It's Winter Carnival!

Happy Winter Carnival! There's no school today, which is GREAT (though of COURSE one of my professors decides that having a midterm essay due by noon today is fair and just) and it's a beautiful day outside!

Also, I just participated in the Polar Bear Plunge!! It's as it sounds: The school cuts a chunk of ice out of Occom Pond and students line up to jump in, in just a bathing suit, swim across and get out! Completely normal, right? (Welcome to Dartmouth.)

It's been a tradition for almost a century (Winter Carnival centennial -100th anniversary - is next year!) and is a lot of fun. Standing, waiting with my friends, signing a waiver for the activity - and it is HEAVILY patrolled; EMS, S&S, etc. - and finally having the "leash" put around me (some rope in a slip knot around you basically) all leads up to that fateful jump with everyone watching you--

AND THEN FREEZING. My body went into overdrive and immediately started paddling to the other side. I was cold and numb all over, but five minutes after felt so refreshed and relaxed! And the beautiful day made it all better.

Moral of the blog post: Do the Polar Bear Plunge.