Day 228: Single men to single women

On my way into work today I heard an interesting fact, the ratio of single men to single women in this town is 10 to 1.

Good odds for the ladies one would think, but my experience has been much... much... different.

Even taking a look around on my very quick drive into work I'm reminded why I'm single.

Sure I'm a bit of a victim of circumstance, but that is in the past and just one part of the equation.

The current pool of available and quality men is so shallow, it should be a kiddie pool for goodness sake.

Right after I heard the radio report on the men to women ratio I looked over and I saw a guy in a convertible porsche with the license plate 'CINGLE'.

I immediately thought to myself 'yeah and I'm pretty sure why you're cingle'. You must be one cocky SOB.

When I pointed that theory out to a friend they dismissed it and told me I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Sure, sure, I suppose that's true, but the devil's advocate in me says you should be aware of the image you're portraying, and this guy is saying he's a tool.

As he pulled into the driveway to his office building I couldn't help but think I'm sure his assistant or secretary probably hates it when this guy walks into the office.

Based on my experience, there is a lot of young and very old single men in this town, and perhaps a bunch of $30,000 millionaires trying to remain single to uphold the facade.

I'm not bitter, I'm just saying there isn't a whole lot of quality men... or women out there for that matter. And trying to get the quality people together seems to take an act of God.

But sometimes that does happen and that's what I'm counting on.

Day 229: Living or.. walking on the edge

What a night. The Cheerleader, Sunshine and I all decided to head out to a food festival here in town.

The Cheerleader was already there, and Sunshine and I were going to meet her.

She told us parking was difficult but I had no idea.

I circled the lot so many times a cop stopped me and told me where the public parking lot was located.

We headed that direction but of course we weren't happy with having to park and be bused to the event so we took matters into our own hands.

Sunshine directed me to an empty lot in front of a store that was closed for the day... BINGO!

I parked and we hopped out and started on our way. Unfortunately we weren't planning ahead and when we started walking we realized there was absolutely no shoulder or sidewalk to get us there.

We were walking in the 12 inch space on the asphalt between the paint on the side of the road and a giant hill, with cars heading in our direction.

Did I mention it was uphill and we were both in heels too? There was some seriously bad planning on this one.

We decided we hadn't done something like this since college walking to or home from a party.

At one point we looked up and saw a bus heading toward us in the lane, and we both tensed up.

We didn't have anywhere to go so we just grinned and beared it. Luckily we made it through unscathed, but after the bus zipped by Sunshine said 'oh my God! I think that bus came dangerously close to hitting my purse!'

I thought the same thing, we finally made it to the event and ate some delicious dishes from some great restaurants.

By the time we were ready to start on the hike back to the car it was dark... crap!

This time we were walking with traffic and we realized we were both wearing black... perfect.

We were road kill waiting to happen.

We waited for a line of cars to go before we set out back down the hill in the dark.

About half way down I heard something in the bushes next to me. We were walking in the middle of nowhere so there is no idea what creatures could be lurking out there waiting to pounce on us.

If the cars didn't kill us, the critters would. I heard the sounds a few more times, so we picked up the pace and thankfully made it safely to the car.

It's funny how that small hike has turned into 'living on the edge' for me, but as you get older you also get wiser and perspective is everything.

I'm sure in 10 years I'll look back on this moment and think 'boy was that crazy!'

Day 230: The humiliation continues

Today I was walking in to start the show and I saw a cute boy standing in the lobby.

I wondered who he could be because I know he has to be on our show.

I walked into the studio to say hi to a few people before the show started and took a quick look around but I didn't see him.

When the show started I realized exactly who he was, and I also determined he wasn't all that cute when I saw him on screen.

Darn, that's a total bummer but not as bad as it could have been if I had walked up and tried to put the moves on him.

So much for that idea I guess.

After the show one of the other girls, Joy, asked if she could tell one of the guys about my experience with the bar owner over the weekend.

Ok sure what's it going to hurt at this point right? Everyone else knows, yesterday one of the guys out with us Friday night came over and chimed in about my 'new boyfriend'... perfect.

So Joy told the other guy and he laughed, of course, but no one seems surprised.

Thankfully this isn't the first time this has happened, but evidently I'm the only idiot that actually gave him my number.

What was I thinking? Now my humiliation has spanned the station, it really doesn't get any better than this.

It's definitely time to get serious about finding a man. Not so surprisingly the events of the day reminded me I need to send some pictures to the matchmaker.

The Cheerleader took plenty when we were in Vegas, but I haven't been able to get them from her so I had to make due with what I have.

I really needed to get these pictures off, because I don't want the matchmaker to think I'm not serious.

So I started searching through the photos on my computer and all I can manage to find from the last year involve me at a variety of parties after a few cocktails.

I decided I really didn't look drunk so they were ok to send. I cropped out as many faces and beer bottles as I could from the backgrounds and sent them off with a disclaimer.

The matchmaker emailed me back a few hours later and said they were 'good' but if we could get some others it would be better.

I need to find a photographer, snapshots of me half crocked on my birthday aren't going to cut it. I need to put my best face forward for this, it could be my big chance!

Day 231: Learning to 'just say no'

I made it through most of Monday without a care in the world outside of the usual minor work concerns.

Then about 4 o'clock my plans for the night suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks and I was starting to get very anxious.

A short time ago an ex-boyfriend's mother connected with me on facebook and asked if we could get together to 'catch up'.

This is the guy I like to call shithead... the jerk who broke up with me on my birthday over the phone while I was at work after dating for 2 years.

Yeah... that guy. I loved his family, in fact in hindsight I think I liked them more than I liked him!

But for some reason I'm very bothered by this whole situation. I decided I didn't want to go and then I turned into a baby, I might as well have thrown myself on the ground kicking and screaming, pounding my fists against the floor.

Instead I wondered if it would be acceptable to send a mass email at work to see if anyone had a xanax they would be willing to share with me.

Of course I decided against it, but I was on the verge of having a mini-breakdown just thinking about meeting up with her.

Sunshine and the Coffee Fairy suggested the more acceptable option of grabbing a cocktail before or during the dinner. The problem is, she doesn't drink so that was off the table.

There was just something about it that really bothered me, and I decided I do way too many things out of obligation when I should 'just say no'.

I think it's mostly that I feel it's crossing a boundary of some sort. It's been so long and it's not like we have a reason to stay in touch outside of friendship.

It's been 6 years since I've seen her, so my mind started racing.

Does she have something to tell me? Is he on his death bed and wanting to make ammends for his wrong doings?? That's not a position I would want to be in.

The BFF talked me off the ledge on the drive to the restaurant and when I walked up I was tense but to a point where I felt I could actually do it.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. In fact his name wouldn't have even come up if I hadn't brought it up.

I wasn't planning on it, and I certainly didn't want to pry into his personal life, it just felt very awkward for us to be talking about everyone else in the family except him.

He was the elephant in the room. So I took the high road and asked how he was doing and she filled me in on what was going on.

After it was all over I realized it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, and I don't know why I was so worked up.

We left it with the possibility of getting together again and to stay in touch. I still don't know how I feel about it all, but at least I know it won't cause me any anxiety.

Day 232: The no win set up situation

I woke up hoping I wouldn't get another call from the bar owner.

Thankfully that didn't happen as I started to realize what was going to be a busy weekend had just turned into yet another lazy one and I was perfectly happy about it because I have a busy week ahead of me and I'm still trying to recover from Vegas... oh and Friday night out.

I had plenty planned, but everything fell through, and I'm just glad it did.

The Encourager gave me a quick call to see what I was doing on Friday.

We planned to go to sushi a few days ago, but it was never set in stone so the plans fell through and it was time to reschedule.

After we had it all planned, and were getting ready to say goodbye, she snuck in a little comment 'oh and I'm bringing someone'.

What? Bringing someone? She's got something up her sleeve because if she was bringing her husband or daughter she would have said it.

Why do people feel the need to do this? The last guy she set me up with is the guy I think looks like my brother, so I'm hoping she's not bringing him.

But then again maybe that would be better than the previous plan with this guy which was to have him call me out of the blue, and we never connected.

I'd much rather have a group setting where it's more casual.

Although I am starting to question the entire premise of the 'set up' through friends.

You're in a no win situation. It's hard to say no because you'll get the third degree from your friends, but if you do say yes and you're not interested then you're dragging out the situation.

You also can't just blow the guy off like I did with Starbucks and the bar owner. It doesn't work that way.

I've been giving this a lot of thought recently because the BFF and her boyfriend tried to set me up last weekend.

The guy is funny and we all laughed and had a great time, but I'm just not sure there is anything beyond friendship there.

Don't get me wrong I'm very happy my friends think enough about me to try to set me up, I just don't like being in the middle.

Day 233: The missed call and voicemal

I woke up at 6am on the couch with the tv still on, and I'm pretty sure there was a box of crackers open and in my hand.

What a night. I was exhausted before it started and I was exhausted when I woke up.

I decided to go to the bedroom and try to get a little cat nap in before my 10am massage, but it was not to be.

I forgot the alarm was still set and turned on for the normal work week, so about 30 minutes after going to bed teh alarm went off, then the cats woke up and it was all over for me.

