A sweaty hour with a mens' rubber suit

I know, I know, this blog is getting boring. I am trying to get back into the water, but if I even think of it I get cold. Here's the update: I ordered a 7 mil wetsuit---women's!---from a scuba dive outfit. They make warm scuba suits for women; go figure. It arrived looking all jazzy and sexy, and was easy to get on, but didn't fit right. Even though I ordered the smallest size there were just pockets and pockets of surplus rubber. I can't imagine that they wouldn't fill up with freezing cold water. Wetsuits have to fit tight, right? Maybe it doesn't matter so much in scuba diving because you're not jumping and paddling and bending all the time. I don't know. But the suit had to go.

I guess there is no other solution---but I dread it---of dragging myself to the surf shop and spending a sweaty hour in a cramped dressing room wrestling myself into mens' rubber suits.

The first time I ever tried that was November of my first surfing year and the experience made me resolve to give up surfing until summer. I get panicked and claustrophobic in that second or two when you're not quite into a zipless suit but can't escape from it either. I've got to try again. Perhaps it will be better this time. I'll try to remember to breathe and not panic.