What An Education!

Good Labor Day Monday, September 3, 2018 21:24:30 MT to you.

I have been reading about atmospheres absolute (ATA) while my chamber has been inflating.  My left ear did not like the pressurization today. I don’t even want to yawn because it hurts. I put peppermint essential oil on my ear lobes and neck before I came in here but o my, did my left ear tell me that it was not happy. I learned that the gauge can be raised or lowered to accommodate the ear. If a slower inflation will benefit my left ear, we will do just that.

I have been stating 1.3 psi in these blogs, when in actuality the 1.3 is in atmospheres or (ATA). What does that mean? I had to do the research so this is what I have found…my soft chamber fills up with air and finally reaches its designed pressure inside. It is 1.3 ATA or about 4.4 psi on the pressure gauge. Valves open to maintain those numbers. Fresh air is pumped in and stale air exhausts until the dive is done.

Interesting what a person can learn just by having an investigatory mind! I have always been curious about things in life. I remember taking a transistor radio apart and labeling each piece so I could put it back together properly. I succeeded. I took out all of its parts that were removable and put them back and it played for me for years. I boiled a frog and a toad that were already dead so I could remove their bones. Yes I did, Then I labeled each bone and recreated their skeletons in shadow boxes for a science project in fourth grade. I found out why tv tubes were dangerous to touch while the tv was plugged in. I even discovered why matches were best lit one at a time! So today was no different. I had examined the pressure gauge outside of the chamber yesterday and was puzzled by the numbers on the outside and inside of the color code. Now I know. Science is fascinating, isn’t it!

I had a great day with my Mom. We talked for hours. I read her Ezekiel 47 and told her how very much God loves her. We also played cards. I need to play cards more often because I realized that counting and remembering the numbers was difficult, especially if Mom was talking about something else and was waiting for a response from me. An amazing things happened while we played cards. We play a game that me and our kids called “Grandpa/Grandma” because they are the ones who taught us the game. I just looked the game up online and it is officially called “Three Thirteen.” Dad and Mom (aka Grandpa/Grandma) called it Texas Poker! So, we played today and I did not score one point the entire game. That has never happened to me. Mom had a very low scoring game with less than 35 points (I do not remember the actual number but it was very low). We marveled in the fact that in the 11 hands I won 9 of them. Nice!

So, my left ear is tender and does not want to pop but the initial pain is not present. I also found out yesterday that resting my back against the cool vest was pleasant enough so I did it again today. I am resting my neck on the cool towel too. I did remember to bring in the personal fan that I aim directly at my chin.

What An Education it was to better understand the pressure inside this chamber. Do I really understand? No, I am not physics knowledgeable. D has sent me a few texts trying to assist me in understanding ATA and psi. All I know is that I do experience life differently in this chamber and I am trusting that it is benefiting my brain.

My Mom and I talked about my high school education today. I am so grateful for the parochial education that my parents paid for. I am grateful that I did not have to experience public education until college. But I had a terrible experience in my junior year of high school that is still evident when I talk about it. I drove to school one day with a girl who lived close-by. She jumped into the back seat of my car in the parking lot and made out with her boyfriend. I had no idea they were going to do that! I got called into the high school principal’s office that morning and there sat my Mom. I was so worried that something had happened to my Daddy. Mom was crying. I ran to her and asked her what was wrong. The principal told me to sit down and explained that I was expelled and to go to my classroom and my locker and clear out. I was to leave the school grounds immediately and never return. I did not understand what had happened. I was not a bad girl. I did nothing wrong. Why was the principal punishing me? I returned to the classroom and removed my belongings in tears. My teacher called me over to her and I told her that the principal has expelled me for something I did not do. Friends of mine told our teacher that as soon as I parked my car, I had gone to the grassy area where we always sat before class. They had seen me leave my car. The teacher gave them permission to go the principal’ss office and report what they knew. The principal did not want to listen to them. She was not going to believe them. I never returned to my high school. I wanted to graduate with the girls I had grown up with. I was forced to leave in disgrace when I was completely innocent. I might have graduated from another parochial high school but it never felt like home. I was removed from my safe haven and punished for someone else’s actions. The girl who was in my car that morning never admitted that she was the person in my car nor was she ever confronted by the principal. The girl graduated from the high school pregnant by the guy. Sad. I have heard that she is divorced too.

Life….What An Education!

Suz