Almost two months later, we can discuss Sex and the City. I trust you have all had the opportunity to see it.
Thanks to Sarah, who won tickets she couldn't use and subsequently gave to me, I got to go to the preview at the Boston Common Loews on the Tuesday night before it opened. Judi and I met at the theater an hour before it began and stood in line. There were two lines, but we were told that the line we were in would be let in first, so we stayed where we were. The two gay men in front of us were pretty fabulous - partners in their mid-to-late forties and hilarious. They were SO pumped for this movie. The ladies behind us looked like college underclassmen and were clearly dressed to the nines for the event. The line started moving and just as we got up to the front of it, they made us wait and let some of the people in the other line go in! We wound up getting into the first theater (two were showing it), but the only seats left were in the SECOND row! When I went out to get popcorn just before it started was when I realized there was a second theater, and had we been about 20 people back in the line, we would have had our pick of seats! Luckily it only took a few minutes to adjust to the up-close-and-personal view.
I didn't have a lot of expectations going into the movie. Truth be told, I didn't actually watch the show until it went off the air. I saw most of them on CW reruns and then got the entire season on dvd for Christmas two years ago and watched it start-to-finish then. I hoped the movie would be entertaining and result in a happy ending, but other than that I didn't hope for anything else.
You see, I'm not a big (ahem) fan of the Big and Carrie relationship. Not only do I not think Chris Noth is particularly attractive (I'm sorry - I just don't get it), but I think the character of Big is a little obnoxious for my taste. I also feel that WAY too many things went wrong in their relationship to result in a perfect, happy ending. The movie just proved my point.
Yes, I was always on Team Aidan. I was kind of hoping to see him in the movie, but I understood why he wasn't written in.
I was really happy with the other three ladies' storylines in the movie, and I am so glad Samantha wound up single at the end -- it just wouldn't have been "her" any other way. The Miranda storyline was great, too... it showed the rocky road some couples go through, but the problem wasn't so awful that their happy result was far-fetched. And, of course, Charlotte was 100% Charlotte in the movie as well.
Even though I didn't necessarily agree with the Big/Carrie "happy" ending, I really liked the movie. Quite entertaining, and worth it just for the reaction of the people in our theater when the credits started to roll. The fabulously gay middle-aged couple (who wound up sitting next to me) stood up, clapped, and whistled enthusiastically, yelling "Those are our girls!!"
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Seattle
Did you hear about Manny's little jaywalking escapade last night? I love that he was reprimanded for it! I'm sure I jaywalked in that very city last August and was fine. :)
Did you see the street performers' little song about it? It's not up on youtube yet, so check it out here. I love Boston!
I am so on top of things here. I often talk about the Sox, so that's no surprise, but I've even been blogging about Seattle recently!
So, I didn't book a flight to see Vancouver, though I do like the way all your minds work. Last night I did send him an "I was talking about Seattle recently (note how I didn't say, 'I blogged about you last week' and my blog buddies think we're mfeo*) and I might miss you a little. Shh, don't tell anyone." Also love that I told him not to tell anyone and am now posting it on the internet. I figured I'd toss him one of those, since he has told me he missed me 5-6 times over the course of the year and I've yet to say it once. It IS fun to flirt, isn't it ladies?
* If you got the Sleepless in Seattle reference there, you're my kind of people.
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Did you see the street performers' little song about it? It's not up on youtube yet, so check it out here. I love Boston!
I am so on top of things here. I often talk about the Sox, so that's no surprise, but I've even been blogging about Seattle recently!
So, I didn't book a flight to see Vancouver, though I do like the way all your minds work. Last night I did send him an "I was talking about Seattle recently (note how I didn't say, 'I blogged about you last week' and my blog buddies think we're mfeo*) and I might miss you a little. Shh, don't tell anyone." Also love that I told him not to tell anyone and am now posting it on the internet. I figured I'd toss him one of those, since he has told me he missed me 5-6 times over the course of the year and I've yet to say it once. It IS fun to flirt, isn't it ladies?
* If you got the Sleepless in Seattle reference there, you're my kind of people.
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Monday, July 21, 2008
Funny West Coast Signs, Part 1
Seattle Edition
This club is on the water, near the docks. While I was snapping the picture, the bouncer winked at Beth and said, "Have an erotic day."
A construction site about a block away from our hotel. Zero hours without an accident. THAT is impressive!!
A bachelor party coming from the game. They all had nicknames on the backs of their shirts... um, yeah.
I totally tapped this guy on the shoulder and said, "I love your tshirt. Do you mind turning around so I can take a picture of it? K, thanks!"
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Friday, July 18, 2008
the subject I mentioned earlier that I said I would possibly elaborate on later
As soon as the summer hit, my condo hunting picked up in full swing. I checked my daily property emails, well, daily... looked through the papers, hit up a couple of open houses, and went with my realtor to many appointments for viewings.
