Back On The Saddle Again! (E-Harmony Part Dos)

More things I have learned about E-Harmony:

1. Guys lie about their height. A. LOT. I don't quite understand this. I'm going to find out that you're 5'6" instead of the 6'0" you have written on your profile sooner or later. Geesh!

2. They don't like to post recent photos. I will explain how I know this in a minute.

3. It's clear that a lot of men don't realize the "grade level" of women that they should be looking at. I don't want to toot my own horn or anything but I think on a "regular people scale" I easily rate high 7, maybe 8 and I've been getting hits from guys that I'm not sure even qualify on the scale, THAT BAD! I don't get it. I know where I qualify league wise, why don't they?

4. Based on my past two experiences of online dating, I'm beginning to see a slight pattern. The men I have met were both very sweet and I had tons in common with them... But each of them seemed to be a little... off.

Here is my story.

Gentleman number 2 on E-Harmony looked really cute. He had bright blue eyes and blonde hair (that was cut short and spikey) all in all, he seemed great. He is 30 years old, lives in Aliso Viejo and is an Actuary. What is an actuary you ask? I didn't know either, so I googled it. It's actually kind of a cool profession. This is what it is acording to Wikipedia:

An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms.

Basically what I got out of that is that he's like Ben Stiller in "Along came Polly" but with Money.

I messaged him a few times back and forth and he was very nice. One thing I did notice was that he was a little arrogant. He brought up that he went to a very highly ranked school, and that he just bought a new fully loaded Infinity last weekend. This would normally bother me, but he was cute and my eyes saw money signs! Cha ching! Let me just say here that money isn't everything but boy it sure is something, and I'd rather be rich and in love than poor and in love! Just sayin. He left me his number and I called him. We had a great phone convorsation with loads in common! His mom is a cake decorator, my mom is a cake decorator. He's from Connecticuit, where its cold, I'm from where it's cold,  we're both avid Googlers and the list goes on. After almost an hour, we agreed to meet the next day, Sunday, at the Yardhouse at the Spectrum for Happy hour. I was really excited about this date.

When I met him, I was VERY surprised that, A. his hair was not short and spikey but long and jaw-line length. and, B. He was not 6'. I am 5' and I was almost eye level to him in my heels. It was a little disappointing. At first I couldn't place who he reminded me of and then, as we were enjoying our appetizers it hit me.

Steve Zahn

Almost to a T. Which in my opinion is not quite a bad thing. And he was funny. Thats always a good thing. After discussing our google obsession and him giving me a run down of what red velvet cake really is. Did you know it's buttermilk and a small amount of cocoa powder that causes a a little bit of a chemical reaction and makes the batter red? It's only slightly red so food coloring is added to it making it really red! If you didn't know, now you do. What was I talking about? Oh yes. The things we have in common. After a couple hours of talking we discovered that we were both born on the same day! How crazy is that?!?! I've never met someone with my same birthday. He's a few years older but still thats pretty wild.

I'm finding that with E-Harmony dates, the people I've been set up with have lots in common with me and the conversation can go on for hours. I suppose it's because we are matched up based on our likes and dislikes, but I've never had a date that was supposed to be just a happy hour, ending when the restaurant was starting to close. Of course, no date can be perfect. I'm still on the fence with him. 

I have yet to mention what his Dad does for a career. Wait for it. You'll never guess. When he told me his Brothers and Dad were in the "family business" together and it was not a normal job. With him being from the east coast I imagined maybe the mafia. Perhaps the porn industry. Something strange and cool. Instead his Dad, AND brothers are Morticians. Yep. They hang out with dead people. This is abnormal. He did say that his Dad never grew up wanting to become a mortician, that he just kind of fell into it. I'm not quite sure why it bothers me. It's just gross! He is not a mortician so I wouldn't have to deal with it first hand but still.

The other issue I had was when I went to the restroom and came back he had his credit card out to pay the bill. Because I always think that it's a nice thing to do, I offered to pay half. And he accepted with no argument. I've said this before, it's not a big deal. But in a way it kind of is. I want a man who can take care of me and is generous. He doesn't have to be rich and I don't expect it all the time, but I do believe that regardless of the fact that I offer, a man should always pay for a first date. He failed the test! And after he made it seem he was well off. 

