Day 34 (October 1) – TAR take-aways and (surprise!) Crossfit

So I was able to watch the first episode of The Amazing Race last night.

As I have said to R, my “wish upon a star” goal right now is: (1) to get on TAR and (2) not to finish last. I figure that #2 could actually get us right on to the winning position (laugh!) – but rather than being one of those annoying “WE are SO going to WIN!” people, deciding “never to be last” is a very very good mantra.

So what was the take-away from this particular episode?

READ THE CLUES!

That’s one of those “yeah, duh” things, but right in the first episode we had three teams really blow it because they didn’t read the clues. Starting from the end, a team I think I am going to like (husband/wife ER doctors) wound up taking a cab to the final check-in, though the clue very specifically said to walk. They missed out on first place (and an Express Pass plus an Express Pass to give to another team) because they had to sit it out for 30 minutes.

In my head, I actually thought that if I’d come in “second” and seen them sitting there – and had been told by Phil that they were cooling their jets because they’d actually made it in first, but had mis-read a clue, I would have walked over and given them the other Express Pass right there. It’s supposed to be a “strategic” thing, to give it to someone and make a big political play of it, but frankly, I would have done it right then and there. Not only would it make great theatre (which is of course good), but it would have REALLY surprised them, and they actually seem determined but not too young and not full of themselves – so in some respects, a team that I probably would have liked to have helped out anyway. Obviously R would have to sign on to this decision – but I think it would have been the “right” thing to do, and would have been so dramatically great, that hopefully she would agree. Anyway – that’s what I would have done.

The “oldest couple” are a theatrical duo who play women in a play called something “Bingo.” The one guy is definitely quite heavy-set, which is interesting since all the waiver, etc. that you have to sign specifically states you have to be in like “Top 1%” shape. They came in comfortably in the middle, which was heartening.

So that was one of the “mis-reading” issues. The other one not one but two teams did. The first task (besides getting out of the U.S. and to the country) was paragliding in Chile, with the 2nd team member having to get a taxi and meet them down on the beach (note to self: Start listening to Spanish tapes in the car!) The clue said “Who Wants To Follow The Leader” – and I believe just about everyone who said “I’ll do it” thought that it would be them doing the paragliding. In fact, as the “follower” (per the title of the clue) they were actually “following” their team mate, who was the paraglider.

The next task was basically rowing a huge old boat and getting fish. The clue said that “the person who had done the paragliding” had to do that task. So that meant that….the person who had done the paragliding….had to do….the task.

Two groups got it wrong. Unfortunately, one of the two teams was already slow – they’d had to catch the 2nd plane to Chile, then there was some mix-up with the taxi getting the team mate to pick up her partner at the beach – so they wound up being eliminated way after dark. It was sad, because they’d obviously tried really hard, and just gotten a couple of “wrong turns” that knocked them out of contention. Interestingly, it was a daughter and a father (Indian – he kept telling her that Father Knows Best and that his one wish was that she’d let him arrange her marriage) – and I actually have to wonder whether they stayed within the speed limit, didn’t act crazy, etc. – because of their team “dynamic” with one another. They did wind up too late to the airport to get on the first plane (I think 5 of the 11 teams wound up in that predicament), and then for whatever reason, her taxi took way longer than any other one to get to the beach.

AND ANOTHER THING – DO WHAT YOUR INSTRUCTOR TELLS YOU TO DO.

That was a funny one – the instructors told ALL of the people who were doing the paragliding to run off the edge of the cliff and basically “keep running” until they were well into the air. The one of the “live in the woods, bearded best friends” who did the paragliding got to the edge and just sort of “sat down” imagining that the paraglider would fill with air or … whatever. So he wound up getting himself and the strapped-on instructor dragged down the cliffside, the paraglider collapsing, etc. – DO WHAT YOU’RE TOLD.

OH, AND, DON’T DISMISS YOUR TAXI UNTIL YOU COMPLETELY KNOW YOU WON’T NEED HIM ANY MORE.

There is a team that are calling themselves the “Afghanimals” – young buck Afghani background guys – and they dismissed their taxi, as did the gals that they are calling their “wives” (pretty gross actually – I don’t like it) – who are ice “cleaners” (“Ice girls”) for some hockey team. There is another pair of gals, but they are baseball wives. All 3 of these pairs dismissed their taxis, then the guys called for TWO taxis – for them and “their wives” (but specifically NOT for the baseball wives). BOTH pairs of the women started walking down from the paragliding place, whereas the guys just “waited for the taxis” and were trying to get “their wives” to “wait for the taxis” with them. What happened? Of course! The taxis came up, and both groups of women snagged them – so the guys got all bent out of shape because “the baseball wives” stole “their” taxi. Oh Puh-leeze. Karma’s a b*tch, and if you call for a taxi for only TWO teams, who do you think karma is going to bite in the *ss? (I think actually the guy that they’d asked to call for “two taxis” called for three, because there WAS another taxi coming up the mountain to the paraglider port so the guys DID get a taxi, but it was pretty funny how them trying to “game” the baseball wives bit them IMMEDIATELY in the *ss.)

So who are the teams? Let me see if I can remember. The Indian father/daughter are now gone (he was around 60, I actually think he was an ER doctor as well as the couple who are BOTH ER doctors – she was probably late 20s/30). There are the baseball wives (late 20s) (2), the Afghanimals who are I think cousins (late 20s) (3), the hockey ice girls  from L.A. (is the hockey team the Kings?) (early 20s) (4), two guys who are oil riggers from like Oklahoma, and one of them’s wife is very sick so that’s why he wants the $ (late 20s) (5), the theatre guys (I’d say the heavier one is 60, the skinnier one is 50 – think like Lou Costello and Don Knotts) (6), the ER doctors (early 40s) (7), a couple who used to date but “hate each other” but “can’t get enough of one another” (he thinks she’s a nag, she thinks he’s stupid – she’s beyond annoying) (30s) (8), a either dating or affianced couple from the Boston area (30s) (9), the bearded backwoods guys from Chico (early 30s) (10), a football player duo (the one guy was a football player, he went to a grocery store and told the bagger to “get his big self” into football and they wound up both on the same team – Houston I think – that was a pretty funny story!) (early 30s) (11) oh, oops that would be the father/daughter (I forgot to number them).

In an hour is Crossfit, but the WOD isn’t up on the site. Hmmmm. I’m sore from yesterday, but still REALLY excited I was able to do those “candlesticks.”

On a separate note, I was able, after doing some other errands, to accompany H to the East Bay and order the 4 tons (!!) of stone that we need for the patio area. So that’s done and done ;-)