Oh, man - the weekend was AMAZING. It was crazy out of control fun, and I am 100% exhausted today. Thursday night was fun with E - he got home late, but I'd picked up chinese and we had some quality time together. Friday morning, I walked Abs at 4:30 am before E took me to the airport and these three hoodlums ran past me and I thought to myself, "they are definitely not out for a jog" and then all these police drove by and I flagged one of them down and pointed them in the direction the guys went. Very bizarre stuff for so early in the morning! I met Rach, Stasia and Sarah at the airport (they were so late, I thought they were going to miss the flight) and it was a nice, easy trip up to Islip. We grabbed our rental car and hit the liqour store. This old lady at the liquor store pulled us aside to tell us we were the cutest things and that we'd made her day. We got to Shelter Island http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/new-york/long-island/shelter-island/overview.html around 10:30, unloaded the car and checked out Emily's grandparents house, (where we were staying) an amazing, amazing place. We hit the beach right away and had just gorgeous weather. After a full day of tanning and splashing about on pink floats, we went to the grocery store and stocked up on chicken kabobs and shrimp for dinner that night. Then the other two girls, Marisa and Kristin, showed up and we got down to the business of grilling, drinking and game playing. There was a dance-off (which I won) and multiple ridiculous games and a good time had by all - except for Stasia, who fell asleep at the table at 10:30 and slept through everything.
The next morning, I got up really early and set out breakfast foods and made coffee and then read outside until everyone got up. We eased our way into the day and then went to the beach until about 5. At 5, we came back to the house and had snacks and coffee before starting our primping for the big night out. We got all dolled up and then let Rachel destroy a penis shaped pinata, and apply fake uber-trashy tattoos all over us, and distribute to-do cards for our evening out. We got a cab to go to Sunset Beach http://www.sunsetbeachli.com/main.html, which is this awesome bar/restaurant designed by the same guy who did Chateau Marmont in LA - and it was out of control immediately. The girls had these assignments - finding guys like "too-tight pants guy" "wearing more jewelry than me guy" "the perfect guy", etc...and take photos with them, along with dare cards like "get a guy to give you his underwear" (accomplished), "get a guy to let you put lipstick on him" (accomplished), "get a man to buy everyone champgane" (acomplished), "get a guy to take off his shirt in the restaurant and make out with someone at your table" (accomplished), etc. We had a lovely and very rowdy dinner, at which Stasia decided she'd had enough for the night and after falling asleep at the table again, we sent her home in a cab by herself. The rest of the night was RIDICULOUS: dancing on top of bars and the DJ booth and on stools, Rach pulling Sarah up and over the bannister from the first to second floors, meeting (potentially) the winner of the upcoming season of Top Chef (he said he was, but I'm not sure I believe him yet), and beating out the other bachelorette party there with our antics so that everyone wanted to talk to us and not them. We finished the evening by skinny-dipping in the ocean (Rach, Sarah and myself) after wich I lost my dress (it was gold - sand colored) and I had to run around naked for ages until I enlisted the help of the guys standing around watching to help me find it.
Sunday, we were all disasters! Got up late, had breakfast, verrrry slow moving. We headed off to the airport and just barely made our flight. It was nice to be picked up by E at the airport and he made me SUCH a nice dinner - steak, mashed potatoes and asparagus. He then told me I was perfect. LOVE THIS MAN :)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
You will not believe this. My ex, Nick, who dumped me after three years of dating, after almost a year of living together, after proposing drunk multiple times (always taking it back when he was sober), after discussing rungs and moving to Seattle, and immediately after some very romantic activities, after cooking me dinner on Valentine's Day - dumped me, said he'd never loved me but that he'd always LIKED me and he hoped we'd still hang out because he thought I was an awesome person - this guy - who dumped me in February, moved to Seattle in September - I guess started dating a girl really seriously out West and really fell for her - and even though he tried to contact me a couple of times within the past year (to the extent that in November he called me to tell me he missed me next to him when he woke up, and then again in January when I didn't take his call and he was upset about it) - apparently, he bought a ring and was planning on proposing to this girl - ready to make a commitment, ready to share the rest of his life with this woman, the love of his life - AND THEN SHE DUMPED HIM. Yes, she did. She told him that "he had a dark side that she didn't understand and so, though they could date, she couldn't marry him or have kids with him". I seriously cannot BELIEVE this ridiculousness.
Friday, July 17, 2009
I hosted Book Club (otherwise known as GAB: Girls About Books) last night. I was excited about the menu...which was centered around this month's theme of Guilty Pleasures. Here's how it panned out:
Success:
Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches, Blueberry Goat Cheese Salad, Dill Dip, Mini Mushroom Onion and Bacon Quiche Bites, Sweet Onion Dip, Sangria
Failure:
Mini spinach and cheese quiche bites
I was disappointed by the low attendance - a couple of the girls emailed late in the day or in the evening to say they couldn't make it and two didn't even let me know. It's hard because you don't want to chastise someone for not coming for whatever reason - we all have busy lives - but at the same time, if you make a commitment, you should show up! I love hosting and enjoyed making all of the food and getting the house ready - but it is a lot of work and expense and I feel frustrated when everyone else has had a great turnout and mine was the one people skipped. Also - no one read the book! It was like a sixth grade reading level, it took me all of two hours...why couldn't people make an effort to at least read a summary online? Aggravating, very aggravating. I did appreciate the people who DID come - it was so fun to have them over and get to chat up a bit with them.
So I didn't have my most favorite book club ever. I woke up this morning all sorts of melancholy and couldn't shake it. If there was any possible way I could have gotten away with staying in bed all day long - I would have. My noggin is also bothering me a lot today - sort of that woozy feeling that I haven't had in ages, where my world sways a bit and you try to shake away the cobwebs and instead it just hurts.
