Ordinary Extraordinary

Recharging

It's been a quiet weekend here at Casa d'Amandarin. Most of my friends have been out of town at Coachella and I've been fighting off a nasty cold since Friday, so it seemed the perfect opportunity to hole up at home and recouperate from the last, oh, five months.

Looking back through my calendar, this is the first weekend that I've had entirely to myself since the end of October, and I wasn't even supposed to have this one. I was slated to go to a bridal shower on Saturday afternoon, but bowed out because I didn't want to spread germs to the bride or her family two weeks before her wedding.

To say that the last five months have been busy would be a vast understatement. I've managed to survive the upending of pretty much every area of my life and I am tired. It was nice to spend a couple of days doing nothing but napping, writing, and reading. It was nice not to have to answer to anyone, or even to have to use my voice (the only person I spoke to at length this weekend was The Irishman). It was nice not to be crushed by the weight of Things To Do.

I just needed a little time to recharge... now I'm ready to dive back into the fray.

Sexual Dictionary

Because I'm still too scattered to write a real post, and because this result was too fun NOT to share:

amandarin -- [noun]: A perma-orgasm 'How will you be defined in the sexual dictionary?' at QuizUniverse.com

The First Day of the Rest of His Life

Reading Dan501's story about his engagement, my heart soared.

When people ask me why I cling so stubbornly to my hopeless romanticism, I'll point them to that post and say See? It does happen, and it happens to people I know.

I will never stop believing.

Dodging Bullets

Here's a fun little conversation that I had recently with a guy I dated briefly last summer (before Apollo and I reconciled):

He: So, you know when you came down to San Diego for the weekend, and you were all confused that I didn't lay a hand on you?
Me: Yes...
He: Well, it's because I'd recently stated dating [his current girlfriend] and thought that she and I might get serious
Me: Oh, ok. That makes sense.
He: Turns out that it was a blessing for you, though, that we didn't fool around that weekend.
Me: Um, why?
He: Seems that I was exposed to HPV sometime before you and I dated. Seems that men usually exhibit no symptoms at all. Seems that I could have passed it on to you unknowingly.
Me: Seems that I dodged a bullet* there.
He: Yeah you did; too bad I took it square to the chest.

And people wonder why I believe that everything happens for a reason.

*Yes, I have been tested since and yes, I did well and truly dodge the bullet.

6,567 Days And Counting

Because in every birth, there is opportunity: SuriCruise.com

Scattered

There are so many things I want to blog. Life has kept me running lately and I can barely find time to catch my breath, nevermind sit down and put together a post.

I want to write about

... a recent conversation I had with Rauri in which the full magnitude of our adulthood soaked through me like a sudden downpour,
... current events like the immigration issue, today's Armenian genocide protest, and the Holy See taking a few tentative steps towards the 21st century,
... Wedding Season, and the ridiculousness of the 5 weddings, 6 showers, 3 bachelorette parties, and handful of other wedding-related activities that I will attend before the end of June,
... the ongoing project that is the renovation of my bungalow,
... Phat Girls Running,
... rape gas prices,
... how much I still love my job, even though my responsibilities doubled last week,
...The Irishman, and how I melted when he drove 50 miles in Friday night traffic just to see me,

but I can't seem to find the time to hold on to a thought for longer than a few minutes.

So, while I regain my focus and mastery of the blogged word, how about a bunny in a sweater to tide you over? Cute cures all ills.

Mojo Flow

Hallelujah, my mojo is flowing again.

Before Apollo and I reconciled and after we (finally) broke up, I was in a terrible dating slump; I could not have gotten a date if the fate of the world had depended on it.

(In retrospect, that probably should have been a good indicator as to the eventual fate of our relationship, shouldn't it? Hmm.)

Lately, however, it seems that I am no longer invisible to the men of the greater Los Angeles area. True, I haven't yet managed to successfully negotiate for a second date (boo), but I have been meeting a lot of new people (yay) and fielding lots of offers for various and sundry social activities (double yay). The realization that I was back in the flow didn't dawn on me until after today's episode, though...

I was sitting at my desk chatting with one of my co-workers about Frappuccinos when the conversation somehow turned to a bracelet that he's worn everyday since high school. Another co-worker overheard just enough of our chatter to be terribly confused:

He: Is it bad to wear the same piece of jewelry for, like, 15 years?
Me: No, I don't think so. I mean, people wear wedding rings for decades.
She: What, you're getting married?
Me: Yes, he just proposed!
He: turns bright red and starts to stammer before bolting from my desk under a flurry of giggles

--Later, He IMs me--

He: So, if we're marrried and all, ya think we can get a frappuccino one day from Starbucks?

This is a man who I would never guess would be interested in me at all. Mojo, baby!

I don't know if I'll take him up on the offer. On the one hand, I have a very strict personal policy against dating at work. On the other, I have to applaud the man for not only recovering gracefully from his embarassment but pressing the point to his advantage - that alone deserves at least a cup of coffee.

Either way I'm flattered... and feeling the flow!

Housekeeping

I've been doing a little housekeeping 'round the old blog. A shiny new adventure category (complete with Phat Girls Running link! You should go give us money), a trimmer & tidier blogroll, and some new tunes on the playlist. Woo!

Do I know how to party on a Wednesday night or what?

Family

Apparently, Mongo's sister got a big kick out of Phat Girls Running:

He: My sister thought that your team name was awesome.
Me: Does she want to do the program too?
He: I'm sure she would, but she's taking something insane like 26 units this semester.
Me: Your sister's in school again?
He: Not again, still.
Me: Still? I thought your sister was a lawyer or something.
He: laughs No, my sister is a screw-up. $60,000 on her education and not even an AA to show for it.
Me: So not quite a lawyer then.
He: Not quite.

Goodbye Lucky, Number 20

Last night marked Luc "Lucky" Robitaille's last game with the L.A. Kings.

*moment of silence*

Sadly, he didn't end his career with the Stanley Cup, or a trip to the playoffs (for the third straight season, grr), or even a goal, but he's hardly going quietly:

Robitaille has scored 557 goals with the Kings - seven more than boyhold idol Marcel Dionne, whose franchise record he eclipsed on Jan. 19 with a hat trick in an 8-6 victory over Atlanta.

The 19-year veteran has 597 assists and 1,154 total points in 1,076 regular-season games during his three stints with the Kings, spanning 14 seasons. His point total is second on the franchise list behind Dionne's 1,307.

His 668 career goals are also the most in NHL history for a Left Wing.

We'll miss you, Luc. *sniff* Perhaps next year we'll make it to the playoffs in your honor.

(Hey, a girl can dream can't she?)