In Digest Form

Snow cone meeting.

1) Tonight our neighborhood swim team had its end-of-season party up at the pool. It was pure mayhem. So many kids in the pool, so, so many. And the organizers had put about 100 beach balls into the water. They were flying everywhere, it was like being in a popcorn machine. Hank and I were sitting on the steps, and when a ball would come near him, he would toss it in the air and bounce it away. This woman waded toward us and said, "Can you not throw these? I'm trying to get them all in this area." I said, "Oh, why? What are you going to do with them?" She shrugged and said, "No reason, I guess I'm just a little OCD." I thought, "Wow, yes you are." But I said, "Hmm, I don't know if that's going to happen."

2) One of the swim moms presented the swim team director with a gift we had all chipped in for. The organizer is not the paid coach, but a mom who volunteers and who manages the coaches. And it's a lot of work. I laughed though, when they unveiled the gift: a Tervis tumbler crammed with wadded up ten-dollar bills, a bottle of vodka, and a tub of Crystal Light lemonade.

Pause that refreshes.

3) Also at the swim party, the mom of Hank's friend saw me and started heading in my direction, calling out, "I have got the dirtiest book to give you!"

Best conversational opener ever. Ever.

4) I can't believe the neighborhood swim season is already over. It is short, but intense. Laura had meets last Thursday, Saturday (that was the big all-county meet down at Georgia Tech), and last night. Three inside a week. I think it's a great activity, both as a social thing and as a sport for these kids. When I'm standing with her at the start of a race, and the whistle blows and she dives off the block and swims away, my face squinches up like I'm about to start crying. Only it's a happy squinching. And a proud squinching. Then I yell myself hoarse. "Go go GO GO!" I love watching her swim.

This does not mean that I can't also bitch about how hot it is at the meets and how they last four hours and ohmigod the sweating. Last night I took a can of cold beer from my neighbor's cooler and held it with my crotch.

That image should be on our Christmas cards.

5) Hot. So hot, like hell is hot. Upstairs AC unit seems to be losing the fight.

Denial on this issue should last one more day or so. But by then I will be in the mountains where (I hope) it is cooler.

6) Laura has a friend sleeping over, the girl from that troublesome sleepover. Cue ominous organ music! This is the first time we've had her over since that time. Her mom called me today and asked if Laura would like to sleep over at their house, and I steered the plan around to my doing the hosting instead. The other mom agreed with this idea, saying, "Yes, that way they'll have more room." Which was a weird moment because she lives in a huge house in Fancy Land, but from what I've seen her house is borderline-hoarder cluttered. So I didn't know if she was acknowledging her clutter issue or if it was just meaningless conversational padding.

When the little girl arrived, we were all chatting for a moment about how late the kids are staying up now that it's summer, blah blah, and the mom said, "Oh, I can't do it. I go to bed before them." Meaning her ten and thirteen year-olds. And the little girl said, "My brother and I stay up 'til two!" And I said, "Gracious!" But I thought it was all symptomatic of a certain loosey-gooseyness over there. Anyhoo.

7) Speaking of routine, it is time for Mama to watch "The Wire."

That was my day, in part. What are you doing?