Valentines day

Well I'm glad I spent the last week of my life smitten with a girl that will no longer give me the time of day after I slept with her...

Sigh maybe I'm getting better at rejection but I just dont care that much.

On a side note I did spend a good hour on the phone with a new girl who seems rather adorable.

Hope spring eternal.

Lush

You are 29 years old and it is completely unacceptable that you are stumbling into your house at 1:50am on a Monday night.

However finding your personal perfect neighborhood bar...is quite frankly oh so so worth it!

Operation Friends

Okay since the breakup with the teacher it has become mind-numbing apparent that relying on a girlfriend for all my within-city limits social calendar events was not the best idea.

Have no fear I have a plan (I always have a plan). Basically the theory is to put aside my hatred of meeting new people and force myself to an extrovert. I've been talking to strangers about anything I can think of. I don't think I've scared anyone and practice makes perfect.

Last week turned up a (lesbian) friend dinner-date, followed by a Saturday Jim Henson exhibit trip turned dinner, turned bar fly chatting with her and other bar-goers, turned tv sleepover. Sleepover in the innocent sense...not the wink wink sleepover sense.

Next week I have a tentative new friend dates on Monday and Tuesday and a co-worker dinner/drinks birthday party (with many potential new friends attending). The moral of the story life moves on and life is good.

In Lust

I responded to a craigslist ad. I know right. I've always found it disturbing that I could buy an escort and a vintage 1977 star wars action figure on the same site.

Still though her ad wasn't skanky so I responded and gave it a go...enter the English teacher

The first date was on Friday and from the moment I met her we hit it off. Conversation was easy, we laughed we bantered we mocked others, we went back to her place for a glass of wine and making fun of people house hunting on television. She even held my parking spot for me while I went to put air in my tires.

I'm completely smitten its ridiculous. I really had no expectations and quite frankly I figured it was going to be more of a "friend" thing.

She came over after her party last night and we watched more funny TV, talked about stupid stuff and even some important stuff.

...we had breakfast this morning

Plans for date three on Thursday.

Braver than usual

After work yesterday I got my hair cut and went out for happy hour drinks with all of the 3 people I know in Chicago.

No one else really wanted to go out and with 3 beers already in my system I decided that tonight was the night I was going to go to a bar alone. I went home, fed the dogs refreshed my makeup and was out the door in about 15minutes before I had time to change my mind.

My first stop was roscos mainly because I was cold and I had physically been there before. I ordered a drink, had a seat at the bar and realized I was the only girl there. Then some snotty gay guy came up, tapped me an sneered appearance I had taken his seat. I downed my drink and left...this was not going well.

Bar 2: Sidetracks
I liked it better, trendy nice glasses friendly bar tender that chatted with me for a bit. I was still sitting alone futzing with my phone and waiting to get drunk enough to talk to strangers. I heard my name. I look over and there is one of my employees sitting around drinking with his friends. I stop over trying to save some face and left yet again as soon as my drink was finished. I went out for a cigarette trying to plan my next move when my luck turned.

I butted into a conversation of fellow smokers. All of them were recent transplants as well and they invited me to hang out for the night. We had so much fun. I chatted I drank I flirted.

Bar 3: Spin
Drunk, I remember drag queens and shamelessly hitting on the bar tender. I remember stumbling to the bathroom, talking to basically anyone I ran into. Dancing, singing some lady gaga and falling into a cab at 3am to get home.

Today:
So hung over. So worth it.

In other news I have a date tomorrow with a guy who sounds rediculous but its not like I have anything better to do anyways.

I also think I will have a date/possibly friend date later this week with a gal from the interwebs. She sounds fun and adorable so much more hope for that situation.

So yes life is good.

The 10yr Reunion

All in all I'm glad I went to tool city a.k.a "The Alumni Club" for my HS reunion. The first hour was rather excruciating but the open bar and a keenness too Vodka-Cranberries aided in my ability to get over my flashback of super-shy-uber-nerd. Sure I spent the vast majority of the night hanging with my regular clan but I found a couple new-old friends that will surely come in handy whenever I get my little slice of the Chicago pie.

