Unfun?!

A woman in the QFC (grocery store) parking lot just came up to me and, seeing sticker on my car, asked if I had gone to Scripps College (see how I'm telling you now, because I'm not there anymore? Sneaky!):

Me: Yeah, I did.
Woman: What did you think of it?
Me: Oh wow, I loved it. Best four years of my life!
Woman: Oh. My daughter and I just visited, and we thought it was really uptight and unfun. It seemed like everyone studied until 1am.
Me: ...

I mean, yes, people DO study hard. It's a school that requires work, and work we do! But that's certainly not the extent of it. We study hard, and play hard.

We DEFINITELY have fun.



After having this conversation with the misguided woman, I immediately called Aslan. She was as flabbergasted as I was, and after a few minutes of discussing this, she said, "You know, I feel kind of offended, like she was questioning whether *I* had fun or not!" Which, once she said it, was definitely how I felt too.

I texted some other folks from Claremont, and this is what they said:

Esquire: Wow. Well, maybe she's a stuipdhead who can't recognise fun if it hit her in the face.

Joanna: Wow really...? Maybe college isn't right for her. She could take up bartending...?

Jill: Boy are they wrong! Oh well. They are missing out.

London: To each her own, I guess!

Polka Dot: That was not my experience. No frats but that doesn't mean no fun.

Zee: Oh boy. Little do they know.

Wednesday: Well, it maybe unfun now, but only because we're not there.


Clearly, CLEARLY even the most polite of people agree with me on this one. Scripps was FUN! So what on earth did these people experience while they were there? Who was their tour guide?! I wish I had asked....

I mean, are these the faces of kids who never had fun?

Mysteries of Life

For a long time, my trousers were all just a LEETLE BIT too tight. Not painfully, muffin-top tight, just slightly uncomfortable.

Now, I am discovering that all my trousers are just a LEETLE BIT too lose. Not falling-off loose, just feeling-like-they-might loose.

When, oh when, was the time that they fit perfectly? And how did I miss it?

Uh-oh.

I just realised how much has happened since I last wrote a for-real post...

Llama trekking (llamas + packs + gorgeous trail + kids)
Cancun (beaches + pools + cenotes + kids)
New Apartment (!!!)
New Job (20 hrs of nannying in the morning to supplement 20 hrs of nannying in the afternoons. So far, like this new job v. much)
New kitten (see previous post)

I am unlikely to ever catch up, so I'm not even going to try.

And you can't make me.

Next post will deal with Real Life, Right Now.

It's a GIRL!

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Miss Scarlett Jane to our family. The youngest of two, Scarlett joins her older brother Willoughby Finnegan (Finnegan) in mischief making, tuna flake craving, late night cuddling, and early morning waking. (Finnegan is less fond of this arrangement than might be hoped, but I expect he will come around soon.)


The grouchy big brother

After all, I imagine anyone-- including Finnegan-- would find it hard to NOT appreciate a kitten who leaps into the shower in the morning...

Regarding: Disappearance

Sorry I vanished. There were llamas. And oceans. And cenotes.


Update to come.

Feminism 101

Sometimes, having me as a nanny is like being in an elementary school level feminism course. We talk about how sometimes girls are told they should behave a certain way, or how boys are told the same thing. We discuss where these ideas come from, why people think of them as "truth," and how important it is to be aware of all of this.

Today, Clover asked me about Barbie, and if there is an equivalent for boys-- that is, something that teaches boys how to act, the way girls are taught how to "be" by Barbie (granted, one small example of the social indoctrination that occurs).

She was thinking of this! All by herself! Without being prodded in that direction!

YAY!

A+ in Feminism 101

The Naked Bridesmaid?

This weekend, my friends got married. Aslan and Hans have been pronounced Mr. and Mrs., the bride was kissed, the people danced, the tea lights refused the stay lit, and we all ate cake. After the reception, we relocated and continued to the party.

Over the last few months, Aslan has taken to calling me her 'naked bridesmaid.' That is, I had "all of the stress, none of the dress." Though not a member of the bridal party, I threw myself wholeheartedly into the preparations, parties, and adventures relating to the wedding. I like planning. I like weddings. And I love Aslan and Hans.

I like the title "the naked bridesmaid" much more than I like "code name Blythe," so that's what I'm going to go with. Of course, I'll still BE Blythe, but that won't be the title of the blog anymore. Despite not being Aslan's naked bridesmaid anymore-- as the wedding is successfully completed-- but I still think it sums up my behaviour in general.

I like to be involved. I like to help. I like to plan. I do like to be thanked, but I don't need it to be "official"-- I'm perfectly happy to just jump on board and be excited!

I am, you see, The Naked Bridesmaid.