4 Years and Counting

I was getting ready to embark on my big running debut in the college gym last night when one of my little sister's friends, and upcoming graduate, came up to my treadmill.

"You've been here for four years, are you tired of this place?"

"Yes."

"What are you going to do next?"

What am I going to do next? That is the biggest question that has been facing me since I graduated almost four years ago. How do you answer that question? How do you DECIDE what the answer to that question is when it could, would, even maybe should include moving, quitting my job, and completely turning everything upside down for a while. I've remained still since my graduation. I've stayed in the same town I graduated in, worked the same job since I graduated, and remained myself.

So, I looked at her and said, "Either get married or move to London."

The leaning today is towards the latter. However, this changes by the hour.

What is your language?

Languages are something that have intrigued me since I won first place in a spanish competition in 10th grade. I enjoy playing with words within the English language as well as the handful of other languages I have brushed across in my lifetime.

For example, OoloreyLA (and thats the phonetic spelling, not anything actually accurate), in my Nigerian friend's native tribe's tounge is one of the most fun words I've come across. I asked her to teach me one word and OoloreyLA was it. I finally got the meaning out of her after I practiced it multiple times.

"Well," she says incredulously, "It means Big Head."

The first time I ran into a Nigerian other than my friend was paying for parking at the airport. Upon learning of her origin I got so excited and started screaming OoloreyLA at her, waving my hands and widening my eyes looking for her excitement to recognize her native language. She merely looked slightly taken aback and laughed at the silly white girl across from her and handed me my change. My friend never told me that was not a good idea to scream Big Head at her fellow Nigerians. Who knew?

Another family of languages intrigues me outside of those just spoken. Love languages. Gary Chapman wrote a book about these called The Five Love Languages, first introducing it to the world. Its basically about the way we show and receive love.

The five love languages according to Chapman are:

• Personal Touch
• Acts of Services
• Giving of Gifts
• Quality Time
• Words of Encouragement

You can research the gist of the book on the internet if the face value of these aren't enough to quench your thirst but they are self explanatory enough on a surface level to get my drift. Or you can be an over achiever and take the love language test here.

So anyway, in college, I decided my love language was physical touch. Any touch was just an opening for the warm fuzzies and fair game to bring home and analyze for hours with my roommate. Later, when I was dating someone less talkative and more touchy feely, I decided my love language was words of encouragement. I would ask each time before we got off the phone, "Tell me something nice, please."

Now, I'm dating another personal touch person and have decided Acts of Service is more my game. I mean, I melt when he takes out the trash and weed eats my yard. Or, when he is scurrying around my feet picking up all I dropped on the floor in the kitchen. But, I also really dug him bringing me flowers. And I really long for our time together...

So, with all that changing of my mind, I finally decided which one I actually am. All 5. That's right, I said it. I am penta-lingual. Perhaps thats why men rarely appeal to me because rather than having one overarching need for feeling love, I instead have five enormous, love needs that pose incredible hurtles when it comes to dating me.

But, rather than look at the downside, I'm actually feeling pretty good about this, actually I'm rather elated. How cool is it that I am penta-lingual? I mean, think about how many people you know that speak 5 languages. Um, like, .02? And if you did know someone, I bet they would just be the coolest chick/kid ever! So, not only do I receive love in 5 ways, I also can give it in 5 ways.

So, my task now is to purposefully show my love to Harry in the 5 specific ways this weekend and see what his reaction is. And, gauge mine. Then, we can see if I really am what I have just claimed to be. I will report back later...

Kisses!

Its a Mad World

I mad at Harry. I can't remember why exactly. I'll blame it on being menstrual. But I'm not telling him that.

I'm still mad too- even though I know its silly. I want to be mad at him for it raining all weekend and for living 1 hour 45 mins away from me. Its also his fault that I had to go to two different Walmarts today to get the on sale Garmin. I even (criminal this is, I admit) want to yell at him for not being able to read my mind.

Mostly I'm mad because he hasn't called me yet to call me out on being stupid for being mad. He's probably smarter than I'm giving him credit for considering he hasn't called me while in this state.

I heart my man.

The Way to a Man's Heart...

Well, what does a brand new couple do for a date night in? Cook us some dinner. It was cute. We grocery shopped. We rinsed and chopped. We blended and seasoned. We danced around the kitchen in harmony, wearing aprons and oven mitts.

Actually, it was more like me and my happy-nervous energy chopping as much as I was dropping as Harry (aka Mr. OCD Cleaner) squatted on the floor, picking up bits of onion and celery. I would use a knife, come back to it, and it would already be in the dishwasher.

We used about every dish in the kitchen. When I asked where his dish drainer was he replied, "What, some big contraption to take up room on my counter?" I mean, what was I thinking? Obviously the correct process is to lay them on a towel and hand dry immediately. Who would ever consider that contraption an extra, easily accessable, highly desireable place to store the dishes?? Nooo, not me!

I swear the boy must not eat real food ever. He about melted on the floor eating something cooked in his own kitchen that he'd never tasted before. That kitchen was cleaned in about 3 minutes following the meal and in 3.5 we were tangled up together on the couch.

