Dipping my toe in
May 29, 2007
After a long non-blogging/non-internet period, do you ever feel strange about starting up again? For the last 10 days, I’ve been outside every day for hours on end, and now I’m back to my windowless office with plans to stare at a computer all.damn.day. It’s hardly inspiring. So I’ll dip my toe into the blogging with a vacation list update & an interview.
1) finish the grape arbor/pergola before Little Man’s birthday party on the 27th. 2) spin every day (i.e. zen it up)
3) work on the Dale
4) photograph the stash for Ravelry
5) work on the downstairs bathroom before visitors arrive and need to use it (eek!) — finish painting walls; paint ceiling; paint beadboard; disconnect the toilet, remove remnants of old flooring & replace wax ring; sand & paint floor (a stop-gap measure).
6) post an update to the upstairs bathroom saga (since I’ve heard from more than a couple people that they’re anxiously awaiting the end of that story — who knew?)
7) post the “dick swinging at the plumbing supply house” story.
Despite the sad 43% performance, my moleskine houses 4 pages of lists, starting with a master vacation list, followed by smaller daily lists. And only 3 items were not completed! Yes!
Photos tomorrow, I promise.
Way back on Mother’s Day, Roro answered a series of questions and asked for other victims. I decided to play along, because I was dying to see what questions Roro would pick for me. Here they are, slightly tamer than I expected:
1. Your mom is visiting and stumbles upon your enormous stash of whips, riding crops and various studded leather items. What does she say? What do you say?
Mom: Ummm … Maaaafiiiiiia!? [giggle giggle] What’s all this stuff?
Mafia: MOOOOOMM! Get out of there! Good lord woman, have you no boundaries?
Mom: I’m just glad to know that my daughter has an active and imaginative sex life. Clearly Wifey is hiding a wild side behind that Martha Stewart exterior.
Mafia: Mom. Seriously. Just stop talking. I’m either going to die of embarassment or puke. ssshhh … ok? please?
Mom: Oh this is nothing. Did I ever tell you about my patient with the penis piercing?
Mafia: [covers ears] LaLaLaLLLLAAAAAAAA!
2. If you could have one do-over, what big or small choice would you go back and change?
I would’ve been nicer to my family during my 20s. I believed that “chosen family” was possible, and now I understand that blood is indeed thicker than water (even if the blood isn’t exactly genetically linked).
3. What’s the thing you’re least excited about having to explain to your son as he grows up? Will there be handpuppets?
I’m totally fine with the sex talk. Wifey — not fine. She’s lucky that I’m around. But I’ve recently realized that Little Man and I need to discuss privacy and boundaries and inappropriate touching, and a part of my heart is dying at the thought. My sweet little boy needs to understand that people aren’t always kind and generous, and the loss of his innocence is breaking my heart. And what do I say? How do I balance being informative and not scary? How can I be sure that he’ll come to me if something horrid happens? Stranger fear is important, but all the stats say that abuse comes at the hands of someone he knows. I can’t tell him that his penis is 100% private when teachers and other caretakers need to help him with the potty and bathing. How do I teach him the right boundaries? “If it makes you uncomfortable, you need to tell Mommy” - but what’s uncomfortable? Seriously, my chest tightens every time I think about it.
4. If you could instantly master one skill, what skill would you choose?
Spinning.
Weaving.
Blacksmithing.
Remembering song lyrics.
Singing.
Painting with abandon.
The ability to convince my department that I should work at home.
Break dancing (come on! it would have incredible shock value.)
5. What’s been your proudest moment so far?
Graduating from college.
Because my parents finished their undergraduate degrees later in life, and beyond that, no one in my extended family went to college. But I went to a fancy college, a fact that created both real and imagined distance between me and most members of my extended family. And I paid for college. The first month of every semester consisted of begging the financial aid office, begging my parents, finding extra work, applying for every loan imaginable, signing countless forms, explaining to professors why I didn’t have the books yet, and avoiding those supposedly voluntary dorm-related fees. There’s nothing quite as charming as a poor girl detailing her financial woes again and again to a rich girl, who arrived at college with a brand new Volvo, and can’t comprehend why a “payment plan” for the house kegger fees just won’t work. In the end, it all worked out, and I’m a devoted alumna.
If you want to play along, leave a comment saying, “Interview me, please.”
I will respond by emailing you five questions of my choosing.
You must update your blog with the answers to the questions. Whether you like them or not.
You have to include this explanation, and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Entry Filed under: It's All About Me, Memes, Peeps. .
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1.
Lisa | May 29, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Oh Mafia…..