I had a few things to accomplish before I could lay down for nap time, so I hopped in the shower to get ready for the massage.

When I got out and started to dry my hair, the hair dryer broke, now I was in some serious trouble. My hair gets really big and fuzzy without drying it. I can control most of it, but the bangs are a different story.

They curl up like a poodle, think 1980's hair claw without the structure, they are just a big fuzzy mess. I really don't care at this point I just need to get through the next couple of hours and then I can sleep and worry about getting a new hair dryer.

During the massage I can't even speak. The massage therapist tried to engage me in some conversation, but she would say something and it would take about 3 seconds for it to register, and another 3 for a response to come out of my mouth.

From there I headed over to a local boutique where I needed to pick up a few pieces I was having altered.

When I walked up the owner showed me a few new sale items she had set up on a rack on the sidewalk, and then she went inside.

When I finally walked in one of her workers was waiting for me with a mimosa in hand.

Drinking was really the last thing I had on my mind, but I knew a little hair of the dog may not hurt so I grabbed it and took a sip.

She said 'You looked like you needed a mimosa... are you hungover?'

Wow, how could she tell? Was it my ginormous hair or my bloodshot eyes and lack of makeup. Ugh... I just needed to get in and out, but I found a few things on the sale rack that interested me so I was off to the dressing room.

She is always so great to find things to help out (she's a great salesperson), she grabbed a shirt to go with the skirt, then she asked her worker to grab the belt that had a 'cougar' on it.

Really? Come on now... am I really going to subtly advertise I'm a cougar? She laughed and said 'it's fun! why not?' I had to agree, once I put it on I really did like it and why not put it on there and poke a little fun at myself.

The conversation turned to dating, and someone I mentioned dating a 26 year old. Her eye's perked up and she said 'really? what happened?' I told her I was a litle freaked by the age, and she proceeded to explain to me younger guys are much better. I believe her exact statement was 'once they hit 40 they slow down in the sack'.

O-K.... now that's something to look forward to. I guess I'll cross that bridge when and if I come to it.

I bought a few things and headed home for a date with my couch.

I turned the ringer on the phone off and set out to watch the baseball game and fall into a deep slumber.

When I finally woke up and was coherant I took a look to see if I had a message from the Encourager. We talked about going for sushi, but nothing was set in stone.

I looked at the phone and I had brief moment of anxiety. There was one missed call and a voice mail from a number that wasn't programmed into my phone.... crap!

I reluctantly listened. It was the bar owner from last night. He wanted to see if I wanted to go to a bar and watch a football game with him.

Oh crap! How did he remember who I was or who the number belonged to?! I quickly called Sunshine to fill her in on all the details.

She said 'what are you going to do? you can't just ignore him like you did the Starbuck's guy because you have to go back in there. it's our hangout, what are you going to do?'

I had no idea what I was going to do that's why I called Sunshine!! Crap! I'm the queen of avoiding confrontation and this was something I was going to have to face eventually.

Sunshine didn't know either so she asked if we could call one of her good friends who knows the owner really well. At the risk of complete and total embarassment I agree because I need some help on this one.

She did a 3 way call and proeeded to explain the situation. Her friend laughed a little then told her husband what happened, he laughed and said 'just ignore him it's fine', she agreed which was music to my ears.

How is this my life? If I'm not a cougar in training, I'm getting picked up on by old men. What the heck?!

I ended up ignoring the message, by the time I listened to it the game was pretty much over anyway, and I guess I'll just have to play it off the next time I'm in there.

Day 234: One drink turns into a surprising night out

There is no doubt it has been a long week, 3 days in Vegas felt like 6 and then 2 more days of work past that... ugh.

The only thing getting me through the day is the thought of going home and resting, and then it happened.

Sunshine looked at me and said 'you want to go get a drink after work? I really need one'.

Here's the deal, you don't say no to Sunshine. Somehow you always get talked into going for a drink, although I always try, but alas it wasn't going to work today any more than it works any other day.

After work we headed to our favorite dive bar up the road from work. We met up with a few of her friends and had a few beers.

Before too long one of the other girls from work showed up and it was a mini-party.

By 9, Sunshine was calling it quits, and I should have too, but I didn't. I didn't even want to go out, how is it that I've outlasted the girl who did?!

More people showed up and we kept the party going. At one point we were all outside and we started chatting with the owner, who has a gruff exterior but deep down inside he's a softy.

Myself and one of the other girls recognized this (because we're both Midwesterners and it's a pretty common characteristic there) so we started to draw him out of his shell a little bit. I guess we're just too charming because by the time we were done he was really chatty.

We walked across the street to the neighboring bar and before we knew it he was there. The fact he was there was surprising because he hates that bar, he even bought a round of drinks, which is even more surprising because I doubt he really wanted to spend his money at his competition.

Before too long he looked at me and said 'write down your number'. I didn't know what to do, so I wrote it down. I'm not exactly sure why, he's quite a bit older... like in his 60's older.... and I suppose somewhere deep down the respect your elders thing played in and that's why I did it.

It's certainly not like I'm interested in the guy. Before too long it was closing time and we all went our seperate ways. I pretty much ran to my car because I didn't want to get caught in an awkward situation with the guy, but he has my number so that could be difficult down the road.

The best I can hope for is that he won't remember who I am or what the number is for, or maybe that he will lose the matches.

Day 235: The disappearing questionaire

The biggest and most important thing on my agenda for today is to get my phone fixed.

I can't handle being this out of touch with the world, not to mention I can't even turn the ringer off or down, or alter the alarm in any way.

For the last 2 days I've had to take the battery out after the alarm goes off, because the only button I can hit is 'snooze' and it keeps going off every 10 minutes.

The only way I can get it to stop is by taking the battery off. At least that's something I can still do.

The other problem with that is, the alarm isn't even set for the right time to get me up and to work on time.

So you guessed it once again I was late to work, but I'm pretty sure the boss won't care as long as he knows I'm coming back in one piece without being thrown into jail and tattoo free.

After work I was exhausted but I needed to fill out the matchmaker application I started last week.

I immediately jumped online to start completing it after getting a call from the gal the Cheerleader set me up with, but there were some questions that involved a lot of thought and I couldn't quite get it finished.

There is no way to save the form, so I had to leave it up on my computer and hope for the best.

Surprisingly even after a week it was still up when I got home and I knew I had to get it completed quickly because I didn't want the matchmaker to think I wasn't serious about the process.

I started filling in the gaps and because I'm so tired I needed to google a few things to make sure I was spelling words correctly, etc.

I clicked at the bottom of the page and all of the sudden it disappeared... my heart stopped.

I looked everywhere, even though I knew it was gone, and I was right. It was no where to be found. Now I have to start over.

For a brief moment I thought 'maybe the universe is trying to tell me something' and this isn't the path I am supposed to take to find love.

But then again why wouldn't it be? The matchmaker has two 40 year olds to set up and the tea leaf reader prediction is right around the corner. It's actually just wa few weeks away.

So I pulled up the questionaire again and got to work. Surprisingly it wasn't as hard the second time around. Maybe that's a metphor for my life and love. It will be easier the second time around.

Day 236: Leaving Las Vegas

It was our final day in Vegas, and we had a lot of work to do.

This was by far the most exhausting of any of the days we had planned.

Partly because we've been burning the candle at both ends for two days, and partly because we just had a lot on our plate.

We spent most of our down time trying to track down water. I don't know whose bright idea it was to gather people in the middle of the desert and then not have water readily avaialable.

They would bring it out occassionally but then take it away. We were all parched! Our lips were cracking and we felt like we were going to shrivel up and blow away.

Somehow we survived, packed up our gear and headed to the airport.

When we got there I had $1 left in my wallet, and I decided to do what any reasonable person in Vegas would do... see if I could turn it into more money!

I plopped down at a slot machine and slid the last money I had with me into the one armed bandit.

Dink... Dink... Dink... Dink... I had four credits and it was time to go.

I decided to bet one credit at a time so I could extend my play, and I also decided to grab the arm instead of pushing the buttons. I'm guess I'm just old school that way, and it seemed to work.

Within a few pulls I was up $3! I know it's not a lot but at least I was winning something right?

By then the Cheerleader and my photographer had come over so I decided to bet it all... ok well not all... but I did bet the maximum credits until I managed to blow my winnings.

After 3 days, I'm leaving Vegas penniless, exhausted, with a broken phone in my purse and no communication with the rest of the world.

But isn't that how Vegas stories are supposed to end?

Day 237: Kicked out of the casino

We had our usual work day today, and then headed out to the cocktail party.

This was the night I was planning on, the Cheerleader told me there were a lot of men at these events and the tea leaf readers prediction is getting closer.

I have my fancy dress that cost me half a tank of gas to get, and some pretty amazing shoes that could fall off so Cinderella could be in effect.

As soon as we hit the door the Cheerleader says 'ok guys eat and drink as much as you can for the next hour and a half, it's dinner.'

We walked in and grabbed a rum punch and that was the beginning of the end. Servers walked up to us carrying trays of appetizers, the first was pigs in a blanket.

Really? I'm eating hot dogs at the Wynn? Every time a server came over the Cheerleader would act surprised like she didn't know there was food at the party and would say something to the effect of 'oh my goodness... look! They have food! I'll try one!'

