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July 03, 2006
Wheel-Spinning
The good news: I have a rare day to myself. Clara Jane's still visiting my parents and B.'s one of tweleve people in the U.S. who has to work today. Yippee! I never get a day to myself with no obligations!
The bad news: I suck when I have unfettered time like this. For one thing, I tend to get stuck when it comes to finding the best way to spend the day. It's almost 10:30. I'm still in my pajamas. Hell, I haven't even had a cup of coffee yet, because I might want to spend my free time at a coffee house. But if I drink a coffee at home, that would ruin the coffee house plan.
Hello. I'm a poor decision-maker.
So, here I sit, in my pajamas, drinking a caffeine-free diet soda and eating M&Ms. Because, you know, if I eat a real breakfast it might ruin any potential real breakfast-eating plans I may conjure later. At this rate, I'll conjure those plans sometime after 2 PM.
You want to hear about my weekend, right?
Earlier, I alluded to my delightful Friday night. Really, it was a lovely night. Summer turned 30, and her sweet husband arranged a surprise party for her at Lorenzo's. Talk about your perfect parties. He managed to get a bunch of her relatives to drive the two hours to St. Louis for the party, along with some far-flung message board friends who drove much, much further than that to be there. I think B. and I were the only locals.
I'm not a fan of being surprised, and I tend to not surprise others for this reason. But Summer was surprised. Dumb-struck surprised, but happy. All night, she kept saying how she couldn't believe all these people did such a thing for her. And I kept thinking, "How could they not?"
Great conversation. Great food. Great laughs. Great night.
And gifts! Many of them meat-related. In case you don't know, her blog is called Not a Ham Sandwich, and she often professes her love of meat. There was a lovely crochetted/knitted/felted handmade ham sandwich, not made by me (although I wish it had been - it was truly a work of sandwich art). There were potted meat products. Personally, I arrived at the lovely, white-table cloth dining establishment with a big cooler of processed meat products under my arm. Well, under B.'s arm. I bought three pounds of The Best Sausage in the World at the farmer's market last week and gift-wrapped it in a cooler.
In the back of my mind, I kept thinking that maybe I was missing some obvious bit of irony, and perhaps Summer was actually a vegan who had cultivated this online meat-loving persona and only I didn't get the joke. Not the case, as I watched her eat some Italian sausage-studded gnocci at dinner.
After dinner a few of us went for coffee and people-watching at Coffee Cartel. I don't get to that part of town often, especially at night. Hell, I don't get anywhere at night anymore. B. and I had our first date at The Grind, a coffeehouse down the block from CC. Sadly, we learned that The Grind has closed. We hadn't been there since Clara Jane was about six weeks old, as it wasn't the most baby-friendly of coffee joints. It was open primarily during nocturnal hours, and just as smokey and loud as a bar. But they made lattes with chocolate milk, and the cafe su das that B. and I drank the day we met.
A moment of silence, please.
Okay, moving on. Coffee Cartel! It figures that within a week of getting my insomnia under control I would realize that this joint is open 24 hours. All those nights of lying on the couch, watching "Murphy Brown" reruns, and I could have been at Coffee Cartel, drinking decaf and people-watching.
Maybe I'll go there and write a bit today.
Anyway ... we all got our drinks, found a table on the sidewalk, and gabbed until nearly midnight. Midnight! I can't remember the last time I was out past midnight. And with smart, funny, interesting people to boot. Suffice it to say that Summer wasn't the only one surprised. I was, too, at how relaxing and enjoyable the night was. I'd do that every Friday night, if I could.
Saturday, we slept late. Slept late! We never get to sleep late! Eventually we rolled out the door for a late lunch and some bar trivia. Two games played, two games won by me. Seems that sleep and adult conversation restores those brain cells that toddlers eat to survive. We did a little shopping, had a little Mongolian barbeque for dinner, and did a little spin through the grocery store.
You have to understand, a leisurely trip to the grocery store without having to wrangle Clare Jane is the utmost in luxury in my world. I love nothing more.
Sunday, more late-sleeping, some Mexican food, and some knitting while B. attempted to ressurect my mom's two dead computers. At 9:30 PM we got a wild hair for frozen custard, which we were able to honor because hey! No sleeping kid!
And here I am today. I do miss Clara Jane, but I loved sleeping late. Again. I'm watching the clock tick away. B. gets home in five hours and my free day will be over. So, what are my options?
- Stay home and work.
- Stay home and watch all those hours of "Designing Women" that are saved on my Tivo.
- Go sit in a coffeehouse and work.
- Go sit in a coffeehouse and replay those episodes of "Designing Women" in my mind.
- Go shopping for stuff I don't need with money I don't really want to spend.
- Go for a drive with my iPod, using gas I don't really want to spend.
- Go back to bed.
I'm as bad as my stupid little dog Murphy who, we realized this weekend, is too stupid to play. All weekend Chloe, our 9-year-old Basset hound, has been trying her damnedest to get Murphy to play. She charges at Murphy, jumps at her, nudges her with her snout. And what does Murphy do? Murphy cries. Sometimes she growls. But then she cries some more. Once, she flung herself on her back, rolled a little, and then cried.
The dumbass doesn't know how to play.
I think I know the feeling, Murph. I think I know it well.
Posted by Robin at July 3, 2006 10:20 AM
Comments
Do not stay home. Get out and be free while you can!
I say you should go out and write. Have coffee. Have lunch out. Maybe do a quick run to Target.
Are there such things as quick runs to Target?
Posted by: DixiePeach at July 3, 2006 03:19 PM
Quick run to Target? Hell no! Go for a long leisurely stroll through Target, savoring all the parts of the store you never have the luxury of browsing with Clara Jane in towe. :) Get coffee, eat lunch, get desert have more coffee. Don't worry about the gas. You can save it all on another day when you're home bound with a sad or sick or cranky toddler.
Oh, and going out on Friday night? That's what god made babysitters for. (says the woman who has only hired a babysitter once.) I'm glad you had a fabulous time... I bet even Clara Jane will pick up on how much better you're feeling. Relaxation and time to oneself is so important for parents. I think we become better parents for our little ones when we take time to take care of ourselves.
It's good to hear your voice sound so much more at ease. Hope it continues for you my friend!
Posted by: Annie at July 3, 2006 03:40 PM
I love Lorenzo's! Regarding Summer, I have a friend whose nickname is "Meat" due to the time she was a bridesmaid in an all-vegetarian wedding party. Lunch was delivered to the female half of the party prior to the wedding and my friend's sandwich was appallingly labeled simply, MEAT as if she were a singular carnivore who couldn't go one meal without flesh.
Posted by: Marijean at July 3, 2006 09:16 PM
