I’m finally updating  . . . something.

In great news for this morning, I walked out to my car to find that it had been side swiped . . . with no note.  It appears (from my great investigation skills) that someone tried to park, hit my car, realized it and backed the eff up.  Yes, I have lovely marks ranging from my wheel well on the passenger side of my car to the end of the door.  Thank goodness the wheel well is there, otherwise the mark would be much worse.  UGH.  People!

In other news, my new cutesy, itsy-bitsy dining room table that I purchased for my quaint apartment is set to arrive today.  Whether UPS is going to require a signature or not, I don’t know.  Hopefully not, because I really want to eat dinner at a proper table tonight.  There’s something about eating at a table that makes the world seem more . . . sophisticated and grown up.  Oh, but don’t worry.  I can still watch the tele from the table.  Priorities, people.

This past weekend, J and I participated in the Great Urban Race that took place in DC.  It took us four hours (almost) to complete the entire “scavenger hunt” –like race.  It was a blast.  I may have gotten a little feisty during one challenge (playing shuffleboard), but hey—we all have our moments.  At least I realized I was slightly out of line and apologized right away.

The had us starting at the Armory and our clues ranged all the way up to Adams Morgan.  We were allowed to take public transportation such as buses, trollies and the metro, but no taxis, bicycles or skates were allowed.  The winning team had a time of 2:04 (hours and minutes, people).  Our time was 3:54.  Maybe if we had actually tried, not stopped for lunch, etc. we could have had a chance . . . next year, we’re set out to win this thing!

Camera check-in

Okay, so another great thing.  Everyone knows what a fanatic I am when it comes to my boys on DC United (even though I’ve been a slacker lately with going to games), so here’s a special something just for you!  I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

For discounted DCU tickets, enter the code “GUR2011” at checkout!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend.  I did.  And it’s going to be an even better week!

Ever since I moved away from the place where I grew up and where I spent the vast majority of my college and early 20s, I’ve come to realize that friends in my life come and go.  It’s those people that still want to cling to my friendship that I appreciate so much.  People like Mallory, Michelle, Cat, and Renne.  These are the girls I want to visit over and over and they’re pretty much the only ones, besides my family, that make me even want to go back to my “home’s” direction.  The rest of the people?  Well, they’ve shown me that I’ve only been a convenient friend to them.  I was around for them, but if being more than a half hour away is too much for them to handle, then so be it.

This is one thing I certainly don’t understand.  Why was I a conveneince?  Did I really allow people to walk over me that mcuh?  I mean, I know I did it with men that I dated (okay, boys, because no real man would do that).  I brushed that all off and stand my ground now.  I don’t tolerate bullshit.  So why do it in the friend department, too?  When I ask to see people, I get answers like, “Let me know when you’re in the area.”  What?  Really?  So you can’t come see me?  We can’t meet in the middle?  You aren’t willing to drive 45-minutes out of the comfortbale shit-hole they call West Virginia and come to the big city to play?  Are you really that afraid!?

On Facebook today, a friend had the status saying she realizes friends come and go for a season and the ones that do, she is okay with.  I came to that conclusion a few months ago when I moved as well.  Obviously some friends I had made in West Virginia were only there for that time period in my life.  Whether I’ll ever really see them again or speak with them, I don’t know.  But right now, I’m all right with knowing that; with knowing that I was a convenience for some people.

I know I’m enough.  I know I’m a good person, otherwise I wouldn’t have as many people in my life as I do.  Sure, most don’t stick around for an extended period of time, but that’s also what growing is for.  It helps you learn about yourself and learn about the world around you.  It seems many people are so focused on their own “success” in life they forget about the relationships they’ve formed.  Me?  I’m great.  Fantastic, even!

My friends know who they are because love is reciprocated between us–friends who email me, tweet with me, text with me; friends who send me cards just because or small packages in the mail; friends who have the ability to make me cry with just a few simple sentences.  Those are the friends I want to keep in my life.

For the past eight weeks, I’ve been playing on a dodgeball team.  I’ve dipped, dived, ducked and dodged my way through various games.  I thwarted opponents on the court, made guys angry because they couldn’t hit me with the dodgeballs and best of all, made some enemies on those courts.

