Aug
21
August 21, 2007
I think the best thing about exposing my young son to the flickering, brain-rotting glow of television is the fact that he will often curl into my arms and lay on me like a warm puppy while Blue’s Clues is on, and since he’s distracted and comfy I can basically maul him all I want: snorfling around in his hair, feeling his dimply elbows, and counting each smelly little toddler-toe by feel. Oh, I know, you totally thought I was going to say my favorite part was the stand-in parenting aspect, where I can park him in front of the tube and run off to surf the web! Well that’s the second best thing.
I know I already updated this thing today, and two blog posts in one day is probably enough to make you wonder if the author is perhaps in need of an intervention, or at least a to-do list of productive activities such as tackling the giant mound of laundry lurking in the utility room, but although it may not be obvious right now, I am being productive: I am totally avoiding a freelance project that requires the use of far too many exclamation points for my comfort. It’s so! Relentlessly! Perky! that I had to escape, typing-wise, to this little oasis where I can use words like dicktowel and assbiscuit (random: TextEdit suggests ass-biscuit instead) all I want.
Plus, JB’s out of town and the boy is asleep and I’m bored. Hey, guess what I had for dinner tonight? A bowl of microwaved mashed potatoes, Deli Rye Triscuits, and swiss cheese slices. My nutrition has officially left the building.
I talked with JB earlier and he told me that during his United flight (he’s in the Chicago area for a few days) they offered a meal service, but you had to pay for it. It sounds as though they basically fed him an adult-sized Lunchables for about eight bucks.
Man, air travel is just sucking more and more these days, isn’t it? We’re planning a mini adults-only vacation in October and at first I was thinking tropical sandy beaches, until it occurred to me that any potential tropical sandy beaches would require getting on a plane, and oh man fuck that. The lines, the delays, the inability to pack a useful amount of hair conditioner without having a bored security worker confiscate the bottle, the relentless discomfort and crappiness of it all, fooey. We’re doing a road trip instead, to Tofino, where the beaches might not be tropical but they sure look pretty.
Topic change! I love this idea of Swistle’s, because I don’t believe she’s ever shared any photos of herself and I imagine it’s utterly fascinating to read what people are guessing. I can’t rip off her entry completely, because you guys already know what I look like (about yea high, currently sort of bulgy-shaped), but in a somewhat related vein I thought a Q&A might be at least marginally fun.
If you want to play, ask me one question—as nosy as you like, although I reserve the right to be squirrelly about answering if I think it’s a bad idea (examples would include: “Linda, have you ever spent, like, a whole afternoon flaking off work and surfing kitchen nook furniture suggested by your uber-cool readers?” because I HAVE NO OFFICIAL STATEMENT AT THIS TIME)—in the comments, and I’ll post my answers in the next day or so.
Yes, this game is probably more fun for me than it is for you. What can I say, I’m a giver.
** Updated: you guys asked so many interesting questions, and I think I’m really going to enjoy answering them. I’m closing comments now, just so the number of questions remains doable. Thanks, guys! **
Comments
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I’m sure this is a highly predictable (& nosy) question but…have you got any particular preference on whether Smalltopus is a (healthy & beautiful) boy or a girl? :)
If you are in Vancouver for any length of time and want to visit, let me know!
I live in a beautiful house in a beautiful part, near the University of British Columbia. Of course if you are sans kid, you probably don’t want to visit, since as you know I have one the very same age… :D
Did you ever think you would be where you are today when you were younger? If not what did you picture.
Are there any blog topics/trends that annoy you?
Fun idea!
– Where have you lived?
– Do you have any siblings? I don’t think I can recall you mentioning any.
– What did you do after high school?
– How did you and JB meet?
– How did you get into your current job?
– Has anyone ever recognized you and asked, “Hey, are you THE Sundry of sundrymourning.com?”
– Are there any bloggers you’d like to meet some day?
– Any crazy hijinks or pranks from your past?
– Is there anything you hope to do someday? (Like go to Machu Picchu or learn how to play the ukelele or whatever!)
Oops! I didn’t follow directions and asked more than one question. Sorry!
OK I’ll just ask.
Are you a “picker” of all things pick’able?
People are pickers or they aren’t. Which are you?
Cool idea, this question thingy you’ve got going.
Oh, Tofino’s pretty. We stayed there last year and the beaches are great (in the Northwest barefoot-and-fleece kind of way, obviously). We were at a place called Middle Beach Lodge, and our 2-bedroom cabin was too small for our 4-person group. It was also totally overpriced; I’ve stayed at plenty of lodges in the NW and this was ridiculous. But still pretty!
