Intrigued by the "casuals" concept. I unfortunately spend a lot of time in these hotels as a traveling speaker, and have seen exactly what you're describing many times. But I often wonder how many people, like you, actually consider themselves to be "maniacs on a mission," who are just temporarily posing as casuals in order to be with family or attend a conference. It seems like I often tell myself I am just posing temporarily for the sake of fitting in where I have to, but then I wonder if I might be more of a "casual" than I care to admit. If I'm honest part of me likes the feeling of getting paid to lounge around in a place that is wearing all the signals of a classy joint, even when it's so apparent that it's a thin veneer on top of cultural fecal matter.
TOTALLY, Rick. I love this because you're naming the nuance of the term. Are we posing as casuals sometimes? Or are we just Casuals sometimes?? Interesting to think about.
Just had this exact experience last week at Hilton Head, sub in Westin (next door to the Marriot). But my wife and I decided that, from now on, it's Relais and Chateaux or bust! 🤣 (By the way, kudos on the non-floaty policy. I, too, had floaties and swim lessons BUT my kid just had swim lessons....and he's better than me. And safer. There should be a marketing campaign that says "FLOATIES WILL KILL YOUR KIDS!")
OMG Chad! I was expecting more people to tell me to LIGHTEN UP ABOUT THE FLOATIES. How old was your kid when he took swim lessons? Did he wear floaties until he started? I'm wondering how kid-specific this is because my son is almost 3 and refuses to float on his back, like, he just can't relax. He also had a ton of ear infections last year and had tubes put in, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it, either.
He's never worn floaties but did have ear infections which got in the of lessons when he was little. We probably started him in earnest at 5, took a break because of COVID, but he's made amazing strides in the last year. You might have to let the ear stuff clear up so he's feels comfortable - there's definitely time!
I don't think I ever used floaties during lessons. We'd teach kids the starfish float so they could get comfortable with their own buoyancy. We'd introduce kick boards once kids learned how to float on their tummies.
I miss teaching swim lessons! Your question brought back some happy memories :)
The teenager's shirt made me laugh so hard! A little while back at our local playground, there was a teenage boy riding a Lime scooter back and forth with a t-shirt that said "I love hot moms." Before my husband got to the playground, I just kind of rolled my eyes. And then my husband saw the teenager's shirt, gave a hearty chuckle and said "I like that kid." There's just something about a well-chosen t-shirt.
Lol Leslie!! That's so funny. When I saw the kid, my reaction was a combo of you and your husband's reaction. I rolled my eyes and then laughed. Then I told my husband and he laughed, too.
Oh, I loved this so much. Felt flashbacks to my all-inclusive experience. I love the term Casuals. Defintely made me think about why we use it and where I am on the spectrum!
Wait wait wait, Scott, I can't tell from this comment if you're pro-floaties or against lol. Can you explain what you mean by "retrained herself to look the for the ground instead of float?" And also, what were the three months spent? Swim lessons? How many days a week? What kind? How old was your daughter? I need all the details.
LOL, I'm anti-floaties, but the swim instructor jokingly offered to buy another child's floaties to destroy them. As for the lessons, our then 19-months old (?) daughter did ISR five days/week for nearly three months, noting we had a few week medical pause, an int'l trip, and FL thunderstorms. It seemed like it went forever. Dear daughter could get into and hold a back float from any position and was doing some short distance swimming face down.
Then we went to a local Orlando resort for a staycation the weekend after swim graduation. A short-time in the zero-entry pool and she was learning all the wrong habits like looking for the ground instead of trying to float. Our instructor said she'd need refreshers every 6 months as she grows and develops, but we didn't figure she'd build the bad habits THAT quickly! Spoiled and stubborn child!
Intrigued by the "casuals" concept. I unfortunately spend a lot of time in these hotels as a traveling speaker, and have seen exactly what you're describing many times. But I often wonder how many people, like you, actually consider themselves to be "maniacs on a mission," who are just temporarily posing as casuals in order to be with family or attend a conference. It seems like I often tell myself I am just posing temporarily for the sake of fitting in where I have to, but then I wonder if I might be more of a "casual" than I care to admit. If I'm honest part of me likes the feeling of getting paid to lounge around in a place that is wearing all the signals of a classy joint, even when it's so apparent that it's a thin veneer on top of cultural fecal matter.