When I got home, he had sent me a text saying that he hoped I made it home safe and that he had a good time. And then today I got a text from him wishing me a happy Monday. Even though he didn't pay for dinner I think the texts were thoughtful.

I've decided that if he asks me out again I would say yes. I'd like to give this one a couple more tries but like I said before, I'm still pretty skeptical and not quite sure how I feel about him yet.

I feel kind of silly being on an online dating website. I feel like I'm on this hunt for love and the dates that I'm going on are like shopping. This makes me feel desperate, and I'm not.  I'm Just ready.

I'll update you if I see "Steve Zahn" again. I've been talking to another guy who seems promising, it will be interesting (for me too) to see which guy will get the next post!

Happy Monday!

Construction: the fun and not so fun things about working in it.

It's Saturday and me and the other interior designer that works with me rotate working weekends. This weekend it's my turn, and as I am sitting here waiting for 3:00 to get here I conjured up a little list of the things I like and dislike about the construction business.

Here goes:

Likes

1. I like that I can kind of work on my own schedule. For example; I have a client meeting in Laguna hills and I live in Mission Viejo. I can sleep in, get to my meeting and then head to the office and work until 6 instead.

2. I have to do a lot of driving for material shopping and client meetings. This could be considered a dislike, except I get mileage and gas paid and it gets me out of the office!

3. I get to help people make their houses look beautiful. LOVE that.

4. The people at my office are pretty cool, this makes a huge difference in the moral at work.

5. Because it's a construction company, I can wear jeans and a tee to work if I want to or dress up. I never feel like I'm being judged.

6. If you've never been to a granite yard, you're missing out. It is SO Cool!

7. I get to spend other peoples money.

8. I get to see the inside of a lot of peoples houses, which is kind of interesting. I have learned that I am borderline OCD clean freak compared to most people, and I don't even come close to being as tidy as my mom or grandma.

9. I have a desk and business cards.

10. I'm in the industry that I've worked so hard to get to and I'm learning new things about the field everyday.


Dislikes

1. Working in a business that changes the structure of a home is very stressful. You have to  make sure that everything is correct and also that the sub-contractors doing the work are knowledgeable.

2. Asking for money. On a regular basis I have to make sure that we are getting paid for the work that our company is providing. It is very nerve-racking to have to ask someone for a $36,000.00 check.

3. I have to B.S. a lot. If I don't sound like I know what I am talking about, I might lose a customer to a company that does.

4. I'm on call all the time. When people are spending giant chunks of their savings to remodel a kitchen, they do not care if its 10:30 PM on a Friday, they want answers to their questions.

5. Construction is not glamorous. I am always wiping dust off my jeans and can't be afraid of getting a little dirty.

6. Writing scary legal emails to unhappy customers. I am the only person in the office who speaks English as their first and only language, therefore I get the luxury of writing and correcting any legal documents. This is not exactly my idea of a good time.

7.  Having to back down when a client insists on a hideous granite or back splash. Ultimately it is their house that they will be living in and looking at as long as they live there. But the reason we have interior designers working here is to help you make selections that will compliment each other. Sometimes, try as I might I cannot persuade a person to not want something gross.

8. The language barrier. Most of our workers are Mexican, and  they do amazing work, however, a lot of them do  not speak very good English and the only things I know how to say in Spanish are "Another beer please." and "Where is the bathroom?" This has caused a few problems.

9. My company does not have a lot of structure. This is nice in the sense that almost everything goes, and bad in the sense that almost everything goes. Structure is an important thing for a company to have.

10. I work in Anaheim and I hate commuting from Mission Viejo. If  traffic is bad it can sometimes take me up to an hour and a half to get home.


There you have it. My likes and dislikes to the construction business and I have one more hour until I get to go home and start enjoying my weekend! Hope everyone is having a fabulous day!

E-Harmony Part I

Things to know about E-Harmony:

1. Guys might be worse than girls in the picture department. I have seen more 3/4 poses, cell phone in the mirror shots and peace signs than I ever care to see. And if they're not posing weird, they're in snowboard gear or sunglasses or in a group of 10 people so I can't see them or point them out. It's VERY frustrating.