The best part is the weiner guy kept coming over to us, and she was pulling the same schtick with him every time.

As the party was winding down, I decided to point out the hot guy from yesterday to her, and before long we were talking to them.

I think my heart stopped mid-conversation when she said 'oh is this the guy you were talking about?' At which point he responded with 'oh, so you were talking about me? why were you talking about me?'

I think to myself 'Oh dear God, what is she doing?!' I gave her a look and then shot a mortified glance to my photographer.

I must have been shooting daggers out of my eyes, because I think he backed up about 3 feet in preparation of running away.

But the Cheerleader wasn't taking the hint she just kept going 'you know the cute guy you were talking about?' Again he chimes right in 'oh I'm cute huh?'

I didn't know what to do, I suppose I should have just owned it and then said yes but then I realized you were married, but no.... not me... I just ignore it and hope it will all go away.

The hot guy and his friend invited us all to another party. Less than 15 minutes into the festivities we're all standing by the bar and everyone scatters.

We have no idea what is going on and then we looked down and there was puke on the floor. The Cheerleader looked at me and said 'tell me that's not puke' I tried to reassure her it wasn't because I didn't want her to freak out, but then she said 'no you have to be honest with me, it's on my foot is it puke?'

At that point I knew she needed to know and it was more than just a freak out so I fessed up and we headed into the bathroom to clean it off.

You'd think that would have put a damper on the evening but of course it didn't. There was yet another party the Cheerleader was really hoping to get into so we headed over to that bar to wait outside just in case someone wanted to invite us in.

Plenty of people were willing to get us in, the problem was security at the party was strict and they weren't letting anyone in unless their name was on the list.

We both decided to shmooze the security guards and see if they would let us in but they said they didn't have any pull.

At one point they actually told us we could sneak in through a service entrance in one of the restaurants.

I was on a mission at that point, and all I can say is it's a really good thing I have a bad sense of direction because I could have been caught and detained.

I hadn't even thought about the security cameras covering every square inch of the casino, heck I could be in jail!

After many many attempts to get into the party, a security guard came out to us and said 'ladies you need to turn around and walk the other way'.

We weren't exactly kicked out of the hotel, but I'm pretty sure they weren't upset that we left the building.

What were we thinking? In the midst of all of this I managed to drop my phone and lose one of the most important parts. Basically it's the part that allows me to do pretty much everything with the exception of calling the last person who called me and dialing other numbers.

When we got back to the room the Cheerleader discovered she lost her phone. I don't know how it is that in one night we managed to lose 10 years of technology, and almost get kicked out of the casino.

Wow, what a night... the Cheerleader and I are trouble together, and I'm not sure how we're going to communicate tomorrow.

Day 238: Vegas baby!

Aaahhhh up early on 4 hours notice and heading off to Vegas for work, although I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of play too.

I'm going with the Cheerleader, and one of our photographers.

We landed and hit the ground running, within an hour we had checked into the hotel and started filming.

While we were waiting to check in I looked over at the bank of slot machines and for one brief moment I thought about running away to Sin City, then reality set in and I realized I have entirely too many responsibilities for that to happen.

When we first walked into the room to start filming I immediately noticed one guy. He was absolutely beautiful, salt and pepper hair, olive skin, with a good sense of style.

As we were taping, I was taking notes but had plenty of time to survey the territory, I saw him checking in on us to see what we were doing, then I glanced at the left hand.

Wouldn't you know it... he was wearing a wedding ring. Well of course he is married. I decided to just enjoy his beauty and leave it at that.

Later I was filling the Cheerleader in on the days events. She arrived a little later than we did and wasn't there for the earlier taping.

I mentioned the hot guy, but told her he was married so too bad for me, and we headed out to our last taping of the day.

When we walked out we saw two motorized scooters sitting in the hallway, and we all started laughing hysterically because one of our co-workers has been using one to get around the station due to a leg injury.

It's so funny to see him zooming around the building, so we decided we needed to get on them and take a picture to send to our boss.

In the picture we look like we're on a roller coaster, or zooming around at 100 miles an hour.

We ended up at Margaritaville for dinner where we enjoyed a cocktail with dinner. When the server came over to see if we wanted another cocktail 'for the road' (it is Vegas after all) the Cheerleader piped up 'yes I do! And they do too!'

The photographer and I looked at each other and did a little 'aaah why not' move... and from that point on the night was on.

We all decided to go to the photographer's favorite tiki bar, so we hailed a cab and were on our way.

We didn't have the exact address, only an area, so we hopped in and gave the cabbie the closest description we could.

On the way there he said 'I've been driving a cab for 30 years in Vegas and I've never taken anyone here'

The Cheerleader and I started to get a little concerned that maybe we were heading into a less than desirable part of town, but after 2 rum runners it didn't seem to bother me.

When we walked in we were pleasantly surprised. As we sat around drinking yet another rum drinks, we started sharing embarassing drinking stories, and the laughs ensued.

From there we headed back to the casino and decided to have a few beers, on the way to the bar, we see some cutouts of Donny & Marie Osmond and decided it is the perfect photo op.

The Cheerleader jumped in and cozied up to Donny while I snapped the photo with my phone, then the photographer jumped in the shot and got on his knees and looked up with wide eyes at his new parents.

I was laughing so hard I almost peed my pants, I don't know how I managed to even snap the photo.

By the time it was all said and done we felt like we had partied like rock stars until the wee hours of the morning, but in reality it was 930.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store. I know there's a cocktail party on our list, but I have a feeling it's going to be more than that.

Day 239: A fashionista on a mission

Another day of frantic-ness at the hands of fashion.

Yesterday it was in hopes of finding something for a date, today I was on a mission to exchange some pants and buy another pair.

I grabbed something to eat and then headed to the mall. I was hoping to get in... and get out quickly. I knew what I had to do, and I was going to do it so I could get home and start laundry and get packing for the trip.

But... when I pulled in there was not another car in the lot and I knew the store wasn't going to open for close to 20 minutes.

I could shoot home but I knew I would never leave again. So I opted to head over to Starbuck's in the mall and grab a coffee.

When I got back to the parking lot I looked around and there were a few other cars in the lot.

As I sat there waiting another 10 minutes for the doors to open, I looked out my window and saw an old woman trying to talk to me. I rolled the window down and she said 'they don't open until 11'.

I told her I knew that and I was just hanging out. Then I started to look around, I was hanging out in the parking lot with a group of blue hairs waiting anxiously for the doors of the store to open.

Wow, talk about feeling old. I know I'm not old and I'm certainly not a senior citizen, but sometimes it's funny to see yourself in those situations. Hopefully it's not a forshadowing of what's to come, but after todays turn of events it could be!

When the doors opened I headed inside to exchange the pants. While I was looking for them I ran across this cute little dress that would be perfect in Vegas.

It had a little sequined action on top, cotton on the bottom, comfortable, cool and stylish. I could dress it up or down, its great for now but I can add some tights and boots and wear it in the winter too.

So I tried it on, and it seemed to be just a little too big. Of course there wasn't one a size smaller that would have fit. Crap! I am thinking this dress is the dress I need.

I have no idea why I'm so fixated on it, but I am. In hindsight perhaps I was just avoiding the laundry and packing.

I walk up to check out and I ask the girl at the counter to double check and make sure there's not a dress in the store with the same size.

She looked it up and of course there wasn't. The only 2 stores that had it in the size I needed were at least 30 minutes away.

Ok so now it's time to get down to business. How much do I like this dress? How much will I wear this dress? Is it worth it to drive all that way in hopes there is actually one on the shelf and the computer isn't lying to us all?

I decided to buy the one I had and take my chances with exchanging it at the other store if they had the correct size. That way I could always alter the bigger one, or return it if it was just a Vegas fling.

I headed out to the car and took off. I decided I was going to go for it. Why not right? All I have to do is wash all my clothes, clean the house, pack and call my brother for his birthday.

The entire drive I kept thinking.... what are you doing? All this for a dress? It's not even a special occassion. When did you turn into a fashionista with all of these clothes?

Before I knew it I was at the mall.. in record time... just 30 minutes. I nearly ran inside, I found the dress and headed straight to the dressing room... perfect!

This little number is adorable! I'm so glad I made the trip. I quickly made the exchange and took off.

Now we'll see if it pays off in Vegas with a few free drinks :)

Day 240: The double/blind date

After my massage today I found myself at Sam's club in a flurry of activity.

I was hoping to switch cable providers and they were running a special with the one I wanted to go with, so I decided to 'make a deal'

In order to get the best deal, I had to switch my membership, so I had one guy switching my membership while another was asking for my information for the cable switch.

Before long the membership guy switched me off to someone else, but he kept chiming in with comments 'how is your weekend going?', 'let me know when you want me to show you how to use your card to get the best deals.'

Meanwhile the other guy was taking my picture over and over again, because the card machine kept screwing up.

I was absolutely exhausted by all of the activity, so I came home hoping to take a nap and watch the baseball game.

Then I realized I needed to get something to wear for the date tonight, and maybe something for Vegas too.

I don't know what I was thinking, but with only about an hour and a half before I should have started getting ready I took off for a boutique where I have a gift card.

