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I'm usually not that observant when I walk into the rec center in the morning. On days when I run first, I'm already tired and sweaty...and my glasses tend to be fogged up. On days when I don't run, well...I probably just woke up and am not yet firing on all cylinders. Either way, at that time of day I'm certainly not exhibiting Adrian Monk-like powers of observation.

But I'm coming up on 10 years of coaching the Masters Swim Team at the Ridge, so the details of my walk from the entry to the locker room are pretty well ingrained in my subconscious. I may not consciously notice anything, but if something is out of place, some primal awareness reflex gets triggered.

This morning, there was a small table set up beside the current pool. It held a pile of styrofoam plates and a large cake knife. My first thought was that the Political Correctness Police would probably get someone suspended for displaying an edged weapon in public. My second thought was that somebody forgot to clean up after a party. My third thought (which came to me after I recognized that the plates and knife were sparkling clean) was that somebody was setting up for a party to be held later.

It's an odd place for a food table, though. The party room is only about 20 feet away...so why wouldn't the table have been in there?

Such thoughts are too complex for my feeble mind to fully process at 5:30 in the morning, so once I had convinced myself that the cake knife was unlikely to have been placed there by Jason or Freddy (or any other mad movie slasher), I continued on into the locker room and forgot about it.

But then, about halfway through swim practice, Cody (the Head Lifeguard) dropped by and said, "Hey guy...there's pie!"

"Why pie?," said I.

He winked his eye. "I'll tell you why...if you'll drop by the pie supply when you are dry. Goodbye."

"I'll try."

It turns out that today is "Pie Day." I suppose the government could designate any day it wanted to be a celebration of slicable cylindrical pastries, but this one makes perfect sense. The date is 3-14. Get it?

Cody had generously purchased a bunch of pies for the regular patrons, and had set it up near the current pool for the convenience of the water walkers. A very nice gesture; it's no wonder he's the most popular lifeguard.

So, will I consume a hunk of pie today? Perhaps. Perhaps. I didn't have one after swim practice -- he had no chocolate, no Reeses, and no ice cream-based pies at all. But the day is young and there's a Village Inn a stone's throw from my office. We'll see.

In any case, I hope you'll have the most delightful and filling (get it?) pie day ever!