Almost two weeks ago, I saw a place that I really loved. In many ways, it was what I WASN'T looking for: 8 story building, 1 bedroom, no separate entrance. But I really liked it and it was the only one out of the dozens I've seen in person, in my price range, that I could picture myself living in.
A few days later, I took my mom along to see it. Three days after that, we took my dad to see it too. Each time I viewed it, I liked it more.
It was 850 square feet -- big for a one bedroom! It had a view of the water, a WALK-IN closet in the bedroom, a big bathroom, a washer/dryer in the unit, stainless steel appliances, and granite countertops. There was a space between the kitchen and living room where I could totally add a beautiful breakfast bar. You were allowed one dog or cat. There was PLENTY of visitor parking. I spoke with a resident of the building who loves it there, and said that in that end of the hallway, there were people mostly in their late twenties and early-to-mid thirties. Perfect.
On Tuesday night at about 9, I called my realtor and said I'd like to put an offer in, and asked if we could meet the next afternoon to do so. His response was, "no time like the present." We met up then and put the offer in writing; he called the sellers' broker, and the process began.
By 11 am the next day, he had text messaged me (knowing I was teaching summer school) with the sellers' counter offer. We went back and forth twice each, and at the end I got them down to exactly what I wanted with the $1500, only 3-year old, washer/dryer added in. We formed a verbal agreement. I met up with the realtor (who is someone I had known before this process but has actually become a friend this week) at 7 and signed the new offer. It was at this point that I allowed myself to become excited. I'd been really good about not picturing myself in the place, not furnishing it in my head, not mentally filling that gorgeous closet. But as soon as I signed my name to that final, accepted, offer, I was pumped. I swung by my parents' house to share the good news; I called 3-4 friends, I left a voicemail in which a friend said I sounded extremely excited. I mentally filled that closet. I decided I'd get a cat, and wait to get a dog in case I get married in the next decade. (Then my husband can walk him at 6 am in the dead of winter... totally makes sense, right?) My realtor put the paper in one of the seller's hands at 9:30 PM, and said she seemed all excited. She said she'd get it right back to him. My excitement grew.
At 10:20 PM, I got an "Are you up?" text from my realtor, and even as I was replying, "yup..." I still didn't get that sinking feeling. When my phone rang and I answered it and received a, "hey," I could tell by the tone of his voice that something was wrong. Next came, "you're not going to believe this."
I sat down.
Thirteen minutes (13!!!) after the sellers were handed my paperwork, they received an email offer for $5,000 more. My realtor went on to explain that normally he would think this was a scam to get me to offer more, but he knew the broker and she seemed to be as shocked as he was. When the broker called the sellers to tell them about the new offer, they replied, "thanks so much for telling us. If you hadn't we would have accepted the lower offer without knowing. You did the ethical thing." The broker replied, "Actually, I legally HAVE TO tell you. And if you want to talk ethics, you've already given your word to another buyer." This did not change their mind.
I was totally crushed. I felt as though the ONE thing that seemed to go totally right in my life lately didn't work out. My realtor was in shock and felt so badly. He insisted that the sellers' broker actually felt badly too, and no one in their office could believe it. In this slow marker, two offers for the same property came in within 15 minutes? R (realtor) told me to think about what I wanted to do -- how badly I wanted the place -- and call him back to let him know if I was going to match the offer. I thought about it, I called my parents, I thought about it some more. At midnight (yes, midnight!) I called R back and told him I still didn't have an answer. He said he'd heard from the broker and that the sellers said if I matched the new offer, they'd go with me. But I couldn't help thinking that perhaps this was a sign; maybe I just wasn't meant for this place. R stayed on the phone with me until after 2 AM (!!) and we spent those 2 hours going back and forth, doing pros and cons of matching the offer. I cried. On the phone. To my REALTOR. (hello, pathetic.) He was incredibly nice and said if it were him he'd feel the same way. That he honestly had no idea what I should do. That he couldn't believe this was happening. That he knew I loved this place, but the market is expected to continue to plummet for another 6 months, and would I lose money on this in the long run? He also said if I didn't take it, the higher offer they sold it for would be the "new" price for 1 bedrooms in that building. After all that, I didn't have an answer for him, and he told me to take a nap and get back to him on my way to summer school.
I did manage to fall asleep around 3, since I had had a cold all week and was exhausted, and woke up for summer school at 6. When I arrived there at 7:30, I called him from the parking lot and said I'd match the new offer but go no higher. The whole morning I wondered if I'd done something financially stupid, but nevertheless hoped they'd accept it. Mid-morning I got a text from R that said, "Do NOT get your hopes up, but they want it in writing. I'll meet you outside summer school." (Anyone else find it funny that they went back on their word and screwed me over but they needed MY new offer in writing?!?!) I signed the new offer. Now, do we recall that the sellers said if I matched the offer, they'd go with me??
