Weekend Warrior: Jete Untamed

"Dance the night away / Live your life and stay out on the floor

Dance the night away / Grab somebody, drink a little more

La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la

Tonight we gon' be it on the floor

La la la la la la la la la la la la la la

Tonight we gon' be it on the floor"

Clearly this weekend was horrible AWESOME. Friday night started off with a kick ass shift working at Rhino during happy hour. I was by myself and it was busy, which I absolutely adore. It had been awhile since I worked a busy shift but it felt great and made some casheesh. I later made the usual appearance at The Whale, ran into some Rhino lovies, and drank some dranky dranks. Allie and I took our relationship to a new level in the ladies' room involving a gum incident and a lot of giggling. She then lost her phone and we went home. Standard.

Saturday I woke up feeling a little blue. I was thinking that I'd eventually snap out of it, get motivated, go for a run and do some homework. Welp, you can probably guess that none of that happened, with the exception of the snapping out of it. Allie, Courtney, and I went to The Tombs to watch the Georgetown basketball game. Things escalated quickly. We brought our table party over to the bar with some of Courtney's alumni friends and eventually made our way down to Rhino, sans Courtney. We were sad to see her go, however, I really don't hate a Saturday of day drinking....me love you long time. At about 5:30 or so, Allie and I went to Papa Razzi for real food. We sat in Ryan's section, obviously, and had the giggly giggles. We chit chatted about life, had some brewskis, and heckled the crap out of Ryan while he was trying to work. On the walk home from Papa, we tried to cut through the mall but got lost in the apartment buildings attached to the mall. Hiiiiilarious. Allie chose to sing Usher's "fell in love with shortieee oh oh oh oh oh my god" the whole way through. It was just the kind of day I needed. We had a blast and I was loving the QT with my Scrubby. And let me tell you, she was on her game all day. Please watch this (funniest part is at about the 2:45 mark) and then ask her to do her version. You won't regret it.

"He sneezed, debris, movement."

"I said God bless you, which ya know is God bless you 

but it kinda sounded like cover your effing mouth. Yeah incognito."

So we get home and are expected to rally for phase two. Maggie and Courtney had more of a normal person day so they were ready to go out (in matching shirts no less, I'm sure they called ahead and planned it). I'm not gonna lie though, I was losing steam. I showered, didn't even bother to dry my hair (oh yeah baby, worked the sexified hair look with pride), and threw on some jeans and a black shirt. These are my favorite kind of nights. Since I almost didn't even make it out, I had very little expectations and it ended up being FaNTaBULoUs with a capital F.

I love drunk Maggie. I love sober Maggie too but drunk Maggie is another form of human that is wonderful. We had a blast at Chadwicks. Ya know, girly girls doing girly things, quoting movies and falling in love with the manager (Ok, that part was only me). Marry me, Dan. Too soon?

Anyway, Mags and Court wanted to make moves to The Guards, Allie wanted to stay at Chaddys with Ryan and the Papa Razzi crew, and I headed to the "2nd floor waterfront bldgs" to meet up with Magic 8 Ball. (By the way M8B, you said "fo sho" in a text message, not gonna let that one down). So I had no clue what was going on but I saw the trail of drunk, Louboutin wearing, blonde girls in party dresses and blazers holding on for dear life to whichever guy they were leaving with...basically, I knew I didn't have to worry about anyone noticing me crashing the party or that I was under dressed. M8B found me outside (hello hotttie in a suit), walked me in past the "chick at the elevator" and went up to the second floor of what I always thought was an ordinary office building. Still trying to get the lay of the land, I see a certain Mighty Pint bartender friend, helped him button the buttons on the cuff of his shirt, watched him have a dance-off....by himself....and really knew I'd be just fine.

The second floor of this ordinary building was completely gutted and unfinished. There were isolated bars set up, a dance floor and DJ booth, a VIP section, and a buffet....? So strange. The rich and famous of Georgetown partying in what looked like a dressed up attic. I mean, it was awesome, don't get me wrong but completely took me by surprise.

I had so much fun with him. I would occasionally run into someone I know but I really liked that for the most part I knew no one but M8B. We got drinks, made friends, and danced: "Oh nahhh nahh what's mah name? Ohh nah nah what's my name?" He was embarrassed for me because I knew all the words but come on, don't even act like you don't like RiRi ;-) M8B is a very good dancer. I'm picturing him doing some salsa-ish move under the neon pink strobe lights.

A special lady, and I mean a really special lady, wanted to dance just a tad too aggressively with me. When I more or less let her down easy, she went after M8B! She couldn't decide which way she wanted to swing but it was entertaining to say the least. The gala was coming to an end and last call was approaching so I grabbed us each two glasses (to double fist, obviously), asked the bartenders to top off our RBVs, and we continued on our night at the mystery party. I have since looked up where I was and it seems that I crashed a benefit thrown by the Washington Ballet. Not too shabby for a Jersey girl.

M8B got us lost leaving the building. Hit this button for assistance: "Uhh yeah hi, we're having some trouble and seem to be stuck. Can someone come down and open the door please?" Nice attempt at sounding sober. No judgment from me though, considering I kept trying to open a clearly locked door. Nice.

Somehow we got out and ended up at Rhino. This is two nights now that M8B ventured to Rhino and I never would've thought I'd get him through the front door. I think it's like a bad car crash that you know is terrible but can't stop looking at. He probably hates it but can't help but find it hilarious to see how we college kids party in Georgetown. You know, see if it's changed since way back in the day. (I know, I'm so funny).

