Practice Makes Perfect

The weather report calls for snow tonight! Yay! Of course, I'll believe it when I see it. The experts around here like to get our hopes up, and then see them dashed when not a flake falls from the sky.

How was Thanksgiving dinner at Palisade? Very, very delicious. Thanks for asking. I scoped out the menu online ahead of time, so I already had a cocktail (raspberry mojito), salad (blue cheese & pear), a few entree options (went with prawns) and dessert (chocolate sampler, please) in mind. It was a great night in fantastic company, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The only part that felt weird was not having the traditional Thanksgiving fare at all over the long weekend. Oh well. There's always Christmas with the fam for that.

The fun never stops, people. While waiting for The Long Winters show to start Friday night, Em and I decided to check out the merch table. Once there, she asked me which of the CDs I owned, and I pointed to the Ultimatum EP and said, "That one." The guy working behind the table asked me if I like it, and I responded that yes, I do, but I really like the song Ultimatum. I didn't stop there. I went even further to offer that, in fact, I am "a little bit obsessed with it, actually." I didn't recognize him initially (not very familiar with this band), but in the middle of uncooly sharing my attachment to the song, I came to the uncomfortable realization that I was telling this to the lead man, John Roderick. To make matters worse, I also remembered that I had barely enough cash in my wallet to buy a soda, let alone any merchandise, so I was going to have to escape without making a purchase. Awkward.

Let the nervous energy take over. I turned to Em and muttered, "Well, I think I'm going to have to buy these (CDs) at the store. Let's go." Then I tossed out a "See ya!" in the general direction of the table and bolted. Smooth. Why is it that at home I can picture myself poised, witty, and charming in situations like that, but in reality I end up feeling like a heel?

I know it's not a big deal, and he probably thought nothing of it. Worst case, he figured I was an odd fan (not potential stalker, I hope), and at best, he was flattered. Em said he seemed pleased--such a good friend--so I'm going to choose to believe that. We couldn't help laughing about the whole thing shortly after. Really must avoid talking to rock star types until I master inner poise. Ha! Uncomf incident aside, the show was really good and lots of fun. I recommend checking them out when they play in your neighborhood.

It's late and still no snow. We shall see.

Hello, all. I am a delinquent blog poster with a cold. This is really great when your primary job function is to talk with people all day. I don't feel too bad, but I've had to constantly gulp tea so I can try to respond to questions with a scritchy-scratchy, yet somewhat audible, voice. People are really nice about it, but I know my obvious germiness makes me about as appealing as a Kitty with fleas.

I have been so busy. My time with my sister and the bobblehead (and my mom & aunt for a couple of days) was absolutely wonderful. It just zipped by. We always imagine our visits with plenty of sister time to just sit around, chat, order pizza, watch movies, blog...Of course it never goes that way. There are always too many things to do and people to see in a short period, but it's still so much fun. Laughing with my sisters is one of my very favorite things, and I wish I could describe the perfection and gratitude of knowing them (without sounding like a cornball), but I don't think I'd even know how to start.

Getting to bond with my nephew filled my heart. It's crazy and overwhelming to realize just how much you can love someone. I adore and miss his sweet face, fauxhawk, pouty lip (pics below), and all his great little baby sounds. My sister is truly amazing in her patience and skill as a mother, though. I definitely had moments of lukewarm feelings for the fussing, wailing, and 24/7-ness of it all, and she handles it so calmly and smoothly. Very impressed.

My friends, I'm embarrassed to say this, but I've unwittingly become something I never thought I would - a (wannabe) Groupie. Gah! How did this happen? Yes, I love my music, but I have no desire to be a band stalker.

Long story short, I kind of know a guy in a band, and in recent months they've played many shows here. I've gone with friends to a couple, and a couple of other times they've played at events I've attended. I usually end up bumping in to Band Boy in the small venues, so I say hi and maybe make a little (awkward) small talk. He's nice, and I enjoy talking with him, but there's only so much you can say in a noisy club. Obviously, I've seen them A LOT lately and, after hearing the same songs over and over again, I decided enough was enough. No more shows.

Well... With my mom in town, my sis and I took advantage of grandma's eagerness to babysit and decided to go to a show one night. Concerts are few and far between on Maui, and Mols wanted to see someone she recognized. I'm sure you can guess what she picked. I was really reluctant to go, but she was excited, so I decided not to make a fuss. When we arrived, I was immediately cheered by the large crowd and figured there was no way I would run in to Band Boy in such a big place. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Mols and I were standing near the stage during the opening act, and he walked directly in front of us, smiled and waved. Sigh. Behind the friendliness, I'm sure he's thinking what any normal person would think. Her again? Stalker!