Success:
Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches, Blueberry Goat Cheese Salad, Dill Dip, Mini Mushroom Onion and Bacon Quiche Bites, Sweet Onion Dip, Sangria
Failure:
Mini spinach and cheese quiche bites
I was disappointed by the low attendance - a couple of the girls emailed late in the day or in the evening to say they couldn't make it and two didn't even let me know. It's hard because you don't want to chastise someone for not coming for whatever reason - we all have busy lives - but at the same time, if you make a commitment, you should show up! I love hosting and enjoyed making all of the food and getting the house ready - but it is a lot of work and expense and I feel frustrated when everyone else has had a great turnout and mine was the one people skipped. Also - no one read the book! It was like a sixth grade reading level, it took me all of two hours...why couldn't people make an effort to at least read a summary online? Aggravating, very aggravating. I did appreciate the people who DID come - it was so fun to have them over and get to chat up a bit with them.
So I didn't have my most favorite book club ever. I woke up this morning all sorts of melancholy and couldn't shake it. If there was any possible way I could have gotten away with staying in bed all day long - I would have. My noggin is also bothering me a lot today - sort of that woozy feeling that I haven't had in ages, where my world sways a bit and you try to shake away the cobwebs and instead it just hurts.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Darker Than Blue Café review
Neighborhood: Gritty. My brother and sister in law were especially uncomfortable. This is midly entertaining because I am moving there next month.
Décor and Music: Fairly low key - paintings done by an ex-Penn Satte football player who doesn't believe in studying any of the art masters because he doesn't want his own style influenced; easy-listening jazz that may have come from my grandfather's ipod.
Service: Unbelieveably bad. They didn't have enough menus to use through the whole restaurant so they demanded we order immediately even though we were still waiting for two people to arrive. They never refilled out water glasses, told us we couldn't drink the beer we brought even though the website says it is BYOB, didn't check on us throughout the meal and were not gracious about pretty much anything. I believe the hostess was borderline retarded.
Food: DELICIOUS. The cornbread and honeybutter were enough to get me excited about the upcoming food. I believe I ordered the best option - ribs, sauteed spinach with garlic, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, salad. E had the next best: fried chicken and waffles. Oh, yeah. Everyone else's looked good, too...but mine was so good that I am willing to look past the neighborhood and service and gladly show up again. The only bad point was the piece of birthday pie brought out for my cousin Devin that had a whole bunch of mold on it...but it IS a Baltimore summer, so I think sometimes that happens.
Verdict: I'll be back. E and I already have our dining companions picked out - some foodies that will love a local "unknown" soul food spot.
Neighborhood: Gritty. My brother and sister in law were especially uncomfortable. This is midly entertaining because I am moving there next month.
Décor and Music: Fairly low key - paintings done by an ex-Penn Satte football player who doesn't believe in studying any of the art masters because he doesn't want his own style influenced; easy-listening jazz that may have come from my grandfather's ipod.
Service: Unbelieveably bad. They didn't have enough menus to use through the whole restaurant so they demanded we order immediately even though we were still waiting for two people to arrive. They never refilled out water glasses, told us we couldn't drink the beer we brought even though the website says it is BYOB, didn't check on us throughout the meal and were not gracious about pretty much anything. I believe the hostess was borderline retarded.
Food: DELICIOUS. The cornbread and honeybutter were enough to get me excited about the upcoming food. I believe I ordered the best option - ribs, sauteed spinach with garlic, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, salad. E had the next best: fried chicken and waffles. Oh, yeah. Everyone else's looked good, too...but mine was so good that I am willing to look past the neighborhood and service and gladly show up again. The only bad point was the piece of birthday pie brought out for my cousin Devin that had a whole bunch of mold on it...but it IS a Baltimore summer, so I think sometimes that happens.
Verdict: I'll be back. E and I already have our dining companions picked out - some foodies that will love a local "unknown" soul food spot.
Monday, July 13, 2009
So here is what I submitted to match.com about how E and I met and feel for each other...I'm hoping this scores us a spot on the next advertising round:
Match.com's intense marketing campaign finally overrode the social stigma I had long associated with online dating. And I'm glad that it did...because it meant that on my third match date I met E. We talked nonstop for the entire two hours and then again on the second date, and again on the third...but even as I knew I liked him, I wasn't quite sure whether this was going to turn into anything romantic, so I continued going on other match dates and E kept fielding emails from women who wanted to be brought to this country and married. It wasn't until our fourth date, a gray day where I wasn't even in the mood to see anyone and I didn't think I believed in true love anymore because one of my girlfriends was going through a divorce, and I was cranky and petulant and not at all sparkly that I started falling for him. I called E and he told me to come over to his house where he set me up on the kitchen counter with a glass of wine and proceeded to cook me dinner, all the while being completely nonplussed by my diatribe on why relationships don't work. He gave me tastes of the spaghetti sauce he was stirring, making excuses to lean past me to get various spices and I felt my mood going from 'is it even possible to have a successful long term relationship these days' to 'I'm not sure I can live without this man in my life'. And that was it...I was smitten, and unable to go without some type of E-contact everyday from that point on.
We have begun working our way through the relationship milestones: me being introduced to his dog; an evening of karaoke; drinks with each set of friends; our first sleepover; realizing neither of us would be taking advantage of the Match.com Guarantee; dinner with colleagues; meeting my parents; our first trip away together; saying the ILY's; inviting each other to weddings that are months and months away; giving house keys (well, I haven't given him one yet, but it's only because I'm moving next month); letting him drive my car - and in the case of each one, as I get nervous about what come next - what will happen during our first fight or whether his parents are going to like me; I know that it will all be fine, because I know that every time I get to see E, my day gets better.
