Friday, February 29, 2008

How could you NOT know?




Chevy: "I like your ring" (wait a sec, is she wearing that on the ring finger of her left hand?)


Dena: "Actually, it's an engagement ring!"


Chevy: "WHAT?" (I didn't even know she had a boyfriend) Congrats! "When did this happen?"


Dena: "Saturday night"


Chevy: "Who's the guy?"


Dena: "Harry!"


Chevy: "Harry who?" (not gay Harry!)


Dena: "Harry Watson"


Chevy: (OMG, it IS gay Harry! How could she NOT know?)




More on this tomorrow!

Thursday, February 28, 2008

It's Thursday...

I don't know if you're having a busy, crazy, can't-wait-for-Friday kind of week, but I am! I am so stressed out right now. So, I dug up this picture that I took from a couple months ago to remind myself that there is light at the end of the tunnel (or...er, mangroves). Friday is only a few hours away!

I'll write to you all once I start breathing again!

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Assignment 1

I wrote to Customer Service Representative (CSR) again to say that I enjoyed listening to his radio show (which was the truth). And I got only a requisite 'thanks so much' in response.

[Chevy shrugs her shoulders]
Oh well!

A major life lesson re-learned:
"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment"
(thanks Mahatma Ghandi)

There were no losses, tears shed, or hearts broken - only a tiny shred of disappointment and the confidence to try it again with a different guy at a different time. Let's consider CSR my first assignment for 'The Art of Flirting 101.' I wonder who assignment 2 will produce?

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Rumour Has It...

that I am attached, paired up, coupled! Gosh, life on a small island never ceases to amaze me. According to persons I don't know and don't intend to meet, Best Male Friend (BMF) and I are an item. This rapidly circulating falsehood has come back to me before in the past 3 months or so, but I've managed to laugh it off. However, now I'm just peeved and wish people would mind their own business. Yes, BMF and I can be seen eating a meal, enjoying an art show and having a drink together. Yes, he is of the opposite sex and attractive. Yes, we always have a good time when we go out. And, Yes, we shared a kiss in the privacy of his apartment. But all of that is OUR business.


Girls and guys can't be friends on this little rock without people spreading rumours. Some chick that I know only marginally had the nerve to offer to my sister her unwelcome assessment of our relationship, "She (that would be me) doesn't seem to be into him as much as he is into her!" Ha, ha, ha. LMAO! Really? You don't even know me!


Yeah, I am peeved. But I am also amazed at how very little fodder is needed for rumours to spread on this 26 x 7 mile surface. So, if someone should have the nerve to ask for my confirmation of my relationship status, shouldn't I - just for the heckuvit - say: " I thought you would have heard by now: I don't do men anymore!" Whooooo! Talk about news spreading like wildfire!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

You Oughtta Know


I've caught on to the "100 Things About Me" craze. I'm bored. Indulge me.

1. I am the youngest of four kids

2. My nickname in middle school was "apple bonkey" (local slang for "butt). Pre-pubscent boys can be so forward!

3. I am terrified of frogs and mosquitoes. You'd think I would learn to adopt a few of the former in order to eradicate the latter. But, nah! I'm going to continue running in the opposite direction of both.

4. One of my favorite summer activities is sitting on the kitchen floor, eating a bowl of mangoes picked fresh from the tree. I'm talking about peeling off the skin with your teeth, biting into the flesh, and licking the juices that run down to your elbows. (You'd have to be from the tropics to understand).

5. The first time I used a tampon, I was in college. My mom always thought I was "too young". Can you imagine the torture during P.E. in high school?

6. I don't curse. At all. My friends wonder how I get through life.

7. It took me 3 years to understand that catching butterflies and forcing them to flutter to their oxygen - deprived death in my bedroom was inhumane. I was 5, people, and I was all about bringing the outside in - tadpoles included (until they started sprouting legs).

8. I am unabashedly discriminating with ice cream: Vanilla, Chocolate Chip or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough...and ne'er anything in between.

9. I love getting up at the butt-crack of dawn but only when I have absolutely nowhere to go.

10. Thanks to a book called"The Girl with Silver Eyes," when I was 9 or 10, I almost became cross - eyed trying to make objects levitate with the power of my eyes. That was an interesing visit to the optometrist: "So your eyes can do what?"

