A La Carte

No sunbonnet yet. Also, no more travel brochures. *sigh*

Lately, I've been thinking about doing things solo. I've gotten adept at going places alone in the last few years. Mainly, it's because I've been with a guy who really doesn't like to do much. In addition, I'm at an age where most of my friends have recently become moms, so they're far less available. As a result, I've begun to get rather comfortable with going to the movies alone or going out to eat by myself. I've become good at it.

I know. I'm treating solitude as a skill. You know what? I think it is.

We all do stuff by ourselves; tasks like grocery shopping and walking the dog are often done without accompaniment, and nobody thinks twice about it. Still, some other things are really group activities, and, initially, it feels strange to go it alone. The first time I went to the movies by myself, it was to see Immortal Beloved; I lucked out that time, because I found a theatre full of other chicks like me whose boyfriends/husbands had no interest in a historical romance about Beethoven. In fact, I met a few of the other moviegoers before the film started, and we had a good time making small talk and joking around. Since then, I've occasionally gone to see several films by myself, the most recent being The Devil Wears Prada. I kinda like going to the movies by myself, actually.

Still, I wonder - what is it that makes me feel a little odd the first time I try something sans accompaniment? Is it that I'm afraid that there's an unspoken indication that nobody likes me enough to come along? I know that this isn't the case, and - really - why should I care what any strangers might think? Odd. Maybe it's just me ... a lack of confidence or something.

I do wonder, though, if there isn't a widespread fear of being alone - the sheer number of people on cell phones sometimes makes me sure of it. For example, if I felt strange about waiting for a table alone at a restaurant, the simple act of conversing publicly on my phone would be a social signal that, indeed, I'm a vital and beloved person. It would also keep me from truly being alone, because I'd still be interacting with someone in my social circle - know what I mean?

Ah well. Just my thinks.

Since I'm already wildly off my usual topics, I'd like to mention that the downgrade of Pluto from planet status is rather sad. Poor Pluto! I composed a lament (sorry, Billy Joel!) ...

Always a Planet
( Always a Woman)

You made no big stinks, if you did I just missed 'em
A small number nine in a big solar system
Just doing your thing, unencumbered and free -
You may be downgraded,
But you're always a planet to me

You're just rocks and ice, so I know you won't melt
As you rotate around next to the Kuiper belt
A victim of the whims of astronomy -
Remember, dear Pluto -
You're always a planet to me

Oh - they're rescinded your name
You're a planet no more
Just some lump in the fog
Oh - if I call out your name
I guess that it now refers
To some dumb Disney dog

Another concern that is leaving me speechless:
My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us No Pizzas!
That mnemonic trick's now an antiquity -
But, pizza aside,
You are always a planet to me.


Days until trip: 319
Money saved: $210.00