I've talked a bit about Wednesday Spaghetti here over the past year or so. I started it last spring when I was going through this whole "life sucks now that I'm a mom and I can't go out and do whatever the hell I want because you can't bring a baby to 99% of the places where my friends hangout because that's just trashy but goddam I miss my girls but I just don't have it in me to hang out late night anymore because I have a 3 foot tall alarm clock that doesn't have a snooze button".

So I invited my friends over, and promised them spaghetti.

And they came. With wine. And cheese. And cake. And their kids. And a friend.

And then they kept coming.

And those that couldn't be in my kitchen started making spaghetti every Wednesday in theirs.

And then they started kicking their husbands out and bringing their girlfriends in and they started enjoying themselves. Really, really enjoying themselves.

And I was happy.

And then I thought, "wow, this is really good for everyone involved. I don't feel like such a loser anymore and we talk about really important things like books and boys and babies and booze and bras and bitches and brats and other B words that I can't talk about in mixed company. When people leave here they are different than when they came, in a good good way. Maybe I should go big with this".

So I started doing the legwork to turn WedSpag into a Non-Profit. There's a mostly-done website, and a logo, and an Employee Identification Number, and I've drafted a few appeal letters to local grocers for noodle and sauce donations, and I've been putting together some literature regarding the importance of families and friends turning off the television and sitting down at a table and eating and talking. And not getting up anytime soon after the plates are licked clean. And just being comfortable with their time together.
It's hard to have comfortable dinners together sometimes.
That has to change.
I have plenty of contacts in shelters and hospitals and schools and other places that can help me help others. I have friends that have contributed time and skills and even dollars to help me get all this started. It's a good feeling.

I don't know what the future of the non-profit will be, but I know what the future of my table holds, and it's a whole lot more of what's going on now. It's amazing how many people I can cram into my little South Philly Rowhouse. No one ever seems to mind if they are sitting on top of someone else. No one minds if there is a brat running around (I think). No one ever seems to mind if someone starts crying or shares something huge. No one ever seems to mind if there is an unfamiliar face across the table.

Unfamiliarity never lasts long in my house.
It's my favorite talent I possess, making people comfortable.

And it's inexpensive, it costs about $3 to make a pound of spaghetti. Fresh bread and cheese and salad comes cheap in my neighborhood. Someone else brings the booze and dessert.

It's good.

Please let me know if you are interested in getting in on this. The social part- starting your own WedSpag I mean, not the non-profit part.

I would never ask you to work, but I never say no to people who offer.