I knew I was in for some trouble when I walked in and the owner was offering up mimosas.

She was so nice, I know her from the show, so she took me on and became my personal stylist.

She brought me all kinds of things to try, there were outfits flying in and out of the dressing room and accessories coming in from all over the place. I felt like a little dress up doll.

I went out to look at some pants she picked out for me and she asked me how I thought they looked. Of course I thought my butt looked big or just weirdly shaped (it's my biggest obsession). Then she just looked at me and asked 'what kind of underwear are you wearing?'

Great I just got called out for wearing granny panties. Perfect. She pointed out what I was seeing was not my butt, but was the underwear. I don't completely buy that statement, but I do know things look better with a different panty option.

All of the clothes I ended up with were adorable, but unfortunately none of them was something I could wear tonight.

They were all fall clothes, and it's still so hot here there is no way it was going to happen. And all the clothes I could wear, need to be altered slightly so they weren't going to be ready.

About mid-shopping excursion I decided what I was going to wear from my own personal stash at home but kept up with the shopping excursion anyway.

I ended up with some awesome shoes, and some great staples that I think I will be able to wear for a long time.

The date was a group date, 6 of us were getting together for pizza. I'll call it a double/blind date. Actually I knew everyone but the one guy they were trying to set me up with, and the same was true for him.

One of the guys was with his fiance. He is the same guy the BFF's boyfriend tried to set me up with a few months ago.

When we all met that night, he broke into tears over the break-up with his now fiance. All he could talk about was the break-up and how he was sad, and couldn't understand how she could do the things she did.

All I could think was 'wow... this is going really well.' After that night was over the BFF's boyfriend said he didn't know things were going to take that turn.

Of course he didn't why would he try to set me up with such a wounded soul.

So I was hoping tonight wouldn't end in the same way, and it didn't.

Tonights guy seems very well adjusted, and quite possibly was the exact opposite of the cry guy. This one laughed at everything, ok, well not everything but seemed to be a pretty happy guy.

We seemed to get along pretty well, and we both like sports so all that is good, but I'm not sure there is any chemistry. I know that sometimes comes with time, and I'm willing to give it another chance when I'm not hopped up on cold medicine and exhuasted from a 60 hour work week.

He asked for my number, and I'm sure he'll call. I think he's more interested than I am. Not that I'm being pessimistic about it, but at this point I'm more concerned about having to actually tell someone I'm not feeling it instead of blowing them off.

I guess sooner or later I was going to have to put my big girl panties on.

Day 241: Boston Market deliberations

After a long day at work getting ready for a trip of work and fun in Vegas I found myself at Boston Market hoping to grab something for dinner.

I knew I should have gone to the drive through, but today I decided to go inside because I wanted to get a better look at the menu and not hold up any cars that might be behind me.

Well that may be the last time I ever do that. Who the heck cares about the cars behind me anyway? Sometimes I think I'm too considerate of other people, so much so that I put myself out because I'm more worried about them than I am myself.

That's excatly what happened today. When I walked inside a family of four was ordering. I took a glance at the menu and figured out what I wanted to eat, and then sat back waiting for them to finish.

They ordered as any normal family would, taking care to ask all the questions and make sure they were getting a good deal. I completely get that, times are tight, you need to make sure you're not missing out on any special desserts of the month or something.

But when they started with the drink order, I just about lost it. I have never seen a group of people take so long to decide on what they were having to drink.

Do you want a soda? Or are you going to drink water?
I don't know... how much is the soda?
$1.89...
How much is in that soda?
24 ounces
Ok... how much is in that one?
$1.99
Oh... ok... how much was the other one again?
$1.89
And how much was in it?
24 ounces
Do you guys want soda?

It was like a jury of 12 trying to determine OJ Simpson's guilt or innocence.

I was ready to choke someone!! It's a freakin' soda! Either you want it or you don't. It's not that hard! If you can't afford the dime difference perhaps maybe you shouldn't be going out to dinner at all.

How does it take that long to figure out whether you want a soda or not?

I suppose the better question is... what was a single woman in her 30's doing at Boston Market on a Friday night?

Maybe that's why I was so irritated, well that and I've felt like crap all week and I've been working like a dog trying to get everything ready so I can go to Vegas for more work.

Later that night I got a call from the BFF. She wanted to know what I was doing tomorrow night because her boyfriend has someone he wanted to set me up with.

I said ok because, well for one thing I wasn't doing anything else and you never know. Prince Charming is coming any day now and he's not going to knock on my door.

Meanwhile I stopped taking my meth cold medicine, I'm trying to ween myself off of it and maybe it's a good thing because I think I'm going through withdrawls.

I had a headache and I was starting to feel funny. I know I'm not dehydrated, because I've been putting away the water like a camel this past week. It's off to bed to try to sleep it off.

Day 242: Surprising turn of events

As I was walking into Starbucks this morning for a little jolt of caffeine, I saw a few other people walking in at the same time.

Of course my competitive nature kicked in and I started walking a little faster in hopes of getting in front of them in line.

Then I looked over and saw a tall thin blonde in a black mini dress and stilettos. It was clear she was going to beat me inside, so I gave up the race admitting defeat.

But I ended up behind her in line. I'm secure enough to stand next to any leggy blonde, but today I was starting to feel like a midget.

I was wearing 3 inch heels and I only came up to her armpits! Seriously? How tall was she? She must have been close to 7 foot tall with her heels, and good for her.

I could see the guys checking her out, and rightfully so. I was however was sporting a dressed up wife beater, jeans, and my heels, to add to my feelings of frumpiness.

But I brushed it off, ordered my coffee and went on my way.

Once again, some cool things are happening because of the job. One of the guests on the show today is a photographer, and one of his pictures was used on the CD cover of a Jimmy Buffett album.

I knew that leading up to him being on the show, but I guess I just thought Jimmy saw it and wanted to use it and contacted him, but evidently I was wrong.

When I heard he had arrived, I went in to say 'hi' and let him know how cool it was that his photo was on the CD.

He asked if I was a fan, I said 'oh yeah, big fan. I flew to the Caribbean to see him in concert...' before I could finish the statement, he cut me off and said 'Anguilla? Yeah I was there too!' How cool!

I think my heart skipped a beat, because at one point when I was getting a tarot card reading the woman told me I would be with someone who loves the same music.

Of course I'm still within the 61 day prediction from the tea leaf reader, so I had a brief moment of 'holy crap! is this it?!' (like it would be that easy... if it was I would totally freak out)

By the time the heart got back on track he mentioned he was at the concet with his girlfriend... who is now his wife, (whew) I could breathe again, and everything was back on track.

We kept talking about the concert sharing stories, and he proceeded to tell me how cool and nice Jimmy is, and then showed me a few pictures from the trip where the CD cover was shot.

I was dumbfounded. I think he even said Jimmy called or texted him! I can't believe I was one degree of seperation away.

I've always said I will meet him someday, and with each chance encounter I have I feel like I'm getting closer and closer. Today it felt like inches, and in some way I think Mr. Wonderful may be playing a part in it from up above.

Once I finally calmed down over my brush with greatness, it was time to get back to work.

In the middle of the afternoon I got a call from the Cheerleader's matchmaker.

She gave me a quick rundown of how it all works, and then said she was going to send me a questionnaire to fill out... perfect!

It's a pretty extensive questionnaire, and that's good. It needs to be for her to find the proper people to put together.

The problem is, I don't have the energy to dig deep within myself for the answers to some of these questions (especially when I'm whacked out on cold medicine), and there's no 'save for later' button on it.

So I must finish. 10 most important attributes in myself, and the person I want to be with.... 3 primary goals for my life.

I can't even commit on a permanent place to put a sticker, let alone decide what the 3 goals of my life would be! They could change in 2 years, how can you know?

I guess it's all relative to where I am in my life, and that's what I need to remember, not to mention these opportunities don't come around very often so it's time to take advantage of them.

Day 243: Good news comes in 3's?

I woke up still battling this cold, and unfortunately I'm out of cold medicine.

Sunshine shared some of hers with me yesterday and it worked pretty good so I decided I needed to pick some up on the way home.

Problem is, I forgot and once I got home I wasn't leaving. Bed seemed much more enticing than the Mucinex D.

I figured what was in my system would get me through the night and I could stop on my way into work, which is what I did.

Once again, I left the house with what was enough time to make it happen. At least I thought it was until I got to the drug store and they had to take all my personal information because people are buying cold medicine to make meth.

Adding to the frustration, I drew the intern card when I walked up to the register, so it took even longer.

I'm not sure but I think they now have my blood type, and permission to take my first born child, and possibly a few other things I don't even know about.

To top it all off, I was wearing a long sleeved sweater on a triple digit day. Nothing says meth addict trying to hide track marks like a sweater in the heat of summer.

Just so we're all on the same page, I put it on to cover a tank top I was wearing because it is cold at work, but I didn't want to walk in to the store in just jeans and a tank.

Once at work, I was bombarded by the Cheerleader who keeps pushing for us to go to Las Vegas next week. She before she even got out of her car she said 'did you get any emails?' Referring to emails from hotels in the area we are hoping will 'host' us.

