Getting all the snow I was wishing for in Maryland

So. Somehow I survived another 8-hour car ride with Owen and Cormac. I think it was helped by making the trip in a tricked-out Honda Odyssey — DVD player, heated seats, spacious accomodations, automatic doors. Instead of navigating, I got to sit in the back seat and watch Cormac throw things at me. Owen sat in the way-back, wearing headphones and watching Toy Story.

We haven’t done much so far, which is the entire point of visiting my parents. I went shopping by myself and got lost in the Giant Eagle. It’s actually not that hard to do. When I was growing up, this town had three grocery stores: Food Town, Kroger, and the teeny Kazmaier’s. No, wait, four — I worked as a cashier at Churchill’s. Now, since I left 10 years ago, the family-owned Churchill’s is gone, and an entire cornfield’s worth of big boxes have gone up: Target, Meijer, Giant Eagle, Wal-Mart. They are huge stores, very clean and well-kept. (While visiting Target in Towson is nothing but a headache from the minute you wait in traffic to enter the shopping plaza, visiting Target in suburban Perrysburg is easy as pie. The parking lot is huge and clean and half-empty; the store is huge and clean and half-empty; the employees … well, I’m sure a few are huge, and most are clean, and I won’t speak as to their emptiness, but they’re all at least pretending to work. I chalk it all up to my large, well-documented Midwestern bias.)

And it’s been snowing out here, which is freaking sweet. It’s snowing right now, actually. There are many inches of snow. And it’s so pretty. Cold as fuck, but pretty.

I’ve watched a few episodes of Project Runway, since we don’t have cable at home, and pored over my sister’s issue of Nylon. I have looked longingly at her sewing machine, wishing I could just sit here and sew and sew and sew instead of wiping up yet more baby barf. But I haven’t gone so far as to compose the blog post I’ve been ruminating on for two weeks — the one about the spring wardrobe I want to sew, the one where I have about 20 photographs of clothes I want to make. I will write that one some time, and hopefully soon, if only so I can use the word “rub-off” in a sentence (it’s a term for copying ready-to-wear clothes so you can make them yourself).

Today I am going to visit my old college roommate. I hope I don’t look like tired, worn-out crap. I mean, I am tired and worn-out, but there’s no reason to foist that on other people. Especially on people who don’t have children yet. No need to frighten them further.

February 29, 2008 | Filed Under daily grind

Comments

5 Responses to “Getting all the snow I was wishing for in Maryland”

kelly on February 29th, 2008 5:01 pm

glad you are there, safe and sound. i can’t wait to see what rub-offs you have in mind!
heather hales DESIGNS on February 29th, 2008 6:49 pm

I agree, in an effort to keep the planet populated we should keep our tiredness from the childless, least they all opt for sterilization!
Elizabeth on February 29th, 2008 9:44 pm

I love going home… it always seems so quiet compared to hear, even though it is a 56K city. Here is a very large city surrounded by lots of suburbia. Hustle and bustle. Home is so relaxing.

Sewing clothes! Way to go! If you’re as good at making normal people clothes as you were at making pregnant people clothes, you’ll have a shiny new wardrobe in no time.
Me, I bought a pattern and fabric for a summery dress. Now if only it would stop with the snow already!
supa on February 29th, 2008 10:21 pm

See, Heather? I’m just trying to save the world.

You nailed it, Elizabeth. Very relaxing. Especially compared to Baltimore.

I hope I am as good. It’s a little harder to sew regular people clothes without that bump to blame mistakes on.
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