Burning Man Decompression | October 2008

I have re-published my photoblog pieces from October 2008. Click here for the set: www.flickr.com/photos/jasperswardrobe/sets/72157623058949…
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October 2008 was the beginning of my artistic journey. I was wearing my first Urban Genderqueer outfit outside of Black Rock City. I grabbed my camera during Burning Man Decompression and started approaching strangers and asking for their pictures. I worked non-stop for five hours. I built rapport with hundreds of people, while presenting as genderqueer. I started this project of documenting the people I built rapport with, This has remained a major part of my work.
- I also got strangers to photograph me in my genderqueer outfits. In this case the strangers were documenting me and their rapport with me.
I was exploring gender in San Francisco, using both text and image. the photoblog posts contained in this set were all published on Flickr as well as <a href="http://jasperswardrobe.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow">jasperswardrobe.wordpress.com</a>

– I started midoctober, so these photos represent a period where I first started moving towards conscious use of feminine markers like color and tightness.
– I started writing and publishing descriptions of my street fashion photos. To begin with it was a way to make myself publish. I was using streetfashion sites like The Sartorialist as an intial model.
– This series of street fashion gave me ideas for color combinations. I started collecting cotton basics for women because they had had color and an elegant fit unlike the Men’s cotton which was colored in the palette of army fatigues. Escaping the drab colors and baggy fit of men’s clothing was like a liberation.
– The model for my fashion were the hip trans-masculine Female-Born that I saw at Screwup, the bdsm goup for transflok and genderqueers.
–I was spending a lot of time shopping in the thrift stores.
– I also started scrounging around Dolores Park and Hippie Hill in the Haight looking for interesting fashion to document.
– I was just starting my four month lesbian relationship with Anka. Anka was transitioning from anti-male dyke to straight girl. All she knew was relating to girls, she gave me space to be a girl and mentored me on and Women’s Homosocial Interaction and Lesbian Culture.
-I made new friends among the Barrista’s at the coffeeshop "On The Corner" they provided the social support network for my first steps towards public crossdressing. Rebecca and Emily at Venus Superstar also became friends and coached me on fashion and makeup.
- I had started bonding with Female-Born Femmes around makeup and clothing. I was exploring Femme Sociality, and found that it felt like coming home.

My dad and my wife met me at the Montgomery airport Thursday morning. My wife surprised me by bringing my dad down from Ohio.

So, I’ve been home for two full days now, and it’s been great to finally be here.

I went into work briefly Thursday to turn in my weapon and pick up my inprocessing checklist. I began tackling that on Friday.

Once I complete the checklist, I’ll be able to take time off of work. In fact, I plan on taking off the entire month of January.

I was so close to done on Friday, and then the finance office closed on me. So, I’ll need to go back Monday, complete the checklist, turn it in, and then I’ll be free for a while.

I plan on growing my old goatee back. It will be just like Edward Norton’s except that when I grow the goatee, I won’t be evil.

Stenosis is defined as the narrowing of a neuronal passage.  It can occur in the spinal canal where the spinal cord transverses (Central Stenosis) or at the neural foramen where the peripheral nerve emerges from the spinal column (Foraminal Stenosis).  Symptoms typically denote which form is present but X-ray imaging and MRI will definitively diagnosis the problem.  Foraminal stenosis typically presents with pain in one leg that is exacerbated by rotating and bending to the same side of pain.  Central canal stenosis typically presents with pain in both legs that is relieved with forward bending at the hips.  In both cases it can be very painful and can cause neurologic symptoms due to compression of nerve tissue.  The pain may be accompanied by tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, and loss of balance and/or coordination.    Without treatment permanent nerve damage can occur.   

     Cases increase in incidence with age, commonly affecting people over the age of 50.  Causes include advanced arthritis, disc bulges and herniations, and overgrowth of surrounding tissues and ligaments.  Examination and testing should be done to rule out serious vascular issues (Vascular Claudication).  Vascular compression clinically presents differently than neurogenic stenosis.  Most notably, vascular compression causes pain in the lower leg and foot and is usually not accompanied by back pain.  It does not usually have sensory deficit signs such as numbness.  Skin changes may be present in chronic states such as hair loss on the lower leg and foot, ulcers, and discoloration.  The affected leg may also be colder to the touch than the non affected side.  If you do suspect vascular compression immediate medical attention is recommended.  