When I started going through my email, there were invitations from the Thunder Down Under, the Chippendales, golf outings for ladies, and of course the newest wedding chappels in town and we were getting a little discouraged.

We're less than a week away and the Cheerleader is not going to take no for an answer on this one.

A short time later, I saw another email come into my inbox and it was our golden ticket.

A hotel is offering to put us up for 2 nights, and we will do several stories surrounding their location.... JACKPOT!! (pardon the pun -- hee hee)

I immediately went searching for the Cheerleader to tell her the news. When I found her she was in the lobby, I told her and she grabbed my hands and we both started jumping up and down like giddy little school girls.

For the record, this is so not my style, but somehow it seemed just fine, except for one small detail. I had to go to the bathroom because I'd chugged a lot of water to make sure I stay hydrated with the cold medication, so I had to cut the jubilation short.

We are on our way! Whoo hoo!! We're going to Vegas baby!

I was still at work when the Cheerleader called me... 3 times. I thought for sure she was just super excited about the trip, and she was, but when I finally got to listen to her messages I was surprised.

She left me the contact information for the matchmaker. Ok, wow, I guess that is really happening.

So now I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to drop 10 pounds before I get my picture taken for her to use with her matchmaking service.

I guess barring a stomach flu I'm out of luck. Not that I'm on board for a stomach flu, that sounds pretty miserable, especially since I'm headed to Vegas in a matter of days.

Doesn't good news come in 3's? I don't want to get greedy but there is still some time left today to get the trifecta going.

Day 244: The 3 ring circus that is my job

Who else can say they have puppies, half naked models, a mobile creme brulee truck, and a lawyer in their office all in one day?

Not many I would suspect but it is the 3 ring circus that is my job, and I absolutely love it!

You never know what to expect which keeps you on your toes. Just when you think you've got a boring day ahead of you, the job will throw you a curveball.

It all started when I went up to see the Coffee Fairy. I noticed the guests starting arrive, and they were in the 'holding cell' also known as the lobby. I guess I shouldn't call it that, but sometimes that's how it looks.

I asked the Coffee Fairy to have the models head to one of the bathrooms where we have them get ready, but when I went into the green room to greet the guests I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

One of the models was undressing in the middle of the green room in front of everyone! Ok, so most of the people were with her group, but not the mobile creme brulee truck driver. He got the show of a lifetime!

I tried to be gentle, when I said 'we've got a full house here today so we'll need to make sure there's plenty of room in the green room for everyone.' They assured me they would clean up quickly and be out of everyone's hair, which they did.... until the segment was over.

Later one of the regular guests on the show told me one of the girls had undressed right there in front of everyone... again.

I know they are models, and I know they are used to getting dressed and undressed in front of people, but what I don't understand is why you would do it when there is a bathroom in the green room, about 6 feet away from you.

I was a bit mortified for the other guests to have to witness it.

And all of that happened in the first two hours of my day!

Later in the afternoon while I was sitting back at my desk, I received an email from a PR company in Los Angeles asking if we wanted to interview Scott Weiland the lead singer from Stone Temple Pilots. Awesome!! I thought to myself.

I immmediately called the Cheerleader to see if she was available and her response was 'who? Do I know any of their songs?' I replied with 'yes, of course you do, listen to this one it's Interstate Love Song'

She couldn't hear it so when we started talking again she said 'is this a band from the 90's?' I replied with 'yes, Cheerleader, it is a band from the 90's our era you should know them.'

Bottom line she didn't know them so I let her off the hook and fell on the sword which means I get to do the interview. Pretty cool stuff.

I'm just a normal average girl, from a small town in the midwest, and I've gotten to do some pretty cool things because of this crazy job.

I have gone to the world premiere of a movie, interviewed big name authors, met huge celebrities, been backstage at touring broadway shows, and now I can add interview an aging rock star to the list.

After posting the news on my facebook page, one of my college roommates wrote 'you have a cool job' and I have to agree.

It's a crazy job, but sometimes the curveballs actually pan out and you end up with a great story to tell.

Day 245: Feed your soul... with nachos!

Some days are meant for throwing out all the rules and doing whatever comforts and feeds your soul.

For me today that was nachos, unfortunately I ended up with a Reuben sandwich but it was good enough.

I woke up battling whatever it is I'm battling. I've now determined it's allergies without a doctor's guidance of course, that would be crazy!

By the time I got to work I wasn't feeling it, but that doesn't matter. Life is made up of plenty of things you don't want to do but you do them anyway.

All morning I kept telling Giggles I wanted nachos. At one point I said I was so hungry 'I could eat a house, or a car, or maybe it was a horse.'

She laughed, because that's what she does, but then she said 'A house really? wow that's hungry!'

I was so famished I couldn't even think straight.

As soon as the show was over and we were able to leave I looked at Sunshine and said I want nachos!

She was in, so we ran out the door and headed across the street, but sadly when we got to the restaurant nachos were not on the menu so I did what any good producer does... I went to plan B.

A plate full of greasy goodness complete with melty cheese.. oh and french fries!

And I ate every morsel, every fry, every speck of bread, even the pickle... and oh was it good. (sigh)

The point is if I followed my head I would have had a salad, or something healthy to help me kick whatever this is, but instead I threw caution to the wind and went with my heart.... sort of. My heart with a slight compromise and it was worth every bite.

On the way home I was listening to a few guys on talk radio and they were talking about Patrick Swayze's wife texting and calling him after his death, even just recently.

The one guy felt it was weird, he kept saying 'he's been dead a year, let it go'. The other guy was right on the money at least from my perspective. He kept saying 'grieving is a strange process and everyone handles it differently. It's only been a year, if she's still doing this 10 years from now then there's a problem.'

I have never really felt compelled to write to anyone in that type of position but I think I will on this one today.

I want him to know from someone who's been through it and can now see it from the other side, that he actually 'gets it' in a way, when many people don't.

I'm not saying I'm sending Mr. Wonderful text messages, in fact I certainly didn't do that even the first year after he was gone, but I can understand where Swayze's wife is coming from that's for sure.

It took me 2 years to feel like I could get back to normal and it took the fear of turning 40 and being stuck in the same spot to pull me out.

From my perspective, I think the show host needs to know he handled the situation with compassion and was spot on with his thoughts.

Again, I guess its just another instance of following your heart and doing what you think is right. It's certainly not as tasty as nachos, but in some ways it's just as effective.

Everyone loves nachos so when you order them for the table everyone gets a little taste of the love to feed their soul.

You get that same love for making everyone happy by suggesting the appetizer (or dinner in my case recently). Ok so it's a little corny, not to mention a bit of a stretch but I'm running out of material here on day 120, and I'm still craving the nachos.

Maybe tomorrow, I'm not going to get them off my mind until I eat them.

Day 246: The cats, the podcast and the store

I woke up after a long nights sleep with a killer sore throat... ugh.

If only it was a normal Sunday where I could lay around without a care in the world.

But alas it is not. I am involved with a side project that is an audio podcast with an online video component. I told my friends I would handle the video portion of the fun but now I'm starting to wonder why or if I'm going to make it.

I immediately started sucking down the orange juice. It's always been my miracle cure, but today it wasn't happening.

Then I tried hot coffee, something about it seemed soothing, but you guessed it... it didn't work.

I puttered around the house for a while then went into the spare bedroom where I found one of my 2 kitties sitting on top of the bed sniffing the comforter.

Immediately I went into panic mode. Those furry little bundles of love did it again!

I cannot believe they are making their presence known (so to speak) all over the house.

I jumped into action, stripping the bed of the sheets, throwing them into the washer, spraying my enzyme cleaner and vinegar/water mixture over every spot to mask the scent.

Why are they doing this?? How could these sweet little faces be causing so much drama and destruction in my home?! Gggggrrrrr!!!



More importantly how can I ever have people over to the house again until I get this under control!




I decided to throw out some of the bed linens because they are old and could use upgrading anyway and I can always use another shopping spree!

All of the commotion had me running late to the podcast, and now I was hungry. I shot out the door and raced to Wendy's to grab one of my favorites... a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. That's a whole lot of love for $1.29!

I knew I had to scarf it down before I got to the podcast because the point is to talk to chefs.

So here I am hoping for as many red lights as I can to buy me some time.

With each yellow I slowed and grabbed the burger taking big bites to get it down. I felt like a bulemic hiding the binging, when in reality I didn't want to offend the chefs by eating such a vile thing.

Actually I shouldn't say that, the more I'm around them the more I realize they are very accepting and even eat some fast food themselves.

I couldn't hide the Wendy's cup however, but at least I wasn't eating the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger in front of a guy who's competed on Iron Chef!

By the time it was all over, we had a giant mound of fresh pasta with an amazing carbonara sauce.... mmmmmm absolutely delicious.

On my way home I had to stop for some Airborn (I have to kick whatever this is) and a few other things.

As I'm walking through the aisles all I can think about is going home so I can sit on the couch watch the baseball game and eat the peanut butter m&m's I just bought.

That's when I saw a super hot guy, and he looked dead at me, and what was I doing? Scowling... perfect.

Stores are a great place to meet people (or so I've been told) and here was a prime opportunity and I just blew it.

Ok, so maybe the scowl wasn't as bad as I thought it was, somehow deep down I think it was probably worse but I still tried to convince myself.

