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The Nation's Pulse
Summer Fun
There’s nothing for stirring murderous thoughts like a nice, brisk hike.
(Page 2 of 2)
Which is pretty much how I feel about most forms of summer fun. Chief among the privileges of age is that you are no longer required to spend your weekend bicycling up the Grand Tetons. You’ve earned the right to relax and take it easy. You can linger in the hot tub in a nearby resort and gaze up in awe at their purple majesty without breaking a sweat, and then casually stroll downtown for some coffee and pie.
In A.P. Herbert’s classic story “Is It a Free Country?” a British jurist berates a bloke for jumping off Hammersmith Bridge for fun: “People must not do things for fun,” he snaps. “We are not here for fun. There is no reference to fun in any act of Parliament.”
Maybe not in Britain, but this is America, where there is a reference to “the pursuit of happiness.”
Happiness is fine, as long as it doesn’t involve “having fun.”
About the Author
Christopher Orlet writes from St. Louis.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (19) | Leave a comment
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ggobllue| 6.25.10 @ 8:21AM
fun? watching rachel maddow 130 days and 12 hours from right now....20 minutes after the polls have closed in the eastern time zone....
thats gonna be fun
Miss Alabama| 6.25.10 @ 10:29AM
Fun?
I'll tell you what's NOT fun for me:
Fourth of July Fireworks!
How I hate them! We're supposed to express childish glee when we hear the big bang and see the multicolored sparks, but all I can think of is the stupid waste of money.
Fireworks, or as Alma Winemiller called them in Tennesee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth "pyrotechnical displays," are a nuisance and a dangerous hazard.
I shall stay put in the air-conditioned comfort of my beautiful home, reading another delicious 19th century British novel.
". . . and the rocket's redglare . . ." Seen one, seen them all!
All for now, y'all.
ggoblue| 6.25.10 @ 12:50PM
you would love detroit on the fourth...the america hating democrats have moved the fireworks all the way to june 21st...yep thats right the fireworks were last monday...
anything to keep us from honoring america...
Carpenter| 6.26.10 @ 5:41AM
That's gotta be one of the most pompous and priggish post I've ever seen
Angela| 6.27.10 @ 6:06PM
Love ya, Miss Alabama. You're a hoot.
Sean| 6.28.10 @ 5:25AM
Funny , But the Bataan Death March comment ought to have been edited , editors . Many men and some women suffered beyond what I can comprehend on that peninsula . It's not fodder for a ' funny ' article
L. Ross| 6.25.10 @ 9:12AM
Christopher. We should not hang out. I don't think you would enjoy it.
Faffnir| 6.25.10 @ 11:08AM
I count as fun: strapping boards to my feet and sliding down mountians. Taking my Miata through a series of twisty-turnies at about twice the posted speed limit. Riding my bike through rural Indiana (it's not as flat as it looks). Cooking for friends and enjoying their company. Reading the Spectator, or any other "right-wing fascist propaganda". Y'all have fun, now, y'hear!
Ken (Old Texican)| 6.25.10 @ 11:38AM
Christopher,
I never minded the hike...sometimes over mountains...if there was a secluded trout stream on the other end....and fresh trout cooked upon returning.
Ray| 6.25.10 @ 5:23PM
Thank's for the humorous article, I shall be thinking about it as I prepare the million tons of equipment that my wife insists is necessary for our road trip to "the cabin", which is, as always, located somewhere "up north" here in Minnesota. Those who claim that "the trip is half the fun" never traveled "up north," apparently.
Of course, once I'm there and on "the lake" fishing, I'll soon lose myself in the tranquility and solitude of of being "up north" and forget all about the the pressure, and noise, and the (let's be honest) stench of city life, for just a few short days anyways. Of course, I'll forget all about this article as well, that is until I try to pack twice as much equipment for the return trip than I packed for the vacation itself (That ALWAYS happens, but I can't figure out why!).
Big Leo| 6.25.10 @ 7:30PM
The best reason for hiking is to get away from tourists. The best way to do that is to get off the trail and get yourself good and lost. You pay for your thrills.
Carpenter| 6.26.10 @ 5:53AM
Fun? A roll-off-the-top or a barrell roll in a Stearman; cleaning up the gear and climbing out of a small Texas airfield with 200+ horses at my fingertips; shooting cans off the top rail of the fence with a Glock; planning and executing a flawless cross country flight; watching my beautiful wife and daughters caper about taking pictures of each other at the beach; getting a small measure of humility at an Astros game; feeling the wind off the Atlantic; catching a big red snapper; reading the speccie and looking forward to the lefty media squirming come November. Oh yeah... Fourth of July fireworks!
Carpenter| 6.26.10 @ 5:53AM
Fun? A roll-off-the-top or a barrell roll in a Stearman; cleaning up the gear and climbing out of a small Texas airfield with 200+ horses at my fingertips; shooting cans off the top rail of the fence with a Glock; planning and executing a flawless cross country flight; watching my beautiful wife and daughters caper about taking pictures of each other at the beach; getting a small measure of humility at an Astros game; feeling the wind off the Atlantic; catching a big red snapper; reading the speccie and looking forward to the lefty media squirming come November. Oh yeah... Fourth of July fireworks!
Margie| 6.27.10 @ 9:57PM
My idea of fun aside from enjoying the great outdoors, would be getting together with some of the fabulous conservatives from AmSpec and having some great conversation. In fact both of those things together would be great.
David| 6.29.10 @ 4:03PM
Editors: Clearly, time to plan an AS cruise a la the late Buckley's junkets.