Baby Talk

posted 5 Aug 2006, 2PM | 9 Comments

Isn't it interesting how we analyze children in ways we rarely analyze ourselves? When a little kid is crying, it's usually obvious that he's just tired, or overwhelmed, or hasn't eaten in a while. My nephew-to-be is pretty easy to read.

But with Jenny and me (and others I've observed) sometimes a whole argument or an entire day will pass before some underlying cause becomes clear: I haven't eaten, or Jenny's surfing the crimson wave, or it's humid and I'm uncomfortable.

And when we don't ask the right questions (am I on a caffeine crash? have I eaten?) we filter those underlying causes through bullshit minutia until we convince ourselves that something else bothers us. Suddenly I'm hyper-critical of Jenny's driving. She's offended by some small thing I said.

People must live entire lives like this.

Ah, kids. They're not yet cursed with the illusion of consciousness.



There are 9 Comments

1

7 Aug 06 at 12:21PM Jake said:

so incredibly true. Thinking back, one of my relationships began to end when I gave away my lady friend's last cannoli and she hadn't eaten all day. She went off about how I didn't care about her or think ahead (which were sorta true in retro-spect, but in no way evidenced by the cannoli incident. Also, the children don't think that they're tired and need a nap, they like us are stuck in the subjectivity of blood sugar and the like.

2

8 Aug 06 at 12:30AM sixfoot6 said:

Righto. In fact, I used to *hate* when my mother would say things like, "Well, it looks like somebody's tired!" The idea that our behavior can be reduced to basic biology feels somehow degrading, even now.

3

8 Aug 06 at 12:48PM Steve said:

The facts never had to be overanalyzed when I was crying. My crankiness was always a result of me soiling myself. Many of my mood swings today are a result of the same biological process.


poop!

4

9 Aug 06 at 11:25PM (steve) said:

Hey. The phony mustache thing is aweseome. I was tripping at Berkfest in 2002 and kept hearing auditory halucinations..."Fake Beards for sale...one for ten, two for twenty!!!" I shit you not. Rock on...fuck a Vegas whore for me Ryan, Jake, Jeremy, Josh, et. all. (I couldn't post on FlickR cause I ain't learned to good so much yet).

5

10 Aug 06 at 11:54AM jennifer said:

Thanks for the suggestion STEVE, but there will be no "fucking" of vegas whores.

6

11 Aug 06 at 01:37AM Jake said:

No whores were fucked in vegas on my watch. Although it's the kind of city where you feel vaguely like a whore when you leave. But I did shoot an MP5 and won 100 bucks at blackjack.

7

11 Aug 06 at 08:39AM Stephanie said:

i am glad to hear that jake. thanks for "standing guard". =)

8

21 Aug 06 at 02:41AM jake said:

I just realized the above might give the impression that I'm anti-whorefucking. This is not the case. Prostitution is an important and vibrant part of many economies. I do think that legalized and voluntary prostitution is something this country needs to work for. I want whores to pay taxes. If anyone has any interst in this subject I recommend the docu-drama funded by The Ladies of the Night Foundation "Whore". It really has a lot to say re-whores.


Oh and congrats again to the awesome couple.

9

23 Aug 06 at 05:28AM Jenny said:

Oh Jake, I love you.

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