We talked with Billy, JC, and Stiles over a vodka soda and a Stella for a little while longer then headed home. The next morning was equally as fun as the night before. I swear, Allie Hub, you need a television show or some venue to share your comedic talents with the world. She was on fire, once again. Her and W.B. Gumdrops (another code name for M8B) got along famously, cracking jokes, and being riGODDAMNdiculous. I, of course, laughed my bootaaay off.

There are some ongoing themes throughout my posts on the blog: Partying, over-analyzing the crap out of every situation, dating, and music. In terms of this weekend, well I partied "fo sho". Thankfully, the over-analyzing thing flew out the window. I just let it all go and had a wonderful couple of days. Obviously, that won't last as long as I'd like it to but hey, that's life. In conjunction with that theme, there's that dating thing. The M8B aka Gumdrop is so much fun and a way more enjoyable situation when I just go with it, whatever "it" entails at the time. I am a bit weary, however, because he seems to be getting to know me incredibly well and incredibly fast while I'm still in the dark about him. I know enough to know I like being around him but in comparison to what he's learning about me...well, there isn't a comparison.

I tend to be an open book and am terrible at hiding what I'm really feeling. I understand that not everyone is like that, but it would make this department of life WAY easier. I'm young, I've been in a good relationships, I have solid friendships and family relations, and don't have much to hide at all. I am baggage-less, if you will. Now I'm not saying that M8B is hiding a suitcase full of ex-wives and two kids in 'burbs but who the hell knows. Point being, I'm hoping he can let me in a little more so I don't start wondering if the wife and kids thing is true.

And finally, the music theme. Here are some good ones that I was into this weekend. Clearly, I'm on some sort of Mr. 305 binge.

"Alright" by Pitbull ft. Machel Montano

"Who Dat Girl" by Flo Rida ft. Akon

"When I Get You Alone" by Robin Thicke

Peace, biotches.

Runnin' Around: Awake My Soul

"I love to travel" is one of those things I say when someone asks me about my interests. However, in the last few years, I cannot say that I've really exercised that interest. This week I was told that it might be (I know it would definitely be) a great experience for me to do some traveling on my own. As much as I adore DC, NJ, NY, and all of the wonderful people and places that exist in those places....I keep thinking about how I really would love to get away from my routine. I need a breath of fresh air.

However, I understand that in reality because of time, $, and life, taking an extended period of time after I graduate to travel around is not exactly realistic. I did get to thinking about where I would go if I could....so, I got out "the list". Yes, I keep a running list in one of my many notebooks noting all the places I want to go. It includes the following countries and/or specific cities: Egypt, Amsterdam, Madrid, Fiji, Brazil, London, Portugal, New Orleans, California (again), Paris (again), Cuba, Rome and Milan (again), Dallas, Czech Republic, St. Barts, Jamaica, Germany (again, and more of it!), Dubai, IBIZA (thank you, Best DJ Ever, for reminding me)..........etc, etc, etc.

Since that list is a wee bit ambitious, I decided to narrow it down. Realistically, what could I do? I'm thinking about all this while out on a run today and since every other song on the playlist is by the same band, it smacked me in the face! FOLLOW MUMFORD & SONS AROUND ON TOUR! They hardly ever play in the US, so I could go all over Europe, get cheap concert tickets, and love life. I've shown them love on my blog before, and you all know, that their music is the kind that makes me get that feeling all over. Lauren does a great impression of my reaction when a song comes on that I'm absolutely infatuated with...ask her to show you. Like Joshua Radin, these guys can really sing and holy smokes can they play instruments. Hopefully you caught them at the Grammy awards this year, it gave me chills.



I got all excited running around P Street, Wisconsin Ave, and finally onto M Street but then I thought, yeah that isn't so realistic either. I need a job, I need to make dolla dolla bills, I need to start real life. And now that I'm sitting at my computer I see that Mumford & Sons is on tour NOW and that the European part of the tour ENDS in March. Feh! By the way, of course they are playing at Coachella and I've said this before but whoever decided that Coachella would be an exclusively west coast concert is a silly, stupid, little person...KILL HIM.

But wait! Why don't I just go to California to see them?! That stupid, silly, little person is still stupid and silly but that doesn't mean that I have to be too. I don't have to just sit on my butt over here on the east coast staring jealously over in the west coast direction.

....Too bad it's sold out. There's always their Vegas show, Friday April 15th, 2011, just in case anyone was wondering. They're also playing in Santa Barbara, Louisiana, Arkansas, Colorado, and Tennessee! Although, I have this awfully sick feeling that they are probably sold out already. However, the June 30th show with Arcade Fire in London isn't.....not that I've spent the last 20 minutes looking into all of this or anything.

Plan B. Hmm what's Plan B? Where could I realistically go after I graduate but before I start working? I'm thinking a San Fransisco trip is in order. FINALLY, I'd be able to see my brother and sister-in-law, the Balenciaga and Spain Exhibit at de Young, and hopefully extend the trip to LA (since I think I'll have a much greater appreciation for the city this time around). And while I'm out there, I might as well make a Vegas trip with the Nigara and Florio clan (Lauren, I'm considering you a Nigara at this point).

Neither of those "realistic" trips would really be considered "on my own" but hey, I'll take it! Get me outta here. No, really, get me out of here.

To conclude, on a serious note, I'd like to take this opportunity to pay a special tribute to my Uncle Warren. He passed away yesterday. You are so loved and we are missing you already. To the greatest Hoya I've ever known, you are an inspiration. I'm sorry you won't be here to see me graduate but I will be thinking of you the entire time. You are a legend. Rest in peace & Hoya Saxa.

"Awake My Soul" by Mumford & Sons

"How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes

I struggle to find any truth in your lies

And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know

My weakness I feel I must finally show

Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all

But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall

Lend me your eyes I can change what you see

But your soul you must keep totally free"

"AWULL: All Ways Us Living Love"
Love to the California Clan

Thirsty Thursday: Would You Like Potomac or Bottled Water?

