Summer Weekend

We spent our weekend doing two of our very favorite things, going for a walk in the park and swimming at the pool.

Weekend Round Up

We've had a pretty mellow weekend, lots of playing and good food. This is a good thing because I am wiped out. I'm taking this as a sign that the chemo is doing it's job and I'm so exhausted because my immune system's working overtime blasting those pesky skin cells. But, whatever the reason, I am exhausted.

I had some BlogHer pangs – not because I wanted to go, because I didn't. It's just not my cup of tea or ball of wax or idea of a good time, but I just wondered how it was going – who was the drunkest, or craziest. I'm calling it long distance fly on the wall syndrome.

On Saturday, I had to go to Target and buy every member of our family underpants. The Kid had outgrown his latest and Lefty and I had wore our poor old undies into the ground. Nothing like new underpants to brighten up your day.

For those of you keeping score at home, here's the return of my nose stand in. The Kid helped me photoshop the image a little. It is a mighty humbling thing when your seven year old has to assist you in a computer task. As you can see, the edges are a little less distinct and the color is changing. I would describe it as dry and flaky.

Oh, and here are some clouds hovering over the bell tower on the Trinity campus this afternoon.


We went to the pool – ask me how much I love my new swim suit with the kicky little cover up skirt…

The Pool

We made out first trip of the season to the pool this weekend. We swim at the Trinity University pool, as a faculty family we swim for free. At one point last summer after The Kid attended a party at the fancy, expensive neighborhood pool, we considered saving up for a membership and joining ourselves this summer. I thought it would be a great way for The Kid to see and keep in touch with some of his school friends over the summer.

That was before I spent the school year in utter shock at some of the bad parenting on parade in The Kid's first grade class. Violent adult video games and guns and "Iraqs".

I'm glad we didn't join the pool. I'm glad that The Kid will see his friends this summer on play dates at out house or the park where there'll be no R rated movies or Halo 3. I'm glad that I won't have to spend the summer comparing myself to the made up, put together uber-moms of the fancy pool. I look like a forty six year old woman in my swim suit. A forty six year old woman who likes to cook, likes to eat, hates to say no to a glass of wine. A forty six year old woman who nursed her child for a long, long time. A forty six year old woman who spent her youth on her feet, waitressing, whose knees have seen better days. I love swimming in the summer and don't want to waste my time feeling self-conscious about my unshaved legs or the size of my belly.

I love the Trinity pool with it's steamy dressing room, it's wall of granite facing the pool. I love the academics swimming long slow laps in the afternoon sun. I love the college student lifeguards. I love the geeky kids of academics with their ill-fitting suits and goggles. Most of all, I love the slightly chubby, pasty academics in their good coverage suits. I love that the person sitting next to me will be reading Proust, or the NY Times. I love being in the company of these parents who watch their kids and call out encouragement while glancing up from their books. I love that the small talk is of politics and peace.

Yes, this is the pool for me – the pool where I belong. Our first trip of the year was great, even though I forgot The Kid's goggles and the camera and a bra to wear home. Nothing like jiggling past the Vice President for Academic Affairs to start your summer off with a bang!

*photo credit: Chris Jennings / www.pagetoscreen.net

Dumb Luck

We went to a pool party last night – a party for a friend of The Kid’s at the snazzy neighborhood pool we cannot afford to join. (Outrageously expensive, really! I was disappointed that the place didn’t have oiled up cabana boys, or massage tables or some other extravagance.) It was fun to see The Kid’s friends from his kindergarten class together again. Fun to see some of the parents, some more than most. As an adult, it’s so hard to predict who you will click with – who you will find something in common with - but anyone over 30 who begins a sentence with “Dig this!” has got a space on my dance card anytime.

The Kid swam and swam. He looks so tall and skinny in a swimsuit, it’s almost hard to recognize him. We all baked in the sun despite my hat and industrial strength sunscreen. Having just this week had some “suspicious” cells taken off the bridge of my nose, I tried to stick to the shade but it was awfully hot no matter where you were. And we all talked about the heat as if we were surprised that it was so hot here in South Texas. At some point, I think, you have to surrender to summer. At this point, I think I have. It’s just going to be hot for the next 3 or 4 months and I’m accepting it.

The pool was awash in very well put together women – a lot of waterproof make up for one place. Also a lot of very tan women who are either spraying it on, rubbing it on or facing their own encounter with “suspicious” cells in the future. I am not the put together type. In fact, if I get home from a birthday party without blue butter cream frosting on the seat of my pants, I consider myself lucky. Last night, I was lucky.