pickup game

This weekend I went to see Eliot Morris with a few of my friends (including The Conservative) at the Workplay theatre. The show ended up consisting of Eliot plus three other guys, and the show was aptly named “Guys With Guitars.” I was really impressed with everyone, and it was a great show.

But that is not the reason for this blog.

Before we headed to Workplay, we decided to get some dinner at the local Italian eatery. My friend Craig and I ordered and then headed out to the patio to find a seat. We were just talking, and I heard some at the table closest to us say something about “the girl with the camera.” Well, I had just taken a picture of Craig and me, so naturally I assumed they were talking about me. This bothered me a bit, but I brushed it off.

Soon after, our other two friends (one of which was The Conservative) arrived at the table. While waiting for our food, one of the guys at aforementioned table approached us, asking to borrow our Parmesan cheese, of which we had none. He returned to his seat. Not but a few minutes later, he came back, and this time he sat down.

“Here’s the deal,” he said, looking directly at me. “My girlfriend, the one over there in the pink shirt (she had gone inside for the moment)? She thinks you are absolutely gorgeous.”

I paused, look around. “Me?” I asked, incredulously.

“Yeah,” he said. “And it would really just mean a lot if you would go over there and introduce yourself to her.”

WTF????

This is the strangest thing that has ever happened to me. “How do I know you’re not setting me up?” I asked. “How do I know I’m not going to go over there, introduce myself, and everyone be all ‘who the hell are you?’”

He persisted saying he wasn’t trying to set me up, and then my friend Jenny asked him why he wanted me to do it. He said that his other friends didn’t think he would go over there and ask me, so I guess they just dared him to.

Then he looked at Craig and said, “Now, I know you’re with this guy here, I mean you’re obviously together.” Craig and I looked at each other and I quickly explained that no, we were not “together.”

At this point, said girlfriend had made her way to the patio and came over to our table. “Hello,” I said.

Slightly if not very intoxicated, she said “Heeyyyyyy!!!!! I thinkyour’rereallypretty (those words were a little slurred)…can I have a hug?”

A hug?

“Um, sure,” I stammered, still taken a bit aback by the whole situation. “What’s your name?” I asked.

“Alex,” she breathed.

“Oh, is that short for anything?”

“Alexis…what’s your name?”

“Summer.”

“Oh…is that short for anything?”

I just looked at her. “Summer….Hunt?”

This exchange went on for a bit, and it concluded with them asking where we were going that night. We told them, and when we left they waved their goodbyes, saying maybe they would see us there.

We did not see them.


Also...my friend that went with us told me that The Conservative said that we are dating.

I feel better.

seriously, cosmo?

Sometimes I get a little bored, and my mind tends to wander while I'm on the internet. I hardly ever peruse magazine Web sites online, but somehow I came across Cosmo.com. This one article's teaser caught my eye, and I felt so compelled to laugh out loud. I feel as if I must share this with you.

The article was "Sex Tips From Guys," and here are a few of the sparkling gems I chose to disclose to you, my friends. My comments are below:

"The night after I got a big promotion, my girl announced that was going to give me only oral sex—all night." Kenneth, 32
Oh really, Kenneth? My only hope is that you rewarded her with a huge tube of Chap-It and some Ibuprofen.

"My fiance will lean back on the bed and use her fingers to spread herself wide. It's as if she's inviting me to explore her body." Art, 29
Maybe she just had an itch.

"Wet your lips and moan that you can't to taste me." Sam, 22
You have got to be freaking kidding me. Sam,22 has seen way too many porn movies.

"An ex once came to bed in a soaking wet t-shirt. The sight was jaw dropping." Nick, 30
Not too mention unpractical and unhealthy. She could have caught her death of cold.

"News flash: Guys have nipples too." Rory, 21
WTF??? Are you serious? Guys have nipples too?

"Wear silk gloves to bed and rub them against sensitive regions, like my treasure trail." Louis, 24
Oh yes, let me get out one of my many, many pairs of silk gloves. And treasure trail? Really?

"My girlfriend pretend not to want to kiss me. I had to pry her mouth open passionately with my tongue." Ron, 25
Maybe she wasn't pretending, Ron. That's not foreplay; it's date rape.

"Do what my first girl did: Moan my name while I pressure you." Eddie, 28
Must we dwell on the past, Eddie? "Eddie...oh, Eddie...Eddie..." That does sound like mystical music.

