My first plaster, or: debilitated

Yesterday, at work, I stepped down off a fairly high curb, landed on some scrap concrete, and twisted my ankle to the outside. It swelled up like two hard boiled eggs taped to my foot. one on the top of my foot and one on my ankle. I went to the hospital emergency room and had X-Rays taken. Then I found myself sitting in a room with drawers marked "plaster" and also there were crutches hanging every where. I have a half of a cast on my foot. And crutches. My first cast, not my first crutches. I'm missing the dive as I type this. The weather has been perfect, and the diving spectacular. I haven't been diving in a looooong time.
I have to figure out how to take a shower.

Another day, Without pay!

I'm getting ready to go to work again. I worked 12 hours yesterday. I'm overloaded with jobs I need to do but can't get to them because of all these outside broadcasts, which I feel aren't in my job description. They are, according to my "superiors" but I got lots more important things to do than sit there while announcers and salespeople talk. I just need to adjust my attitude, which is easier said than done.

Friday Butt

It's Friday BUTT it doesn't seem like it. I have an outside broadcast this morning, probably all day, then another tonight and another tomorrow. I got a couple days off coming next week though. First thing this morning I have to singlehandedly try to get a satellite dish I put together yesterday on the pole. I'll probably use both hands.

And I already called my #1 dive buddy about diving Sunday.

Here's an abstract photo for you. Can you guess what it is? I think it's tooooo easy!

Enhanced wreck pic

Blogger shrunk the pic this morning so you couldn't really see the snorkelers. I think there's 4. Two swimming out, one underwater, and one with blue fins. But maybe only two. or three. I didn't see them from the air, I just saw them on the picture.

Back in the swing

I'm back home, Yesterday I went to work from the airport, came home during the split shift and unpacked. Ths morning I felt disorientated. I had a hard time waking up. I wanted to go for a morning swim but I couldn't find my goggles so I just took a shower and walked the dawg. Thank God for cold water!
Yesterday I "obtained" (bought used from a friend) an XM Receiver. I subscribed and it seems pretty cool.

Here's some pics from this week. Click to enlarge!

Close up of brain coral. Makes a great wallpaper

Fish swimming in a circle just like on TV.

Turning around to take off from Little Cayman, This is the runway!

"The Barge" that goes to Little Cayman and Cayman Brac once or twice a week.

Shipwrecked, don't let this happen to your ship. (see the snorkelers?)

Homebound

26Apr05 0750
I am at the airport, getting ready to head back. I can't decide whether to
go home, then go back into town to work, or just go into work tnd then go
home later. I'll decide when I land.
I left my freekin keys in my luggage so I'll be digging in my suitcase in
the parking lot.....
I had a productive trip, installed two new transmitters and fixed the
antenna. but we need to replace that antenna soon.
___
***

workin

I'm on Cayman Brac. I haven't had internet access while I'm here. I'm
emailing this from my phone. I will be back tomorrow. (Wednesday)
I am sitting on top of a big rock, waiting for my ride. It is hot!!
___
***

Friday Snorkel

This morning I made an extra large pot of coffee, and I'm going to the airport this afternoon.

Yesterday work was ok as far as work went, it was practically a full workday. I felt obligated to go early, because of parking and because I expected it to be crowded. I parked on the grass by the sidewalk. I was wishing I had a video camera, as it was, I didn't have my camera at all. There was this kid, about 3 or 4 years old I guess, maybe two. Blonde haired white boy. And there was this Jamaican, dreadllocks, dark dark skin, older, in his 20s or 30s. He would do some wild disco-type break dancing, spinning around on the floor on his back, jumping around, wild hand and arm movements and footwork, the wildest dancing you could imagine. First he'd take a turn, then the little kid would take a turn. He'd do handsprings and cartwheels and spinning around. It was amazing and hilarious to watch this child emulate this older guy. You could tell, even the Jamaican guy was amazed. (I say Jamaician because of his Bob Marley type hair, no other reason)

