Things to Do - Happiness, Blogging, and Dinner with Neighbors

A few weeks ago I had dinner with a new neighbor and her children, who I best describe as "quirky." She's an academic, an anthropologist, who managed to ask me many personal questions within a short period of time, seemingly without realizing that these are things people don't usually talk about ("so you don't work, but you're moving into a bigger house - your husband must make a lot of money?"). i have to admit that i like this about her - her cut to the core approach to small talk - and I hope we become friends in the future.

Anyways, she seemed rather confused (and not necessarily in a good way) by the fact that rather than work I "blog about my children a lot" (her words). Which on one hand annoyed me ("yes", I thought to myself "this is my hobby, it's how i choose to spend my spare time. at the end of the days it's just what makes you happy isn't it?"). But on the other hand, it seemed a perfectly legit question. I can tell it's a question people frequently want to ask but choose not to, probably for fear of seeming rude. and i don't really have a good answer. before this blog i made photo albums (using blurb), i documented our adventures, i photoshopped. things haven't really changed much, i just share with a wider audience now. why? i don't really know, why do people post photos on facebook? why go to cocktail parties?

Okay so maybe a better answer is needed. In face-to-face conversation i tend to just agree with people, even if I really don't agree with people. I hate confrontation. I hate arguments. I guess this blog lets me be me. And I like that. Maybe it it an odd thing to do. But i take a lot of pictures and it seems sad to just have them sit on a hard drive. And to me, there's something wonderful about this idea of connection, that all of a sudden I care about the daily life of a family in Israel or wonder what inspiring words and photos A Day That Is Dessert will post today. Or marvel at how Kelly Hampton manages to get the perfect shot, day after day.

The other night we had friends over and a huge debate erupted over the benefit of fiction. My husband insists that books no longer need to be held on such a high pedestal, that really good media of any sort (the Wire was a frequent example) can add so much to our experience/knowledge/empathy of the human condition in a more efficient matter (it takes awhile to read War and Peace). Whereas our friend, Val, argued that the necessarily collaboration in the act of reading (between writer and reader), the fact that it forces us to use our imagination and engage makes books inherently better than other forms of media. A somewhat interesting discussion. But also somewhat silly after awhile. At the end of the day, we just die. it's all just a matter of passing our days, isn't it? finding ways to make ourselves happy.

And blogging makes me happy. So I will continue. Just like Dan's mom will continue to plant flowers and his dad will golf. And my mom will scour thrift stores for more stuff. And Dan will fish (if he ever has time). Because these things make us happy. It's as simple as that.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!!

FRIDAY LINKS:

*"In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston marathon. After realizing that a woman was running, race organizer Jock Semple went after Switzer shouting, "Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers.' However, Switzer’s boyfriend and other male runners provided a protective shield during the entire marathon. The photographs taken of the incident made world headlines, and Kathrine later won the NYC marathon with a time of 3:07:29." Check out the photo here.

*Wayfare Online Magazine - beautiful photographs and lovely stories all about TRAVEL. I LOVE IT!!!

*TODAY IS THE DAY. And I don't care how dorky it makes me, i can't wait. i really can't wait.