So, next week is Meet-His-Parents. I'm probably going to make cookies.
Match.com's intense marketing campaign finally overrode the social stigma I had long associated with online dating. And I'm glad that it did...because it meant that on my third match date I met E. We talked nonstop for the entire two hours and then again on the second date, and again on the third...but even as I knew I liked him, I wasn't quite sure whether this was going to turn into anything romantic, so I continued going on other match dates and E kept fielding emails from women who wanted to be brought to this country and married. It wasn't until our fourth date, a gray day where I wasn't even in the mood to see anyone and I didn't think I believed in true love anymore because one of my girlfriends was going through a divorce, and I was cranky and petulant and not at all sparkly that I started falling for him. I called E and he told me to come over to his house where he set me up on the kitchen counter with a glass of wine and proceeded to cook me dinner, all the while being completely nonplussed by my diatribe on why relationships don't work. He gave me tastes of the spaghetti sauce he was stirring, making excuses to lean past me to get various spices and I felt my mood going from 'is it even possible to have a successful long term relationship these days' to 'I'm not sure I can live without this man in my life'. And that was it...I was smitten, and unable to go without some type of E-contact everyday from that point on.
We have begun working our way through the relationship milestones: me being introduced to his dog; an evening of karaoke; drinks with each set of friends; our first sleepover; realizing neither of us would be taking advantage of the Match.com Guarantee; dinner with colleagues; meeting my parents; our first trip away together; saying the ILY's; inviting each other to weddings that are months and months away; giving house keys (well, I haven't given him one yet, but it's only because I'm moving next month); letting him drive my car - and in the case of each one, as I get nervous about what come next - what will happen during our first fight or whether his parents are going to like me; I know that it will all be fine, because I know that every time I get to see E, my day gets better.
So, next week is Meet-His-Parents. I'm probably going to make cookies.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Okay, the question is: when I meet E's parents, do I give them something? The meeting is unusual in that they are the visitors. His parents and younger brother are traveling to Baltimore to see E, and then continuing along on their vacation. We'll be going to dinner - I'm going with them probably just once, although maybe invited twice - not sure yet of the plans. If I was going to meet them at their house in Indiana, it's a no-brainer...wine and a baked good...but them coming here? Ve-ry tricky. Maybe I bake cookies that I can send along on their trip? I believe they are driving, rather than flying. That's probably the safest option...I know his mom is not big on fatty foods, but I bet the males will be. I'm thinking a tin of shortbread cookies. What shape? It's too crumbly for stars, hearts are too assumptive, I may have to go with the boring circles...they will probably hold up the best, although certainly not the prettiest.
The other option would be to bring over muffins at some point in the morning. I will ask E how his parents feel about breakfast.
The other option would be to bring over muffins at some point in the morning. I will ask E how his parents feel about breakfast.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
I received flowers today from a client whose deal closed last week - which was very sweet. However, the best part was the card... because it says:
" I Guess You Are So Appreciated!"
I'm assuming the flower place took the order over the phone and when asked what the card should say, the client said "...I guess...'you are so appreciated'" and the flower place just wrote it all down. Hilarious!
One of my other favorite flowers-delivered-stories is when I received a dozen roses from Jason. Jason and I had been on a few dates but I wasn't sure I was feeling anything long term with him. I was surprised when I got the flowers, and immediately called him to say thanks. He was sweet on the phone, not at all with the usual "I'm-so-proud-of-myself-for-having-sent-you-flowers" voice. We chatted for a bit, and I think we made plans to go out that weekend. Two days later I get a call from another Jason in my phone...he wants to know if I ever received the flowers! Turns out I called the WRONG Jason to say thank you. I immediately called the First Jason up to ask him why he'd just gone along with it, and not told me I had the wrong Jason, and he (very practically) said - 'Why not take credit? I got a date out of it, didn't I?'. I later called Second Jason back to actually say thanks, and set up a date with HIM for the next weekend.
" I Guess You Are So Appreciated!"
I'm assuming the flower place took the order over the phone and when asked what the card should say, the client said "...I guess...'you are so appreciated'" and the flower place just wrote it all down. Hilarious!
One of my other favorite flowers-delivered-stories is when I received a dozen roses from Jason. Jason and I had been on a few dates but I wasn't sure I was feeling anything long term with him. I was surprised when I got the flowers, and immediately called him to say thanks. He was sweet on the phone, not at all with the usual "I'm-so-proud-of-myself-for-having-sent-you-flowers" voice. We chatted for a bit, and I think we made plans to go out that weekend. Two days later I get a call from another Jason in my phone...he wants to know if I ever received the flowers! Turns out I called the WRONG Jason to say thank you. I immediately called the First Jason up to ask him why he'd just gone along with it, and not told me I had the wrong Jason, and he (very practically) said - 'Why not take credit? I got a date out of it, didn't I?'. I later called Second Jason back to actually say thanks, and set up a date with HIM for the next weekend.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Update on the Neighbor: He's currently not in jail.
I saw him this morning when I went over at 7:30 to walk Abby. E was still working from early Sunday morning, so he'd asked me to stop in and say hello to her and make sure she's doing okay. (The dog walkers had taken care of Sunday.) Abs was fine, and I was just getting into my car as Joel walked out of his house with another guy. Joel was all spruced up - suit on, hair slicked back, all sorts of dapper. I gave a wave, but not much of a smile, and went along my merry way. E thinks maybe he doesn't remember...but I feel certain you have to remember SOMETHING...like, 'where did I get the bag to put all these bloody clothes ln??'.
