HIATUS

makes me think of

Hyannis Port and

"Walcott" - a song by Vampire Weekend

which

in turn

makes me think of

the Genie in Disney's "Aladdin" singing:

"Hyannis Port is just a leaky faucet..."

(or something like that)

Folly will be back soon

After she figures out the

future

of

the Blog

oh, and her own future. That too.

:)




EDIT: The Genie sings "Niagra Falls is just a leaky faucet" 
NOT
"Hyannis Port"

The realization of that mistake just gave me
a bad case of the giggles. 

The Picture Alone Makes This Post Worth Reading

ummm......YES PLEASE

I had a wonderful date Friday night with Wednesday-night-guy (now known as WNG, because it's shorter).  We went to dinner, split a bottle of wine, and spent so much time talking and laughing that our waiter had to come back more than four times to get our dessert order! After our three-hour dinner, we didn't want the night to end so we went to a movie theater to see "Thor".  I didn't think I'd enjoy the movie - I'd picked it because it sounded like a good movie for a date - but the movie was AMAZING.  A partially-undressed Chris Hemsworth doesn't hurt either ;)

He held my hand during the movie, he gave me a goodnight kiss, and I'm basically in love with this guy. (Also, totally in lust. What?? I'm honest!)

He's already called to set up a second date.  Meanwhile, the Lawyer (one of the set-ups by a friend) has called to set up a coffee/drinks date to get to know each other for Monday night.  So within the span of 8 days, I will have had three dates with three different guys - D, WNG, and the Lawyer.

I'm trying to go into Monday night's Get to Know You with an open mind -- I've only been out with WNG on one date, and I like this guy too much to have it turn into a Crash-and-Burn situation -- but I'm already trying to figure out how to nicely tell this guy Thanks But No.  Seems like a good idea to see him though, to keep myself grounded.  As I said, I don't want to have a Crash-and-Burn with WNG by getting too involved too soon.  This guy seems genuine and nice, and I don't want to lose him.  Plus, I did tell my friend I'd see and go out with the Lawyer.

It will be fun! I mean sure, I can barely handle one guy at a time and now I'm juggling two (possibly three...we'll get to that story in a bit) but it is a bit of an ego boost to have different guys clamoring for my attentions.  Plus, seeing more than one guy (if only for a little bit, as intended) can be a great way to see if the standout guy is really the standout.

Okay sure, I'm probably just trying to reassure myself that this is actually an okay thing to do.  But it makes sense!

Then, of course, I'm still dealing with D.  D and I met for dinner last Monday night.  In contrast to my three-hour dinner Friday night, the dinner on Monday night lasted a mere 30 minutes.  We had nothing to talk about.  D even looked bored!  He told me he wants to start hanging out more, and go to dinner again, and he's going to give me a call.  I'm so over him, and it's just sort of amusing at this point.  It's like he misses the relationship and what we had (makes sense) but he's confusing that with missing ME (which is not the same).  We'll see how things go with him.  I've tried to be open-minded to the whole being-friends-with-an-ex thing, but I just don't think it's for me.  To paraphrase Samantha from "Sex and the City",  he needs to channel his love for me toward his next relationship.

So it's been a crazy week! And it looks like the next week is going to be just as crazy.  But I'm super excited about life right now, which is great because I was so depressed not that long ago.  Things are going much better at work, which makes me feel much better about my future.  The only thing that saddens me right now is this crazy-busy social life leaves NO TIME to go to the gym!! Ahhh! I'm dying here without my gym time!

Guess I just need to hunker down and really make time for it.  But who wants to make time for the elliptical when I could be out and about with WNG? ;)

Atticus: The First Date

Atticus posts are hard for me to write.  It wasn't a good or healthy relationship, and I cringe when I think of what he did, the things I put up with, even his name.  Sorry it's taken so long to follow up the How we met story, but here it is!



Atticus called.  I was a friend's apartment and nervously giggled my way through the phone call.  He pointed out how much I laughed.  I was embarrassed; I could help it!  We set a date and time for our coffee date.  I picked the location, as he asked me to do, and I could tell from the tone in his voice that he was less than thrilled with it.  He insisted, however, that we visit the place I wanted.  When Date Day finally arrived, I spent the early part of the day at the mall with my friend, building up nerves and killing time before I met him at a coffee and tea shop downtown.

When the time came, I walked into the small shop and there he was, reading a Thomas Pynchon novel.  (To this day I can't look at a Pynchon novel without thinking of Atticus.)  I almost didn't recognize him without the heavy layers of jackets and hats he had worn when we met.  He bought me a coffee and one for himself, and we sat and chatted about ourselves a bit.  I made sure to embarrass myself completely by making a sarcastic, offhand remark that I spoke Spanglish.  I had taken Spanish throughout school, and often would, and still do, insert Spanish words into my speech.  After I made that comment, he cocked his head to the side a bit and said, "Well, I speak Spanish fluently."

