So you know how life sometimes just, ya know, happens?
I've been so wrapped up with work for the most part and then crush-wise been totally focused on the boy from work...I totally forgot to be self-conscious when meeting a cute new boy.
Who then asked for my number and wants to try to go see Inception together.
...what?
I was out with my friend J and her new boyfriend and he brought his buddy. Now I was so worried this would be awkward when J and her bf got couple-y, as I knew they would once she'd had a few drinks in her, but I figured at least I won't be the third wheel. Was not even thinking "Hey maybe he'll be cute and be interested in me."
Well...apparently he thought I was cool enough to ask for my number.
I'm still flabbergasted. I never get asked for my number. Ever. Especially not by someone sober and who seems put together with a career laid out in front of him and who is really good looking.
Can I just repeat that I never get asked for my number? Ever.
First a teaching interview call yesterday and now a boy asks for my number.
Hell must be freezing over.
It's about time my good karma came back around in my favour.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
That's so cute, I just puked in my mouth a little
I was originally going to post about this last week, but then with grandma's health issues it didn't seem appropriate and I kind of forgot about it. Grandma is doing better now though and she's improving. I'm realistic that at 92, things can change very suddenly for her - however - she's so stubborn she's not going without a fight. She may be down right now, but she's not out. Not yet.
Anyways - I'm one of those people who isn't always into those cutesy sort of things. Not my style. In fact, when a friend of mine was gushing about her new boyfriend the other day I responded with "That's so cute, I just puked in my mouth a little." I sure am classy aren't I?
However, last Thursday afternoon I had my own little cutesy moment with the boy. I had spent lunch time and considerably longer than lunchtime in his staff room eating and doing work. But ultimately I was procrastinating because I had to go to the pool and confront one of my staff about some stuff. This staff also happens to be significantly older than myself and is also a very tall/big male. I'm not easily intimidated, however, I also know how quickly someone can flip their personality when you're calling them out on something. Even if it had been some 16 year old stick-thin girl I wouldn't have wanted to.
Anyways, the boy knew I was procrastinating about this and was joking and telling me to remember my crisis prevention training and saying that his camp had a first aid kit with them. My response - "It's not going to be me that needs the first aid kit. I'll be running from the cops." "Well my house is across the street and my brother is home, you can hide out there."
Ultimately I did start to leave to go deal with this. He walks me out to the parking lot, I dump my stuff in my car and off I go. It went...about as expected, but in the end I'm the boss and it was a message delivered from my boss as well.
Anyways, I then had someone meeting me to pick up some payroll stuff so I was going to be awkwardly standing in the parking lot beside my car. So I called the boy and told him that if his kids looked out and saw some random standing there it was probably me. "Well...someone will be watching you" is his response with laughter. "Oh so I'll see a ball cap peeking out over the window ledge?" "No - my hat's in my car." "So...I'll see a forehead?" As I got closer I realize he's actually in the classroom that faces the lot and we both turn and wave - still on our phones. We continue talking on our phones as we're looking at each other across the lot/through the window. He then wanted to show me the craft he was testing out so I walk over and we continue talking on our phones...and we're like 5 feet away from each other.
Neither of us really seemed to clue in that we could open the window at this point. This continues until I go "Does this window open?" It did. We laughed and high fived through said window. And continued talking, with him doing his craft. We only stopped when reality called - as in I started getting phone calls and it interrupted us and he realized he had to go back to his camp.
It was a nice shared moment though.
Anyways - I'm one of those people who isn't always into those cutesy sort of things. Not my style. In fact, when a friend of mine was gushing about her new boyfriend the other day I responded with "That's so cute, I just puked in my mouth a little." I sure am classy aren't I?
