Pathetically Apathetic

Last week I confessed to feeling as if I’ve lost my blogging mojo. In fact, it seems I’m only one of many to become afflicted by this apparent epidemic of apathy.

But lest you think this sense of indifference is limited only to my virtual world… well, think again.

Below are six subjects that lately make me want to stick my head in the proverbial sand. Some are decidedly more important than blogging, while others are equally extraneous. A few are former hobbies and interests in which I’ve lost interest as I just try to keep my head above the waters of life. But several others I’ve always shunned.

Whatever the case may be, it’s safe to say that toward each I feel, for the moment at least…

1. Housecleaning

Seriously. I don’t even know where to begin. Do I tackle the pink ring around the shower basin or the half inch-thick layer of dust on all the furniture? And forget vacuuming altogether – why bother when the floors will just be dirty five minutes later, anyway?

2. Home Decor

Once upon a time, I did my level best to make my humble abode look like something you’d find among the pages of Better Homes & Gardens magazine. But now? Books, toys, socks, and other little toddler treasures constantly litter the house, the beds remain perpetually unmade, and hell if I know what to put in that hurricane vase that acts as a centerpiece for the family room coffee table.

Trying to make pine cones and fake snow from Christmas work year-round.

3. Exercise

A former fitness buff, lately this seems to be more my style:

Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with a naturally slim build and good, skinny genes. (Thanks, Mom!)

Unfortunately, gravity (and ice cream) seem to suddenly be taking their toll.

This does not bode well for my impending beach vacation to sunny Florida. I have approximately one month to either whip my booty into shape (or at the very least, give it a little lift), or I’ll be forced to rely on the old smoke ‘n mirrors fallback to make me look good as I frolic away in sand and surf:

(Tankini from Target)

4. Shopping

Another former favorite pastime, this one has fallen by the wayside no doubt due, in part, to the aforementioned lack of exercise. Because dressing room mirrors are not my friend these days.

But my interest in both, along with concern for my home’s aesthetic quality, all really seem to have ceased around the time a tiny human exited my body, taking with her my attention span and ability to clearly focus on any given task. Which only illustrates the many ways this drunken midget has usurped my life. God bless her.

In any case, I currently have no less than $300 worth of Ann Taylor Loft gift cards burning a hole in my wallet from up to two Christmases ago, and absolutely no desire to use them.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

5. Crafting

Part of becoming a mom means learning to put your children first. And I’ve lost enough sleep, wiped enough feces, and read Let’s Go on a Bear Hunt enough times over the last two and a half years to feel as if I’m well on my way to earning my stripes in selflessness. Until it comes to crafting, that is.

Please. Give me Bear Hunt to read one.more.time. I’ll happily do it over a craft.

That said, whenever Lil’ Bit brings home from school one of her various art projects, be it school bus, bee, or butterfly, I smile at the amalgamation of construction paper, glue, and glitter (oh my God, the glitter!), exclaim, “It’s beautiful!” and silently thank the good Lord that she has some artistic influence in her life.

Because Martha Stewart I am not, nor have any desire to be.

6. The Presidential Election

I should start paying attention to the 2012 presidential race. I know this. I should strive to be educated and informed about economic and social issues so that I set a good example for my daughter and perhaps even write a razor-sharp OpEd piece containing the perfect blend of brilliant insight and acerbic wit.

I should care.

Alas, I don’t. Our nation’s polarizing political climate, with its extremist partisanship and meaningless rhetoric, has left me feeling weary and jaded and sort of wanting to move to Spain because I’ve been there and they take siestas in the afternoon and spend hours each day eating tapas and drinking sangria and just basically enjoying life a lot more than Americans do.

So, maybe I’ll start to care about the upcoming election in September. Or October. Or on the evening of Monday, November 5th. But for now, whenever the talking heads start up about it on television, my eyes glaze over and all I really hear is blah, blah, blah, blah-blah-blah-blah, blah, blah.

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Given all of the above plus my recent lack of interest in blogging, perhaps you’re wondering what exactly I’ve been doing with my time lately. Or perhaps not. Whatever. I’m going to tell you anyway…

Container gardening!

Yes, we may be eating, sleeping, and bathing in squalor, but my back deck and front porch look positively FABULOUS!

Welcome to my garden frog obsession.

Potted Herbs: Mint, Rosemary, Dill, Parsley, Lavender, and Oregano

Flashing you with my front porch

Now it’s just a matter of time before I kill it all.

What have you been doing with your life lately?