Nov 082013
 

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I had lunch plans with my blog friends Alex and Elizabeth last Saturday. It feels weird to call them my “blog friends,” but that is technically how I met them, which is unusual only because they don’t live 5,000 miles away like my blog friends typically do. (Probably Janna wishes she lived 5,000 miles away from me, too. And Henry.) Shamefully, I am really not a part of the Pittsburgh “blog scene,” like, at all. I’ve been toiling away at this shit for 12 years but am pretty much the blogging equivalent to a recluse. I don’t go to those podcast things (I don’t even know what the hell they are! It sounds too sci-fi for my liking) or tweet-ups so it’s really no wonder that I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel.

(Although, a few weeks ago, I did agree to be interviewed for an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about anti-soccer moms who blog, which was really stepping outside of my padlocked box. I didn’t even mention it to my friends and family on Facebook! Literally, I think only 5 of my friends knew that it was going to happen. I hate attention, says the girl with a public blog, Twitter, Instagram and quotation mark tattoos on her fingers. But honestly, I mostly just want attention from HENRY and he does not give me enough.)

Anyway, the point to this is that yay! I have a few friends in Pittsburgh who blog! I can sit down with people and talk about comments and feeds and stats while taking pictures of my food to post on my blog later, and not have my company nod off or fashion nooses out of their own hair because oh great, Erin’s talking about her blog again. I mean, not that I talk about my blog constantly…anymore.

Originally, we were supposed to go to Casa Rasta and I was all excited because Casa Rasta does not hate vegetarians and also because it would be a nice walk for me. Except that Henry had some stupid training thing (read: sexcapade) that morning at work (read: seedy motel) and didn’t tell me until the last minute so then it was starting to look like I wouldn’t be able to leave in enough time to walk there, so I did what any normal walkaholic would do and started to walk there with Chooch and then Henry swung by on his way home from infidelity and picked him up so that I wouldn’t have to be all, “SURPRISE! I brought my child! Please watch your swearing*, thanks.”

*(Yeah right.)

Anyway, I got to Casa Rasta and those taco-makin’ motherfuckers didn’t have the decency to text us personally to let us know they were closed for the day because of some dumb party they were preparing for. So then I had to be all, “Hay Elizabeth and Alex, this place is closed. Btw I walked here so someone pick me up, please.” Alex suggested we just go to Arby’s and I was about to whine about how there is nothing for me to eat there, but then he was just kidding. I was all on the spot because we were technically on my turf and I should probably know about all kinds of underground hot spots and not just meth-related ones, but everything I suggested was closed until dinner time for some ludicrous reason. This is just a lot of words to say: We ate lunch at It’s Greek To Me. I was just there over the summer and was pretty disappointed to see that they had majorly pared down their menu. No more flaming cheese. :(

This was the third or fourth time I hung out with Elizabeth. We started reading each other’s blogs through our mutual friend Sandy and then eventually took the plunge and met IRL. The first several times were not conducive to conversation: roller-skating; chasing our spawns at a Hipster Gathering with Food Trucks; and, god forbid, the pie party. The pie party is also where I met Alex for the first time IRL, and some things you should know about me when I’m hosting a party: I AM STRESSED OUT AND FRAZZLED AND SUCK AT MAKING WORDS WITH MY MOUTH. A do-over was in order and a lunch date was definitely the perfect setting for having relaxed conversation with pita stuffed in my mouth.

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Elizabeth recently decided that she wants to start meeting up with Pittsburgh bloggers for a new interview feature on her blog. And Alex and I got to be her guinea pigs! I was kind of stressed out at first because who knows the things that I might say, but it was good. I think she should have interviewed the waitress though. That lady was nuts and totally off her game. One of the questions Elizabeth asked us was if we hate-read any blogs. The official answer on her blog was that we don’t, but I actually used to and had to stop because it was giving me an ulcer. Now I just hate-read Facebook.

All of Alex’s answers started with, “Hey, humble-brag alert! I went to Greece on my honeymoon.” And all of mine started with, “Um.” I speak good.

Blogging wasn’t exclusively what we talked about in between frantic interruptions by our well-meaning waitress, but you know, it was kind of nice to dip my falafel in whatever-the-fuck sauce while listening to Alex tell me how fantastic I am. I mean, my blog. How fantastic my blog is. He also marveled over how SOFT-SPOKEN I am, which is a little known fact. I am quite soft-spoken. And refined! This is because I’m so busy being calculating and weaving prejudices in my head. But I have my other side(s), too, like most people do, so if he hangs out with me a few more times, he’ll probably meet Other Erin. I also liked the time when Alex started to tell us about some electrical thingie that happened to his car that morning, and he paused to ask me if I drive. Yes, I drive! I’m just obsessed with walking.

Elizabeth and Alex both brought fun blogging ideas with them and I’m very excited to participate in both! I on the other hand brought nothing with me but an umbrella which I managed to lose.

And I only mentioned Jonny Craig once. You guys, I think I’m finally starting to kick the addiction!

Then Alex ordered baklava to go because he doesn’t want people to know he eats dessert and there was this befuddling mixup with the checks and I’m still not sure how it was resolved. I was going to say that it was Greek to me, but that’s just dumb.

  3 Responses to “When a Blogging Wallflower Eats Lunch with People”

  1. I love that you did this, good for you!! I totally relate to almost everything you said about not being a part of the blogging community. Utah’s is the WORST and everyone blogs about the same fucking crocheted baby headbands even after 5 years. I hate it. Before I go off too much about that I just wanted to say that I loved reading this. Thanks!

    I hate that we live so far away!

  2. Yeah… my blogging community consists of me and Brandy. But we’re the coolest motherfucking community ever, so there’s that.

    You’re going to post a link when she posts your interview, yeah?

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