My nosy question is if you’re going to attempt a VBAC, or go with a planned c-section.
Do you secretly hope for a little girl this time round?
You’ve been very generous and honest with us. I’m curious as to whether that has had a price. Do you ever regret sharing so much of yourself?
My husband wants to know if you consider blogging (and writing) a hobby or a calling?
I honestly have no idea what I want to ask you- though in the past I have had probably hundreds of burning questions that I’ve never been nosy enough to put out there. :) In any case, multiple updates from you = major happiness for me, since it brightens my day at work considerably.
My husband, though, wants to know where you work- hah! I told him you’ll never tell, but he says that’s the only question he wants answered. He notices all your Apple goodness (we’re a Mac family) and is very curious.
I’ll hold my question in reserve for now. :)
I want to know if you have names picked out for your new baby and if you plan to share those names with the world before the baby is born.
I am 25 weeks pregnant and have thus far escaped without stretchmarks (touches wood).
I noticed in your mean-looking abs picture, that you don’t seem to have any at all? Is this true, and if so, what, if anything did you do to prevent them?
Also, can’t remember if you breastfed Riley or not, do you plan to do so with baby no 2?
I also love snuggling with my boy, I sniff his head and he laughs, I just love the smell of his hair! Plus he’s such a sweatheart and always tells me how he thinks I’m beautiful and the best mom in the whole world, way to pump up my ego.
I can’t think of a question for you yet, maybe I’ll post again later when I come up with something.
It was hard to think up a question since we already know a lot about you!
My question is…….What is your biggest worry/fear? Kind of a lame question.
Do you think you’ll stop at two kids?
I recognized you in an ad for your workplace in one of my Mac magazines. (Me: is that . . .? It is, I think. IT TOTALLY IS!) Did you get any responses to that?
This may have been addressed at some point… I have not gone back and read your archives (I know the gall…) but are you from the Seattle area originally (born & raised) and where did you go to college (and what type of degree did you get?) I know that is three questions horribly disguised as one.
I don’t really have a question, but I look forward to the answers! I just want to say that you are *very* smart to avoid the air travel for a ‘fun’ getaway. We went to NYC this weekend and although the trip itself was really fun, my LORD the air travel bites it. Hard.
What do you consider your biggest success as parent. I mean, what do you totally rock at doing for/with Riley?
What’s your biggest failure?
Q du jour – Sundry Dad. I want to know. Did you know him? What have you inherited from him? How ’bout your mum? Are you your mother’s daughter?
How did you learn to take such great pictures?
My question is:
how the hell do I get more people to go to my own blog? I’m thinking of giving it up… how do you do it? Maybe you’re more interesting than I am. Who knows.
Since you are expecting I’ll throw this one at you: Trendy names vs main-stream names. Your thoughts, please.
Okay, so it’s not really a question. Sue me.
Do you plan to write a book at some point in your life? You very obviously have a gift for writing and you use it by writing a blog, which totally works out for us readers. But, do you plan on taking it to that “next level”?
I have to confess, when I first saw your photo on clubmom, it reminded me of Leah Remini, from the King of Queens. So when I read your blog(s), she pops into my head, which isn’t a bad thing, I hope you agree. I think she’s pretty, and hilariously sarcastic, so it’s not unbecoming. I hope.
At least I didn’t compare you to Kevin James. That would give your blog a whole different voice.
I don’t have a question, I just wanted to tell you that. Unless…you aren’t actually Leah Remini, are you?
What is your most embarrassing childhood moment? (This includes those dreaded middle school years.) AND what is your most embarrassing adult moment?
Hi! Sorry to hear WA is so cold & rainy (per previous post). As Josh noted, though, all the summer is parked in the South this year. Want to borrow some? We have plenty! Yesterday it was 105 at the airport. The highest temperature recorded there. Ever. I am longing for some of the cold, damp weather of which you & the Northeast speak. The infernal blazing of the relentless sun and suffocating heat must stop.
My question: when you were a Goth teenager, what DID you imagine your adult life would be like? Did you have a specific image? What parts of your teenage past would you undo, if you could?
— sorry, guess I included a few questions.
Tofino rocks! Have a great time!
Who do you think would win if both were equally equipped with nunchucks and viking helmets? Cat, or a house spider?
My question is where did you go to college and what did you major in?
I want to know why we haven’t seen any belly pics like we did with the Boy.?!
What are the life stories of Dog and Cat? Who came first, how did they end up with you?
