instructor Luke!

Whoo hoo! The Instructor Training Course is over, and I passed! Actually, all seven of us passed, which is even better. What now, you ask? We have today and tomorrow free (to unwind, go hiking, kayaking, diving, etc.) and then we start a week of lifeguard training, CPR/First Aid renewal, and Supplemental Oxygen recertification. Maybe throw in Nitrox training as well (note: Nitrox is a different mix of gas to use while diving in shallower water, containing higher percentages of oxygen than regular air). After that, we do some staff training, and THEN the kids come to camp. Good times!

More Than Halfway Through

The first week of the Instructor Training Course (ITC) is completed, and I'm starting to feel pretty good about my progress in it. In the interest of creating a reference point to look back on someday, I have the following comments to make about the prospect of me being an instructor:

-I have a bad habit of not showing enough outward excitement following dives. By myself, this is of course not a problem, but when I'm teaching (or guiding), it's important to be a role model in terms of enthusiasm. If I come across as being merely content following an awesome dive, those divers under my watch my rethink their excitement and downgrade based upon how I behave.

-I think I'll be a good instructor. I've worked with lots of people in short periods of time, and had almost all good responses (both personally and professionally). The real challenge for me though is figuring out how to tailor my "message" to young divers. I haven't really worked with kids very much, and so this will be a great opportunity to change that. I worry that I won't be able to connect with them as well as others do.

-In addition to working with the kids, I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to learn new, practical skills such as scuba regulator repair, tank maintenance, and hopefully more boat driving and diving. I'm fairly handy with tools and such, but I haven't really had the chance to take apart and rebuilt regulators, in particular. I'm especially looking forward to learning this stuff from Andrew, who was one of my classmates when I began diving at Humboldt State University, and who is now the go-to equipment guy here. It's really awesome seeing him find such a perfect niche for himself, where he can be who he is and is totally appreciated for it.

I think that's about it for now. The dinner bell ringeth. Oh, speaking of ringing: cell phones don't get reception in this cove on the island, and so I'm thinking of kayaking a mile straight out to sea in order to make phone calls to friends, family and, of course, Jennifer :) Bobbing out on a kayak a mile from shore, talking on a cell phone. That will be a first...

Catalina Boot Camp!

Greetings from Catalina Island. It's just after dinnertime and I've got about 20 minutes of free time, the first I've had all day. Since arriving on the island 3 days ago (is that ALL?), I have been about as busy as I've ever been in my life. We (the Instructor Training Candidates and I) have been tested on very challenging in-water skills such as jumping off a dock into 20 feet of water holding scuba tank, weight belt, fins, and mask in hand and putting it all on at the bottom in under 4 minutes. We also had to swim 450 yards in under 20 minutes, and 900 yards using fins. In addition, we've been working on presentations of various scuba-related topics with little (read: "damn-near no") time to prepare. Since breakfast yesterday morning, I've done 7 presentations, four of which I passed. We get to work around 7am, and finish around midnight.
Whoops! Out of time. More later...

Am I A Workaholic?

