Summer In Da Hood

Seriously, there's nothing like hoodrats and heat...To be honest, this year seems to be a lot calmer than last year (but that could be because I've spent most of the summer house-sitting in the suburbs -- nothing wrong with the 'burbs).

But there is a new phenomenon this year. Imagine this...I've just come home to stay after being away for a month. Hit the corner, the street appears to be a little damp. Okay, let's be real, the street is more than damp. It's downright flooded. So, the kids (or probably their ghetto a** parents) have opened up the fire hydrant. Okay, so I've seen this in movies, on the news, etc. It happens all the time in NYC. No prob. So I take my shoes off. Luckily, I have little flip flops with me. I roll up my pants and get out of the car.

Ewwww!!! I repeat...Ewww!!! I clearly didn't think this one through. This is the same street that Public Works won't even sweep on a regular basis. Picture this...all the trash that's been tossed out of car windows, sunflower seed shells spit out, stray cats' bodily fluids. ALL of that is in the street. Now add water and stir. Oh, I forgot to mention that the water is warm -- sauna warm. Can we say petri dish, incubator, cesspool.

AND I PUT MY FEET IN IT!!!

I get upstairs to see that my feet are now, I don't know, the funniest shade of gray. This isn't your average shade of ashy. It's more like toxic waste ashy - gray with a hint of green.

So I've learned my lesson. No more wading in the Edson Public Pool. So, if I've learned that lesson, why do people let their children play in this filth each and every day.

NEWSFLASH -- DC Public Pools are free. Take your kids to the pool. A little piss in a chemically regulated pool vs. motor oil, cigarette butts and animal feces on the city street. End of discussion. It's not even close.