I saw him this morning when I went over at 7:30 to walk Abby. E was still working from early Sunday morning, so he'd asked me to stop in and say hello to her and make sure she's doing okay. (The dog walkers had taken care of Sunday.) Abs was fine, and I was just getting into my car as Joel walked out of his house with another guy. Joel was all spruced up - suit on, hair slicked back, all sorts of dapper. I gave a wave, but not much of a smile, and went along my merry way. E thinks maybe he doesn't remember...but I feel certain you have to remember SOMETHING...like, 'where did I get the bag to put all these bloody clothes ln??'.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
I am super excited for my weekend plans.
One of the issues that E and I were dealing with last weekend was the realization that some of my girlfriends have been feeling neglected because I have been spending so much time with him. They are completely right about this...not that I immediately dropped all my girls, but B.E (Before E) I spent most of my free time meeting up with my many girls for drinks, hiking, movies, dinner, primping, dress-up, or general lounging about. A.E. (After E) I have been completely wrapped up in him - getting lost in his eyes, acting schmoopy, generally spending every ounce of available time with him. I don't think this is necessarily bad - especially at the beginning of a relationship when it's so honeymooney - but it IS important to have SOME balance...I mean, if E and I break up tomorrow and I have neglected all my GF's, then I won't have anyone to eat ice cream and watch Lifetime movies with! Plus, I know it hurts their feelings, just like it would mine if the situation was reversed. The reason this is an issue for E is because I was feeling quite upset about it...torn because I actually WANT to spend all of my time with him, but knowing that once I am out and about with the girls that I will enjoy myself. So E is on call all weekend, so he encourgaed me to fill up my weekend with all of my neglected girlfriends...and though I couldn't fit EVERYONE in, I scheduled a fair amount!
Thursday Night: Meeting Kaurie and Alexis (and A's boy, James) to go to the WTMD First Thursdays in Mt. Vernon (http://www.wtmd.org/events_new/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=783)...sure to be no parking, but as long as I remember a blanket and can purchase some type of polish sausage and/or other grilled meat from a street vendor - then I'm going to be happy.
Friday Day: OFF OF WORK, woo-hoo! Makes me so happy to be out of the office...my current group of buyers have been particularly needy and now that I've got Q2 all booked - I can take a bit of a breather before starting on on my Q3 pipeline. So Crystal, Allison and I are going to head up to North Baltimore County/South Harford County and do a little hiking/tubing/picnicking. I am in charge of the inner tubes and sandwiches.
Friday Night: Meeting up with Kari at Miss Irene's for a drink or two. Looks like she's bringing the boy - and if E is around then he'll attend as well...although he can't drink and may have to leave or take phone calls....
Saturday Day: Potentially going to the Beaver Dam Swim Club (http://www.beaverdamswimmingclub.com/index.html) which is a natural quarry-turned-awesome-pretend-beach-spot. Pool, bathrooms, volleyball court, basketball court, diving boards, rope swings, etc...pretty much the best day you can have for $12-16. Important things to remember: bring snacks and water toys (likes noodles and floats) because other people will have them and you'll be super sad when you don't.
Saturday Night: Meeting up with E to watch the fireworks. In the past, he has been invited up onto his neighbors roof deck for the view of the fireworks over the water...but with them currently hating me...that might not happen.
Sunday: Down to Annapolis to meet up ith Mere and Sherri. I'll either spend it watching Mere's softball team (she's the coach) or lounging about tanning and drinking margaritas...clearly my first choice :)
Great weekend, huh?
Update from last Friday:
Okay, remember the time that E's next door neighbor barrelled into the house all bloody and drunk at 7:30 in the morning? And how when I told people about it they all joked that I was now an accessory to murder because I gave him a bag to put his bloody clothes in? Oh, yeah...of course you remember - it was just last Friday. Well, last night as I was looking for a parking spot near E's, I saw three police cars outside the house - and I looked more closely because E's front door was also open and I was worried something might have happened to him - and that's when Joel and I made eye contact. I saw him talking to the police, and by the time I found a parking spot and walked back to E's - Joel had already been taken down to the station for questioning. Like, for reals.
Of course, I have no idea what it is actually about - and whether Joel actually killed somebody...but E said he heard the police say, "Well, we'll get it all sorted out down at the station". And they put him in the backseat (no handcuffs) and took him away at 9:30 at night. And their were detectives there. Not just regular old cops.
What do you think about that? I guess I'll just wait until I get called in for questioning...I don't want to volunteer the details about his bloody clothes because what if this is just about some unpaid parking tickets??
One of the issues that E and I were dealing with last weekend was the realization that some of my girlfriends have been feeling neglected because I have been spending so much time with him. They are completely right about this...not that I immediately dropped all my girls, but B.E (Before E) I spent most of my free time meeting up with my many girls for drinks, hiking, movies, dinner, primping, dress-up, or general lounging about. A.E. (After E) I have been completely wrapped up in him - getting lost in his eyes, acting schmoopy, generally spending every ounce of available time with him. I don't think this is necessarily bad - especially at the beginning of a relationship when it's so honeymooney - but it IS important to have SOME balance...I mean, if E and I break up tomorrow and I have neglected all my GF's, then I won't have anyone to eat ice cream and watch Lifetime movies with! Plus, I know it hurts their feelings, just like it would mine if the situation was reversed. The reason this is an issue for E is because I was feeling quite upset about it...torn because I actually WANT to spend all of my time with him, but knowing that once I am out and about with the girls that I will enjoy myself. So E is on call all weekend, so he encourgaed me to fill up my weekend with all of my neglected girlfriends...and though I couldn't fit EVERYONE in, I scheduled a fair amount!
