Behold: The Nabes

There are some new boys in my life. They are adorable and fun and have good taste in music and like to surf and wear costumes and tell me when I look pretty and they will even cook for me sometimes! And they have an adorable dog that’s besties with my roommate's dog. They are the Nabes! Neighbor + Babe = Nabe (It’s okay, I think they like being objectified.) One has a super cute accent and really long eyelashes and the other has an unruly mop of blonde curls and enjoys fixing lots of manly stuff. And one of their friends likes Wilco and the other one likes Dinosaur Jr. Did I mention they like to wear costumes?



Call Animal Control

And their dog is so cute! He is lazy and non-committal and hogs the bed because he is a boy, but he is a top-notch cuddler. Although he's no longer allowed in our house because he ate my roommate's 10 freshly baked pumpkin muffins from off the counter. And the day before, he ate the package of chocolates that her boyfriend had sent to her from the Bahamas. But he can’t help it if he gets the munchies. (I had some time off from work for Thanksgiving, so like any normal person, I spent it taking pics and videos of two dogs that aren’t mine. I will post the video later so that you will have something awesome to look forward to.)

What else? Ummmm. We went night surfing one time. And another day we made mudslides and drank them in the sunny front yard. And back before it got dark at 4:30, we would always take the dogs up to the little park at the end of our street so they could pee on each other. (Seriously.) Sometimes they grill and build little bonfires in our fire pit. Every now and then they let me tag along on Peter Pans’ Night Out (PPNO), so I am really learning a lot about “dating” in CA. And they offer advice on how to deal with jerkfaces like GPG. Who is coming over tonight. Who I might have hung out with two weeks ago? And maybe the week before that? Whatever! The holidays are tough and I’m going to get through them in my own way. (GPG also kind of paused and stopped talking when he saw the flowers that a nabe got me for my bday. He was very jelsorama, thanks to my nabe.)

Speaking of holidays, my bff told me to get through them by embracing the few things about them that I love. Like peppermint chocolate flavored anything. I am having lots of that. I have also applied this way of thinking to dealing with the cold out in CA. I love boots, but I could only wear them in Florida, like, maybe 15 times a year. Now I can wear them every GD day. In other acclimation news, I sucked it up and bought a warm wetsuit and a space heater. I am down to only two blankets on my bed and I try not to turn the space heater past the second level. Sometimes I wear shorts when it’s cold because I know deep down inside me, there is that little idiot who used to wear her daisy dukes and a tank top every time the temp got above 50 during Ohio winters. I am confident that I can get back to that sort of asinine behavior in another year.



View at the end of my street



As far as this past year goes, it sucked and was super stressful. But now I am settling in at my job and am even starting to enjoy it since I got a promotion. I live in the best house in the best part of town. I can walk to Swami’s and crawl home from the Saloon. I have the best nabes ever. Vegas Model Judger is right up the road. My Fun Couple who moved to Brooklyn will be back for the holidays. And of course I have Sea Pony and her upcoming wedding to plan outfits for. I just need to find a date for that. I have five months to do so…



But You Know It's a Lonely Ride

How are things on the West Coast?

I hear you're movin' real fine

You wear those shoes like a dove

Now strut those shoes

We'll go roaming in the night

Well how are things on the West Coast?

You keep it movin' to your soul's delight

Now I've tried the brakes
I've tried but you know it's a lonely ride
How are things on the West Coast?
Oh and move heaven behind those eyes…

 

I have so many things swimming around in my head, so I’m not sure what to write about since nothing that exciting’s happening. Just a lot of angst and existential dilemmas. The usual. This past week was cloudy and cold so it gave me the sads. But today was sunny, so I’m canceling the move to Oahu. For now.

Let’s see, I went on some dates with some boring stable guys and also on some fun dates with bad boys who I suspect were looking for more than the peck on the cheek they got. Over it. My friend told me I was trying too hard to find someone. Well of course I am. I figured Peter Pan Diego would be way better for my career. But I also assumed that it’d be easier to find a cool boyfriend here because San Diego has a pretty large concentration of guys who love the ocean, and are active, and are probably semi-smart because they have to have a decent job if they can afford to live here. So since I put a lot of effort into making my life awesome, I thought maybe I should put some effort into finding an awesome guy.

After a year, I can say that I have no idea what makes me happy when it comes to dating. My parents were complete opposites, and their marriage sucked, so I have no desire to date my opposite. (If you still don’t believe that opposites are bad, see all GPG entries.) But someone who’s just like me would be soooo annoying. There can only be one person doing the over-analyzing, and that is me. I am tempted to scrap the dates I have scheduled for this week and just go back to filling up all my spare time with stuff that makes me happy. Oh and I can see you all being like “Yes, Dramazon. Do what makes you happy. You will find him when you least expect it."

Don’t make me puke. I am sooo sick of hearing how everyone found someone when they least expected it. Oh really? Were you walking around with zero makeup on, wearing sweatpants, eating a gallon of ice cream, and wiping the grease from your hair when you met your dreamboat? Because if you really weren’t looking, that’s what you would have been doing!!! I am doing what makes me happy. In fact, I’m a g.d. expert at it. It’s what I do best! And while I was becoming an expert at not waiting around for a guy, I never picked up the skills that you need in order to make a relationship work. So thanks for the great advice, everyone!