     Cases of stenosis of the spinal cord or spinal nerves respond very well to conservative forms of treatment such as physical therapy, chiropractic, and manual therapy.  Conservative treatments should be considered before invasive back surgery in most cases.  Dr Collin Dolan of Dolan Family Chiropractic in Aurora, IL has successfully treated stenosis in his practice for years.  Using a special chiropractic table, Dr Dolan can manually decompress the affected area and open up the passageways to take pressure off the nerve and relieve pain.  He incorporates physical therapy and special stretches to help relieve pressure from the area.  Through education, patients suffering from stenosis pain can learn ways to relieve the pressure and live relatively pain free without the use of harsh prescription drugs and invasive back surgeries.  If you have any questions for the doctor call (630)236-3090 or check out the office website at http://Dolanchiro.com.

Decompression illness, or DCI, is a term used to describe an illness that results from a reduction in the ambient pressure surrounding a body. There are two types of DCI: Decompression sickness, which is the result from bubbles growing in tissue causing local damage, and Arterial Gas Embolism, which results from bubbles entering the lung circulation, traveling through the arteries and causing tissue damage at a distance by blocking blood flow at the small vessel level.

What causes a diver to get DCI?

There are several reasons why a diver may get DCI, but among the most important ones we can list: rapid ascents, exceeding no decompression limits underwater, flying immediately after diving, being dehydrated, diving after an illness or fracture, deep diving etc.

Who can get DCI

Although every diver is susceptible to get DCI, there are some factors that increase the risk. Obesity and age are two of the most important ones. Divers with those characteristics should always dive under the supervision of their doctors.

How to avoid DCI?

1) Avoid deep dives. If you are a recreational diver the maximum recommended depth is 30 mts / 100 feet.

2) Ascent at a rate that does not exceed 18 mts / 60 feet per minute

3) Make a safety stop at the end of every dive

4) Do not make decompression dives without the proper training and equipment.

5) Understand your dive tables and /or computer and never dive beyond their limits.

6) Drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids before, after and in between dives.

7) If you are taking prescription medications, seek your physician advice before diving.

Wait at least 24 hours before flying.

In conclusion, understanding DCI is the best way to prevent it. Should you have any questions, ask your doctor, dive shop or instructor.

Decompression illness, or DCI, is a term used to describe an illness that results from a reduction in the ambient pressure surrounding a body. There are two types of DCI: Decompression sickness, which is the result from bubbles growing in tissue causing local damage, and Arterial Gas Embolism, which results from bubbles entering the lung circulation, traveling through the arteries and causing tissue damage at a distance by blocking blood flow at the small vessel level.

What causes a diver to get DCI?

There are several reasons why a diver may get DCI, but among the most important ones we can list: rapid ascents, exceeding no decompression limits underwater, flying immediately after diving, being dehydrated, diving after an illness or fracture, deep diving etc.

Who can get DCI

Although every diver is susceptible to get DCI, there are some factors that increase the risk. Obesity and age are two of the most important ones. Divers with those characteristics should always dive under the supervision of their doctors.

How to avoid DCI?

1) Avoid deep dives. If you are a recreational diver the maximum recommended depth is 30 mts / 100 feet.

2) Ascent at a rate that does not exceed 18 mts / 60 feet per minute

3) Make a safety stop at the end of every dive

4) Do not make decompression dives without the proper training and equipment.

5) Understand your dive tables and /or computer and never dive beyond their limits.

6) Drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids before, after and in between dives.

7) If you are taking prescription medications, seek your physician advice before diving.

Wait at least 24 hours before flying.

In conclusion, understanding DCI is the best way to prevent it. Should you have any questions, ask your doctor, dive shop or instructor.

Decompression illness, or DCI, is a term used to describe an illness that results from a reduction in the ambient pressure surrounding a body. There are two types of DCI: Decompression sickness, which is the result from bubbles growing in tissue causing local damage, and Arterial Gas Embolism, which results from bubbles entering the lung circulation, traveling through the arteries and causing tissue damage at a distance by blocking blood flow at the small vessel level.

What causes a diver to get DCI?

There are several reasons why a diver may get DCI, but among the most important ones we can list: rapid ascents, exceeding no decompression limits underwater, flying immediately after diving, being dehydrated, diving after an illness or fracture, deep diving etc.

