For those of you who don’t know me in real life, this will come as a surprise, I think. I’m forever hunting the vast and mighty blogosphere for new stuff to read, new people with whom to interact, etc. etc. etc. I’m an active participant in a chatty e-mail loop. (Oh, how I love that loop!) I participate on various social interaction sites. In other words, I’m a real people person — online.
However, in real life, I’m a hermit, a homebody, a go-nowhere-do-nothing kind of girl. That’s not to say I’m some weird recluse living in a basement with the interwebs as my sole means of interaction with other human beings. First, we don’t have a basement. We have an attic, but it’s really, really small, and it’s completely unfinished. So even if there were room up there for me and my desk, it’d be not so comfortable. But I digress. Again.
At any rate, my family doesn’t let me spend my whole life in front of a monitor. (Sometimes, I wish they would, but only because I really like Club Pogo.) They force me out of my head and into life in all its messy, gooey, loud, obnoxious, funny, kissy, huggy glory, and generally, I’m pretty okay with that.
Until one of them forces me to participate in activities that involve socializing with people to whom I’m not related by blood or marriage. (I have exceptions to my “We’re not related? I don’t wanna!” rule. SarahD being a prime example.) ANYway, that darn Lenna loves cheerleading. Well, usually. Today, she’s a skosh upset about cheering instead of going to “SYDNEY’S WICKED FUN SKATE PARTY!!!”, but for the most part, the girl loves to cheer. And she’s surprisingly good at it. (I say surprisingly ’cause my girl? Has no rhythm. God love her.)
Well, today I’m going to go to her game. I haven’t gotten to see her through a whole game because it’s been too hot for the baby to go, so since someone has to stay home with Tricia, I’ve volunteered to stay home with the baby. (I did get to see part of Lenna’s first foray into being a cheerleader, but Tricia and I had to leave early.) I get to stay away from other people; Tricia gets to stay cool; Lenna has a parent there and better, a parent who actually likes football. Win-win-win. Until today.
SarahD hasn’t seen Kaitlyn cheer at all, so SarahD decided that we (as in “SarahD and StephMsDiva”) should go and watch our girls cheer today. Part of me is excited about this. This screams “PHOTO OP” like nobody’s business, and as a wannabe photographer (not professionally, just really good amateur…ly?), that sings loud to my black and tarry little heart.
The other part of me, a bigger part of me, is screaming that this is going to mean PEOPLE. Lots of people. Worse, lots of people I don’t know. People I don’t know scare me. Because unlike online, if I meet someone I don’t like, I can’t mutter about how rude/dumb/crazy they are and go on to the next person. Oh, I suppose I could do that, but I do have at least a little respect for social customs. (And before anyone gets started, I’m well aware that I’m not everyone’s cuppa, and I’m okay with that. I’m sure plenty of people think I’m rude, dumb and/or crazy. They’re just as free as I am to move on to the next person. I’m really okay with it.)
So, wish me luck. And pray that it’s socially acceptable for me to hide behind my camera the whole time, wouldja?
Tags: cheerleading · motherhood · photography · SarahDComments
