Nothing like spending the holiday in a lukewarm vat of chlorinated pee-pee.
We went to the pool yesterday and ate free hotdogs at the annual Fourth of July picnic. The place was mobbed. It reminded me of that quote--from some Oscar Wilde play, I think--about what it was like being in combat: "My dear, the noise! And the people!" The pool was wall-to-wall kids. A few moms and dads were out there too, but as for adult conversation--it would have been easier to talk at Omaha Beach on D-Day. And even if you could make yourself heard, it seems to deeply offend a kid's sensibilities that you might find another adult more interesting than them. At one point, while my friend Anne and I were screaming at each other in a sociable way, I happened to notice that my nine-year-old had my left leg in a vise-like grip, attempting to haul me away.