my pre-blogher post 2010!

(no, i’m not going to blogher, but was struck yesterday about what i’d advise {assvise, whatever} to you lovely folks out there who are going to new york city. sniff. sniff.)

lucy smiles just like her mama, all teeth, gums, and beautiful joy. she thinks her big brother hung the moon and she’s right. she fell right in step with my girls and they had a great time running around like mad chickens, hanging out in the gigantic bathtub, watching t.v., and just being little girls.

jackson isn’t shy (like some children i know. ahem – jilly.) he gave me an arm pump and a “yes!” when i told him that he had a firm handshake. it’s an important thing for an young man or young woman to learn, methinks. he explained the game he was playing on his DS to justice, all the while not minding that my boy had his head on his shoulder to see, see, see!!! what he was doing. he played with the youngsters with no complaints and unbridled fervor.

jenna is as warm and inviting as you’d want any friend to be. right off the bat, i felt like i knew her. and even though i wasn’t much of a conversationalist, i still had a good time hanging out. she has adorable glasses and some beautiful skin art. i love her sleeve & should have looked at it more, but don’t wanna be creepy, ya know? maybe next time. right? next time, jenna?

and bhj? well, he’s just a person, just like you and me. a person, who i’m lucky to have now met through this blogging community we’re in. i still know that he writes like his life depends on it and i eat up his words and cadence like candy. but i also know that he’s just a guy on the other side of the screen, swimming in his words. i knew that before, though.

he’s exactly what i expected. they all were. and they were fantastic.

and you know what?. the black hockey jesuses may never wanna see me again, but i still had fun, enjoyed the red rocks of sedona, and had a nice break from the flood clean-up of 2010 (more on that later.) they’re always welcome in our house and can have their pick of couch space. we do have a mormon couch. two, even.

here’s where my advice comes in.

if you’re going to new york this week is to say hello, grab a coffee, go out for a drink, sit in your pjs and talk. i hope you’ll remember that the bloggers you meet are just people on the other side of a screen no matter how much money they make or how many page hits they get or how popular they seem. so go up to whoever you want to meet and say hi. enjoy it. because i know at least one gal who wishes she was going, but can’t. and i’d be soaking up all of the glorious rays of sun from each and every one of you if i was there.

and if you can’t have fun with 2400 other people who have come to learn, hang out, party, and take pictures, you’re doing it wrong.

oh, and he has nice feet.

see?
(jamison took that one. i could show you the utter ridiculousness of what this could be, but really, it’s just a leg, man. they have legs, people. just say hi. it’s just a leg, an arm, a face, a brain that writes really funny/poignant/heart-felt/thought-provoking/delicious blog posts. but still. just a knee.)

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i can’t not engage, but i really don’t wanna

in the last few days 2 pretty big twitter/blog/internet drama-thingies* have happened. i know a person involved in one of these instances. they are my friend, my sibling, part of my life, internet or real, take your pick.

these issues are about love and weight and while i have many opinions on love and weight, i don’t necessarily post my hateful bile on the web because it’s what i think. nor will i post any trollish comments on people’s blogs. it’s not my style. i will, however, post my opinions in my own space.

situation #1: the weight story.

i have posted before about where i am in my life with my own body. this vessel of mine is mine and it’s a pretty darn good one. it’s my job to take care of it and i’ve recently fallen off the wagon for one reason or another. my weight hasn’t changed, but the shape has and i want to change it for ME, no one else, but me. in taking back control of the things i eat and the activity i do (mostly my lack of activity,) i will also be doing a great service to my family because, as i’ve said before, i want to be able to play with them and have fun with them. i still think i need to dance more with them in the kitchen.

there were some very rude things said in the section of one’s personal coming out as a plus-sized woman & i just want to shout: KEEP YOUR RUDE OPINIONS TO YOURSELF. just because we have blogs doesn’t mean we expect people to be assholes. you can get your point across without being rude and obnoxious. if you find yourself getting riled up when posting comments, take a step back, do something else for 30 minutes to chill before you post your comments. you may find you change what you’ve said based on removing yourself from the situation.

remember the golden rule?

you could learn a lot from what we learned in kindergarten. how hard is it for people to be nice? i’ve seen people say horrible things about each other and i just don’t understand why people feel the need to project such hatred online. isn’t it more stressful to be mean? is there science out there backing this up? if not, get me a grant, yo! my hypothesis is this: you will die sooner if you are mean.

situation #2: a love story.

not my business. end of story. my previous mentions of golden rules & not name-calling & stepping away from the situation apply. marriage and divorce should not be taken lightly, but if it isn’t your marriage or your divorce, zip it. you have no say (hear that, california, maine & arizona, et al!!??!!)

all said, i’m here to meet people, to connect, to grow as a person, to support people who do become my friends, my family, even. i’m not here to demonize or bash, whether i agree with one’s choices or not. that’s not my job. my job is to say what’s on my mind, and do it in a way that no one gets hurt. (remember? golden rule, folks.) because when other people hurt, so do i. i’m part of the human race and when one of you hurts and you reach out, i’m here to support you, love you, and hold your hand.

i don’t take sides.

i love you all and want all of you to be happy without maliciously hurting other people.

can we all try in the new year to not take sides? to love one another? if not love one another, than at least be civil? i think it would help an awful lot.

*yes, i didn’t link to the posts(SSSSS) in question. i did this on purpose.