A little back into the grind now. John's back at work, but I still have another week's vacation. I suppose I'll have to use it to clean the room, since we just spent a whole week messing it up.
New Year's was okay. We went to Lane's cottage as usual, but this time there were a lot of people that we'd never met before and probably will never meet again. We did the usual and chopped a hole in the ice for the polar bear dip, however this year someone came up with the stupid idea of making a second hole so that someone could swim from one hole to the other. Never mind that it would be incredibly dangerous when sober, let alone for people who'd been drinking for two days. Anyway, for some reason, John ended up doing about 80% of the work on the second hole while the rest of the guys watched. John lost a hoe head in the first hole, and broke an axe in half on the second hole. Remind me to swim on the right side of the dock come summertime. Anyway, he doesn't feel bad about breaking/losing the hoe and axe, because, well, he did most of the work.
So, just after midnight, we all bundled up and trudged down to the lake. Lane jumped in, then Pat did. For some odd reason, Pat forgot to take off his glasses and lost them when he cannonballed into the water. He got out, shivered on the ice, and was instantly sobered up by the fact that he had lost his 2-week old glasses somewhere 4' below our feet. He didn't want to go warm up because he was upset about his glasses, even tho our token med student was advising him that he'd get hypothermia soon and to get inside or get in the hottub. So John said, "Pat, I will get your glasses." That's all he had to say, and Pat backed down and went to the hottub. So we waited until the water settled, and moved the worklight around until we could see the bottom. Thank goodness John's spent the last few summers teaching me to see things under water...like fish, and one actually swam by while we were looking for glasses... and then, I saw the glimmer. I saw the frames! John slid in slowly so as not to disturb the mud, and then paydirt! He got out and we ran to the hottub, where we both got kisses from Pat. :) I'm just thankful that no one was stupid enough to swim through both holes. Two years ago, I thought trying to burn through the ice with gas was the epitome of idiocy, but apparently I was proven wrong.
In any case, I retold that whole story so that 1) I'd have something to look back on when I re-read my entire blog one day and 2) because I'm very touched by the nature of John and Pat's friendship. Just hours before the whole glasses thing, they were talking about how they've got each other's back. And then, whaddya know - it's tested right there on the ice. John just simply said that he would get Pat's glasses, and that was enough.
Before midnight, while in a semi-drunken stupor, Pat told me that he thought I was good for his friend John. He's told me this before, about a year ago, albeit in a much more drunken birthday stupor. Why does Pat have to be drunk to tell me these things?? Anyway, I'm touched regardless, because I know Pat feels that way for real. It's nice to have sort of the best-friend-blessing, or whatever you call it. I'm pretty sure that one day, Pat will be standing there with us as we say our vows...... that is, if I'm not eternally mad at him after the bachelor party. :)
New Year's was okay. We went to Lane's cottage as usual, but this time there were a lot of people that we'd never met before and probably will never meet again. We did the usual and chopped a hole in the ice for the polar bear dip, however this year someone came up with the stupid idea of making a second hole so that someone could swim from one hole to the other. Never mind that it would be incredibly dangerous when sober, let alone for people who'd been drinking for two days. Anyway, for some reason, John ended up doing about 80% of the work on the second hole while the rest of the guys watched. John lost a hoe head in the first hole, and broke an axe in half on the second hole. Remind me to swim on the right side of the dock come summertime. Anyway, he doesn't feel bad about breaking/losing the hoe and axe, because, well, he did most of the work.
So, just after midnight, we all bundled up and trudged down to the lake. Lane jumped in, then Pat did. For some odd reason, Pat forgot to take off his glasses and lost them when he cannonballed into the water. He got out, shivered on the ice, and was instantly sobered up by the fact that he had lost his 2-week old glasses somewhere 4' below our feet. He didn't want to go warm up because he was upset about his glasses, even tho our token med student was advising him that he'd get hypothermia soon and to get inside or get in the hottub. So John said, "Pat, I will get your glasses." That's all he had to say, and Pat backed down and went to the hottub. So we waited until the water settled, and moved the worklight around until we could see the bottom. Thank goodness John's spent the last few summers teaching me to see things under water...like fish, and one actually swam by while we were looking for glasses... and then, I saw the glimmer. I saw the frames! John slid in slowly so as not to disturb the mud, and then paydirt! He got out and we ran to the hottub, where we both got kisses from Pat. :) I'm just thankful that no one was stupid enough to swim through both holes. Two years ago, I thought trying to burn through the ice with gas was the epitome of idiocy, but apparently I was proven wrong.
In any case, I retold that whole story so that 1) I'd have something to look back on when I re-read my entire blog one day and 2) because I'm very touched by the nature of John and Pat's friendship. Just hours before the whole glasses thing, they were talking about how they've got each other's back. And then, whaddya know - it's tested right there on the ice. John just simply said that he would get Pat's glasses, and that was enough.
Before midnight, while in a semi-drunken stupor, Pat told me that he thought I was good for his friend John. He's told me this before, about a year ago, albeit in a much more drunken birthday stupor. Why does Pat have to be drunk to tell me these things?? Anyway, I'm touched regardless, because I know Pat feels that way for real. It's nice to have sort of the best-friend-blessing, or whatever you call it. I'm pretty sure that one day, Pat will be standing there with us as we say our vows...... that is, if I'm not eternally mad at him after the bachelor party. :)
