sore but good
vblood911, then we headed out to the Bronx. She drove because she's good at that, and we made a deal. I'm not going there if I have to drive. Anyway, shabbat happened. It was awesome. Secrets were revealed, games were played, alcohol was consumed. This custom is just my speed. Very relaxing. Also? cholent is really tasty. I love vblood911's friends nearly as much as I love my own. Today, I got to try the patience of a large group of them.Went tubing. Sounded like so much fun. I love water parks. I figured it would be a slightly-less-lazy river. Nope. Felt more like drowning. Wanged my knees on some rocks. Swallowed some water. Couldn't get back in the tube. Succeeded only to fall out again. Terror set in. Lots of river left to go. Abandoned the river for an impromptu hike back to civilization. I just could not do that anymore! I can't remember a time I've been more scared. Pretty sure I bruised my tailbone or maybe just pulled every single ass muscle an ass has. I'm barely ambulatory at present, and the transition from sitting to standing (or vice versa) is agony.
I know that all sounds pretty awful, and that stuff was pretty awful, but the day was not. For one thing, I was with
vblood911, which always makes everything better. For another, her friends are amazing. Every time I flipped the tube or washed up on the side of the river or got stuck in a tree, one or more of them paddled over and checked on me, gave me a pep talk, made sure my injuries were superficial and minor, and didn't mock me or tease me at all. They took really good care of me. When I left the river, I wasn't alone for long. I got to climb my way up a rocky hill, carrying a heavy tube, with a friend. We bonded over our mutual tubing trauma and laughed about it over water and nachos. That was amazingly fun. We showed up at the restaurant looking like castaways fresh from a shipwreck, haggard and drippy. The only reason we had money is because we got a refund for not finishing the run. Haha! Awesome! Best $18.50 I never spent. Once we found the road, a tubing crew member spotted us and gave us a lift back to the rental headquarters barn. Boy, did he get an earful. He was proud of us for keeping the tubes, I think. I bet most deserters leave those heavy bastards in the river.We were a group of 17, and I bet I could tell you every name. (Spelling doesn't count: Pamela, Yasmin, Amin, Nika, Matt, Steve1, Steve2, Ariella, Judah, Shanee, Yonni, Naomi, Yochai, Ben, Erin, Allison, and me -- anyone want to challenge me to name everyone I saw in the Bronx?). Most of these were friends I'd met before. I love that I almost seem to fit in. I love that everyone is so welcoming and sweet. I love that conversations are intelligent. I love that I laugh and smile with these people, even when my ass hurts more than anything else has ever hurt before. :) Haha! It was such a good day. It'll be fun to joke about my near-death experience while I'm waiting for my various aches and abrasions to heal up. I still can't remember how I made my hand bleed...
I just took off my sock and found the top of my foot had started healing to it. Ouch. I didn't know I had damaged the top of my foot. Heh heh. Here are some pictures. They don't do the knee wanging justice. It's much more swollen and colorful in person.
Almost as good as that time I picture-framed my hand half to death, eh? Why do you click these links?!
