Wednesday, August 13, 2014

College Life: Episode 9: Snorkeling, College Style

For the summer, once a week I'll be sharing a story from my college days at CSU, 1984-1988. I will leave links at the end of each post for previous episodes.

(Mom and Dad, another post to read at your own risk of bursting the bubble of whom you though I was in college...)

The Cheerleader, our suite mate, taught Mary Jo and me to snorkel one Saturday, right before a football game. (There are links below to previous episodes if you want to get caught up and you don't even need to wait for the whole season to be released on Netflix!) It was the only time I ever went snorkeling of this particular nature. Snorkeling on Kauai is much more fun and so much better for your liver...

First, you need the right glass. I considered drawing a picture and thought, “Hey, you could totally find one online! That way if anyone reading this is inclined to get completely drunk in about 10 minutes, then they can order one here!”  Back then, kids, the internet was called going to the library and yeah, you could so not get a snorkeling glass there.



The football game was at noon, and she had talked for DAYS about how her friend had finally followed through on a two year old promise - getting Tara her own snorkel glass. We had to learn, and now, because then we would be able to watch the game buzzed. 

We were 18, drinking age 21 for anything except 3.2% (by weight) beer. It was about 10:30 am, and as one of the cheerleaders, she only had a few minutes to teach us before she had to report for warm-ups.

Let me share how this special glass is used. Pretend you are making a mixed drink. Pour the non-alcoholic part in the bottom of the glass, then pour the alcohol at the top of the glass.  It floats, and they don't mix. I was going to look up density and all that science stuff but you can if you want to know why, but you can see in the picture how they're separate.

The idea then is to drink the whole glass like your chugging a small soda. You don't taste the rum going down, and then you're just drinking pepsi. Turns out that I did it perfectly my fist time. 

Mary Jo had many more problems, because if you don't drink the whole thing all at once, it does combine and then you DO have a mixed drink which inexperienced drinkers can't just chug. It took her a long time to finish her 1st drink, which we made her pour into something else if she was going to take so long.

We needed that glass back! So I, the very inexperienced drinker snorkeled three time. Tara four. I don't know why she thought this was wise considering what I'd already watched her do during games. 

I don't know why I found it wise to drink so early in the morning. Three drinks in ten or so minutes is a lot for anyone. Let's call it peer pressure. Then I'll admit that I have free will and did this to myself, and went and lay on my bed for a while.

My study buddy/Rocky Horror friends came to pick me up for the game (I was asleep) and asked me why I was so drunk. I said snorkeling. They said, “So have you learned your lesson?” I assured them I had. 

They took me, fed me, and said “There there” when I began to sober up and start to feel... not so normal...They made sure I got to my room, where I promptly went to bed, having no idea if Tara fell off the top of the pyramid, could still stand on the guys hands, or do her back-handsprings.and no idea where MJ (Mary Jo) was. At least I wasn't locked out of my room.

Next time I snorkeled was in 1996, in Kauia, no alcohol involved.



~Tina, who learned a lesson the first time for probably the only time in my life...

©2014 All Rights Reserved
Photo credits snorkel glass
Real snorkeling, Swissie or Windex, not sure who took it.  That's me at the top of the picture ;-) with the Engineer.

Episode 5: A Physics Prank
Episode 6:  Marvelous Marble
Episode 7: I Don't Hate My Laptop Quite as Much
Episode 8:  My Days as a Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan

16 comments:

JoJo said...

My college years overlapped yours, 82-86, and no one heard of snorkeling here. We played quarters and caps sometimes, but snorkeling must be a midwestern thing.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

So much for the game.
I roomed with the beer elves my first semester in college. After watching them, I wisely decided to do very little drinking.
I won't recap my twenty-first birthday. Needless to say, it was the only time in my life I was drunk. I learned my lesson as well.

Kate @ Another Clean Slate said...

I can see why you didn't snorkel for a while!

Suzanne said...

Hi, visiting via the A-Z Road Trip. Fab tale, I keep thinking I should write down some of mine, but then again, maybe not LOL I do remember a friend in a Maths lesson when I was 14 telling me the Gordons Gin bottle really did contain gin. I didn't believe her and proceeded to drink it in the lesson. It did contain gin and I have never drunk the stuff in my life since LOL!
Suzanne @ Suzannes-Tribe x

Brian Miller said...

i am having bad college hang over flashbacks at this point...man, i was stupid...ha

Rachel said...

I've never heard of that until now. At least I know to say no if somebody offers!

Most likely, it was your bloodsugar that made you feel so sick. Alcohol turns to sugar in the bloodstream, plus the sugar from a soda chaser or the natural sugars from a juice, it can lead to a very bad time. Just a thought.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I started on a glass of wine before noon one Thanksgiving, but I can't imagine drinking rum and Pepsi and getting that drunk before noon. After dinner, yes - I've done that.

Jo said...

I'd never heard of snorkeling either. Well not with booze that is. Not something I would fancy at that time of day either.

Andrew Leon said...

I've never even heard of this before.

Unknown said...

I've never snorkeled, with or without alcohol. Sounds like most college fun.

shelly said...

I have a couple of drinking stories myself.

Mason Canyon said...

I don't think I could take this type snorkeling before noon. I'd be more of a late afternoon snorkeler. :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Tina - 'snorkelling' - well I'm glad I didn't have to do that .. I enjoy a drink, but not the enforced sort. I'm glad you learnt a valuable lesson though .. and snorkelling proper looks to be amazing fun - I've never done that either.

I'd have slept all day I think! Still at least your friends looked out for you .. cheers Hilary

Unknown said...

To snorkel, you have to swim, and I only learned that two years ago. I must give the snorkeling gig a try, and hope I don't have to learn any lessons. SO good to have you back, Tina.

cleemckenzie said...

Yes, I remember a few of those college lessons. One involved Tequila and a surfboard. I remember the words I muttered the next morning. "Never again."

Lisa said...

Okay, I've never heard of this before!!! Learn something new every day!