The Queen's Rambles

Last weekend we went to a birthday party for Irish Lad’s little sister. It was a really perfect party–just four little girls and two older boys (Erik and Irish Lad). The girls played tea party and jumped on the trampoline. The boys disappeared and didn’t cause a fuss. If I had space, I’d love to have a low key party like that. Elsa is not the social creature that her brother was at her age. He wanted the whole world to fall at his feet in adoration on his birthday. She is shy and much more discriminating. I think she’d be quite happy with three guests.

One of the little girls was accompanied by her crazy mother. I’ve known her for years because she used to live next door to Irish Lad’s family. Four years ago we even co-hosted a baby shower (nightmare!) for the birthday girl.

She’s not getting any saner!

Her new thing is to travel around the country for her job and couch surf. At first I assumed she just had far flung friends and family, but quickly discovered that no. . . she stays with complete strangers that she meets online. There’s a whole movement called couch surfing that connects travelers and hosts. If she can’t find a couch surf host, she stays at youth hostels and tries to find “interesting people” to go out to dinner with. All the “interesting people” she told us about were males.

Her job would pay 100% for a real hotel, but she thinks this is more of an adventure.

And it is. Obviously.

The type of adventure that is going to get her raped, killed, or just plain ol’ diseased. She prefers to stay with men, which is just asking for trouble. I don’t mean to be all “she’s asking for it” because no one asks for it. But really? Staying the night with random strangers? Picking up guys at youth hostels? You’ve got to use a little common sense in this world. I think it would be safer for a man to do this, but I would still raise my eyebrows at it.

I guess if she’s willing to take her life in her hands, that’s her business. But she’s a married woman and the mother of a young child. In one breath she is giggling over the men she is meeting and in the next breath she is talking about her husband. I don’t get it.

If Mike decided he was going to start couch surfing when he travels I would have some words to say about that. If he started picking up “interesting people” (women) on his travels he might as well not come home.

I guess every marriage is different, but I can’t imagine.

I felt bad for her poor daughter. She clearly doesn’t want to be a mom and doesn’t have much to do with her own kid. The girl has met me maybe four times in her life and was asking me to tie her shoe, get her cake, etc. She never bothered to ask her own mother even though she was sitting right there.

My friend says this lady’s primary goal in life is to be interesting. I guess she’s met that goal, but at what cost? Yes, we talk about her and her adventures when she leaves the room, but not in a good way. It didn’t feel like she even understood she was giving off the vibe that she was sleeping with all these random men. Maybe she knew and she thought that made her fun. It didn’t make her fun. If she was single, sure. I guess that would be fun FOR HER. It certainly would not be my cup of tea. I’d be waiting for the guy to tie me up and inject windex into my veins before slitting my throat. Maybe I’ve read a few too many serial killer books.

But to hear a married woman go on and on about meeting these men? And at a children’s birthday party? Gross.