I followed the hottie briefly (not because I'm a stalker because I legitimately needed something in that part of the store) and eventually lost him.

When I got home I decided to check out the scowl in the mirror to see how bad it really was... so I trapsed into the bathroom and tried my best to emulate what I was feeling with my facial muscles... and then I looked in the mirror.

Wholy crap! It was awful! What in the world was I thinking? Of course I knew it couldn't have been a perfectly perky look because the hottie pretty much ran the other way but I had no idea it was that bad.

Wow, there's a lesson learned. Always keep a smile on your face because you never know who or when you may run into someone important.

From now on, no matter what kind of day I'm having, or how bad I feel I'm going to try my best to at least think happy thoughts becasue I don't ever want to look like that again!

Day 247: Blew out my flip flop

Another short night, means another exhausting day, but that wasn't going to keep me from shopping.

I've had the itch for a few days, maybe it's the balmy 95 degree days we're experiencing as we are ushered into fall, or maybe it was the cats who destroyed my purse.

I was so upset. The purse is one I bought a few years ago that I was hoping to have for 10 years at least.

It's not a designer bag, just one I really like and thought had a bit of a timeless hobo chic style.

But this new development is just one more reason to go shopping, and as luck would have it, I got a coupon in the mail this week. Whoo hoo! That's all I needed.

So I grabbed it and darted out the door, because the sale was a morning sale.

Living close to the mall makes it easy but when I pulled in there was not a parking spot to be had!

What is this Christmas? I thought we were in a recession why are all these people here?

I managed to find a spot and set out on my trek to the entrance. Along the way I felt something a little 'off' with my flip flop but didn't think too much of it.

By the time I made it into the store I was painfully aware something was very very wrong.

I looked down and the bottom of my shoe was falling off... I thought to myself 'I just blew out my flip flop' Jimmy Buffett would be proud!



I'm not going to lie, I thought about the Cinderella prediction briefly. It's not exactly like this is something that happens to me a lot.

But I brushed it off because I had a 1 hour deadline. The big discounts were about to be over, and my coupon was only good through that time.

How was I going to get through my power shopping? Desperate times call for desperate measures, I must perservere. I started to drag my foot and keep it close to the ground, almost like a pirate just to get to the purses.

If I can just get through the mission of buying a purse and then leave. But then I realized it was an excuse to drag my peg leg over to the shoe department to see if I could find anything cute there so I could continue the spree!

And that's exactly what I did, after grabbing a purse and wallet I headed straight to the shoe department where I found an adorable pair of sandals.

Which I promptly put on so I could continue my shopping spree.

When it was all said and done, I had a few outfits which will be perfect for casual dates, so I'm really hoping that matchmaker comes through or Prince Charming tracks me down by my broken flip flop!

Day 248: Good times and good fun

This past week has been excruciatingly long, and exhausting.

I don't know if something is going on with the weather or if it's just work that's catching up to me, but I've had a really hard time getting out of bed the last few days and it's not like I've been staying up until the wee hours of the night.

Sure, 11pm is late for some, but it's not like the days when I get on a role and end up staying up until 12:30.

Work is going through an email migration, sure its not so unusual in today's corporate world, but my job is so entangled and tied up with email I have to say I'm a little freaked out.

I've been working on cleaning out my email for a week. Last week I managed to get through and delete 2000 emails from my inbox, getting it down to a managable 400.

I know I sound like an email horder, but I'm really not, but then again I suppose that's what most horders would say right?

Then this week I learned none of my contacts were going to carry over unless they were in my 'contacts' file, which of course none of mine were.

So I had to go through the alphabet one letter at a time bringing up every email address and saving it to my folder.

I also completed my purging of the email, and managed to get the inbox down to 64.

By the end of my very long day and even longer week both Sunshine and I were ready for a beer so we headed to our favorite little dive bar.

Sunshine bellied up to the bar and ordered. They poured mine first, and it was all I could to restrain myself before she brought it to the table.

I swear I wanted to jump across the bar and tackle the bartender and start to chug!

Of course I restrained myself, because that wouldn't be cool.

Sunshine and we toasted to our long week and friendship.



Then she made a quick call all I heard her say was 'yeah I'm doing great now that I'm here with my new best friend Miller Light! Sorry dude you've been replaced.'

I laughed my butt off, because I was thinking the exact same thing!

Beer never tasted so good! It was like it was the sweet nectar of the gods as it hit my taste buds and quenched my thirst.

We stuck around and had a few more, while we met a few new friends.

One of them was extremely drunk but still trying to work his magic on me. He said something about how he was in Pat Tillman's army unit and then went to grab his id, which he couldn't find of course.

The next thing we knew he had emptied the contents of his pockets onto the table. There was cash, a phone, and several business cards that he kept trying to pick up thinking they were his id.

I have no idea why he was reaching for his ID, I think it was going to prove something to us but I'm not sure what.

Thankfully his friends came and gathered his stuff and took him to another bar, which is exactly what he needed.

I have to say this single life is pretty fun right now, I'm not sure I'm willing to give it up.

Not that you can't have fun while your dating or in a relationship but there is something to be said for not having to answer or explain yourself to anyone.

There is also something to be said for having a designated driver allowing you to have more fun!

Hmmmm... maybe you just need to find a happy medium where you can do it all.

Day 249: The facebook comment

Facebook is an ugly little monster, sure it has some nice qualities. You can see photos of your friends families and keep up to date on their lives, but it also has a dark side, and I experienced it today.

So maybe I'm being a little melodramatic but this one but what else am I going to say about having to post a comment about sex for work?

Again, work proves itself to be the land of inappropriateness.

We just launched a new show with a large social media component, and since it's a new show they don't have a lot of people commenting yet.

That means they rely heavily on anyone sitting around them to help and that's what happened today.

A family therapist came on to talk about sex, specifically talking to kids about it, or teaching them about relationships, you get the picture.

Problem is there weren't any comments, and I know the family therapist, so she asked me to post something.

I said 'come on! I'm a single woman with no kids, this is going to look like I'm hitting on teenagers.'

She persuaded me otherwise and force fed me a question about what we should be teaching our boys about sex, so I oblidged, I'm such a sucker.

Sure it was a harmless comment, but in a way it's not.

That comment can live there forever. Not only do I look a little like a freak asking about boys and sex when I don't have any children, but what if there's some crazy super geek that I want to date who finds the comment and thinks I have a kid?

I know I'm overreacting a little bit here, but it's not unheard of.

Back in the day when the phone was used to talk, I remember giving a guy my number and he called to ask me out and my cat was meowing in the background.

Evidently it sounded like a baby crying or a child in some way, because I had to try to convince the guy I didn't have a kid.

We went round and round.
Him: 'I thought you said you didn't have any kids'
Me: 'I don't'
Him: 'Then what's that I hear in the background.'
Me: 'It's my cat.'
Him: 'It doesn't sound like a cat, it sounds like a kid.'
Me: 'Well I don't know what to tell you, it's a cat.'

I'm not sure, but I don't think we ever went out.

So think about this... forget cats sounding like a child crying.... now I sound like a crazy cougar!

In hindsight I suppose I should have said I was asking for a friend, but then again is that any better? 'My friend', we all know there are no friends when you bust out that comment.

All of the stress of work is really catching up to me. By the time I got home, I felt a little like Quasi Moto. My right shoulder is so tight and full of knots it keeps getting closer and closer to my ear, which means I'm a little lopsided.

All of the tension is also causing a headache. What's a girl to do? Bust out a bucket of frozen margaritas that's what you do!



After cooking a nice meal of whole wheat pasta with marinara and ground turkey I kicked back on the couch and had a few scoops to relax me, and it worked.

Whoever invented the margarita in a bucket is a genius! And quite possibly my new hero.

Day 250: Losing it!

Matchmaker matchmaker make me a match... the Cheerleader called today to let me know she met a matchmaker who is trying to set up 2 different guys.

She said 'great! That's aweseome! I know a 40 year old girl who is looking to be matched too!' I immediately set her straight on one very important fact... 'I am not 40!'.

She said 'I just want you to be the same age as me.' Ha ha... funny... I don't!

But, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in the matchmaking angle.

I know there's more to it than just finding two single people so here's hoping maybe it will work out.

I suppose I can't rule out any option at this point. That said, I'm not going to settle either. I would never let that happen, or at least I'd like to think I wouldn't.

My mother's voice keeps going through my head 'it never hurts to make a friend' and 'is there a boyfriend or special person in your life?'

I've heard both statements off and on for the past decade... at the very least. I love her to death and I know she only has the best of intentions, but in my head I always think to myself 'mom, if there was anyone worth telling you about you would know'... and that's the truth.

Most of my relationships don't last very long so there's no point even talking about them until they get to at least the 4 month mark. But that's not to say it will always be that way.

I really think I need someone who will force me to be a little out of control because I do like it. Today after work I was thinking about that same thing of course on a different level.

I was 'stage 2: anger' today. I don't know what it was that set me off, but it... set.. me... off... and by the end of the day I was ready to chuck it all and call in sick for about a week.

But of course I know I won't ever do it, because I'm concerned everything won't get done, which means I need to let go of some control.

