Online interactions, creating community…
Around 3 in the afternoon
Andrea: I’m feeling kinda weird today. i tried lurking around hipmama, but most of posts just bored or annoyed me
Atena: Yeah? Like what?
Andrea: like sometimes i just don’t give a shit about hearing about other moms and their interactions with their kids
Atena: Understandable – I think most of us feel that way at some time or another.
Andrea: or what appears to me to be subtle passive aggressive attention seeking
Atena: Yeah – that can definitely be annoying.
Andrea: i guess hipmama’s signal to noise ratio is a bit lower than i want to alot valuable time to
i also found the CV of this girl i knew in college. she’s a PhD now and teaches and does all this stuff. she wrote she got this award that i won and i’m trying to remember if i won it the year she said she won it (thereby lying about winning it)
Atena: It’s gotten to be quite a big community now – there’s so many people, groups and subgroups… I definitely don’t hang out there as much as I used to. It’s not as satisfying, but I still find it to be a pretty valuable reaource.
Andrea: kinda got my dander up
Atena: Wow – yeah…
Andrea: yeah, i guess i’m not sure what kind of resource i’m looking for
Atena: Are you looking to interact, or just to read and have more of a one-way interaction?
Andrea: i guess to interact, but i’m starting to think that i’m a little tired of online interaction. i mean, it was my main mode of meeting others since 1992. it’s been a long freakin’ time
Atena: I guess so…
I’m newer to online interaction, so it’s still novel to me somewhat.
Andrea: yeah
Atena: Online forum discussions can be tiring – I’m more into one-on-one chat with people I actually know, or blog & response discussions, where everyone has time to think about what they wanna say.
Andrea: although i think i could be excited by online interaction if i was actively engaged in a community of upbeat but quirky people
Atena: Well, lord knows there’s enough of us out here…
Andrea: it feels like a lot of the people on forums either have a lot of anger or issues or drama that they need to vent somewhere but it ends up dragging everything down
it turns into a pity party of oneupmanship
or a lot of hand-holding and back patting
Atena: Absolutely. I guess I’ve taken that to be par for the course. The nice thing is you can always find another discussion.
Andrea: and while that’s really vital and useful for folks, i didn’t sign up for a group therapy session
Atena: True…
Andrea: yeah, i guess i’m not finding discussions that are interesting to me
Atena: But it’s nice to have a place to do that if you find that you’re the one who needs hand holding.
It can definitely get tedious though.
So it’s good that the internet is so vast, eh?
Andrea: yeah. i don’t want to stop that kind of compassion (although i might also be speaking of my own rejected attempts and getting someone to hold my hand)
and=at
Atena: Gotcha.
What I’ve been doing lately…
is finding blogs that I like, and then reading blogs linked to those blogs, and so on…
Andrea: *nod*
Atena: That way I can always find new content.
Andrea: oh, i checked in at the hipmama meetup group and chimed in with an RSVP
Atena: Cool! I’d totally forgotten about it.
What’d you say?
Andrea: oh that it sounded too pricy and what about a nice playgroup?
i couldn’t think of anything more biting to say 
Atena: I wonder if they’ll respond to the cost issue…
Andrea: i fear it’s going to get buried
Atena: Well, I hope not, but it’s always a possibility.
Maybe we should organize our own Hip Parent Party, or something… Like the Young Breeders’ Society.
Andrea: i wonder if we should start a meetup and be really explicit about who we’re interested in meeting. and maybe do something a little punk-rock, like converge on a place traditionally lacking in mamaenergy (like Filter or some similar hipster joint)
heh
Atena: Oh, that’s a great idea. I’ve been wanting to do something like that for a while.
Andrea: OR! we could do a little activism
Atena: That IS activism!
But what did you have in mind?
Andrea: well, you know those flyers for the mama manifesto site?
Atena: Yeah.
Oh – hold on – Stella’s freakin out…
Andrea: i thought it’d be bitchin to print a bunch out and tack ‘em up around various places. we could have a walk with all the mamas who want to participate
Atena: Cool!
