Spiders in the shower. How much do you hate that? Seriously. You've just in the shower washing your hair and next thing you know there is an eight legged fellow walking across the ceiling. Insert the "I-know-the-killer-is-in-the-house" scream and me flinging whatever is nearby to kill the critter.
I thought that bit of comedy would be a fun way to start my first post of the New Year. I've been lagging on this bloody thing already. That's a disgrace. Although in my defense bits of chaos have been going on so I haven't been able to get to a computer long enough to write on here.
My dear friend and fellow blogger Stephanie [Who writes two blogs, my favorite of which is-So Many Habits, So Little Time] left the midwest for an extended weekend to visit the glory of New England. We have a bit of a back and forth joke about this. We went to Time Square for New Years Eve. That is something that you do once in your life. ONCE. And never again unless you have been drinking and have a hotel nearby. Just saying. I should also mention apparently two sailors were trying to talk to us but I was walking too fast to pay attention. This was on our way back to Grand Central Station after the ball had dropped. Go figure. I fuck up at the very beginning of the New Year.
Speaking of. I'm really on a roll with the New Year. I went on a group date the other night. Once again. I need to learn to stop letting my best friend set me up. I love her to death, but things don't always turn out well. Don't get me wrong. This is one of the best dates she's set me up on. Honestly. No one ended up on fire, threatened, or crying. Not that that's happened before...kinda. But I also need to learn that over time I should have realized certain things and stuck by them. Don't get me wrong. The guy was really nice and a good friend of her boyfriend (who we joke is my pseudo boyfriend for special occasions). But he fell under two of the categories that have been written down to remind me of who I shouldn't date. Namely his name is John and he's a Marine.
Now. This is where I need to clear up a few things again. One, I don't have a prejudice against the name John. Once of my closest friends at school is a John...even though he doesn't go by that name. I just have a problem with relationships with guys named John. Laugh if you must, but once you've over the three person mark the pattern comes into shape. Now that I've hit six, I'm pretty sure I can check it off as a name I'm just not compatible with.
As for the Marine part. That's a little bias on my part. Both my grandfathers served in the military. My maternal grandfather was in the Army during WWII and the Navy during the Korean War. My paternal grandfather, a Marine during the Korean War. Notice I didn't way 'was'. As I was told and have witnessed over the years. There is no such thing as a former Marine. Once again don't get me wrong. I don't dislike Marines, I just don't date them. Once again chalk it up to childhood prejudice and nearly being taken advantage by a Jarhead (former close friend) this summer.
Side note. Unless you are sure of someone's intentions do not let them come visit you while you've got a 103 temperature and aren't feeling up to snuff.
What a tragically deranged life I lead, right? Oh the stories I could tell. I probably will over the course of my blogging time. You'll appreciate some of them.
I do not have a wild romantic life. Actually I have a pretty nonexistent one. That was the first date I've been on in over three years. My one and only relationship was short lived back in '06. Now you're probably wondering what I meant by the six Johns? Those fall under the category of guys I was talking to who were interested. They count, because if they don't than I have nothing to chalk up to my sad romantic prospects and simply would have to talk about the mentally unstable gentlemen I end up speaking to.
By the by, when i say mentally unstable I am not one of those people who exaggerate. When you can automatically think of at least five potential suitors who should seek therapy it's not exaggeration. Beastiality, suicide threats, self harm, mentally abusive, and those who get off by watching people get hit with tasers top the list. Trust me. I too wish I was kidding. I'm a writer, but I'm not that good.
But the original statement was about the date. There was no click and for once I wasn't too upset. I'm heading back to school tomorrow and I'm seeing this as a really good start. Not that I knock relationships, but I think I need to stop searching for them. I just end up frustrated and more upset because I hear all the annoying voices gathered together from the years telling me what's wrong.
"You're not pretty."
"You're not smart."
"You're fat."
"You're waiting for something that's not there."
"You don't deserve it."
"You're too scared for a relationship. You're destroying them before they start."
"You're too prudish. Even if you do loosen up, then you're just a whore."
