Usual crowd swam today. Few guys who believe that they are in great shape, so they assertively swim laps: they usually look like they are struggling to stay afloat, slowly inching forward, splashing tremendous ammounts of water all around, and gasping for air at both ends of the pool. Yet they probably think that they are great swimmers. Than a lady who always have some health problem: lower back pain, elbow pain, chest pain, cold... She is inevitably followed by her mother, who has her own health problems, and who does not swim: just looks after her (thirtysomething) daughter. She wants to sell me on some health-food product line pyramid scheme. Figures she would be into multilevel marketing scam. She is a NuSkin believer, like that ex-yugo pain Gordana (who, by the way, is now in the U.S. Sprint pyramid). The moment that mother arrives she calls HER mother (to tell her that everything is OK), who indubitably has health problems of her own, that fortunately prohibit her of coming near the pool.

Around six families with kids come: Sophie with her mother, who always seems to lead a meaningful conversation explaining details of every action to her daughter - "Sophie, sit here. Take your shoes off. Your mummy will take a shower now. Water is now warm. Come in the shower. Be careful. No running." Then there is Anson with his father. Anson is 4 and super-healthy. He is afraid of me for no apparent reason. He is not afraid of anything else, tough. Jumps. Dives. Screams. His father is proud with Anson's daredevilish achievements in a peculiar way. He always notes how Anson is a courageous child. He almost demands courage from Anson. So, Anson is half-crazed.

Shita comes with her father always too late (after the kid's curfew at 7:30 pm). I let them stay. Shita likes to play with her father. She takes her soccer ball with her wherever she goes. Her father hates to play with her: tired from his day-job, he just wants to relax slowly swimming few laps in pool. Obviously, their interests are different. That produces a comedy - father would swim away, and Shita would throw a ball and hit him in the head (followed by hilarious laughter and extending on her toes interrupted with her father's angry "Stop" Shita). Father mostly doesn't care what Shita is up to, but when he gets angry, that's for real: he would leave the pool leaving her there in tears. She can cry histerically.

Then there are French kids (two families of four kids each). Their fathers are military men working for the U.N., and that's how they came here. Giulliene is the oldest of eight (18). His father was stationed in Germany before the Wall came down, so he lived there for a while. He still remember American soldiers on duty there wearing T-shirts "I'd radther be killing communists now". His grandpa is in Unprofor in Sarajevo. Old military family. Giulliene however is not fit for military: bad knee. Which does not bother him to surf and boogie board in his native Bearice (French southern Atlantic coast). He listens to punk (which is in French pronounced poenk) and loves Nirvana (and slamm-dances the bad knee be damned). They are all perfect swimmers, and I have no problems with them. Sometimes they take just one or two lanes for 4 or even 8 of them. Some members, however, have problems with them jumping and diving and doing their crazy surfing techniques training. I mean THOSE members who always complain about the water temperature, like they are coming to bath, not to swim.