Thursday Night: Meeting Kaurie and Alexis (and A's boy, James) to go to the WTMD First Thursdays in Mt. Vernon (http://www.wtmd.org/events_new/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=783)...sure to be no parking, but as long as I remember a blanket and can purchase some type of polish sausage and/or other grilled meat from a street vendor - then I'm going to be happy.
Friday Day: OFF OF WORK, woo-hoo! Makes me so happy to be out of the office...my current group of buyers have been particularly needy and now that I've got Q2 all booked - I can take a bit of a breather before starting on on my Q3 pipeline. So Crystal, Allison and I are going to head up to North Baltimore County/South Harford County and do a little hiking/tubing/picnicking. I am in charge of the inner tubes and sandwiches.
Friday Night: Meeting up with Kari at Miss Irene's for a drink or two. Looks like she's bringing the boy - and if E is around then he'll attend as well...although he can't drink and may have to leave or take phone calls....
Saturday Day: Potentially going to the Beaver Dam Swim Club (http://www.beaverdamswimmingclub.com/index.html) which is a natural quarry-turned-awesome-pretend-beach-spot. Pool, bathrooms, volleyball court, basketball court, diving boards, rope swings, etc...pretty much the best day you can have for $12-16. Important things to remember: bring snacks and water toys (likes noodles and floats) because other people will have them and you'll be super sad when you don't.
Saturday Night: Meeting up with E to watch the fireworks. In the past, he has been invited up onto his neighbors roof deck for the view of the fireworks over the water...but with them currently hating me...that might not happen.
Sunday: Down to Annapolis to meet up ith Mere and Sherri. I'll either spend it watching Mere's softball team (she's the coach) or lounging about tanning and drinking margaritas...clearly my first choice :)
Great weekend, huh?
Update from last Friday:
Okay, remember the time that E's next door neighbor barrelled into the house all bloody and drunk at 7:30 in the morning? And how when I told people about it they all joked that I was now an accessory to murder because I gave him a bag to put his bloody clothes in? Oh, yeah...of course you remember - it was just last Friday. Well, last night as I was looking for a parking spot near E's, I saw three police cars outside the house - and I looked more closely because E's front door was also open and I was worried something might have happened to him - and that's when Joel and I made eye contact. I saw him talking to the police, and by the time I found a parking spot and walked back to E's - Joel had already been taken down to the station for questioning. Like, for reals.
Of course, I have no idea what it is actually about - and whether Joel actually killed somebody...but E said he heard the police say, "Well, we'll get it all sorted out down at the station". And they put him in the backseat (no handcuffs) and took him away at 9:30 at night. And their were detectives there. Not just regular old cops.
What do you think about that? I guess I'll just wait until I get called in for questioning...I don't want to volunteer the details about his bloody clothes because what if this is just about some unpaid parking tickets??
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Here are two items that are unfortunate about being in a relationship:
* The full service gas station on the NJ turnpike didn't clean my windshield while they filled my tank up - b/c E was in the car. Maybe I would have had a shot if I'd been driving...but instead, I asked politely...and the man said NO. Normally at gas stations - if I'm alone - then not only do I get asked out (uncomfortable), but I am often able to have my gas pumped for me (awesome) or even have someone help me open my hood (which is AMAZING because mine is really difficult to open). Now, I have to realize that strangers won't even clean my windshield...unless of course, I am sitting at a red light on President Street and then I have to pay the small street urchin whatever change I have laying about.
* At a brunch this past Saturday, my father introduced me to an old business associate of his with a joyful "Have you heard the news??? Georgia has a BOYFRIEND!". Of course, I HAVE HAD boyfriends in the past (often frequently) but my dad considers this guy the only recent candidate - no matter how many I brought home last year.
* The full service gas station on the NJ turnpike didn't clean my windshield while they filled my tank up - b/c E was in the car. Maybe I would have had a shot if I'd been driving...but instead, I asked politely...and the man said NO. Normally at gas stations - if I'm alone - then not only do I get asked out (uncomfortable), but I am often able to have my gas pumped for me (awesome) or even have someone help me open my hood (which is AMAZING because mine is really difficult to open). Now, I have to realize that strangers won't even clean my windshield...unless of course, I am sitting at a red light on President Street and then I have to pay the small street urchin whatever change I have laying about.
* At a brunch this past Saturday, my father introduced me to an old business associate of his with a joyful "Have you heard the news??? Georgia has a BOYFRIEND!". Of course, I HAVE HAD boyfriends in the past (often frequently) but my dad considers this guy the only recent candidate - no matter how many I brought home last year.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
New Zealand
My brother and his wife are expecting their first baby (first grandchild on this side!) end of September/beginning of October. My brother is so sweet - but you would never guess that from the number of guns and guard dogs and pepperspray and defense/assault moves he knows/has. In thinking about my brother and what type of father he'll be (uh, protective...duh), I started thinking about an afternoon in my life when CYP wasn't even around - but he still managed to be sitting directly next to me, making me cry with laughter.
I went to Australia for six months for an exchange program in college. After finishing the school year I still had a month of time to travel about - I chose New Zealand and Japan. New Zealand was amazing and gorgeous, but I wasn't ever taken in by its charms for I was really sick from traveling for so long, and was sort of homesick for my friends in Australia, and my family in the States, and was all by myself...I hadn't made many plans prior to arriving in NZ - thinking my incredibly general plan of locating a place to sleep and way to get around would be easy to maneuver - to be fair, I was planning on spending most of the week in the backcountry, tramping about in the Tongariro National Park. I spent the entire plane ride puking, the entire time in the customs line trying to pretend I wasn't sick so I wouldn't get quarantined, and then did in fact manage to store some of my gear in an airport locker, locate a hostel to stay in for the night, and eventually find transportation to the National Park to begin my trek.
