I've Got This One!

So I've had a number of first, sometimes second dates lately. The issue of who is going to pay the bill is always awkward, but on a first date it's even worse! My solution is to sit there and ignore the bill - pretend like it was never put down, just keep talking and being my sweet, charming self. I always make sure to thank them for the dinner...but I'm the one being courted here! Having me pull out my wallet is not the way to woo me!
According to one party, I should always at least offer. I should say "I've got this one" and give them the opportunity to say "No, I'll get it." I feel like by using a statement they don't have an opportunity to say no. I should use a question. "Do you want me to get this?" But H said no. I need to offer, not ask. Perhaps this is a Midwest thing?
Another party said that I shouldn't even offer to pay - she's the one saying they were trying to woo me! Allow myself to be woo-ed. She said that I shouldn't acknowledge the bill because I shouldn't be expected to pay.
I tend to agree with the second (perhaps smarter??) party. Plus, if I'm trying to check my options out and date numerous guys...I can't afford to get stuck with all those bills!
I'm totally for splitting costs of a relationship - once it is a relationship. Right now, I'm still testing the waters! What should I do? Offer to pay? Keep on keeping on? I don't want to come off as a spoiled brat (no comments here, please) but I also don't want to go broke trying to date! Also, if I should offer to pay (and expect them to say no), how do I do it in a way to not encourage them to say ok? Help!!

Life Ain't Always What You Think It Oughta Be

The Girl Who Played With Fire

I've been reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy books by Stieg Larsson. First of all, I'm addicted. Secondly, I can't read fast enough! Thirdly...he can't really be dead! I need more!
I'm on the second book now and am totally perplexed. I have no doubt that Salander is innocent - there's no way she could have killed those 2 people. Her guardian? Yes, perhaps..but he was a douche that should have been killed. Plus, if she killed the other 2 her coffee cup wouldn't have been broken. She's disappeared from the book and it's telling the story from every perspective but hers! I have to know! The problem is that I can't rush through reading the end of this book because I'm borrowing them from my neighbor and she's not quite done with the third book.
If anyone is looking for a good book, check these out! They are a little graphic and the first one was a little slow to start but after you get thru the first 1/3 of the book - wow! You can't put it down. I clocked out of work earlier today just so I could read a little bit more.
I heard the movies (Swedish versions) are good though not as good as the books. That's always the case though, isn't it? Ok, I've stalled enough - I've got to get back to reading!

Left-Right, Left-Right-Left

I'm off to boot camp. Well...not quite yet. I've paid for boot camp now I just need to figure out a good time to go. Through the Groupon (love it, thanks ma!) website, I got a deal for an unlimited number of classes for a month for only $39. That's normally a $120 cost! I'll be participating at Park Circle's Fly Dog Fitness, probably sticking with the evening classes since I don't see myself making a 6 am workout session.
I need to do something. I no longer have that little persistant voice reminding me that "it's my body, my choice" and so I've gotten pretty lazy. I haven't worked out at all in something like 3 months and I'm really starting to feel blah, like all my muscle (there wasn't much to begin with) is turning into flab. Hopefully this boot camp will kick start me back into a work out plan.
I'm debating joining Planet Fitness. I really don't like the idea of working out at the mall where anyone can walk by the big glass window and see you working out - but it's cheap at only $10 a month and I don't use a lot of the extras that most gyms offer (juice bar, classes, child care, personal trainers...). I don't think you have to sign a contract with them either. The other thing I'm considering is using an online personal trainer. The website I found is Fit Orbit and it seems you email back and forth with a trainer who sets you up with a work out plan that will get you heading in your fitness goal direction and works with you on a meal plan that you can stick with. They send you videos to demonstrate the exercise and are available for motivation and questions. It seems like a good idea...I think...

What a Rip Off!