Friday, February 22, 2008

I've got mail!

I got a response. He thanked me for the compliment, answered my question about the radio show and that was it. Didn't sign his name. Not quite what I hoped for. But, what was I hoping he would say? It's hard to flirt online (dare I say, harder than flirting in person). Maybe my e-mail came across very neutral.

I'll listen to his radio show tomorrow and tell him I liked it. And leave it at that. If I run into him again, I'll give it one last valiant effort; but no more e-mail stalking (lol). What do you think?

Thursday, February 21, 2008

It was 8:00 a.m. and...

I told him I was impressed with the "pleasant business experience." I wrote that I appreciated his friendly and down-to-earth service. And I signed off with a simple "thank-you". Then I post scripted that I'd like to listen to his show (I learned that he's a part-time radio personality in yesterday's convo) and asked what time he was on air.

Now, It's 6:00 p.m.

And...

No response.


Well, I'm a little disappointed; but I am proud of myself for putting myself out there (even if it was just a little bit). I NEVER ask guys out. I'm a terrible initiator when it comes to flirting (oh, but I'm a great follower). I'm accustomed to the chase not the chasing. But I won't let this experience deter me from being bolder around the hairier sex. Practice makes perfect, right?

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Cyber flirting


I met a boy! Well, we first met about 2 weeks ago, but when I saw him again today my interest was piqued! He's a senior customer service representative and I was one of the lucky persons who received his impeccable service. I'm not saying that just because he's cute. He really was very pleasant, helpful and well-spoken (who doesn't love a guy with mastery of subject-verb agreement?). While he was processing my paper work, we struck up a conversation about a local singer and I caught myself twirling my dangling earring between my fingers: a clear (subconscious) indication that I am into him.


He's a total "couch candidate:" someone you would love to sit on your couch, if for nothing else, to admire his beauty! Complete with twinkling brown eyes, full lips and a bright smile, he's absolutely gorgeous!


He attached his business card to my invoices on two separate occasions (a week ago and again today). That could mean that he's interested or just that he takes his job seriously. He subtly checked me out as I rose from my seat. It could be that he's just a guy and that's what guys do. He told me to send him an e-mail if I had any questions. I can't tell if he's interested or just a nice guy. Whatever the case, I'd like to see him again.


So, my question is: Can you ask a guy out by e-mail? If so, what's the protocol?

Old School Love

When I embrace her,
And her arms open wide,
I feel like a man in Spiceland,
Who is overwhelmed with perfume.
Then I kiss her;
And she opens her lips.
Without a taste of beer,
I am intoxicated.
Young man's love poem inscribed on a piece of broken pottery from ancient Egypt. Written during the Nineteenth Dynasty, c. 1304

Thursday, February 14, 2008

What a Day!


I have returned to normal. I'm off the crazy high from Sunday night's kiss that left me discombobulated. Best male friend and I are back to being our old goofy selves around each other. (See my reply to Exposed's comment on the previous post)



On to the important stuff: HAPPY Valentine's DAY!


I wore magenta, white and black (but I promise you it was coincidental)


I got a rose from my dad (fresh from his garden...everybody with me: "awwwwww"!)


I walked around thinking sexy (not dirty) thoughts all day and it helped to put a pep in my step


I bought myself a nice dinner on my way home from work and savored the flavor of every bite


I got my eyebrows and lip waxed


When asked "Who is your Valentine?," I replied, "Myself!" with a big grin (Cheesy, I know!)


And now, here I am lounging in an over-sized t-shirt, laptop in - where else- my lap, smelling of lavender.



How did your Valentine's Day pan out?


Monday, February 11, 2008

Exhausted!


I know that some of you are waiting to read about my "situation" from last night. I really want to tell you about it. Unfortunately, my head feels like it's stuck under an anvil. Had a loooong day of work and I'm tired. Haven't even really had a chance to "process" it yet (or even to re -live the moment in my head). Will definitely post tomorrow. Until then. Nighty-night.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

This Kiss


Inevitability. Fate. Destiny. Call it what you will, but whatever the heck it is, it happened tonight: My best male friend and I kissed.