The wait began.
Around 6 pm last night, R called and said that the broker wanted to know if that was my final offer. I knew that enough was enough, and replied that I loved the place, but as a single teacher, I needed that to be my final offer, and that I hoped they did the right thing.
When I hadn't heard back from him by 9:30, I figured things weren't good, so I got ready for bed and crawled under the covers. As soon as Ross said, "I've gotta go! There's a deer just outside eating fruit from the orchard!" R called. "They took his offer. He went up another $2,000 and they just took it. They fucking suck."
And, really, three truer words were never uttered.
At that point, I couldn't even get upset. I couldn't cry another tear, and I just wanted it to be over. I talked for several minutes with R about how freaking awesome it would be if this deal fell through and they had to come crawling back to me. We laughed about how fantastic it would feel to say, "Um, NO THANKS" or even to start from square one with a low-ball offer.
I asked myself what I would have done if I'd been faced with the moral, ethical situation that the sellers had. I came to the conclusion that while I'd be incredibly disappointed, I would have taken MY offer -- the one that we verbally agreed upon. I understand that not everyone is as "fair is fair" as I am (it's a job hazard), and perhaps not everyone could have passed up $5,000. But I am convinced that 90% of people would have taken MY offer when I matched that $5,000 ... and not played the two potential buyers off one another get even MORE money.
I texted and called the friends I'd given fantastic news to just 24 hours before. I asked them what they would have done, and only one of them said he would have done what the sellers did. The rest agreed that they would have been disappointed, but would not have been able to sleep at night knowing that they screwed someone over so badly.
I told myself that R was right ("I promise you this is going to work out. I am going to find you someplace you love just as much! There was a reason this happened.") and just as I fell asleep, I got a very cute, sympathetic text from a good friend. I was asleep by 11 and slept soundly, never waking up once, until 9:30 AM.
And before I even opened my eyes, my first thought was, "I guess some people just suck, but thankfully I have friends and family who don't." Then, I went on with my day.
.
Almost two weeks ago, I saw a place that I really loved. In many ways, it was what I WASN'T looking for: 8 story building, 1 bedroom, no separate entrance. But I really liked it and it was the only one out of the dozens I've seen in person, in my price range, that I could picture myself living in.
A few days later, I took my mom along to see it. Three days after that, we took my dad to see it too. Each time I viewed it, I liked it more.
It was 850 square feet -- big for a one bedroom! It had a view of the water, a WALK-IN closet in the bedroom, a big bathroom, a washer/dryer in the unit, stainless steel appliances, and granite countertops. There was a space between the kitchen and living room where I could totally add a beautiful breakfast bar. You were allowed one dog or cat. There was PLENTY of visitor parking. I spoke with a resident of the building who loves it there, and said that in that end of the hallway, there were people mostly in their late twenties and early-to-mid thirties. Perfect.
On Tuesday night at about 9, I called my realtor and said I'd like to put an offer in, and asked if we could meet the next afternoon to do so. His response was, "no time like the present." We met up then and put the offer in writing; he called the sellers' broker, and the process began.
By 11 am the next day, he had text messaged me (knowing I was teaching summer school) with the sellers' counter offer. We went back and forth twice each, and at the end I got them down to exactly what I wanted with the $1500, only 3-year old, washer/dryer added in. We formed a verbal agreement. I met up with the realtor (who is someone I had known before this process but has actually become a friend this week) at 7 and signed the new offer. It was at this point that I allowed myself to become excited. I'd been really good about not picturing myself in the place, not furnishing it in my head, not mentally filling that gorgeous closet. But as soon as I signed my name to that final, accepted, offer, I was pumped. I swung by my parents' house to share the good news; I called 3-4 friends, I left a voicemail in which a friend said I sounded extremely excited. I mentally filled that closet. I decided I'd get a cat, and wait to get a dog in case I get married in the next decade. (Then my husband can walk him at 6 am in the dead of winter... totally makes sense, right?) My realtor put the paper in one of the seller's hands at 9:30 PM, and said she seemed all excited. She said she'd get it right back to him. My excitement grew.
At 10:20 PM, I got an "Are you up?" text from my realtor, and even as I was replying, "yup..." I still didn't get that sinking feeling. When my phone rang and I answered it and received a, "hey," I could tell by the tone of his voice that something was wrong. Next came, "you're not going to believe this."
I sat down.
