Bachelor Number 4

Bachelor Number 4: The Two-Parter

Yes, you read that correctly, Bachelor Number 4 requires two posts!

Bachelor Number 4: Not my boyfriend (My boyfriend is number 5... that post is in the works)

Let me start at the beginning.

Rob sent me the first message on OkCupid. His sent a one-liner about me being a Jason Segel fan. I looked at my profile and realized that yes, in fact, I had listed my favorite show and movie as those with Jason Segel. For Rob to read my profile thoroughly enough to notice that, and also be confident enough to send a single sentence as the first message was intriguing.

After a few weeks of bantering back and forth through the website I decided that Rob had passed my screening for creeps and seemed like a genuinely nice and normal guy. He asked me out for dinner and I excitedly accepted the invitation. He picked a restaurant just down the street from me (don't worry, he didn't know it was just down the street from my place) and I was to meet him there at seven.

Naturally, I was stuck at work later than I had anticipated, came home and took Wilbur out and scrambled to get dressed. I threw on my leopard print shoes, a loud red scarf, huge gold earrings and ran out the door. As I scurried down the street I called Erin, willing her to answer the phone with every ring. She finally answered and knew that I was on my way to a date. I explained to her that I was super nervous but hadn't even had enough time to process it. I had to give up on my original plan of arriving twenty minutes early so I would be the approached, and instead I would be doing the approaching. I expressed my frustration with the situation.

"I don't want to have to walk up to him! He needs to find me. I need to be sitting at the bar and he needs to find me and walk up to me!"

"Well, you need to get over that. You're late."

"Ahhh! I know. Yikes. What time is it?"

"7:58."

"I only have two minutes to get there!* Maybe he'll be running late and I'll be there first. But I hope he isn't running late! I hate when people are late. I. Am. So. Nervous."

"Clearly. Get over it. You'll be fine. What are you wearing?"

"My leopard shoes."

"My sister has leopard shoes? Who are you? Did you go shoe shopping again?"

"Yes! And these shoes are awesome, you would be jealous. Your sister is more fashionable that you think."

"Ha. Fashionable? Well, okay. Have fun in your shoes. I gotta go."

"What?! You are going to leave your own sister freaking out and running to her date?"

"Yes. Have fun!"

I held the phone in my hand, obsessively checking the time as I speed walked the last few blocks. I checked the time just as I was walking in the door. I was only three minutes late. But I was completely out of breath. I put my telephone in my purse and tried to slow my breathing.

I walked into the restaurant and immediately saw Rob at the bar. He was cute, but nothing special. He looked exactly like his photos. Shoot. I was hoping he would look better than his photos.

Get over yourself, Meaghan. He could think the exact same thing about you.

I walked up to Rob just as the person on the bar stool next to him was leaving. 

"Hi. Rob?"

"Yes! Meaghan, it's nice to meet you."

We awkwardly shook hands, I ordered a drink and we stayed at the bar for the few minutes until our table was ready.

The conversation during dinner was easier than any date I had been on so far, and I was pleasantly surprised. We chatted about our jobs, our families and the online dating stereotypes. I told him I had heard that one website was for people only interested in, well, the physical stuff. He told me that he heard if a girl sends a message first she must be crazy.

Uh oh. Maybe that was why I received so few responses from people I had messaged... 

During dinner the conversation flowed as smoothly as the bottle of wine we split.

When we were finished we went down the street to another bar for another drink.  I made it home much later than I anticipated with a smile on my face.

Two days later Rob asked me out again. I accepted, but I was hesitant. As wonderful as our conversation had been, I hadn't felt the spark I wanted and needed. Maybe that would come during the second date. I was hoping so.

To be continued...

*I know how to tell time. For my sister on the east coast it was 7:58, meaning that it was 6:58 for me in the Central Time Zone.

My One Year Anniversary

Can you believe it? It has been a full year since I moved back to the USA. I don't know if it feels like I just moved back yesterday, or if it feels as though I have been back in the States for years.

In one year my sister was accepted to Alvin Ailey (her audition was on 12/12), moved to New York City, got her learner's permit, transferred to Joffrey Ballet School and moved into a dorm room (without parental supervision) in Greenwich Village.

In one year my brother graduated from college, got an awesome job, moved to Wyoming and somehow became a grown-up.

My other brother, in one year, worked his tail off, spent his 13th summer at camp as a counselor and started going back to school.

My father moved to Abu Dhabi.

My mother has cleaned out the basement and the attic, replaced the roof, visited her three children in new homes and I'm sure I'm missing things...

Wilbur lost 7 pounds.

Tupper started eating a new brand of dog food.

