See, square dancing I always liked. I'm much better at dances with steps.

Yeah, me too. I have rhythm, I'm just not that graceful.

I do fear sharks, though, which is my main reason for not wanting to swim where the ocean is deep. This may be irrational. However, as I haven't been near swimmable ocean since 1992, I'm okay with it.

Irrational as it is, this is totally me. I don't do to any depths in any ocean and I'm even slightly wary of deeper pools.

I prefer to see the bottom of whatever body I'm swimming in.

if they've gone that long without learning they just don't enjoy the water the way a swimmer does. They're uncomfortable and uncertain and fun is way the hell out of the questions.

This was my mom when I was growing up, and I was really proud of her when she decided to take a beginners swimming class when I was in high school (she was in her early 40s then). She's at least to the point where she can comfortably dogpaddle and even occasionally put her head down and swim half the width of the pool before she has to stop and breath (she never did coordinate the swimming and breathing at the same time thing).

I'm not a particularly good swimmer: I think I had one summer of formal lessons, at age 8. When I've tried to work out by swimming I tend to get a little freaked out, because of the non-rational fear of drowning. It's not like I really think I'm going to drown, but it's like, if I'm running and I get exhausted I can just stop, without risking my life. Swimming? Argh!

Cornell has a rule that if you can't pass a swim test during orientation week you must take swimming lessons freshman year. It's not a bad idea.

The PE teacher had a record player, and apparently one record, so we square-danced to early Michael Jackson.

That RAWKS! Although it's very hard to call over a Jackson album, I'd imagine.

Kathy, that is really cool.

Kathy, that is really cool.

I know! Swimming was always something that she wanted to learn, as well as playing an instrument and getting involved in sports, but going to Catholic school K-12 meant that none of that happened during schooltime, and being a farmer's daughter meant that she had no time for any of that extracurricularly. One of her bitterest regrets was that, due to her lack of time for afterschool clubs and sports in high school, she didn't get named to the National Honors Society even though she had the grades necessary.

I've never been able to learn "correct" swimming, because I couldn't clear my sinuses by blowing. So I manage a breast stroke that keeps my head above the water, or a back stroke that does the same thing.

I wish I could learn to snorkel or scuba, but I understand that sinus issues might make that sketchy as well.

WTF is with the square dancing? I too had to do it in jr. high and it was so painful. Is this some kind of collaborative sadism on the part of the nation's gym teachers?

Tickybox is too cute for for words, and I need to plan another weekend up in Seattle soon.

YES! Yes you do.

Plei, maybe the last weekend in January or the last one in February?