A fever for ice cream

Since I’m not in the Bahamas right now, I am thinking about eating ice cream, a delectable sensory experience at any temperature. Yesterday, driving by Hot Licks, I thought of their blueberry ice cream and began to salivate, realizing that spring is just a wink away. Until they open in April, here are ten ice cream-related activities to fend off a fever or inspire a feast.

1. Consider having ice cream as your main dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eat it with a regular spoon, straight out of the container.
2. Visit the Ben and Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard. Pay tribute to rain forest crunch, while listening for an eerie, extremely unappetizing audio accompaniment. Then visit their Top Ten Flavors List. Luckily, chunky monkey and chocolate fudge brownie are currently number three and four on the list, surely spared from the cemetery.
3. Take a few minutes to learn more about ice cream and its consumption. Did you know that in 2006 the United States exported nearly $24 million worth of frozen desserts to Mexico?
4. Be a sweetheart when you make an ice cream cupcake for a friend, or an easy banana milkshake for your sweetie.
5. Hit reverse and consider ice cream fixes from your past. From my List of Favorite Parlors from Each Town I’ve Ever Lived Longer than Three Months, here are my three most memorable:
   Fairbanks, Alaska – Diary Queen, circa 1982 This was located where currently the Oasis sits on University Avenue. I used to ride my bike there after softball practice and order a peanut buster parfait for less than a dollar.
   Honolulu, Hawaii – Bubbie’s Homeade Ice Cream & Desserts I worked here during high school and the main perk was that I could eat as much ice cream as I wanted, as long as it was with a sample spoon, only from a small Dixie cup, and completely hidden from the view of any customers. This was definitely better than any matching 401(k) plan. The coconut macadamia nut and strawberry cheesecake were amazing.
   Portland, Oregon – Coffee People During the nineties known around the Rose City primarily for their coffee, the top secret was that they also sold excellent ice cream (purchased from Prince Puckler’s in Eugene and also on my Past List) and made THE BEST banana milkshakes ever.
6. Buy a flavor that you’ve never tried, and then another just because you like the name.
7. Wake up, after trying this luscious ice cream beverage, originally created by Zefiro and found today in The New Alaska Cookbook.

   Einstein’s Espresso
   2 scoops high quality vanilla or chocolate ice cream
   2 shots freshly brewed espresso
   2 tablespoons whipped cream
   1 chocolate-covered espresso bean

   Place ice cream in a tall ice cream soda glass. Pour the espresso over the ice cream. Top with whipped cream and bean. Serve with long spoon and straw.

8. Read a few ice cream blogs including Scoopalicious, A Daily Scoop, A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise, Japanese Ice Cream, or A Blog of Ice Cream.
9. Grab some friends, some ice cream and sing a few songs while feasting on your favorite flavor. Consider Ice Cream, Ice Cream You Scream or Ice Cream and Cake.
10. Take note this season, courtesy of Thornton Wilder: “My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy the ice cream while it’s on your plate.”

“Can’t never did anything.”

My first response to the idea of intentionally doing a wet exit, otherwise known as flipping upside down in a kayak and then forcing oneself to escape while underwater, was one of pure doubt. I thought to myself, “I can’t. No thanks. Leave that for Houdini.” Then there was my boater friend Maria, ever the enthusiast, encouraging me to try it. And soon the voice of Mrs. Coe, my second grade teacher, piped on to my frontal lobe with the challenge of, “Can’t never did anything.” And so I decided that I could.

The wet exit, among many kayaking tools and tricks, is an exhilaration one can experience for a mere $3.75 any Monday evening, through mid-May at the Hamme Pool in downtown Fairbanks. The Fairbanks Paddlers Association hosts these boating soirees as a way to hone members’ skills, socialize and introduce others to the sport of kayaking.

So, I arrived at the pool, according to Maria’s instructions, wearing my swimsuit, my favorite personal flotation device (PFD), and a kayak skirt. Such a fashionable sport— everyone wears skirts!

I soon discovered that it’s called a wet exit because it involves exiting the kayak, upside down, underwater, where it is definitely quite wet. And it’s important to master this skill early in anyone’s kayaking career, because flipping over in a kayak can happen when least expected. It didn’t take long to understood that the wet exit is what would keep me from completely freaking out when underwater, upside down, snuggly trapped in the boat by the confines of my cute skirt.

Maria reminded me that she would be right beside me the first time I tried this, ready to pull me out if I was stuck. She also noted that it only takes a few seconds to do a wet exit and that since humans can hold their breath for at least a minute, I had plenty of time to make my escape. Cheerfully she told me that the chances of me actually drowning in the Hamme Pool with two lifeguards and fifteen boaters around me, were quite slim. Her final encouragement was when she lent me her nose plug, an incredibly useful device when flipping around between air and water.

Before I describe my first wet exit, here is a video of someone doing a wet exit in a pool, though he’s not wearing his PFD. Much of what is taking place underwater during a wet exit is not visible in this video. Let me try to explain what happens underwater during this amazing feat.

Here’s how it went for me the first time: I purposely flipped myself over in the boat and then took a millisecond to gather my inverted bearings as I sat suspended, upside down, underwater, held in by my skirt. Soon I reached forward and grabbed for the loop of neoprene that was located a short arm’s length in front of me. I tugged at this and it immediately released the entire skirt from the kayak. After the skirt was free, I reached behind my waist with two hands, and pushed down (actually pushed up, because I was still inverted) on the boat then, thanks to the aid of my PFD, I began to float freely to the surface, on the way up pushing my kayak out of my way. Emerging, I took a little gasp for air and I am sure that a smile instantly appeared on my face. I felt strangely like a seal, and couldn’t wait to do it all over again.