Cultural divides

Try explaining to your Lebanese boyfriend and his sister why you just bought yourself a set of small bendable plastic figures--one a green fellow with oddly slanted pointy head, and one an orange pony.

"It's Gumby and Pokey!"

Blank stares.

"They had a TV show when I was a kid. They went in and out of books!"

Blank stares.

"Never mind."

I believe in second chances.

So, yeah...I spent quite a bit of time this weekend with Hot Med and the Med family. Sunday afternoon Hot Sis called to see if I wanted to meet her and Hot Med at Starbucks. (Always with the Starbucks.) I inquired as to whether HE really wanted me to come, she assured me he did, so I went. Hot Med instantly jumped up to offer me a seat, and bought me an iced tea. It was a little awkward for a bit, then we all relaxed. Eventually we decided to go check out an art sale in a hotel, then Sis insisted that I come over so she could make us all dinner. Hot Bro and Sis-in-Law showed up soon after with nephew in tow (they'd been out trying to teach him to rollerblade) and we all had a nice dinner together. Pasta with vegetables. Of course. Sigh. But hey--this time they put CHEESE on it. Heh. There was some discussion of planning a joint birthday party in a couple of weeks--turns out SIL and I have the same birthday, and Sis's is just four days earlier. Eventually Bro and SIL left, and diplomatically insisted that Sis take Nephew out for more rollerblading, so Hot Med and I could have some time alone.

A little talk, some promises of better behavior, a little canoodling, a plan to get together at some point the next day.

He called me bright and early yesterday morning, and I took him and Sis to lunch (nephew was out again on the rollerblades), we hung out for much of the afternoon, then we dropped her off and he and I went back to my place for a while.

So, it seems to be back on. And, like I said, I believe in second chances. (Third chances? That's a different story.) And, truthfully, looking back, I wasn't blameless in the friction, either. I mean, he was being a jerk and all, but...I haven't been in the greatest mood the last month or so, either (as evidenced by my near complete failure to post on this blog), and I think we were both guilty of letting our bad moods effect our relationship. Which is a completely vicious cycle, of course. But clearly we each missed the other while we were on hiatus, so...I think another try seems reasonable.

And that's where it stands for now. But don't worry--I am perfectly willing to drive off again and leave him standing in the Starbucks parking lot if things go bad a second time. You know--fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...um...er...you can't get fooled again! (Thanks, Dubya.)

Long weekend!

Yes, a nice long holiday weekend, and I have nothing planned. Not one thing. I think I have decided that sounds nice. Lots of laying around. Though, in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I will be probably be getting together at least once with Hot Med, to talk in person. Don't judge me--this whole breakup thing has happened over the phone, NOT his best medium, and I just want to talk to him face-to-face at least once before I write him off forever. Especially now that he's back to being pleasant and answering phone calls.

In other news, for those of you not following the ins and outs of my life via facebook, I did get cast in the play. Whoo hoo! It's "The Exonerated," if anyone is interested. It's based on the true-life accounts of several people who were falsely convicted, sent to death row, and then later exonerated. My character is a woman who spent 16 years behind bars for a crime she didn't commit. Should be interesting.

You know what I think? I think EVERY president should give a back-to-school motivational speech to America's children. Why the heck not? Whether they (or their parents) agree or disagree politically with the person in office, why not make children feel involved? "Indoctrination," my ass.

Okay, I'm going to go back now to watching the clock and waiting for the "all clear" signal so we can get out of here early and get on with our weekends.

Have a good one!

I believe this falls under the heading of "having your cake and eating it, too."

I just got a call from Hot Med. (The first time HE'S called ME in days, actually. I usually made the calls--he's not crazy about talking on the phone.) Do I have a new boyfriend yet? "NO. We just broke up. Why, do YOU have a new girlfriend already?!" No--he's "single." But...he's off work tomorrow, and he misses me...would I like to get together?

My answer? NO. Not if he still plans to consider himself unattached.

Which, apparently, he does. How do you say "booty call" in Arabic, I wonder?

I would be offended, but I'm too busy being amused. I knew he'd miss me. Heh.

It feels like fall.