Who can get DCI

Although every diver is susceptible to get DCI, there are some factors that increase the risk. Obesity and age are two of the most important ones. Divers with those characteristics should always dive under the supervision of their doctors.

How to avoid DCI?

1) Avoid deep dives. If you are a recreational diver the maximum recommended depth is 30 mts / 100 feet.

2) Ascent at a rate that does not exceed 18 mts / 60 feet per minute

3) Make a safety stop at the end of every dive

4) Do not make decompression dives without the proper training and equipment.

5) Understand your dive tables and /or computer and never dive beyond their limits.

6) Drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids before, after and in between dives.

7) If you are taking prescription medications, seek your physician advice before diving.

Wait at least 24 hours before flying.

In conclusion, understanding DCI is the best way to prevent it. Should you have any questions, ask your doctor, dive shop or instructor.

The first dive near Key Largo on our club trip was the Spiegel Grove. This was the first and only dive I did on double tanks, which meant we had a good long dive and I felt more comfortable on the long swim throughs. Here’s a video of the most interesting one, according to our charter operator, Conch Republic. This video covers most of the swim through, although it took the first 20 feet or so to get the camera sorted out for video.

A minor source of embarrassment was forgetting to set my computer to Nitrox until 16 minutes into the dive as you can see in the log. This caused it to calculate longer decompression than was required but I didn’t mind hanging out on the line. Rich wondered what the hell I was doing as he had little or no obligation whatsoever. It was definitely less of an issue than diving a Nitrox profile on air.

Spiegel Grove 20091122

It’s been a hard, fast two months for me. I’ve been busier than I’ve been in a long time and more distracted. I can’t remember the last time that I was so behind in all the things I need to do. My room needs cleaning. My bathroom needs to be severely scoured with Lysol. Laundry has piled up. There are literally stacks of books, papers, notecards, coupons, and receipts piled haphazardly around my room. I can’t keep things straight. I’m living off coffee and determination at the moment. It’s a tiring thing. Plus, I’m a perfectionist (or at least I try to be) and right now, when I’m unable to be what I am due to time constraints, I get very irritable.
It’s sad but true. I need time to decompress. I need it to be Wednesday the 9th so that this terrible, awful, ridiculously-long semester is over. I need the time to breathe. I’ve neglected my friends and my own spirit. I’m tired of running. I need everything to slowly spin to a stop so that I can get off of this rollercoaster for a second and restructure my life.

Thank God that Christmas is just around the corner. I’ve never needed this break more than I do right now.

Looking back, September to now has been full of attempts, trials, struggles, and the constant questioning of “is this the right thing for me?”. I gave something a chance because I felt that it deserved another time around the block. I felt that if I didn’t put myself out there and try again, I might always wonder what could have been. Well, I’ve done that. Yet, I reached the conclusion that what you think you need, isn’t always what is best for you. I’ve also learned that just because someone else loves you, doesn’t mean that you can manufacture the self-same love for them out of your own hearts.

It’s very hard to look into the face of such dedication and say “you are not for me” and “there is someone else out there for you who is infinitely better suited for you.” It feels like you’re slapping them in the face, but really you’re just setting them free to find that person who is their other-half.

Of course, you won’t get any credit for that because it looks like you’re being selfish. But that’s something I can live with, because I know that I made the right decision. It’s not ok to sacrifice your own happiness and be with someone because they love you. Love is 100% from both parties involved. If someone isn’t loving, the other person will know and it will hurt them eventually. It’s better to know this upfront and make the decision earlier than to prolong something that will inevitably hurt worse as time goes on.

It’s never easy to hurt someone. If it is, then you’re a bad person. Because in hurting someone else, I break my own heart. But I have to trust that God doesn’t give me insight, knowledge, and feelings for nothing. I have to trust that they mean something, and that I’ve acted out in them in the right way.

I’m going to keep waiting on God to prepare me, mold me, and shape me into the woman that He desires–knowing that as I do so, His plan is being fulfilled. And nothing is better in this life, that being in the very center of God’s will for my life.

Day 1 of the club’s Florida Keys wreck diving extravaganza took us to Key West to dive the Keys’ most recent artificial reef, the USS (ex-) Vandenberg. While some of us had brought our technical gear along, these dives were done as recreational dives on standard Aluminum 80 cubic foot tanks.

