Friday, May 12, 2006

photbooth friday - kinda

My mother says this was taken when we lived in Spain. I was about six, and she thinks it was for a passport or something official. But I had a passport already. I mean, I got to Spain, no?

I love the sheet in the background. I love the weird color of the photo. I love the tennis dress. You can be very sure that I loved the dress like no other back then. And of course I have the classic and nearly infamous Baby Madness tragic stare.

My mother comes to town today. I'm not as apprehensive as usual, and I'm wondering if that's maturity or the kiss of death. Will the visit I feel most comfortable end up being confrontational? Ah, it'll be fine.

This time around there is no tattoo convention to distract us, but after I pick her up from the airport we're driving to Santa Monica to check out this exhibit. To be honest, the exhibit looks a wwweeeeee bit gaseous to me, but I think the aesthetic of the photos themselves will be beautiful. The "novel" that this guy (Gregory Colbert) wrote in a series of three hundred sixty-five letters home to his wife make me shift uncomfortably in my seat. "Letter 84: The elephant with his trunk raised is a ladder to the stars. A breaching whale is a ladder to the bottom of the sea. My photographs are a ladder to my dreams. These letters are a ladder to you." Yikes. Also, he claims the animals in the photos have not been coerced into what they are doing. And uh, bullshit. I just straight out don't believe this. I think he's boldly lying to our face. Anyway, I wish he'd stop using words, written and spoken, so I can just look at the pretty pictures. P.S. this is all prejudgment. I'll probably get me a Gregory Colbert coffee mug and 8x10 signed glossy by show's end. I'll give you a full Colbert Report after the show. (I couldn't WAIT to say that.)

So, back to my mother's visit . . .I feel a little odd that she's coming Mother's Day weekend. We haven't even talked about that. This visit lands between her and the girls' birthdays and we've talked up the celebration of that. I feel on Sunday morning I'll be all shifty eyed, digging my hands in my pocket. "Uh, happy uh mother's day?" Then I'll chuck her on the arm and laugh nervously and this will spark the confrontation I didn't see coming - DAMNIT. Selfishly, I just want to be alone with Husband and the girls and let them rally around me; let me enjoy my motherhood. Instead I get to spend the morning pretending everything was all right.

12 comments:

autumnempire said...

Hmmm...I'm interested on your take on Coulbert. I agree about the animals and the talking. I call bullshit. But the pictures are pretty - buy the calander, not the mug.

I send and early Happy Mother's Day to YOU - Madness.

LeS said...

You know, I posted about my mother yesterday. No one picked up on the undertone - too subtle I suppose.

I suspect we may be in similar boats on this subject (as with many others) my blog friend.

Remember to breathe and honor yourself all weekend. You are awesome.

Just don't ever forget it.

p.s. got the bracelets...cute!!!

Anonymous said...

Lovely photo! So serious. The dress? I would have loved it and worn it endlessly!

As for the Nomadic Museum, I know them (NYC & Santa Monica) well! I've personally retouched all of the offical photos of the building (my boss is an architectural photographer). But I don't really like Colbert's photos, I just always felt he was trying to hard...

kristen said...

So jealous about that exhibition! Marc and I saw it when we went out in SM a few weeks ago and thought about bringing our girl back to see it. You'll have to give a full report on the exhibition, it looks amazing. And you and your mama can go to a photobooth as well. (=
Happy mama's day girlfriend and I adore your sweet young self...that photo rocks!

angela said...

such a serious little face! i hope you are able to enjoy your weekend, and Happy Mother's Day to you :)

Marigoldie said...

Happy Mother's Day to sweet, serious baby Madness.

Tina said...

Happy Mother's Day, D. You are one hell of a human being and an enlightened soul to boot.

liz elayne lamoreux said...

this balance of it all...the feelings...having your mom there...i hope today is a good day for you my dear. give yourself the space to breathe in the midst of it all.

SUEB0B said...

Happy Mother's Day! I picked you as one of the two mom bloggers I wanted to share with others in the Her Bad Mom mother's day contest:

http://redstapler23.blogspot.com/2006/05/her-bad-mother-contest-for-good-mom.html where I think my description of you said a lot more about me than you, but whatever.

Hope your day is good!

Melinda said...

Happy Mom's Day, friend! Damn, do your girls ever look like you.

Tina said...

By the way, I'd really love to hear more (a lot more!) about how and why you lived in Spain...

andrea said...

the details here in this photo here are ridiculously sweet and so full of subtext and story. I love that.

happy belated mothers day, d. I know it couldn't have been easy for you. mothers day can be such a loaded affair, you know?