I Finally Learned This Lesson

Long time readers are well versed in my "issues" with friends who produce (ok produce sounds a bit industrial, but I'll not edit since this is a blog and my true feelings should come out even if not exactly PC) children and then have those new ones become the focus of their lives and subsequently disappear from mine.

(SS ARE YOU READING THIS?!!?!?!?! You've won your battle!!!)

As I was biking home yesterday from BART, I passed by the house of a friend of mine from a 1986 summer program Debby G. who with her husband and 2-year old son, moved here from Washington, DC a few months ago. They live a five minute walk from me (that's pretty cool to have a friend from childhood move across the country and land in the next neighborhood over) and I hadn't seen her at her home since their move. So I stopped in and was invited over for dinner. I wasn't shunted off to the corner like I thought I would. In fact, Debby was grateful and overjoyed at having company.

So, the lesson? When couples have kids, us singles have to go to them. It's not as if they don't want to see us, in fact I sense that they are wanting to see us friends, but due to the constraints of raising a baby/toddler, the spontaneous dinner out is a relic of their lives. As long as I'm willing to put up with/enjoy having conversations broken into bits and pieces around cutting food for the child or a bit of babytalk, I can reclaim my friendships with my childrearing friends. Plus, how can I resist the opportunity to lay on the floor and having a 2-year old climb all over me and pinch my eye?

We Become The Things We Mock

When I am zipping around town going from here to there, my path more than likely crosses the intersection of 18th and Guerrero. Those of you who are knowledgeable about San Francisco geography and gastronomy know that this corner is home of Tartine, a most wonderful bakery. If I ever pass by this corner in the mornings, I will always find a line out the door onto the sidewalk. In times past, I would say to myself, "Who are these people who stand in line for more than a couple minutes for what is essentially glorified donuts?"

These days, I eat my words. A couple weekends ago, because of the holidays I drove by and saw there was no line (?!?!?!) so I went in and the rest is history. Three straight weekend visits later, I sit here and am scooping up Muesli as I have to choose between a Morning Bun, Frangiapane Croissant or a "Pan au Jambon" (a gruyere and ham croissant which will become part of tomorrows lunch). This is AFTER I spent twenty minutes in line on the sidewalk BEFORE the place even opened.