After being sternly warned about not penetrating the wreck due to the usual hazards plus the threat of collapse, we were encouraged to try the numerous swim throughs in accordance with our desires and abilities. I can only speculate that the area around the designated penetration areas is made of stronger stuff and doesn’t collapse.

We went through one behind the bridge section at about 118 feet deep. Being equipped with standard AL80 tanks, we didn’t do anything extreme, just short excursions through from side to side. One that we started down had a bunch of stuff hanging from the ceiling so we exited the way we came rather than risking getting entangled. I think the risk was low but without a redundant air supply it is better to be safe than sorry.

There were also a remarkable number of jellyfish around, including inside the wreck. Some people got stung, and on that dive I had bare legs but managed to escape them.

Being deep air dives with my computer on a somewhat conservative 30/85 gradient factor setting, I picked up a little deco obligation on both dives. Neither were onerous, not much more than a “mandatory safety stop” that I would have had with tables. While the wreck hasn’t been down long enough to accumulate a great deal of sea life, it is quite large with lots to explore. I could spent several days there.

Here’s the logs for both dives. By the time the second one was finished the sun was starting to go down so we were treated with a gorgeous Key West sunset and a view of some really nice yachts on the return trip. The dive operators, Lost Reef Adventures, were friendly and competent and conveniently hung a bottle at 15′ which none of us needed. They are also located within a few feet of the dock so getting to and from their boat was simple and quick.

Vandenberg 1

Vandenberg 2

I flew down to Ft. Lauderdale from Toronto on Thursday night (wreck diving in the Keys) and had an interesting problem.

Curious to know what the barometric pressure was in the aircraft cabin (about 790) I turned on my Shearwater Pursuit. I’m pretty sure I turned it off but I’m not totally certain.

The next day, while getting my gear together, I noticed it was not only on, but it showed that I was at a depth of 7 feet. The only way I could turn the computer off was to remove the battery. Fortunately a Canadian dollar coin was available.

I just downloaded and installed Version 0.9.9 . I was wondering why it wasn’t released as Version 1, but found out the next day that Version 1 had been released. The first snag I ran into was trying to move the dives from my beta version 0.9.3 to the current version didn’t work.

Reloading worked fine, although dives 1 and 2 are lost as I’d exceeded the maximum of 32. New features appear to be dive export and print. I was disappointed that a double-click on the list of dives doesn’t bring up the details like it did in the beta version. Not sure why that was taken out. You have to go to the menu bar and select “dive graph” to see it.

The Print function is a definite improvement over doing screen grabs like I’ve used in the past for this blog. It puts the graph at the top of the page and the details at the bottom, which I think is a nice layout. I printed one of my dives to PDF for your amusement. One minor nuisance is that you have to save you details before they’ll show up in the print function.

Dive 27

As for the export function I have no real use for it, but it will spit all the data from the log in either csv or xml formats, just in case there’s some useful analysis to perform on it. Here’s a piece of the xml detail.

You can see that I’m in mandatory deco (NoDeco=0) and that I’m breathing EAN71 and the water temperature is 71 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m currently on the 20′ stop at an actual depth of 26′. Some of the information here, like the mix, is recorded in the details but not accessible through the program’s user interface. I would have liked the breathing gases to be recorded. The details allow you to enter the breathing gas (presumably the back gas) manually. The software however is quite useful and is also a free download, so I’m willing to wait for all my favourite features.

There’s also a header record that shows about 25 parameters like the start time, start and end battery voltage, and other things.

An odd thing about the dive list is that when I did my download, dives 34 and 35 were at the top of the list, which 3-33 followed them in numerical order. I’m not sure why, but I wonder whether it’s a reflection of how the dives are stored in the computer. However, clicking once on the dive # column header set them up in their proper order, while clicking again puts them in reverse order.

I saw an interesting slide at the UHMS GLC meeting in October. It compared dive profiles that were virtually identical except for a very deep bounce at the beginning of what was otherwise a “square” profile. The presenter stated that there were less observed bubbles after the dive that began with the bounce than the one that didn’t.