TOTALLY, Rick. I love this because you're naming the nuance of the term. Are we posing as casuals sometimes? Or are we just Casuals sometimes?? Interesting to think about.
Just had this exact experience last week at Hilton Head, sub in Westin (next door to the Marriot). But my wife and I decided that, from now on, it's Relais and Chateaux or bust! 🤣 (By the way, kudos on the non-floaty policy. I, too, had floaties and swim lessons BUT my kid just had swim lessons....and he's better than me. And safer. There should be a marketing campaign that says "FLOATIES WILL KILL YOUR KIDS!")
OMG Chad! I was expecting more people to tell me to LIGHTEN UP ABOUT THE FLOATIES. How old was your kid when he took swim lessons? Did he wear floaties until he started? I'm wondering how kid-specific this is because my son is almost 3 and refuses to float on his back, like, he just can't relax. He also had a ton of ear infections last year and had tubes put in, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it, either.
He's never worn floaties but did have ear infections which got in the of lessons when he was little. We probably started him in earnest at 5, took a break because of COVID, but he's made amazing strides in the last year. You might have to let the ear stuff clear up so he's feels comfortable - there's definitely time!
Love the casuals vs maniacs distinction. Never heard that before!
Will, right?! I can't stop thinking about it. Ya maniac.
This brought me back to my youth. I used to teach swim lessons and have seen every bodily fluid in the pool. yikes
I know you're on the hunt for great memoirs, so I wanted to share one with you: Stay True by Hua Hsu
Happy summer!
Rachael, I just added your book to my memoir list. Thank you!!
Since you used to teach swim lessons... do you have any strong opinions about floaties??
I don't think I ever used floaties during lessons. We'd teach kids the starfish float so they could get comfortable with their own buoyancy. We'd introduce kick boards once kids learned how to float on their tummies.
I miss teaching swim lessons! Your question brought back some happy memories :)
The teenager's shirt made me laugh so hard! A little while back at our local playground, there was a teenage boy riding a Lime scooter back and forth with a t-shirt that said "I love hot moms." Before my husband got to the playground, I just kind of rolled my eyes. And then my husband saw the teenager's shirt, gave a hearty chuckle and said "I like that kid." There's just something about a well-chosen t-shirt.
Lol Leslie!! That's so funny. When I saw the kid, my reaction was a combo of you and your husband's reaction. I rolled my eyes and then laughed. Then I told my husband and he laughed, too.
Oh, I loved this so much. Felt flashbacks to my all-inclusive experience. I love the term Casuals. Defintely made me think about why we use it and where I am on the spectrum!
Camilo! I was thinking of your piece as I wrote this. "Casuals at the Cathedral of Convenience."
There is totally a spectrum!! I used to be very Casual, for sure.
Floaties are the devil...or so our swim instructor described, too.
Then ONE day in a zero entry pool and our daughter retrained herself to look for the ground instead of float. Three months well spent. 🤷🏻♂️
Wait wait wait, Scott, I can't tell from this comment if you're pro-floaties or against lol. Can you explain what you mean by "retrained herself to look the for the ground instead of float?" And also, what were the three months spent? Swim lessons? How many days a week? What kind? How old was your daughter? I need all the details.
LOL, I'm anti-floaties, but the swim instructor jokingly offered to buy another child's floaties to destroy them. As for the lessons, our then 19-months old (?) daughter did ISR five days/week for nearly three months, noting we had a few week medical pause, an int'l trip, and FL thunderstorms. It seemed like it went forever. Dear daughter could get into and hold a back float from any position and was doing some short distance swimming face down.
Then we went to a local Orlando resort for a staycation the weekend after swim graduation. A short-time in the zero-entry pool and she was learning all the wrong habits like looking for the ground instead of trying to float. Our instructor said she'd need refreshers every 6 months as she grows and develops, but we didn't figure she'd build the bad habits THAT quickly! Spoiled and stubborn child!
I was actually thinking about how I save money by being a maniac. I buy an "all you can eat" monthly subscription and lean into it.
Activities for Casuals are more expensive because they cater to people who won't come back over and over again.
Let them wear floaties.
To more maniacs! I laughed at your eternal fate at the Marriott and of course the bubble letters 🤭