As for me, I have lived in NYC, Saratoga Springs, and Madison. I worked in an amazing bakery and as a cabbie for models in Manhattan. I dabbled in online dating and snagged myself a fantastic boyfriend. Yes, friends I have boyfriend. I have a wonderful job that I am enjoying more and more every single day. I ran two half-marathons, raised a lot of money for Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, turned 25 and got bangs.

As I mentioned earlier, on one hand I think oh my gosh, has it already been one year? But on the other hand I can't help but think, all of this stuff... it's only been one year?

Happy 12/12/12!

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Happy Aaron Rodgers Day!

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Happy Hump Day!

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Happy Anniversary!

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Whatever you are celebrating, happy day to you!

 

Me? I'm celebrating wonderful memories from abroad, great opportunities in the US, and fantastic friends all over the world.

My Carless Life

No, not my careless life, my carless life.

My mom and sister stole my car.

They flew into Chicago, forced me to drive over three hours to pick them up, let their suitcases vomit their belongings all over my apartment, and then left with my car.

This has been planned for a long time, but oh my goodness, these have been some long days. 

My mom and sister took my car to drive to Jackson, WY.  Two ladies on the road in a sexy convertible...  Am I jealous?  Absolutely.  Am I excited for them to come back to Madison?  You know it!

The only issue right now is the silly bus schedule.

There is a direct bus that goes from Capitol Square to my office, but its schedule is quite limited.  With class all last week, I had to be on the 6:10 bus every morning.  As a shout out to my time in Thailand, I will say that it was "supahh suppah early!" 

For five days I was at work from 6:49 am until 5:37 pm.  This really means that I was out of my apartment from 5:45 am until 6:45 pm.  They were very, very long days.  My poor puppy has not been happy with me.  I was used to waking up at the crack of dawn to take him for a long walk before I left for work.  But, this past week I was waking up at the crack of dawn just to catch the bus, and the long walks were saved for after work.

I got a lot done at work, but I have felt trapped.  Even yesterday, Saturday, I wanted to go into the office for a few hours to finish a project, but I couldn't.  I was on a roll Friday evening, but I had to leave it to catch the bus.  When I arrived home, I realized my internet wasn't working.  And so I was stranded.  No internet, no chance to finish my project, and no car to run errands left me with lots of time for walking with the pup.

Wilbur and I spent the entire weekend together.  We walked, played, tried to learn new tricks, did laundry and broke the iron.  Well, Wilbur only participated in the tricks, playing and walking, but he was close by for the rest of the thrilling weekend.

I felt a bit trapped this week, but I know this next week will be much better.  Without class at 8 am, I can take the 7:40 bus.  That gives me more than enough time to go for a walk in the morning and take my time getting to the square.  It also gives me the opportunity to get to work after 8 am and not have to worry about a parking space!

The bus schedule may not be perfect for my 8am mornings, but so many things about taking the bus are wonderful!  I love that I can read on my way to work.  I love that I don't have to think about parking.  I love that I don't have to worry about traffic.  And gosh, I love how inexpensive it is!

I will love having my car back, but I'm not giving up this whole bus thing yet.  I'm a mass transit lover, and so far Madison's is just fine with me.

Garvey, think of all the gas I'm saving!  And I didn't buy a Prius to do it!  Aren't you proud?

You can't make this stuff up!

Plenty of crazy things have happened in New York.  Come on, it's New York, and people are outrageous.  But, Erin just told me something that takes the cake!


Today she will be taking her first exam for her independent study program.  She has been doing online courses through the BYU independent study program, and today she will go to take her math exam.  For those of you that don't know, BYU is Brigham Young University and is located in Provo, Utah. 


"It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.

Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students are members of the LDS Church, and one-third of its American students come from within the state of Utah. BYU students are required to follow an honor code, which mandates behavior in line with LDS teachings (e.g., academic honesty, adherence to dress and grooming standards, and abstinence from extramarital sex and from the consumption of drugs and alcohol). Many students (78% of men, 10% of women) take a two-year hiatus from their studies at some point to serve as Mormon missionaries. ... A BYU education is also less expensive than at similar private universities since approximately 70% of tuition is funded by LDS Church tithing funds." {source}

Luckily, my friend Bri is a high school guidance counselor and very familiar with online schooling.  When I initially asked her about the options for Erin, she said, "don't laugh, but she has to do the BYU program.  It's absolutely the best."  Being two people who went to school in the midwest we understood BYU.  We knew people who went there, transferred from there, were kicked out, etc.  So, the idea of my sister going to the school was a little humorous.

But it just got funnier.

