Polar Bears

The Martian's stepfather has an interesting'hobby: He is a Polar Bear. This means that a few times each week (including this morning), he joins other Vikings in taking a swim in the nearby Lim Fjord.

Last night, he explained how it works. You go to the club's ladder, prepare yourself for the sim, climb into the (oh yes, freezing cold) fjord, hang there for 30 seconds or so, then get out and run about 50 meters to a sauna.

"Would you like to come?" he asked.

"Oh," I said, trying to sound disappointed, "I didn't bring a bathing suit."

"That's ok," he replied. "It's too cold to wear a bathing suit anyway."

I briefly considered getting naked & frozen in front of 300 total strangers, then said, "Er, no, I don't think I would be a good Viking woman."

Ordinarily I might have felt more compelled to participate in a family activity, but as The Martian pointed out, this is something that only his stepdad does, so it's not really 'family.' Whew!