We spent several hours at the pool today. It was much more enjoyable than usual. Mainly because I discovered that I don’t actually have to get in the pool. Turns out Julia is perfectly content to paddle around in both pools, and Graham is content to sit in the “warm pool” squirting his water gun and making shooting noises while I sit on a bench in the sun and read.
As a mother, I have developed the highly useful ability to read while glancing around. (Note: If you’re a father on babysitting duty, do not try this at home. Don’t kid yourself, you don’t have this gift.)
At one point we were joined by four plump, aging Australians with heavy accents. Or they might’ve been British, I honestly couldn’t tell. They were friendly and kept trying to strike up a conversation, whereupon I would nod along and laugh when they laughed and had no idea what they were actually saying. After a while I got tired of this and just averted eye contact.
Not long after they left a young couple came in, a 20-something blonde and a guy with a tattoo who never took off his sunglasses. They didn’t say hello, unless you could call a steely glare a kind of hello. They seemed highly annoyed there were other people in the pool, interrupting their hopes of a romantic mid-day splash in the hot tub. They didn’t even talk to each other, just sat there in silence trying to will us away. But it didn’t work: I needed this pool more than they did – I had two little kids and a couple of hours to kill. Finally they got out of the tub and did what any self-respecting horny 20-something would do: they headed for the sauna. I just hope they put their towel down.
So once we were back in our apartment, dried off and re-clothed, I attacked the kids’ schedule with renewed vigor. We really needed some regular activities to get us out of the house! And friends!
At one point we were joined by four plump, aging Australians with heavy accents. Or they might’ve been British, I honestly couldn’t tell. They were friendly and kept trying to strike up a conversation, whereupon I would nod along and laugh when they laughed and had no idea what they were actually saying. After a while I got tired of this and just averted eye contact.
Not long after they left a young couple came in, a 20-something blonde and a guy with a tattoo who never took off his sunglasses. They didn’t say hello, unless you could call a steely glare a kind of hello. They seemed highly annoyed there were other people in the pool, interrupting their hopes of a romantic mid-day splash in the hot tub. They didn’t even talk to each other, just sat there in silence trying to will us away. But it didn’t work: I needed this pool more than they did – I had two little kids and a couple of hours to kill. Finally they got out of the tub and did what any self-respecting horny 20-something would do: they headed for the sauna. I just hope they put their towel down.
So once we were back in our apartment, dried off and re-clothed, I attacked the kids’ schedule with renewed vigor. We really needed some regular activities to get us out of the house! And friends!
I got a recommendation from a friend of a friend for a playgroup in a nearby suburb that meets every day from 9:30 to 12:30. It’s a cab ride away, so we’ll see how it goes and if it’s worth the distance. I’m a little skeptical because even though their website says it’s for 0-5 year olds, when I called to confirm the time, I told the lady how old my children were, and she said speedily, “Well we don’t have any that old but c’mon and give us a try, alright? B-bye!” <Click.> Which I’m pretty sure means they don’t even have children yet three in this group. However, at this point I don’t really care if it’s ten newborns lying around gazing at mobiles, at least they will have toys new to my kids and the kids will not be my kids’ sister or brother!
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