What I did the other night

When was the last time you did anything spontaneous? When you become a parent, your life turns into one big schedule. Nap time, bath time, bedtime… drop everything and go out at the last minute? Can’t, baby goes to bed at 7:30. As the kids get older, there is a little more flexibility, but now you have homework, practice, babysitters. Spontaneity is hard to come by. Those moments that actually bring you silly joy.

The other night I organized a girl’s night out to the movies with three friends of mine. It was quite a production to get it coordinated and have husbands home in time from work so that we could make the 7:20 showing of The Time Traveller’s Wife (a wonderful book by Audrey Neffenegger that I absolutely love, but two out of three people who read it don’t get it… but that’s another post). We were laughing before we even got in the car, and we knew it would be a fun night. Four moms of school age children going out the third week of August without the kids? We could have just driven in circles in the car and it would have been good. Just being with friends was wonderful.

As we were walking out of the movie, we joked that we didn’t want the night to end and one of us happened to look up and see that Julie and Julia was starting in 15 minutes. We looked at each other, squealed and reached for our cell phones to call our respective husbands at home to tell them we were going to another movie. All the kids were home safe, no baby sitters that needed to be relieved, and the worst that could happen would be we had to drag ourselves out of bed the next morning after a late night. It was completely spontaneous and frivolous and silly, and we had a ball.

Bunco virgin no more!

When I moved to this neighborhood seven years ago I started to hear about a game called Bunco. If you have never heard of this no-brainer dice game, let me fill you in. Bunco is the new Bridge Club. An excuse to get a bunch of women out of the house, have some laughs and a drink or two if you like. You don't just call someone and say "let's play Bunco tonight", it's a commitment. There are Bunco Groups that meet monthly and rotate houses. Some have crazy rules about bringing the hostess gifts like socks, dishtowels, or even panties. I know, sounds odd, and up to this point I have dodged invitations to join a group.

A few weeks ago I was asked again by someone who was just starting to put together a group. My first reaction was to say no, but I stopped myself. I don't laugh enough. I don't get out enough. You can never have too many friends. And let's face it, life is too short and can throw too many curve balls. A few years ago I told myself I was never going to turn down an invitation, and I seem to have forgotten that, so I said yes.

The other night a friend picked me up and we had a good laugh that I was a Bunco Virgin. I had no clue what it was I was getting myself into. Three hours and two margaritas later I left with $73 in my pocket! Wooo hooo!! I was a Bunco maniac! I won for most Buncos as well as most overall wins! Too funny. Beginner's luck everyone kept saying. When I got home Jason asked when the next Bunco night was... Daddy needs a new pair of shoes!

What a day for a new day

Yesterday was a huge day for our nation. One we'll remember forever. It brought back memories of another January 20th in 1993 when I was a student in Washington, DC. Fellow Georgetown alum, Bill Clinton, was sworn in as President and I was there. Not at the swearing in, which much like yesterday, was nearly impossible to get near, but just being in the city was electrifying. Today I went and dug out my old photo album and scanned in a few pictures to share my brush with history.

The day before the swearing in, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and their wives attended a diplomatic ceremony on campus. Some friends and I got up before dawn, went through security and stood and waited. We had snagged a spot right on a security rail, and from what we could gather, Clinton would be walking along the rail to move from one building to the next. We stood in the cold and waited for three to four hours, but it was worth it. All four, Bill, Hillary, Al and Tipper came down the line and shook our hands. It was absolutely thrilling.

My friend snapped this picture of Hillary as she shook my hand. It all happened so fast, you realize you can't say much, never mind have a conversation. I decided I wanted to say something to Hillary. As a 21 year old woman about to graduate in a few short months and head off to graduate school, it was so exciting to have a First Lady who was a professional and accomplished in her own right. Who would have thought back then that she would have gotten so close to the presidency herself and would now be Secretary of State? So what did I say to her? My profound line was "Hillary, young women are looking up to you!" Not very impressive. But it was the best I could do in the frenzy and craziness of the moment. I remember she thanked me and moved on to the next person.

Here is the blurr of a future president moments before shaking my hand. The morning was exhilarating and I'll never forget it. The next day was the actual inauguration which I remember we watched on tv, then we bundled up again and headed downtown for the parade. It was sunny, but cold and we claimed a curb-side seat on Pennsylvania Avenue. We hoped the new President would venture out of his car, but this was the best we got. A glimpse of the armored limousine as it made it's way down to the viewing stand at the White House. I don't remember any specifics of the parade, but I do remember how it felt. We sat there like sardines with a bunch of strangers from around the country and we all waved flags, feeling like it was a new day and a new start. Who knows if I'll ever have the chance to be so close to history again, but it was an unforgettable few days.

As a postscript, I have had a moment with the new administration. The closest I got to Barack Obama was sitting in a traffic jam last January trying to go see him speak here in town before the New Hampshire primary. I ended up turning around, going home and watching him on C-Span instead. However it's Vice President Joe Biden who I have actually crossed paths with. In the fall of 1989 I had shared a cab to Union Station with a girl who lived on my floor. We were both going home for a long weekend, she to Delaware and me to New England. As her train was being called she said, "Hey, there's Senator Biden, want to meet him? I went to high school with his kids." So I shook hands with then Senator Biden and exchanged pleasantries about college before he got on the train to return home himself. I guess in some ways it really is a small world.

Relationships in the 21st century

When I started this blog a few months ago, my intention was to have a place to jot down little stories and ideas, and stay better connected with people who I don't see everyday. Boy was I wrong. Today I received an email from my mom with the subject title "Blogs". In the body all it said was this, "I miss your blogs- are you having a busy week?" Since when did this two way street become one way? Is this how relationships in the 21st century function?

And not to pick on my mom (we just talked for a long time on the phone after I replied to her email with 'why don't you pick up the phone and find out!') because it has happened with other people too. Friends who read all about the mundane details of my life, get their fill and move on, feeling like we chatted. Kelly.... are you out there? I know you are reading this right now. The last time I spoke to Kelly on the phone I realized she was getting her fix of me through my blog, she feels fulfilled, but I get nothing.

Attention everyone who cares about me enough to read this every now and again! Would love to hear the mundane details of your life too. Leave a comment so I know you were here, shoot me an email, pick up the phone. Otherwise pretty soon our closest relationships will be pinging people on Linkedin, or winking at people on Match.com.