So I went out with #8 on Thursday night, or as I will be calling him, "Magic 8 Ball." I had very high expectations of this one because he seemed really put together, interesting, sophisticated, well traveled, and very attractive. Within an hour of being around him I could confirm that yes, he is all of those things...YAY.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? First, he picks me up at the house. He actually gets out of the car and waits at the door (it's a sad world we live in when small and appreciated gestures like this are unexpected). We went to Hudson for dinner. Hudson is a restaurant in DC that I frequently run by and always make a mental note that I want to go there but have yet to do so. It is a lounge type bar and restaurant, with a contemporary and hip decor that just makes you feel like you're having a faaabulous time with faaabulous people, dahlin'!

Magic 8 Ball is a gentleman. From the minute we sat down he made sure I was comfortable and happy. Since I am the most indecisive person when it comes to wine and food, he took over. The food was really good, except we were talking so much that we had barely touched the appetizer by the time the entree arrived. Even the entree sat there hanging out for awhile before we could get around to eating it. I was talking a lot (and I know this probably doesn't come as a shock to you guys) but the combination of his calm and engaging demeanor and the Red Bull I had earlier...well, it was a bit of word vomit on my end. However, he didn't seem to mind at all. He asked questions and contributed stories of his own. When I stepped away from the table, he asked the server to do a surprise dessert with candles and a port (a dessert wine...it's fine, I didn't know what it was either), in honor of my birthday that we never got to celebrate. Go ahead, "awww", I did too!

We decided to go check out what was going on at the waterfront bars since it was such a nice night. By the time we got there, the bars were closing and we found ourselves walking by the water. "I'm gonna put this out there; if you like it, you can take it, if you don't, send it right back...I want to be on you take a dip in the Potomac." He threw it out there, just like that, and I wasn't sure if he was kidding or not until he said, "There's your spot, Christie." Don't even ask me where. The location is going with me to grave because it really is the perfect spot to.....JUMP IN THE POTOMAC?! Goodness. Little Louis and I were freaking out. He was totally and completely serious. He went to his car and comes back with towels and flip flops for me to wear, "I was just in California for a few weeks; we always keep this stuff in the car." Hokay, so umm, what? Oh I was scared. Wtf is in the Potomac, it's cold, I'm with a relative stranger, it's gotta be illegal, and there's no way in hell I'm getting in that water...

I got in the water.

We crossed over a little stream of water, via a wooden board, because forget about the pedestrian bridge...that's for amateurs. We got to the sandy bank and walked out into the water until it was just above our knees. Faaa-reeee-ziiiing but hello was I proud of myself! (Louis was proud of me too). It was awesome and if you know me, you know that I tend to make some bold moves, do some out there stuff, but not usually things that involve limited clothing...in public...in the water...in February. I was waiting for the one of the many cops I know in Georgetown to come down there and shine his lights on us....wouldn't that have been a real treat! We didn't stay out there for too long, maybe because we couldn't feel our toes, but what a rush!

Before continuing on to the next place, since we never got that drink, he asked if it would be okay for us to make a pit stop so he could let his dogs out. No, this was not code for funny business, we actually let his dog and the two dogs he was watching for a few days, out in the yard. By the time we were done, Town Hall had already closed up so we went to the place across the street called Breadsoda. This place is awesome and neither of us knew it even existed. It's low key and casual but more underground trendy. I noticed that he loosened up a bit and was more playful and flirty. However, he still hadn't kissed me despite the endless amount of opportunities throughout the night. I couldn't figure it out. Was he not attracted to me? Was he feeling like I am too young for him? Is he just that polite? Maybe it's not his style? So about me being an over-analyzer...yeah, about that...

So the time came to bring me home and when we parked out front of the house we saw a lot of activity going on. Girls were coming out of my house, guys were walking into the house, so I invited him in to check out what was going on. Earlier in the night, I mentioned the "tree house," what we girls in the house call my room, so he asked me to take him up to see it. He made his move and we kissed. Great kiss. Unfortunately, I turned into the 22 year old whack-a-doo that I usually pride myself on NOT being.

Can open...worms everywhere...

Of course I assumed the worst. It made me uncomfortable that he waited until we were in my house to make a move and I started to feel like I was being played. Magic 8 Ball said he just wanted me to feel comfortable and that he was not about doing the expected. Any other guy would've kissed me when we were knee deep in the Potomac but he didn't. I had a really hard time feeling secure, despite all of the fantastic events of the evening because my brain went to "wow, is he really just here for a hook up?" Then I thought, "Am I being crazy?" Ugh. I'm fed so much BS from guys all the g.d. time that I don't even believe someone when he could be telling the truth. I also liked him and since that is a feeling I haven't experienced in a long time, I didn't want to do anything to make him think of me as a stupid 22 year old college girl. Well, great job Chris, you managed to do exactly that by flipping the eff out! Is it too late to be a man? Just askin'...

Lorelai: This is the beginning of a relationship; you're supposed to act stupid.

Luke: I'll do the chicken dance on my lunch break.

 

We finally moved away from the serious talk and thankfully, Magic 8 Ball is quite the comedian. He broke up the awkwardness with a few funny one liners and sarcastic remarks. We parted on a good note, "Hey so when you blog about tonight, can I suggest some nicknames for myself?" He rattled off a few names like Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp but I told him the nickname always depends on how I'm feeling about you in that moment.

Origin of Nickname: He was date #8, the night was magical, and as

of now, where it goes from here is up in the air. Shake it up! 

"Signs point to yes" or "Better not tell you now" or "Very doubt."

Time will tell.