I have got to tell you, those voices? Annoying as fuck. Mind you, they're still there and they will never go away, but over time they dim down a bit. So sometimes I just throw caution to the winds and drown them out with this line:
"Take the chance."
I like that line. Mind you it's gotten me in a bit of trouble since I started using it for 2009. Three times if we want to really go for it.
Trouble Number One: I made out with the best friend of one of my closest university friends, Jude, on a road trip back in March. It was a spur of the moment thing and a thrill. He made me feel special, as stupid as that sounds. I'm not a skinny girl. I'm quiet curvy, not exactly in the perfect way, but I'm beginning to see it's not all bad. But as I was saying, it's not often I find someone that makes me feel wanted, so it was an experience. Mind you it was also the first time I've ever gotten a hickey. Or I should probably say hickies. After this happened I was told I looked like I had gotten mauled by a bear. Or that I had gotten in a fight. Jude thought I had a rash when he first saw me and continued to think that for another day before it clicked. His friend hasn't talked to me since it happened. Oh well. It was an experience. Once that Jude and all my friends still like to bring up. Why? Because there was apparently nothing funnier than me attempting to hide hickies for a day before deciding it was pointless since they had already seen them.
Trouble Number Two: This one I do claim partial responsibility for, but also not entirely. I referenced this already, but a former friend showed up on a night I was really sick to watch movies with me. I should also mention We'd been friends for five years and this past summer I finally got over my feelings for him. This took place in June. He showed up, ended up letting me lie down next to him, which I didn't think anything of at the time since it had happened before and the fact I was too groggy to sit up on my own. One thing led to another and he had me pinned down and was making out with me. Why I didn't stop him I'm still not too sure. It could have been because my parents were asleep and I was kinda scared my mum would shoot him, or it could have been because I'd waited so long for him to pay me any attention I just wanted to see how it would go. Guess what? He's a shitty kisser. He was a shitty friend. Actually a generally shitty person. He told me on more than one occasion he wished he could find a girl like me. I had the things he was looking for, but I just wasn't pretty. Why didn't I dump him as a friend on the spot? Because I have a soft side for assholes. Needless to say I have since ended speaking to him.
Fun other note. He had called me back in the end of September to let me know he had moved into school safely (over three weeks at this point) and he hadn't called me because I 'just didn't rank on my list'. Yeaaaaah. That's when I wrote him a really nice letter letting him know exactly what I thought of him. One of my friends read a copy after I sent it and asked if my mother was checking the obituaries to see if he killed himself. No he hasn't. I didn't lay it on that thick. It took some time but I held back.
I never said I was a good person.
Trouble Number Three: They say third time is the lucky charm. Man, if there had been one different element in this scenario it would have been. I'm not going into all the details with this one because it's still fresh and part of it still hurts like hell and most likely always will. I got together with the one person at University I can honestly say i fully trust. Which has scared me since I realized it. We're close...or we we're until a fight that took place after this incident. Let's just say he was like my best friend and every day I feel like I'm losing him. We started the night by getting some alcohol to celebrate life in general and friends. He swung and arm around my shoulders and told me in no uncertain terms I was going to get drunk that night.
"Why?" I said with a half smile.
He winked. "Because I feel like taking advantage of you."
We both laughed it off. Thinking about the laughing I think you can read it two different ways. One, while he does have asshole tendencies toward everyone-he is a gentleman. He wouldn't take advantage of anyone and he's told me on more than one occasion I'm one of the few people he trusts and he does care about me. The second way to read it is basically, it wouldn't be taking advantage since he knows I am attracted to him. I've never openly said it to him, but I think we both knew. Well...since the 'incident' we know it. Anyway long story short, we hooked up. My definition of hooking up is getting together, not straight up sex. If it was straight up sex I'd simply say 'We had sex.' But we did not. Why? Because while we'd both be drinking and we both were in one hell of a moment, the second he looked at me for permission to take off my pants I had to say no. Which he understood and accepted. Why did I say no? Because there was a sober part of my brain that suddenly flared up reminding me he had not broken up with his girlfriend.
Oh yeah I'm going to hell.
