We went to the pool all day. It was an L-shaped pool, a swim club in the Baltimore tradition -- just a pool, wading pool, basketball courts, ping-pong table, a shuffleboard court. No golf, no tennis. No one EVER showered before entering pool, despite what the sign said. In the water, we played: Marco Polo, underwater tag, freeze tag, regular tag. It was a strict place, so no toys were allowed in the pool -- no balls, no floatation devices. But it was in the pre-liability era, so there was a high Read more [...]

Events conspired in an interesting way this morning to all but force me to tour my old school, Northwestern. Granted, I had decided to take my laptop to downtown Evanston, to a Starbucks about where I remember the old movie theater once stood on Sherman Avenue. But I didn't plan on my laptop not being charged. So I stowed it in the trunk of the rental car and took a quick walk. Downtown Evanston has almost no stores or restaurants I remember, save the Burger King. And many buildings have been added Read more [...]

From the blog of Edward Champion (Return of the Reluctant), which I've always read, but now am reading with even more intense interest. 1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?Nope.2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?For a minute here or there. I used to love them, by the way, but last summer, I realized something had changed, and my stomach wasn’t up for it. Yet I still love log flume type rides. Go figure. 3. When’s the last time you’ve been sledding?This past winter, in Patterson Read more [...]