He was from Central America.

I felt like an ASS for having said anything.  I thought I was being funny and witty but I was just putting my foot into my poor mouth.

We talked a little bit more - what I was studying, how old he was (a full decade older than I), and what he did.  Atticus was very touchy-feely on this date. I was not, and thought it weird to be so forward so fast, but I was certain that I was abnormal in some way and so I let him put his hand on my knee and then my thigh.  Next, he leaned in to kiss me.  I instinctively pulled away from him, as far as I could.  He said, "You're so naive" and then smiled.  I wanted to say, "What, I'm naive just because I don't want to kiss you?" but I didn't.  I didn't want to be rude.

After finishing our coffee, we walked around downtown and he pulled me aside at every alley way to plant a kiss on me, or makeout for a bit, or stare longingly into my eyes.  I went along with it - that's what normal girls do, right? - and at the end of the date I told him I'd go out with him again.

And so, I did.

Things'll go your way/If you hold on for one more day

I just got back from an evening showing of the movie "Bridesmaids" and my best friend and I cried throughout.  It was a great movie, and it was certainly hilarious, but there were parts that were just struck a nerve and were incredibly relatable.  There were many tears and many hugs after the movie ended.

Probably helped that we snuck mini bottles of Pinot Grigio into the movie...but the movie helped me to realize that I'm in a great place and I have amazing friends who are there for me.

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

(but Wednesday-night-guy called to finalize plans for Friday and I didn't get a chance to talk to him because of the movie. Damn!!)

Death Becomes Folly

Zombie Folly was unproductive at work the next day

Holy frickity frack.  Follies.  FOLLIES.  I am tired.

Wednesday night was a huge work party.  When I say huge work party, I mean we filled up a bar with the press, various politicos and VIPs, and the GOVERNOR.  I'd intended to stay out until about 9 or so, then head home, get a full night of sleep, and go in to work the next day all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Guess what didn't happen.

In short, I stayed out at the bar until 12:30, caught a train, drove a drunk coworker home, and then crawled into bed at 2:00am.

2. am.

I then woke up at 6am to go to work on time.

WHA--?? *record scratch*

Yesterday, after I got home, I slept for 16 hours.  I feel so out of whack.  My sleep is off, my exercise is off, Trevor is off, everything is off.  All because I barely slept for 4 hours, and didn't even sleep well at that.

I wasn't drinking the whole night, which almost made it worse because I was sober and therefore painfully aware of the time all night, and since I didn't want to walk in the dark and the pouring rain alone to catch a train at about 9, I stuck around at the bar with my drunk coworkers.

This, my follies, may be the smartest thing I've ever done.

Early in the night, I'd noticed a very attractive guy near our table, staring and smiling at me.  As more people joined our party, I lost track of the cute guy.  At one point I made the mistake of telling my supervisor, who was a little tipsy, about him.  She then took it upon herself to find him, talk to him, and bring him to me.  So I watched her walk up to him, who happened to be talking to Coworker (remember her? The Bandleader coworker?) because they know each other outside of the office.  So my supervisor and Coworker conspire to bring this guy over to me.  Coworker introduced us, and next thing I know, I'm spending the next two hours talking to this guy.

He was awesome.  We even played Skee Ball at the bar together (I won, best out of three games).  We really hit it off, and of any of the guys I've met in the last week I felt the most connection with him.  At the end of the night, he got my number.

So, now I can add him to the list of guys, which includes the guy from Friday night, the set-up from Bookclubber, another set-up (with a lawyer) that I was just asked about on Tuesday, D - who suddenly wants to get together for dinner next week, and now this guy.

I'm going to need a spreadsheet to keep these guys straight!!

My weekend in pictures. Sort of (just Friday night).

Follies, I'm not in college anymore.  I can't stay out until 3am every night dancing, drinking, and cavorting with friends.  I couldn't even handle that shit in college, but there's no denying I had far more tolerance for partying and drinking pretty often back then.

Things have changed.

I am beyond exhausted after this weekend.  Last night I nearly passed out at a barbecue with friends, and this morning I couldn't pull myself out of bed.  I'm sore, I'm tired, I'm mildly bitchy . . . but I certainly wouldn't have had my weekend any other way.  This weekend was amazing, but Friday night was the real party.  Immediately after work I caught the train and ran home, quickly changed clothes and purses, and headed back downtown.  I now present to you:

Friday: In Pictures

First a group of us - KB, her hubs, her friend, and myself - went to Rock Bottom Brewery and drank some brewskis.  I also went off-menu with my sandwich, which apparently amuses my mother (something about When Harry Met Sally, but I've never seen it so I missed the joke).  Sometimes you just crave a decent BLT.