The salon I go to is adjoined with a boutique - Viola & Clyde. I always browse in there but I have never bought anything because a)most of what is sold there is not my style b)what I do like looks good on the hanger but horrid on me and c)most of what is sold in there is ridiculously expensive. Today, I found a cute shirt on the sale rack - a basic tank in a pretty blue with some lacy details. They suggested pairing it with a boyfriend jean (which I refer to as lesbian jeans because I'm pretty sure, with my short hair...I look like a lesbian in the jeans) which I happened to have at home! I liked the idea - a cute basic with girly details paired with masculine style jeans. Perfect! I bought the tank, knowing the no return policy on sale items. Well, I wore the shirt out tonight and as I was lazing about on my couch I realized there were holes all along the seams of the lace! This is crap! And even though I bought it today, I can't return it. I'm still gonna try - but I highly doubt I'll buy anything from there again, it's super expensive AND poor quality? No thanks.
As for the salon - the girl I see (also named Kristin...crazy!!) leaves wax all over my face everytime I'm in there. I even told her I had a date tonight. You'd think she'd make extra effort to remove the wax. If you thought that, you'd be wrong. I swear she left extra wax today. I think I need to switch to another stylist but I'm scared she's gonna ask me why I changed.

AAAARRRGH!

So here I am thinking the cheerleading season started off beautifully and I was excited about the upcoming season. But, on the first day of practice, I am already dealing with an angry parent. I pulled her daughter aside to explain (nicely!) that we (all coaches) put her on the senior team but we talked about putting her on the junior team. Her skills were some great, some not so great but her attitude was usually not so good. Her mom was uber-pissed and yelled at me. I stayed nice and didn't get an attitude back but she thinks her daughter responds with a "yes ma'am" when she has one of the worst attitudes on the team! Obviously no mom likes being told her kid has a nasty attitude but I couldn't lie! I explained she does not say "yes ma'am" and while sometimes she has a good attitude - more often than not, it was bad. I tried to say how much we enjoyed working with her and how when she works hard, she does really well. She did a great job today, we only want to see her improve and continue to progress...ugh! She didn't hear any of it! I apologized for upsetting her daughter but she talked about pulling her daughter from the team. That's not what I want at all! I want her attitude to improve before a different coach makes her cry on a daily basis for her bad attitude! It was like a heads up without saying "Coach is a barracuda. She will eat you alive the first time you get an attitude." *sigh* I tried to warn her....

Chi-Chi-Chi-cago

Is it meant to be? A friend of mine from here in Charleston just got a job in Chicago. She leaves in a few weeks. I'm really sad to see her go...while she was not a close friend, she was hilarious and I think with some time, she could have become a closer friend. Plus she was really tall. Doesn't that just make you like someone more? When they are ridiculously tall? The job is a great opportunity for her and I hope she does really well out there! I know she's nervous about the move but it's exciting for me...if I decide to move there, I'll know 2 people! Plus she can get me all kinds of cookware accessories! (always a plus in a friend, their ability to get you free or reduced price cookware)
She'll be moved by the time I go visit in October so I'll definitely have to hang out with her while I'm out there. I'm glad I have a new vacation to look forward to, only 2 more months!!