The problem is that I hardly talk with him (gee, I wonder why?), so I don't have opportunities to explain the how and why I'm always there. Even if I did, it would sound like lame excuses to cover up my apparent obsession. Maybe I'm wrong, and he thinks nothing of it or just appreciates my "dedication" and support, but I have my doubts. And, I have tickets to see another band I really love in a smallish venue in December, and once again Band Boy is part of the opening act. What to do? Sell ticket vs. go incognito. Major dilemma.

Happy Thanksgiving all! I am so thankful for all the family time I had this past week. It was very special to me. I am also thankful for the opportunity to go out to dinner at Palisade with friends tonight. I have never been but have always wanted to go. I'm excited and hardly eating a thing in anticipation! Delicious food. Yummy drinks. Dressing up. No family (mine or others) drama. And, best of all, no cooking or dishes! Sounds pretty perfect to me.

Can you say...

Wooja!

Do you ever have a day when...

-You like a movie just as much as the book it's based on? I saw Shopgirl this afternoon and loved almost everything about it. It is beautifully filmed and completely captures the humor and melancholy undertone of the novella. Jason Schwartzman is perfectly cast as Jeremy (hilarious!), and the acting is solid throughout. Even when you think you are totally wrapped up in the emotion of a scene, the wonderful music draws you in more. My only criticism is that the occasional narration was unnecessary and semi-cheesy. I cracked up when Steve Martin narrated that his character, Ray, has a house in computer-oriented Seattle. I felt like he was saying "computer-oriented" and had the urge (ok, and sometimes I acted on it) to make air quotes any time they flashed a clip of the city.

-Your sister decides she must come for a visit with your nephew (the bobblehead) for a few days before her maternity leave ends? They arrive on Thursday! Yay!

-Someone you've worked with for over a year tells you he just learned that you say your name Megan rather than Meegan? You know he's heard your name several times, so you wonder why he failed to make the connection on pronunciation a year ago. It sort of reminds me of the first few times I met my now close friend's husband. We kept seeing each other at parties and every time he would come up to me and say, "Hi, my name is Keith." Not good for the self esteem, as I started to ask myself if I was utterly forgettable. After the third introduction, I reached my breaking point and said very huffily, "I KNOW! We've met. Several times." He's great, and we laugh about it now.

- You finally get around to unpacking that last box from your move three months ago? I don't know what's wrong with me, but I couldn't stand the thought of dealing with it. I just kept sliding it to different spots in my apartment before it could make a permanent imprint on the carpet. The box ended up wedged behind my bed for my housewarming about a month ago, and there it stayed until tonight.

- You fail to get your Halloween costume together in time? Instead of dressing up as Napoleon Dynamite's Rex Kwon Do for the party and walking around saying, "Do you think anyone wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys?" in your American flag pants, you're forced to go with one of the old standby costumes in your closet. My standby was a poodle skirt my mom had made for me when I was 13. I've worn it off and on over the years, but the last time was probably about five years ago. Let me just say that my ass has changed since my teen years, and the waistband of the skirt is made of tough, government-strength elastic that stretches to a point, and then there's no give at all. Getting myself into that thing this time took about 10 minutes of maneuvering and a little pain. As the night wore on, I started to think about how I'd get it off. For a brief moment, felt lucky not to have boyfriend or one night stand to witness the humiliation of difficult skirt removal. Time for a new standby, I think.

-You feel that the perfect thing happens for you at the perfect time? In general, I believe we're all experiencing what we need in any given moment, but there are certainly instances when we feel this more than others. Sometimes we fight it and sometimes it's okay. My favorite moments are when I notice that every part of me is in alignment and flowing with what is happening. I had this experience Friday while doing energy work with my friend Amy. I'm interested in energy healing and have studied it a bit, but I'm still a sometimes skeptical novice. I went in to the session with no expectations, but then everything she tried and we talked about resonated so clearly with me. In an hour, I felt like I was given the little push I needed to remove blocks and shift my thinking in a healthier direction. I felt overwhelmingly happy and surprised by the outcome. It made me feel great all weekend and reminded my inner grump girl to appreciate how quickly and easily things can change for the better.

In music news...I am infatuated with the song Ultimatum by The Long Winters and recommend the band to all. Good day.

Last night, Em, her roommate, and I were entertained at the bar by a very drunk girl sitting at the table next to us. Through the smoky haze and blaring music, she leaned over to encourage us to get up and dance, and then asked to inspect our ring fingers to see if we were single like her. Once convinced, she started yelling "Singletons! Yay!" and pointed to the guy sitting with her shouting "He's single, and he's f-ing hot! He's f-ing hot!" Yowza.