Thirteen minutes (13!!!) after the sellers were handed my paperwork, they received an email offer for $5,000 more. My realtor went on to explain that normally he would think this was a scam to get me to offer more, but he knew the broker and she seemed to be as shocked as he was. When the broker called the sellers to tell them about the new offer, they replied, "thanks so much for telling us. If you hadn't we would have accepted the lower offer without knowing. You did the ethical thing." The broker replied, "Actually, I legally HAVE TO tell you. And if you want to talk ethics, you've already given your word to another buyer." This did not change their mind.
I was totally crushed. I felt as though the ONE thing that seemed to go totally right in my life lately didn't work out. My realtor was in shock and felt so badly. He insisted that the sellers' broker actually felt badly too, and no one in their office could believe it. In this slow marker, two offers for the same property came in within 15 minutes? R (realtor) told me to think about what I wanted to do -- how badly I wanted the place -- and call him back to let him know if I was going to match the offer. I thought about it, I called my parents, I thought about it some more. At midnight (yes, midnight!) I called R back and told him I still didn't have an answer. He said he'd heard from the broker and that the sellers said if I matched the new offer, they'd go with me. But I couldn't help thinking that perhaps this was a sign; maybe I just wasn't meant for this place. R stayed on the phone with me until after 2 AM (!!) and we spent those 2 hours going back and forth, doing pros and cons of matching the offer. I cried. On the phone. To my REALTOR. (hello, pathetic.) He was incredibly nice and said if it were him he'd feel the same way. That he honestly had no idea what I should do. That he couldn't believe this was happening. That he knew I loved this place, but the market is expected to continue to plummet for another 6 months, and would I lose money on this in the long run? He also said if I didn't take it, the higher offer they sold it for would be the "new" price for 1 bedrooms in that building. After all that, I didn't have an answer for him, and he told me to take a nap and get back to him on my way to summer school.
I did manage to fall asleep around 3, since I had had a cold all week and was exhausted, and woke up for summer school at 6. When I arrived there at 7:30, I called him from the parking lot and said I'd match the new offer but go no higher. The whole morning I wondered if I'd done something financially stupid, but nevertheless hoped they'd accept it. Mid-morning I got a text from R that said, "Do NOT get your hopes up, but they want it in writing. I'll meet you outside summer school." (Anyone else find it funny that they went back on their word and screwed me over but they needed MY new offer in writing?!?!) I signed the new offer. Now, do we recall that the sellers said if I matched the offer, they'd go with me??
The wait began.
Around 6 pm last night, R called and said that the broker wanted to know if that was my final offer. I knew that enough was enough, and replied that I loved the place, but as a single teacher, I needed that to be my final offer, and that I hoped they did the right thing.
When I hadn't heard back from him by 9:30, I figured things weren't good, so I got ready for bed and crawled under the covers. As soon as Ross said, "I've gotta go! There's a deer just outside eating fruit from the orchard!" R called. "They took his offer. He went up another $2,000 and they just took it. They fucking suck."
And, really, three truer words were never uttered.
At that point, I couldn't even get upset. I couldn't cry another tear, and I just wanted it to be over. I talked for several minutes with R about how freaking awesome it would be if this deal fell through and they had to come crawling back to me. We laughed about how fantastic it would feel to say, "Um, NO THANKS" or even to start from square one with a low-ball offer.
I asked myself what I would have done if I'd been faced with the moral, ethical situation that the sellers had. I came to the conclusion that while I'd be incredibly disappointed, I would have taken MY offer -- the one that we verbally agreed upon. I understand that not everyone is as "fair is fair" as I am (it's a job hazard), and perhaps not everyone could have passed up $5,000. But I am convinced that 90% of people would have taken MY offer when I matched that $5,000 ... and not played the two potential buyers off one another get even MORE money.
I texted and called the friends I'd given fantastic news to just 24 hours before. I asked them what they would have done, and only one of them said he would have done what the sellers did. The rest agreed that they would have been disappointed, but would not have been able to sleep at night knowing that they screwed someone over so badly.
I told myself that R was right ("I promise you this is going to work out. I am going to find you someplace you love just as much! There was a reason this happened.") and just as I fell asleep, I got a very cute, sympathetic text from a good friend. I was asleep by 11 and slept soundly, never waking up once, until 9:30 AM.
And before I even opened my eyes, my first thought was, "I guess some people just suck, but thankfully I have friends and family who don't." Then, I went on with my day.
.
survey time!
I borrowed this from Tall Red Amanda and AmyB. If you play, let me know.
1) In five words, explain what ended your last friendship? Not enough effort from them
2) How was your prom night? All were fine; none were spectacular.
3) Do you have any famous relatives? not that I know of; though a great uncle was a famous war hero, apparently
4) Have you taken out loans to pay for college? I certainly did, but I managed to pay them all off within a few years.
