Insanity reigns

(I'd better sit down - two blogs in 2 days (one private - sorry). Boredom factor obviously kicking in!)

Any scuba diver will tell you of this phenomenon called neoprene shrinkage. At the end of the last dive of the season, the wetsuit fitted perfectly, but when the winter months are over and the new dive season is just starting up, they try on their suit, and the neoprene has shrunk such that it no longer fits. (Under no circumstances mention the other alternative!) Well I've just found the converse might occasionally occur - neoprene expansion!

I haven't been diving in the UK for about 3 years, mainly due to laziness, but also because it can be so jolly cold! Well a friend made a daft comment about wanting to try sailing (might have just been one of those passing comment things - we were walking down the Cam past a load of people racing Lasers at the time), and having sailed back at school, I offered to join them.
To this end, I wanted to stay warm on (and in) the water, so I thought I'd try my 7mm semi-drysuit (long-john and jacket) on as I knew it had "shrunk" last time I tried, but that was a while back.

Well, to cut things short, it required a fair amount of talc (never underestimate the amount of talc required), but the suit appears to have expanded over the time it has hung on the back of my spare bedroom door, to the extent of actually fitting. I had forgotten how much of a contortionist you had to be to get into it, but the zip did up!

So there I was, standing in my bathroom, covered head to foot in rubber, a little on the warm side, and feeling like the Michelin man. I think there is only one sensible reaction to that - to laugh at yourself, and then try and extricate yourself from said suit, preferably without causing yourself injury in the process. I think I've managed the last bit, although my back now feels awkward so I'll have to wait for tomorrow for confirmation.

So I now have a semi-drysuit that fits again, and the myth of neoprene shrinkage may have to be revisited by those who propose it as a theory. Convincing myself that UK diving is really such a good idea may take a bit longer, but I do need to finish off my Sports Diver training at some point.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Nerina Pallot

So, why have I signed up to this? Mainly to see what all the fuss was about, and try and work out how people manage to waste so much time on LJ.

The latter is very apparent - a distinct lack of work, or far too much time on their hands, and I'm guessing boredom must come into it somewhere as well.
The former I'm still not too sure over. Yes, it is a way to convey what you're up to, but how many people are really going to be bothered? Perhaps I'm wrong (and perhaps the popularity would suggest that), but don't expect too many regular entries in this journal.


If I were to blog about what I'm up to at the mo, it would be trying to work out how to tie a bow-tie. A regular tie I can cope with very easily, but that isn't done for a black-tie do, so I can see a fair amount of standing in front of a mirror getting very frustrated coming up. Untie-ing them is very easy, but when trying to tie it, I can never find the right little loop to poke it back up through, and it is very rare that I have the need to practice.

Ah well, mirror, here I come....

Current Mood: relaxed
Current Music: Karine Polwart