Things I'm Excited About

Sometimes, you've just got to give a shout out to all the good things you've got going on.

Here we go:

New running shoes. Holler. I finally sucked it up and purchased these because a chilly day is a terrible thing to waste and if I have to run, I'd prefer to do it in this sort of weather.

Okay, I also got Katy Perry's new album (it's phenom), some new threads, and found a super stellar stretch of downhill-ness. So, all of that makes for a guaranteed good time.

I'm also excited about finding this gi-mongo grapes! They are huge and super sweet. I have no idea what's going on with these guys (global warming, growth hormones, genetic engineering, or just being awesome organically, etc.) but I am pumped about it.

Fresh Noodles. Who knew you could buy fresh yakisoba noodles!? Probably a lot of people. I don't know, I just happened upon them by mistake one day.

I've also been watching a lot of "Inside the Mind of a Chef," and it makes me want to be David Chang's best friend so we can go to Japan and eat everything. All day long. While high-fiving each other periodically because we are winning at life.

To hold myself over, I made a joke of a bowl of noodles (you just have to watch the show, he's a genius) with some roast duck, tofu, green stuff, and a poached egg to top it all off (because no dish is complete until you put an egg on top). 

Playing Poker :) Missed this so much! There's nothing quite like sitting at a table with some peeps for a few hours only to walk away with nothing, or in my case, a win! I shouldn't gloat, it's probably bad juju, but I WON, I WON, I WON, I WOOOOOOON!

(And these trip aces actually came out on the flop. Ridiculous.)

Breakfast! And omelet skillz. I have finally watched the Jacques Pepin omelet tutorial enough times to get it-ish. I think I just imagine myself being Claudine and him standing next to me yelling at me for doing it wrong. Practice makes Pep-fection. I'm working on it.

Making Peruvian Chicken. And that green vomit looking stuff on top of it is actually the greatest sauce I've made to date - a sauce involving all good things: cilantro, jalapeños, onions, and peanut butter. Yes, it's like the greatest hybrid of peanut sauce and a coriander chutney and it exists without you having to order Thai and Indian takeout and having to mix the two together!

Next time you invite yourself over, I will be making this. Hopefully we're really close friends because eating this is not pretty. It gets very sauce-y, drippy, finger-licky, bones flying everywhere… it's such a mess. But it's a tasty mess, so whatevs.

And to counter, the things I'm NOT excited about:

1) Getting ready for the holidays (duh). I think if I sneeze too hard, a pumpkin pie might fall out.

2) Pulling a muscle in my back. Straight up like an old person. Getting comfortable in my sleep is a nightmare.

3) Dating. For the first time in my life, I got propositioned to go on a date. Well, two different dates with two different people. When it rains, it pours, huh? I declined for a number of reasons, including: I'm waaaay to busy with work, my nails are in terrible shape, and well, I am terrified. (It should say something that I'm more excited about a bunch of grapes than I am about dating.)

It's funny because not even a week ago, I gave someone the following Joj-advice in Joj-voice: "Oh MY GOOOOOSH. I can't believe you bailed on the date! You should have gone! Who knows? You could have a great time! You're such a dummy!!!" 

-____-

Never giving advice ever again.

My concerns:

What do I wear?

You're probably laughing, but this is serious. I don't want to try to hard to give the guy the impression that I tried too hard and want to impress him. (Seriously, this is a thought that goes through my head.)

I'm terrible at interviews.

I feel like a date is kind of the same thing. I have to talk about myself? And seem enthusiastic about it? A five year plan? I hate that question.

I have to go ALL the way out to DC?!

There is not much I'd go out into the city for. To take two different lines on the metro to meet up with a stranger is almost laughable. I mean, would a Skype date be unreasonable? There HAS to be a way to be able to date while staying at home in your pajamas. It's 2013!

It works out.

Heaven forbid it works out and one of us has a blast (I'm going to go ahead and say the guy will because I am crazy and my standards are insane), and then life happens and you've got to do the whole maintaining yet another relationship/defining what's going on/getting comfortable thing. I guess that's what grown ups do, but it sounds lame.

In summary, I don't think it's for me. Yet. I've come to find that I just prefer being alone. "Single" is too flirty a word. I just like to be by myself.

(Now how do I translate that into a message to explain why I'm bailing on these dates…?)