Last night were the playoffs for the season.  We had our first game, which went neck-and-neck for the whole regulation time.  During this game, I learned that I had apparently pissed off some of the guys on the opposing team.  I was getting ball after ball throw at me . . . and not just at my body.  No, it seemed as though they were targeting my face.  Am I too pretty to be playing dodgeball?  Did they want to make me uglier?  Did they want to wipe the stupid smirk off my face because I kept mocking them, telling them over and over upon each miss to “Try again, sweetheart!”?  Perhaps.  But maybe they have something against women playing sports.  Maybe they think we don’t deserve to be on the court.  I’ve come across this multiple times while playing on co-ed teams during my short life on earth.  It’s then that I buckle down and show them what a bad-ass I am.

I am a woman.  A woman who likes to get down and get dirty.  I like to play with the best of guys, because in the long-run, it only helps to make me a better person in whatever I’m doing.  I’m competitive and hard-headed.  I’m more stubborn than a mule.  I do things out of spite, just to cause a little bit of tension because after all, who doesn’t like to show off their bad-assery?

Some of you may laugh when you hear that I play dodgeball, but until you see the kind of skill it takes to be out there (and the kind of hard bones, if you’re a woman), don’t mock me.  Don’t laugh.  Don’t chide.  And if you’re a woman, look me in the eye and tell me I have a job well done.  It is in competition and sports that I breathe and live.  And I won’t back down.

Today is Cinco de Mayo.  A day most Americans celebrate by raising their glasses in the air, consuming alcohol and cheering incessantly in the bars across town.  I’ve never understood this, mostly because it’s not even a true American holiday.  It’s a holiday to celebrate a Mexican victory.  Grant it, we have a short tie to this holiday since the French detested us and it is on this day the Mexicans finally beat their soliders, but still . . . not a true American holiday.

Perhaps it’s because this day had a separate meaning for me wholly.  Today is my father’s birthday.  It’s numero seis without him.  Each year, I remembered his face.  The way he used to smile at me.  The side hugs I’d get from him because he was in too much pain to give me a real hug.  I miss those hugs.  Maybe that’s why I’m a hugger more so than I ever used to be these days.  All I know is I miss him.

My father was my best friend.  Not many women can grow up saying that.  He cared about me more than I ever thought a father could care about a daughter, and while he may not have been the best with words, my father showed me he cared by encouraging me, supporting me in my efforts (even when he didn’t like them) and being so proud of me.

I can still remember the day I graduated high school.  At that time in our insignificant human lives, graduating high school is like winning the Pulitzer Prize.  It was the number one thing I looked forward to (okay, let’s be honest–I just really, really wanted to get out of that school), so when my father and mother showed up for it and I saw tears in his eyes as I walked across the stage and accepted that diploma, it meant more to me than anything.  Little did I know that was the only diploma he’d ever see me receive.

My father cried all of three times that I can remember, at least around me.  All were moments of pride.  Looking at pictures of him, I see a man who was happy with his life and with his family.  He had a family who truly loved him and friends that cared about him more than I ever thought possible.  The moment my father passed away, we had more than enough support, food, tears and gentle arms to last a lifetime.  Six years later, whenever I mention him, people still tell me how awesome of a man he was, because he was just that: awesome.

I wish the people who were in my life now would have had the opportunity to meet him.  There is no comparison.  My father was one in a million.  He was unique because he genuinely cared about people, and most importantly, people knew how much he cared about me.  I know he’s looking down on me and smiling.  All I can do now is look up and smile back.

Happy birthday to one of the most amazing men I’ve ever known.

Another installment and a big thanks to Chelsea for hosting and coming up with the questions for this week’s Ten on Tuesday.  I’ve started to become slightly addicted to this (at least consistent) part of my blog.

1. What is the weather like in your city today?
Warm.  Mid-70s.  Slightly cloudy.  Strong storms to hit later.

2. Do you like the zoo?
Yes; I’m lucky enough to live just a short metro ride from the National Zoo, which houses lots of great animals and is in the process of expanding! I can’t wait for the seals and sea lions to be back!

3. Do you eat coconut?
Ohhhh nom nom nom.  I love coconut!!! I love to cook with it, too.  Mango sticky rice . . . dried mango, coconut and macademia nut cookies . . . coconut ice cream (one of our favorites).

4. Have you ever hammered a nail? Are you good at it?
Um, hello.  Look at me.  I’m the world’s largest tom-boy.  OF COURSE I’ve hammered a nail.  And used power tools! *gasp*

5. Does your family have a vacation destination that you visit often?
No; growing up we rarely took vacations.  When I was younger, my parents would send me off to my grandparents’ houses, alternating every year, between Texas and Florida.

6. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Four and a body pillow if I’m alone, or in my bed.  Otherwise, J only has two, but I usually end up using him as my pillow.

7. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
lie in bed, thinking about my day and fantasizing about great things happening.

8. Will you send your kids to summer camp?
Possibly.  I always went to a few every summer until I was 16.

9. What do you put in your baked potatoes?
Not a huge fan of them.

10. Did you take swimming lessons as a kid?
Nope.  Which is probably why, while I’m a decent swimmer, my form just sucks.

In case you hadn’t noticed, I started another blog.

Don’t worry though; as much as I neglect this one, I’m still going to write about personal things here.  I’ve started a cooking blog.  Seeing how it’s becoming more and more a part of me, I thought what the hell, let’s take a dive and put myself (and recipes) out there for critique.

So, read about my cooking journey.  Join in, if you’d like.  Eventually, there will be a forum implemented to facilitate a recipe swap, sharing and general commentary about techniques initiated by you, my readers.

Check out the new space here: http://cookingconstellations.wordpress.com/

So, what happens when you arrive at your local gym, get out of your car, are distracted while talking on the phone, grab your gym bag and then lock and subsequently shut your car door?

I’ll tell you what happens: CHAOS, people, CHAOS!!!

As soon as I shut my car door last night, all I was thinking was “SHIT! SHIT SHIT *(@&#*(@&*(#&@(*!!!!!!”  Yes, that would be a multitude of profanities lining your computer screen right now.  But think loud.  So loud, in fact, people were staring at me.

Both my car AND apartment keys were locked in my vehicle.  It was shortly after 6 PM.  My leasing office at my apartment complex closes at 630 PM.  I was over three miles from home.  Both roommates are out of town.  Boyfriend headed to a dinner.  Mom an hour away.  In others words, I was EFFED.

Panic-stricken, I began to think.  I didn’t want to pay the after hours lock-out fee, so I got the wheels spinning.  Thankfully I was still talking on my phone when I shut my car door, which meant I still had my phone . . . with internet access!  I quickly Googled my apartment complex and called the leasing office.  I was lucky enough they trusted me to unlock my apartment door without my being there.  Here it was, around 610; I was 3.1 miles from home and I had a dodgeball game twenty minutes (driving time) away that started at 8 PM.  Can you calculate time?  The average person walks 3 mph.  So that means two hours for a round trip to my apartment and back.  Which also means, failure to make my dodgeball game.

Well, I’m a trooper people.  A TROOPER.  I made it to my apartment in 40 minutes.  Piggy-backed my way in (since the whole complex is secured), made it to my apartment door (which, yes, they actually DID unlock for me!!!!!), grabbed my spare car keys and booked it the whole way back.  I was watching the time on my phone like mad, thinking I was going to be late to my game.  Along the way, I had multiple honks, hoots and hollas.  I even had one guy ask if I wanted a ride.  Um, no thanks, Mr. Creepster!!!!  Sometimes I wonder about people . . .  At 733, I arrived back to my car (YEAH, I was hauling ASS in FLIP FLOPS!), jumped in and gunned it down the road.

I arrived at my dodgeball game five minutes early.  We won, but not without some war scars.  I’m awesome.

Since I’m super lame and have seemingly nothing to post (because after all, my life is rather boring during busy season–thank goodness that’s over!), I’m following suit again today.  I promise to have a post up at the end of the week recapping my stay-cation last week, which was more than needed to recharge my batteries.

Oh, and great news: the bags under my eyes are beginning to disappear!!!!!

Ten on Tuesday hosted by Chelsea from Roots and Rings; today’s questions provided by Molly at Considering the Campbells.

1. How many blogs do you read every day and what are they? (I’m talking the ones you NEVER miss)
Never miss?  Well, there are very few.  I never miss A Marathon’s Mistress, Walking with Nora, or Cosmo’s Bedroom Blog (yeah, I know.  But I get sucked up into the whole fantasy play-land they mock up).  I’ve noticed very few people post every day anyway, so it’s easier to keep up with the people I love.

2. How many “best friends” do you have? Do you have different “besties” for different areas of your life?
Actually . . . I’m not really sure I have a “best friend”.  I have a lot of “great friends”.  My friends come and go in my life.  They change often.  But there have been two ladies that have stuck by me through thick and thin and those are my middle school friends Michelle and Elizabeth.  No matter what, they’re always there for me, willing to listen and comfort me when needed, share a good laugh or revel in the memories of our childhood days which are no long gone.