This Is How It Should Go

So I went on another date tonight - no not Dan Dan the Creepy Needy Man. After a futile attempt to slow things down with him (was worried he might propose to me on the 2nd date...or get my name tattooed on his neck), I had to cut him off. He wasn't getting that I was not all that interested. Tonight went much better though! The new guy is the complete opposite of guys I normally would date but maybe that's not such a bad thing...there was lots of good conversation and a mutual spark (or so I thought)that didn't border on psychotic. He's a little on the skinny side and shorter than I normally would like but he's decent looking. He's also pretty involved in the church but didn't seem to try to sway me into getting involved or even going. We talked about church and all, but I liked that it was a conversation, not an attempt to convinvce me. We have a tentative 2nd date set up for Saturday.
Plus there was a good hot dog. Every date needs a good hot dog. I went to Perfectly Franks out in Summerville. Perry, the owner (who I was worried might be my date - he was in a do rag), was outside on the phone, waving friendly-like at the passerbys. As I waited outside, he offered to bring me a menu. I declined but said I'd be inside in a few minutes. It was hot so I went ahead inside and figured my date would find me. It was empty inside so I decided to chat up the staff. I asked if they had any specialty dogs and Perry was more than helpful. He said the Frank Cuda was a pretty popular one and pointed out a few more. He also said their tacos were really good but they only had a few types of fish that night. I decided to divulge to him that I was there for Hot Dog 2010 and he seemed really excited about it. He offered to pay me so he wouldn't come in last place. He was a funny guy. As he prepared my hot dog, he said he would let me put my own ketchup on so it would be just the right amount. He had prepared food for weddings, catering, fine dining events...but this was the most nerve-wracking. I took a bite and gave him a big thumbs up. The dog was delicious! It was juicy and flavorful. It was a little longer than a normal dog but not quite a foot long. He uses the same type of bun as Jack's Cosmic Dogs so I'm not sure how a super-topping-upped dog will go but he did suggest having them trim the bun so it will fit in my mouth. My date got 2 dogs, both oozing with toppings...I was impressed. He swears by their Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce that came on one of the dogs. We also had Guiness beer battered onion rings that were decent, crispy and greasy but a little bitter-sweet taste from the Guinness. I think on my return visit I'll have to try the sweet potato fries with blue cheese crumbles. As tbe evening wore on, it got busier inside and I found it hard to believe they would really close down at 7. I'm looking forward to my return visit as I'm pretty sure Perfectly Franks will be a front runner.

Suck Suck Suck

As I get home from my date, I realize that I suck at dating - an integral part of dating is being able to say no and that you think you're better off as friends. That's the part I suck at. I mean, the guy tonight was not bad and he seemed to adore me. He was willing to drop the rest of his weekend plans to hang out with me, offered to have dinner cooked for me if I wanted to come over Sunday night after cheer and I swear I could have done nothing wrong - I could have told racist jokes (which I don't), used curse words in every sentence (which I don't), scratched my butt (which I don't), and danced like MC Hammer (occasionally, I do)...and he would have thought I was perfect. I know I should look for someone that adores me but he wasn't Casey. That was the problem. No one's ever going to be Casey and I'm stupid for holding out for someone who is exactly like him. And holding out for the real Casey - well...he has no interest in me. For whatever reason, I was never good enough for him. Ugh...how am I supposed to let this guy down? Or do I just settle for someone who seems interested in me? This is one of the many reasons I don't like dating.
In less sucky news, Hot Dog 2010 kicked off tonight. Jack's Cosmic Dogs was contender #1 and was not bad. I have tried them previously and did not love their hot dogs due to too much bun, so too much room for toppings and impossibility of getting even amounts of topping/dog ratio. However, with just ketchup (I know, once you are 5 you should stop eating ketchup only on your hot dog) it was actually pretty good. Plus they make their own root beer which was delicious! AND they have Kool-Aid! Yes! It's really good. I believe they also cut their own fries as well which is a nice addition - although eat them fast or they get crunchy. Next up on the list is Perfectly Frank's in Summerville.

I Don't Get It

I don't get how you go from being someone's best friend for a year and a half and going from spending the majority of your time with or talking to that person to we're done. I mean, I get what happened - but I didn't think that would be the end result. It was never any question that I was in love with him so of course telling me that he likes some girl who is moving across the country to be with him isn't going to get an overjoyed reaction. I explained he had just broken my heart and that while it's great news for him, it is not quite the same good news for me and that I needed some space. I thought that was the mature thing to do - ask for space instead of lashing out. Apparently, I was wrong. Generally when I think I'm doing the right thing it turns out I'm wrong. I am not sure, aside from being overjoyed which I was not capable of, what the right thing to do was. I guess I took too much space though because when I was ready to calmly address it, he was gone and done with me.
No apologies seem capable of bringing my best friend back to me. Nothing I do seems to fix anything. He has his new girlfriend and no longer sees a need for me. Funny how when he was by himself down there and so lonely that he had room in his life for me. Funny how he had asked me to move down there and I wasn't able to. Now he's not lonely and so why would he talk to me? Except it's really not that funny. I'm still stuck here. Adjusting to him moving away was hard enough. Now I have to adjust to him shunning me. It's a hard thing to adjust to. BTW, if you bring this up to my face or on the phone, I will probably walk away or lash out at you so I wouldn't suggest it.