5) What did you receive last in the mail? a bill... ah, being a grown up
6) What beverages have you drank today? Water
7) Do you leave nasty messages on people’s answering machines? nope
8 ) What’s the most painful surgical procedure you’ve had done? frenectomy
9) What is out your back door? grill, chairs, stairs to the upstairs deck
10) Do you usually go out on the weekends? whenever I can, meaning whenever friends are available to hang out
11) Do you like what the ocean does to your hair? not much does anything to my hair... sometimes I wish something could be done to it!
12) Have you ever visited a planetarium or do you even know what one is? I went to one when I was little
13) What is your favorite flavor of pudding? I'm a plain vanilla or chocolate girl, but when I was a kid I loved tapioca
14) Describe your keychains: just a key ring with 2 house keys to my place, a key to my parents' house, my car key, and cards to the gym and Stop & Shop
15) Where do you keep your change? in a little basket under my desk
16) When was the last time you got up and spoke in front of a large crowd? I sang in front of a large crowd last weekend
17) What kind of winter coat do you have? I have 3, but the one I wear most is a grey hooded short jacket
18) What was the weather like on your graduation day? High school it was POURING and it had to be inside for the first time in 14 years. College was nice and sunny. Can't remember grad school because it was at night and indoors anyway.
19) Do you sleep with the door to your bedroom open or closed? closed
20) Is there anything purple within 20 feet of you? a magnet from my alma mater
21) What is the strangest thing you’ve put in the microwave? I don't think I have put anything strange in it?
22) Can you speak any Japanese? not even a little
23) Do you look good in the color yellow? not bad in a pale yellow I suppose
24) Do you spit or smoke? ew, no
25) What is your favorite color(s)? blue or purple
26) Ever played an instrument? guitar... and flute from 5th to 8th grade
27) Do you believe in Bigfoot, or Sasquatch? no
28) Ever been to a palm reader? at the allnight graduation party in high school?
29) Did they tell you the truth about your future? ha, I don't remember what she said
30) What are you thinking about at this very moment? besides this survey? the subject of the post from yesterday, that I might elaborate on later
31) Have you ever received a black eye? not in the traditional way. I think I had black eyes from the almost-broken nose I got from the air bag in the car accident a couple years ago
32) What is your biggest current disappointment? the subject of the post from yesterday, that I might elaborate on later
33) What are some of your favorite drinks? water, diet coke, skim milk, smirnoff ice LIGHT
34) Do you have anything that hurts on your body at this time? my neck is a little sore from sleeping in the same position for the 10 1/2 much-needed hours!
35) Have you ever ridden in a taxi? many a time
36) What is the last alcoholic drink you had? sex on a beach
37) Did you do anything special last night? watched Good Luck Chuck, made and received the appropriate phone calls regarding the subject I may elaborate on later, and went to bed at 11
38) What is your very favorite food? the other ladies put good-for-you fruits here, and here I am with PASTA.
1) In five words, explain what ended your last friendship? Not enough effort from them
2) How was your prom night? All were fine; none were spectacular.
3) Do you have any famous relatives? not that I know of; though a great uncle was a famous war hero, apparently
4) Have you taken out loans to pay for college? I certainly did, but I managed to pay them all off within a few years.
5) What did you receive last in the mail? a bill... ah, being a grown up
6) What beverages have you drank today? Water
7) Do you leave nasty messages on people’s answering machines? nope
8 ) What’s the most painful surgical procedure you’ve had done? frenectomy
9) What is out your back door? grill, chairs, stairs to the upstairs deck
10) Do you usually go out on the weekends? whenever I can, meaning whenever friends are available to hang out
11) Do you like what the ocean does to your hair? not much does anything to my hair... sometimes I wish something could be done to it!
12) Have you ever visited a planetarium or do you even know what one is? I went to one when I was little
13) What is your favorite flavor of pudding? I'm a plain vanilla or chocolate girl, but when I was a kid I loved tapioca
14) Describe your keychains: just a key ring with 2 house keys to my place, a key to my parents' house, my car key, and cards to the gym and Stop & Shop
15) Where do you keep your change? in a little basket under my desk
16) When was the last time you got up and spoke in front of a large crowd? I sang in front of a large crowd last weekend
17) What kind of winter coat do you have? I have 3, but the one I wear most is a grey hooded short jacket
18) What was the weather like on your graduation day? High school it was POURING and it had to be inside for the first time in 14 years. College was nice and sunny. Can't remember grad school because it was at night and indoors anyway.
19) Do you sleep with the door to your bedroom open or closed? closed
20) Is there anything purple within 20 feet of you? a magnet from my alma mater
21) What is the strangest thing you’ve put in the microwave? I don't think I have put anything strange in it?