That’s quite astounding. One would think that starting a dive with a bounce would increase the number of bubbles, not decrease it. This result seemed to support some of the claims made by bubble model proponents that neo-Haldanean compression models miss opportunities to exit from deep dives earlier. The effect is explained by the theory of micronuclei, which can be made up of very small bubbles that already exist in the bloodstream, which grow larger in the presence of supersaturated inert gas (i.e. Nitrogen or Helium) and cause problems. The deep bounce crushes these micronuclei to a degree where they do not easily accrete dissolved gases and grow to a size that would cause the diver problems.

Sounds intriguing, but I’m still not convinced that this is safe enough for my personal use. I worry that certain environmental conditions or dive profiles would result in a reversal of the effect and the onset of serious DCS. I’m probably full of “it” on this topic but if one model predicts I’m going to be fine and the other predicts I’m going to be writhing in agony, I’m going to err on the side of staying down a little longer.

Just got back in town from a Burningman decompression party. Now I need a decompression party for the decompression party. Most of the decompression parties cost about $15-20. This one, being hosted by my brother, was free. You were just asked to bring something to BBQ or eat, and a bottle of liquor. Oh if you need a place to stay, then you needed to bring a blanket too. There was only about 100 people there but that was more plenty to make it worth while.

This years theme was mullets so it was highly recommended you wear a mullet. Some were bad, others were worse. I cannot say any were good.

If you were going to drink, there was only one way to do it and that was down the liquor luge. The liquor luge was a 300 pound block of ice with channels carved into it for alcohol to flow down. You just simply planted your lips at the base like you were eating her out and someone poured you a drink. By the design of the carving you could even have drinks mixed on the way down. Maybe I will break my rules and post a picture of it. Yeah, I should.

I did something I thought I would never do at this party. I will not get into details of it but something not illegal, (not for me at least) but very very shameful. I could not stop myself from repeating it for most of the week. My point is, have you ever been in the position where you are doing something and you know it is morally wrong but you still do it anyways? You know you should feel regret but you repeat it again? Think about that hard. How would you handle it?I cannot say I would never do it again either. In fact, I am looking forward to it.

I’m out… finally. It felt like forever, although I know it was less than a week. I went in on Wednesday morning and came home on Monday night. I can’t say that this surgery was “easier” than my first on the 21st, but I can say that I’m catching up on a lot of missed sleep. I had a hip decompression on the left side because Dr. F found the AVN before it did any real damage. I’m forever indebted to him for that. I can’t begin to verbalize what these surgeries mean to me or the freedom they’ll give me. I’ll have recovered completely by Dec. 9th. I haven’t decided how I’m going to celebrate but I will find something to do.

S will be here in two weeks!! I’m really excited to see him, it’s been far too long since we last saw each other. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking of his trip up here… I’m looking forward to spending time with him and laughing with him.

Report by Leigh Cunningham, TecRec Instructor and TDI IT

The re-named HMS Victoria was the flagship of the British fleet in the Mediterranean during that late part of the 19^th century. Just off the coat of Lebanon, Admiral Tyron, at the helm of the Victoria, ordered a maneuver in coordination with the HMS Camperdown a few kilometers off the coast of Tripoli (Lebanon).Tragically, admiral Tyron had miscalculated the safe distance between the two mammoth battleships and a collision occurred. On June 22^nd 1893 the HMS Camperdown struck the starboard side of the HMS Victoria, around the coal bunker area causing catastrophic damage, leading to the sinking of the Victoria approximately 5 kilometers off the shore of Tripoli, North from Beirut. Over 350 hands went down including the Admiral with the ship, in the short time it took to sink. The propellers of the Victoria were still running as the ship plunged into the deep blue, ramming the ship vertically into the sea bed, where she lies today.

All logistics technical or otherwise for the expedition were provided and handled by Alain Sassine and Walid Noshie of The National Institute for Scuba Diving (NISD), Beirut, Lebanon. I led a team of eight divers who conducted six dives over six days. The initial dives were spent on the SS Lesbian, the Torpedo wreck and a very large Russian freighter. Depths varied between 45-67 meters over the initial dives, the team conducted bottom times ranging between 25 – 45 minutes with 90 -150 minute dive times, using trimix and EAN.  Back gases used twin 12 and 15 litre manifolded steel cylinders with Trimix 18/35, EANx32, EANx80, EANx50 and O2 in 12 liter single aluminum cylinders.

The most impressive wreck dive aside from the Victoria was the SS Lesbian.  This large freighter was scuttled outside Beirut harbor in 67 meters of water. Five minutes from the Jetty and the NISD diving centre.

