Wetsuit update

So I called the wetsuit company Monday, like the guy said I should, to ask how it was coming along.
He said things were great and they were cutting the suit that day.
Honestly, I was a little taken aback by that.
I had been in a full week earlier. Shouldn't they have it cut by now? Shouldn't they be further along with it?
I tried to put the doubts out of my head.
They know what kind of time is required to make a suit. I should not second guess that.

So I went on ahead to meet the manfriend for lunch.

Over the meal I told him about the very laidback attitude of the wetsuit guy.
I told him I was a little worried that it was not going to be done in time for this weekend's dives.

I was thinking about my options then and decided that I would go to another dive shop and see if they had a bigger selection of rental suits.

After lunch I headed over to Dive n Surf in Redondo Beach.

The guy who helped me there said that while it would not fit as well as my own suit (obviously) that he probably had something that would work.

He took me back to where they have their rental gear and gave me a suit to try.
Now the changing rooms there are off the pool area, which is basically a big steamy room with a pool in it.
So the changing room was a bit humid.
And it turns out that trying on wetsuits is not really an easy or fun thing to do.

I struggled into the first suit. It was tight. I knew it was supposed to be tight.
But I also knew I needed to be able to breathe. And once it was zipped up the back, the neckline was kind of cutting into my neck.

So, suit No. 2. This one was even more difficult to get on just because I had started to get a little sweaty from the first one.
Again, I wrestled and wrangled and managed to get into it.
Too big. In the arms, in the thighs. Too big.
Water needs to be able to get between you and the suit, but not that much water.

Whew.

By this time I was hot, sweaty and tired. But I had to find a suit that would work.
I needed a backup suit.

So it was on to the third suit.
This one took the longest to get into. And at one point I really thought "I cannot do this." I was on the verge of tears.
Tears of frustration. Tears because even as I was in the situation I realized how freaking ridiculous it was.
Finally, I got the suit on and zipped. It seemed to fit OK overall.
It was a little big in the, um, crotch area. But then again, it was a man's suit, which was the only way I could get one long enough.

So I have my backup plan.

Then Wednesday on the way to work I stopped by the wetsuit company.
This time he said they were getting ready to start sewing and putting it together that day.
He assured me it would be done Friday morning so I could get it on the way to work.

OK.
OK.

I will not be paranoid.
I have a backup plan.
I want my own suit.
I want my suit that doesn't have enough room in the crotch to carry a 6-pack.

OK.
I am going to just have to have some faith.
Because there is really no other choice at this point.

And it's OK.
I have a backup plan.

Pasta perfecto

I've been cooking again.

Yum!

Go over to All That and She Cooks, Too to check out the penne pasta with peas and pancetta in lemon cream sauce.

It was FABulous!

Making the grade

Yay!
I passed the written portion of the scuba test.
No, I did not get a perfect score.
But to be honest, there are some questions on there that are a little bit, um, crappy.
And those were the ones I missed.
I got the dive table questions right.
I got the one right that deal with how not to seriously hurt yourself.
I did well in the pool exercises on what to do when you or your buddy is out of air.
So, all in all, I feel good about it.

We got details on next weekends dives. They sound fun, but exhausting.

I am sure just the physical part is tiring. But factor in the mental part.
The part where I am thinking and thinking about how much time and money is already in this so I can't fail.
The part where I am thinking about all the drills and exercises and hand signals and everything I learned in the pool, in a perfect 85-degree, clear-water situation.
And how now I will be in a not-so-perfect, 50-degree, ocean situation.

Then I just think: Relax. It will come to you. And as for the water, people dive here all the time and think it is a great place. So it can't be too bad.

But the wetsuit issue is still in the back of my mind. I am having lunch with manfriend today and will swing by the wetsuit place on the way there. Just to see how it's coming along.

Anyway, no pictures on these first couple dive trips. I had decided not to even try it, but someone else in the class asked about bringing cameras underwater.
The instructor said on these dives they want us to concentrate on the diving, not taking pictures.

Which was my feeling about it, too.

So, I have this week to rest up, think about everything I learned and then be ready for 8 a.m. Saturday on the sand at Redondo.