Then we headed to see Whitney Cummings perform stand-up at the local comedy club.  On our way, we noticed a heavy police presence in the area.  We knew they were upping the police in this area as the warmer weather (and corresponding higher violence) approached, but something seemed off about the police crowds.  There were a LOT.

Then we realized: There was a protest downtown! A group of people were protesting recent issues within the police department, and while the cops were certainly letting them protest and march, they had their riot gear on and ready.  KB and I were inching closer and taking pictures.  I even recorded part of it.  Her hubs kept watching the cops in riot gear growing in number as the protesting marchers moved onto the pedestrian mall, and insisted that we head on our way and out of the mess (what a party pooper!)

 After the protest, we made our way to the comedy club where a few more friends met up with us.  Whitney was AMAZING, as usual.  At the end they had a drawing for a gift certificate...and I won!

Yay me!

The show got off to a late start, so we ended up leaving the club way later than usual for the late-night comedy show.  The friends who met us there left, and so the four of us decided to head out on the town afterward.  KB and her friend decided I wasn't drunk enough, so we went down to what I call The Meat Market of lower downtown.

We ended up at a deceptively-themed bar.  I ignored the throngs of people I could see through the windows and outside the bar and thought it was a sports bar type of place, in contrast to the flashier clubs around it.  I may have been wrong.  And when I say I may have been wrong, I mean we walked into a bar filled with mahogany wood, blasting music, slutty and drunk women, and bartenders who wouldn't look at me because I looked like this:

Instead of this:

Go figure.  The bartender looked incredibly pissed that I even watned a drink, and you should have SEEN the glare I got for daring to ask for a glass of water.  Psh.  See if you get my return patronage, buddy.  We met plenty of guys, I drank gin & sodas, and I just want to tell all the men out there: Unless you are making your  money off your genius guitar playing, you are NOT a musician.  I met plenty of those Friday night.  Turn off!!

KB's friend started dancing with a totally drunk guy, and I started talking with drunk guy's buddy.  About diagramming sentences.  Yes, this stuff:

 Totally nerds, I know.

Anyhoo, at the end of the night...He got my number.  And I got his.

Well wouldn't you know.  I met a guy at a bar.  Crazy, right?

I then got home at 3am and promptly passed out, which is what I will also be doing tonight - after The Killing is over, of course!

Could We Play Apples to Apples Instead?

A fun way to pass the time with friends or family is to play board games.  Even more fun is to turn them into drinking games.  But with or without alcohol, board games are fun ways to pass the time, learn more about each other, and have some fun.  I like board games (except Monopoly; that game is pure evil).  I especially like non-board board games, like Apples to Apples or Balderdash.  But there is one game I cannot stand.  One game that gives me unparalleled levels of anxiety to play.

Scrabble.

Ever since high school, people have commented to me that since I'm such a wordsmith, and since I just love to read and write, I must absolutely love the game Scrabble and, so they tell me, I must be good at it.  Since then I cringe at the thought of playing Scrabble.

What if I can't come up with any words?

What if I can't come up with any good words?

What if the word I put on the board isn't even *gasp* a word??

I can't handle it, Follies.  The pressure is too much.  I stare and stare at the board, trying to come up with a word of epic proportions.  One that will garner me Double Word Scores or Triple Letter Scores.  One that shows the extent of my admittedly limited vocabulary.

Scrabble!

This is what a normal Scrabble board looks like.

Come play with me, Folly. Forever and ever!

This is what a Scrabble board looks like to my eyes.

Evil.

Last week, I played Scrabble for the first time in 8 years.

A few coworkers and I went to an event at a local espresso and wine bar, put on by the public library, to play some word games.  After acquiring glasses of pinot grigio, we joined a nice British lady in some Scrabble.

Nice British lady, as it turns out, is a Scrabble genius.  She had the electronic Scrabble dictionary, mental knowledge of most two-letter words, and a few Scrabble competitions under her belt.

I downed that first glass of wine like it was water.

We played, I asked questions, my boss joked around.  We ordered a second round of wine. We began a second game.  I had to go first. At this point I don't know if it was the wine (and lack of food) or if I was finally getting comfortable with it, but I felt okay.  I had a great word to start: ANISE.

Without detailing the game tile-by-tile, I'll skip ahead to the end and let you know that I ended up with 6 tiles leftover: B N N V C and L.

No vowels.

No open vowels on the board that, as far as I could tell, worked with my letters.

EFF.

Nice British lady kept asking if I had an X. "Xi is a word. So is..." and she started listing off two-letter words, none of which utilized the poor selection of letters I had sitting in front of me.

I came in last place in both games.  Dead last.  It's not the points that matter but you know what? It is. I can't stand to come in last. And that's what I did.  In a word game, as someone who has studied words for my entire, albeit short, life, I came in last.  This, Follies, is why I don't play Scrabble.

Shut up, Vowel!