Also, I don't need to see a picture of just your bike. Or you in front of a BMW that is obviously not yours. Or just your dog (as much as I love dogs.) C'mon men! I gave you a plethora of pictures that look like me and show all of me. JUST ME. Why can't you do the same?

2. It's very addicting! I'm on E-Harmony more than I'm on Facebook. I love to see my new "What ifs" for the day and who has sent me messages.

3. There's a fun thing where you can answer random questions and then when you look at a profile you can see how many of those questions you have in common with that person.

So are you ready for it? 

I had my first date on Tuesday. I had a really great time, but it wasn't as e-harmonious as I would have liked. The guy was so sweet and fun. We had loads in common, but from the second I saw him I could tell right away why he was on a dating site, and it made me wonder, why was I? 

Here is how it went down:

He contacted me first. Looking at his profile I saw that he was a 28 year-old newly graduated lawyer who runs triathlons. His pictures were okay, but like I mentioned above it's hard to tell by pictures. I really liked how enthusiastic he was in his messages and he was witty. He also seemed "real." He asked questions about me and didn't brag about his car or the great school that he went to. It was refreshing. After a few emails back and forth he gave me his number and I decided to be brave and call him. We talked on the phone for over an hour and he was very sweet. We had plenty of things to talk about and ended the conversation with a date for the next day. Tuesday. I got all dressed up and met him at a little Mexican restaurant for Taco Tuesday. 

When I saw him I was a bit surprised. He did look like his pictures except he didn't. I'm not sure how to explain it. He was still in his work clothes, a dress shirt and tie. But instead of looking like Don Draper he looked more like: 

Toby Flenderson

Kind of a let down. 

And then he smiled. (First I want to say that looks are NOT everything but I need them and want them.) ....Okay, back on track. He smiled and I saw The Cumberland Gap! This was no little Madonna gap or a cute little quirk. This was a serious problem. A whole extra tooth could have fit in there! The worst part- he was so self conscious about it, I felt like a shit head for not being attracted to him.

The beginning was awkward at first but a few sips into our Cadillacs and we were back to the way our phone chat was. I learned a lot about him and genuinely had a nice time. When the bill came, he insisted on paying which I thought gentlemanly and when he asked if I wanted to go to the little bar across the street I thought him bold and accepted. 

We each had a beer and as we talked a bit longer. I started noticing his teeth less and some strange "gay mannerisms" more, they appeared out of nowhere! Lets be honest. I knew from the beginning of it that this date wasn't going to be MY LAST FIRST DATE but the strange girly eye rolls and fruity hand gestures were hard to handle in general. 

He walked me to my car and I told him what a good time I had- which was the truth and when I went to hug him, he went in for a kiss. We did the painful I know you just tried to kiss me and I blew you off thing. Hate that!

I don't plan on seeing him again. I would liked to have sent him a "I had a really good time" text but I didn't want to lead him on. 

He did call me tonight and left a voicemail. I have yet to listen to it and am not sure if I am going to call him back and tell him how I feel or just ignore it. Dating is so hard!

Since Tuesday though I have made a few very promising connections that might turn into dates. I will keep you updated!

Beautiful Boudoirs

I already have a pretty bedroom, thanks to my sweet mama who decorated for me while on my dad's wedding. See my cute little apartment here. But these ones were so gorgeous I just had to post them. I would be happy to have any of these in my dream home!

 

Hope ya'll had a fabulous weekend!

What is Love?

I have been single for a long time. Long Time. Sure I've had men in my life but none of them have wanted a commitment. This is something I understand and am actually okay with but one can only have so many casual relationships for so long until you get to the point of "now what?"

Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy being single. In fact, I have quite enjoyed it. I can do what I want, when I want. I don't have to think about anyone but me... (and Roxie of course!) I can flirt with cute boys. Accept free drinks at the bar. Have casual sex. Blah blah blah! It's nice. Plus, I think before one can really love another, they have to love themselves. Obviously, I think I'm awesome! And being single I have been able to have a ton of fun, finish college (twice,) find a job that I love and learn about who I am and exactly what it is I want along the way.