Andrea: and, if we build up enough people, we could crash mommy groups to get out of the ol’ comfort zone
the mamas meet the mommies
Atena: Hmm – interesting…
Which mommy groups did you have in mind?
Andrea: i don’t know any yet, but i’m sure they abound
Lincoln Park, Evanston, Gold Coast
Atena: What would we do?
Andrea: wouldn’t that be a hoot? get all punk rock looking and show up to a Lincoln Park playgroup?
Atena: That would be pretty funny.
Andrea: just show that an alternative world view exists
not necessarily get in their face but just talk about stuff and respond
and nurse
Atena: Of course.
Andrea: whip out the ol’ boobs
Atena: Always!
Andrea: i’m just slinging pie in the sky
the first order of business is to find cool moms, tho
i wonder if we could put up flyers in, like, tattoo parlors and record stores
Atena: They’re out there… we already know a few -
Natalie has been telling me about some moms she’d like me to meet.
Andrea: hell, we could see if we could form some kind of working/awareness group to see what kind of activism we can accomplish
natalie is so impressive. i was very intimidated, i must say. she’s definitely a force of nature
Atena: Yeah – she can be intimidating…
She’s a total sweetheart radical earth mama, though…
Andrea: that’s awesome
she has the kind of strong energy i aspire to have someday when i get my shit together
Atena: We should all get together and have a nurse-in.
Andrea: definitely.
hey, look at this: http://www.momsrising.org/neighborhood/start_a_group
discussion topics! action items!
Atena: Awesome!
You know…
I’d really like to find some rad dads and get together with them. I get so mamacentric sometimes…
Andrea: yeah! that’d be awesome!
again with the Young Breeders Society
Atena: and there’s really valuable dad energy out there.
Right!
Andrea: okay, let’s plan a gathering then
and we’ll invite all the very cool dads and moms we know
should we focus on moms and dads that are a bit more radical/receptive to activism?
Atena: Awesome – I’m nursing and typing one-handed – that’s why i’m so
slow
Andrea: do we want to go in that direction, or make that something separate?
Atena: Good question…
Andrea: i’d totally be interested in hosting the event, since we’ve got lots of sitting areas and a bit table and such
bit=big
(henry is going to sleep forEVER)
Atena: (Stella’s been wiggling like crazy and smacking my hands)
Andrea: (oof. that’s a pain)
Atena: But the event – cool… Yes! -
Maybe we could start out with just identifying and getting to know parents…
Andrea: that’d be good
Atena: and then as we get to know them
invite them to join us in more activism.
Andrea: we should make it a potluck
ja
Atena: Potluck is always a good idea.
Maybe not always, but often enough.
Andrea: yeah
Atena: Alright -
what’s our timeframe?
Andrea: hmm. i guess sooner is cool. might prompt mark to put more boxes in the basement.
Atena: Heh!
(Stella’s laughing too.)
Andrea: hee hee
awww.. henry turned over onto his belly. he looks so sweet.
Atena: Well, how about the end of this month?
Andrea: okay
Atena: Let me look at my calendar…
Andrea: i was thinking perhaps a sunday afternoon? would that be possible?
or would a saturday afternoon be better?
Atena: I’m not sure…
You’re the host -
what’s best for you?
Andrea: i was thinking it’s more likely Mark wouldn’t be shooting on a Sunday
i don’t know when shooting will start again
Atena: Good call.
Andrea: August 27?
Atena: Maybe we should plan tentatively for Sunday the 27th, and find out what the husbands are up to?
Andrea: sounds good to me
Atena: Rock on!
Okay…
Andrea: oh hey… what are you doing Wednesday evening, after 8 p.m.?
Atena: I think I should probably go, ’cause Stella’s got stress hiccups and is looking a bit forlorn…
Andrea: awww. poor little one.
Atena: Here – I’ll call you on the phone, okay?
Andrea: k
Atena: Alright, bye!