My question touches on the disclosure/privacy aspect of writing a blog. Do you foresee any problems with how Riley might react to his early days being read about by so many people, and do you think you will encourage him to write a blog about family life when he is old enough?
ooooh! Tofino! Sounds yummy! Next time DH and I need some alone time, this might fill the bill! We have a beach house in Birch Bay – which I would have offered to you, if we didn’t have a long-term renter in it (sorry, I like his rent money – it pays the house payment on it) – but we always end up wanting to do home improvement projects whenever we go there.
Now Tofino would be perfect, if there were a yarn shop there!
If you’re going through Victoria to get there, stop at the Re-Bar Cafe in Bastian Square (not associated with the gay bar in Seattle), they have a great breakfast – fresh fruit, a whole grain bagel, a bit of bree and fresh made fruit preserves. Absolutely the best meal I had on my Victoria visit last year!
Oooh, I love questions. Ok, first off, I’ve never seen or heard much about your younger years. The uh, 16-25 range. I know you are about a decade older than me which puts you smack dab in the eighties. I always pictured you rocking the whole denim white snake look. Maybe even in the Kiss army. So what were you like growing up? What was your scene? (and a picture wouldn’t kill you)
Also, I’ve heard opposing views on how fit a guy should be to be ideally attractive. A lot of girls have told me they don’t like real fit guys because without the cushion, you can get bruises during the pushin. Hip bones knockin together and all that. I for one don’t really dig the skinny look on ladies. I like to know they’re there. But I’ve also heard women drooling over super fit celebrities and what not. (ie: Clive Owen. Enough already, we get it) I am right in the middle between fit and fat and I need to stop straddling the fence and pick a team. I’m leaning towards getting fatter, because of the relative comfort and ease that path affords me. So what is your personal opinion on the perfect build for a man?
If you could fight any celebrity, who would it be and why? I know you have the arm band tattoo, but have you gotten any other ink done? My roomate and I have a long standing arguement. He think school busses are by far the most annoying vehicles on the road since they drive eratically and stop frequently. (besides the fuzz of course) I, on the other hand, believe the elderly to be the most god awful bunch to get behing the wheel because they drive ten under all the time, and are usually half blind and deaf. So who do think is a worse group of drivers to deal with? And last but not least, did you really think you could convince people to ask only one question? (I don’t think so)
WTF?!
Who is *your* favorite blogger?
If you were at a steakhouse (of your choosing) what cut would you order and how would you like it prepared (Rare-Well)?
I’m really hungry so all I can think about are food questions.
Crumple or fold?
Someone already asked my question, so I’ll reiterate:
Has anyone in real life ever recognized you, JB or Riley from your blog? If so, please give details!
Bikini’s, boy-cut, thong, or plain jane ones? (pre-pregnancy of course. they don’t make maternity thongs)
I like everyone else’s questions so I’ll be happily satisfied with those. But! For some reason I’m *dying* to know Cat and Dog’s REAL names. Even though I love how you call them Cat and Dog.
And geeze, even though JB doesn’t know me, he should stop by since he’s in Chi-town. Though I could see how that would be weird. But whatever. Oh, and have him bring me Saltines:-)
I have another question ;)
What is your absolute dream job (besides being a mom of course)?
What kind of people are you attracted to–as friends, I mean. Do you like outgoing people? Funny? Smart? Quiet? If I met YOU in real life, how would you seem different than you do in your writing?
It’s awesome that you’re willing to entertain our questions… so fun!
Here’s my question… your relationship with JB seems damn near perfect. Do you guys ever have those stupid nit-picky fights that are totally useless and exhausting, or do you guys always just get along?
Oh here are more that popped into my head…
How do you find the time/energy to write? Aren’t you totally exhausted after toddler-wrangling, cleaning, cooking, working, scooping dog crap, growing a baby, etc.?
Have you ever been concerned that a creepy reader will do something not nice – like just appear at your house, your work, or follow you around to see where Riley goes to school (maybe it’s just me… I’m terrified of that)?
The burning question on my mind is…what exactly do your blog titles “Sundry Mourning” and “Purple is a Fruit” mean (in other words why did you pick them?)
ang……they actually DO make maternity thongs. I saw them in the store, there would be NO WAY I would have worn a thong when I was pregnant!
I’d like to know how you capure the best expressions of your family on film? By the time I find the camera, switch it on, click on a setting, the moment is long gone and my toddler is off doing something else. Yet you seem to grab the most precious of moments on film, perfectly every single time. How?
If you had to, would you rather give up your favorite food (which is?) or give up blogging?