Diving the Victoria

The Victoria itself was absolutely amazing! This is one of a few wrecks to be resting bow down, at a 90 degree angle. The bottom mix for the Victoria was Trimix 10/60, the intermediate mix was Trimix 18/35, with EANx32 and EANx80 for deco.

At approximately 55 meters the stern section with huge propellers and rudder come into view. This section was being constantly circled by a large school of Jacks. Neil Black, my buddy and I, continued down the middle of the deck to 112 meters. After passing the huge stern gun we continued to a lower level and saw stacks of intact crockery inside the wreck through holes in the deck. Due to respect for the dead and the Victoria being a military grave, we took nothing apart from some video footage. The wreck proved to be one of the greatest dives of my life. However, the depth of the wreck therefore requires precise planning and logistical support.

Many thanks to Alain and the dive trek team and all expedition members involved. We look forward to further exploration on the Victoria next year.

Yesterday (October 24th, 2009) I attended the 30th annual meeting of  the  Great Lakes Chapter of the Undersea and  Hyperbaric Medical Society. For reasons I’ll explain at another time, this is probably the last meeting of the chapter, due to reorganization of the parent society.

There were many interesting talks, but one thing really stuck in my mind about the state of hyperbaric medicine in Canada – and that is that it isn’t taken seriously enough. Hyperbaric medicine is used in the treatment of several ailments, including

1. Air  or gas embolism
2. Carbon monoxide poisoining
3. Clostridial  myositis and myonecrosis (gas gangrene)
4. Crush injury, compartment syndome and other acute ischemia
5. Decompression sickness
6. Enhancement of healing in selected problem wounds
7. Exceptional anemia
8. Intracranial abscess
9. Necrotizing soft tissue infections (like necrotizing fasciitis a.k.a. flesh-eating disease)
10. Ostemyelitis
11. Delayed radiation injury
12. Grafts and skin flaps
13. Thermal burns

One particular aspect of the above was in  the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, which often would otherwise result in amputation. With the population (like me) aging, diabetes is becoming more common and the incidence of this problem will grow proportionately.

However, when we visited the Hyperbaric Facility at Toronto General Hospital and asked why it wasn’t in use at that time, the reply was that there was no funding to pay for technicians. Meanwhile it seems that private hyperbaric facilities are popping up all over the place for treatments that have no proven benefit, putting, as we heard, the situation as on where a clinic “can charge patients for hyperbaric oxygen therapy for conditions that is doesn’t work for, but cannot charge for condition for which it can”.

Per capita Canada has about 10% of the number of chambers as the US available for physician-prescribed HBOT. Part of this I’m sure is the stringent controls on private facilities  that  can avail themselves of  government funding,  and of public facilities  that can access private funds (i.e extra-billing  which was outlawed decades ago  by the government of Pierre Trudeau).  But it also seems there is a general ignorance and/or  scepticism with regard the to usefulness of HBOT, and the leaders of the  chapter are campaigning for greater awareness and education amongst the medical community.

Let’s hope they succeed. Access to recompression chambers for emergency use  is essential to divers, but actually provide greater benefits to the general public. That’s a double win.

I picked up this pointer on the Ontario Diving web site.  It’s  the proceedings of the Baromedical and Environmental Physiology Group of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 18–19 December 2008, in Trondheim, Norway and looks pretty interesting, although it’s still downloading as I write this. It  has an appendix the entire seminal document on  decompression sickness (“The Prevention of Compressed Air Illness”) by John Scott Haldane, which makes up about a third of its almost 300 pages.

I was pleased to read the  following sentence in one of the papers: “Nevertheless, there is no clear evidence, to date, that diving, in the absence of serious acute damage, leads to long-term neurological dysfunction.”  That’s good news, I think.

In this video I delve into a subject that I have touched upon many times. Presenting as a ’sexy woman’ gender generates resistance, anger, fear and lust among straight men. It puts me into a homologous position as a female. I get to know the ‘Man’ identity category as an outsider.
It started when I realized that many straight men felt free to voice lust towards me when no one else was watching.
However, I never really felt right on the inside of the ‘Man’ identity category. Most progressive straight women extend recognition to me as a member of the identity category ‘Woman’ as long as my clothing marks me clearly as disidentifying with ‘Man’. I had to unlearn a lot of ‘Man’ category discursive behaviors. I had to learn to take up no space. it is a sort of withdrawal of ‘Will’. I had to learn to listen and play a supportive role in ‘Woman’ category groups. That was surprisingly easy to learn as soon as the ‘Woman’ category was projected upon me along with an expectation of those behaviors. At the same time I made space for the ‘Woman’ listening and supporting skills by disidentifying with ‘Man’ and internalizing a virtues of what a ‘good Woman’ is like.

