Easter love and leaky eyes

Happy Easter, everyone! Hope you all had wonderful days! I did for the most part. I just got back from a very interesting time at my Grandma's house...

I had a lovely little Easter morning with my immediate family, looking through our Easter baskets (yep, we still get them), eating blueberry muffins and getting ready for church. Church was a bit long...we had to stand in the back the whole time, which is good for people watching, but not good for paying attention. Then we headed to my Grandma's, where my leaky eyes got the best of me.

Yes, leaky eyes. You know when you start to cry and then stop, but feel as if you're on the verge of tears for a while after the fact? Well maybe that's not common, but for me, it's a regular occurrence. And it is SO annoying. 

It started over brunch, when my brother unintentionally insulted me in front of a bunch of my very impressionable cousins. I was so embarrassed. While everyone else laughed it off, I felt really uncomfortable as I tried to nurse my hurt feelings. 

So I got up and mingled around for a bit, then came back and tried to shake it off. But then my Mom started motioning to me from the other room, telling me to come join her conversation with my uncle. So I ran over to see what was up and realized that they were talking about my upcoming job search/move to Milwaukee.

And that was when I started panicking. I've never had a panic attack or an anxiety attack or whatever, and maybe that wasn't what it was, but all of a sudden I got really hot and clammy, felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest and felt tears well up in my eyes. 

I quietly listened and fought back tears while my uncle, in a very stern, matter-of-fact voice told me I should be prepared to be unemployed, anger my current coworkers and boss, and have an impossible time finding a job. 

It got to be too much for me. In one crazy moment, I bolted from my chair, ran upstairs and burst into tears in my Grandma's bathroom. Totally uncalled for, but I just couldn't help it.

After a few minutes, I composed myself and went back downstairs. I couldn't look my uncle in the eyes, but my Mom turned around and asked if I was okay. And that set me off again. I ran back upstairs, tears welling up again.

When I came down again, my cousin asked if I was ok...and it set me off again. (Don't you know you're NEVER supposed to ask someone if they're ok if look like they've just been crying??) It literally happened 6 times. I begged my sister to go since she was driving me home and luckily she agreed. I just couldn't stop crying. And I wasn't even upset, my eyes just had a mine of their own. I was completely mortified.  

And it wasn't really what my uncle said, it was how he said it. I think I was more shocked than anything because he's a really nice guy. I guess he felt really bad, but I didn't talk to him before I left. Between my convo with him and my brother's unkind words, I had had enough. 

I feel really bad that I let it all get to me, but I just felt so overwhelmed. Apparently my upcoming move is a much touchier subject than I realized. Yikes. 

So now I'm curled up on my couch, watching The Sound of Music and trying to get over my embarrassment. At least it was just family, right? Ugh. It's still bad. 

I took the plunge.

I am now officially on Twitter. And for some reason, I'm really nervous about it. Kind of like when I started this blog, actually. 

I know I have a lot to learn...like what all the "@ username" means (I'm assuming it's how you talk to people?) or what "rt" stands for. Yes, I'm a newbie. Please don't laugh too hard. 

But after being super creepy and following celebrities on it all week like Justin Timerlake (of course), Ashton Kutcher and Jimmy Fallon (love him), I just had to give it a whirl. And though I'm nervous, I'm pretty darn excited, too.

Thank you to everyone for all the comments/advice/suggestions. You guys are the best!

So now it's time to hop on the fun train and follow me!

Birds tweet. I don't...yet.

Can someone please explain Twitter to me? I mean I get the idea of it, but what is the point? I think I might be one of the only people in the world that isn't on it right now and I'm beginning to feel a bit left out.

I really hadn't heard of Twitter until last summer. One of my friends got really into it and urged me to sign up. So I did. But I didn't really know anyone on it besides her and it kind of creeped me out because people kept asking to follow me, even though I didn't know them. It was semi-entertaining for about a day, and then I got bored with it. I still have my account, but I haven't "tweeted" (is that the lingo?) since July.

Last week, I was proofreading (surprise, surprise) and saw that the other copywriter had included copy about Twitter into a piece we created for our wireless client. I was pretty surprised. And then suddenly, I saw mentions of Twitter everywhere. On TV, in the newspaper, online, on every blog, etc. Whoa. And then I found out that some celebrities are apparently really into it (gotta love celeb gossip) and now I'm even more intrigued.

So I'm rethinking the whole Twitter thing. Maybe I should give it another shot. Hmm. Anyone have any good advice/tips/tricks/opinions/ideas they can give me? Are the celeb tweets real? And how the heck do you know who to follow, etc? And what does following even mean? I think I have a lot to learn...

I ate a bug today. Ew.

Tuesday. Ugh. I very strongly dislike Tuesday. It really doesn't have much going for it, does it? I mean Monday is Monday, so that's an excuse in itself. Wednesday is Hump Day and halfway through the week. Thursday is almost Friday (plus great TV) and Friday is Friday and the weekend. So what does Tuesday have? Nothing.

