Take Up Painting, Take Up Piano, Take A Vacation, Take A Number

Sometimes in life, you will be over taken by overwhelming and inexplicable sadness. Where it comes from, you don't know. How to rid your self of it is not easy. But when you come to that point, when you cry at commercials, sit-come, anything ANYONE says to you or about you, and you are NOT in fact pregnant, it is time to take a step back and fix your otherwise happy and well-planned life.

SOOOOOO...

I am going to begin taking piano lessons again. I am also borrowing a set of oil paints from my mother. I have started doing Yoga again. I have pulled out the typewriter that was graciously given to me by a fantabulous friend. Most importantly, I am taking a 5 day vacation, sans baby and husband, to the illustrious Chi-Town to stay with K and M, and spend some quality time with nice people who like me and remind me that I do not have to be lonely, even when I feel like we don't know anyone anymore.

But Luke and I reasoned out the root of my blueness last night. HOW, I ask you, did Luke and I, open-minded democrats with love and homosexual accepting tendencies, marry young and have a kid? Because the people who are like us on the one front, are very anti-marriage, or at least anti-children and find us, not as cool as we were when not so tied to family life. On the other hand, our more familial oriented counter-parts are all minivan driving, Baptist loving, gay hating blond southerners that find Luke and I the most odd sort of company.

The ultimate solution to this should be our new church. Okay, we have not actually BEEN to this church yet, but we start next Sunday. It is a nice little church here in Norman where a friend of mine is on staff. When asked, she described her church as "open and progressive and possibly the most socially conscious church in the area." Beautiful! It also has a growing "Married with Children" department, but it isn't all 30 somethings (no offense intended to anyone who is 30 something (Scott) but you are a different animal and you know what I mean). Anywho, all this should be coming together soon such as to deliver me from the Bell Jar. Much love you you all, and I look forward to seeing at least one of you in Chicago around March 9.

When Strangers Want To Hold Your Baby

For any of my friends out there who ask to hold babies you meet in super markets and restaurants, I have only one thing to say to you: Don't ask to hold someone else's baby. We are left standing awkwardly, not wanting to appear rude, but the voice in our head is screaming, "NO, NO, NO!!! I don't know you! I don't know where your hands have been! I am actually slightly creeped by your lack of social judgement that you would actually ask to HOLD a stranger's baby that I want you to hold her even less!!!" What I end up saying out loud is generally, "Well, I am in a hurry" or something that sounds convincing at that time. Clearly, being in a hurry is not ALWAYS going to work. If I am in line at the bank, saying that I'm in a hurry will just sound foolish. And actually, I am one of those people who generally, squeamishly, says "Okay." And then tries to look as uncomfortable as possible so that the stranger gives her back.

But today, a woman in the grocery store asked to hold her, which meant taking her out of the car seat. Now, I am actually not under the impression that ALL people are child molesters, and I am not worried about people dropping Helen on the floor. But It just seems to me that asking to hold her is the equivalent of saying, "Oh! What a really cute purse. Can I hold it?" or "Your hair is pretty! Can I smell it?" I just don't like other people touching my stuff, or me and in line with that, my kid. So, back to the story at hand... This woman says, "Can I hold your baby? I promise I won't hurt her! I would never hurt a baby!"

I don't know about the rest of you, but this actually made me think that she MIGHT WANT to hurt the baby. Too much insistence, too soon. A little to emphatic on the "not a child abuser" front. Thank God for her car seat. I got to use that excuse. "Well, it is really hard to get her in and out of her seat and I really don't want to take her out. And I'm in a hurry."

My First New Blog

Well kittens, this is Sarah's new blog. It is away from the prying eyes of people who may go on to take everything I say personally and then write mean things that are directed at me on their own blogs. This blog is for those of you who know me well enough to read the things I write and take them in just the context that you know I would say them. It is a blog to share funny stories about my kid and the wierd shit one encounters day to day. I thank you all to leave comments and disagreement is welcome, but I ask that we all keep a certain amount of perspective about how this is, in fact, just a blog. It is not a serious place. It is not a place to develop relationships. It is just a place to tell little stories. And perhaps take the occasional survey.

The surveys start now:

When you go into a clothing store, and you like a shirt, do you feel the need to try it on in every single color? Then, do you feel the need to take any shirts you do not want and throw them in the floor? Because if you do, I might want to hit you in your face.