Friday I went snorkeling near where I went last week, another cruise shipper snorkel spot. There is a gully there I always wanted to snorkel in and never have. The picture below is from the end of the gully. The further "tower" on the right is where Hard Rock Cafe is. (to the right of the first light pole)
It was pretty cool. It's maybe a hundred meters from Eden Rock, which was behind me as I took the pic above. It seems that squid must like that area, because I saw a whole bunch. I counted 18 in a group (flock, school, herd?)
I am waitiing for a Squid Video to upload, when it finally gets done, I will put a link HERE. Notice how they change color as I swim towards them. Also, you can hear the bubbles blooping out of my snorkel as I go underwater.
Another thing that was funny was as I was gettng in, I heard tourists saying they saw "sharks out there". I didn't see sharks, and doubt they did either, but I did see tarpon, and big ones at that!

I couldn't see my blog.

I just got a plain white page.
Today was the second day.
I went to my settings page and republished my template and it works ok now.
today I'm working. Dont want to.
Tomorrow I'm going to the other island to work for a few days. I will see the OI Girl. We had a fight yesterday. The dog ran away. He'd be 10 feet from me and I'd call him and he'd run the other way. I was mad because I spent all afternoon looking for him. Then when the neighbor caught him, apparently to the OI Girl I was supposed to be happy he was back and forget I wasted my afternoon. I didn't yell at the dog, I didn't hit the dog. OI Girl implied that I'd have a hard time raising kids if I was upset about the dog running away. I wasn't really upset untill she brought it up, twice.
I tell you what, kids would have been punished a lot more than the dang dog was for that.
Yesterday afternoon was a major part of my weekend, that I didn't plan on wasting.
I am in an unpleasant mood.
Another reason I am in a bad mood is because I have met the guy who is the biggest slacker I have ever seen. Plus, I'm coming to realize, that every time he opens his mouth, bullshit comes out.

What day is it?

I wonder if I've already used that title before, probably.
Is it Friday? It cannot be! It seems like it was just Monday a few minutes ago. Well, it doesn't matter to me! I'm working tomorrow, and flying Sunday, so that means no diving. (You aren't supposed to dive for 24 hours before flying).

I've ridden my bike every day all week. I can't figure if I should drive today or ride. Ride I rekkon!

Since I don't have a picture to post, heres one I drew. It is an island, with a dock and beach chairs and a boat and palm trees and beach.

Laugh if you want, I know I can't draw. I want to learn to draw banana plants, that way I don't have to eat only coconuts on my island. I heard a story about a little kid who asked what a group of people were doing. The kids Mom said they were taking an art class to learn how to draw. The little kid replied, "You mean they forgot?" Little kids know how to draw, they don't know or care if it's any good or not.
That's the way it should be.
I know I can't draw worth a dang, I know my drawing sucks.
But I don't give a rats ass!

A new worlds most boringest post!

I don't feel like I have anything to post today, I went to bed at about 9:30 last night and woke up too early. I didn't want to exercise, but I did. I've been riding my bicycle to work all week too. Yesterday I almost got ran over.

Next week I'm going back to the other island to fix the antenna properly and install new transmitters. While on the other island, I will see the OI Girl! That will be great! I leave Sunday night and return Wednesday morning.

My coffee is perfect today. Better than usual.

A new worlds most boringest post!

197

I'm 197 pounds, I haven't lost any weight yet, but I've been exercising a lot. I guess I'll have to eat less. I quit snacks in between meals though.

I went snorkeling after work yesteday. I call this piece of coral 'The Pinnacle'. I've been visiting it almost as long as I've lived here.

This is a jellyfish type creature, but it's not a jellyfish. See the red things? I didn't notice them till I looked at the picture
Yesterday when I got in the water, it was kind of milky (but still clearer than a swimming pool). As I swam out further, the water got very clear but there was an increasing amount of floaties, jellyfish type round balls, these things in the picture and a lot of vegetation floating. Also I found a childs blue bucket, way out, upright on the bottom, half full of sand. It still had the price tag on it. I left it on the beach.

Today is split shift day. Hooo-ray!

