You-topia

I was on a school bus the other day with about 40 six-year-olds and 4 or 5 presumable grown up mommies (and 2 teachers). As I was assigned to my own child for chaperonage for a trip to the zoo, my job was pretty cushy. At one point in the trip I was talking with the room mother, and then was diverted in attention so she started chatting up the teacher.

She was complaining that how, in the 3 years since arriving, she's not made many friends because of what locals call the "Seattle Freeze". In spite of living in a 200+ house enclave to the north of me, the only friendships they could really maintain were through their children's playdates; her husband was having little luck making friends in his workplace.

C's teacher suggested church, and thus began the discussion of *which* church was the right church. Apparently many things factor into the *right* church: conservative interpretation of the bible, none of those non-denominational bible studies, and time of mass were the top three. And not in that order.

Excuse me?

I'm not a religious person in the slightest -- I come from a family who sent me to Catholic school in Southern California on the assumption that they could cure me of religion a good deal sooner than they could cure me of a bad education -- but I've adopted a live-and-let-live approach. That said, I've understood religion is something to expect and respect, and it was all I could do not to raise an eyebrow (full hairy Italian one at that) at the requirements list. Further arching the hairs up was the explanation that they were currently attending Episcopalean church in Medina (read: ultrafancy neighborhood about 25 minutes away, where Bill Gates lives) because, ostensibly, the Sunday mass started at 10:15 rather than the local Episcopalean church which starts at 9:30 (gasp!).

Now I'm all for convenience and proper planning, and I *get* how one's Sunday mornings can be one's only time to do something for oneself. But don't try to tell me that you drive 25 minutes away to go to a church in the fanciest neighborhood in the area because it starts 45 minutes later than your local church. You're saving a whopping 20 minutes, and spending a couple of gallons in gas in the round trip difference. You're going to that church because it's in the fancy area and perhaps the friends you cannot make in the local housing area are because they don't measure up to your standard.

I then gave her the $10 for the Kindergarten Luau. She is, after all, the room mother.