I love how keeping a blog allows conversations with distant friends to skip the catching up stage and just get to the heart of things. My cousin closest to my age (anyone want to suggest a pseudonym?) came to visit last weekend and she already knew about our lives here. Two nights ago, I called one of my ex-boyfriends who has since become a good friend. He reads the blog and so could ask questions like, "You mentioned in a post that you and Jrex have differences in vision. For anyone who doesn't know you, there was a whiff that you might be considering divorce. Tell me more about what you meant." I LOVE being able to just start talking in the deep end and skipping all the "what have you been up to?"
chit-chat.
The problem is that I need to process my daily life without catering to my inner editor. As a result, I usually only tell long-distance friends and family about it. It's been a good policy, but it means that with new friends here I have to go through all the start up conversations. I'm so impatient with having to tell the same stories again and again. This past weekend another new friend, Art Facilitator, picked me up to go to San Francisco. We watched Helvetica--a movie for designers and type geeks. I LOVED it, but if you don't know who Matthew Carter is and don't care who designed Meta, it might not be for you. Then we checked out the "Hardly Strictly Bluegrass" Fest in Golden Gate park. Wonderful adventures, but our conversation was filled with all the early friendship questions. How did you end up in California? Do you have siblings? How did you meet your husband?
When we first moved to Baltimore, I seriously considered making info cards that I could hand out:
"My family? Hold on, let me find that one. Oh, ok, here it is..."
In preparation for those future life story cards, I'll 'give' you one each day for the rest of the week.
5 comments:
Yes, that is the tiresome thing about moving, always having to explain who you are/ how you ended up there, etc.
I LOVED that festival. I saw Emmylou Harris there a couple of years ago.
Ooh, fun!
I know that you have stayed friends with all of your ex-boyfriends, but how does Jrex feel about that? He strikes me as the secure type but I imagine that could be a challenge.
You can imagine how tired I am at this stage of life of always answering the same questions and having the same conversations. "So, are you getting excited?" "When is your fiance coming?" "When do you leave?" Or, my personal favorite "Aren't you supposed to be in Mexico??" I feel like wearing a sign around my neck.
When someone actually takes the time and care to go deeper than that, it is such a relief. I feel cared for and interesting instead of like a broken record.
I'm so excited for the life story cards!
I've been a poor commenter lately, but I have been reading. I've just been feeling too self absorbed to comment--the comments always end up being about me instead of you. But I'm here, reading, and enjoying getting a taste of your life in CA.
Jrex is fine. When we were first dating he felt a little jealous or insecure about a couple of my male friends. I just explained why I chose him. He's the only man I've met so far that I could imagine spending my life with. Despite all our ups and downs, he's the best 'fit' for my personality, humor, interests and quirks.
I do tend to tell him he's my favorite husband so far. I like to keep him on his toes!
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