The water was cold. -

About 42 degrees in Coney Island, although what really hurt was the wind chill (3 degrees) , and the overall temperature outside (20 degrees).

I ended up going with Harry George, who i met at the Waltz open mic. He met me around 11:50 or so after my 3.7 mile run. We ended up going upstairs where I still had to get all my things ready as he waited and talked to Marie for a little bit (actually, it was more like 20 minutes - I am still pretty bad with time).

So we left Astoria around 12:15 or so, and BQE'd it to Belt Parkway and arrived at Coney Island around 12:50. Parked in the Keyspan stadium where they house the Brooklyn Cuclones, the Double AA baseball team. And we walked to the boardwalk, where we saw a ton of people all gathered up in one section on the boardwalk.

They started to move towards the beach, and so did we. We ended up jogging a little to the beach where everyone else was, and already saw some people (mostly 20-30 somethings)strip all the way to their bathing suits. And everyone started to wait.

We saw Adam Sullivan and his girlfriend Stacy right in front of us, which we were trying to rendezvous with, so that was pretty luckly. They started stripping and I took pictures.

Then the whistle blew. Like it was a track meet.

Many ran towards the water as if it was a suicidal charge. Screaming, whooping, hollering. Kinda like how they did all those battles in Braveheart, when the "uncivilized" Scots ran straight into the English army and beat the f$ck out of them. Now replace the English Army with the water, and the charging Scotsmen with brave New Yorkers. But don't replace the somewhat nudity, since the NYers donned bathing suits, and all the Scotsmen wore kilts (and supposedly wore nothing under there.)

Then the majority of them came out. Cursing, as if it were a bad idea to go into the water during the Winter. I don't know how they came to that conclusion.

I taped Harry, Adam, and Sarah charge into the water. They got out pretty fast afterwards, and ended up a little dazed and confused (WHADUP Matt McConaughey!). I congratulated them on job well done; they didn't say much...they just wanted to put on their clothes.

I looked around. And saw a bunch of ladies sans bikini tops. I felt like an idiot for seeing them, but they seemed to be barechested for a thousand days. And it seemed like they weren't in any hurry to throw a towel on their top.

I think they were European.

On that note, I decided to jump in.

I had my panda hat on, but Sarah told me to take it off, so I did. Then I disrobed, wearing nothing but my swimming trunks.

I gave my camera to harry, and he started "documenting" me. That's when i charged the water too, like the lone plane run by a fu@king crazy Dennis Quaid as he entered the mothership in Independence Day. Is it just me, or did anyone else think that movie was whack?

Then I hit the water. And dove into the nothingness.

This wasn't that bad, I thought.

Then I realized my whole body started to hurt.

OK, this sucks.

So I got out of the water, and screamed like a little girl. But as I was footsteps out of the water, I went back in again.

My body started to become numb. I automatically felt tired. I lifted my head up from the water, and started to retreat again.

That's when it happened:

ONE MORE TIME!!! ONE MORE TIME!! shouted the crowd who I guess was observing me the whole time.

I was walking out of the sand, and though I couldn't see faces (I'm pretty much blind), I heard the chants.

It was like an encore after nailing a big musical performance. I couldn't say no.

With all my remaining energy,I ran (or thought I ran) back to the sea, and thrusted myself into the water.

Once I got my head out of the water, I heard this huge cheer. I got out, and all these guys were saying how awesome that was.

I couldn't really think or reply back. I'm pretty sure my body was in shock. I couldn't feel my toes, my hands, my legs. yet for some reason, I wasn't cold for what seemed to be a couple of minutes without a towel or anything to keep me a little warm.

I struggled to put clothes back on. They had to help me. Note: never bring running shoes to Coney Island new years swim when they are double tied and tight. It was a major hurdle getting them on. I thought I might have had frostbitten toes, which would have not been cool. It was even a struggle to walk back to the car, although I'm sure I didn't help myself by running and not stretching afterwards before we went to Coney island.

So that was it. Harry George taped the whole thing. I guess I'll check it out, and perhaps post it. But I'm a little embarrassed about my body, though. Male body issues, you know.

The one thing I learned about myself today: I am easily, easily swayed by public opinion. Or public chanting. Please don't get a group of people to start chanting my name to do something, because I might just do it. Sarah mentioned if the group chanted "kill that person", I would have probably killed whoever that person they were referencing. Which would be good if it was like an oppressor/Hitler type of person, but bad if it was something like a Claudine Barretto or one's 3rd grade teacher type.


And will I do it again next year?

You bet the Constitution of the United States, I will. Care to join?


- jf