Today I went and did my pre-employment screening. All things are go except for my mysteriously MIA transcripts I ordered two weeks ago. Two schools will be receiving angry phone calls tomorrow. Unfortunately today was also picture day. Had I known this I would have done my hair and perhaps put more care into operation zit-coverage.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. I actually got the chance to relax a little and enjoy the city. Kinda got the warm fuzzies as I thought...yes this is actually happening. This is what I want to do with my life, and I'm doing it. I've taking my years of wishing, dreaming, preparing and finally here it is. The whole thing is rather euphoric.

Now I just have to ditch this house. I've always been so attached to the place I live and leaving has always been bittersweet for me but quite frankly when I look back on my time in Rochester all I can recall is a really bad life stage. A broken engagement, a horrible depression, a pathetic lack of friends within my zip code. Its not like the years were all bad but all the happy memories I remember were in lacrosse, Appleton, Chicago or even Lincoln freakin Nebraska.

I feel like I've been trapped here for so long, and no matter financially what I loose I can recover. Whatever it is its work my sanity in the end. 12 days until the move!

Should be Sleeping

Moving countdown:  16 days!

My parents and Alice came up last weekend and we got lots of stuff done.  Pretty much everything is packed priced or thrown away.  With the exception of my clothes, a few dishes and toiletries.  I'm taking this weekend off to visit Chicago for my 10yr highschool reunion and my physical & pre-employment pee in a cup test.  I plan on passing with flying colors since I am boring and shockingly heathy for a fat girl.

The reunion might prove to be a bit more difficult.  I didn't really consider I would have to wear something and it seems like the type of event one should have a planned outfit for.  I'm thinking a big ratty turtlneck sweater and paint stained sweatpants.  Might go with story of the bff date and moving back in with my parents.  Also in today reunion panic I realized that I don't really remember many people from highschool.  I imagine it going like this...

Stranger:  Ann how are you?

Me:  Spoken in a painfully enthusiastic obviously overcompensating manner  How are you?!?!  Its been so long!  What are you up to?  (thinking I have no idea who this person is)

Stranger:  Oh you know...I'm the CEO of xyz this is my supermodel wife, here look at this picture of our twins they are staring in the next pampers commercial.

Me:  Oh they are so adorable.  (I hate kid pictures, I never know what to say...they are babies they all look the same to me and all I want to say is yeah I would have kids but I'm not willing to give up sleep for a tax deduction).

Stranger:  So what are you up to?

Me:  Well I work in MN, but I just got a new job in Chicago so I'm going to be relocating in a couple weeks.

Stranger:  (Insert any quote from Fargo here)

Me:  Fake Laugh

Stranger:  So have you found a place?

Me:  Ummm, no I can't afford to sell my house so I'm going to move in with my parents.

Stranger:  Oh  (Awkward pause, looks down, embarrassed for both of us)  So humm....Did you come with anyone?

Me:  Yeah my friend Alice came with me, I always drag her along anytime I need a date.

Stranger:  Oh I didn't know you were a lesbian.  Kinda explains why you were so quiet & weird in highschool.

Me:  Yeah no, shes just a friend.  I'm just so socially awkward that I only have the one.  Anyways nice catching up but if I have to continue this conversation or have a painfully similar one with anyone else tonight I better hit the bar so I don't end up slitting my wrists in the bathroom.  Good seeing you though!

Operation A little less fat update:

Moving is horrible for ones diet and exercise regimen.  In two weeks I've managed to gain back 3 lbs and quite frankly I'm surprised its not more since I've been feasting on every local specialty known to man.  Not to mention I'm trying to eat everything in my house (most of it is not good for me).  My lips have been descending on more fried foods than veggies lately.  But whatever.

Weekend Wonders

So how come the moment you are moving your previously empty social calendar turns overbooked just when you have absolutely no time to do anything?

On Friday I went out for dinner and drinks so a little Mexican restaurant popular in my current stomping grounds then after wards we went to a friends house for more drinks where we played catch phrase into the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday I did a very miniscule amount of packing, made a bunch of phone calls and had way too many drinks while sitting around a fire eating steak and smores. It was cold and I was up until about 5:30am today I felt like I've been run over a truck carring a flu virus. My sinuses are conjested and I'm a bit afraid my swollen sore throat will close off at any moment.

Today I'm doing laundry, going to church and hopefully packing a couple boxes. I have to find out where to pocure more because lack of recepticles is proving to hinder my progress. Now I must get dressed (urgh) snort some nasal spray and try to look half way presentable.