Have you read this in a while? Really romantic...and I love that he feels no need to punctuate!
somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
e.e. cummings
somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyondany experience,your eyes have their silence:in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,or which i cannot touch because they are too near your slightest look will easily unclose methough i have closed myself as fingers,you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose or if your wish be to close me, i andmy life will shut very beautifully ,suddenly,as when the heart of this flower imaginesthe snow carefully everywhere descending;nothing which we are to perceive in this world equalsthe power of your intense fragility:whose texturecompels me with the color of its countries,rendering death and forever with each breathing (i do not know what it is about you that closesand opens;only something in me understandsthe voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands
What is wrong with me?
In the list you are creating in your mind's eye, let at least one thing be "she is way too old to still freak out when hit on!"
So, I had just heard some bad crummy news about a colleague on my way home from meeting (church) when I stopped at the grocery store. I was wandering up and down the aisles, a bit distracted and looking for items I couldn't quite remember...I was almost finished when I saw some girly products on an endcap and I stopped to consider if I needed to get these now...when all of the sudden in my right peripheral vision popped a face asking me "has anyone ever told you you have gorgeous hair?" Now several things happened at the same time: I was horrified like a 14 year old that I had mini-pads in my hand and I considered throwing them; I was scared out of my quiet contemplation into gasping and clutching my heart, and I was fighting to be polite to this forward stranger.
I said the truth which was "no, I don't think so...maybe my mom and my grandma, but that doesn't count." He said "well you do"...and I thought that was the end of the exchange so I said "thank you" and started to move my cart. In defense of this I must tell you that I have had some of my best compliments from random strangers in the grocery and never did they try to prolong the conversation so I just thought that is what people did when surrounded by food (and mini-pads). He then asked me if I would be interested in having a soda sometime. (Do people say soda anymore? Does he hate coffee? Is he an alcoholic and wanted to nip the booze thing in the bud immediately?) My heart was still racing and not for the good reasons I am sure he hoped. BTW, it was not that he was vile, but he wasn't MY type of vile.
BUT, I felt torn between my usual blow-off answer and my inner parent "who do you think you are telling him no when he could be perfectly nice and fun" answer.
So the basic conversation went like this....and see if you can tell where he blew it:
Ummm...well....I am sort of seeing someone...
You're not exclusive with him...right?
Yesish (I know...I am lame and I was more stuttery than an adult should be...wierd!)
How long have you been seeing eachother?
5 months? (still obvious that I am lying)
So, why don't you give me your number and I'll take you to dinner.
Ummm...how about I take YOUR number and if I become available I can call you?
Can I have your number too?
No.
So, maybe I should have gotten more sleep last night.
What?
Well...maybe I look haggard, I usually get a yes.
My seeing someone else has nothing to do with your looking tired, and I wasn't thinking that anyway.
Maybe you should know that I make over $100,000 a year at Northrup Grumman?
Why are you telling me that?
I am trying to impress you.
Utterly insulted, that may impress a girl, but women find that creepy.
I just want you to know that I am able to take care of you.
Ummm...I think I am done now. Thank you anyway. (walking away)
Do you shop here a lot, maybe I'll see you here later. (following)
Ummm...that would be great (as I plan to shop only at Ralph's in the future!)
So, yes I am a freak for still getting nervous when approached by a stranger...yes I was mixed message girl because for one moment I doubted whether I should trust my instincts, no, I cannot count myself as actually seeing someone exclusively...but I am comforted knowing that I am not the freakiest one in this scenario.
What are your thoughts? What do normal people do/say? Are you as "what an idiot" about this dude and his salary quoting?
XXO
So, the Monday challenge was an embarrassing, dismal failure. I made it past sugary Starbucks drinks in the morning. I whizzed through the lunch hour without more than one or two glances at the frozen yogurt, but I was feeling it...starting to look at the hershey's kisses on my desk with a little bit of lust...and they normally don't tempt me at all. But even then I was virtuous. I made it home, past places where ice cream and cadberry eggs wait for the addicts to take them home for a quick fix.
And then it happened...I got home hungry and focussed on opening my mail. I grabbed the cottage cheese, dropped a dollop of cherry preserves from Trader Joes right in the center (it looked pretty). I ate the cottage cheese with processed sugar product. When I said "wow, that was yummy" I realized I had failed. Not even one day. How pathetic.
xxo
PS Too depressed for new challenge. I'll try again next Monday. I need some chocolate! :)
Happy Birthday to Me! Thanks to all of my friends and family it was a great time! I had a great weekend, with no time to write here. I took a few photos of the gorgeous pink blossoms at Balboa Park, but other than that I was running around with friends and eating everything in the Valley. I got some really cool presents that will make for fun blogging. I got a cool purse-sized moleskine notebook and then the FLIP for mini movie making. Aren't you sooooo psyched that you will soon be seeing weekly kitty cam videos? Woo-Hoo!! Thank you for all the good wishes and fun!
xxo
Nice picture though it doesn't relieve stress for me. Standing on that spot looking at the scene personally would be... read more
on Stress is not stronger than this beauty!