Pool Conversation

My pool day today was pleasant. The most annoying thing EVER is a 20-something guy coming out there and cranking up his speakers. Didn't happen today, thank god.

I went out about 11:45am, had the pool to myself for about an hour. After that, a Hispanic woman and her young daughter came out.

Had an odd conversation with the mom: She had a pump, and a couple of blow-up floats. She asked me if I wanted her to blow up a float for me (!). I said no, thanks, I was just going to sit there by the side of the pool and read.

The Mom: What are you reading?
Me: The New Yorker. I have a stack of New Yorker magazines that I need to catch up on. [I cancelled my 20-year subscription to the New Yorker in 2016 because of their insane anti-intellectual takes on Trump, but I still have a stack of 10 or so mags that I still haven't read and take out to the pool.]
The Mom: I like to read The Great Books.
Me: What?
The Mom: The Great Books.
Me: When I come out to the pool, I don't want to bring any nice books---don't want to get them wet or get any suntan lotion on them, so I just bring my old magazines.
The Mom: I like to go to Half-Price Books and get The Great Books.

Oh. OK. Jesus. (What in the world are "The Great Books" in her mind? Say I'd asked her what particular "Great Book" she'd bought at Half-Price. Where in the world would that have gone? A serious discussion of Dickens?)