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 1^st 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 1: Roommates

Episode 2: You've Got To

Episode 3: The Cheerleader and the Boyfriends
Episode 4: Study Buddies

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

How to Survive The Broncos Being Crushed by the Seahawks, graciously...

I'm very disappointed in the outcome of Superbowl XLVXIII. I'm a long-time Bronco fan -I switched from my Washington Redskins (growing up in that area) not long after moving to the Denver in 1983. (When they crushed The Broncos 42-10 in Superbowl XVIII I knew they needed more fans.)

The first step to survival is to be a gracious loser. I've already responded to Seattle fans I'm close to with a congratulations. I am not blaming anyone in particular on my team for the loss. I am not blaming the referees. I'm not really blaming anyone. It's football. One team is better than the other and they win the Superbowl. Congrats Seattle fans, your team played well and deserve the win. Your defense truly is amazing, and that guy (#11?) with the Despicable Me skinny legs can run really fast.

Another way to survive a loss this bad is to endure it with friends. We were all crushed, but we were together, and the food was fabulous. In fact, to console myself I'll be sharing a recipe at the end, a la my good friend (and minion!) Jo, of Jo Food, My Travels, and a Scent ofChocolate.

When you're with friends, you can be yourself. You can yell and scream and swear (sorry Mom and Dad, but it really helps me in the dealing with the loss part...) You can communicate with just a look. You can stuff yourself silly with good food and libations.

We had it all: two kinds of gourmet chips, fresh salsa, veggie tray with interesting veggies instead of the boring normal. We had Snow White tomatoes, the ones we call “poppers”! We had 7 layer dip – one of my all-time favorite dips and such a treat. Our hostess, who is a wonderful cook and gardener made an amazing pork stew.

I contributed Baked Potato Bites, the recipe Jo had shared.

Contributed by Patricia, serves 12

Comforting and filling for game day, yet elegant enough for the dressiest dinner party.

Ingredients

2 ½ pounds baby red potatoes, cut in half

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 slices bacon

1 cup sour cream

½ cup mayonnaise

4 small green onions, trimmed, sliced thin

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

1. Toss potatoes in oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Place a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender and lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
2. Cook bacon to desired crispness; chop into small pieces. Set aside.
3. Blend sour cream, mayonnaise, half of the green onions, shallot, parsley, bacon, and cheese in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Place roasted potato halves on a large platter. Top each potato half with with a large dollop of the sour cream mixture. Sprinkle each with chopped bacon and sliced green onion.
5. Leave remainder of sour cream mixture in a small bowl for extra toppings.

Here's the picture Jo included.

Here's how mine looked. 

 I decided to let each person top their own. I saved a little of the bacon (because I cooked a whole pound, not just 6 slices.) The huge bowl of cheese is OYT's “one cup” of shredded cheese. We served what we didn't use in the mixture...

As to serving size, there were four of us. 3 potatoes were left.

Thanks, Jo, for the recipe.  I think I'll have those three left-over ones for breakfast...just got the newspaper.  Sigh.

~Tina