3. What’s your daily make up routine?
Proactiv.  Mary Kay mineral powder foundation.  Maybelline’s Colossal mascara.  BAM! Done.

4. What is your ideal girl’s night?
The perfect depiction would be last night.  Good food.  Good wine.  Good company.  The rest are just details.

5. Do you keep up with your nails/toenails or are they au natural?
Summer I’ll keep my toes neatly pedicured because I love sandals, but the fingernails, not so much.

6. What’s your best roommate story (assuming you had a roommate at some point in your life)?
The best was when I was in college my freshman year.  I only had a roommate for about half a semester, mainly because we just didn’t get along, and one reason was this:  Her boyfriend decided to come up one night.  For starters, we had strict rules regarding co-ed dorms during the week.  Males were only allowed on our floor until 10 PM, at which point they were kicked out (weekends were 24/7 visitation, however).  So he comes up on a Thursday, after midnight.  1) I wanted to sleep and 2) I didn’t want him staying in our room because frankly I didn’t want to get written up.  So she decides she’s going to open our window, pop out the screen and have him crawl in the through the window.  Fine.  Good thing we live on the ground floor.  After that, I went to class on Friday and came home and find I had been locked out of my own room.  Not only did this continue on through the night, but through the next day as well.  Finally I gave up sleeping on my suite-mate’s floor and pounded on the door demanding to be let in.  When she finally opened the door I found them both naked.  On my couch.  Together.  GROOOOSSSSSS!!!  Needless to say, that couch didn’t stay around for very long.

7. What’s your “go to” outfit that you wear more than anything else?
Jeans.  A-shirt tank.  Sandals (shirt and sandals = black).

8. Do you have a beauty secret?
Moroccan Oil for your hair.

9. Did you read Seventeen magazine growing up?
Never.

10. How did you learn to put on makeup?
I don’t really think I still know how to put it on.  Which is why I’m very simple.  I definitely can’t do the eye liner (plus, my lashes are long anyway and I don’t really need it).

A friendly blogger, @walkingwithnora, does this from week to week on her blog, and since things are finally winding down in the office, I’d figured that today was the perfect day to start participating.

Chelsea is the host of the “game” and Tabaitha at Keeping Up With the Kayes lays down the questions.

1. What is your ideal best date?
I’m not exactly sure if I have an ideal best date . . . I think any date would be ideal as long as it’s fun and you’re enjoying the company of the person you’re with.  I’ve had great nights out on the town, out hiking getting dirty and sweaty and even great dates where we just stayed home.

2. How long does it take you to get ready to go on a date?
I’m not a typical girl, therefore I’m not the kind of person that gets in a huzzy about going out on a date, even first dates.  I’m pretty much me.  I usually don’t even tend to dress up all that much.  I might touch up the make-up a bit if it’s an evening date, but usually don’t go much further.  I like to just be me and be comfortable!

3. What would you wear on the date?
Ideally?  Jeans and a tee shirt.  Yup.  That’s me.  I don’t like fancy places as I’m a fairly simple gal.  In fact, I’ve had guys take me out on a first date to restaurants I’ve felt completely out of place at.  Can we say awk. ward?  Guys, it’s nice to impress, but impress me with your wit, charm and brains.  Don’t impress me with your wallet.

4. If you are married, how often do you go on dates? If you are single, when was your last date?
Technically I’d say our last date was last night—sitting on the couch, eating pizza, drinking wine and watching the championship NCAA basketball game.  While we were still in, and it doesn’t necessarily count as a traditional date, we usually don’t spend Mondays together, so we broke our tradition to watch the game together.

5. What was your worst date?
Hmmmmm, I’m not sure if I’ve ever really had a bad date per se because while I’ve gone on a TON of first dates (I was a chronic first date-dater), they’ve all been fairly decent.  Sure, they didn’t work out when it came to a relationship stance, but I’ve never had a date where there was awkward silence or uncomfortableness.  Maybe that’s because I’m a major extrovert and like to spark conversations, but most of the time, dates have never been cut short.

6. Do you/Did you kiss on your first date?
Depends on how the date is going.  If I’m feeling it, sure.  If I’m not, then no.  As has been my past history, I’ve only kissed guys I’ve dated for a while, not ones I’ve only been out on one or two dates with.  I usually know fairly quickly if someone is dating or relationship material for me.