What do you think all of the solo vacations, solo concerts, solo road trips, solo surf sessions, solo real estate purchases, solo multiple cross-country moves, grad school, and the riding lessons were all about? I’ve never been one to follow what everyone else is doing (marry, have kids, divorce, marry), but I’m kind of starting to suspect that my independence is a crutch of sorts. I’m assuming your 20s are all about doing what you think adults are supposed to do. And your 30s are all about realizing how doing that is dumb. Or maybe no one is really all that happy, so they have another kid, or have an affair, or turn into swingers in the hopes of finding something fulfilling? That is sad. I am sad. You are sad?

Okay, enough Debbie Downer rambling. Let’s get back to what makes this blog so amazing: pics of me in dresses! I went to Opening Day at Del Mar. I was really excited because I like to wear fancy stuff and I also look really good in hats. I spent a lot of time planning my outfit. The guy I was going to go with, who I had already been out on two dates with, sent me a friend request on fb. I thought that was odd, but figured it was a sign that he liked me. Well. He stood me up for Opening Day! So I had to scramble to go with a friend who is fun because he has an accent and is actually into doing fun things like wearing hats. Here is my outfit:

I wear those shoes like a dove?

Unfortunately, Opening Day wasn’t very fun or fancy. There were a lot of stripper heels and people passed out in the bushes. Lots of great people watching, but I was kind of over after about 10 minutes. But hey, at least I got to check it out. And my horse won its race! But I’d already left and going back to claim my winnings is giving me major anxiety.

Another thing I wanted to do was go on a non-work trip to Vegas. So my friend said he had a suite with plenty of room and I should definitely spend the weekend there. I hopped in my car and made it there in 4 hours. (I was pretty excited about my time.) Obviously, Vegas is super cheesy. However, it is a place where all-night dance parties and high heels are highly encouraged. Sign me up.

Strippers don't wear Alice + Olivia thank you very much!

I am probably the only person in the history of Vegas to not have a fling. My friend acted weird, pouted the whole time, refused to dance or go to any fun pools, and told me that my dress looked stripperish. At one point he told me to get my stuff out of his room because a celebrity doctor had noticed that no one was paying attention to me and decided to chat me up/dry hump my leg. (No it was not Dr. 90210. But he was kinda close.) I am no longer friends with my friend. And when Not Dr. 90210 invited me to his pool on Sunday, I was tempted to go, but I figured it would be more fun to spend the next 7 hours sitting in traffic on the awful drive back to San Diego. Dr. Not 90210 kept texting me to turn around, but I said no, b/c I’m pretty sure I’ll never wake up one day when I’m old and regret not having had more flings with cheesy fake doctors in Vegas. I hope.

Okay, I've gotta go text Granny Panties Guy to bed.

Summer Summations

I have been putting off reflecting on the past year that I've spent in San Diego. You know, because it just seems a little too boring and predictable. But allow me to be indulge myself (for once) and reflect a bit. . .

(Motown/Coral Lipstick/Shiny Dresses = You're Welcome)

1. For the first time ever, I have an awesome commute. I literally take the scenic route to and from work everyday. If my timing is right, I hit all the lights on my way home and feel like I'm in Starsky and Hutch as I floor it down really steep hills toward the sparkly bay. No more drawbridges to keep me from my house when I really, really have to pee b/c I have a hard time peeing in public restrooms and I've been holding it all day. No more wasting 2-3 hours of my day stuck on the Deadliest Stretch of Road in America trying to get to Boca for class or work. No more leaving for work when it's still dark out and you're sweating because it's already 85 degrees at 6:15 a.m.
2. I am okay with being a renter again. And having a roommate. Didn't really expect that to happen to me in my 30s, but I have realized that I need a heated pool and a water view in order for me to be happy. And I get to see fireworks every night. And you know how I feel about sparkly glittery stuff! And it is fun to talk shoes and get opinions on my date outfits from my roomie.
3. My ego/brain demands that I have a job where I need an access card to get to the office. I have paid my debt to society and I am okay w/ being a corporate d!ckhead once again. I feel very fortunate to have gotten away from high schoolers. And a little guilty for abandoning the altruism that allowed me to make some pretty interesting decisions over the years.
4. No More Project Guys. I will only date guys with jobs who don't need me to provide anything for them. Regardless of how hot and fun they are. And lean. And chiseled. With fantasgreat cheekbones. And soft blonde curls. I am okay with being vocal about not wanting to date anymore losers. This doesn't make me a bad person or a gold digger?
5. My friends are pretty much cooler and better and more amazing than anyone else's. I feel sooooo fortunate to have friends who love me no matter how redonk I am - I don't know how anyone goes through life without people they can trust and lean on when things get sucky.
6. I haven't been surfing that much. I figure I lived in a small beach town for the last 8 years and didn't have anything to do other than surf. So I think it's okay if I do other things right now. Like go to Vegas...