M8B: "Would you like a ride to the train station tomorrow?"
Me: "I'd love one!"
M8B: "Ok so what you do is, walk to Wisconsin Avenue, put your thumb up, and someone will pick you up."

Friday morning he arrived at the house to take me to Union Station. Heyyyrrroooo, he looked so friggen cute! I know I like him because I was doing my nervous bit where I talk and move around a lot, make it look like I'm busy, and think my roommates are extra funny. I hope it wasn't too obvious (wishful thinking!) I intended to avoid the crazy part of the night before and just be happy and normal. I felt kind of silly about the way I reacted and I didn't want him to put me on his loony toon list. In the car, we made small talk about Kombucha tea, which is delicious by the way, but then he asked me about the previous night. He was rightfully questioning whether or not I had a good time based on my emo moment. I let him know I had an amazing time and I'm pretty positive he believed me.

jshfiuaehrtuwaeytaiwlhfkajlsdfhauietwaqr

Sorry, just had to let that out. We were in touch on Saturday afternoon and everything was completely fun and happy. Why am I such a twinkie sometimes? I'm not happy when the date is a dud and when it's a great date, I over-think it because I like him and end up feeling like an idiot. I chose to write "feeling like an idiot" instead of "looking like an idiot" because now that I've had a few days to sit on it, I really don't think he caught on to how crazy I felt. I guess I managed to keep most of it up in my head and only mildly acted like a whack-a-do. Does that make sense? Anyway, he's got real Jeter potential and here I am acting like a AAA player. Looks like the tables have turned and now I'm the one who needs to step up her game!

"Some kind of magic happens late at night" ~ Joshua Radin

I got to the early show at the 9:30 Club last night in perfect timing to hear my favorite Justin Nozuka song, "After Tonight" and one other song that I've just spent the last half an hour trying to find but obviously failed. Either way, I heard "After Tonight" and that's all that matters.

In between acts, I started to second guess my decision to go alone because it seemed like any spot that I stood, I was in someone's way. I didn't have anyone else with me to create "our space" so in order to prevent looking completely awkward I got a beer.....standing by myself with a beer, yeah, definitely less awkward. Oh well. I continued to work my way towards the stage and found a spot on the right side. I could tell the couple in front of me was going to be annoying...and they were. At one point she turns to her boyfriend and asks, "but..like..why does he keep..like..changing guitars like that?" Uhhh because he's Joshua Radin and he can do whatever the heck he wants! Shut up and watch the show.

Anyway, as soon as Joshua Radin came out on stage and started singing I knew I'd be just fine on my own - I started sweating a little bit and I got the chills all over. I had forgotten how much I love live music. Lauren and I used to go to concerts at venues like the 9:30 Club all the time. They are small enough to feel like you're sitting in someone's basement but big enough to know you're hearing something special. He opened with "No Envy No Fear" and even sang the last verse and chorus without the microphone. That was the first time I had ever heard a big deal artist sing without a mic and to tell you the truth, his albums and recorded songs don't do his talent justice. He was going for it! The whole crowd was silent with the exception of a few "oww owws" from girls in the audience.

"Everything'll Be Alright (Will's Lullaby)" ~ Joshua Radin

This was the first song I ever heard....he had me at hello.

By the third song, I could not, would not, should not continue to subject myself to the annoying comments from this girl in front of me. I moved as far to the side of the stage as I could and when a group of gay guys walked up next to me I heard one of them say: "Yeah, this is good, we'll get to see more side boob this way." Now that kind of commentary I could deal with. However, the security guard gave me a little smirk. I looked at him sideways, like wtf dude, and he goes, "I was wondering how long you were going to put up with that girl...here, stand over here and you'll have a direct view of him." I LOVE YOU MR.SECURITY GUARD (and if Joshua and I weren't running away together, I'd toats mcgoats go with you!)

It was strange at first because I'm used to the emo/alternative concerts that Lauren and I used to go to or the big stadium Bon Jovi type concerts where everyone is singing and screaming along with the band. However, for a singer/songwriter like Joshua Radin, we all actually wanted to hear him sing. He encouraged us to sing along to "Road to Ride On" and "Nowhere to Go" and umm all I'm saying is, I wanna be a rock star. That's gotta be so incredible to hear a venue full of people singing your song back to you.

Side note: Joshua wants me.

He talked to us throughout the entire show. It was cool to find out what his inspirations were for each song and who or what they are about. He told us "You Got What I Need" aka "The Making Babies Song" is a song he wrote for his best friends, a couple, who told him they fell in love to his first album and used to boom boom to it. So, when they decided to have a baby, they asked him to write a song to help them out. When he finished playing the song he goes, "BAM, you're pregnant!" I laughed and thought "yes, I'll have your babies, Joshie!"

He played a couple cover songs too. Someone in the crowd yelled "BIEBER!" Joshua laughed, sang the words "Babyyy Babbby" and did Justin's hair flip before playing the songs he actually planned on singing. Ohh Joshua, you kill me. You're so funny and cute and wonderful....

For his encore he played a Bob Dylan cover, "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"....sans microphone. Again, chills. So many artists use all kinds of machines to enhance their voices or make sure to be great dancers in order to distract from their lack of vocal talent but this guy....this guy...he's got real and pure talent. He writes his songs, he plays the guitar, and his voice is at its best without a microphone.

Make sure I go see more concerts. It was a few hours free from the outside world, from homework, and from man baseball. It's hard to see someone so passionately involved in what he's doing and not feel inspired to do something for yourself. I'm really trying to make this sound less "Shoot for the Stars!" or "Be All That You Can Be!" kinda thing but I want to be a rock star. Preferably an actual music rock star, but I'll shoot for a rock star in anything. Although I do have a wonderful singing voice... "Weiiinnnerrrrr!" was a true display of my talent as an artist :-) For now, I guess I'll go back to my reading assignment for my English class tomorrow....or whatever....