"Right before I climax, spread your legs wide. It allows me plunge really deeply as I explode with pleasure." Meyer, 26
'Explode with pleasure'? Really? Who wrote this, Meyer, 26 or Fabio?

"While we were going at it from behind, this woman I was with let out a guttral scream. I'd sure like to hear that again." Nick, 28
Why don't you try punching her in the face?

"Brush your teeth with some minty toothpaste before going down on me. It'll feel extra shivery." Patrick, 24
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of brushing your teeth?

"My old girlfriend would have me pull out so she could rub my shaft against her external wetness." Spence, 22
'External wetness'? That sounds like a phrase you'd use after the one, "i peed my pants."

"One night, my girlfriend stopped the action and pointed to a camera she had set up in the corner." Justin, 21
That sounds like an episode of Law & Order waiting to happen.

tell me what you want, what you really really want

There are some things that I miss so very much about my childhood. Being virtually worry-free, having my summers all to myself, and quite possibly the best part of all—sleepovers.

Two of my gal pals came over this weekend and we had the best time ever. We started out by going to the Bessemer Flea Market. and while there were several amusing characters and entertaining finds, I was, at best, slightly let down. We went from there t purchase supplies for the sleepover—sodas, snacks, and the quintessential slumber party food: pizza. We also made yummy spinach artichoke dip, watched Girls Next Door on DVD, and played Mall Madness. The one thing that was slightly different about this girls' night from those of my school days was the fact that we each had a bottle of liquor to help the party along. It was a lot more fun when we made up dances to Spice Girls songs with a slight buzz.

If only I could take a day or two to spend as my childhood self...it's so nice to think about not having a care in the world. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'd do it all over again. There are things I would different if I knew then what I know now. But chances are, I'd probably make all the same mistakes.

brite blue dots everywhere

My boss is an amazing, super-cool, liberal gal. When I first got my job here at Seek, I googled her name to see if I could find out more about her. I was surprised to find that she was the co-creator of the brite blue dot stickers that I have seen everywhere, predominantly in downtown Birmingham.

The concept of BBD is that we liberals are just brite blue dots in a really red state. It started with a bumper sticker, and it has evolved into t-shirts, lapel pins, and a whole plethora of items.

This morning, my boss came into the office, pleased to show us their newest addition: 08 campaign stickers. I think they look really awesome, and I can’t wait to put mine on my car.


If you are interested in brite blue dot merchandise, go to the Web site at www.britebluedot.com

For now, I’m just another brite blue dot in a temporarily red state.

take the long way home

So last night, I was originally supposed to have plans with The Conservative. However, he had a friend from high school coming into town, and we decided to move our plans back a day. He told me that they were going to dinner and drinks after, and I should meet them later. I said sure; just give me a call.

I took a shower, fixed my hair, and put on my makeup. Before I knew it, it was 1000pm. Then it was 1030. By 11, I still hadn’t heard from him. Finally he called to tell me which bar they were going to. This eventually resulted in a mild goose chase in which I went to three different places before I found them.

His friend ended up being absolutely fabulous and a lot of fun. We stayed out pretty late at the bar, just talking and drinking and singing. The Conservative was a little more generous with his affections, which was nice.

At the end of the night, I knew he had to take his friend home, and she was staying in a nearby city, a decent ways away. His stopping by would most likely be out of the question.

Or so I thought.

The Conservative took his friend to her place and then turned back around to come and see me before I went to bed.

It just goes to show people can surprise you.

conservatively speaking

So. Recently I have been seeing a lot more of a friend of mine I went to college with. For the sake of anonymity, we’ll call him The Conservative.

We were both in the media department of my school and had the same major. We had each heard of the other person, but never really officially met and talked until April of last year. We had a nice conversation about the beer he was drinking (draught Newcastle; I recognized it immediately in the glass). He was slightly intoxicated; I was slightly interested.

Anyway, we made semi-plans to one day have dinner and wine, since those were two things we both loved. We became online friends and saw each other often in passing. Soon after, we both began dating someone. However, we remained friends.

When I moved to Birmngham, The Conservative became one of the few people I knew in the city. We would meet up for dinner, to hang out, watch TV, etc. I introduced him to my intern friends. We continued to do platonic things, with him in a relationship and me bouncing around, sometimes with someone, sometimes not.

