how not to celebrate new year's eve

by Kylie

Since we know how people love to laugh at old photos of us, I thought I'd oblige with some New Year's photos that my loving father sent me from a New Year's Eve, a long, long time ago.

Once upon a time, Kylie Mac was a much younger creature than she is today (as most of us are), and didn't despise the cold as much as she does today.

These pictures are from the day that her internal thermostat broke.

Yes, Dear Reader, I went ice diving and spent my New Year's under the ice.
Crazy?
Absolutely.
Do I recommend it?
In words of one syllable, Hell. No.
Unless you like shivering to death and hypothermia.

Don't I look happy?

Well, I'm not.
'Cause I've learned that I don't like shivering to death or hypothermia.
Diving = fun. Freezing = not.

You can't tell from the photo, obviously, but I'm shivering, very very hard.

I have NEVER been so cold In. My. Life. And I don't think I've ever fully recovered. To this very day. I've been scarred for life.

It didn't help that there was a leak in my dry suit. It's called a Dry Suit, people. Because it's supposed to be just that - DRY. And, if you can believe it, there are actually people who dive in Wet Suits in the freezing (as in ICE, hello) cold water ON PURPOSE. Insane-o people. Not that I'm going to mention any names.

DAD.

My Dad, being the clearly insane creature that he is, has done a New Year's Eve Ice Dive, with his dive club (MUD Club - Michigan Underwater Divers) every year since before I was born. Which means that there are more crazy people out there than just him.

Frightening.

Thankfulness

by Katia

I'm always happy to embrace the cultural celebrations of others. Bastille Day. Chinese New Year. Thanksgiving.

I am still recovering from the onslaught of antibiotics after that horrible (spider?) bite, so I was not able to attend the belated Thanksgiving celebration thrown by a good friend here in Paris.

I was a bit pouty, but I hear that some of K_Sam's delicious dinner rolls I was craving might have been put aside for us, so all is not lost. I'm thankful for friends who think of me. And I'm thankful for all the people who I've had the chance to meet through the podcast. And I'm thankful that my family is happy and healthy. And I'm thankful that the Muffin Man still sticks by me, through toe incidents and crazy infected insect bites.

Oh, and I'm kindof thankful that I didn't have to eat pumpkin pie. Cos really, who thought of that?