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Half-Drowned Heroes in a Half-Shell

Every February for five years running, Jason and I have shouted an anxious battle cry and then charged into the frosty depths of Utah Lake. This year we again participated in the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Utah, even though the frosty depths refused to take their part in this ritual.

Jason and I made turtle shells out of disposable roasting pans.
Jason and I made turtle shells out of disposable roasting pans.

Utah has had the most bizarre weather the last few months. We’ve had little snow and even less winter. While this strange alteration in climate is sure to impact fauna and fowl alike, far worse than that, it has impacted me. No winter = no ice = no plunging polarly but I’ll get back to that in a moment.

This slippery chute added an entertaining element to the plunge.
This slippery chute added an entertaining element to the plunge.

Our plunging team this time consisted of six friends and friends of friends. We decided to dress up as characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, all of the green guys plus April and Shredder. I came as Leonardo, fitting as I am such a responsible leader. (I’ll have none of those remarks from you!) And Jason appeared as the technological genius Donatello, which is also appropriate.

Yes, that water was every bit as cold as our shocked faces suggest.
Yes, that water was every bit as cold as our shocked faces suggest.

Since the aforementioned lack of cold and precipitation left Utah Lake low and iceless this February, Special Olympics came up with an alternative strategy for their event. Their plan consisted of a massive pool accessed by a slick slide, which was placed at the side of the lake. We were a little disappointed at first when we found out we wouldn’t be jumping into the marina but the slide and pool turned out to be pretty fun…and quite polar. Yes, oddly, the absence of ice-bogged waters didn’t really warm up our dive. As confirmed by a thermometer, the pool’s temperature was just a few degrees above freezing, plenty frigid enough to take breath and courage away.

This picture was among the ones featured in the news.
This picture was among the ones featured in the news.

Our polar plunge may have been atypical this time in that neither lake nor ice was involved but it followed normal patterns in many other ways. The water we tumbled into was, as ever, glacially inhospitable and, as in years past, our gang was interviewed by local news channels and featured in the newspaper.

This was my best attempt at a turtle face. Good thing I don't try doing turtle often.
This was my best attempt at a turtle face. Good thing I don’t try doing turtle often.

A big thank you to those that donated to help the Turtles support some very special athletes. Due to your generosity, we raised more funds than all but two teams, over a thousand dollars in total.

Rachel March 9, 2015 No Comments

EL Wired

Last September, Jason and I took a Salt Lake Comic Con cosplay class: Adding Light to Cosplay. There we learned how to make hoods accented with EL wire but we didn’t finish our course projects for months. Now they have finally been masterfully completed so allow me to masterfully tell you all about it…or tell you about it as masterfully as someone who keeps using the word “masterfully” like they don’t know any other adverbs can.

Do your eyes deceive you? No, this manly specimen is stitching away.
Do your eyes deceive you? No, this manly specimen is stitching away.

Adding Light to Cosplay was an interesting class. It demonstrated that EL wires really aren’t too tricky to sew with. Plus, as an added bonus, it included an Arduino lecture with programming techniques for those nifty microcontrollers. Although sewing machines and supplies were prepped so attendees could theoretically take home a completed hood at the end of the evening, I didn’t want to wait in line to share a machine when I could hog my own luxurious appliance at home. Consequently, instead of being stitched that night, our hoods waited in pieces near my elegantly-needled contraption for months. After the fog of Halloween and Christmas http://nygoodhealth.com distractions dissipated, I remembered that we still needed to complete those glowing cowls and was shocked to hear that Jason actually wanted to assemble his himself.

Jason was going for more of a sinister looks with his color selection. I, on the other hand, was not about to join the dark side.
Jason was going for more of a sinister looks with his color selection. I, on the other hand, was not about to join the dark side.

While tutoring Jason was nearly as time-consuming as just making his myself, I appreciated that he didn’t simply expect me to assemble it for him, which is what I expected. Despite Jason’s supervision needs, the hardest thing about fashioning our hoods at home wasn’t my apprentice, it was my memory. Since the instructions were given to us orally months ago, I couldn’t recall their exact details. Luckily, thanks to years of fumbling with threads, my adlibbing resulted in items perceivable as hoods to the naked eye.

Jason and I are both satisfied with our EL experiments. I am particularly pleased that Jason’s didn’t turn into a luminescent blob. Nicely done hubby! Interested in EL attire? If Jason can sew with EL, anyone can. I mean that literally.

Rachel February 11, 2015 3 Comments

Our Poised Holiday

Family goes with Christmas as much as fruitcake, maybe because both contain nuts. (Ba dum tss.) Jason and I are grateful that we have lots of relatives around to enjoy that merry season with us. However, we also like to have time for our own festive traditions. Finding the perfect balance between familial socialness and insistent seclusion isn’t always easy but our merriments equalized alright this year.

Christmas crackers are a Sabin family tradition.
Christmas crackers are a Sabin family tradition.

We spent Christmas Eve among Jason’s kin. We ate a delightful meal with them and then opened piles of gifts. Their present-opening operation, per custom, included paper missiles and bow hairdos.

On Christmas afternoon we visited my family and did a round of gifting with them. Music is a holiday standard with my gang so pianos, violins, and even whistles were whipped out repeatedly during this gathering.

These were one of my many handmade Christmas projects: knitted slippers for my sister-in-law.
These were one of my many handmade Christmas projects: knitted slippers for my sister-in-law.

After those rounds, Christmas evening was ours to spend alone. Hark the herald angels sing! Jason and I prepared and excessively consumed chicken Marsala and cranberry spinach salad before even touching our presents to each other. Cooking a nice meal is a favorite Christmas tradition for us, albeit a tradition we can’t always accommodate with our relative schedule.

Jason and I always hope for a few quiet hours together on Christmas.
Jason and I always hope for a few quiet hours together on Christmas.

With full bellies, we did eventually get around to ripping off our wrapping paper. Jason spoiled me once again with more loot than anyone deserves. Between boarding goggles and an iPod touch, I experienced a lot of material weight gain that night.

But why limit seasonal expansion to the material realm? Jason and I kept up the baking during our Christmas break with treats like Yorkshire pudding. In my opinion, nothing is merrier than fixing fancy holiday fare with those you adore most.

Merry Christmas to all and to all an ideal blend of extended family partying and reclusive celebrating!

Rachel January 20, 2015 No Comments
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