Mama's Night Out

Had my first solo outing since Coco was born last night. Wish I could report that I’d done something exotic, but the fact is that it started with a haircut and ended with me closing down a local Target. Embarrassingly, that’s the best I could come up with. I’m out of practice and have vowed to get more creative next time I manage to escape. Little Coco, who has taken to her trainer cup like a champ, was totally unfazed by my absence and, I suspect, secretly happy to have a little quality time with her beloved. Hank, on the other hand, was screaming and clinging to my leg as I was trying to get out the door. He’s in mama mode these days, and while it’s nice to be wanted, it’s all a little suffocating..

I’ve been craving solitude lately, but did feel like something was missing as I headed down the driveway to a few hours of freedom. It was a little sad looking back there at the empty car seats, but didn’t take me long to get over it. Between the coiffeuse and the big box, I hit Panera (once again, low marks for creativity, but I like that they use antibiotic-free chicken!) and had a nice long phone conversation with my girlfriend Manon in Brooklyn. She’s recovering from foot surgery (cut a tendon in her foot on a broken plate—ouch) and not in the best of spirits. Was so wishing I could be up there to give her a hand. She’s a tough cookie, but we all need to be taken care of sometimes…

Didn’t really feel like hitting a bar on my own and too late for coffee, so on to Target where I had some birthday related errands to complete (the boy's is coming up). Kind of wandered around looking at stuff until they announced closing time. I can see why some people like to shop at night--it was pretty darn mellow in there. Don’t think I’ll make a habit of it—I’m more of a morning person. Drove home through the town I grew up in, and it felt like old times cruising around the same streets, stopping at the same 7-11 I used to hit in high school. That got me wondering, as I sometimes do, what the hell I’m doing back here. I really don’t have much to complain about though. I mean, people flock here from other places because it’s a great place to live. As for me, it’s pretty simple: love brought me here and love keeps me here. And I get a better haircut here than I ever did in New York…what more could you want?