22) Can you speak any Japanese? not even a little
23) Do you look good in the color yellow? not bad in a pale yellow I suppose
24) Do you spit or smoke? ew, no
25) What is your favorite color(s)? blue or purple
26) Ever played an instrument? guitar... and flute from 5th to 8th grade
27) Do you believe in Bigfoot, or Sasquatch? no
28) Ever been to a palm reader? at the allnight graduation party in high school?
29) Did they tell you the truth about your future? ha, I don't remember what she said
30) What are you thinking about at this very moment? besides this survey? the subject of the post from yesterday, that I might elaborate on later
31) Have you ever received a black eye? not in the traditional way. I think I had black eyes from the almost-broken nose I got from the air bag in the car accident a couple years ago
32) What is your biggest current disappointment? the subject of the post from yesterday, that I might elaborate on later
33) What are some of your favorite drinks? water, diet coke, skim milk, smirnoff ice LIGHT
34) Do you have anything that hurts on your body at this time? my neck is a little sore from sleeping in the same position for the 10 1/2 much-needed hours!
35) Have you ever ridden in a taxi? many a time
36) What is the last alcoholic drink you had? sex on a beach
37) Did you do anything special last night? watched Good Luck Chuck, made and received the appropriate phone calls regarding the subject I may elaborate on later, and went to bed at 11
38) What is your very favorite food? the other ladies put good-for-you fruits here, and here I am with PASTA.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
then don't marry one...
I will update you on the ridiculousness that is ensuing around me at some point, but not until it's a complete done deal and the "jinx factor time period" is over. On what is a very nerveracking day, this made me smile.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Vancouvah
Remember the west coast trip my friend Beth and I went on last August that I promised to tell you all about? I'm actually going to DO that, whaddayaknow! Today's story is about my friend, Vancouver.
Saturday night after the game, we headed to one of the area bars for a few drinks. It was a great atmosphere -- locals were really nice and we met several fellow Sox fans to talk with. At our second bar of the evening, we headed upstairs where, upon reaching the last step, I was approached by a nice, young journalist from, like, Montana. As soon as he excused himself to get a drink from the bar, a cute guy in Sox shirt came over and said, "I just met your friend Beth and I couldn't wait for that guy to step aside so I could see if your Boston accent is as strong as hers." He said he'd been sitting at the table watching me since we walked in, and we hit it off immediately. I noticed his accent and asked where he was from...... Vancouver, B.C.
Not Vancouver, Washington (which, you know, would have been almost as ridiculous) but Vancouver, CANADA.
I asked him how he came to be a Sox fan if he'd lived in Vancouver his whole life, and his answer was pretty great. His grandfather was a Yankees fan, and when his sons (Vancouvah's dad and uncles) were teenagers, they become Sox fans for no reason other than to annoy him. Of course, as is easy to do, they wound up falling in love with the Boston boys of summer. Their children - Vancouver included- followed suit.
Beth and the friend he was travelling with hit it off as well, and we all spent a really fun night getting to know each other. The next morning we were sleepy from all the chatting and drinking, and we missed our Seattle Duck Tour. I spent a few minutes trying to convince them we should all go, even though we were so tired and perhaps even a wee bit hungover. (We can see the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat, guys!!") but for whatever reason they didn't care to see where Tom Hanks pranced about so many years ago. I KNOW!
We all groggily looked at one another at 12:15 and realized that we had 50 minutes to get showered, dressed, and walk to the game by first pitch. Beth and I are no slouches when it comes to making games on time (and staying until the VERY end). I am proud to say we walked in at 1:05 and were in our seats, drinks in hand, at 1:10. Vancouver called at 1:45: "We just got to our seats... are you girls almost here?" I responded that we'd been there for over half an hour and what the hell were they doing to miss the first inning and a half of a great game?
He later told me that's when he knew for sure that I was the real deal. :)
We wound up having 2 empty seats next to us in the outfield, so the boys gave up their first baseline seats to come out and sit with us. We had a great time at the game that afternoon.
This is not a flattering picture of either of us, but it's the only one I have of him with his shades on, and you never know with you creepy internet stalkers:
I think he was a little in awe of women who like baseball. They're all hockey folk up there. I think because he knew he had nothing to lose (or gain, given the distance), he told me that he wished we lived closer so he could ask me out and send me flowers to work! Cute.
Sidenote: He was Man #3 to tell me he WANTED to send me flowers to work. The only actual man to send me flowers? Matt. Seriously, gentlemen.