Want to know the worst part?
She was on a religious retreat.
I don't think there is a level in hell that qualifies for this. I'm going to need a new one all to myself.
Trust me. I still feel bad about it. I am dead set against cheating. Seeing as the fact as I've been cheated on and have been lied to about the status of interested parties I feel horrible. About the situation. The girl-and I know this sounds horrible-not so much. Why? Because I don't like her as a person for the way she has always treated myself and just the kind of person she is.
That doesn't make things better I am aware, but once again, I realized the take the chance voice causes harm.
I'm sure someone's saying "Well you can't blame drinking because he said that to you."
First off I don't blame the alcohol. Yes it took a part. It made both of us more relaxed but there was something else going on. We've drank together numerous times and it never happened before. This one time, this one night and it happens? Well I don't know what to call it.
Since it happened we had one very brief discussion about it, but not one on one. Like I said it was a long story and it would take too long to explain. But we decided not to talk about it to other people obviously. This happened November 13th. Friday the 13th. Ironic right?
The week we were all going home for Thanksgiving another friend, he and I were all sitting waiting for our flights and talking. That whole experience came up and I said "That night-"
He interrupted and looked at me with an expression I still can't exactly pinpoint and said, "So that's what we're calling it? 'That Night'?"
Odd. I know.
We were fin up until the first week of December when we got into a fight. Mind you over text messages, but I got really upset and ended up in a friend's room so they could sit next to me on the couch. I was nearly in tears. That's how bad of a shape I was in. I lost one of my best friends-she didn't die, but decided 19 years of friendship wasn't worth it (another long story for a different post). I had completely severed tires with the asshole for mistake number two, and I wasn't prepared or ready to lose the one person in Chicago I really trusted. I couldn't lose anyone else that I was that close with. While fending off tears and leaning into my friends I let out this great line:
"He's not allowed to stay mad at me for a misunderstanding. We're too close. I fucking stayed in the checkout line with him in Target when he bought an espresso machine and lube. He cannot stay made at me."
he had told me once he got back to campus we were going to talk. Which was why I was not in my own dorm. I didn't want my roommates to see me like that. Mind you the group of us are the close knit group of friends, but if he was going to yell at me I didn't want it to happen in front of them. Better away from our regular circle.
Once he got back to campus my friend let him in because there was a going away party we were all going to-separate of course. He walks in says hi and acts like nothing is wrong. I am greatly confused at this point. He acts nice all night. I hang out with other friends we all hangout everything is fine. Hell, I even get hit on by a really cute kid who gave me a great back massage and let me cuddle with him when we were watching movies later that night.
As my friend is leaving to take the drunken girlfriend home-Actually going to pause for a moment. Everyone knows there is no love loss between his girlfriend and myself. She's never said it out loud but she isn't fond of me. In her drunken state she told me she doesn't hate me and just wants to be the best of friends and do girly things together. She then proceed to fling herself into my arms and basically starts crying. Thankfully she did this in a separate room where there were only a few of us. Over her head two of my friends' jaws had dropped in disbelief. Her boyfriend and I were just starting at each other. He had a blank expression which was impressive seeing as I was sending him the most evil look in the world. Anyway, back to him leaving. As he was going out the door I asked him if we still needed to talk. His reply? "Later. Not tonight."
We still didn't have that talk. Trust me. I tried. I wanted to get it over with. He kept avoiding it like the PLAGUE. I talked to him the second day I was home from break. He told me he did not hate me, but he was upset that I had a problem and didn't come to him about it. Which led me to have to explain I did not have a problem with him and it was a misunderstanding blown out of epic proportion. I didn't talk to him all of break until the other day when he sent me a text message asking me when a movie was coming out.
I mimed strangling the phone. It made me feel much better. As Stephanie put it, it was probably his way of letting me know we were okay. Either way. I still want to hit him then give him a hug because I miss the bastard.
Well. I think I should end it here tonight. I have to finish packing to move back tomorrow and I just want to sleep.
I'll finish this horrid jumble of ideas tomorrow.
Until then
Cheers.