I've been suffering from an unavailability of usable material.
It's not that nothing interesting is going on. My lands, things are interesting. It's just that there's this conference coming up, and most of what I've been focused on has to do with this conference, and I sort of can't talk about it. Because your head might explode, and I don't have nearly enough liability insurance on this blog for brainz.
Also, I don't want to write a packing post, because really, that would make you stick a fork in your eye, wouldn't it? I did pull out a large suitcase at least four days ago. It sat in the foyer for an additional three days until I carried it up to our bedroom. Where it sits, unopened. But I totally intend to do something about that this weekend, because I leave next Wednesday and Monday and Tuesday, well, we just know how that is going to go. I promise you I will not tell you what I am going to wear, because you don't really care. You might pretend you do, but you don't. My sole goal in choosing what to wear is finding things that don't show underarm sweat, panty lines or any area of my thighs. They are simple goals, and typically easily achieved with the correct amount of thought as to the elements, proximity to other sweating people and the need to ruin any cute outfit with an ugly cardigan when the air conditioning is cranked up too high. I am not known for my style, and it's incredibly liberating.
And then there's my girl, who is suddenly afraid of the dark and needing of new clothes and school supplies so that she can be a first grader, but for all my wish to catalog and photograph every move of her six-year-old hippie summer, I also realize dude, the child can read, even cursive, even my cursive, and also? She needs her privacy. Sure, I can tell the occasionally cute anecdote, but the deep conversations we have more and more frequently are not for the Internet.
Also? I haven't left my house except to go to the gym or the drug store or the gas station or to pick my daughter up from summer camp all week. I tried to convince Beloved to go out to eat last night, but he wanted to mow the lawn. Which, I suppose is good, a) because I didn't have to do it in this steam bath we call "Missouri" and b) I'm trying to heal the raging blisters I gave myself from jogging sans socks on Monday, stupid Rita, stupid Rita, before BlogHer and c) I totally did not want to mow the lawn myself.
When you don't leave the house, you should write about what's in the house, but what's in the house is my job, which I have been stuck to with laser focus until 9:30 or 10 p.m. every night this week. And oh, Lord, it is interesting. But I can't talk about it. Don't you hate it when people say that? I do. But it's true.
I know, I know, I need to get a life. But the thing is that next week I will be having a bursting life, one filled with new knowledge and new faces and I get to speak and sign my book (right after my panel, Friday at lunch in the bookstore, and Stacy Morrison will be signing with me!) and see people I haven't seen in a year, and for the first time, Beloved is coming with me to see for himself the utter magnificence that BlogHer has become. For the first time, he'll get to meet my co-workers and the bloggers I talk about incessantly, some of whom he knows through Twitter. I am so excited to have him along, because truly the only downside of BlogHer has always been missing home and in my excitement sometimes forgetting to check in and then feeling horrible if I miss something at home and feeling guilty he is doing everything while I flit around enriching my brain and stuff while he's scrubbing toilets. This year Ma and Pa are coming to watch the little angel, and they won't feel obligated to scrub toilets -- they'll just enjoy their granddaughter and go out to eat and hang with Petunia and stuff.
So this week is the nonlife before the life. You know? But I'm really glad it's Friday and this weekend will be full of summer -- it's slipping away so fast -- and swimming pools and lakes and grilling out and friends.
Thank God. I could really use some material. ;)