It's really hard to come up with titles for posts.

I can't think of a title for todays post. After a year and a day, sometimes it is kind of difficult to come up with snappy, witty amazing titles like I always do. :-D
It's Monday, I am ready for work, except no shirt, it's in my (computer) backpack. I'm riding my bike to work today.
Yesterday I went to the beach, came home and did a lot (a lot) of laundry, then went back to the beach. I did get a good pic of a lobster, and a kinda good one of a spotted baby fish. The lobster was actually stuck to the ceiling and I rotated it, (the picture, not the lobster). The speckeled fish has been hard to capture, I've been trying. The speckles are really bright in reality.


This is going to be a very busy week.
Yesterday was my blogs birthday.

Happy Birthday to my Blog!

April 17th is my blogs birthday. A year ago I came here and wrote "What is this? I came to read stuff and now I have to write stuff". I didn't know what blogging was, I just came to look. Happy Birthday Blog!

Yesterday evening I got back from visiting the IO Girl. It was good to see her. Better than I thought it would be. I had been getting kind of irritated and tired of it all over the phone, but it wasn't like that in person. I don't know what the future holds, I violated my "no long distance relationship" rule. things are good with her though, I'm not complaining. The reality disrupts the negativity that grows in my brain.

While I was visiting the OI girl. I climbed the tower and temporarily fixed a section of one of our two antennas. The view is spectacular. Here is an unspectacular "my style" of video. Shaky and jumpy and short. I take these videos with my camera, which is not a video camera. I'd like a video camera someday. Also I was hindered in my movement by my safety harness. I was securely tied to the tower. And the sun was kind of low. the camera stops on the broken part of the antenna, a bolt broke and the plates are supposed to be holding the antenna to the leg of the tower. You can see only the end of the other bolt because it is behind the antenna. I have to go back and fix it properly ASAP! Here's some pics too.

The west end of Cayman Brac and on the horizon, the east end of Little Cayman.

Looking down the center of the tower.

Chris, who who looks after things on the Brac when I'm not around, (which is most of the time) coming down the tower.

The towers shadow from near the top of the tower. (do you see MY shadow?)

Today I want to go diving. (Here it's a holiday, because of Easter) I haven't been diving in a long time.

Google Earth is cool!!

I think this is really cool. Remember this picture? I posted it before. It is looking up at the ceiling in a hotel lobby.

click to enlarge

This is the same hotel on Google Earth!

click to enlarge

See the skylights?
Amazing!
I am easily entertained.

Today I am going to pack, and go see the OI Girl this afternoon. I've heard the flights are seriously overbooked.

Long weekend starts today! (after work)

I thought yesterdays pic was easy to guess, the underwater part of the front of a boat. Froggie Mom got it right. Here's another, even easier, and I'll give you a hint at the very end, because it's long weekend and I don't want anybody loosing any sleep wondering what the mystery photo is!

Here it is, click to enlarge.

Yesterday, I walked from Cemetary Beach, near my house, all the way down to Royal Palms and back. It took about an hour and a half one way. Then I rode my bike to work and took the van to the broadcast. After work I brought the van home and walked the dawg out in the canals. Then after dinner I went to bed at 8:30 (passed out) and woke up when the alarm went off this morning.
Today I take the van into work, and there's another broadcast this afternoon. Then I'll ride my bike home, and the long weekend has begun!
TOmorrow I go to see the OI Girl!

Here's a "clue" as to what the abstract photo above is! Click to enlarge

short post

Today is Wednesday, and Friday is a holiday! I'm at work early today, due to ISP maintenance, the internet went down and I had to come in and start the computer. Today is my split shift day. I'm looking forward to the break today.
Yesterday at lunch I went snorkeling. You could hear the noise from the cruise ships really loud. I saw some squid. I took several pictures, here's the best, I think.And another


Also, here's my abstract photo for today. It's too easy.

Here is a link to one of my short, shaky videos from right before I got in the water yesterday.

