Layers

I do like winter. I am thrilled that it finally feels that the season has come. I went snowboarding today in the snow and it was great. The problem with winter comes when you try to date or go out. It's a tough season to try to look your hottest. Static from hats, hat head, chapped lips, layers and layers of clothing and boots and mittens and scarf and coat. The city has been so icy lately it is impossible to wear heels, my preferred footwear. LL Bean is generally not the first name that comes to mind when I am getting dressed for an evening out. But I'd rather not twist an ankle or slip like so many people have.

So blue

Work has sucked. School is getting really, really busy. Date with man with no-name was meh. I drove into to work today and almost got hit by every crazy driver on the Pike and in the Stop and Shop parking lot. I have not been in the best of moods.

So I walked into my door tonight and sat down in front of the computer. A few clicks later I had reupped my sponsorship for a new sister through Women for Women. I asked for my sponsorship dollars to go either to Sudan, Afghanistan or Rwanda. In about 12 weeks I will get my sponsorship packet and be off and running. I would sponsor more women if I could but I am only one person and can only do this.

I got tired of feeling sorry for myself. So I am turning my blues into action and helping someone who really has something to feel bad about.

What's in a name?

So I met a guy on my crazy Friday out a few weeks back. He seemed nice enough so we've been in touch. We have plans to go out this weekend. The problem? I have no idea what his name is. He introduced himself to me (and my 3 friends) at the bar. None of us know what it is which is sad since clearly none of us were paying attention. . We are also not sure of his nationality. His accent was German. Or Russian. Or Spanish. When he calls me he doesn't say his name. I was hoping to get his voicemail but no such luck. I'm not sure of the etiquette, but I think we are past the point where I can just ask him point blank. So I am left to hope that he pays by credit card so I can sneak a peek at his name. Or I can ask him for his email address.

So essentially I am going out with indeterminate accent no-name guy. It should be interesting :-)

Snow and Valentines

Well as far as Valentine's Days go, this one was good because our first major snowstorm hit today. And let me tell you, it's about time I got a snow day! Happy Valentine's Day!

Goodbye Gotham

I had a quick trip to NYC to visit the girls. I decided to stay over as a bit of a break. I can do homework in an airport or hotel as well as I can at home.

We were celebrating new house, new job, new teeth, new engagement and the fun of being together again. It a blast and we usually laugh so hard that it qualifies as an ab workout.

My day started and ended with a case of mistaken identity. In the security line at Logan, the family in front of me had four kids. One of the little boys wasn't really paying attention, nor was I, and next thing I know he's got his arms wrapped around my legs hugging me! I don't know who was more shocked! The look on his face when he realized I wasn't his Mom was too funny. I mean we all must look the same when you're 3 feet tall. Apparently he is a painfully shy child as well. I'm sure he recovered by the time they got to Florida.

At dinner that evening, I was sitting alone in the middle of a row of tables. I was having a great time and had just finished my goat cheese and beet salad. All of a sudden this man I had seen at the bar earlier was across from me trying to hand me his coat to put on the bench next to me. I had no idea who he was but he was certainly insistent. Then he sat down at my table. The waiter looked at me. I looked at him. The people around me looked. The man then asked the waiter for a glass of wine. All of a sudden this man realized I was not his date. She was sitting four tables away looking really peeved. It was hysterical and I'm guessing the date didn't go well after that.

Because I Say So

So it appears that after 3 weeks of intensive counseling former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Rev. Ted Haggard, is now 'Completely Heterosexual'. This is in spite of that pesky incident with the call boy which caused him to have to step down.

Well thank goodness. I guess if you say something to yourself enough times it will be true. Oh, that's right. It's only true if you have 21 days of intensive "counseling" with four ministers. They can declare you completely heterosexual - as long as you leave town and enter the secular workforce. Sounds to me like they really, really believe he's straight.

Fishnets and raindrops

It was a very interesting Friday evening. It was a long night out that really seems to have been broken into three distinct acts. I got an extra act that the rest of my friends did not, but it certainly wasn't what any of them thought.

Act I - An outing with a friend prior to meeting up with other friends. Had great conversation, wine and tapas and a few laughs at the scenery.

Act II - We all finally met up and headed out. We had no idea it was raining so a quick sprint to the T and trying to find a bar based on proximity rather than preference. We settled in, had some snacks and drinks and had a rather entertaining evening with quite the revolving cast of characters.

Act III - I headed off to see another friend for something I was not expecting. He had mentioned great life changes so I was anticipating great things. The discussion that followed was a complete shock. I am still reeling with the information I have been given because I had no idea he was in such pain. Why is it that conversations like this happen at the wee hours of the morning?

Postmortem was lunch with the girls to deconstruct the evening.

Overall it was a great evening. It's going to take me a few more days to make sense of some of it but I will rest assured that I have a great smile.

And the fishnets of the title were a big hit!

Can we please stop talking about this?

Ok I give up. I cannot bear another day talking about the Mooninites and the Turner Broadcasting guerilla marketing campaign. Should you have been blissfully spared of this news, see the story here.

Fine, maybe in this touchy time we live in putting Lite Brights on a bridge overpass was not the brightest idea. But what gets me more than anything else is that it took almost 2 hours for the media and mayor to say that this was a publicity stunt. Two hours. So instead of letting all of us know that there was nothing to worry about, the massive police presence continued. At 6pm when I went to take my train home I could barely get through the throng of Transit Police clogging the platform.

I am all for safety and security and will admit to a bit of travelling on faith every morning that each of the hundreds of other commuters I encounter mean me no harm.

Debacles like this one make me feel embarrassed and nervous that if something really did happen (god forbid) this city is still not prepared for it.