It's a long week - I'm so sick I can barely hike, stumbling and falling, and generally disturbing anyone who passed by me (all in all, about 8 people for the week), I got snowed in on top of a (non-active) volcano, and ate all of my food almost immediately (starve a fever, maybe?), leaving just a can of spaghetti and a box of cookies to sustain me for the rest of the week. At the end of my allotted time on the mountain, I managed to get myself down the trail again and to a little lodge where I tried to not offend anyone with my unshowered body and hungry eyes (not the Patrick Swayze kind, either) and then, after that, I found a bus that would take me back to Auckland.
I have to laugh when I think about the impression I must have made on the Kiwi's because of this bus ride I took. Although I was freshly showered and wearing clean-ish clothing, no one ended up sitting next to me for the entire ride. Why, you ask? An attractive young American who looks friendly enough who couldn't find a seatmate?
Well, because an ABBA song was playing when I loaded myself onto the bus. I smiled, thinking about the painful expression that my brother would have had on his face if he were forced to listen to this. Then, the next song was also an ABBA hit...and the next...and it turned out it was an ABBA CD and that REALLY made me start giggling to myself thinking about him and the agony this would be causing him...and then, once the number of ABBA songs continued to rise, I realized it was the ABBA BOX SET...and I can't stop laughing - so the bus has been stopping and picking up more and more people, and it's filling up. getting really crowded, but no one wants to sit next to me - as I'm giggling hsyerically - snorting and coughing and wheezing, all because I can see my brother's features twist in pain as he listens to all of the greatest ABBA hits - and I wish I could tell these very sweet and completely terrified passengers that I'm not insane, I just hadn't seen my family in months and months and was thinking about my brother and wishing he were traveling with me.
I went to Australia for six months for an exchange program in college. After finishing the school year I still had a month of time to travel about - I chose New Zealand and Japan. New Zealand was amazing and gorgeous, but I wasn't ever taken in by its charms for I was really sick from traveling for so long, and was sort of homesick for my friends in Australia, and my family in the States, and was all by myself...I hadn't made many plans prior to arriving in NZ - thinking my incredibly general plan of locating a place to sleep and way to get around would be easy to maneuver - to be fair, I was planning on spending most of the week in the backcountry, tramping about in the Tongariro National Park. I spent the entire plane ride puking, the entire time in the customs line trying to pretend I wasn't sick so I wouldn't get quarantined, and then did in fact manage to store some of my gear in an airport locker, locate a hostel to stay in for the night, and eventually find transportation to the National Park to begin my trek.
It's a long week - I'm so sick I can barely hike, stumbling and falling, and generally disturbing anyone who passed by me (all in all, about 8 people for the week), I got snowed in on top of a (non-active) volcano, and ate all of my food almost immediately (starve a fever, maybe?), leaving just a can of spaghetti and a box of cookies to sustain me for the rest of the week. At the end of my allotted time on the mountain, I managed to get myself down the trail again and to a little lodge where I tried to not offend anyone with my unshowered body and hungry eyes (not the Patrick Swayze kind, either) and then, after that, I found a bus that would take me back to Auckland.
I have to laugh when I think about the impression I must have made on the Kiwi's because of this bus ride I took. Although I was freshly showered and wearing clean-ish clothing, no one ended up sitting next to me for the entire ride. Why, you ask? An attractive young American who looks friendly enough who couldn't find a seatmate?
Well, because an ABBA song was playing when I loaded myself onto the bus. I smiled, thinking about the painful expression that my brother would have had on his face if he were forced to listen to this. Then, the next song was also an ABBA hit...and the next...and it turned out it was an ABBA CD and that REALLY made me start giggling to myself thinking about him and the agony this would be causing him...and then, once the number of ABBA songs continued to rise, I realized it was the ABBA BOX SET...and I can't stop laughing - so the bus has been stopping and picking up more and more people, and it's filling up. getting really crowded, but no one wants to sit next to me - as I'm giggling hsyerically - snorting and coughing and wheezing, all because I can see my brother's features twist in pain as he listens to all of the greatest ABBA hits - and I wish I could tell these very sweet and completely terrified passengers that I'm not insane, I just hadn't seen my family in months and months and was thinking about my brother and wishing he were traveling with me.
Monday, June 29, 2009
I had an interesting weekend - mostly because it was the first non-perfect one that E and I had together. Don't get me wrong, it was still amazing...but Saturday was tinged with expectation, apprehension and self-doubt.
Friday night was a perfect date night even though we were both exhausted. We walked over to his favorite mexican restaurant, Arcos, which I highly recommend. The outdoor seating was especially fabulous - stone walls with crosses and candles, wooden and woven furniture, with a band of four men to serenade you.
Arcos
http://www.arcosrestaurante.com/
129 S Broadway
After dinner and a couple of margaritas, we walked down to Mr. Yogato (http://www.baltimorestyle.com/index.php/style/sarah_gilbert_fox/mr._yogato_has_touched_down_in_baltimore/) for some very yogurt-tasting frozen yogurt (exponetially better now that we've changed to fruit toppings instead of sweet toppings) and got very serious about our games of Connect Four and Battleship. I am proud to say I beat E in BOTH games. Technically Connect Four ended up 4-3, bu I still won.