Weekend Warrior: I'll Have a Vodka Martini with a Twist

"That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up" - Walt Disney

It's almost 70 degrees here in DC, it's the day of love, and I'm sick. Awesome. The fact that I have a paper due tomorrow, a few other annoying assignments due, and I'm in bed is a pretty big deal. For a person who never takes naps and I'm in bed, this is a pretty big deal. As a person who loves to run in DC and the sun in shining for the first time in weeks and I'm in bed.....now that's a pretty big deal. It's that all over body hurt, sore throat, head pounding kinda sick that makes you want to be on Grandma's couch, watching "The Price is Right", eating Rocky Road ice cream. Meh.

Anyway, the weekend aka the probable cause of this sickness, was amazingly fun.....with a twist. Friday night we obviously went to The Whale. I walk in to a fun greeting over the microphone from DJ Aubrey, "Hey Oscar, keep Christie over there....she's annoying!" So much love. Anyway, it was a standard night at the bar, followed up by a standard late night sesh at Rhino and I had a good time. Here comes the twist.....I woke up the next morning feeling a little over it. As you all know, recently nothing makes me happier than the Friday night routine but ehh I don't know....I'm le tired. I'm not saying I never want to go out again or get absurdly out of control but I think I'm growing up. I think I could be happy getting Whale Crazy once or twice a month instead of every Friday night. Goodness, what's happening to me?

Saturday was a regular Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child blast. Allie, Olga, Jackie, Weins, and I went to Clyde's for lunch and mimosas. It was so nice to have some girl time and at times I really felt like we were sitting in the senior center in Connelly Hall. Later that night we had some friends over our house to show Olga how we do it in Georgetown. It was a typical beer pong playing, Burnetts drinking night.....but better! The addition of Olga, Jackie, and Alana made all the difference in the whole wide world. If you've ever played kings, a card/drinking game, you know that when a person draws a Jack you make a new rule. Olga drew two Jacks and made two of the funniest rules I've ever played with. The first rule was that anytime you wanted to talk....you had to sing whatever it is that you wanted to say. The second rule was that before anything you say sing, you had to start by saying "weiner". To sum up, a room full of drunk kids, singing the word "weiner" before ever sentence.... "Weeeiiinnnerrrrr, it's your turn!" / "Weiinnneerrr, youu forgot to say weiner, take a driiiiiiink!"
Hiiiiiii-larious to say the least. The night ended with a dance party at Rhino....sooo college.

I would not have traded Saturday night for the world - it was the kind of night that I'm going to miss when I graduate but again, I woke up on Sunday feeling over it. Saturday night I didn't even dress up, I entertained friends and went down to the bar in sweatpants and sneakers. I'm tired ("so take a nap, zen fire ze missiles!") Since this is my first rodeo going through my 20's, I'm not sure how this is supposed to work. Is there a moment when it's just not as fun anymore? What is this? Or maybe, I'm just overwhelmed with school work, exhausted from playing g.d. man baseball, and if get my school work under control and happily settle in with possible guy #8....or #9....or whatever, will I go back to loving Whale Crazy nights?

I think that might be the case. The school work will be in control by Friday and whether its guy #8 or guy #250, whoever he is will give me the option to do something while doing nothing at all. Now, it's the kind of situation where I don't want to stay home on a weekend night but the only option is to go out and do the college drinking extravaganza thing....no wonder I'm sick and tired. I need someone to just hang out with so I don't end up like this every couple of weeks.

I could go on and on.........but I won't. I'm going to back to sleep and hopefully wake up feeling ready to get some work done. Enjoy your warm and sunny Valentine's Day, in fact, enjoy it enough for both of us!

Thirsty Thursday: Womp Womp

"It's not the men in your life that count, it's the life in your men!" ~ Mae West

Last night I met Lucky Lacking Life #7. I don't even know what he did, whether it was a bunt or little dribble to the pitcher but feh! it's not even worth the metaphor. He was a nice guy for sure but ya know when someone is talking and you're looking at him and you think you're listening but somewhere along the line you realize you have no idea what he just said even though you've been nodding and "uh huh-ing" throughout the whole story? I DO I DO! There was no oomph, no spark, no wow factor. The highlight / low point (yes, it was both) was running into Scott and Simon, two of the PSU regulars from Rhino. It was the highlight because I actually got excited, "AHHH wtf are YOU doing here?" but also the low point because all I wanted to do was ditch #7 and hang out with them! It emphasized how utterly bored I was with Mr. Womp Womp.

On a more positive note, I love Clarendon! It's a combination of Georgetown and Chatham, NJ in that small town way but with a lot of action. It reminds me a lot of Bethesda too. Anyway, we went to Whitlow's on Wilson, a casual sports bar with live music and a yuppy, young professionals crowd. Just two stops into Virginia from Rosslyn, this is going to be my new little escape from the Georgetown bubble. And let me tell you, it was raining men in there! I kept looking around at all of the other guys I wanted to be talking to instead of the kinda geeky and mellow #7. It was awkward at times too because for some reason most people around us were DRUNK, like really drunk, and men were hitting on me right in front of him! If that doesn't prove that there was no visible chemistry than I don't know what does! These guys either felt like they needed to save me from a boring stranger, were too drunk to notice him, or just simply didn't care. Either way, of course I was polite and ignored them but ughhhh I didn't want to ignore them! I got home to the house and told the girls that we have to go back, preferably for a big game of some kind.

I did, however, get this really cool mug that 

when I go back there, I get refills for $2! Love it.

