Another Action-Packed Weekend!

Do you recognize this woman?

I was flipping through channels, and happened to see Perry Mason utterly destroy her credibility on the witness stand. I thought, "Dude, you should look her up later, when you end up in a wheelchair; maybe she could help you out then."

Anyway, Friday started out with a good swim practice, followed by a 7-mile run with my buddy Reynold. It was nasty windy when we got to the pool, so after swim practice we debated options in the locker room -- but when we went outside, we saw that it had turned into a fairly pleasant day. I wore long pants and long sleeves, but didn't need gloves. The air was calm. The only real problems with the run were the snow and ice on the path...and the fact that Reynold is just a little too fast for me. He set a very challenging pace, and completely wore me out.

But that's what workout buddies are for, right? I mean, sure, there's the enjoyable social aspect of it, but in the end, you always appreciate being pushed a bit. I could definitely feel it in my legs on Saturday. It was a good run, and a great way to begin the weekend.

On Saturday morning, I went over to 24-Hr Fitness to pump some iron. I hadn't done a really strenuous lifting session for quite some time, and it felt good to go into the locker room afterwards feeling that shaky, vibrating feeling that tells you it was time well spent. I zipped home for a couple of hours to do some chores, and to decide how I was going to approach the Polar Plunge. I intended to be over at the Grant Ranch lake by 11:00.

I decided I'd wear my rubber sandals, my thickest pair of sweat pants, and a fuzzy-lined hoodie, with my swimming suit underneath (of course). I was ready.

Unfortunately, I had misread the event description. The plunge wasn't supposed to start until noon. So I apparently would be standing in the snow (in my sandals) for an entire hour. I'm no dummy, though, so after about a half hour of watching ice crystals form on my toes, I walked back to the car to get a pair of boots.

While we waited, the guys with poles and shovels were working hard to chop a big enough hole in the ice. There was a small fire going down by the shoreline, and a plate of cookies at the top of the hill. I spent the time chatting with Reynold and his wife, and was having fun. But eventually, it was time for to take the plunge.

Reynold went in with the first group. (That's the top of his head in the photo. He looks like he's trying to swim butterfly...but I think it was really just a brief dunking -- with style points.)

It was fun to watch. There were varying degrees of emoting, a few smiles, and quite a few incomprehensible hoots and whoops. (Reynold looked much happier once he was back on shore and began to reapply warmth to his feet.) But everyone who had come intending to get in the water did it...and even a couple of onlookers changed their minds and took a dip with the rest of us.

I was especially impressed with Cliff Crozier's kids. (I kinda wonder if this sort of thing is recommended as a family bonding experience by a majority of child development experts, but hey -- they all seemed to be having fun.) Dean and his friend took their dip, thought about it for a while, and then decided to go back in for seconds. I have to confess that I also thought about making a return trip, but was starting to feel a little discomfort in my toes, and was a little afraid of permanent nerve damage. Yeah, I know, that's a wimp attitude, and I'm very ashamed.

Other than that, though, the only complaint I have is that there was a hidden shelf of ice about a foot beneath the surface. The ice-chopper dudes had busted a nice clean surface keyhole for the plunge, but were unaware of the extra danger below. Several of us encountered this shelf as a sharp pain in the leg as we rammed into it on the way out of the water. I felt the impact, and began to warn others to be careful to avoid it, but otherwise didn't think much about it. My legs felt fine, despite the underwater impact.

OK, the truth is that I couldn't feel my legs. It wasn't until someone looked at me and gasped that I thought to look down. There was blood everywhere. (The photo shows what it looked like after I cleaned it up and tried to stop the bleeding. Before that, it was much messier.) But as I said, it didn't hurt a bit. It just took a while to clean up. And worse than that, as long as I was bloody, I didn't want to put my pants back on...and it was kinda cold out there.

No worries, though. I eventually got myself put back together, and jumped in the car to drive to Golden to join my friends for a trip to the National Western Stock Show. (That story will have to wait until my next post. Be sure to check back -- it will feature videos of authentic Wild West action reenactment.) I did worry for a while, because as the car's heater kicked in and I started to warm up, my toes began to hurt pretty badly. I began to fear frostbite or something...but in another 15 or 20 minutes, normal feeling returned, and I felt pretty good.

Anyway, back to Perry Mason, et al. The photo at the top of this post is from one of the many, many roles played by versatile actress Meg Wyllie. She was on numerous TV series and soap operas, and worked steadily for several decades. But her most enduring role will surely be "The Keeper" in the original Star Trek pilot episode starring Jeffrey Hunter. This pilot show was later recut with Kirk and Spock and fashioned into a 2-episode feature titled "The Menagerie". Both the 2-parter and the original pilot are literary classics, dealing with the eternal theme of what it means to be human.

The "wheelchair" reference was to the fact that Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) later played a character called Ironside, who was confined to a wheelchair. In "The Menagerie", Mr. Spock's mutinous behavior was committed in an attempt to give comfort to his former commander, who was now confined to a wheelchair. See?

Sorry to go all Kevin Bacon on you there, but sometimes these cosmic connections just need to be discussed. Anyway, the point is that if you want to keep yourself filled with the human spirit it takes to defeat vein-headed telepathic aliens, you really should sign up for the polar plunge next year. That's all I'm trying to say.

Embrace the ice, my friends, and have a great day!