My ‘Woman’ is much more mature and grown up than my ‘Man’. My ‘Woman’ is patient, caring and in touch with her emotions. She lets the boys win their games and gains strength through flexibility like a Willow in the Wind.
Other girls open up their hearts to her in a way that is not possible between category ‘Man’ and category ‘Woman’.
see also Men Take Up Too Much Space

Jasper at Decompression 2008 read the original post

Let yourself decompress some times….

*jules

Report by Rod Abbotson, DSAT Tec Trimix Instructor Trainer

Looking down into the abyss, perched on the edge of cliff at 75m , we simultaneously wrote on our slates “We need to come back with a different mix”. This was the final dive of a Tec Trimix course I was running in 2007.

My student was Dorit Yoseph, an Israeli school teacher.

After building her depth experience she returned to Aqaba to explore further down this cliff to 104m. The site now became known as “Dorit’s Deep”. That dive revealed a huge bluff protruding out into the black at 95m, dropping down vertically on three sides covered in fan corals of many colours.

In June 2008 Dorit and myself explored down to 131m on the south side of the bluff.

We spent the lengthy final stops drinking fruit juice and snacking on bananas. When Dorit returned to Israel she was surprised to find that she was the deepest Israeli Diver for both male and female divers.

She came to Aqaba this October and we completed a series of warm up dives building up depth. As I was intending to use a Pelagian DCCCR Rebreather for the dive she also needed to be familiar with my kit and prepared for emergencies so we went through many scenarios that could happen at depth and practised what we would do including controlled buoyant lifts on each other with all the equipment we would be carrying at depth. During this period we built up the rest of the support team led by Chris Bowmer who I had trained in 2005.

The day finally arrived and we prepared and checked all the kit. On the boat the support team helped us kit up finishing in the water when extra tanks were attached. Final deco gas was staged in a sandy area below the boat. Safety divers accompanied us to the descent point where we left them and headed down. The viz was fantastic as we descended over the cliff at 75m and down to the bluff at 95m  after which we entered the twilight zone and the water below became inky black, we descended down the side of the bluff to 144m then turned the dive starting the long ascent! So on the 16^th October 2009 we achieved a depth of 144 msw. We extended our deco at the last stop by a further 20mins, rested at the surface while team members removed our kit and provided hot sweet tea, once on board the boat we stayed on oxygen for 30 mins as a further safety precaution.

This goes to show that the DSAT Tec Trimix divers can extend their limits to the pinnacles of technical diving providing they build up their experience gradually and with patience. Dorit was pleased to also consolidate her record as the deepest Israeli Diver and I had successfully proved that the Pelagian DCCCR unit was easily capable of making such dives.

I’m glad to see that the Wikipedia definition of Equivalent Narcotic Depth uses (1-FHe) instead of FN2 as the basis of the calculation. The difference between these two is that the older way of using the partial pressure of Nitrogen leaves out the current theory that Oxygen is more narcotic than Nitrogen, and the current practice of assuming that their narcotic potential is equivalent, as it is believed that in practice Oxygen is less narcotic than the theory would suggest due to partial metabolism by the body.

So how does this change the END? So let’s use 20/40 trimix like the Wikipedia example. With this mix, 60 metres should feel like 32 metres. Using the old formula, where Oxygen is treated as equivalent to Helium rather than Nitrogen, the END would be .40/.79*70-10, or just over 25 metres. That’s quite a difference.

I also found a web site that took into account the theoretical narcotic properties of Helium in one method of calculation, which is considerably less than Nitrogen. I’m not convinced that is valid as at some of the depths people are diving at now (over 200 metres), the Narcosis would be intolerable.

For instance, in the Deon Dreyer accident at Bushman’s Hole, he was diving at 270 metres with 4/80 trimix. If Helium was counted at 23% of the Narcotic effect of Nitrogen, his END would have been 97.5 metres! That’s almost double the value if Helium isn’t counted.