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12.06.2011

AND THEN, THERE'S THIS


today, all of the upper west side was quite marshmallowy.

no that is not a metaphor. 

what i mean is, there was a low, dense fog swamping over the tops of the buildings this morning. it was apparently a fog made of vanilla, because the air underneath at street level was warm and calm and positively marshmallowy. it smelled amazing. i walked around inhaling giant mouthfuls of air like this:




it turns out breathing in doesn't really have a sound i can accurately type.

it reminded me of that one night in brooklyn when i opened the windows and went, wait, maple syrup? and then i googled why does it smell like maple syrup are we going to die? (post 9-11 scary times for maple syrup) only to find this article, and then of course i couldn't sleep because here i was having a SHARED EXPERIENCE WITH ALL OF NEW YORK. (look: they solved it!)

it was marshmallowy all through play group. and then it was marshmallowy after play group, and all the way to the post office and all the way home again. huck fell asleep in his stroller did i want him to do that? no sir! was it the marshmallow's fault? probably unrelated!

by the time we walked to the east side with sheena and her baby hudson to find stocking stuffers for certain husbands with certain red hairs, the city had stopped smelling of delicious dessert items and had gone back to smelling of the usual pretzel cart fumes and wet gutters and taxi exhaust. 

it was fun while it lasted. 

in other news, the hairs that fell out after huck was born have now grown in to the point where i look like i've got a mullet. of all the things that might scare me to someday have a baby #2, it is not the tearing, or the weight gain, or the boobs the size of rock hard grapefruits, or the lack of sleep. oh no. it's the year plus of really, really bad hair. 

25 comments:

  1. I am new to your blog and saw your post about growing up in Oregon. I read the struggles you felt being a member there and how difficult it was. Just wanted you to know, I grew up in Beaverton and had the same problem. All of my siblings did too, and I have so much respect for you. It was refreshing to hear I wasn't alone in that experience. Where did you grow up? Thanks for sharing your story!

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  2. What color lipstick are you wearing? It's totally ideal!

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  3. Mullets are cool. Living in New York you should know that.

    No? Not buying it?

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  4. ugh i'm at the same place with my hair right now...kinda looks like i buzzed the first inch of my hairline. yeeah, any time i get baby hungry i just pull my bangs back and voila! problem solved for the moment!
    Smoking Crayolas Blogspot

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  5. I bet you with a mullet would still be cute because, hey, you're Natalie!

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  6. Um. Could you be any cuter? I wouldn't worry about hair loss--you're totally a hat girl!

    Reverie

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  7. I LOVE your lipstick! What brand/shade is it?

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  8. at least the hairs are growing back?

    sorry, that's all i got.

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  9. Oh, seriously! 18 months later and I still have short hairs everywhere!

    Jealous of the marshmallowiness of your morning. It's just short-hair friz-inducing weather down here!

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  10. My hair grows back in fluffy poodle-language around my face. It's offensive and there isn't a dang thing I can do about. My baby turned one yesterday and upon inspection: yup, still look like a poodle.

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  11. I am jealous of your delicious morning. All I smell around here are smells of alcohol stained sidewalks.

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  12. I remember the maple syrup thing from 30 Rock, Northrax lol.

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  13. when i first read that you smelled maple syrup in the air, i thought: well i sweat maple syrup, maybe the city is taking fenugreek!
    and i was right.
    not sure about mallows though, i haven't found an herbal supplement that produces that. i hope it is something wonderful, like city workers roasting marshmallows in underground sewer campfires!

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  14. i dont know much about pregnancy but from a 19 year old--you are rocking this lipstick. out of this world cute!

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  15. I agree! That red lip suits you my dear! I swear I had the same experiance yesterday with the heavenly air. I work by a cookie factory, and the wind usually blows the smells in the other direction but not yesterday! I took a walk just so I could smell the sugar cookies! Delicious!

    www.lindsay-bunker.blogspot.com

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  16. as someone who treasures their hair more than any other worldly possession....maybe i won't have children.

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  17. Your posts seriously always brighten up my day! Thanks!

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  18. this was a very natalie-like post. and therefore, i hearted it.

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  19. I haven't had a baby yet, my husband and I are planning on trying to get pregnant this summer...but the thing that scares me the most is definitely the tearing! Yikes. I can't even think about it it scares me so much.

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  20. As my grandma would say, "Well, at least it's coming BACK, did you want it to fall out and stay out?" She says things like that. One my cousins and I have adopted is on your birthday when someone asks you how it feels to be another year older, reply with, "well, it's better than the alternative!"
    You're so cute with your hat and red lipstick. And thanks for describing the marshmellow-y air. Made me feel like I was there.

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  21. I totally remember the maple syrup!

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  22. Yum! My city smelled like dying souls today. We could use a little vanilla!

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  23. I have short hairs everywhere as well. But I think I am used to them because it seems like I've always had that problem, only now it's worse than ever. But it's nbd I don't think anyone really notices.

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  24. Dude, so with you on the short hairs. They totally d-press me. Mine are short and dark and look like pubic hairs all around my hairline. Super lame.

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  25. Gasp! The maple syrup smell! One of my favorite moments ever, the one time one could have this conversation:

    Me: do you smell something? I smell...pancakes! Really!

    Him: I don't smell anything. You're nuts.

    ...next day

    New York Times: "Whole City Smells Pancakes, Pancake Smellers Everywhere Not Crazy"

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