What Goes Around, Comes Around

Last weekend I was at The Lair (Cal Berkley's alumni camp) to say it is posh camping is an understatement. While no incidents happened this year, it got me thinking about a mishap from last year.

It was my friends 30th birthday and I, and many other people, went up to celebrate. Part of the festivities included a booze cruise on Pinecrest Lake. The booze cruise was simply a small boat, 15 people, and a lot of beer (classy). I was game for the booze cruise, but could only stay for an hour because I had to be back in camp to meet another friend.

So we’re out, we’re swimming, we’re soaking up the sun, and having a grand time. Forty-five minutes later, I start getting ready to head back. This involves simply driving the dingy back to shore.

In case you aren’t familiar with dingys (like me) this is the type that has a stick coming out of the engine with a throttle on it. And to make it go right you have to pull the stick to the left and vice versa. (Sorry, that is my technical definition).  Now, I’ve never driven a dingy before, but how hard could it be, I mean, I can drive a car. The birthday girl gives me a quick lesson: here is how you start it; here is how you turn off the engine.  Very confidently, I hop in and after a few attempts I get it started and sit down to drive.  With 14 people waving goodbye I turn the stick to the left to maneuver around the big boat, but pulled a little too hard and end up going in a 360-degree circle, twice.

I try to correct, and correct a little too much and end up in a 360-degree circle in the opposite direction – three times. Ugh.

Everybody on my boat is laughing so hard that other boats are now staring and laughing as well.

But now I’ve gone in a circle (5 times) and figure I must have the hang of it. And although I’m a little embarrassed I’m actually still confident and think I will be able to do this gracefully.

So, I grab the stick and move slowly forward. Yay! I turn to wave to my applauding friends, and of course move the stick and end up in a circle AGAIN, not once, but twice (as is now my MO). And from that fateful turn, they called going around in circles again and again “pulling a Meghan.”

I managed to get straight, to move across the lake and head for shore… but now, how to dock the thing?