It feels like fall here. I think we had the coolest August on record, so I'm not doing my usual "dance of joy" at its passing, but...I think I'm ready for a change nonetheless. How 'bout I start by not neglecting my poor little blog quite so much?

Let's just get you caught up with some bullets.

• Hot Med and I are over. Long story short--he was kind of being a jerk the last few weeks, both to me and his brother. I called him on it, we had a spat, we didn't talk for a week, though I did make efforts to call him (not wanting to leave it on an unpleasant note), we finally talked on the phone Sunday and...he says he "doesn't want a girlfriend." He's too poor, too busy working...he just wants "friends." I think I was cutting into his "sitting around at Starbucks" time, truthfully. And, if that's really how he wants to spend his life, well...good luck to him.
• His brother is insistent that I still be friends with the rest of the family, even though Hot Med is "being a jerk." I KNEW they liked me! "He was so lucky to have you." I know, Hot Bro, I know. Heh.
• I am saddened by the split, but not devastated. I'm not sure I ever really saw this being a longterm thing, though I wasn't ready for it to be over, either. Such is life.
• I've gone online to the various dating sites, un-hidden my profile and snooped around a bit. It's more than a bit depressing to see that most of the guys in my age range are the same ones I was passing over a year ago. It doesn't bode well for my immediate dating future, for sure. And I'm shallow enough to admit that, having dated a younger guy with admirable biceps, I'm not all that excited about doughy, middle-aged men. Not that I currently have any room to talk, of course.
  
• Last weekend I played a set with my band and did a scene from an upcoming play, at the grand opening of the new space of one of the companies I work with most often. It went really well--good crowd, good food, good feedback on the performances. Our emcee for the evening was a local late-night talk show host, and he said he'd love to have me on his show to sing soon. We'll see how that goes.
• So, yeah...I have a play coming up, but not until NEXT MARCH. I really, really need something to keep me occupied between now and then. To that end, I auditioned this weekend for another upcoming show. I have no idea if I'm being seriously considered, but I would love to do this play. It concerns a topic I'm fairly passionate about, I love the director (Hi, George!) and the timing would be perfect. So...fingers crossed.
• My work has been making me crazy. My boss is on vacation for a week. Thank goodness.
• Last night my cats decided to turn the living room into an Indy racetrack or a pinball machine or something. I was asleep on the couch at the time, and was rudely awakened by a cat crashing across me, claws extended. I have some seriously nasty-looking scratches on my thigh (not unusual) and on my FACE (three full claw tracks, about four inches long). I think this would be a good time to take an interesting new dating profile pic, don't you? Caption: "Just back from the Serengeti."
  
• Have you watched the show "Hoarders" on A&E? It makes me feel SO much better about my packrat tendencies. I'm a total amateur compared to these people. You can walk easily through MY house. (Don't open that hallway closet too quickly, though. Hee.)
• I have a birthday coming up this month. 47. There's no way to spin that--I'm in my late 40s. I could insist 46 was MID-40s, but 47? Nope. I'm really not depressed about it--I just keep thinking "where did the time go?" and "wasn't I supposed to have it all figured out by now?"
• I really, really need to get started on an exercise program, but I'm having trouble with my foot. I think I may have ended up with a stress fracture a couple of weeks ago. It's better now, but not quite right, and I don't want to make it worse. Figures--I'm mentally ready to start moving, and my body is lagging behind.
• Speaking of which, my eye is still red. Remember--the one with the wonky eyelash? It's never quite gotten back to normal. I don't have the money for another trip to the eye doctor right now, so I just keep the artificial tears handy, and hope that "tincture of time" will work its magic.
• I am depressed about the future of healthcare reform, and the ridiculous lies being told by the opposition. This may become an entire ranty post of its own soon. Be warned.
  
• When I want to cheer myself up a bit, I just look at the 100 oz thermal travel mug one of my college buddies (with whom I've reconnected via facebook) brought me the last time he came to visit. I thought my previous 52 oz travel mug was the be-all and end-all of mugdom, but I was wrong. He had one of these things at our "reunion" a few weeks ago, and my envy was so great that he bought me one of my very own. It's gigantic, and I carry it around with me all day, filled with iced tea. I'll have to post a pic.

Okay, I've made it to gloating about my mug...I think that signals an end to the rambling for today.