Now that I am finally on the path I know I'd like to go down, I'm ready to find someone to who wants to go the same way. I'm not looking for marriage right this second, but It would be nice to have someone with me who is committed to only me and who I can depend on for Sunday night T.V., my plus one to events, and double dates! Someone I can call at any time and share secrets with that even my friends don't know.  I haven't ever been on the "hunt" because I honestly believe that love will find you. My only problem is that now I work 40 plus hours a week. I do occasionally go out on weekends but I have already learned that you don't meet "relationships" at bars. I don't drink coffee so I can't do one of those 'meet cutes' at a coffee shop and I only ever go to the grocery store in sweats. My options are limited.

I have been on a countless number of bad "blind"dates set up by friends and have even blogged about them here. I have met guys while on vacation/ visiting home that are great and really liked that might be relationship worthy but geography is kind of a big deal. I don't do long distance.

Yesterday was my dreaded holiday. I watched the girl across the office receive some sort of japanese jungle of a flower arrangement in the morning and then two precocious boxes of chocolate covered strawberries in the afternoon. Was I jealous? No. Not about the obnoxious gifts anyways, but it would be nice to have someone thinking about me on a day that's meant for romance.

It was on my way home yesterday headed for a date of bad reality television and Chipotle with my roommate that I thought maybe I should try... *shudder* online dating. At one point I thought this would be a last resort. I figured online dating was for divorcees or middle aged people. I am neither. Thinking about it though, where else am I going to meet someone who is also looking to be in a serious relationship? Then while I was in bed watching "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen" Patti Stanger from "Millionaire Matchmaker" was giving dating advice and recommended dating websites as well.  Of course if the Love guru herself says it's good than it must be!

So today I thought what the hell? Why not try it? And signed myself up for Eharmony. This is a new thing for me and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it, but I do know a bunch of people who have met online and have happy successful relationships. And I have nothing to lose? Accept for the $79.95 I paid for the 3 month trial.

I am going to use this blog as somewhat of a Diary to write about my experiences. My possible bad dates and potential amazing ones, while on my journey to find my Prince Charming!

Happy Wednesday Diary Readers! Wish me luck!

V-Day

A friend of mine drew this little picture years and years ago and I've held on to it in my ancient Photobucket album. For some reason, every year on Valentines Day this picture comes to mind. It portrays how I feel about this dreaded day perfectly. Enjoy!

Delicious Soft Pretzels

I have confessed my love for soft pretzels before. Seriously. THEY ARE MY FAVORITE! So last night when I was hankering for some, I made them!!! Here is the recipe!


*Makes about 2 dozen pretzel bites

INGREDIENTS:
Dough:
2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water

Topping:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
Coarse salt (optional)
3 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. 

Mix to just combine. 

Add the water and mix well,

 adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky.

Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

After it has risen:

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Don’t be afraid of the high heat! This is what will help those pretzels to brown up perfectly and stay soft on the inside. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four strips of equal length. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. 

While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). 

Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Cut each strip of dough into about 8-10 pieces, about 1 to 1 ½ inches in width. You don’t have to be completely exact, just eyeball it. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 7-8 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat. I served mine with jalapeno cheddar cheese. YUM!

Friday Thoughts...

1. I got a Valentine card in the mail from my little Grandma today. It was pink with hearts all over it and little stickers. It was really cute and made me wish that I received snail mail more often. It's definitely more exciting than the drab bills and junk mail that seem to live in my mail box.

2. I hate Valentine's Day. Hate it. I've never had a good one. I actually get a little anxiety when the day comes and am relieved when it's over. I don't even like pink and red together. Cupid can screw himself. Just sayin. Maybe I'll be singing a different tune someday, but until then...

3. I think my job is driving me to drink. I love my job but there is something about putting my jammies on, cracking open a cold beer and sinking into the couch to watch Toddlers and Tiaras.

4. Yeah I watch Toddlers and Tiaras. At first it was out of boredom because nothing is on at 5-6:30, but now I genuinely enjoy and look forward to it. Call me a loser if you want. I started watching the Bachelor too.