Backpacks

After reading this, you are going to know even more what kind of a geeky freekaziod I am. I usually carry a backpack. I have a computer backpack that I take to work and when I travel, it has my laptop and all my cables and chargers and electronic junk in it. I have a backpack that I take back in the woods, it has toilet paper, a compass, gloves, a small towell for wiping the sweat off, plastic bags and a first aid kid. Also it had two waterbottle pockets. I have a backpack I take to the beach, it has suntan lotion, my book I'm reading, a drawing book and a pencil and a welders lens so I can look for sunspots (you can see them, but don't look, without adequate protection). Newest is my astronomy backpack. It is my old computer backpack. It has my binoculars, my Nortons Star Atlas and other books, my green laser pointer and a pen and paper.
Addittionaly, I have a car full of miscellaneous beach and diving junk.
I didn't go out and buy a whole bunch of backpacks all at once, they just started accumulating. So I started using them. But the reason I'm writing this is because I need another one. I need a bag at work with mask, fins, snorkel and towel in it. Normally, I drive somewhere for lunch, and swim or go to the beach. If I had a bag of snorkel stuff at work, I could just walk to where the cruise shippers go snorkeling. I'd catch rays, get exercise, save gas and I'd not loose my parking spot at work. The cruise shippers go to a place called Eden Rock, which isn't really that bad, considering it's lunchtime. I still have an unused backpack in my closet, I took it empty to Costa Rica with me, and put junk in it for the day. It ought to be pretty good for what I want it for, but I'm feeling a little bit nutso about it...
Also yesterday I bought a scale and I weigh, 196.4 lbs this morning.

Also, yesterday I went back and took more pics of that little fish with the blue. I got a better shot, showing the blue fins on the bottom. Here it is:

Again, with the word verification

I went a couple of months, and every time I typed in one of those word verification things I got it right the first time. I thought I was getting used to it or something. Now, all of a sudden, I can't get them right again. I make absolutley certain and still get it wrong. I gotta say, that word verification is the worst thing about blogger. Other places have 3 characters, or just a word. What is this underwater melted letter crap that Blogger thinks they have to use? It's annoying.

I woke up early this morning. 4:30. I layed there awhile but got up before the alarm. I did some situps and worked out a little with dumbells I bought not too long ago. In my brain, I weighed 175 pounds since high school. Then, for 6 months exactly, in 2003, I took antidepressants and gained weight. I went up to 200 pounds. I've always been the type who could never gain or loose weight, so I thought. A couple of months ago, I was looking at my old scuba cards, and saw that when I got certified (in 1981) I weighed 160. So much for 175 since high school, I'm delusional, lying to myself. So I have slowly, imperceptibly been gaining weight. And I bet it's going to be hard to loose. I want to go down to 180. This crap of coming home, "just for a second" then staying has got to go. My self discipline has gone in the gutter. I used to walk the beach, the whole Seven Mile Beach, every weekend. I seldom do that any more. Lame whining that I can't find a dive buddy. Also I notice that I started sitting around at night, surfing the net or watching a movie, eating chips and crap and I'm not even hungry. Standing in front of the fridge, aware I'm not hungry, but wanting something to eat, just for something to do. All this will change. You read my blog and think I go to the beach a lot, but nowhere near as much as I used to. I used to live there. for years, I swam every day before work. (then I quit after I was swimming in total darkness and got stung in the face by a jellyfish and had to call an ambulance for myself). So anyway, my behavior has changed, and I think if I change it back things will get better.

Dang this is a long post, is anybody reading this crap?

I'm going on a diet!

It's official, I'm overweight. Never thought it would or could happen to me.

Check This out, let me know how you do.

Here's mine:

Height: 6 feet, 1 inches
Weight: 200 pounds

Your BMI is 26.4, indicating your weight is in the overweight category for adults of your height.

BMI Weight Status

Below 18.5 Underweight

18.5–24.9 Normal

25.0–29.9 Overweight

30.0 and Above Obese

Even if I lost 20 pounds, I'd still be at the high end of the normal weight class!
I'm starting with more exercise now, and tomorrow I'm buying a scale!