7. If married, how long before you knew he/she was the one? If single, how long before you know if the person is marriage material?
This is a tough question to answer because my sight is slightly skewed on this topic since I’ve been married and divorced.  I’m hesitant, but not opposed to getting married again.  Buuuutttt, if I want to get serious and put it out there for everyone to know, I’m pretty sure J is, at least for me.  And it took me about a month and a half to figure out that’s he’s pretty much everything I’ve ever wanted in a man (guess what ladies . . . unicorns DO exist!).  However, just because I think he may be marriage material (otherwise, what’s the point of a relationship?), doesn’t mean I have plans on marrying him.  That’s more a mutual thing that needs to come to head first.

8. Do you prefer day dates or night dates?
I’d have to say since I’m such an outdoorsy gal that I prefer day dates.  I love taking walks outside, going on hikes, packing a light lunch, bike riding (I know, again, not traditional dates, but I’m not a traditional gal either), sports events, concerts.  However, it’s nice to go out, have a nice dinner and a bottle of wine, and maybe hang out with friends later and go dancing.  It all depends on the atmosphere, day and general mood.

9. How old were you when you first were allowed to date?
Well, I didn’t really start dating ‘til I was almost 15.  Grant it, I had a few “boyfriends” (if you can call them that in middle/early high school), but I never went on “dates”.  We could go out alone, but I couldn’t ride with him.  I wasn’t allowed to ride with any boy until I was 17½.  My parents trusted me a lot, but still gave me boundaries, which I’m thankful for.

10. What is the most embarassing moment you have had on a date?
Well, I’m not really sure because frankly, I don’t tend to get embarrassed very easily.  I’ve never had my parents do anything goofy, or friends.  Sure I’ve done the typical knock over a glass, fall and hurt yourself kind of moments, but I just laugh along with the person.  I find my inner klutz kind of amusing because I know I am one, and make every quite aware.  I mean, just last night, I was trying to cut my pizza with a fork (hey! It was hot!) and ended up flinging two pieces on poor J’s couch.  I laughed it off, then got out the vacuum and cleaned up my mess, then laughed some more.  It’s just the kind of person I am.  I find humor in almost any situation which could be seen as embarrassing or awkward.

Thanks, Nora, for getting me involved!!  Anyone else out there interested in join, feel free!

Life moves too quickly.  In just a short two weeks (tax day!), I’ll be marking my six-month “anniversary” with my new firm.  It’s crazy to think that I’ve already been here that long because quite frankly, it feels as though I just moved here yesterday.

It’s also crazy to realize that I’ll be moving back into my own place again in a month.  Having roommates has its pros and cons (although not financially where I was because I’ll be paying the same price for my own place versus living with two other people in an apartment), but for me and mental sanity, it’s best just to have my own place.  I love my two roommates dearly as people and will continue to be friends with them as long as they’ll have me, but when it comes to living situations, I just can’t cope.  Maybe I’m too OCD to live with people who aren’t my SO, but I am a little nit-picky over certain things (like having a certain level of cleanliness, particularly in the kitchen and bathrooms) to live with people whom I would expect to take care of these things along with me.  When I’m living with a SO, it’s a different story, because housekeeping is, well, not to be sexist, a woman’s job.  While it’s nice to have help around the house, let’s face it ladies, when it comes to bleaching, cleaning kitchens/bathrooms/etc, men just can’t attain the level we want (which is why most of us tend to do it again anyway).  I’m also the kind of person who doesn’t mind doing this kind of thing in the least.  In fact, cleaning is kind of a stress reliever for me; a bit of therapy, if you will.  Cleaning up my mess and my SO’s is just fine.  But cleaning up a mess that I didn’t create for either one us (aka a roommate’s)?  No, thanks.

Regardless, I’m happy I’ll be on my own again.  I’ll be even happier when I can buy a house again.  While there were many headaches that came with home ownership for the six years I owned my prior house, I have to admit, it comes with a sense of pride and a sense of “I’m doing this on my own, with no one else’s help”, and that’s something I can honestly say I admire in people.

I’m 26 and I’ve come a long way in my life.  I’ve made some big decisions already.  Some good, some bad.  I’ve lived through and experienced things most people wouldn’t for at least another decade.  But all-in-all, the choices I have made in the past have made me the person I am today.  And who I am today I wouldn’t change.