The recreational dive industry is one which moves in cycles. Work comes in "feast and famine" fashion, which means that you have to take the work while it is available with the understanding that it will not be during the slow parts of the year.
In California, the busy season is basically a long summer (April to September-ish), with the rest of the year generally being slower. Thus, while living in Monterey last year, I worked very little from January to March, then slowly got more busy until finally I concluded my time there with three straight months of work. It has always been my motto that it is "better to be busy than bored". I like the seasonality of the industry, and the feeling of satisfaction that comes from a good day's work, even if at times they come one after another after another, followed by long dry seasons.
Maui, I discovered, works a little differently. Instead of having essentially one busy and one slower season, it has a series of what I can only describe as micro-seasons. I wasn't even there for a year, but in the time I was on the island (and working), there was the Christmas season, followed by a slow time until March and April, which was the Spring Break season, then a little more down time and (starting right about now) the summer season.
Coming from California, and also being new to Maui, I found it very difficult to turn down any work on the island, thinking that I would eventually have some slow time anyways. Fortunately (in a financial sense) it worked out that I was kept quite busy, due partly to my efforts to be available for any dive guiding that came along, but also due to my employer's generous efforts to keep me as busy as possible. I'm a bit of a Yes-man when it comes to work, because I'm always thinking in the back of my mind that, at some point in the year, there won't be enough work to keep me busy and so I'd better take what I can get when it's there. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking is not very relationship-friendly.
Jenn has been very patient with me when, one after another, our plans to go camping or to another island, etc. came to a grinding halt when I was offered work that I felt I shouldn't turn down. I kept rationalizing it by saying that "it'll slow down", meaning that at some point in the foreseeable future I would have more free time than I knew what to do with. This of course would make me available for our mini-adventures together.
Don't misunderstand me here, we did indeed go camping, hiking and, just before I left, made it to the big island of Hawaii. However, there are a number of things we did not experience which we had intended: camping at Waianapanapa, going to Moloka'i island, paddleboarding (actually, she did this herself AFTER I left!), etc.
I can't say that I regret my time on Maui, or necessarily the fact that I was available for work (and thus unavailable for Jenn) as much as I was. Rather, I view my time working on Maui as a great opportunity to learn from and to apply the lessons to future employment. For example: If we go back to Monterey at the end of the summer, I know that I don't want to work three months straight, because that kind of lifestyle isn't compatible with the kind of relationship that I want with her. What is the point of establishing a wonderful relationship with a caring partner if you then choose not to fully engage in it? For me, that makes no sense. It is my goal, therefore, to strike a balance between enjoying my work, but having the time and resources to enjoy our relationship (and those with friends, family, etc.) even more. Which leads me back to Catalina...
I have been a working Divemaster for three years now, in Humboldt/Mendocino county, Monterey, at the Channel Islands, and now on Maui. Most scuba professionals sort of dash through this level of experience in favor of Instructor status. I've delayed doing so for two reasons. First, I feel it would be a foolish mistake to become an instructor (and thus fully responsible for brand new divers) when I have not had the experience of things going very wrong with customers under my watch. It has been my very good fortune (and that of the divers) that I have not had to perform any major rescues thus far. No one has died, though a couple have come close. Because of this, however, I worry that I will not be prepared when It finally happens. I know it will too, because it is just a matter of time before someone has a major heart attack, or embolizes, or somehow winds up needing life-or-death assistance. I don't fool myself: the fact that no one has died under my watch is not my victory to claim. I have just been very very lucky. Nevertheless, I've experienced enough to feel prepared to take the next step up in responsibility.
Secondly, I was fortunate enough to become trained to dive through my university in a program which emphasized qualification, rather than simply certification to scuba dive. I came out of that experience thinking that all divers go through similar levels of training, but quickly discovered that this is not the case. The vast majority of certified divers did their training on holiday, in some warm tropical place, in easy conditions, and in just a handful of days (rather than an entire semester, as was the case for me). It makes sense: most people aren't looking to make a lifestyle out of diving, but rather desire to go diving every once in a while. This distinction is evident when comparing their skill and comfort in the water with a diver who, for example, had two and a half months longer to prepare for the same level of certification. Early on, I decided that I would only become an instructor if I can be allowed to train divers whom I would feel comfortable diving with myself. In other words, I want to train qualified divers, rather than just certified ones. I believe that the Catalina Sea Camp program I am going to be a part of this summer will allow me to do that in a way that would not have been possible in a place like Maui (which is set up for limited-time visitors, rather than long-term locals).
Through this camp, I will hopefully earn Instructor status according to the NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) scuba diving model. This means I will be a NAUI instructor, rather than the more well-known (read: better marketed) PADI version. Of the California universities and high schools that I am aware of which offer scuba dive training, all are taught by NAUI instructors. While there is no fundamental distinction between NAUI and PADI (both are based on U.S. NAVY diving), I feel that I will find more satisfaction teaching diving through a university-type setting (read: one which allows for more than 5 days of training!) than in the one found commonly in resort areas. Catalina Sea Camp seems to not only be that kind of setting, but also will likely be a great stepping stone for me to get into the teaching industry in a way which will be personally and professionally satisfying for me in the long run. I probably won't make much money, but then again when you love what you do, you only need to earn enough to keep doing it, right?

Big Adventures on the Big Island!

