LET'S TAKE THIS CHANCE TO MAKE THIS LOVE FEEL RELEVANT
A
year ago this weekend I was eight weeks pregnant, and I remember
it clearly because we were up in Berkeley for a wedding, and the
night before it we were all out at a bar and for the first time
ever of people knowing me I ordered an O'Doul's non-alcoholic beer.
And immediately everybody knew what was happening. It was exciting
and terrifying and suddenly very real when people found out about
it. One year plus eight weeks gets you this:
So
the other night was the eighth incarnation of a party that used
to be thrown every year, but looking back in my archives I see that
the last one
took place in 2002! How is that possible? Fricking fleeting time.
We took the baby to this one and thus went early, and thus wound
up sitting with the only other couple who had a baby at the whole
300-person event. It's funny how that happens. We already knew them
and they were nice and interesting, and the husband used to be on
Freaks & Geeks (this party is always packed with the F&G
people) and so it was fun. And while I was sitting there talking
to them a woman came up to me and leaned across the table and asked
me if my first name is what my name is. And I go, "Yeah,"
and then she asked me if my last name is what my last name is. And
I said, "Yeah," and she goes, "And is Mary Murphy
your cousin in New Jersey?" and I go, what the, "Yeah!"
and it turns out that this random woman at this party of 300 in
Sun Valley California is best friends with my cousin in Leonardo
New Jersey and recognized me from my P&B book back jacket photo.
Crazy.
So
then we found ourselves in a group that was talking to PeeWee Herman,
and everybody else wandered off so we talked to him for a little
while. Seriously! I'm not kidding. He was really cool and I told
him he was awesome on that crazy 30 Rock episode which if you haven't
seen I hope you see. Genius. Then he told us that he was doing a
Jimmy Kimmel segment with babies later in the week and that we should
get Junior involved and started early in the business. I said ha-ha
and no-thanks. And then we bored him and he goes, "I have to
go mingle now."
===
You
can probably see from the photo that the baby is on the big side,
and I've talked about how he has his own curve on the growth chart.
But it's becoming kind of a predictable conversational nuisance
when introducing him to people. It goes like this:
WOMAN
Oh, how cute! How old is he?
ME
Four and a half months.
WOMAN
(studying him)
Wow. He's a BIG BOY.
ME
...
Seriously,
if I'm out with him and say we get stopped eight times, those eight
different people will say the exact same thing. It's a little boring.
Maybe I'll mix it up and start saying he's two and a half and see
what they come back with.
===
I
just forked over the equivalent of a mortgage payment for Tears
For Fears tickets this Sunday night at the Orange County fair. That's
right, they're playing at the county fair, right alongside the horses
and cows. Normally fairs are reserved for old washed-up bands (now,
now, hold your tongue) but this venue
is actually pretty cool. The baby will not be going, even though
his TFF onesie is washed and ready to wear, which will result in
the longest period of time I will have been away from him. Let's
just say that by the end of the evening I will have enough milk
in me to feed all of Orange County and its lower Mexican neighbors.
One of my friends was all, "Maybe you can share your milk with
Roland." Oh dear. I didn't say it. Hopefully at the end I'll
have some good photos and stories to share, if not a new bun in
the oven planted there by Mr. Orzabal. (Gray doesn't read this anymore
so I can say whatever scandalous thing I want.) Sex! Balls! Impregnation
by rock stars! See, I can get away with anything.