I feel for you with the Little Man issues. I wish I could tell you that they get better, but, they don’t. As Munchkin and Trouble get older (young adult women) the questions and challenges get harder because they can think and reason. When the time comes, you will have the answer that you need.
I love the interview and you can count me in - “Interview me please”.
I am very impressed with the amount of your to do lists that you finished. Wifey is home- Summer Guy (Fever Pitch) and she just gave me an update on the Summer Project list. She finished three projects already and is off to Home Depot for me….
I can’t wait for pictures and updates on all the projects.
Have a great short week!
2.
roro | May 29, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Ha ha - finally, the interview! “LALALALAAAAA” made me laugh so hard. And I’d love it if you could breakdance. I find a lot of people found my questions tamer than expected. Seriously - what did you expect me to ask about? Who’s “on top”? If you pee in the shower? What’s your most embarrassing memory involving underwear, maraschino cherries and sweet vermouth? Wait a minute - damn. I SHOULD have asked those questions . . .
3.
Linda | May 29, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Okay, count me in on the interview! It’ll make me post to my blog again, which I haven’t done in ages.
Great Q&A.
4.
Suzanne | May 29, 2007 at 7:58 pm
#1 - hysterical!
#2 - familiar
#3 - I would answer verbatim
#4 - interesting
#5 - poignant
Still on the fence about being interviewed - I’m so behind in blogland right now!
5.
Janine | May 29, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Your interview? Hilarious, and much needed at the end of today. I am also on a manic spreee - cleaning/painting/gardeningOMGIT’SSPRINGG!!!!, and it’s good to know that I’m not alone. And that I’m not the only person who loves their lists, because it sure feels that way sometimes.
As for talking to Little Man - oh, so hard. I feel for you. I don’t know if it’ll make it easier now (it’s aimed at teenagers), but you could pick up the book S.E.X. by Heather Corinna. She’s the creator of scarleteen.com, and an amazing activist/author/artist (and a friend), and her book is a great resource for this sort of thing.
“Interview me, please”. It’ll be a good kickstart to my blogging. I’ve spent far too much time playing on Ravelry and washing dishes.
6.
JessZ | May 29, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Damn you’ve been busy! Love your answers. Number 3… my chest tightened up just reading your answer. If you haven’t been overwhelmed by the response then add me to the list to interview please.
7.
Rhonda the Stitchingnut | May 30, 2007 at 10:06 am
Gosh, I’m learning the most interesting things about you! Yet, I’m not sure I’d agree to an interview. Besides that it would take a heap of thought power on my part … I’m not convinced that I should take the chance of revealing the real Stitchingnut to the blogging world.
BTW, I resorted to browsing the public library for books on sex to read to the kids (each, one on one) and had them ask me questions at end of each chapter. I answered the questions as simply and as honestly as possible. I’m sure there’s a book that’s right for the subject you want to talk to little man about. The sooner you do it the better. I suggest the library because you can sit down and quietly go thru the books alone first. (they have all age levels) Frankly … I learned things that even I didn’t know.
Now about that dream of learning to break dance … you’re aspirations are higher than mine girl. I’m not so cool.
8.
Dorothy B | May 30, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Well, B-Girl Mafia, those are some pretty darn interesting interview questions. #1 cracked me up. #3 scares the crap out of me too. Very, very scary. I hate that it even has to be talked about at this age.
Good job on the lists. You did more in ten days than I have in a long time.
9.
Kat with a K | May 30, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Good job on the lists. Interview me, please!
10.
wenders | May 30, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Oy, I wish had I the magic answer to the LittleMan peice. But I hope to be in a position someday to have that concern, if you know what I mean. Roro gave you good questions - nice work!
11.
Alison | May 30, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I definitely feel weird about blogging after a blogless period… so you can only imagine how it is now that I haven’t blogged for weeks. “interview me, please.” at least it will give me something specific to write about, rather than trying to cover what I’ve been doing during my blog silence.
12.
Kim | May 30, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Oh, do you blacksmith at MIT? I learned how to there, in the basement of the Infinite Corridor. I haven’t done it since then, but I still am quite proud of my letter opener (sized for my small hands).
13.
Kate | June 6, 2007 at 10:58 pm
I started to leave a comment, but it got waaaay to long. So I blogged it. It’s here http://craftastrophies.blogspot.com/2007/06/is-this-inappropriate.html Hope you get time to read it
14.
A Dead Elfine + Spun Silk&hellip | June 7, 2007 at 9:59 am
[...] For those who are waiting for interview questions, I didn’t forget. I’m being lazy, but I’ll get motivated soon, I promise. [...]