It was the kind of earth-moving, can't-catch-your-breath, make-you-lightheaded, kind of kiss that "just happened." One minute I was standing in his kitchen, leaning against his dining table, waiting for him to drop me back home. And the next minute we were in an embrace...kIsSinG! It wasn't a hungry kiss or a timid one either. It was a ...um..."sensitive" kiss that you get lost in, that makes you forget where you are. Any and all feelings that we had been suppressing rose to the surface in that one kiss. Afterwards, we looked at each other confused and yet fully aware at the same time. We climbed into his car, drove in awkward silence for a few miles, and then, in my driveway, we promised we'd give each other space...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It's late: I need to process this one overnight. I'll talk to you all tomorrow.


Eye-Candy


Some days I need to stop and enjoy the beauty that life has to offer. Today is one of those days and Common is today's beauty. Enjoy!

Friday, February 8, 2008

NightStand Companions


I'm enjoying short stories these days. When I'm working -diligently- I get ADHD. Snapshots into fictional lives coupled with a cup of tea before my 10 p.m. bedtime help me to continue my boast of being an avid reader.

Two recommended short- story collections are:

Red Plaid Shirt stories by Diane Schoemperlen (witty, unforgettable characters, surprising in style and structure)

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (beautifully composed,interesting relationships , a taste of India)

I'm about to read:

The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner (will let you know what I think)



What's on your nightstand?

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Chevy + Cute Guy = Superbly Awkward Moment


I am officially the worst flirt in the world! Yesterday, I went about with my nifty new camera taking pictures of the sunset, mangroves, trees - whatever, was visually interesting. At one point, I was so engrossed in my new found hobby that I hadn't noticed an attractive, slightly older gentleman looking at me. It wasn't until I looked up from my view finder that our eyes met and I panicked! I blinked hard and fast and re-averted my gaze to the camera. As I'm feigning an unhealthy amount of interest in my little gadget, I'm thinking, "Crap! And he is cute too! Redeem yourself, Chevy, and just smile at him!" But, nope. Chevy is too much of a dorky, awkward girl for that. I decided to pretend the moment did not just exist.

But, as luck would have it, I had to cross him to get back into my car - after that clever display of social ineptitude. And, to add insult to injury, just as I was walking past him, I bumped my toe against a rock and had to hop the rest of the way to my car! OUF!




I really need to work on my technique!

Sunday, February 3, 2008

On Being Mine




I can just see him now: That little son-of-a-gun is sharpening his arrows, roaming the earth to see whose heart he can pierce. Yeah, I'm talking about that little cherub that's adorable when you have a honey, but loathed when you don't. Cupid's arrow is gonna miss me by a mile this Valentine's Day and I'm a little bummed out about it - but only a little.



Considering Hank and I broke up on November 12th of last year and I have been giving myself 3 months to cry, eat ice cream, meditate and get my act together, Valentine's day rolls around at just the right time. Just 2 days past the mark, it's the perfect season to start getting out there to meet new and interesting people! I'm not looking for hook-ups (not that kinda girl) or even necessarily candle-lit dinner dates. Instead, I just like knowing that I'm giving myself the freedom to have a good time! I can now look forward to showcasing what I love about me and attracting gals and guys with similar interests. I don't need to be in a relationship to feel secure and sexy. This Valentine's day, I intend to "Be Mine!" Thanks Cupid for bringing me to this realization (in a roundabout kind of way)!




What are your plans for Valentine's Day?




No Complaints



Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.


-Sarah Bernhardt





Kudos to me! It's been a month into this new year in which I've pledged to live differently! I promised myself that I would do the things I want to do without excuses; that I would make the time for developing hobbies, learning new skills, and dabbling with new experiences. And here's how I'm doing so far:


1. I'm taking a photography class and loving it!


2. I suppose that also counts as a skill because I'm learning so much!


3. I went camping last weekend (the first time in 12 years) and I absolutely loved getting dirty!

Recently, I've realized that when asked how I am doing, I blurt out, " I'm doing well! I really can't complain!" Wellness is the name of my game for 2008. I intend to live stress free, inspired (and inspiring), and contented! I banish all negative energy from my life and welcome only positive and mutually edifying relationships.


How are your resolutions / life alterations working out so far?