Saturday was the day that was sort of weird-feeling-in-my-stomach-sort-of-disconnected-in-my-head. I still adored E, but I was feeling very outside of my body type of emotion: nervous about going to this cardiac dinner where his exgirfriend would not be (she lost in their game of post-relationship chicken) but all of her friends and their coworkers would. I didn't love my outfit, I was very PMS-y, I didn't feel like smiling generally at everyone, I had a canker sore directly inside of my mouth that I was certain everyone was looking at (I swear, this is the type of sore that you get when you are really stressed - not the contagious kind...I've had them since I was really little and I never know if people will get grossed out and think I'm dirty or say, 'man I hate canker sores, they're so painful' and know that it's not a STD), and then I also had a ginormous zit on my chin that was so large it couldn't even be covered by any type of shellac and I knew when we were at the dinner, that people would be specifially looking at me and judging and measuring me up against his exgF - who I hear wasn't the nicest person, but she still intimidates the hell out of me. Add to this the boring-ness of the speeches at the dinner, the too-warm room, the fact that I had to stand because there weren't enough chairs (SO GLAD I went with sandals rather than heels) and I was altogether miserable.
The dinner itself wasn't too bad - it was held at the Living Classroom Foundation, which was neat because it's next to my office so I've walked past it dozens of times and wondered what it was like on the inside. As the sun started setting, the breeze picked up and the weather was much more pleasant. The food wasn't bad, the savingion blanc was pretty good, and the few people that I neded up interacting with were nice enough. It was a weird feeling though - dealing with these spouses that are all women who know each other through their husbands' work...how they were all slightly Stepford in their desire to fit in and be the best wife possible...this made me feel strange in a couple of ways: 1) why does having the man be the breadwinner bother me? My mom is a housewife, and she was happy to raise the kids and support my dad and make a wonderful home for all of us - not even taking into account all of her volunteer work and other obligations. Maybe it's because these women seem to get their self-worth from their man - as opposed to having their own expectations and visons. Myabe also because the women who DID have 'careers' some even in the medical field - and some as doctors, themselves - seemed relegated to the 'spouse' role regardless of their own accomplishments. And 2) I was trying very hard to fit in and not be the one calling attention to myself - even as I wore completely the wrong outfit and danced to Blues Traveler over the crab dip and discussed my pimple in the bathroom and spilled E's wine on him (luckily he was drinking a very flamboyant pink zin blush)...and the fact that I HAD been trying so hard to fit in, and of course, failed miserably...but it made me realize that I would have to have a very strong sense of self if I were to be in E's life.
We finished the night at Miss Irene's (http://www.missirenes.com/) in Fells - one of my new faves...and I was still feeling a little bijiggety and E still wasn't holding my hand or nuzzling me (we'd had to put a No Schmoopy Zone ruling on the evening because it was a work function) but now that we were out only with Geoff and Erin, I thought maybe he's go back to his normal affectionate self...but instead, the lockdown continued...making me feel unbearably lonely.
Sunday woke me with a smiliar melancholy feeling, but was righted with a long leisurely lunch at Panera - sitting outside and reading books together. We bought his dog, Abs, a new collar (leopard print, he let me pick...) and I went back to my place to cook him his first Georgia-Cooked-Dinner...because sometimes I get the feeling that he is SO wonderful that maybe I feel my wonderfulness mildly diminished...so I decide to remedy this particular sitaution with a roast chicken, baked onions, broiled sweet potatoes, sauteed fresh spinach and garlic, rice, corn on the cob and rotkohl. I worry if he'll like my style of cooking, so when he goes back fro seconds I am relieved!
All in all, a fab Friday and Sunday sandwiching a somewhat distressing Saturday.
Friday night was a perfect date night even though we were both exhausted. We walked over to his favorite mexican restaurant, Arcos, which I highly recommend. The outdoor seating was especially fabulous - stone walls with crosses and candles, wooden and woven furniture, with a band of four men to serenade you.
Arcos
http://www.arcosrestaurante.com/
129 S Broadway
After dinner and a couple of margaritas, we walked down to Mr. Yogato (http://www.baltimorestyle.com/index.php/style/sarah_gilbert_fox/mr._yogato_has_touched_down_in_baltimore/) for some very yogurt-tasting frozen yogurt (exponetially better now that we've changed to fruit toppings instead of sweet toppings) and got very serious about our games of Connect Four and Battleship. I am proud to say I beat E in BOTH games. Technically Connect Four ended up 4-3, bu I still won.
Saturday was the day that was sort of weird-feeling-in-my-stomach-sort-of-disconnected-in-my-head. I still adored E, but I was feeling very outside of my body type of emotion: nervous about going to this cardiac dinner where his exgirfriend would not be (she lost in their game of post-relationship chicken) but all of her friends and their coworkers would. I didn't love my outfit, I was very PMS-y, I didn't feel like smiling generally at everyone, I had a canker sore directly inside of my mouth that I was certain everyone was looking at (I swear, this is the type of sore that you get when you are really stressed - not the contagious kind...I've had them since I was really little and I never know if people will get grossed out and think I'm dirty or say, 'man I hate canker sores, they're so painful' and know that it's not a STD), and then I also had a ginormous zit on my chin that was so large it couldn't even be covered by any type of shellac and I knew when we were at the dinner, that people would be specifially looking at me and judging and measuring me up against his exgF - who I hear wasn't the nicest person, but she still intimidates the hell out of me. Add to this the boring-ness of the speeches at the dinner, the too-warm room, the fact that I had to stand because there weren't enough chairs (SO GLAD I went with sandals rather than heels) and I was altogether miserable.