In other news, I'm headed on a date tonight with a guy who is already overly clingy. He's got our next 30 years planned out and has assured me he won't have a run in with the garbage disposal since I said I don't really like missing fingers. What happened to taking things slow? I explained I don't like talking on the phone (partially true, there are a few exceptions) so his solution is that we'll just have to hang out that much more. *sigh* I think tonight will only encourage him.

Oh, friend!

I'm so glad to have a best friend like the one I do. She understands that sometimes I can be in a funk and need space - whether I tell her or not. And despite my funkness (and sometimes hers) we can always pick up where we left off. I love her for understanding me. It's so nice to have that and to know we can disagree and argue about things but that all I need to do is send a text that says "Hey, are you around? I need someone to talk to" and she's there. And I would do the same for her too. I thought I had more friends like that but I guess they are hard to come across...it's really saddening though when you think you have one like that and it turns out they are not. Like, really really saddening. Like, makes me want to cry saddening. :(

FACE! CALM DOWN!

This is the MOST random way to convince someone to get a facial - oddly (or not so oddly) I'm convinced!

The Daily Deal for
Charleston
Tuesday, August 03 2010




$29 for a Signature Facial at Facelogic Spa in Mount Pleasant (Up to $69 Value)
$29

worth: discount: savings:
$69 58% $40

Company Information:
Facelogic Spa
website
Locations:
1948 Long Grove Dr.
Suite 2
Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina 29464


Your face is the ultra-logical Vulcan of your body, and not just because it goes mad with lust and tries to kill William Shatner every seven years. Let your face live long and be pampered with today's Groupon: for $29, you get a signature facial at Facelogic Spa (up to a $69 value), located in Mount Pleasant.

Facelogic logisticians use scare tactics such as science and numbers to counteract the stress and lack of complexion clarity that can impede your ability to steer vehicles with your face. The friendly aestheticians at Facelogic Spa will gaze upon your visage to analyze your skin type and customize your facial treatment to meet your skin's individual needs. The Facelogic signature facial ($49 for spa members, $69 for nonmembers) awakens slumbering skin through 50 minutes of deep cleansing, exfoliation, steaming, optional extractions, and mask therapy, with a bit of therapeutic massage to help your mug relax. This relaxing treatment will bring a glow to even the most Gollumy skin and undo years of playing the MMORPG known as Real Life.

Your face is often the first thing people notice about you, unless you've cleverly diverted their attention by refusing to wear pants. Give the front of your head the care it needs with today's Groupon.

Call ahead to make an appointment.

Read More...

What would be the most logical number of fingers for a person? Hint: it's not 10.

Oh Starry Night

It's back to work for me tomorrow. I only had to work 2 days last week and while it totally threw my schedule off and I spent most of the week sleeping (or going out and sleeping to recover from it), I really don't think I can go tomorrow. I used to really like my job and now...well...not so much. I can't take the overly chipper attitudes first thing in the morning (I know, but really??? No need to be THAT chipper THAT early!). Ugh...I really hope it goes better than it has been the past few weeks.
At least I have cheer camp after work, so that should cheer me up - we're expecting a really good turnout. 35 kids are pre-registered and we're expecting some to just show up. The best part of this??? I don't have to teach! Just show up and smile, be nice to the kids and I get paid for it! Sweet deal, huh?