It's amazing to me that two people can be on the same date and walk away from it feeling completely differently. After the first drink I knew I was done and no longer interested. When he ordered another round, I thought "Ok that's fine...either he still thinks he's interested and hasn't figured out as quickly as I have that we have no va va voom or he's being polite because he doesn't know that I've already figured it out". By the next round, I was sure we were going to call it a night but he kept going! I didn't get it. Everyone around us could see it was blahh but why couldn't he?! I pulled the plug on another drink by saying that I didn't want to be on the metro too late and that I had a busy day today. He walked me to the metro, rode it for one stop with me, and said a few times "I had a really great time with you and I'd like to see you again."  ....WHAT?@!*&%%$? I'm sorry but #7, were you on the same date as I was?! There's no way.

How do you let him down when he's done nothing wrong? At that point, I'd rather a guy do something rude or ridiculous so that I don't have to feel like a butt head rejecting him. Do you rip it off like a Band-Aid and just shoot it to him straight or do you pull the "I'm busy every day from now until forever" card? Being rejected sucks but it's just as miserable rejecting a good guy, especially when he thinks we had a great time! What to do what to do....

Oh man, no wonder there are entire television series, movies, and books based on the dating world! It's exhausting. First dates can either be the most exciting thing or a complete waste of time. I'm still an optimist though, hence why I keep going on these dates because eventually one of them is going to work out, right? I went to sleep last night and woke up this morning feeling defeated, thankfully, this a problem that can easily be solved with a little retail therapy and a Friday night at The Whale! I successfully used all but $4 of my Forever 21 gift cards that I got for Christmas and got a kick ass new jacket! Feeling better already. Happy Friday, dudes!

"Last Friday Night" by Katy Perry

Lovin' this song today....it sounds all too familiar :-)

"There's no crying in baseball!!" ~ A League of Their Own

With the start-up date for MLB pitchers and catchers rapidly approaching I got to thinking. At this point in the semester, in terms of my dating life, I feel like I've done the warm-up laps, the stretching, and the long arm toss. I've taken infield, fielded pop flies, and had some batting practice. I'm ready for opening day, let's go! Here's the thing though, I've got one minor, teeny tiny, little bitty problem....so far, all I've got are second stringers. How am I supposed to accomplish anything without any starting players? At this rate, I don't have a shot at making the playoffs.

I'm asking you now to keep your minds outta the gutter and refrain from turning my legitimate baseball metaphor into a down and dirty metaphor...

Here's the line-up from the last 3 weeks. 

1. My lead-off guy popped up to the center fielder. It looked like he had a chance to hit one over the fence but right at its peak, you could hear the crowd (in my head) go "ahhhh damn, popped him up." Classic case of a Napoleon complex: he was way shorter (and smaller) than I remembered and he tried to cover up his nerves, insecurities, etc by telling long, overly detailed stories that all somehow lead back to how awesome he is. Guys, most of us see right through this act. Please just be yourself, we might actually like ya!

2. My #2 guy hit a nice single to the outfield but got tossed out stealing 2nd. He was mega nice, really laid back, and pleasant to be around.  However considering he lives in VA, right outside of DC, and didn't know where the Key Bridge is....well that's a problem. His world was too small town for me and little too country. If I ever had to tell him that I'm moving to NYC in a few months, well I might as well tell him I'm moving to Japan because it would be the equivalent shock factor.

3. My #3 guy, as an expected #3 batter should, looked like he could have come through in the clutch. He hit a hard line drive, I'll give him that, but it was RIGHT TO the left fielder. At a certain point in the night I was waiting for him to whip out a "Bond, James Bond." His last name wasn't Bond, but he sure thought it was! I don't dislike the James Bond type as long as you can walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

4. The #4 power hitter, the guy I put a lot of faith in, I was hoping he would hit it outta the park. Unfortunately, he struck out looking....the WORST way to go down. Put it this way, he thought he was hitting a home run too (yes, re-instate your need to make my metaphor sexual at this moment) without even taking me out on a proper date. We agreed to meet outside of his apartment building when I got off from work, since his place was close by, and then together we would figure out where we wanted to go for drinks. I found him standing outside the door in slippers, sweatpants, and a t-shirt...hokaay so, I could see where this was going. "I'm young, I'm rich, I travel all over the place, we have so much in common, look at my uber fancy apartment, now sleep with me....." blah biddy blah biddy blah. After I figured out his little plan, I switched gears. "Sure, I'd looooove to see your super fancy apartment, I'm oh so impressed, how ever will I keep my pants on?!" I turned him on just enough, hit him with a killer change-up and walked out...sucker.

5. My #5 guy, unassuming and relaxed, managed to hit a nice little pop over the infielders head and right in front of the outfielders. It was one those hits that the commentators, coaches, and my dad would respond by saying, "Alright, alright a hits a hit....we'll take it" Clap clap clap. He's just hanging out on 1st base for now because I really don't know if he has what it takes to try for 2nd. I might be a little too much Sassarella for him. For now, he's TBD.

6. Hmm #6...how do I phrase this? We did a role reversal...he claimed to be casual, non-committal, and easy-going but he lied. Off the bat, he was texting me very aggressively and I found myself thinking "DO LESS." I later found out that he was drunk and drunk texting a person you've just met....really? I mean come on...really? It's one thing to be a little desperate but come on even I don't do that. I subbed in a DH for him...he didn't even make it to the plate.

I'm looking for some starters, some game-worthy, in the zone, ready for anything players. Is that too much to ask? I'm tired of sifting through these bench players...meh.

