![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Happy Belated New Year!
Jan. 2nd, 2005 11:32 pmI spent my New Year with Phill. We ordered pizza, watched American Wedding, then the ball drop (I had only found out that Dick Clark had a stroke when I turned to the channel and saw Regis hosting instead). Then we went to sleep. Pretty standard by now. In the morning, we got up, got dressed and headed down to Coney Island.
For those of you reading who have no idea, Coney Island is the best (okay, not really, but I think it's fun) beach evar, especially in the summer, and Keyspan Park is right there on Surf Ave. too, so I meet Lou often to go to Cyclones games. Anyway, every January 1st, hundreds of people gather for the Polar Bear Swim, where very stupid people -- like Phill -- voluntarily brave the icy waters of the Atlantic (I think Phill's in the 20th picture in the gallery... it's hard to tell because there are a lot of people, but it looks like him). Why they do this, I don't know, but the tradition is more than a hundred years old now, so why the hell not?
As you know, Saturday was a gorgeous day; at least 60 degrees. Needless to say, LOTS of people came out for the Swim. Before the Swim (we got there hecka early because the diner was closed so we couldn't get breakfast), we were entertained by Red the Wonder Dog and the Hungry March Band. I dig that band heaps. They need a flag, though... >:) I looked around at everyone's costumes... Poseidon was there, a few mermaids, and several Speedo people... including this one dude wearing a TINY blue one. I thought he was particularly brave. Phill complained a bit about neither Jerry (from Sunnyside) or Eddie (someone in his paramedic class, apparently) showed up.
Well, the Swim started and I lost Phill almost immediately. I couldn't see him at all; the reflection of the sun off the water was so bright, not to mention the rows and rows of people and my height (or lack thereof). But the second he came out, somehow, I was able to spy him, called his name and we were good to go. He was dripping from head to toe.
But since it was SO NICE out, and I was feeling bold, I wanted to try. Phill thought I wouldn't, so I knew I had to, and I went. NEVER AGAIN. The water was so cold that it was worse than ice. It felt like a thousand knives stabbing my feet and my legs (I went calf-deep). It hurt so much and my feet were tomato red by the time I made it back to Phill, and he was only a couple of yards up on the shore. We walked back to the boardwalk slowly because we were barefoot.
While Phill was changing in the bathroom, I noticed a woman staring at me. And it was weird because she looked VERY familiar. I could have sworn I'd seen her someplace before. Then I noticed a young man standing next to her, who looked a LOT like my brother's friend Aidan. I called his name, but he didn't respond, so I figured it was a coincidence. But the woman was still looking at me. Phill and I were leaving when I passed and she said, "Venus?" "Pat?" Turns out she was exactly who I thought she was. Aidan (I keep wanting to spell it as Aidyn, Luce... lol) was my brother's best friend in kindergarten and all throughout grade school (they split up when Matt when to a different junior high and remained friends, but not on that same level). We chatted and caught up a bit, and turns out blue speedo dude was Chris, Aidan's older brother. He's 21 now (wow.... we're old) and looks SO different. Aidan does too; he's lost a lot of weight... and his voice is... normal. It's lost its goofiness. A few minutes later, we turned to go, wondering where to get something to eat.
We were walking down the ramp when we spotted Jerry. He'd finally shown up, and it was lucky that we caught him. So we went back to the beach, Jerry jumped in, ran out, and we all got our certificates. We got pizza, went on the F, then the 7, all the way up to 46th St., where Jerry lead us to a cheap movie theatre. Only $5! We saw Meet the Fockers. Not as good as Meet the Parents, but it had its moments. After that, we went home, and Phill took me all the way to the end at 179th St.
When I got home, my sister was in the middle of an asthma attack. Oh. Right.
I forgot to mention that part. Friday afternoon, before I went out to meet Phill at his house, I got into a shouting match with my sister. That's the family I complained about. My sister brought her two sons, her husband and their daughter into an already-cramped house. I think there are a dozen people here now, including two babies. X_X Anyway. Friday afternoon, Laverne (my niece) was making noise, and I can't fault her because she's only a year and a half old, but my nephews were being all sorts of loud, and people were screaming about fifteen dollars for some reason. And this is where I live. I'm entitled NOT to hear all this nonsense. So I commented, to myself, "There's too much noise in this f'ing house." My sister overheard, and said, "Who are you talking to?" "I'm talking to myself." "WHY DON'T YOU LOWER YOUR VOICE?!" "Why don't YOU lower YOURS!" and it went on from there. And she'd been drinking -- at one o'clock in the afternoon -- and such. It was stupid, but she was being stupid. And she deserved every attack I sent flying at her (my "mal" was out in full force). So she wasn't talking to me.
Anyway, she was in the middle of an asthma attack and the paramedics were called and I heard the word "intubate" and I got excited because I think it'd be cool to see that (though VERY uncool to have done to me). They took her to the hospital where she stayed overnight. Then there were some other things that happened when she got home this evening.... there's always a whole lot of drama when she visits. And my mom's starting to see the light... she doesn't want them visiting anymore. I hate to tell my parents "I told you so," but.... There's a reason I don't want to be considered part of this family. -_-
Okay, need to end with a happy note... Fa should do the trick. Hurray for solfege syllables!