Ok, this one is from far enough away that you probably won't recognize him on the street the next time you're walking through the streets of Canada looking for random people I mention on my blog:
Beth and I had to catch a plane that left about 2.5 hours after the game ended, and we still needed to get our luggage from the hotel and take the 30-minute shuttle back to the airport. The four of us walked together as far as we could until we had to separate... us toward the hotel, and them (they, I know) for post-game drinks at a sports bar. He held my hand and asked if we could stay in touch, to which I laughed and told him I keep in touch as often as most people shower, but he didn't laugh. He told me he wished we didn't live so far away and that he'd never forget me. The look in his eyes told me he really meant it. He kissed me and as I backed away, his eyes locked mine and he didn't let go of my hand until our fingers no longer touched. It was as close to a movie goodbye as I think I'm ever going to get!
As we got on the plane to LA, I got a text message from him saying it was nice to meet both of us and that he's only been to Boston once, but would love to travel there again, and that he would be in touch. I thought it was really nice but wasn't sure if he was the sort of person to actually keep in touch, given the distance. I mean, he lives in VANCOUVER. CANADA. Like, across the entire country. And then out of it.
Beth and I had both struggled with ridiculous men in the previous years, so we figured it was just our luck to meet 2 nice guys who seemed interested, were best friends already, and could handle the two of us together (it's quite an experience), but they lived in VANCOUVER. Which is where "Vancouvah!" started. Beth's Boston accent is better/worse than mine, and the two of us would take turns randomly saying, "Vancouvah!" for the rest of the trip. Both hers and mine are referred to as Vancouver (he's seriously programmed in my cell phone as that, lest I forget how many thousands of miles away he is when he sends a cute text).
We have actually kept in touch throughout the almost-year since we met. In fact, we watched the last 2 innings of the World Series win "together." I was supposed to have plans with my roommate to watch the game, and while that's a story for another day, I wound up home, alone, just as the first pitch was being thrown out. He called during the second inning to ask if I was having fun and I told him what happened. He was on his way to a Canucks game with some friends, but checked in with me about twice an inning for the whole night. He called during the 8th inning and we stayed on the phone watching together. Me, in my PJs sprawled on my bed tummy down, closest to the TV and he in a luxury box at a hockey game, with his chair turned away from hockey and toward a 13 inch TV screen behind the bar that had the baseball game on. Turns out that he had HD and I didn't, but he refused to celebrate the final out until I saw it and then we cheered together. Cuteness, I know. (Obviously we're just friends given the distance, and while I hope we see each other again sometime, if we don't I have a great memory of that weekend, and I'll always associate him with Vancouver and smile.)
Last week I got a great story from him, via three text messages: I have to tell you that I had a dream about you last night. It was hilarious. We both knew we were dreaming and we decided to fly. We were up in Whistler, BC, and we were soaring down the mountain and we ended up in a room by floating through a window. That was after it took me some time to convince you to try it .... then, we flew down into a cool room with a fire pit in the middle. We built a huge fire and then I totally hit on you.... Thanks for an awesome dream!!
I responded: Thanks for the unique date before hitting on me. No one's ever taken me flying before! Was it good for you? ;)
.
Saturday night after the game, we headed to one of the area bars for a few drinks. It was a great atmosphere -- locals were really nice and we met several fellow Sox fans to talk with. At our second bar of the evening, we headed upstairs where, upon reaching the last step, I was approached by a nice, young journalist from, like, Montana. As soon as he excused himself to get a drink from the bar, a cute guy in Sox shirt came over and said, "I just met your friend Beth and I couldn't wait for that guy to step aside so I could see if your Boston accent is as strong as hers." He said he'd been sitting at the table watching me since we walked in, and we hit it off immediately. I noticed his accent and asked where he was from...... Vancouver, B.C.
Not Vancouver, Washington (which, you know, would have been almost as ridiculous) but Vancouver, CANADA.
I asked him how he came to be a Sox fan if he'd lived in Vancouver his whole life, and his answer was pretty great. His grandfather was a Yankees fan, and when his sons (Vancouvah's dad and uncles) were teenagers, they become Sox fans for no reason other than to annoy him. Of course, as is easy to do, they wound up falling in love with the Boston boys of summer. Their children - Vancouver included- followed suit.
Beth and the friend he was travelling with hit it off as well, and we all spent a really fun night getting to know each other. The next morning we were sleepy from all the chatting and drinking, and we missed our Seattle Duck Tour. I spent a few minutes trying to convince them we should all go, even though we were so tired and perhaps even a wee bit hungover. (We can see the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat, guys!!") but for whatever reason they didn't care to see where Tom Hanks pranced about so many years ago. I KNOW!
We all groggily looked at one another at 12:15 and realized that we had 50 minutes to get showered, dressed, and walk to the game by first pitch. Beth and I are no slouches when it comes to making games on time (and staying until the VERY end). I am proud to say we walked in at 1:05 and were in our seats, drinks in hand, at 1:10. Vancouver called at 1:45: "We just got to our seats... are you girls almost here?" I responded that we'd been there for over half an hour and what the hell were they doing to miss the first inning and a half of a great game?
