Author Archives: Cindy

sigh

Posted on by

Apparently I didn’t scare the boy off, he called tonight. Typical 3-day rule, I should’ve paid closer attention to the calendar before I wrote him off. Anyway, my mom beeped in while we were talking, so I got off the phone with him & told him I’d call him back. Only I didn’t call him back. I feel slightly shitty about this (and I’m waiting for a disapproving comment from Carl), but what can you do?

Oh, and I think I found my tattoo artist. I got a recommendation from a source that I trust, I’ve seen part of his portfolio on his website (most of the site is still under construction), and the guy does some really beautiful work from what I’ve seen. So I’m going to call him & make an appointment to look at the rest of his portfolio, talk about what I want, get some input for ideas of the background of the design, etc. I’m sooooo excited, I don’t know how I’m going to wait until August to do this.

ugh

Posted on by

I started a low-carb diet thing this morning — not specifically Atkins, because that seems to mess me up (weird muscle pains, etc.). I’m basically just getting rid of refined sugar & calling it good. I’m still going to allow myself to have fruit & whole grains, though, so I suppose it’s more like the SugarBusters diet. Anyway, I had a hard-boiled egg for breakfast (quick & easy), and it had this really weird aftertaste, but it smelled fine. (Well, it smelled like an egg is supposed to smell.) I think it was right on the border of going bad, though, because my stomach has been wonky all day today.

In other bummer news, one of my sister’s cats is very sick, and the prognosis at this point is unclear. But Neffertiti (yes, that’s really her cat’s name — the boy cat’s name is Ramses) has a lump on her leg that could possibly be cancer, plus she stopped eating, she has a fever, and she’s lost 2 pounds since December (which is a lot for a 12 pound cat). So we’re all very concerned about her. I need to get all of the animal lovers who read this to throw some good kitty health vibes toward Manhattan.

Oh, and I think I accidentally made Tony go away. He had been calling me daily, and then on Friday he said something about wanting to see me after I had already told him I had plans. Scott & I were supposed to go out on Friday, and he wanted to meet up with me afterward, even though I had told him it probably wouldn’t be until after midnight. I guess I was irritated by his persistence, and I made some kind of offhand remark like “hey, don’t go getting all boyfriend-y on me now.” I said it jokingly, but he hasn’t called me since then, so I think he got the hint. Which is fine. I mean, he’s a nice guy, but that one had “DOOM” written all over it from the beginning.

the weekend approacheth

Posted on by

I passed my Microsoft exam. Yay! Now I’m on to studying for the next test. Which is kind of weird, there’s no big celebratory/relaxation phase or anything in between, but I don’t exactly have a ton of other work taking up my time at this point, so I might as well study.

I went out with Tony last night. Lordy, how he reminds me of the ex from 5 years ago. Seriously, they could’ve been separated at birth. It’s creepy. Is it weird that I’m kind of starting to not like him just because he reminds me so much of someone who I’m no longer on speaking terms with? Being around him keeps dredging up all the memories of the things that were really, really bad in that relationship, and I find it sort of repellant. Also, there was this one little thing he did that really bugged me, and he might’ve been kidding, I really don’t know. Toward the end of the night, we had this conversation.

Him: So what are you doing tomorrow night?
Me: I’m having dinner with a friend.
Him: Oh yeah, who?
Me: My friend Nate. [Side note: I’m thinking at this point that it’s kind of weird that he asked me who, since the only friend of mine that he’s met is Krissy.]
Him: Reeee-ally? [Very suggestive, exaggerated E sound.]
Me: It’s not like that, he’s just a friend. He has a girlfriend, in fact.
Him: So why isn’t his girlfriend going to dinner with you?
Me: Um… Because I’ve never met her and I assume that she has her own life? I don’t know why, she just isn’t.