( Stolen from Jay )
For those of you reading who have no idea, Coney Island is the best (okay, not really, but I think it's fun) beach evar, especially in the summer, and Keyspan Park is right there on Surf Ave. too, so I meet Lou often to go to Cyclones games. Anyway, every January 1st, hundreds of people gather for the Polar Bear Swim, where very stupid people -- like Phill -- voluntarily brave the icy waters of the Atlantic (I think Phill's in the 20th picture in the gallery... it's hard to tell because there are a lot of people, but it looks like him). Why they do this, I don't know, but the tradition is more than a hundred years old now, so why the hell not?
As you know, Saturday was a gorgeous day; at least 60 degrees. Needless to say, LOTS of people came out for the Swim. Before the Swim (we got there hecka early because the diner was closed so we couldn't get breakfast), we were entertained by Red the Wonder Dog and the Hungry March Band. I dig that band heaps. They need a flag, though... >:) I looked around at everyone's costumes... Poseidon was there, a few mermaids, and several Speedo people... including this one dude wearing a TINY blue one. I thought he was particularly brave. Phill complained a bit about neither Jerry (from Sunnyside) or Eddie (someone in his paramedic class, apparently) showed up.
Well, the Swim started and I lost Phill almost immediately. I couldn't see him at all; the reflection of the sun off the water was so bright, not to mention the rows and rows of people and my height (or lack thereof). But the second he came out, somehow, I was able to spy him, called his name and we were good to go. He was dripping from head to toe.
But since it was SO NICE out, and I was feeling bold, I wanted to try. Phill thought I wouldn't, so I knew I had to, and I went. NEVER AGAIN. The water was so cold that it was worse than ice. It felt like a thousand knives stabbing my feet and my legs (I went calf-deep). It hurt so much and my feet were tomato red by the time I made it back to Phill, and he was only a couple of yards up on the shore. We walked back to the boardwalk slowly because we were barefoot.
While Phill was changing in the bathroom, I noticed a woman staring at me. And it was weird because she looked VERY familiar. I could have sworn I'd seen her someplace before. Then I noticed a young man standing next to her, who looked a LOT like my brother's friend Aidan. I called his name, but he didn't respond, so I figured it was a coincidence. But the woman was still looking at me. Phill and I were leaving when I passed and she said, "Venus?" "Pat?" Turns out she was exactly who I thought she was. Aidan (I keep wanting to spell it as Aidyn, Luce... lol) was my brother's best friend in kindergarten and all throughout grade school (they split up when Matt when to a different junior high and remained friends, but not on that same level). We chatted and caught up a bit, and turns out blue speedo dude was Chris, Aidan's older brother. He's 21 now (wow.... we're old) and looks SO different. Aidan does too; he's lost a lot of weight... and his voice is... normal. It's lost its goofiness. A few minutes later, we turned to go, wondering where to get something to eat.
We were walking down the ramp when we spotted Jerry. He'd finally shown up, and it was lucky that we caught him. So we went back to the beach, Jerry jumped in, ran out, and we all got our certificates. We got pizza, went on the F, then the 7, all the way up to 46th St., where Jerry lead us to a cheap movie theatre. Only $5! We saw Meet the Fockers. Not as good as Meet the Parents, but it had its moments. After that, we went home, and Phill took me all the way to the end at 179th St.
When I got home, my sister was in the middle of an asthma attack. Oh. Right.
I forgot to mention that part. Friday afternoon, before I went out to meet Phill at his house, I got into a shouting match with my sister. That's the family I complained about. My sister brought her two sons, her husband and their daughter into an already-cramped house. I think there are a dozen people here now, including two babies. X_X Anyway. Friday afternoon, Laverne (my niece) was making noise, and I can't fault her because she's only a year and a half old, but my nephews were being all sorts of loud, and people were screaming about fifteen dollars for some reason. And this is where I live. I'm entitled NOT to hear all this nonsense. So I commented, to myself, "There's too much noise in this f'ing house." My sister overheard, and said, "Who are you talking to?" "I'm talking to myself." "WHY DON'T YOU LOWER YOUR VOICE?!" "Why don't YOU lower YOURS!" and it went on from there. And she'd been drinking -- at one o'clock in the afternoon -- and such. It was stupid, but she was being stupid. And she deserved every attack I sent flying at her (my "mal" was out in full force). So she wasn't talking to me.
Anyway, she was in the middle of an asthma attack and the paramedics were called and I heard the word "intubate" and I got excited because I think it'd be cool to see that (though VERY uncool to have done to me). They took her to the hospital where she stayed overnight. Then there were some other things that happened when she got home this evening.... there's always a whole lot of drama when she visits. And my mom's starting to see the light... she doesn't want them visiting anymore. I hate to tell my parents "I told you so," but.... There's a reason I don't want to be considered part of this family. -_-
Okay, need to end with a happy note... Fa should do the trick. Hurray for solfege syllables!
( Stolen from Jay )