The dinner itself wasn't too bad - it was held at the Living Classroom Foundation, which was neat because it's next to my office so I've walked past it dozens of times and wondered what it was like on the inside. As the sun started setting, the breeze picked up and the weather was much more pleasant. The food wasn't bad, the savingion blanc was pretty good, and the few people that I neded up interacting with were nice enough. It was a weird feeling though - dealing with these spouses that are all women who know each other through their husbands' work...how they were all slightly Stepford in their desire to fit in and be the best wife possible...this made me feel strange in a couple of ways: 1) why does having the man be the breadwinner bother me? My mom is a housewife, and she was happy to raise the kids and support my dad and make a wonderful home for all of us - not even taking into account all of her volunteer work and other obligations. Maybe it's because these women seem to get their self-worth from their man - as opposed to having their own expectations and visons. Myabe also because the women who DID have 'careers' some even in the medical field - and some as doctors, themselves - seemed relegated to the 'spouse' role regardless of their own accomplishments. And 2) I was trying very hard to fit in and not be the one calling attention to myself - even as I wore completely the wrong outfit and danced to Blues Traveler over the crab dip and discussed my pimple in the bathroom and spilled E's wine on him (luckily he was drinking a very flamboyant pink zin blush)...and the fact that I HAD been trying so hard to fit in, and of course, failed miserably...but it made me realize that I would have to have a very strong sense of self if I were to be in E's life.
We finished the night at Miss Irene's (http://www.missirenes.com/) in Fells - one of my new faves...and I was still feeling a little bijiggety and E still wasn't holding my hand or nuzzling me (we'd had to put a No Schmoopy Zone ruling on the evening because it was a work function) but now that we were out only with Geoff and Erin, I thought maybe he's go back to his normal affectionate self...but instead, the lockdown continued...making me feel unbearably lonely.
Sunday woke me with a smiliar melancholy feeling, but was righted with a long leisurely lunch at Panera - sitting outside and reading books together. We bought his dog, Abs, a new collar (leopard print, he let me pick...) and I went back to my place to cook him his first Georgia-Cooked-Dinner...because sometimes I get the feeling that he is SO wonderful that maybe I feel my wonderfulness mildly diminished...so I decide to remedy this particular sitaution with a roast chicken, baked onions, broiled sweet potatoes, sauteed fresh spinach and garlic, rice, corn on the cob and rotkohl. I worry if he'll like my style of cooking, so when he goes back fro seconds I am relieved!
All in all, a fab Friday and Sunday sandwiching a somewhat distressing Saturday.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Scaaaaaary Next Door Neighbor
I had the most bizarre situation this morning...so I went to Es house last night after Book Club to stay over and there wasn't any power on his block, so it was pretty warm but still lovely to see him. He got up around 5 and left for work. I got up at 7, showered in the dark and took all my stuff downstairs, figuring I would put on my make-up in the living room because there was more light. I am just getting myself situated when there is a banging on the front door. I think maybe the dog walker is here early, so I open the door and this man stumbles past me - he's covered in blood and yelling for E. I don't recognize this guy, but he is acting like he knows me, asking to use my phone and to take a look at his bloodied and swollen face. As I pass over my pink razor (thinking it would be easier to clean than my blackberry) I realize this is Es next door neighbor whom I met in the dark last night when I was walking up to the house last night.
Although the situation is freaking me out, I decide that I can handle it and try to get things under control. I get him a bag of melting ice (still no power, remember) and wait for him to finish his phone call. That's when things start getting stranger: he leaves the house while I'm getting the ice, comes back with a heap of bloody clothing which he asks for a bag to put them into, then places them on the coffee table while he leaves again to come back with his address book. He's making numerous calls but no one is picking up, and he's not leaving any messages. He's swaying back and forth and alternately getting up and bolting from one room to another and then plopping down on the sofa - closer and closer to me. I grab the dog and hold on to her. He tries to walk out the back door, but I'd had E lock it from the inside and then put the key away so that no one could break in - and now there's this crazy man INSIDE the house, trying to get out. So he comes back over to me and starts saying all this stuff - about how the EMT's just left him and told him to walk home, how the police took his wallet and phone and then laughed at him when he requested it back, how he's not so hard looking on the eyes normally, how he heard that I'm the hottest girl at Sylvan, how happy he is that I'm having s*x (spam filter) with E and that I hung around this morning so he could use my phone, how he hates lying and I think he's talking about lying both to his work and his wife - and I am just getting really, REALLY uncomfortable and I don't know how to end this, so I just say I'm getting late for work and after about another 5 minutes, he leaves. I make sure the door is locked so he can't get back in and then I head out to work.
This really shook me up, even though nothing happened and I'm sure this guy (whatever his name is) thinks nothing of the entire interaction. How weird, right? And all at seven in the morning.
Although the situation is freaking me out, I decide that I can handle it and try to get things under control. I get him a bag of melting ice (still no power, remember) and wait for him to finish his phone call. That's when things start getting stranger: he leaves the house while I'm getting the ice, comes back with a heap of bloody clothing which he asks for a bag to put them into, then places them on the coffee table while he leaves again to come back with his address book. He's making numerous calls but no one is picking up, and he's not leaving any messages. He's swaying back and forth and alternately getting up and bolting from one room to another and then plopping down on the sofa - closer and closer to me. I grab the dog and hold on to her. He tries to walk out the back door, but I'd had E lock it from the inside and then put the key away so that no one could break in - and now there's this crazy man INSIDE the house, trying to get out. So he comes back over to me and starts saying all this stuff - about how the EMT's just left him and told him to walk home, how the police took his wallet and phone and then laughed at him when he requested it back, how he's not so hard looking on the eyes normally, how he heard that I'm the hottest girl at Sylvan, how happy he is that I'm having s*x (spam filter) with E and that I hung around this morning so he could use my phone, how he hates lying and I think he's talking about lying both to his work and his wife - and I am just getting really, REALLY uncomfortable and I don't know how to end this, so I just say I'm getting late for work and after about another 5 minutes, he leaves. I make sure the door is locked so he can't get back in and then I head out to work.
This really shook me up, even though nothing happened and I'm sure this guy (whatever his name is) thinks nothing of the entire interaction. How weird, right? And all at seven in the morning.
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