7. I'm meeting my #7 batter this week. We'll see if he can get a hit, round first, and knock #5 outta the diamond. Now let's say he lays down a bunt and I throw him out at 1st, that will mean that #5 is safe at 2nd. Or I'll decide to throw out #5 at 2nd, which will leave #7 safe at 1st. Again, this is all TBD. Fortunately, #7 is off to a good start....he's obsessed with baseball AND the NY Yankees :-)

Maybe he's my Aaron Boone and he'll hit the 11th inning homer to beat the Sox

....or maybe he's not. We shall see and I'll keep you posted.

I've got a mean curve ball so good luck and BATTER UP!

"Tumble outta bed and stumble into the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition" - Dolly Parton

I can't imagine attending a university that did not require a long haul between there and home. Sometimes I get impatient with the trip, but 95% of the time I really enjoy the time on the train or bus to relax, listen to music, get school work done, or in this case....read news sites, gossip columns, and blog.

I just came across an article on Vulture, which is nymag.com's blog about music, movies, and television, called "Eight Career Options for Romantic-Comedy Heroines". Since I've recently been trying to figure out what exactly my career is going to be AND because my life sometimes feels like a rom-com gone horribly wrong, I clicked on it. Here is what the authors came up with:

1. Medicine: career-driven, married to the job, rampant sexual encounters, and often has the guy waiting around for her to chill out and realize there is more to life than work ----- Oh yeah, that sounds like me...NOT.

2. Magazines: Pretentious, couture obsessed, and a size 2 or smaller. It also says that while these heroines often work at a fashion and lifestyle based publication, they dream of working their way up to hard news. Yeah ok, so if this were me, which sometimes I think it could be....I wouldn't dream of working my way up to hard news. Writing about shoes, DVF, and why men are from Mars and women are from Venus would be fun!

3. Food Service: Woo hoo, I've got rom-com heroine potential! If the heroine owns her own place, she is beautiful, independent, and successful. However, if she just works at a restaurant, apparently she is waiting to be saved. Feh! Gnosh on that for awhile....yeah, doesn't sit well with me either.

4. TV News: Married to her Blackberry, yada yada. This one was boring, I don't even feel like writing about it.

5. Event Planning: Glamorous, capable, and desired. Score! I could see myself doing this too. I'm an organizational freak with a passion for partying....and partying well, I might add! I agree with the article though - I'll steer clear of the wedding planning part - too Bridezilla for me.

6. Fashion: Oh man, they hate on us fashionistas! Out of touch with what really matters, gotta smudge some dirt on the Louboutins before they can fall in love and become human again kinda gals. That's just great considering I've spent a lot of years wanting to be Kelly Cutrone.

7. Writing/Publishing: "Confidence and sex appeal comes from columnists or critics" .. I like it, I love it, I want some more of it! Someone turn my blog into a column and I'll be your bestest friend forever. Hold the phone, I can't believe I just wrote that. Hellooooo, girl, wake up! I'm going to turn it into a column or book....duh.

8. Political Arm Candy: Well good grief. I can't even...I just...yeah I can't even go there. Get your own life, ladies!

So looks like I've got some rom-com heroine potential. Although, I'm a hopeless romantic and am completely convinced that my life will ultimately lead to some incredible "story of us" no matter what. That's kind of funny actually because I am a romantic and want the love story, however, I'm also a product of my mother, New Jersey, Silva Mind Control, and Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, therefore I've already DECIDED FOR MYSELF that all of these things will happen. A bit of an oxymoron or something, isn't it? Romantic comedies are all about destiny, fate, and the universe doing what it will with your life and here I am saying, "Hi Universe, it's Christie, just to let you know, YOU WILL give me the fairytale 'meet cute' and the wonderfully romantic story. Good talk, see ya out there." Go ahead, say it because I know you're thinking it: "You would."

John Smith: Come on, honey. Come to Daddy.

Jane Smith: [after she bashes him with a teapot and headbutts him]:

Who's your Daddy now?

Hahaha wow, I'm the Angie of romantic comedies, I'm sassing the universe for goodness sake! And besides, I already have her killer bod...just sayin'.

So how about real estate/property development/property sales/etc? Does that give me some rom-com heroine status? 'Cause if it don't, then I ain't doin' it! (wink wink) I think I'm mildly (and by mildly I mean abso-effing-lutely) determined to make any field I'm in rom-com heroine worthy. And that's about all I have to say 'bout that!

"MACHO does NOT prove MUCHO" ~ Zsa Zsa Gabor

Over a year and a half ago, I met a man at a bar (red flag #1), we chatted, he was hot. Instead of asking for my phone number before we parted ways, he friended me on Facebook via his Blackberry (red flag #2). Over the course of the summer, we exchanged pin numbers and would frequently bbm...late night (red flag #3). The late night bbm conversations turned into daytime conversations, except from the beginning, he was never wavering in his intent....to get me naked (Sorry, Dad / red flag #4). I resisted and resisted and continued to resist. He was relentless and let me tell you the will power I exerted that entire summer, fall, winter, and spring. His nickname, therefore, is "Sexaholic J" (SJ for short)....in order to distinguish him from all of the other J-named guys I date, this is what the girls and I have affectionately come to call him.

Anyway, this most recent summer, I finally gave in and drove my ass to a bar close to where he lives (I know I know). I saw him two other times this summer and not one of those meetings was overly fantastic. He muttered a few words here and there, but basically spent most of our time together counting down the seconds until it was appropriate for him to try (yet again) to bring me back home straight to his bed (red flag #5,500,500000000). 

Sometime in September he contacted me AGAIN! Geez, what is it with you people with the penises? Ya just can't let it go when a girl turns you down. The thrill of the g.d. chase, the challenge, I am macho man hear me roar! Over it. I told him I'm having way to much fun in DC to even be bothered with his bs and I deleted him from my bbm contacts. So there, macho man. I am Sassarella, hear ME roar, biotch.