Did you read that part of the description saying "students are required to follow an honor code, which mandates behavior in line with LDS teachings?"  That's right, Erin is a student.  And guess who has to follow a dress code to take her exam tomorrow?  Ding ding ding!  You are correct!  Erin!

She received an email with exam instructions, including specific instructions to follow the honor code required of all BYU students.  As she will be representing BYU tomorrow at her exam, she must dress the part.  This entails:


Conservative Hair Styles- hairstyles should be clean and neat with no extreme styles or unnatural colors


Looks like she can't play the messy pseudo- curly game.

Clothing- skirts, dresses, or shorts must extend at least to the knee and shirts and tops must cover the stomach and back; clothing should cover the shoulders; clothing that is low-cut in the front or back, tight, or revealing in any other manner is unacceptable. "Leggings" are not considered appropriate for "Sunday or Best Dress" at EFY. Please also be aware that the wearing of "leggings" does not allow for any exceptions to the Especially for Youth Dress and Appearance policy. Footwear should be appropriate for the activity (i.e. Sunday attire should not appear as though we are on our way to the beach or an athletic activity). Faddish clothing (i.e. Gothic, Emo, etc.) is not appropriate. Only one pair of earrings in your ears; no other body piercing. Hats are not to be worn indoors. {source}


Faddish clothing?  That probably includes hipster, and Erin will be out of luck.  Not surprising in the least however, is that all of my clothes fit this dress code!  Okay, that's a little bit of an exaggeration, my shorts come above my knees, and I show my shoulders on occasion, but I wouldn't have a tough time fitting in.  


It looks like Erin will be shopping in my closet today!  Haha!

Lucky you, lucky me!

I have great news for all my loyal readers! I now have the Blogger app on my telephone, which means so many great things!

This means that while I was waiting for my interview this afternoon I was able to blog while drinking my tea. This means that while I was waiting for Erin to finish at ballet I was blogging. This means that as I sit on the living room and Erin is on my computer, I will be able to blog.

This means that you should have so much more to read!

For me, it means that I will have so much more to edit, because my thumbs are a little large for this tiny virtual keyboard. It also means that I will probably significantly increase my chances of getting carpal tunnel, but you're worth the risk!

But most importantly, this means that while I sit in this subway car, with a very stinky homeless man seated across from me, even though I may be unable to breathe, I am blogging away!

Just What I Needed!

Everything has been bugging me.  My headphones won't stay in my ears.  The wind blows my hair everywhere.  As soon as I do the dishes my hands are completely dried out.  I reapply lotion, and then I have gross lotion-y hands.  My nose keeps running.  Erin has been sniffling.  Erin's new backpack is still sitting on the dining room table.  Erin didn't do her dishes last night.

Oh, I could go on.

But, the point is, everything under the sun is bugging me.  Heck, even the sun is bugging me.  Whether it's too sunny or it isn't sunny enough, it's bugging me.  But, I am aware that I am the problem.  A sunny day?  Having to put lotion on my hands?  Come on, I'm the problem here.

I have spent way too much time in front of my computer looking for a new website I haven't already scoured for jobs.  I have spent way too much time in a small apartment.  I have spent way too much time not having adult conversations and interactions.  And, I have spent way too much time with my sister.

The phone call I just received was exactly what I needed!

Last week I went to a job interview, thanks to Uncle Bill.  The owner of the company was more than kind and told me that things are a bit slow at the moment, but he would be in touch with me towards the end of the month for some part-time opportunities.  I was thrilled!

About forty- five minutes ago, he called me, and surprise!  He needs me tomorrow!  Woo hoo!

Tomorrow morning at 8 am I have a place to be!  I have something to do!  And the icing on the cake.... I am going to make money!

Just what I needed.

Oh, and while we were on the telephone, he said he received my thank- you note, it was very kind, and he appreciated it.  A handwritten thank- you note works magic!

Am I the strange one?

"You're so weird."

It is one of Erin's favorite remarks these days, but could she be right?  Oh, no.  That would be ridiculous.

But, when she used it the last time, it made me think.

The two of us were walking home after ballet.  We were having a debate over which book I was reading when we took our vacation to Tupper Lake back in 2006.  I was convinced it was Harry Potter, but Erin knew it was Twilight.  She was thinking about that vacation and had remembered our canoe trip, where I made her read the book to me as I paddled.

As we were walking into the apartment building I said, "I really want to read Twilight again."

That's when she said, "you're so weird."

"Why?  Because I want to read Twilight for a second time?  I really want to read them again because now that I know how it ends, I want to start from the beginning and read them more thoroughly."

"No.  Because you read soooooo much.  That's weird."

