Lately I have been run down and the dr. thinks my thyroid needs adjustment but wants to do more tests, low thyroid problems is a product of side effects from Depression drugs, so yet another present to remind me that being normal is a job and a half on behalf.

In the pool I tried out the 28mm lens I got to get it dailed in for underwater mosaics, which is going to take some work but I think it’s going to be doable in good vis conditions. After the pool we hit the Oarsman like normal and hosted a pint.

Before my latest tattoo appointment I took a ride out to the Rideau for a looksie and found this old cottage at the end of a side road that was marked Cottage for Rent. I think the cottage is further down the unplowed road or someone has a sense of humour.

At one of our wintering diving holes I spotted this red squirrel having a snack at the Lockmasters home on top of the hill then down to the lock for this picture.

Taking pictures in white snow at mid day presents a challenge, and I figured out that using the flash actually brings the white out a little more but I had to adjust the ISO and EV offset as well as they were getting blown out. Perhaps tomorrow I will venture out to some of the downtown churches. Tonight after group maybe some night shots.

They have started working on the Dry Dock at the Marine Museum and with all the ideas it will be a pretty neat site once they get it all done. The last couple of days have been brutal but with todays work out it has seem to subside a little so I went out with Sean and got some snaps.

The shot I took this season is a different angle then all my others but I wanted to get the amount of construction digging that is going on. They are going to rebuild the drydock and then drain it all to make some holes in the ship for all to see the engines. The bonus is that then they don’t have to get it check for holes in the hull anymore and other seafaring rules as it will be a drydocked ship.

This coupled with all the construction on ontario street lately is supposed to improve the access to the water front for all to enjoy but it seems that hasn’t really become apparent yet so lets hope for the best in the spring.

I got the annual invite to go to Motorsport Plus and had a good time till about 8 then the meds like normally wore off and I shot out of there like a bat out of hell. The people are good people and most of them are very calm and collective. It’s just the drugs wear off and it’s just like being back at day one. My Dr. yesterday added yet another one to lower some blood pressure problems caused by the drugs and hopefully boost the anti-drepressent as well. Here’s hoping for the best.

The best thing about the get together was the addition from Steam Whistle ale as they donated a keg for the festivities, I am not a pilsner type guy but it wasn’t as bad as blue but a little lighter. So off tomorrow to help out with the rideaucrest photo shoot.

So off with a parade actually….

So Sean and I put aside the depression symptoms that keep us away from events most of the time yet again and watched and photographed Kingston’s night time Santa parade. We started at 3 pm by visiting Rosie and the Hog chapter at the old Nortel plant parking lot and met up with a few old friends from both the military and high school of all places for Sean.

Then off to downtown where we met up with another photographer Paul Walsh from Photosave/Kingston Recycling yard. Paul wasn’t there at the time we arrived so we had a beer and returned to the street. The parade didn’t arrive till near 540 and took a long time. Due to the amount of walking participants. Children from the age of 5 beared the 6 KM route and the bikers had to watch the overheating of their bikes as the parade slowly winded down Princess Street to City Hall for the lighting of the Town tree in Springer Market Square. Too many people there for us to handle.

Enjoy the pictures here.

So when you suffer chronic depression and shit like that, your routine is a big part of life. I start in the gym almost everyday to keep it in check. Doesn’t work all the time and your friends don’t understand after a year or so. Today on the news a french girl suffering was cut off because she was enjoying so life and photos were posted on Facebook.

hard to belief that a Dr would diagnose someone without even seeing them and on a photo is unreal. On top of that she isn’t even smiling in any of them. WTF, I bet the Dr even got his 300 bux an hour for the consult as well. What a wonderful system we got. I hope for the best for her.

Being a suffer of depression and PTSD I can wholly understand a solider going over the edge after a deployment or in the process of doing so. Soldiers are pushed to the edge then brought back so often after a while the fine line gets blurry. Subject to all that goes against the grain and ones beliefs then asked to behave and be a model citizen when not doing the job. It gets to one after a while and if anything I have learned everyone reacts differently. Some immediately others years afterwards If in the later case most of the time the therapy and cure are too long and difficult to peruse in todays world of instantaneously being fixed.

When a shrink or other mental health care worker goes over the edge many start questioning the “rules” and treatment being obtained. The worse thing about this one is 13 others lost their lives and the gunman survived at least he had the decency of doing this in Texas where death is used constantly as a punishment.

RIP boys

So a few anxiety attacks and sweating bullets for most of it I came out alive. The whole thing was a total cluster fuck. They handed out the questionnaire and didn’t even tell you if you choose yes to any of them if you would be treated. Imagine if you waited 4 hours to find out you couldn’t get the shot.

Waiting in line for 4 hours is something a solider is use to so it wasn’t that bad, but there was people in the 350 lb range (women) dragging chairs and not letting the elder sit down. Two people brought dogs with them as they pissed on the floor they ignored it. One even took out a hearing aid label for her dog, and with no hearing aids she was carrying on pretty good. I spent the afternoon twisting to get people to talk to my good ear.

The came the needle the nurse jabbed me pretty hard, and I could help telling her so as well. I guess after 500 people that day you get sloppy. But it’s all good now and just have to wait for the regular shot now.

So yesterday was my birthday and my regular dive buddy, John and Pat Coyne from Pat’s Charters in Kingston took me out to the Comet and Marsh for some birthday diving. That was after my Dr’s appointment where he announced that it was time for a drug shakeup. I got my ticket paid for to head to Grenada and some apple pie to boot. Life yesterday was simple and today when I finally crawled out of bed I went for a drive instead of the Gym.

I also started uploading pics to the site mostly Scuba ones and soon more then that but little bit at a time.

Soon I will finally get a break but sometimes being busy helps the mind for the time being. I haven’t much time to myself the last couple of months and now am feeling the run down feeling I suffer from. At least I have been able to get the students trained and ready to go for the upcoming school year classes being held in Florida and Bahamas.

So this weekend is the start of the end of the student season and off to get some personal diving in as well. The best part of this year has been the absence of the local clowns raising, stirring and spreading rumours.

I have also open a few more sites for the diving public and plan on revealing a few more before the boats come out as well for shore diving access providing we get the line in for safety reasons.

This class was just like the good ole days and the students learned and made the course for me. Ross who took the blunt of the punishment was a solid stand up guy for the weekend and almost became the diver of the weekend, but I have to give that to the 2 girls who on the last dive just nailed it. For the AOW students I shedded a tear of pride when Serge was flat and knees up watching the students go through what is now known as the circle of death.

The circle of death is the name of the new line laid in the quarry, what I have been doing is bringing them to the small hole at 8 feet. The start off doing a fin pivot and when ready to swim follow the line, stopping at the car hood, toilet, boat, car, boat, boat, boat, table all doing a drill at each stop. By the third time around all where hovering and flat.

Thanks for making my weekend good as the winter sets in I will reflect on it.