We laughed, decided to avoid future eye contact, and turned out attention to the Seth from the OC look-alike sitting nearby. A short time later, Drunk Girl stood up on her booth swaying dangerously to the music, and then wiggled from table to table, trying to get others to dance with her. Her mortified friends attempted to rein her in and then gave up to helplessly watched her progress. Drunk Girl stopped to chat briefly with the group at the OC table and learned that one of the lovely ladies sitting there was celebrating her 25th birthday. She shouted with glee, "You're 25 and your ovaries are still perky! DO YOU HEAR ME, her ovaries are still young and PERKY!"

Oh my.

Over the past couple of days, I've spent time thinking about blog topics that will shift focus from my glaring accident-proness. I suppose I could talk about current events, politics, travel, work, books, movies, music, etc. All interesting to me, and I do discuss these things from time to time, but truthfully I like writing about every day stuff more. If only I had great dating adventures like Breakup Babe, I would happily share the juicy details with you. Sadly, if I chose to write about my romantic life over the past few years, my blog entries would be of the short, dull and infrequent variety.

Lots of Seattle's singles claim that the scene here is tough (Google the "Seattle Freeze" and you'll get a sense of the attitude that applies to dating too), and me and my single friends agree. The other day, Em IM'd me a link to an article in the Seattle PI with the comment "I think not." Sperling's BestPlaces rated Seattle the #1 place to hook-up. Huh? The article acknowledges that most Seattlites will scoff at this rating (you can see the evidence in the linked blog discussions) and makes good points about how the set up of the bars here can make it difficult to start conversations, even if our environment is great for it. Also, I learned that 20% of those surveyed define hooking up as groping. Hmmmm. Now all I need to do is grab some guy's ass at the club in order to claim that I "hooked up" with someone. Good to know.

While pretty much everything I read rang true, and it's easy to place the blame on outside factors, I hate the idea of playing victim to a supposed bad dating scene. I could make a case for how normal and lovely I am (really!), so it's such a mystery that dating is a challenge (yeah, dude!), but I feel like that's beside the point. I'm first to admit that I'm a dating novice after nearly 10 years in a long term relationship, which started when I was a teenager. Last winter, I haltingly tried online dating and found myself out with a guy who claimed to not find first meetings awkward, but then proceeded to act incredibly awkward during our entire walk through Gasworks Park. I've had promising prospects that very frustratingly didn't develop into anything, and I've had pseudo-dates with great guys I wish I could feel more for than friendship. And, there are stretches when I'm not meeting anyone, and the thought of going out to a bar/club/party is exhausting.

While chatting about this article, Em and I agreed that there are many ways we could be a lot more proactive in meeting men when we're out in the world. Actually making an effort to strike up conversations with people is a good start. You know, become part of the solution rather than the problem, blah, blah, blah.

From this realization, the idea of Flirt Week was born. Sometime in the next couple of months (week still to be determined), we plan to go out every night with the explicit goal of talking to new people. We're getting in to the idea of visiting a new neighborhood each day. I can see us strategizing, examining a city map and placing pins, maybe with notes on little flags, in neighborhoods of interest. Em even suggested that we make it a rule to get at least one guy's digits every night, but that reminded me of the character in "Singles" who went around bragging to his friends about all the meaningless phone numbers he had stored in his watch. We'll see. Flirt Week is in the very early stages of planning, so more details to come as the idea takes shape. If nothing else, it could be interesting...and probably lots of fun!

Errrrrr. After reading the entry below, my friend just referred to me (via email) as THE most accident prone person she knows. Maybe you're thinking well, duh, but I was completely surprised by this comment. Hmph.

How could she have possibly gotten this impression? I mean, yes, I've had an issue with pants this year, but I've managed not to spill, drop, or break too many things, and I don't think I've tripped and fallen once yet. I don't feel inclined to change the name of my blog to klutzygirl. I just don't understand! Should I start keeping log of all the days nothing happens to prove that mostly I'm accident-free? All this time I've worried that I come off sounding too chipper with my positive spin point of view on torn jeans and exposed thigh skin, and instead I'm leading everyone to believe that I'm a walking disaster.

Oh well. I'm over it. I responded that I doubt I'm actually the most accident prone person she knows. Really, it's just that I'm such an unbelievable writer that I can turn any minor incident into a good story. Heh. I don't know if she will buy it. Are you convinced?