Q&A with ED. (Total fluff, I'm afraid.)

When do people learn to swim? There are pictures of me swimming as a toddler, at a point when we lived on the coast. I have not entirely wrapped my brain around the idea of municipal pools, even now -- the Arlington [municipal "pool"] Reservoir, where I swam as an older kid, was a set-aside section of a lake.

I know that some colleges still have swimming requirements before you can graduate, and I recall learning this fact with the same dumbfoundedness as if you had told me you had to pass a class in pat-your-head, rub-your-belly before graduating. Who can't do that (assuming physical capability)? And what bearing can it possibly have on your academic career?

Random: Eric Bana is on my tv talking about Munich (that's the movie right?) and it's increasing my Bana love.

He sure is pretty. Also, pulls off accents nicely.

If I can get that initial head-turn, then maybe people will stay to see a little bit more of, like, the message.

Tru Calling, Eliza? Tru Calling?

I was kicked out of Mormon girls’ camp for talking about seeing two men kiss. I’m trying to find new things and—what do they say?—a higher power. Something bigger than myself.

Like gay porn?

Oh! I hate to segue from ED, against whom I hold no bad feelings to Scarlett J, but, well, I'm a SJ-hata. They played clips from Match Point on the podcast I was listening to yesterday, and somehow her bits sounded...like they were going straight up in the air, where her costars sounded like they were talking to people. It was very weird.

Who can't do that (assuming physical capability)?

Have you ever tried to teach an adult to swim? Not inconsiderable.

I learned to swim because of a couple of reasons 1) my mom doesn't swim that well ( actually she doesn't swim badly, but it isn't a strong skill) my theory is she grew up on the ocean where it is harder to swim 2) as a baby - I may have hated sand - but I ran to the water. So all there of us had endless numbers of lessons. If I hadn't hated my instructers I might have done well competatively . But I didn't even think about it until I was In my 30's .

Sadly, I don't swim much now. someday I would love to have a a lap pool.

my theory is she grew up on the ocena where it is harder to swim

Harder to swim than where? I've never found that.

I've always been around water -- my family's cabin in Canada is right on the lake, and my best friend growing up had a pool and lived right next door. I can't remember ever learning to swim, so it must have been pretty young.

It's harder to swim in the ocean than a swimming pool. There are actually waves, currents, rip tides, undertows...

I can back stroke fairly competently, but I cannot do the face down strokes. I cannot get coordinated enough to breathe on the right stroke. I like my air handy whenever I want it. I have deep water issues, but I think if I had more endurance that wouldn't be an issue.

My parents tossed me in the pool when I was a year or so old. They kinda left me there--the Senior Common Room pool was our weekend babysitter while my father played tennis or my mother worked. Both my high schools had swim classes, but it was redundant by that point -- my father had thoroughly drilled us in all the main strokes and diving by the time we were 8.

I didn't realise I had the option of not liking swimming until I was in my 20s.