In just 5 days on the big island of Hawaii, Jenn and I managed to find plenty of interesting things to see and do, including: night diving with huge manta rays, watching lava explode into the sea from 1/4 mile away, and watching the sun set from 14,000 feet atop Mauna Kea, the world's largest volcano! You would think that stargazing from this altitude would be incredible too, but you'd be wrong (sort of). Turns out that the air is so thin up there and oxygen so sparse that the parts of the brain responsible for interpreting visual input don't function as well as they do at lower elevations. What that means is that, although the air is crystal clear up there, we have a hard time actually seeing the stars that are right in front of your face! Cool, huh? I found myself wishing I had a supplemental oxygen kit with me, to see if breathing pure oxygen would make the stars appear brighter.
As for the night dive, I can now say that I have been head-butted, belly-bumped, and wing-slapped by HUGE manta rays (the big girls are up to 20 feet across!). The mantas feed on plankton, which are attracted to the lights that the divers carry with them....very attracted. If you place the light next to your head, the mantas might mistake it for the light and bang into your skull before realizing their error. Good fun!
Now that we're back on Maui, I have two days to prepare for Catalina island, pack all my stuff up and get it off-island, and also help Jenn as much as possible for when she leaves a few weeks after me. While I'm working at SeaCamp on Catalina, she will travel to Guatamala for a trip with a good friend of hers, then come back and go on a road trip with her mother, stopping to visit family in various states across the country. At the end of it all, we're thinking of relocating to Monterey county and seeing what kind of life we can set up there.
And so, the adventure continues...

The Best Sunset

Jenn and I are fortunate to live just a short walk from a very popular south Maui beach. Because the beach faces due west framed by Molokini island to the left and Lanai'i in the distance to the right, Kamaole II beach is a great place to enjoy the sunset, and tonight we did just that.
One of our favorite late afternoon/early evening activities is to play a little volleyball together as the sun goes down, and so today we decided (for the first time) to do this down at the beach, rather than the nearby park. It turned out to be my favorite sunset experience on the island, even though the setting itself was not as impressive as others we have seen here. What made this such a pleasant experience was simply the enjoyment of each other's company and then, as the very last daylight faded into evening, we watched a father and his young daughter playing in the waves until it was too dark to see even that (though we could still hear them splashing about and laughing joyfully). All in all it was simply a life-is-good kind of moment, and I enjoyed it immensely.

In a month and a half...

I feel I've given Maui a solid go, and thus conclude that it's just not the place for me. There are a number of reasons (both practical and personal) for coming to this decision, but really what's the point in elaborating? Instead, I'd rather focus on the things that I am excited to be working towards.
For several years now, I have had my eye on an opportunity on Catalina island in southern California called CCamp. This is a summer camp for kids who, among other similarly engaging activities, want to become certified to scuba dive. The camp takes place entirely on the island, and working with these kids is, by all accounts, an absolutely thrilling way to spend a summer.
Several of the divers from my university program that I either helped train or trained with will be working there as well, so it will be a fun opportunity to catch up with old friends. Additionally, employment at the camp offers the chance to earn scuba instructor status, and includes professional liability insurance for one year. How great is that?
Most of all though, I'm simply looking forward to diving in colder California water. While Maui offers warmer seas and greater visibility, it lacks the magic that, for me, makes diving there so absolutely intriguing. I have seen a lot of incredible sights in my young life, but nearly all of the most powerful wildlife experiences have taken place beneath that California sea. Golden kelp glittering in the morning sun, thousands of squid mating 140 down, and dolphins glowing green in brilliant bioluminescence...these are the things that, for me, making diving worthwhile.
I am glad that I have come here to Maui with Jenn. It has been an incredible opportunity to learn more about my chosen career, and also about being in a healthy, supportive relationship. While I do not see myself ever moving back to Hawaii, I will nonetheless look back on my time on Maui with an appreciation for the lessons, both personal and professional, that were learned here.

Things to think about

Here are some of the contemporary issues that I'm considering at the moment:
-Barack Obama has become president of the United States. For the first time in several years, it seems that a seed of optimism is beginning to grow in the starved garden of the American public. While some feel that they have "lost" this election, and thus feel the need to continue complaining, most people that I speak with express a resurging interest in politics and society as a whole. Young people seem engaged in global and national issues in a way that, frankly, I don't recall ever having experienced in my 27 years of life. President Obama is clearly human, however. He will make mistakes and do things that disappoint both his supporters and detractors. Regardless, it seems to me that his motivations are for the advancement of the American economy, society, and citizens, rather than himself. For the first time in my life, I can imagine a future in which I will not be ashamed to be American, though time will tell if this will come to pass.
-On a more personal note, Jenn and I are doing well. It's a lovely feeling to know that my admiration of her achievements is mirrored by hers in mine. Each day with her provides me the opportunity to discover more about what it means to build a healthy, fruitful relationship. Life is good, and I'm grateful for my good fortune.