He might’ve just been joking around with me, I honestly don’t know. But I don’t pull the jealousy bit on the guys that I date (ask ’em if you don’t believe me), and I don’t tolerate it from others. So if there’s a shred of a possibility that he’s going to turn out to be one of those possessive types, I have no need for him. Good lord, this was technically our first date, I think it’s a wee bit early in the game to start interrogating me about who my friends are and where I’m going (not that that is ever really acceptable). And if he’s going to get jealous of my male friends, he might as well take a hike now, because most of my friends around here are, in fact, guys. And I’m fine with that.

Anyway, Nate & I did have dinner tonight, which was nice. And since he’s the most artistically inclined person I know, I had him draw the tattoo that I want on me with a magic marker. I just wanted to look at it & get a vibe for whether or not I like the location & all that. And yes, I still love it. Y’know…. the Seattle Tattoo Convention is coming up in August, and it’s only a couple of blocks away from where I live. I think 4 months is more than enough time to mull this idea over. I’ve gotten a few different artist recommendations, I think I’m going to go meet with a couple of them & check out their portfolios. (T, you are not permitted to repeat any of this to mom.)

Oh, and tomorrow marks the 29th birthday of my absolute 100% most favorite best friend in the whole world, Kris. She doesn’t read this blog because she can’t surf the web from work & her pc at home is still on dial-up (God bless her), but I just wanted to publicly announce how much of my life’s happiness is owed to this amazing, beautiful, hilarious, awesome, kick-ass woman. I always look forward to Sunday afternoons because it’s our weekly catch-up chat, and it marks one of the high points of my week. Nothing that happens to me seems real until I talk to Kris about it on Sunday. And I cannot wait until the day when she finishes her damn accounting degree and gets the hell out of Memphis so I can see her more often. (She’s actually wanted to live in Seattle since way before I ever moved here.) So rock on, baby girl, and have a fabulous birthday.

need happy thoughts

Posted on by

I’m taking a Microsoft certification exam tomorrow. It’s my first test on Windows Server 2003, so it’ll make me an MCP, or a MS Certified Professional. Six or seven more exams (I forget exactly how many) & I’ll be an MCSE (Systems Engineer) in 2003. I already did this years ago with Windows NT, but I have to stay current with the latest & greatest software or I’ll be relatively unemployable. With this stuff, I’ve been studying the material for months, but I wasn’t willing to fork over the $125 to pay for the test myself. And what do you know, my current employer is more than happy to provide vouchers to pay for the exams so they don’t cost me a dime. Yay!

Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these things, and I’m really nervous because it’s only my 2nd week, so I really, really want to do well to make a good impression. How much would it suck if I flunked my first exam on my 2nd week? That would NOT look good. So I’m sending out a request for all of you who read this to send me your best “you will remember everything you’ve crammed into your tiny little brain and won’t mess this up” vibes. It’s much appreciated.

A few random things:
* There’s an Elastica song being used on a hair color commercial. I don’t know why that strikes me as so strange. If the Cure can do HP, Elastica can do Garnier. It’s just weird to hear those types of songs in advertising.
* My boss has a bumper sticker on his door that says “My kid reads your honor student’s email”. I like that. It’s much better than that “Got milk? This room reserved for nursing mothers” sign at my last job.
* The mirrors in the ladies’ room here totally wig me out. They’re like circus mirrors — I look skinny, but my head looks like it’s shaped like an eggplant. I can’t look at myself in them, it’s too freaky.
* The cable guys came last night to fix my TV. This is the 4th or 5th time someone has been there in the 2 weeks since I moved in, and no one seems to be able to get it working. Yesterday, they sent 2 technicians out. I met them at the front of the building to let them in, and when we were all in the elevator, I said “Wow, I get 2 guys at once? Lucky me.” After I said it, I realized how completely dirty it sounded & I couldn’t stop blushing. I have no idea what they thought of me. I’d rather not think about it.
* I have this idea for a tattoo that I really want (no, it’s not the Winnie the Pooh thing, I gave up on that), and I can’t get it out of my head. I even have the picture saved as the wallpaper on my laptop. I figure I’ll stare at it for at least 2-3 months, and if I’m still in love with it, I’m going to get it.