In my experience, Tuesdays generally tend to be not the best days. Bummer, since my birthday falls on a Tuesday this year (woot woot June 16th). And today was an exceptionally Tuesdayish Tuesday. Here's why:

• I had to spend the first 4.5 hours of my day proofreading. Now I know I'm a copywriter and I know a certain amount of proofing is expected, but it's been out of control the last few days. So much so, that I can't even finish my regular work. As in the writing. As in my job. I used to not mind proofreading things, but now when I read the same 8 page piece for the 10th time in two days, I am ready to scream. I literally wanted to pull my hair out. I haven't even taken a lunch (something I always do) since I've been back from vacation because I haven't had time. Ok sorry, I'll quit complaining.

• Today I brought some of my deliciously fresh looking blackberries I picked up at Trader Joe's last night. I washed them in the kitchen at work and then went back to proofread. Of course. So I was sitting there, not looking at my berries and reading the same line of copy for the 67th time, when I noticed my berry tasted funny. So I looked down at the plate of plump blackberries and to my horror saw tiny little bugs crawling on them. I jumped up from my chair, let out a screech and pushed my plate away. By then I had already eaten half the berries, surely covered in bugs too, and that was enough to make my stomach churn and my skin crawl. Sick. I ran straight to the kitchen and dumped the rest. And now I might be ruined on blackberries for a long time...

• It was cold and windy. Not as bad as yesterday, but still. It's April! 

• The end of my day was spent editing stories about people suffering from nervous breakdowns and bouts of depression. It was seriously so...depressing. 

But, on the plus side,  I did get to go to Pilates (yay!) and I got my copy of New Moon back so I can reread the Twilight series (hey, after all the proofing, I need something mindless to read).

And tomorrow I definitely want to write about my love for Chicago 2016. I really, really, really hope Chicago gets the 2016 Olympics! But for now, I'm off to veg out some more. 

The real world and the dream world

This weekend I was up in Milwaukee visiting my boyfriend. Milwaukee, as in the place I'll be moving to within the next 6 months. Eek!

Back in September when I made the decision to move up there, it seemed so far away. But suddenly the whole thing is becoming very, very real. I'm at the point where I need to start pumping up my resume, freshening up my portfolio and beginning the job hunt. Though I can't make the move until the end of the summer because of my current lease and the fact that Chicago is AMAZING in the summer, it's time I start getting serious. Yikes.

It really hit me last night when J and I were out on a double date with his two teacher friends, who are getting married in July. We went out for a couple of drinks after dinner and at one point, J's friend raised his glass and made a toast to me and my move to Milwaukee. He toasted to "new friends" and while it was very flattering, it scared the crap out of me, too. It was an "Oh my God, I'm really going to do this" moment. 

I'm excited to move there, I really am. Not because I like the city (ehh...), but because I'm excited to be close to J and after doing the long distance thing for 2 years, it will be really, really nice to get to see him on a daily basis. But I'm really going to miss Chicago. I'm going to miss living close to all my friends, the newly-established book club I'm in, being close to my brother and sister, working down on Michigan Avenue, Berry Chill, the water taxi, my Pilates place, etc, etc. I love Chicago. So while I'm excited to make the move, I can guarantee I'll shed a few tears as I pack up my apartment. Gosh, I'm already getting sad thinking about it...thank goodness Milwaukee is only an hour and a half away.

And by the way, I really need to stop watching Twilight. I bought it at Target so it came with a free iTunes download. So naturally, I downloaded it, put it on my iPhone and watched it on my way to and from Milwaukee this weekend. Not to mention the fact that I watched it a few times last week...I'm addicted to it.

So that would probably explain the crazy dream I had in which I became a vampire. I was at a family cook out and someone casually mentioned they were a vampire...and yeah, I just magically became one. So weird.

Speaking of weird dreams, I also had a dream that I met Justin Timberlake (eek) and then he had the stomach flu and gave me the stomach flu and I was psyched that I could tell people I got it from him. Gross. I also had a dream that I met the Gosselins (of John and Kate + 8), but it was 6 years in the future and all the kids were like morbidly obese. Sad.

Yeah I guess my mind was busy last night...and now I'm off to watch Twilight again. I need to stop.

Nice to meet you. Now let's date.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about past and current relationships I've had with guys. I've heard my friends and my sister talking about the right place to meet them, and I'm not sure such a place exists. In my personal experience, I've met the guys I've dated totally randomly.

So I thought I'd share some of my stories. I left a couple guys out because my post would probably be about 20 pages long, but I kept in the good ones. And I changed the names to protect the innocent...and to give myself a laugh.

Dairy King—My high school boyfriend, AKA my first boyfriend. Our relationship can pretty much be summed up by cars, Dairy Queen, cheating (on his end), drama, drama, drama and gas stations. Yes, gas stations. Because that's where I met him. On that fateful February evening of 2002, a love connection was made at a Mobile station in the suburbs. My friend and I were at pump 6 and he and his friends were at pump 9 (can't believe I remember that). I was a junior and desperate to find a date for my junior prom because I went to an all-girls high school and boys were quite scarce. So my friend and I had actually been on the prowl that night, driving around town looking for cute boys. Ok yeah, probably not the coolest thing to admit, but whatever. 

