Lots to think about this day of my first blog post: Haiti (please go to your fave charity’s website and give online if you haven’t already); medal winners (ALA and Golden Globe, though, as an author, I have to say I’m thinking more about the ALA winners–congrats, all!); and my work (employment-wise, 2010’s started off with a bang). I recently landed an assignment writing an essay on True Blood for an upcoming anthology (nothing like watching TV all day for work!) and a nice steady editing gig with a new book packager (insanely excited about the first two series I’m working on). Plus, I have a few manuscripts with my agent that I’m hoping will see some action soon.

But what I seem to be thinking about the most these days (to my everlasting shame) is yoga pants. More specifically, I’m wondering, a la Sarah Jessica Parker, if, as the mother of two teenagers, I should still be wearing yoga pants–when I’m not doing yoga, that is.

Not because I’m overweight or out of shape. Au contraire, after a year of intense physiotherapy post cartilage replacement surgery on my knee, I have no butt, and some extremely well defined (but not too bulky) quads and calves. And I weigh exactly the same as I did in high school: 110 pounds, soaking wet.

But something’s changed recently. I find myself not wanting to wear pants that show every curve. Stupid? I really don’t know. I’m aware the line between what older and younger people wear is far blurrier these days than it was when I was a kid. And loads of 40 and 50-somethings wear YPs regularly when they’re out and about. I saw the movie Did You Hear About the Morgans over the holidays (yeah, I know, but I was with my daughter, and between us, we’d seen everything else), and spent the whole hour and a half marvelling at (none other than) SJP’s butt. The movie was practically an ode to it.

Part of it may be that I hate thongs–which you pretty much have to wear with yoga pants to avoid embarrassing panty lines. I mean, wearing a thong sort of negates the whole comfort thing, right? The reason I started wearing yoga pants regularly in the first place is because I work at home all day and want to stay comfortable–but not have to change clothes every time I step out the door (to run to the post office, drug store, etc.). Maybe as I get older, I’m just a little less willing to do all that’s expected of me (and I could be talking about more than yoga pants now…)

The alternatives aren’t pretty. Sweat pants are even more inappropriate for women of a certain age, aren’t they? Plus, they make you look blobby, even if you’re not. And the ’semi-fitted’ options at the discount stores are awful, IMHO.

What’s a 40-something to do? Please help me find a solution so I can finally stop obsessing and moving on to something that’s probably a little more deserving of 24-hour contemplation–like, say, how I can renovate my home on the cheap. But that’s a whole ‘nother blog post…