So there it is in a nutshell I'm a control freak. I know it, and I'm working on it. I need to stop worrying about everything and just roll with it, because the stress is going to kill me.

Problem is.. if I don't worry about it no one will and then things will fall through the cracks and cause us more problems down the road. At what point can you say, it's not my problem anymore? In my world... never. It always falls on the producer, which is an occupational hazzard I'm well aware of.

I need some major stress relieving maneuvers, unfortunately in my world right now that pretty much equates to yoga, food and drinking.

Tonight I eased the pain with a dozen hot wings, and Longboard Lager. I feel like I should be laying on the couch with the remote in one hand and my hand down my pants like Al Bundy in 'Married With Children'.

I'm sure I'll pay for this tomorrow. I feel like everyday of my life right now I'm saying 'who are you?!'

A nice vacation would be great to get away from it all too, but I'm not sure where to go or when I'll find the time to get there.

I get the Travelzoo top 20 picks of the week and there are always a few that pique my interest.

On the horizon now... a Jimmy Buffett concert in Vegas... and one in Paris. Vegas plays second fiddle to Paris which has replaced seeing him in the Caribbean since I knocked it off my bucket list a few years ago.

Maybe I'll spend Saturday on a virtual vacation.... with Jimmy Buffett... and some boat drinks. Who's with me?!

Day 251: The adventure is back... kind of

I walked in the door after a long day at work and the smell... is back.

Seriously? This is absolutely insane. I thought I cleaned the entire floor but I realized there was one small section I didn't do because I didn't think it was where the small was wafting from.

I thought to myself, better safe than sorry, and I got back to the business at hand.... cleaning.

I sprayed my fantastic enzyme cleaner that is supposed to eliminate pet odors and then got to scrubbing.

As I was on my hands and knees wiping the floor in hopes of getting rid of whatever it is that has infested my home it hit me... I'm Cinder-freakin-rella right now.

Really?? This whole tea leaf reader thing is getting weirder and weirder by the day.

I know I'm not Cinderella. I don't have evil step-sisters and I'm not being forced to do anything while they go to the ball.

The closest thing would be work, where the department has dwindled to nothing and since I am the only one with any knowledge of what's going on I end up doing a lot of the work until I can get Sunshine up to speed.

But come on... how is it that I ended up on the floor, scrubbing my heart out trying to get rid of the elusive smell that I've decided to obsess about?

I can count on one hand the number of times in my life that has happened. (Did I mention I'm not necessarily a clean freak?)

Today is only day 28 of the 61 day prediction but it's kind of strange all of this is happening. That, or I'm just cluing into it because of the prediction. But if it comes true, it'll make one heck of a story.

And adventure is slowly coming back into my life... yay!

I have a mini-adventure on the horizon. The wine guy asked me out to coffee, and the good news is he seems to have a quick wit about him.

The Cheerleader has convinced our boss that we need to go to Vegas for work. Yippee!

It will be a lot of work, but it will be work outside of the office which is waaaay more fun, and it's not like we're working all the time.

The downtime is pretty fun too, especially with this group.

I believe the quote from my boss was 'I don't want you to come back all tattooed up, and I don't want to get a call that I have to bail her out of jail in Henderson. She's the one that's trouble!'

Oooooohhh I LOVE it! In about 2 weeks we'll be jetting off to the bright lights of Sin City for a two and a half day stay.

It doesn't sound like much, but it's something. And it comes at a time when I've started to wonder how you bring adventure into your life when you're working 40 hours a week.

I guess we've found the solution to that problem.

Viva Las Vegas!

Day 252: Finding adventure when and where you can

Again with the Jaguars... really? I saw at least 3 more on the roads today... there must have been some kind of sale because that's just crazy.

I'm also realizing I'm not as young as I used to be... I know Sherlock, that's a no brainer right?

Some days I'm more painfully aware of it than others, and today is one of them.

It's very difficult to get through the day when I've been out late the night before, and that's exactly what is happening today.

Throw in a little drinking and it's a recipe for disaster.

I'm so tired, I can't get my brain to engage and sadly I'm going into work for a few hours to hopefully get us ahead.

I'm lucky I didn't get into a crash driving in, I think I was just following the cars in front of me on the road not even thinking about where I was going.

Needless to say I spent about twice the time I needed to get the work done, but at least we're making some progress... or I hope we are.

The better part of my day outside of work has been spent trying to track down a strange cat smell that has overtaken the living room.

Yesterday it smelled a litle like a sour towel, so I went to town with the febreeze and room freshner and called it good.

But today... it's back and it's not a towel smell, its a cat smell.

Needless to say my usually very accute senses are very dulled which makes it even harder to track down a mysterious scent.

So I ended up sniffing my way through the furniture, rug, and floor like a bloodhound tracking down prey.

Once I found something that seemed to be it, I busted out the cleaner and went to town, then about the time I tried to eat or relax on the couch, it was back! Gggrrrr!

And so it continued, sniff, clean, relax, smell... and over and over it went. After cleaning the entire floor I found it on the back corner of the couch!

Presto, found and eliminated! Now I can get on with my life.... and more importantly vegging on the couch.

Life is about adventures, but each experience is the adventure you make of it.

For some people finding the cat smell in the room is an adventure, now it's not exactly what I was looking for, but it's about all I can handle today.

At least my foodfest is continuing, now that's an adventure I can get into! There's nothing like greasy food to perk you up after a long night... and that's exactly what I'm doing.

Tonight, it's all about a footlong quarter pound chili cheese dog and cheese tots from Sonic..... mmmmmmm.... delicious.

Certainly not healthy, and certainly not delicious in a gourmet kind of way, but hot dogs and cheesy tots have their own set of rules and grading scale.... and their own sense of adventure.

Sometimes you just have to find and appreciate the adventure that the day gives you.

Day 253: 16 years and counting

The weekend foodfest continues, and today my culinary journey takes me to Fred's for a lobster roll (sigh) delicious and delightful all wrapped up in a pretty little package.

I've been waiting for this for a long time. I can't seem to find them anywhere so when I herd Fred's was serving them for their Labor Day Clam Bake I knew I had to go, and it did not disappoint.

I went with Mr. Wonderful's mom and while we were eating, she asked if we were going to go to our favorite little watering hole that is right around the corner.

I hadn't even thought of that, but of course I was game. It's a tiny hole in the wall with live music every day. A place that reminds you of the wild west, complete with a hitching post outside... just in case.

After gorging myself on the lobster roll, we took off for our watering hole. As luck would have it, there was one table open and we jumped on it.

We kicked back and had a few margaritas and during the conversation I realized 16 years go this weekend a small town girl from the midwest set out on a 1700 mile journey that would change her life forever.

Wow it's so hard to believe I've been here and away from my home and family for 16 years... that's almost half my life!

Those were the days, fun and fearless without a care in the world. Fresh out of college and ready for a challenge.

Everyone here is from somewhere else, which in turn means everyone has a story about how they got here.

Mine starts in a college bar a few weeks before graduation. She got off work early so she had been there a few hours when I met up with her... which means she was several cocktails ahead of me.

The conversation turned to the elephant in the room, she asked 'what are you going to do when you graduate?' I had absolutely no idea, but what I did know was that I didn't want to wind up in Missoula, Montana as a reporter.

She replied with 'I've always wanted to live in the southwest' to which I said 'that sounds nice.'

The next day she called me at work and I don't even think she said hello, the first words I remember hearing were 'pick the city'.

I was so confused? 'What? I don't know what your talking about.' She followed it up with 'pick the city, and we'll move.'

Wow, just like that... and that's pretty much how it happened. We were a little more strategic than that, we checked out the city ahead of time, got an apartment and furniture then set out a few months later on our journey.

16 years later, I'm still here... and she is back home. In between our decision to move and the actual move, she met a guy, and six months after we got here she moved back and got married.

How does that happen? It was her idea, and I'm the one who stayed.... its funny how life works sometimes.

I'm not upset about it, life has been pretty good to me here, so no complaints on my part.

That's the kind of thing I want to do again. Although a big move isn't always super easy to do, nor is it something I'm particularly interested in, but I want that sense of adventure back again.

Now all I have to do is figure out how.

Day 254: Time to step it up!

Morning came very early today, and unfortunately even though it is the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, I have a lot to do.

Keeping with the theme of the weekend, of course eating is on the agenda.

It was all taking place at a local culinary festival where I planned to chow down on food from some of the best chefs in town, and drink some fantastic wine.

I was meeting a few people there and they had my ticket in, but I was so tired I couldn't even comprehend the directions I was given.

I managed to find them, and begin the eating and drinking that was laid out before me like a feast for a king.

One of the people I was meeting has a culinary background, and along the way we started talking about dating.

He said 'as soon as girls find out you went to cooking school they stop cooking'.... me... 'of course they do!'

I went on to add 'do you know what I ate for dinner this week? Ground turkey mixed with a box of 50 cent macaroni and cheese and frozen vegetables. I'm not cooking that for a guy!'

He tried to convince me the dish was probably very good, but I quickly came back with 'no absolutely not, but I ate it because I was hungry and it was quick.'