So while we were pumping gas, the guys noticed us and came over to say hi. Boys were actually talking to us. Amazing. We ended up making random small talk and then they invited us with them to Taco Bell to go get food. And I can honestly say, I've never been more excited to go get mediocre and somewhat questionable Mexican fast food. I was giddy the whole time. We ended up hanging out the whole night and then talked on the phone the next day and despite a small mix up with the guys (I liked Dairy King, but he liked my friend and my friend liked the guy that liked me), it all worked out. Dairy King and I started dating and the rest is a whole long teenage drama-filled story.

Sligo—My Irish guy. The only guy I've actually met while at a bar. It was September of 2005 and I was studying abroad in Galway. It was like a Monday night or something (we went out pretty much every night of the week there) and my three roommates and I were at our favorite pub, Hole In The Wall. We went out just to have a few drinks, maybe meet some cute guys and have some fun, but we didn't realize that Irish kids didn't go out during the week. The pub was dead. 

So we sat there at a table in a corner, drinking our double red bull vodkas (yikes) and looking like total lushes, when we noticed a group of people sit down at the table next to us. The group was made up of two guys and two girls (all Irish) and they were being pretty loud. And the girls wouldn't stop looking at us. After already having a few drinks, I was getting super annoyed. That is, until the good-looking, dark-haired guy got up and started chatting with us. He asked if he could buy us drinks, ALL of us (though apparently my dear friend A missed out...sorry). I later learned that apparently if an Irish guy likes you, he'll buy drinks for you and everyone you're with. Not sure if that's true, but whatever.

So after he bought the drinks, he slid into the seat next to me, introduced himself as Sligo, told me I had lovely green eyes and then asked for a kiss. Well of course I giggled and asked why, to which he explained that it was his 21st birthday and at that pub it was customary to get a kiss from every girl (or guy) at the pub on your birthday. So what did I do? I kissed him. Within 5 minutes of meeting him. Though I was a bit drunk, it was good and I was totally hooked. We texted the entire next day, went to a movie (Goal!) the next week and dated until I left in December. We actually never "broke up", we just said goodbye to each other and left it at that.

I later found out that it was actually his 23rd birthday the night we met, but he thought 21 sounded like a more interesting age to an American girl. Actually, I didn't find that out until a year and a half after I got home. He sent me a confession e-mail. Hilarious. 

J—The peanut butter to my jelly. My dear, sweet boyfriend, and the guy I'm moving up to Milwaukee (eek!) for at the end of the summer. When people ask us how we met, we tell them it was through mutual friends. We lived in the same dorm sophomore year when we met and we do have mutual friends, so it seems totally legit. 

The truth? That's a bit more embarrassing. I actually had a rather large crush on his roommate, before I even knew who J was. One night, I went out with my friends and we ran into the roommate at a party. We ended up all hanging out together and I drunkenly (ok yikes, I sound like I drink all the time...I really don't) followed him back to the dorm. Well, he clearly didn't want to be anything more than friends, but I made some excuse about watching TV and went up to his room with him. We sat on his futon, flipped on the TV and I passed out. Nothing happened at all, and I didn't expect it to...I was totally not that type of girl. So I guess the roommate got up and went to his bed, leaving me sound asleep on his futon. 

J was working late that night and got home to find me, a girl he didn't know, sleeping curled up, shivering in a little skirt and tank top. So he very kindly covered me in a blanket so I wouldn't freeze. The next morning I woke up, not knowing where I was and got up quickly to flee the room. J was laying on his lofted bed, looking down at me. He asked me if I was alright, but I freaked out, grabbed my purse and ran out the door without saying a word. Really classy, I know.

I later found out through mutual friends (see they do tie in somewhere), that J kept asking about me. We became close friends and even went on a few dates, but it wasn't until I got back from Ireland and after I'd said goodbye to Sligo that I started dating J. And we've been dating ever since.

Talking about the guys I've dated opens up a whole can of worms. Yikes. I saw Sligo last summer for the first time in almost 3 years, which was....I don't know how to describe it. Bittersweet, I think. I haven't seen Dairy King since summer 2003, though my mom runs into his mom occasionally. Hmm, perhaps I'll have to share more guy stories sometime soon, now that this got me thinking...

I heart Easter candy

Whoppers Robin Eggs are soooo good. I can't stop eating them. And those little sugary chocolatey Cadbury eggs? My favorite. I don't know what it is about Easter candy but I just love it. 

Ok yes, totally random post but a) my internet is being ridiculously annoying right now and keeps cutting out, b) I had to proofread for 4 and a 1/2 hours straight today and my eyes can't seem to focus and c) I need to go to bed early because I stayed up way too late last night watching Twilight. Oops.

In the mean time, I'm whipping up a couple of good posts, so stay tuned!