Then one night, we were having dinner with another friend when he tells us that he and said girlfriend broke up a week or so ago. (Now, also bear in mind that he never mentioned her in conversation, never really brought her up. This was a first mention.) He tells us about what went down, and it continues to the point where every other time I see him, he has a new crazy story about this girl.

I’d already put away any feelings for him before, and I still wasn't sure how I felt, even with this new information. However, there came a time span of a few weeks in which we were hanging out several times a week. It all culminated into one event last week in which I started to see him differently again.

This past week was great. We spent a lot of time together, and I even felt bold enough to tell him how I feel. Which, in case I didn’t say before, I like him, but I don’t really want a relationship either. At least, I don’t feel like I do now. I like him and hanging out with him, and it’s not that often that you find someone you consider to be intelligent that you like to talk to and are attracted to. And that’s how I feel.

However. That being said. I always damn things before they even begin. There are a few things that make me nervous and insecure about it all, and I still don’t really feel as if I know how he feels. I run into the wall where things fizzle before they flame, and I get screwed in the end. I worry about our friendship a little. I know that the last time I took a chance and told a really good friend how I felt about him, I got somewhat mutual feelings but then almost lost him forever.

I think right now I just want to take it for what it is. I’m only 22 (and ½). I’m in no rush, right?

adventures in moving

So as some or most of you may know, I've recently moved from my home in Homewood at Mountain Woods (Hoods) apartments to another apartment closer to the downtown area. Though I love where the place is at, and there are many pluses that won me over in the end, it has been no easy feat.
We started packing up and moving my stuff last Saturday at about 7 in the morning. We didn't finish until 7 at night. I'm serious. It was ridiculous. I don't know how in the world I managed to accumulate so much crap! There were boxes upon boxes of things. And then there was the furniture. I have to give it to my dad, though. He kept his cool the whole day. I think it also helped that my bro-in-law and Craig came to help. He wouldn't dare show out in front of them.
Unfortunately, I had no utilities until Monday, and I was forced to drive home to Gadsden Saturday night. I soon realized that in our haste to pack everything, important stuff was stowed away. My shoes being one thing. Mother and I had one pair between us, and I ended up winning the right to wear them. My purse was also gone, along with my debit card and license. And sadly, I packed up all my clothes leaving me nothing to wear to work on Monday. I was forced to go buy a new pair of pants (it was torture) and search for things in my car (I found a sweater).
On Monday, I was called by the water people so that I could meet them out there to turn on the water. I waited around for an hour to no avail. When I finally called, asking where this waterman was, they told me that it was simply a courtesy call and I would have to turn my water on myself. Myself! I arrived home in a huff, determined to have water.
I took the wrench my father lent me down to the meter and ran across a streak of good luck. My neighbor (Paul of A7, as I have come to know him now) was outside, and he was so kind to turn my water on for me. However, I still had no heat.
Tuesday, the kind man from Alagasco came for to turn on my gas. We managed to get me hot water and a gas stove. When he went outside to light the pilot light, though, he was startled to discover that my furnace was rather old. He told he probably light it, but he really wanted me to have heat. He lit it, and when he turned on the heat, it made a really loud noise. He stepped out on the back porch area to take a look, and right at that moment, a giant fireball escaped out the back and blew the chamber door off (not that I really know what that means). He freaked out and told me that he had to tag it; it had to go. I called my landlord, and she was all, "we'll send someone to have a look." Gas man got on the phone and was all, "Nuh-uh, it's gotta go now."
That night, a kind old Hispanic gentleman brought me a space heater, "por la noche," which I gratefully accepted. Wednesday they repaired the damage, but I still feel as if I could be in some sort of danger.
Aside from all this, there are so many things to be done. I have seven different windows that need blinds and a window in the shower of my bathroom. There's paint over everything. On the floors, on the plug outlets, on the doors...and there are very few electrical outlets as it is. I'm missing light fixtures. My fridge is a little off-kilter in that it rocks back and forth. I haven't unpacked everything. I need rugs. Sigh. It's exciting, because it's my first place of my own that I've not shared with a roommate, but it's overwhelming.
On the bright side, I really like my job. I miss SL, but I know that I wouldn't have been able to find a job there. Here I'm getting to try a lot of different things, and I've got the ever-elusive insurance. Wonderful.