5. I call my bosses "Dude." It may be totally inappropriate but I'm lucky enough that the people I work with are cool and the environment is so casual that I feel it's okay and will continue to do it.

6. I had fast food for lunch and Chick-fil-A for dinner and I don't even care.

7. Today I just found out that Teresa Giudice of Real Housewives of New Jersey has her own sparkling wine: Fabelini. It comes in peach and raspberry! I NEED to try this. Move over Bethenny, there's a Joisey bitch in town!

8. I am continually surprised by how trusting people are. Working with a construction company we need access to homes throughout the day. Almost all of my clients literally give me their house key off their key ring with out a second thought. They also listen to me when I have a design idea and ask for my opinion on a thought they had about their kitchen or bathroom.

I guess thinking about it, it is my job to know interior design answers. I do have a design degree for that reason. But if I tell a client I like one granite more than another they usually go with my choice. It's kind of cool to know that I have that kind of power and am quickly becoming confident in my design decisions because of it. Awesome.

As far as the key goes, clients do need to give us access but they don't have to give me their key 10 minutes into our meeting. Not that they can't trust us, we're a great company but still you never know!

9. I am really looking forward to a down day with my pup tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be a warm 76 degrees and the beach is calling our name.

10. I wore a dress and sandals to work today. With no sweater. In February. I love California.

11. I've been having some off the wall dreams lately and after researching them on the internet (because I believe everything I read)  An aspect of my life is supposed to be growing and developing. Pretty exciting! I actually believe this to be true.

 Happy Friday everyone!

Why Complicate Life?

Missing somebody? ...... Call

Wanna meet up? ...... Invite

Wanna be understood? ...... Explain

Have questions? ...... Ask

Don't like something? ...... Say it

Like something? ...... State it

Want something? ...... Ask for it

Love someone? ...... Tell them

Nobody will know what's going on in your mind......

It's better to express rather than to expect......

You already have the NO, take the risk of getting the YES.

We only have one life. Keep it simple silly!

I saw this on Pinterest and liked it so much I thought I would share. Happy Wednesday Diary Readers!

Me & Betsey Johnson, BFF's -Part 1

After I graduated from FIDM (The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising) I went through sort of a funk. I was living in California still and working as a waitress for Ruby's Diner. My parents were supporting me, and my mom told me I needed to figure something out or *gasp!* move back to Seattle.

That night I got online and applied for every internship I could find. I must have sent out 50 resumes and out of all of them, Betsey Johnson was the only one that got back to me. 3 months after I applied I found myself on a plane headed to New York!

For those of you who have never been to New York, it's unlike any place I've ever seen. I myself had never been before and here I was with no friends and no family just myself and new adventures! It was like being in a different country. I was lucky enough that my Mama, came with me to help me set up my one room apartment and take me clothes shopping to start my new job. We also did some touring!

This is my tiny NY apartment, with not even a bathroom. My Mom decorated it for me while I was at my first day of work!

It came pre-furnished. But we did change out the drab curtains for the fabulous pink ones of course!

My little sink. Check out my door lock. Yup. I had a 'skeleton' style key.

This is what I walked out to from my little building.

And Time Square...

I was lucky enough that I got to be apart of New York Spring Fashion Week and helped set up for it!

Here I am spray painting the V.I.P. table centerpieces on top of Betsey's Penthouse apartment rooftop. 

I also managed to sneak a few photos of the inside. Shhh. don't tell! 

Her 5th Ave. loft was actually for sale before I headed back to California so, I'm sure it's no longer hers- which makes these photographs even more special!

Let's talk about the fashion show! As you know, Betsey's clothes are a little funky. Definitely feminine and flirty, totally fun, but sometimes a little too crazy (for me). The fashion show that I got to work on was "Prom Queen" themed, and holy moly I would have worn everything- straight off the runway if I could have. Check it out. You'll know what I'm talking about!

How cool is it that while the show was going on, I was right backstage next to the models watching the show on a flatscreen to the side? I felt like LC, or Whitney Port. So Cool!

And then afterwards we got to get all dressed up and celebrated at the after party!

Me and some of the other interns!

But wait! There's More!

Stay tuned for next time when I share the inside of Betsey's office and other fun pictures!