Then and now

Here's a picture of what used to be the cave. I took this pic yesterday.

Here's a picture of the cave I took last September.

I took this yesterday snorkeling. The black and yellow fish had blue bottomfins that really didn't come out in any of the pics I took.

And I stopped my car and took some pics of this ship. I'd like to spend a year on a ship like this. Maybe two!
I'm not sure what I'm going to do today, just play it by ear!

No more cave

This morning I shut off the alarm and went back to sleep. I woke up when the OI Girl called. She was surprised to catch me in bed, as it was a first.
This morning, I'm cleaning up the apartment, then leaving for work at 9:30 or so. Last night I went to a co-workers birthday party. They have a new house. It is nice, on the water. There was a lot of liquor at the party and I'm sure they went on all night. I just stayed a couple of hours, then left. There were some good chicken shish-kabobs!
Yesterday, after my post, I started doing better. I went snorkeling at lunch at the place where the cave is at Smiths cove. Guess what? I collapsed, no more cave. Glad I wasn't in there when it fell! I was there before and saw it but this is the first time I posted about it.
Then I went back to work, and found out I was working today and it almost put me back in the shit, but I didn't let it. It they want me to start working every Saturday for the rest of my life, then I want to take every Monday off for the rest of theirs. That's what I'm going to ask for next week. Maybe I shoulda kept my mouth shut, for fear of jixning myself, but oh well.
After work I'm going to the beach.

Friday So what?

Something's wrong with my attitude. I feel like I'm on the verge of loosing my temper and yelling. All my life I've been fighting anger, not so much anger, but the symptom of anger, loosing my temper and having a screaming fit. My dad always did that, I don't want to be like him. Lately I've been doing really well. It has been over two months since I lost my temper and hollered at anybody. Not two months since I felt anger, just two months since I've acted on it. But now work is getting to me. Since my boss retired, it seems like I'm overloaded. Im May, I'm working every weekend, and a lot of evenings. I don't get overtime or any compensation. I'm supposed to get compensation time, but have accrued hundereds of hours, and never get to use as much as I earn. I try to put on the brakes and not accumulate so much comp time, but I guess I don't have any brakes. Anytime anybody else puts on the brakes, and refuses to do a job, I am the one they call to step in and do it. If a job needs to be done, I won't say no. Yesterday after work I sat in traffic and as soon as I wallked in the door at home the phone rang, they have a problem with a computer and want me to come back. Luckily I was able to get it working over thephone, but not always.
But it's not all everybody else's faults either. My voice can sound angry and frustrated even when I'm not. My tone of voice when I explain something can make people angry sometimes. To me that's confusing, I'm explaining something and all of a sudden they get pissed and I have no idea why. To me it seems to come out of the blue. I have problems dealing with people. I know how things work, but not how people work. People who know me must think I'm kind of a weirdo. Or an asshole. I've been called intimidating. It's not as bad as I make it sound, but I have a situation I have to deal with at work. I have to do it without loosing my temper and screaming, like dear 'ol dad. It stresses me out to see it coming.

I want my blog to be better

My blog is boring, Everyday it's: I feel good, I feel bad, I went to the beach. Different versions of the same crap, day after day.

The past few days I feel like I've been forgetting a lot of stuff. Yesterday, I went to work, when I got there I realized I was working late and should have not come in untill about 3PM. So I came back home and went back in the canals after I went to the beach for a while. It sounds stupid, but I want to build a fort, like when I was a kid, a secret place back there. I've been clearing a path, and I had this long pole and I wanted to pole vault across a canal and use the pole as a one-way bridge to get across. But I was too chicken to try it. I stood there a long time and refused to jump. It wasn't that far, and the water wasn't that deep, but it was that nasty stinky mud type of water that you don't want to fall into.
I'll get across.
I got seriously overheated and dehydrated back in the canals. Hot, no breeze. I had water and drank it. But I felt kinda ill in the afternoon.

I think this blog sucks. It is boring. It's like boiled chicken and plain white rice, no salt, no spices. Every day. day after day. Bland, mushy. I don't know what I want it to be, but this isn't it.