For the record, that meal is definitely not something I would make for a guy I was dating, but it certainly speaks to my cooking skills and why I may be insecure dating a guy with that type of background.

He agreed to my point, and I agreed to his, so I suppose we agreed to disagree, and then continued on our regional wine tasting journey sipping our way through the samples at the festival.

At one of the tables I ran across more than just wine, I met a guy I thought was cute, and suprisingly enough he wasn't in his 20's.

Thank God, I'm not completely inappropriate all the time.

What's not to like, he was charming, and tastes and writes about wine... that's a dream job!

As the event winded down, and we all went our seperate ways I thought about sending him a 'tweet' to connect on twitter after meeting face to face.

I decided to go with a middle of the road approach and I did a group 'tweet' since he has my business card.

But I'm tired of being safe. As I sit here tonight I've been thinking about what I'm doing to stare down 40, and I'm not sure I know the answer.

I need to step it up! This is no time for sissies! Whatever happened to going kicking and screaming, I need to be fearless!

Day 255: I keep getting older.. and they stay the same age

Count them... one.. two... three... yes... four Jaguars I passed on the way into work this morning.

It's not unusual for me to pass one Jag on the way into work, but four?! That's just crazy talk. It's a 10 mile commute and it's not like I'm driving through the Hamptons.

I can't help but wonder if it's the universe giving me a clue in my Cinderella story.

Not that I think the following has anything to do with the Cinderella prediction, but I can't quite figure out why I keep running into the Report Guy.

Today we nearly had a head on collision as I was getting ready to go into the control room.

Once inside, I looked over... and there he was, I think to myself 'Who is this guy? And why does it seem like he's following me?'

I know he's not following me, but I have no idea why he keeps showing up where I am.

That is, I didn't know until a co-worker walked in and introduced him to the rest of us as her intern.

Well of course he is... they just keep getting younger what is going on? I feel like Mathew McConaughey in the movie 'Dazed and Confused' when he says 'I keep getting older.... and they keep staying the same age.'

Today was a little unusual in the control room. Usually there are a few boys, but today it was all girls and the Report Guy was eating it up.

He kept bouncing around from one girl to the next, including me, and everyone of us turned into a giddy schoolgirl. 'Do you want to see what I do?'

Looking back at it, it was pretty funny. No matter how young or old we are we all just wanted him looking over our shoulder.

Well, except for our director who told him he was in her personal bubble and he needed to move back. It was hysterical, because we all know that about her and we were waiting for it to come out.

The day continued, and it was all I could do to get to the long holiday weekend... which I was going to kick off with dinner and drinks with the Coffee Fairy.

On my way to meet her at the steakhouse, she texted and said 'I'd like you to marry our waiter, his name is Travis. He's the perfect cubbie for you.'

I had to laugh, but I was also intrigued... so I replied 'Good to know. Get him primed and ready for me!'

When I got there I had to agree, he was adorable, but still very young. All that keeps going through my head is 'I keep getting older... and they stay the same age.' I have no idea why I am all of the sudden now increasingly attracted to and twitterpated by younger guys. It's so strange... maybe it's hormones.

Dinner was great, I think I'm eating my way through the weekend. A big steak, covered with bleu cheese, and wrapped in bacon... oh and a twice baked potato. And yes, I ate every last bite!

The food was only rivaled by the great conversation. When the Coffee Fairy and I get together the conversations always get 'deep'.

But tonight's conversation snuck up on us. We checked the time at about 8:30, about the time we were getting ready to leave I looked again and it was midnight!

Seriously? It felt like we just just blinked and we lost 3 1/2 hours. It was really, really bizarre, but nice.

Day 256: The Starbucks Dilemma

Ahhhh.... the alarm goes off, and I realize I can get a few extra minutes of shuteye because I don't have to wash the hair, or shave the legs.... it's a beautiful day.

Somehow I even manage to have the time to make some coffee before I head off to work, the stars seemed to be aligned.

But I still managed to be late... again... to work. As I drove past my new Starbucks, happy that I don't have to stop today and make myself even later, I start to think about my history with the joint.

I have met a few guys that I've gone on dates with at Starbucks, most recently... well.. Starbucks, which is the reason I had to find a different one to go to on my way into work.

Mission accomplished. The last few times I've been in there, I find myself checking out the hotties (when they are there), and today I started to think maybe that's not a good ideas.

Sure it seems like an ok place to find a nice man (even though my past history has been bad)... but what happens if I go out with another guy and it doesn't work out?

I'm running out of coffee shops on my way into work. I would have to alter my commute and there aren't very many ways for me to alter.

I guess I'll cross that bridge when... and if... I come to it.

I would hate to throw away a chance at Prince Charming, and love just because I'm afraid of finding another coffee shop.

So I cruise on down the road and make it to work, where Sunshine is waiting for me.

As I sit down I reach into my purse to search for the granola bar I threw in as I was running out the door, but instead I pulled out an iced sugar cookie!

What a surprise! I bought it yesterday at lunch, and forgot it was there! My immediate thought was 'whoo hooo!! It's like a magic purse!' I reach in looking for a granola bar and out comes a cookie.. what could be better than that?!

After work I called the host of my show just to chat and catch up. She asked 'so what 18 year old are you dating now?' I laughed and said 'Hey, I'm Cinderella and I am waiting for Prince Charming, he's coming in about 40 days.'

She laughed with me. I make light of it with her, because she doesn't believe in those kinds of things. I have to say I'm not putting all my faith in it, but I do think it is possible that someone could know.

It's definitely an agree to disagree part of our relationship. I hadn't really realized how much of a dry spell I had hit until she said that, meanwhile I've had this urge to send an IM to the guy I like to call the 'Kindergartner'.

He's the 26 year old I dated about 8 months ago. He's a major football fan, and everytime I hear a story about football I want to send him a message.

But... I've held strong, because there's not much that can go right with that situation.. well... mostly.

We had a very strong connection, or at least I thought we did, and I think it stems from our astrological signs. I'm a Taurus and he's a Scorpio, both fixed signs, both loyal... very steamy.

At one point during one of our first dates I felt drunk, and I hadn't had anything to drink.

It was a very strange feeling for me, since I'm always in control, but one I'm certainly looking for again, at least in some respect.

I guess it could also be a part of getting older, I could just be too tired to try to be in control all the time.

The true test will be Prince Charming... bring him on!

Day 257: Traumatized by wine

I'm sitting with Sunshine in a cold dark very small room with a sliding glass door at work.

It's an area where we make graphics for the show, and I was there to train her.

This is the same place I sat a few weeks ago staring at boobs, strategically placing black bars over areas that needed to be covered.

I look out the door and see the guy I returned the concert tickets to, and I cringe a little bit.

I HATE confrontation, so I try to avoid it at all cost... hence the notecard I flung on the desk!

Laughing I told her she was my body guard and I was happy about it, mainly because she was in there with me, and knowing that made me feel secure because I knew he wouldn't come and talk to me because he's just as bad as me in that regard.

She kept turning around and looking out to catch a glimpse of him. Then she said 'is that him over there in the baseball cap?'.

I stopped dead in my tracks... 'what?! You don't know what he looks like?! You're the one who did recon for me a few days ago and you don't even know what he looks like?!'

I'm so happy I made it out of that experience unscathed, because it could have been so much worse.

But Sunshine is a great friend, when we walked out of the room, I told her we had to walk a certain direction and she was right there with me.... acting like she was super frustrated to keep my attention and to keep everyone else away.

Work is super stressful right now. It's hard being down 50 percent on your staff, and trying to train and get a new person up to speed, because there's no one to pick up the slack.

If we get a little bit behind... and we've been on the verge of it for a few weeks now... we're toast. Right now, we're in a hole and it isn't going to be easy to dig ourselves out of in a 40 hour work week.

As I leave work tonight, I definitely feel like I need a glass of wine. I have plenty of wine in the house, but it's nice wine and I don't want to bust it out unless it's a special occassion.

I always pass Trader Joe's on the way home and today I was really thinking about stopping for a bottle of wine.... but and there is a bit but in this story.

I have a little trauma about an incident that happened a few years ago, when I stopped in to grab some groceries during the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

The store was packed and I was doing my usual shopping. I wasn't making a big meal, just buying some groceries for myself.

I decided to grab a couple bottles of Two Buck Chuck to keep on hand at the house, so I went up to the display at the end of the aisle and planned my attack.

The display was a lot of wine boxes piled on top of each other with the fronts cut off in order to see the wine.

I knew it was imperative to take bottles from the top so the display didn't fall over, so I took one bottle and put it in my basket, then as I grabbed the second bottle it happened.

The display started to crumble... I didn't know what to do! My hands were full, so I tried leaning up against it in hopes of at least breaking the bottles fall to the ground but it was to no avail.

Before I knew it I was standing in a pool of red wine and broken glass... I was mortified!

People were walking around and starting to stare, they asked me to stay put, so there I stood red handed (pardon the pun) with not one but TWO bottles of 2 Buck Chuck in my basket and a pile of crushed glass and wine surrounding me as if I was at the center of a crime scene.

That incident still haunts me, even though it has been 3 years. I now... and may always.... think twice anytime I grab anything that resembles glass from any type of display.

Thankfully I realized I have a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau from last year and I knew I was fine.