weekend recap

okay here we go... sorry this is a day late :) This weekend was pretty eventful... It started pretty normally, with a low key night Friday watching TV and seeing the holiday lights at the Oceanfront, and then of course I worked my early shift Saturday. but then came Saturday night...

anyway, I should tell the best story first, since it's the one all of you have been asking about. It's gonna be long to type out, so I'm apologizing in advance for the book. :)

so... let me tell you about my date. ummm yeah. Well, first of all, I was telling my team at work in the morning that I was a little wary anyway, because he seemed to be pretty indecisive. And for those of you who know me, I like guys that will step up and can be in control. And, although Ri warned me not to have any preconceived negativity, it turns out I should have listened to my gut!

I'll start from the beginning: I showed up at the mall (he wouldn't pick a restaurant, so I had to meet him at the mall) in my classy but sexy black pants outfit. I looked hot. Well, then I see him, and what is he wearing? JEANS AND SNEAKERS and a flannelish button down plaid shirt! boys, if you're reading this, DO NOT wear jeans to a first date. please! ok so anyway, that was strike one. Well, then we went to get in his car to go to dinner. He says, "Don't worry, I'm parked right over here" as I look around trying to figure out which car he could be talking about. Well, it turns out his was the boat of a 1985 station wagon. ummm yeah. Strike two, buddy. Ok so I end up picking the restaurant (figuring you can't go wrong at Vivo) and we sit down to eat. I quickly pick Penne alla Vodka, which is one of my favorites. And he orders a salad. YES, I said SALAD. He couldn't even pronounce the name of it (Santorini! not hard!) Oh but we're not done the food stories yet-- THEN the waiter brings the bread. He pours some olive oil onto a plate and adds some fresh parmesan. yumm. So my date looks at me with a weird look on his face and says, "what's that?" WTF?! I say "ummmm olive oil." He still has a weird look on his face. "What's in it?" Figuring he just doesn't eat Italian very often I tell him it's cheese. "Oh." he says. "I thought it was some sort of powdered butter or something." Yes, this was strike three. He's already out and there's STILL MORE. We have nothing to talk about even though we've talked on the phone for hours, so I now realize he can't carry on a conversation, even when I try to start one. He also "likes songs that tell stories" and can't understand why I would like going to restaurants that aren't chains. And when I ask him what he normally does on weekends, he says he stays at home alone and works on his house. Yeah, no.

Anyway, after WAY too long, our waiter finally brings the check, and thank god things are over. We get back in the boat to go back. I asked him what else is in this area (I don't know Chesapeake very well-- I thought he should've sucked it up and come to the Beach for the first date but oh well) and he tells me there's a Barnes & Noble. I love Barnes & Noble and tell him so, and he tells me he spent hours there reading last night! yay maybe we have something in common! But then he tells me what he was reading: a COMIC BOOK! oh well at this point I'm not surprised. So, we get back to my car, and I don't know what to say, so I thank him for dinner and basically say see you later. woohoo homefree! well, almost anyway. As I am getting out of the car, he stops me and says he'll call me when he gets back from the holidays so we can go out again. WHAT?! HELLOOOOOOOOO! he obviously, on top of everything else, cannot take a hint. But, I finally got home and was free despite the complete waste of my time.

Luckily, though, when I had called Steph from the bathroom for my mini venting, she told me she and Linda were going out and although I didn't want to at first, she convinced me I needed to come. Well, I'm glad I did! We went dancing at Tiki, where we met some fun new boys. They hung out with us, danced with us, and bought us drinks all night. And after last call, they even got us into an exclusive after hours club, which was awesome since we've always heard about it but never been there. They even paid the expensive cover for us and paid for all of our beer! woohoo! But, they got annoying, and we were just trying to have a good time and certainly never asked for them to pay for all that stuff for us, so we cut ties with them and went home at about 4:30am. What a good time, though. It ended up being another 24 hour day for me, but it was a blast! Now, the hangover the next day wasn't very much fun (I don't think I have ever drank all night like that), but I guess that's the price you pay. And although I don't drink like that very often, every time I do I swear I'm going to give up drinking for good! We'll see how long that lasts :)

Today, though, I FINALLY finished my Christmas shopping! woohooo! My team and I also calculated some possible profit sharing checks we could get, and although it's not until February, I am already pretty damn excited. It's even better to think about after seeing all the money I just spent for Christmas! OH! I also read something the other day that I thought was crazy! Maybe it's just me, though. Tell me your opinion:

There was an article in a magazine I read that was about holiday etiquette and one question specifically dealt with gifts. "Miss Manners" in the course of this answer basically said that giving anyone a list of what you want is rude, since it is saying that you expect a gift and that is inherently rude. Also, it said that if someone gives you something you don't want, they would want you to have what you want, so you shouldn't feel any shame in asking for the receipt to return it if you don't like it. What?! I don't know, maybe I was raised weird, but we always make informal Christmas lists in my family. That doesn't mean we expect anything or everything on it, but it makes everyone's shopping easier if we decide to use it. Maybe it would be nicer to get all thoughtful gifts, but I don't think there's anything rude about making a list! And, I was also raised that if someone takes the time to pick out a gift for you, you shouldn't ask to return it unless it is the wrong size or something, because that's almost saying that you don't appreciate what they got you. I have mixed feelings on this, but I can't forget the one year I exchanged the watch my parents bought me-- under the influence of Joel, whose family returned everything, I brought back the watch my parents bought me (they had given me the receipt to go get links taken out) for a nicer one that I liked a lot better. Well, when I got home and told my parents, the look of upset on my mother's face and her telling me how she had picked out one she thought I'd like and was sorry I hadn't just about killed me. I felt so horrible. Now, I think that people should have things they want... I don't know, maybe's there's a line somewhere or a compromise here. Weigh in and let me know what you think on this stuff.

Anyway, I am off to enjoy the rest of my Monday, which means there's no way in hell I am going to taekwondo. After getting my black belt, the stuff I used to hate about going is magnified, since I already achieved what I worked so hard for. I need a new goal. Anyone have any ideas for a new challenge or something new and fun to do?

ok I'm off. Everyone have a good week and a happy holiday!!!!