Monday, November 17, 2008

Socially Inept

I used to be popular - I was a cheerleader and part of the "in crowd", for goodness sake. And then somehow, over the last 15 years (oh lord) something changed. I still am very close to my high school friends, but the majority of them live in California, not in the Pacific Northwest like me. I went to a junior college in my hometown and then I worked in restaurants for a few years. I finally went away to school to finish my bachelor degree just when the rest of my friends were graduating.

My college was brand new and all the students commuted there, as there were no dorms. Not that I would have lived in the dorms anyway - I was too old for that. There was no campus "social life". I guess I should consider myself somewhat lucky I met Mr. Mine in college - not MY college, rather, he went to college with one of my best high school friends and he liked what he saw when I would come to visit her - I never even noticed him (hee hee). After he graduated, he moved to the town where I was going to college (his hometown, incidentally) and we started dating. Otherwise - I might not even be married right now! My friend suggested I email him when I moved there - an email to him was the first I ever sent! I had to create a hotmail account to do it - have I totally dated myself with this revelation?! Anyway - we fell in love and blab, blab, blab....

But I digress....I used to have friends, dress nicely, feel pretty, and have fun outings and conversation with my peers. But not so much now. I have two work friends, THANK GOD, but the weekends are pretty quiet. I like quiet for the most part, so that is okay, but here comes the awkwardness comes in to play.

I have started to chat with a stay-at-home mom, Erin, who lives down the street from us. They have a little boy Max who is R's age (2) and they are just about to have their second baby boy. We have chatted a few times on the street and we stopped by their house the other day. They seem very nice! They even invited us to a birthday party for their son and a set of triplet boys that also live in our neighborhood (and I have NEVER SEEN these triplets). I was brave on Saturday and R and I (Mr. Mine stayed home with Baby E) stopped by the party, which was thrown at our neighborhood Mormon church. We are not Mormon, nor is Max's family, but the triplets are and Mormon community rooms are very kid friendly, of course.

I didn't know anyone, really, besides Erin and Rob, Max's mom and dad. Here is where the social ineptitude comes in. This room was full of about 12 sets of parents and various kids, all playing. I am just SHY and have a hard time introducing myself to people. I talked with Max's mom (who was VERY nice, again), but that is really it. I just felt like a major dork. My pants keep falling down off my hips - they are from before my two babies and now I am thinner, yet have belly flab. My hair air-dried so it was frizzy. My morning had been jam-packed with getting my mother-in-law on her way to the airport. I had my glasses on and no make-up, etc. ect. etc. So R and I just sort of wandered around and I watched her play with the toys, while I felt like an gangly teenager at a middle school dance.

Then I stuck my foot in my mouth and asked the triplet's parents if the babies had just turned one year old. Uh, no...they just turned two, but they are half the size and developmental stage of R, I swear. I was SO EMBARRASSED. Also, I got guacamole all over my shirt in the morning and forgot about it and when I got to the party, I noticed I had food on my fleece and went to take my fleece off and realized I had not changed my guacamole-covered shirt. Sigh.

So - here I was in a room full of people I SHOULD have lots in common with (aside from the Mormon-ness) and be able to talk to, but yet I felt like only LAME things came out of my mouth and I was acting like a dork with food on my clothes and unbrushed hair (R was looking fantastic, though, as always - people are probably SHOCKED she belongs to me). It just depresses me. The whole concept of I want to make friends, but that involves Making An Effort in so many ways - trying to look presentable, managing my weekend time to get myself and the girls, if it is child centered, out of the house on time, making conversation, trying not say awkward or weird things, which I feel like I do, and just on and on and on.....

But, I guess I need to start making that effort, before my social skills atrophy to the Point of No Return and, after the girls move out, Mr. Mine and I turn into dog show fanatics or something.....

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Grump....

1. Mr. Mine is on a business trip in Chicago - in a very nice hotel room and about to go out to a VERY fancy dinner with his coworkers. I am cooking a pot roast that I am pretty sure is NOT going to be good and won't even get to eat it in peace until 7:30 - after I have put the girls down for the evening. And between now and then is the whole bedtime PROCESS.

2. There are fruit flies EVERYWHERE in my kitchen! YUCK! Gross! Make them STOP!

3. I took the girls to the park today since it was sunny and I ended up with a SUNBURNED FACE. In November. I look like a lobster.

Yipee.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Overheard

While shopping at Ross looking for a deal on shoes for R, I overheard this (LOUD) exchange between a young lady of about 23-ish years old and her Grandma and Mother: "Grandma, you know what I'm getting those bitches this year? Nothing!!!!"

Nice.