So, if you need a recipe to that will bring a man to his knees (ok, only if he is fabulously clean and you are spaz-tastic like me), or just want something fabulous to cook for whenever, I have the recipe listed below. Thanks Rachael Ray!!!

Spicy Shrimp Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw peeled and deveined small shrimp
• 1 celery stalk with green, leafy tops, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 small to medium yellow skinned onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• A handful parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose seafood seasoning, found near fish department (recommended: Old Bay)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1 lemon, zested
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 4 English muffins, sandwich size plain or sour dough flavor
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chili sauce or salsa or taco sauce
• Butter or Boston lettuce leaves

Directions

Divide the shrimp in half. Put half the shrimp into a food processor and grind it up. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl using a rubber spatula. Add the whole shrimp to the bowl. Add celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic and parsley to the processor and pulse-grind it into a fine chop. Add the vegetable mixture to the shrimp. Add half a palm full of crab boil seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, lemon zest, salt and pepper to the bowl, to season. Stir the shrimp mixture to combine.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream. Use a large metal scoop to scoop 4 mounds of shrimp burger mixture into the pan. Gently pat down to form patties. Fry patties 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until they firm up and the shrimp turn whitish-pink.

Split and toast the sandwich size English muffins. Mix mayonnaise and chili sauce, salsa or taco sauce. Place burgers on muffin bottoms and top with lettuce. Slather the top of the muffins with sauce and set in place.

The Home Debut

I went and visited Harry at his home this weekend.  Sure, I got lost on the drive over.  No, I did not call him for specification on the route as I wanted to impress him with my superior navigational abilities.  And yes, I probably accidentally told every female at work that day, "I have a date tonight!!"

Oh my gosh, did you know single, thin, clean, straight men exist???  His home is impeccable.  He vacuumed baseboards for me.  A couple notes on his house before we move on:

• 4 BR/2BA (I wasn't allowed to see one of the spare bedrooms, haha)
• Dining room is 100% empty. Nada stick o furniture.
• Huge TV with every channel. (I get 10 channels on my borrowed TV)
• He vacuums lines into his carpet.  It is fun to make footprints in the freshly vacuumed floors.  Even more fun to jump waaay out and then back, making it look like you had to fly there to make your mark.  I totally impressed him I think.
• His refrigerator and pantry are completely vacant.
• Empty rooms are great for yoga lessons.
• His couch is the bomb.
• I loved it all.

And he asked me to be his girlfriend.  Like, for real.  He said the words.  

I giggled and just said yes.

Hey Now, I'm a Rock Star

Cutting my hair makes me feel like a rock star.  Probably because my mom always made us keep our hair long whilst experiencing childhood.  Oh, and there was that boyfriend that asked me to promise him I wouldn't cut it for a year (read about that and other shenanigans here).  Well, I have seen the light and fallen in love with cutting my crazy curly hair shorter and shorter each time.

Today I decided it was time to get some space between my hair and my shoulders.  Yup.  I did it.  I just walked in and told my cute little hair dresser to take it off.   She took off over 4 inches of hair AND even did the angled short in the back, long in the front.  

Its styled after Thandie Newtons hair here- but mine wont be that long for another month or two!  Now... if only I can snag the dress?

Off to get my items together for my trip to Harry's tomorrow.  Oh, and get prepared for an 8 a.m. meeting with Super (woo hoo).  

Other than the 8 a.m. rendezvous my Friday is looking pretty stupendous!!

The Day and Way I Fell in Like, Via Video Chat

I might be able to get used to this.

Harry is hanging in there like a champ.  And by hanging in there, I mean, being consistent in his attention giving (which is at a nice mid-high level, im only minorly freaked out at present by it), is still not showing any weird warning signs, and still laughs at my antics.

We have been on 5 dates and have two additionals planned.  

I admit, I have been reserved about all of this.  And I'm still proceeding with caution (thank you to my readers for the much appreciated advice!) but I think I did make a little leap last night.  I've been on the outside looking in I feel like- with this surreal, non dramatic, everything seemingly lining up budding relationship happening before my eyes.  Just observing and not really playing it emotionally- only sarcastically, sillily and just having fun.  

I'm still going to do that of course- have no fear, little miss sarcasm will always be here!!  But, last night I think I had a little bit of feeling stuff come up.  He lives about 1 hr 1/2 away so we don't get to see each other just wheneve.  Well, I got this new mac and we tried video chat last night.  It was the first time I had seen him in his house.  Poor guy, me and my strong personality have drug him all over my little town and my old big city, introduced him to people and put him in all new scenarios.  All the while with people looking at him like the weird dude I found on the internet.

But in his house last night, I saw a new side of him.  He was just laid back on the couch, chillin in his glasses (hot!).  We just laid back together (on our own respective couches) talked, and made funny faces at each other.  Something about the normalcy of it (I know, its not traditionally normal but it is was some other variety of norms), the just being at home and kinda being together but not actually made me just realize how much I really like being with him, seeing him and talking to him. 

So, Friday I'm going to his place for the first time.  And next Friday we are both taking the whole day off to just hang out.  

I think I just might have scored me a man.