3rd cup of coffee

Posted on by

This weekend was pretty interesting. Saturday night, Krissy dragged me to a keg party. That’s right, I said keg. Krissy’s new roommate, Judy, is in her 40’s & this was her son’s 27th birthday party (I guess she started young). The party was being thrown at Judy’s house, and since Krissy had just moved in that morning, she felt obligated to be there. I haven’t been in the presence of a keg since approximately 1997, and I really did not want to attend this particular event (cheap beer in plastic cups! whee!), but Krissy kind of guilt-tripped me into it since I totally bailed on helping her move Saturday morning. So I went.

And, as luck would have it, I ended up having a great time & I didn’t get home until almost 5 in the morning. (It’s going to take me a few days to recover from that.) The birthday boy, Judy’s son, is Hottie-Mc-Hot-Hot, but I don’t think he’s really my type. Guys who are that beautiful make me nervous. (He did kiss me at one point, but they were feeding that poor boy tequila shots like M&Ms, so I’m pretty sure he kissed everyone at some point.) But he was not the focal point of my evening, I met another guy, Tony, who was very cool & I gave him my number. He called me last night, so bonus points for that. The only weird thing there is that he reminds me a lot of someone that I dated about 5 years ago — down to them having the same birthday & driving the exact same type (and color!) car. So I don’t know if that similarity is foreshadowing doom all over the whole thing, but I guess I’ll find out.

It’s also weird because Krissy & I had a conversation at dinner on Saturday evening where she said that we end up dating the same people over & over again, and I disagreed with her because I said that most of the guys I’ve dated have been very different from each other. There are some core similarities that I’m attracted to, sure — guys who are a little bit geeky, who like a lot of the same music as me, etc. — but I tend to think of them as individuals and not as some lump of characteristics that I just date repeatedly. Then I have to go & meet the separated-at-birth twin of an ex-boyfriend, which totally destroys my argument. I don’t know how I feel about that.

the typical morning commute

Posted on by

* Average number of people I see who are walking their dogs: 4
* Number of times I see people with dogs & wish that I had one: 4
* Odds that’ll happen in Teenie’s lifetime: 0 (she likes being an only child… I mean cat)
* Average number of people I pass who are smoking on the street: at least 5 – This number would actually be way higher, but I’ve learned to avoid the 2 sort of sketchy blocks where a lot of homeless guys & day laborers hang out on the sidewalk. I find this statistic kind of surprising since we’re in the allegedly health-conscious northwest. Everytime I’m about to pass someone now, I check their hands. If they’re holding a cigarette, I take a deep breath and hold it as I walk past them. I count to 5 or 10 before I figure it’s safe to breathe again.

Not much else going on. Work so far is pretty cool. I have an office, but it’s not really mine, it’s the office of a lady who’s on maternity leave, so I have it for the next few weeks while they figure out where they’re going to put me. Still, I have my own room with a door, which is more than I’ve had at most places where I’ve worked. Oh, and I have business cards. They’re purty.

The sparkless Republican Canadian emailed me, so I wrote him back and told him that I just wasn’t feeling any sort of click, but I wished him well. Actually my email was much nicer than that last sentence, but you get the idea. So he’s gone. Oh, and the boy that I kissed in the bar last week never called, which doesn’t surprise me a bit, and I can honestly say that I don’t care.

Random: I had a sex dream about a former employer last night. Only in the dream, he wasn’t my ex-boss, he was Dave Matthews. But there was this whole “now that we don’t work together anymore” thing, and it was kind of hot. I guess it makes sense, I’ve changed jobs twice in less than 2 months so my work life is kind of in upheaval, and I have always had a bit of a thing for Dave… Still, it was pretty weird. But hot.