Erin's right, I do read a lot.  Since we have lived in this apartment I have read three books.  I have had a lot of time on my hands, but I have read three books nonetheless.

The first thing I thought to myself was, I'm not that weird, my mom reads a lot too.  Well, as we have already established, I am exactly like my mother, so that probably isn't the best gauge of weirdness.

Three books in two weeks is a lot, even for me, but I love it.  I have a Kindle and the Kindle app on my telephone (this is one of the times when I adore technology!).  I have also read a paperback that I brought to the city with me.  After I pick Erin up from ballet I stand waiting for the train, reading my book.  I read it while we are on the train.  I read it on the couch.  I read before I go to sleep.  And plenty of times I read while I eat breakfast.  Is that strange?

Erin happens to strongly dislike reading, so her opinion is a bit biased, but am I the strange one?

Do you like reading?  Or am I one of the few weird ones left that enjoys reading books?

My Sister, My Roommate

Erin and I have successfully lived together in a tiny apartment for 16 days.  Alert the media!  This is big news.  We have lived together for 16 days without a single fight.

But, I'm going to be completely honest, because my tongue, cheeks and lips are raw from all the times I have been biting, chewing and gnawing on them to keep from starting a fight.

Erin and I have been getting along very well, but we have been spending WAYYYY too much time together.  Her bedroom is the living/ dining room and my bedroom is also the study, so it's tight quarters.  We have one computer to share and one bathroom to use.  So far all of these things have been okay, and just something we have to get used to.  The biggest problem right now is the mom/ sister dilemma I'm dealing with.

Erin is only 16, I understand that, but she is 16 and living in NYC without her parents.  She needs to grow up just a little bit.

Our very first day in the apartment Erin took off her nail polish.  She took off her nail polish on top of the wood table.  So not only did she take off her nail polish, she took off part of the table's finish.  Did she say anything about it?  No.  When I asked her about it, she smirked and said she was sorry.  Okay, everyone makes mistakes.

The next weekend, Chip came to visit and brought along Old English from my parents.  The bottle, instructions, steel wool, and sand paper has been sitting on the table for nearly a week.  Has Erin even attempted to fix the table or ask me how?  Nope.

Every evening I have walked to pick Erin up from ballet.  It's a five mile walk, but I love it.  I take different streets every time while listening to my newest podcasts.  The two of us then take the subway back to the apartment.  Erin usually takes a shower while I make dinner.  The two of us eat, and she piles her dishes next to the sink.  Really?  I just made you dinner, the least you could do is the dishes.  But, for the past week I have kept quiet.  I have done the dishes, loading what I can in the tiny dishwasher, and hand washing the rest.

The next morning, her pile of dishes starts in the sink.  Really?!  I ask her to unload the dishwasher, and she does, but, really?!

Now, laundry.  Yesterday we did three loads of laundry between the two of us.  And even though she knew that the dryers were finished, she didn't go downstairs to get the laundry.  So, I brought it back up after she left for ballet and folded everything.  I left her laundry basket filled on her bed.  Last night she thanked me for folding her laundry.  Okay.

This morning, I woke up to find this in the dirty basket:

Yup.  You are looking at a pair of pants and a t- shirt that she wore to bed last night.  It was the first time I had seen either article worn since we have lived here, meaning she only wore these things to bed once and threw them in the basket.  Uhmmm, excusey?

Oh, and last night, on the way home from ballet Erin convinced me to get Chinese food.  I agreed when she agreed to pay for it.  Don't worry, I'm not that mean, I paid last week.  But, with our food they gave us a free can of soda.  Erin asked me what kind I wanted.  I perked up and said, "Oooo, Diet Coke!"  We walked home with the food, ate it, and I did the dishes.  As I put the can of Diet Coke in the fridge I said, "Oooo, this is so exciting!  A can of Diet Coke!  Delicious!"  Now, let me add that I have a 2- liter bottle of caffeine free Diet Coke in the fridge, so this can was very exciting.  It has caffeine and it is in a can.  I was thrilled to be able to drink it today.

Fast forward two hours.  Erin had spent some time on my computer before joining me in the living room.  I was enjoying Bride-day on TLC when Erin sat down.  She got up to get a snack, as she does about thirty- five times a night, and came back chewing on celery and holding my can of Diet Coke.  She cracked it open and took a sip.  I just looked at her, shocked.  Her response, "what?"  Seriously?!

The empty can, left on the counter, for me to recycle.

So, now that I have vented about every little thing that has bothered me, well, not about the hair or make up in the sink, but never mind those things, let me discuss with you the real problem.  The problem right now is deciding whether I am supposed to be Erin's roommate, or a stand-in for Erin's mom.

