socially backwards and incomprehensible

i don't understand
why i am so
socially stunted.

our local writer's guild
had an event the other night
and i wanted to go to it for many reasons
but namely
this one...another blogger!  that lives where i live!
and that professes to like jelly beans!!

but when i got there
i realized
it was table seating.
like
table.
seating.
with other people.

i felt a little ill for a moment
{i should mention here that it was advertised as a networking event,
in no way, shape or form did the writer's guild trick or bait and switch me into being social...
i just kind of ignored the networking part as i focused my glassy stalker eyes on the word blogger}

i almost left.

i stood at the door for a second and debated.

but then a nice lady said "are you here for the writer's panel"
and i whispered "yes"
and she pointed me to the registration table
where i had a small panic attack over what color marker to use to write my name
{what would pink say? what does red say? i think i should take orange but i always take orange}
to wondering if i should put my last name
and why do i always draw a happy face?

and in a moment of blind panic i grabbed the first empty seat at the first empty table i could see
{oh.  i am a good networker obviously}
and then when other people sat down and made small talk
i answered with things that made me immediately want to faceplant into the table.
too much info!  too much info!
so
i went to the bathroom where this girl in an awesome dress came in
while i was debating my choice of sweater
and whether my dress was too grunge and too young for my 43 year old self...
or 42...or whatever it is i am....

and she said
i like your sweater
and instead of thanks i give the usual too much weird information
"thanks!  i took it from the bag of old hand me downs my 16 year old was giving to the salvation army"
or something to that embarrassing effect.
and then i bolted.

imagine my surprise when the writer's lined up on that stage
and there was the blogger i had come to see,
in the awesome dress i had just silently admired in the bathroom.

but the great part about this is that i did flag her down after and
we had a conversation about blogging and anonymity vs using your own name
and other blogs we admire and it was great.
and although i networked with no one else and quickly made a dashing exit
without even telling my tablemates goodbye
i was still proud of myself.

oh...and go read her.
she's awesome.
:O)


my mom...

it's funny.

i talk a lot about my dad...
maybe it's a little girl thing still...
and i don't say so much about my mom
but it's not because
i don't feel the same way about her...
the older i get
the more i see how much like her i am...
how much like her
i want to be.

she was...and continues to be...the essence of my support.
she has stood by and watched me make my decisions
for good or for bad
and has always been there to
pat me on the back
or
pick up the broken pieces.
she never says i told you so.
and i know that she is always there....
she is always, always there.

she is what i want to be in my kids' lives...
i want to be their back up, their silent support,
their "always".
i don't want to drive them away with judgements
and criticisms and control...
i will never say i told you so.
it is more important to me that they know that i love them,
than to show them that i was right...

every thing that i am right now...
every ethic, every value, everything that is good in me
came from them.
and i am grateful.