2005
in the corners of your mind
maura @ 9:37 pm
I did a hugely stupid thing today: while running to get the bus (wearing slip-on shoes and dragging the folded umbrella stroller beside me, duh) I tripped and did a giant face plant right on the sidewalk. My hands are abraded, my arm has a few scrapes, my knee is angry red hamburger, and my nose + mouth area looks like I got into a fight with sandpaper (and lost). Sigh. What a klutz am I. A friend/neighbor even walked by when I was sitting there on the ground, cleaning myself up with wipes. O, the embarrassment.
Then I had to surrender the day and sit at home with ice on my face + knee, ditching Gus pickup (Jonathan did it, I didn’t just leave him at school forever!) and our afternoon playdate, too. Sigh. I think I have the beginnings of a black eye, too. Gus said, “Mommy, your face is yucky. If I had those owies I would cry. I do NOT want to have those owies. No no no.” Thanks, kid. Luckily he followed it up with an offer of a hug to make me feel better.
And then he insisted that I paint the the toenails of my right foot with his blue nail polish (I’d already done the left foot yesterday). Yes, I recently purchased my son his first makeup: a bottle each of blue and pink nail polish. A little (boy) friend of his at school’s had toenail polish on recently, and Gus has been mighty envious. Of course, he is completely deprived in the makeup department, since I don’t really wear any (except face powder, which he occasionally asks to use and applies with a completely straight, serious face. It slays me.). So I bought him some nail polish. He’s been carrying the bottles around ever since, proclaiming his love for them. He prefers the blue, because it’s his favorite color, but pink is his second favorite.
Meanwhile, I am remembering from high school that, man, I hate nail polish. As my friend IMed me this morning, makes me feel like my nails can’t breathe. I’ve consented to do the feet but there is no way he’s getting that on my fingers, no way in hell.
Between the wretched heat (in the upper 80s with matching humidity here all damn week), some general grumpiness and today’s sidewalk mishap, it occurs to me that this has been a pretty crappy week. EXCEPT for the most excellent new Ivy CD, which Jonathan gifted me for my bday last week and which I really, really love. There are a few tracks that are kind of eh, but the good ones are really, really good. Of course I am doing that thing with music that I seem to not be able to stop doing lately, which is listen to it over and over and over again. Then stop, and move on to a different CD. Obsessive, much?
That’s pretty much it from my world. Tomorrow we are supposed to go to the Poconos with some friends/neighbors for fun + nature, but I might have to call it off if my face hasn’t improved. Drag, too, as I speedy-ordered a new bathing suit for river swimming, having been possessed by sudden and insane vanity this week. Which of course is probably why I did the face plant. See, it all makes sense now!
2 comments on “in the corners of your mind”
That is so funny! Gus’ school has been the opposite: last year there were only 2 girls in his class and this year there are only 4 (of 12). He asked me why all girls’ favorite color is pink, and I said that lots of toys and clothes that people buy for girls are often pink. These questions are hard to answer!
Gus has also gone through ponytail phases, I think because I often wear a ponytail. Of course, his hair is too short for one in the back, so they’re always on top. Very cute. He has his own set of ponytail holders and everything. And of course Mardi Gras beads have been a big hit since forever.
We don’t have any dress up clothes, so he never cross-dresses like some of his friends with older sisters do. Occasionally he will put on a cape, heels or something like that when we’re at a girl friend’s house. Once he put on a tutu and wanted it off immediately: “it’s itchy!” And there you have it, son, that’s why mommy never wears tutus.
You know, I did think that about the stroller, too! What would you do with a cursed stroller — can it be exorcised? Also it could be the shoes. They are pretty worn out but I love them so much that I can’t get rid of them.
I know more people with toenail-painting sons! Max has never asked, I guess he thinks it’s a girl thing. It’s kind of unfair, girls can wear boy clothes and do boy stuff, but boys can’t do as much girl stuff.
He’s pretty hip to girl things/boy things after a year of school. His class was 6 boys/12 girls–pretty harsh! He complains that they’re bossy (pot-kettle-black). He has learned to despise the pink and purple Bratz and My Little Pony (tho he does have a pink and purple cat, Snuggles, that he wanted because a girl in his class has one).
We found out from his teacher that these same little girls take turns carrying his stuff for him! So I guess he can’t complain too much. Cuteness and laziness are their own rewards, that’s what we’ve learned.
Well I hope your lesions heal! I think that stroller you found is cursed.