Right now, the mom- thing is working for certain things.  I tell her how many hours of work she has to do, and she does it.  She has to tell me exactly when she arrives at ballet, and I pick her up every night to bring her home.  She has to ask me to stay the night with her friend, or if she wants to make plans with other people.  She listens to me when I tell her to turn off the television and go to sleep.

But, what if I want some roommate benefits as well?  How about I will make dinner, but you do the dishes?  ...And that includes emptying the dishwasher the next day.  Or what about laundry?  Just because I am doing your laundry does not mean that you can put things in there because you are too lazy to put them away!  They aren't dirty!  And my Diet Coke?  Come on!  You didn't even ask!  I probably would have said yes, but you didn't ask!

I need to have the authority of the stand- in mom, but the help of a roommate.  I think it is time to implement a chore chart.  Yup.  It's chore chart time!    

The Downfall of Owning a DVR

My family didn't get cable television until I was living in Thailand.  And to record Friends, back in the day of new episodes, I had to cue up and set the VCR with a blank tape.  Not anymore, ladies and gentlemen.   There is now a thing called DVR.  And, my sister is the queen of it.

When I came back to Saratoga in December I began to understand the full potential of DVR, thanks to my sister.  I also understood the frustration my grandfather must have felt when he was forced to watch Hannah Montana because my sister had too many shows recording simultaneously.  Poor Grandpa wanted to watch Fox News, but DVR took over, and forced him to watch and listen to Miley Cyrus' ridiculous Disney Channel antics.  Months later, I was forced to watch Dance Moms, when I really just wanted to watch The Food Network and Ina Garten making something delicious and chocolatey.  Thanks, Erin.

When we moved into our apartment we were pleasantly surprised to find it much larger than we had assumed.  Erin had other reasons for her excitement.  While I unpacked my suitcases, Erin quietly got into trouble in the living room.  On our very first evening, she discovered DVR, and got right to work scheduling recordings.

She was so busy recording, she didn't have time to take off her scarf or shoes!

I have enjoyed the recordings.  I have recently become hooked on How I Met Your Mother, and I love being able to watch a 22 minute episode, in 22 minutes, while I eat my breakfast.

I enjoyed the recordings until last night.

Erin was on my computer, working on her math lessons.  I was tired, but sat on the couch to watch a few episodes on the DVR List.  I was shocked by how quickly all of the shows had accumulated.  I started with three episodes of How I Met Your Mother, then switched over to an episode of Barefoot Contessa.  Halfway through Ina's explanation of how to use a charcoal chimney, I realized I didn't even want to be watching television.  But, instead of just going to sleep or reading my book, I saw the DVR List as a to do list.  I felt the need to power through television shows, just to watch them and erase them.  I didn't even want to be watching television!

So, I took control.  I stopped watching Ina, and erased the episode.  I scrolled through and erased a few more episodes of Friends, Wipeout and Giada at Home, and I went to sleep.

It's great to have television shows on the ready for when I want to sit down, but I need to be more aware of when I actually want to watch television, and when I'm just using the DVR List as a To Do List.

No more wasting time watching television I don't want to watch.

And, while I try to stick to that, I'm going to attempt to teach Erin the same thing.  Her habits may be a bit tougher to break...

And another one gets crossed off the list!

I get to cross another one off The List!  On our first day in the city I told Erin I had a little surprise for her.  I think I got her hopes up by saying that, but I was really counting on her to like it more than she actually did.

Okay, we went to the New York Public Library!

I have walked past it at least fifty times, but I had never been inside.  And better yet, I didn’t have a library card.  And now, now, I do.  

Before we left for the city my mom reminded me of how excited Erin was to get her first library card in Saratoga.  It was one of my mom’s little tricks to make the move to Saratoga sound exciting.  More and more of these tricks are surfacing as I age...

While I knew I didn’t need to coax Erin to be excited for the move to the city, I thought she would enjoy it!  Honestly, I did.  

When she figured out what I had up my sleeve on the subway, let’s just say she was less than thrilled.  Then, when we looked like tourists, and not locals, while in search of the library card station, I thought she was going to lose it.  And to top it all off, I made her take photos to document the experience.  And of course, my camera accidentally flashed in the reading room.  Mortifying.  

She's really good at pretending to look happy.

Here I am, in NYC, acting just like my mother, and completely embarrassing my 15- year- old sister.  But, I checked another one off The List!  Erin is now reading a book, has visited three different branches, and she is proudly displaying her NYPL card on her keychain.  I’m pleased with my surprise, and I think Erin is too, even though she will never admit it.