Anywhooozle, January 2011 comes around and SJ contacts me to wish me a happy birthday. We re-instate our bbm friendship and occasionally engage in flirtatious banter. I explicitly tell him from day 1 (round 55 of us talking) that I have absolutely no interest in a "buddy" (if ya know what I mean...again, I'm sorry, Dad) and that if he has an interest in taking me out and treating me like a lady instead of Jessica Rabbit then I'm game. SJ is a 33 year old man boy, he's telling me about how his friends are all getting engaged, and that he's not looking for a buddy either...he wants to get wifed up. I'm skeptical but I kept thinking how different I am now than the last time I saw him and I chose (as usual) to give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he had grown up too. 

This whole past week, we talked loosely about getting together Friday night. He agreed to pick me up, take me out, and assured me several times that he was going to take it seriously. Well, don't ya know it, that come Friday night he suddenly is trying to convince to drive to where he lives! I laid out a plan that I thought was appropriate (and fair!) and told him to take it or leave it. You can probably assume that he left it. He kept giving me lame excuses as to why it would be such a challenge for him to get from Bergen County to where I live..."I drove around a lot for work today, please just to come me, I promise I'll make it worth it." ... Poor wittle baby, does he think I'm that naive?!

I told him that the effort he was willing to make (which was basically no effort at all) is the effort of a guy looking strictly for sex and not the effort of a guy looking for sex with a possibility of more.  I mean because, let's be serious, you with the penises are always looking for sex. The last bbm I sent him said something like, "Does it ever feel like shit lying right through your teeth?" So I was a little dramatic but I didn't even wait to see the little "R" indicating that he had read it before I deleted him from my contacts and then went on Facebook and de-friended him. I'm done. There's gotta be someone and some relationship out there waiting for me that I don't have to work this hard. 

I thought that after all this time there's gotta be a reason why he keeps popping back into my life. There's gotta be a reason why I always thought his sexual banter was hilarious instead of disgusting (he had a charming way about him). I thought that maybe this time it would finally work out the way I wanted it to. Damn you, Nora Ephron!

Michael Scott: Well someone told me that Holly would be here,

single, and ready to date and we all got mislead.

Pam: Who told you that?

Michael Scott: Nora Ephron and every romantic comedy ever made.

There are a myriad of issues I could further discuss that stemmed from this situation, but I'm going to choose the Facebook issue to dive into. The fact that we were Facebook friends deeply impacted our relationship because I was privy to his world outside of me. I saw pictures of him with his friends and family, I saw his funny status updates, and felt like I knew him when really I didn't know him at all. I wanted to know the side of SJ that I saw through Facebook. If I had never seen the Facebook side, I can guarantee you that our bbm relationship would have stopped that initial summer we met.

To "friend" or not to "friend" ... that is the question. My answer: don't do it. You end up creating an idealized version of a person in your head. You start picturing yourself meeting his friends and going to the places he goes (don't deny it, we all do it) and it's just not healthy or realistic. Until you have a solid foundation and an indication that there is legit potential, my advice is to avoid a Facebook friendship. Even if at the time you tell yourself that you're completely okay with a casual relationship and that a Facebook friendship won't change anything....lies....it will change everything.

So peace out forever, Sexaholic J, it was a real treat knowing ya. Not that I think I'll need it because I'm so absurdly turned off by his games at this point, but I now have all of you to hold me accountable to this "peace out forever" stance. On to the next one!

DJ CFabb: "Scotty...SCOTTY! Take it down a notch!" - Dr. Evil

Christie...Christie...CHRISTIE! "Take it DOWN a notch!" 

Alright so I'm calling myself out on this one....in my last post I fabulously tied in a T.I. quote about being "back" but it looks like I lied. My bad. That post was all the way back on January 18th and here is the next post, very late on this February 3rd night. So I'm using this weekend, since I'm going home to the Dirty Jerz, to break up the lack of blogging pattern. I'm going to go home, "recharge the batteries, shut down the engines, and get myself back to neutral".  This is necessary since if I had posted any blogs recently they would have all consisted of stories that include Trey busting out from behind the bar to do the Footloose dance, Oscar spraying me from behind the bar with the soda gun, Mr. DJ Aubrey making me wait all night to hear "One Clap" by refusing to play it until the last song, or Oscar pouring warm, rail gin down my throat.....all of which happened at The Whale, of course. I'm also completely birthday-ed out....mine, Meghan's, and Jackie's are within days of each other...all fantastic times but I'm pooped!

So to start the process of getting back into the swing of things, I'm going to share with you a fantastic new musical obsession: Boyce Avenue. If you already know of them then how dare you for not sharing with me and if you don't...well, you can thank me later. I stumbled upon these guys earlier today and since then I have downloaded 8 of their songs, saved a bunch of others on a YouTube playlist, and researched when they are playing live in DC (March 16th at the Rock & Roll Hotel for $15...yup, I'm goin' fo show. Buy tix HERE.


The sound of these three brothers fits perfectly into the spirit of relaxing and taking a break. I'm definitely adding these few to the playlist for the Amtrak ride tomorrow.....enjoy, suckaaas!

Look them up on YouTube, they've covered a lot popular songs.

These are a few of my favorites:

"Fast Car" - Tracy Chapman cover by Boyce Avenue and Kina Grannis


"Will You Be There" - Michael Jackson cover by Boyce Avenue


"Find Me" - Boyce Avenue
(check out some of their originals too - some are better than the covers! Woot!)

Mmmkay, so I promise I'm coming back fo realsies this time.

Feel free to smack me if I don't post something new within a few days

Peace & Love