He later told me that's when he knew for sure that I was the real deal. :)
We wound up having 2 empty seats next to us in the outfield, so the boys gave up their first baseline seats to come out and sit with us. We had a great time at the game that afternoon.
This is not a flattering picture of either of us, but it's the only one I have of him with his shades on, and you never know with you creepy internet stalkers:
I think he was a little in awe of women who like baseball. They're all hockey folk up there. I think because he knew he had nothing to lose (or gain, given the distance), he told me that he wished we lived closer so he could ask me out and send me flowers to work! Cute.
Sidenote: He was Man #3 to tell me he WANTED to send me flowers to work. The only actual man to send me flowers? Matt. Seriously, gentlemen.
Ok, this one is from far enough away that you probably won't recognize him on the street the next time you're walking through the streets of Canada looking for random people I mention on my blog:
Beth and I had to catch a plane that left about 2.5 hours after the game ended, and we still needed to get our luggage from the hotel and take the 30-minute shuttle back to the airport. The four of us walked together as far as we could until we had to separate... us toward the hotel, and them (they, I know) for post-game drinks at a sports bar. He held my hand and asked if we could stay in touch, to which I laughed and told him I keep in touch as often as most people shower, but he didn't laugh. He told me he wished we didn't live so far away and that he'd never forget me. The look in his eyes told me he really meant it. He kissed me and as I backed away, his eyes locked mine and he didn't let go of my hand until our fingers no longer touched. It was as close to a movie goodbye as I think I'm ever going to get!
As we got on the plane to LA, I got a text message from him saying it was nice to meet both of us and that he's only been to Boston once, but would love to travel there again, and that he would be in touch. I thought it was really nice but wasn't sure if he was the sort of person to actually keep in touch, given the distance. I mean, he lives in VANCOUVER. CANADA. Like, across the entire country. And then out of it.
Beth and I had both struggled with ridiculous men in the previous years, so we figured it was just our luck to meet 2 nice guys who seemed interested, were best friends already, and could handle the two of us together (it's quite an experience), but they lived in VANCOUVER. Which is where "Vancouvah!" started. Beth's Boston accent is better/worse than mine, and the two of us would take turns randomly saying, "Vancouvah!" for the rest of the trip. Both hers and mine are referred to as Vancouver (he's seriously programmed in my cell phone as that, lest I forget how many thousands of miles away he is when he sends a cute text).
We have actually kept in touch throughout the almost-year since we met. In fact, we watched the last 2 innings of the World Series win "together." I was supposed to have plans with my roommate to watch the game, and while that's a story for another day, I wound up home, alone, just as the first pitch was being thrown out. He called during the second inning to ask if I was having fun and I told him what happened. He was on his way to a Canucks game with some friends, but checked in with me about twice an inning for the whole night. He called during the 8th inning and we stayed on the phone watching together. Me, in my PJs sprawled on my bed tummy down, closest to the TV and he in a luxury box at a hockey game, with his chair turned away from hockey and toward a 13 inch TV screen behind the bar that had the baseball game on. Turns out that he had HD and I didn't, but he refused to celebrate the final out until I saw it and then we cheered together. Cuteness, I know. (Obviously we're just friends given the distance, and while I hope we see each other again sometime, if we don't I have a great memory of that weekend, and I'll always associate him with Vancouver and smile.)
Last week I got a great story from him, via three text messages: I have to tell you that I had a dream about you last night. It was hilarious. We both knew we were dreaming and we decided to fly. We were up in Whistler, BC, and we were soaring down the mountain and we ended up in a room by floating through a window. That was after it took me some time to convince you to try it .... then, we flew down into a cool room with a fire pit in the middle. We built a huge fire and then I totally hit on you.... Thanks for an awesome dream!!
I responded: Thanks for the unique date before hitting on me. No one's ever taken me flying before! Was it good for you? ;)
.
Monday, June 30, 2008
I'm Rain...*
I'm feeling very relaxed tonight, for the first time in a while. I went back to yoga in April, but have only made it to class once a week since, usually on Saturday mornings. Tonight, with the first day of teaching Summer School under my belt, I decided to go to the Monday night class. I don't know if it's because I was still flexible from Saturday's stretching, or the fact that my body functions better at 7 pm than it does at 10 am, but I'm totally psyched about how I'm feeling after class. My body isn't tense, even my mind isn't whirling the way it usually does. I came home and did the normal nightly things: dinner, end of the Sox game, checking email, and getting ready for bed. But I'm doing it with a sense of inner peace that I can't explain, but know I haven't felt in a while. I swear I'm not high.
" ... I have my own kiln, and my dress is made out of wheat...."
.
" ... I have my own kiln, and my dress is made out of wheat...."
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