I think I'm in a really bad mood.

New Worlds Record!

I live in a small apartment complex, 5 apartments in a row, in a building that is probably smaller than your house. We all know each other and Guess what appeared out at our trashcans yesterday? A Christmas Tree! It has to be some kind of new worlds record, doncha think? I can't wait to razz my neighbor whose tree it was. (I've been in 4 out of the 5 apartments, so I can guess fairly accurately where it came from. Unless somebody dumped it, but I don't think so, because it is on the parking lot side of the trashcans, not the street side.
Yesterday I went onto work early and then forgot and stayed till the regular time. I could have left early.. After work, I went to the beach, but forgot my towell. Instead of walking the four minutes all the way back home, I just laid on the sand with nothing. It wasn't too bad. My dog does it all the time.
Today is Wendesday, split shift day. Beach here I come!

Here's what I'm trying to pass off as an abstract photo

Pettiest of Theives

Yesterday after my post I went out to my car to go to work and found it ransacked. Apparently I had left my door unlocked and one of the crackheads decided to check it out for stealable stuff. Taken was:
One towel, orange, large, like a blanket.
One hat, green (the one in my profile picture).
One underwater flashlight, black (About $60 in value) (A torch, to all you UK'ers)
So far that's all I notice missing, maybe the hat or flashlight will turn up, maybe more was taken.
Not taken was a plastic bag full of coins that was on the floor that they apparently didn't see, probably because it was dark and they didn't have the brains to turn on the flashlight they stole. They probably would have wanted the coins more than anything else.

It's more like a joke really, a punishment for leaving your door unlocked. It's not the first time it's happened to me, and it's happened to all the people who live at my apartments. If you leave your door unlocked, odds are that someone will go through your car.We all think we know who it is. I'd lke to see some dummy walking down the street in my hat though. It was my favorite.

No Post Again

This is about the third day in a row I have nothing to post about. Today I go back to work. It seems like there was no weekend at all.

I the morning yesterday I went to the beach, Here's a pic of my dog and his new umbrella. The beach was just getting good when it got to be time to go to the funeral, which lasted over 4 hours. There was an Asrtonomical Society meeting last night which I missed, because I just got home from the funeral and changed and could have made it out there late. I really wanted to go, because I wanted to show off my new binoculars. But I was starving, and went out to get food and ended up with beef ribs that were great!
I go out and go grocery whopping and spend $200 and not have any food. I buy condiments and frying pans and stuff. (I actually have only 1 frying pan, not a lot of cookware.) But I don't buy any food. (That should be grocery shopping not whopping, I decided to correct it here not there.) I figure if I buy food, it would just go bad in the fridge becausse I never cook, but really, I wonder if I never cook because I never have anything cookable... (Excluding microwave burritos, I found some really old ones in the freezer)

Sundie

It's a beautiful day, I am going to the beach this morning with the dawg. He has a new beach umbrella that gives him shade. Plus it provides me a place to tie him up!
This afternoon is a funeral. Yesterday I bought new shoes and a shirt for the funeral.
Lat night I thought of something really good to post about this morning but now I can't remember what it was. I hate that when that happens.

Happy April Fools Day

No jokes here. I woke up at 5 and was listening to the radio, and it quit, so I got up and went in and fixed it. We play the BBC at night, and since the guy dropped the tree on the satellite dish, we are geting our BBC off the internet. Sometimes it drops out. The new dish is at customs, without an invoice, so I can't get it out till I get one from the BBC guys, who were supposed to email it but I haven't received it yet. I'm also working later today, an outside broadcast. The IO Girl is mad at me, I went to bed early last night (10 minutes till 10) and had my phone on silent and she was calling and calling. This morning she said that if something happened to me, she'd have no way of knowing. I called her before I went to bed, she was working late and didn't anwer either, I left a message.
I felt OK till I talked to her just now. I'll be better again in a few minutes.

Here is a picture that has nothing to do with nothing, I laughed when I saw it the first time.