First exciting news: We bought a couch! We bought a couch! A big, comfy sectional for the basement. With a sofabed in it! It's all so exciting. One friend observed that buying a (new) couch is one of those milestones that tells you you're really a grown-up. Hm. I guess, for me, nothing after having a freekin' kid will feel like anything of any significance whatsoever. I'm still getting over the shock and adjustment (awe?) of that one. :) ... Then again, as I observed to Matt, "I still haven't bought a couch." This one's on him.
Hm. I see that above I said "first exciting news." As if there was more. I'm afraid I'll be disappointing you, then. There really wasn't. That's all the excitement you get. (C'mon! A couch! Isn't that enough?)
Saturday evening, I went scrapbooking, or "cropping," as the Creative Memories consultant types call it, at my main CM 'dealer.' I had fun -- we had some major girl talk going on there, much of it having to do with tv shows and laser hair removal -- but I experienced the usual paralyzing scrapbook stress. I get a few hours every now and then (once a month, if I'm lucky, seems like) to work on it, and I have SO MANY PICTURES. A year and a half from living in Europe are untouched, and I'm about seven months of the way through Lizzy's first year. (after that, she's getting tossed in with the general family photo album.) But this time, I took a break from Lizzy to work on a scrapbook of our recent trip to Alaska. The dilemma is, I could take loads of time conceptualizing and doing it, and craft some really exquisite pages. (in theory.) Or I could dive in and get it done, already, though not so beautifully, and move on. This seems to come up a lot in life. Yeah, yeah, always do your best, but let's say you're in college, and you could work your BUTT off for an A, or you could fall off a log and get a B and have more time to do, um, other stuff. (I'm treading into dangerous territory here, as my mother will read this and no doubt start lecturing her computer screen. -- Hi, Mom!) And, yes, she's right. I could've done better than I did, especially toward the end of college. But anyway. Doesn't this theme seem to crop up a lot? With housework, yardwork, creative outlets, the work we get paid to do, etc. Maybe even parenthood, to some extent. It's frustrating, that's my only point. I'm never quite satisfied, yet there's a lot to be said for just getting on to the next thing when you're time is severely limited.
So I didn't get much cropping done. Oh, well. I'll find a way to finish up.
On Sunday, Matt and I did go to the Orioles game. My friend, with whom we were originally going to meet, called and said plans were getting complicated for her, too, so that part went smoothly. And the ticket giver/babysitter and I seem to be getting along again, so that's okay. I guess. We had a good time! Drove from Manassas to Baltimore in not much more than an hour -- no minor miracle -- and met up with my good friend and enjoyed some CHOICE seats. One of the crappier games I have ever seen, but that has its inherent humor. Honestly.
The Orioles looked like a minor-league ensemble there in one of the later innings. Got lit up for, oh, seven runs or something. I think they WALKED IN four runs. The best part was when one of the vendors went off, detailing how 'they should have seen the signs' and how he hasn't seen something this bad since, you know, a billion years ago or something. How the team probably knew of one of its star's impending drug problems, and that took the air out of them. On and on. The lack of response from the few fans around him didn't seem to diminish his enthusiasm. Absolutely hilarious.
My friend, who now lives in Baltimore but has been in and around D.C. for years, was saying she sees colorful folks like that in the city all the time. Folks will talk about anything to complete strangers on buses, on the street, wherever. I have seen some of that in D.C., but it's mostly from, well, homeless folks and stuff. Overall, I love going to Baltimore because IT FEELS LIKE A CITY. As opposed to D.C., which feels like a movie set, and is about as inconvenient. Gads. It's so easy to walk around the touristy parts of Baltimore. And so rewarding! Granted, a great waterfront doesn't hurt. (Must take you there next time you're here, Mom.) And the way the industrial sector meshes with the sporting complexes... Cute AND gritty... And, can it BE? Actual TALL BUILDINGS... Ohhhh. I miss cities. No, the Washington Monument does NOT count.
Don't get me wrong. D.C. has its charms. But, well, yeah. I miss actual CITIES.
Oh yeah. And Geena Davis threw out the first pitch. Ooookay...
And one of the A's used to play for my college team when I was at Washington State! Scott Hatteberg. We had some good times. (no, I didn't actually KNOW him.) Back in the freshman days of yore, when my impossible 'celebrity' crush was dependent upon which sports season it was...
This is the first time I went to the Baltimore waterfront and did NOT eat at the Cheesecake Factory. (yes, it's a sickness.) We skipped out on the 40-minute wait and instead wandered over to the Blue Bamboo, over by the Hard Rock Cafe. Four people in the place. Healthy, cheap Mongolian-style Asian food. YESSSSS.
Oh, and they were doing their version of D.C.'s pandas, and donkeys/elephants. Theirs was crabs. Cute!! I didn't see any signs of major mutilation of them yet, either.
One of the best things about an evening at the harbor is the live music. They generally seem to get a band with wide appeal. Last night's was fronted by a woman lead singer (I like that; Matt doesn't), and three guys doing keyboard, er, trombone?, and drums. She was trying to sing in the style of ... if I knew music, I could say -- the old-timey, big-bandy stuff. She was pulling it off, but you kinda got the sense that it was an act. Anyway, fun to listen to.
And then we drove back (the wrong way 'round the Beltway -- curses!) and cuddled our little girl. Who cried for Grandma for a few minutes before bedtime. GRRRRRR.
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