SapperDaddy

Durmstrang is way better, but I missed their application deadline.

how do you find out if someone googles you?

Well, the standard is to find one that when you suck in with your nose, it fits tightly to your face without you holding it. I also tighten my mask down a bit more than seems good. With practice you will learn to clear without any problem and that is what the essential skill is. One problem a lot of people have is not so much mask fit as they are nose breathers and exhale through their nose (me being one). This causes the mask to get away from your face and lets water in. I also don't know if you do or not, but facial hair, especially a mustache also messes with the seal. One good way to help that is to get some food grade silicone grease and rub it on your mustache before diving. You want food grade because if you ingest any in the water it's safe and it won't degrade the rubber of your mask. But work on your skills in clearing your mask while you're in the pool. As long as you don't change depth, you should be ok with only a momentary breathhold (but don't change depth and especially don't ascend). I like to inhale, take a big hit of air, then on my natural exhale, use that to clear my mask. As you dive more, it just gets automatic. Most importantly, never, ever panic. Any diving emergency can be managed if you keep your head.

Cave diving is way dangerous. Dangerous enough I won't do it. Even cave divers who do it all right can still die. My teaching partner is big into it and this past summer had to haul one of her group out of a cave in Florida because he breathed the wrong gas mix. I haven't dove Puget Sound, but if I get in at UW, I will of course have to. If you want warm water, Fiji is the place to go. The best kept secret of Fiji is the island of Kadavu. The soft coral there is amazing. At the store I work at, we do at least 2 trips there a year and every year it sells out within the week we put it out. If you want decent and fairly cheap, the Florida Keys I hear are nice, but not one I've ever done. I've done Cozumel a few times, that's not too expensive either and has a lot of stuff to do when you aren't diving. I've not dove the mainland but I've wanted to try some of the cenotes (the sink holes). I've snorkeled in one, which was pretty cool. I've also loved to do a great white shark dive, but those are as expensive as Fiji with no guarantees. The boat I really like in southern California charges $550 for a 3 day live aboard trip to the Channel Islands, but $3,000 for a Guadalupe shark dive. The really nice part of being an instructor is that when I'm teaching, the shop covers my expenses and I can write off most of my gear on my taxes since I get paid (technically) to dive. The shop also covers my insurance, which is good, and then if I am the lead on a trip, they pay my way (that's how I got to Fiji). I only show a profit from instructing every couple of years so the IRS doesn't audit me, but really, being an instructor is just a way I can support my habit.

Been working on this for a bit, think I have it about right now. Homestyle mac and cheese 1 lb cooked noodles 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese (I like sharp) 1 C. sour cream bread crumbs combine all ingredients, put in a 13 X 9 casserole dish, coat with bread crumbs. Bake about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Yesterday I added some diced chicken and a can of fire roasted tomatoes and it turned out really good.

So as not to offend those who don't dive, I figured I would start this as it's own discussion. So, where to start? I guess I'll say my background. I learned to dive in the Army, both open circuit and closed circuit systems. After I got out of the Army, I became first a divemaster and then an instructor (through PADI). I teach most weekends now, some evenings. Most of my recent dives have been for training students. I like it, but it's not quite fun and I don't get a lot of chance to enjoy the experience for myself. My last recreational (for myself) dive was in the California Channel Islands, San Clemente and Catalina on that trip. I really like diving kelp, in ways more than coral reef dives. I just like how the light filters down through the strands and stuff. So, where has everyone else been that you've liked?

and how big your campus is.

And don't talk about mommy and daddy and rich people when you did your undergrad at Columbia.

I learned to dive in the Army. My parents are hardly rich, and don't pay for anything for me. I have a job for that. I paid for my schooling through the GI Bill and TAships. A Sapper is a graduate of Sapper Leader Course at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. I guess you wouldn't know that since you are just an immature little punk who's been safe and sound huddled in some Ivory Tower somewhere. And seriously, chill out and don't take yourself so seriously.

dude, it's a message board, it's not like anything serious. This is a place to blow off steam and relax. I would suggest you try that.

I am certified for that, but not my favorite thing to do and it's always scary. Been on any good dives lately?

All that I've talked to has asked my future goals. I have so far just answered honestly and said I want a job where ever I can find one, and then talked about what the job market is like.

you may find this article interesting http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2011/1110/1110pre1.cfm

I think half those candidates are not going to win reelection as people see how nutty the Tea Party is.

This is less true at places that offer only a Master's. If they offer a Master's and a PhD, then they don't fund many MAs. Lots of good schools offer that sort of thing. What flavor of history do you want to study?

Sure, for now. But given America's short term memory, I doubt it will last very long. We're not talking about the Tea Party movement much anymore because OWS came along. So what takes OWS out of the spotlight? I would argue that even if the discourse has changed some, as it's an election year in a down economy, much of that discourse was bound to come up, as it did in every other election ever held during a down economy. Remember when Bill Clinton quipped, "It's the economy, stupid." and I use the term revolution as that seems to be a poplar self-identifier for the protestors-revolutionary. I actually went to Zuccotti Park while OWS was going on. My opinion of the movement was formed by the 3 hours I spent there. Half the people there only showed up because they thought it was a way to get on TV or find a free meal (or various other thinks going on, drugs, sex, etc.). The other half fancied themselves as the next incarnation of Lenin or Trotsky. My first impression was the stench. I could smell the park from about a block away or more. It honestly sickened me how many of the "revolutionary" types had a Che Guevara shirt on, but were sending their general assembly stuff on their iPads. And then they had the audacity to say that they were doing it for me. How they could look me in the eye and tell me that pissed me off. Sorry if that puts a bit of a dent in what you think of OWS, or if you think I'm wrong.

How is that a pejorative?

I don't see the movement growing or picking up steam. At least not until it's warm again. I think as historians we really need to wait until there is some time that's passed in order to really judge anything.

In all seriousness though, I just don't see how OWS fits in with the narrative of revolution. Despite all the We are the 99% signs and slogans, I do not see real disaffection, especially when the majority of the protesters could afford iPhones. This isn't the Arab Spring where people are protesting not having a job over generations. Also, there was no real leadership, and sadly, no real objective. They never made a proposal as to what they wanted to accomplish, aside from a few, "we think the world should be thus," ambiguous statements. There was no real manifesto, there was no Lenin. Sure there is discontent, but that never did crystalize into a revolution. I guess that it does fit into the narrative of revolutions that failed to launch.

I'm not exactly trying to be serious.

One big difference between grad students and OWS protesters is that most historians I know manage to find a shower more than once a week.

Always nice to see a fellow diver!

Sometimes people aren't ready to jump right into a phd, I got an MA first, I'm glad I did it that way. There are a lot of options and for a lot of MA programs there isn't a lot of funding. I think the decision has a lot to do with your personal situation. I was not in a position at the time I got my MA to go somewhere, I went to a state school that was fairly local and they did fund it (they only offer a terminal Master's). At the time I could not afford to move somewhere (I am married with children) which has since changed. I don't know your situation, so you may be in a completely different boat.

I guess that's good news right?

Great news! Congrats!