Blog depression?
Aug 9, 2005 Read/heard/seen
Found this over at Beanmom’s and it’s too funny: What Everyone Should Know About Blog Depression
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Suffer my typos, please
Aug 9, 2005 Parenting
I’m typing this pre-coffee after a night of Madison restlessness.
I got some big news yesterday about a friend. She’s having a crisis and I really think it’s going to be ok but right now it’s at the point where everything feels very scary and undetermined.
I got the news earlier in the morning and then didn’t get a follow-up call ’til the evening. The rest of the day I paced around and tried to remind myself that this wasn’t happening to me and wondering if feeling so caught up was empathy or bad boundaries. I finally decided that it was both.
When I first got the call, I immediately wanted to get myself all tied up in the situation. I wanted to fix it or at the very least squish myself in there as a support beam so I could stay involved. Fortunately my better instincts prevailed and I stayed reflective, comforting and encouraging. But really I wanted to say, “Here, let me take care of this for you — here’s what you should do.”
I think this is good practice for when my kids start getting older and needing me less. I already have to sit on my hands sometimes not to “help” Noah (i.e., mess with his life in the guise of improving it) over little things like what he’s having for breakfast or whether or not he’s wearing a coat.
And then there’s this other realization I had. As I was scurrying around the house packing and worrying, I realized that I had completely discounted this whole other group of people far more involved in this crisis than I am. (Mostly I’m a bystander with valid reason to be a very interested bystander.) What surprised me was the sense of loss I had. I like being important to this person. I like getting the first phone call. But if all goes well, I will move down the totem pole as I should. I sat there in front of the box I was trying to fill and thought, “This is a taste of empty next syndrome.” Then I was a little sad and wanted to go hug the kids but Madison was sleeping (and you never, ever want to wake a sleeping baby merely for sentimental reasons) and Noah was busy killing aliens on my laptop. So I called Brett instead. It will be much easier to let my babies go if I have Brett around to lean on.
edited to add: Madison calls her bellybutton “beddy-but.” So you can see how I worry about missing her when she moves out in 17 or so years. She’s too cute to let grow-up without a fight!
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The urge to blog is low these days
Aug 8, 2005 Parenting
I’ve been blogging too long. A topic comes up and instead of feeling inspired I think, “Oh that topic again! I should dig my entry about that out of the archives.”
I’m so lazy.
I have never really gotten trolls. Why is this? I know that there are some people who read me who vehemently disagree with things I’ve written (I can see this in my stats) and yet they have never attacked me here. Why is this? (Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy about it.)
Here are my theories:
1. I’m out of the loop. I think there are blogging cliques out there and I’m not in them so when these turf wars start, my blog is never in the fray.
2. I don’t get as many hits as the flamed bloggers. Popularity sadly makes for opportunity.
3. Sheer luck. I think this also goes along with the clique thing — I’m not posting on the hot button issues when the issues are hot.
I need something new to talk about. J is gone; I am sad. The house is a wreck; I am crazed. I have a headache (again); I am frustrated. Same old same old.
Here’s something funny. J sings while she’s doing other things, like cooking or waiting or shopping. Madison does, too. She sings her way around the house and it’s the same kind of pretty meandering “la-la-la” that J does. Who knew this kind of thing was genetic?
Madison’s favorite things at the moment:
–unloading the dishwasher, whether or not it’s clean;
–unpacking drawers in the kitchen and her room;
–placing shirts on her head or around her neck to look dressy;
–sitting in big people chairs and then announcing, “I sit!”
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Tags: Madison
Making a note
Aug 7, 2005 Read/heard/seen
I want to rent this: Rory O’Shea Was Here
We gave up on Netflix (it wasn’t cost effective seeing as how there’s no time to watch movies) so I can’t put it in my queue. (Has anyone noticed what a weird word queue is? Trying typing it. Weird.)
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So we found our dream house (again)
Aug 7, 2005 The Story of My Life
Twice during this second bout of home buying we’ve found the perfect house. The first time the location was bad but this time it’s all good.
Our dream house would be smallish (the one today was 1300 sq feet) with a basement either finished or ready to be finished (check). It would be mid-century (this one is close — 1961) with the light woodwork common then. (Original homeowners had the floor covered with ugly Berber but have never had pets and the floors underneath are pristine.) And the original baths and kitchen. Also a great backyard.
The one we saw today has all of that and is totally in our price range but we have to sell this house before we can have that one.
Oh and walkability. Today’s dream house is about three blocks from the park (and damn close to Amber) and within walking distance of the library, a grocery and various shops and things. It’s right around the corner from an elementary school, too.
The good news is that there are two other houses on that same street also for sale. One is in terrible shape (how terrible remains to be seen) and the other one has been updated. We don’t really want to pay for updates that we would rather not have been done but still we’ll take a look. But mostly we’re hoping that somehow this fabulous house doesn’t sell (although it’s already been in contract twice and both times the financing fell through) until we get out of this one. We don’t really want to do the whole bridge loan thing.
Guess we’ll just wait and see.
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Tags: Erica