However, last Thursday afternoon I had my own little cutesy moment with the boy. I had spent lunch time and considerably longer than lunchtime in his staff room eating and doing work. But ultimately I was procrastinating because I had to go to the pool and confront one of my staff about some stuff. This staff also happens to be significantly older than myself and is also a very tall/big male. I'm not easily intimidated, however, I also know how quickly someone can flip their personality when you're calling them out on something. Even if it had been some 16 year old stick-thin girl I wouldn't have wanted to.
Anyways, the boy knew I was procrastinating about this and was joking and telling me to remember my crisis prevention training and saying that his camp had a first aid kit with them. My response - "It's not going to be me that needs the first aid kit. I'll be running from the cops." "Well my house is across the street and my brother is home, you can hide out there."
Ultimately I did start to leave to go deal with this. He walks me out to the parking lot, I dump my stuff in my car and off I go. It went...about as expected, but in the end I'm the boss and it was a message delivered from my boss as well.
Anyways, I then had someone meeting me to pick up some payroll stuff so I was going to be awkwardly standing in the parking lot beside my car. So I called the boy and told him that if his kids looked out and saw some random standing there it was probably me. "Well...someone will be watching you" is his response with laughter. "Oh so I'll see a ball cap peeking out over the window ledge?" "No - my hat's in my car." "So...I'll see a forehead?" As I got closer I realize he's actually in the classroom that faces the lot and we both turn and wave - still on our phones. We continue talking on our phones as we're looking at each other across the lot/through the window. He then wanted to show me the craft he was testing out so I walk over and we continue talking on our phones...and we're like 5 feet away from each other.
Neither of us really seemed to clue in that we could open the window at this point. This continues until I go "Does this window open?" It did. We laughed and high fived through said window. And continued talking, with him doing his craft. We only stopped when reality called - as in I started getting phone calls and it interrupted us and he realized he had to go back to his camp.
It was a nice shared moment though.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
That's Life
So work has been kicking my ass this week. As has my online course. And - to top it all off - my grandma had a stroke yesterday. She's in hospital, but doing well and is being moved to rehab soon. Obviously the latter is what I'm most concerned about at the moment, but I know she's a tough old broad and she's lucid and talking so things are looking ok for the moment.
In any event, that's life. I've realized over the years that life seems to go in cycles. The past few years it's noticeably been a cycle that switches through the course of the year between school and my summer job. But it's more detailed than that. I go through weird periods of time with emotional cycles.
Emotional cycles include those times where I'm overly optimistic about the future and I feel on top of the world. They also include those times where I grow steadily more cynical about the future and I begin picking out names for my future cats. Even at my most cynical though I tend to maintain a certain amount of humour - as shown by the idea that I would pick out names for my cats like Murray cause I think it'd be fun to say - as in Furry Murray.
Anyways - I'm in a weird cycle that is typical of me at the moment though where I yo-yo back and forth between how I feel because I can't decide if my life is going anywhere or not. More specifically - this current yo-yo is linked to the boy as I continue to avoid actually bringing up the subject with the only person who could actually answer my question.
But now - with my grandma in hospital - this other stuff doesn't matter as much and I feel guilty that it matters at all. Funny how things can be put into perspective eh? I usually am pretty good at keeping my perspective, but I do allow myself to get swept away on the high that is infatuation at times. I like to think it's my little dopamine vacation from reality.
So my question is this - do you find yourself also going in cycles of how you feel?
In any event, that's life. I've realized over the years that life seems to go in cycles. The past few years it's noticeably been a cycle that switches through the course of the year between school and my summer job. But it's more detailed than that. I go through weird periods of time with emotional cycles.
Emotional cycles include those times where I'm overly optimistic about the future and I feel on top of the world. They also include those times where I grow steadily more cynical about the future and I begin picking out names for my future cats. Even at my most cynical though I tend to maintain a certain amount of humour - as shown by the idea that I would pick out names for my cats like Murray cause I think it'd be fun to say - as in Furry Murray.
Anyways - I'm in a weird cycle that is typical of me at the moment though where I yo-yo back and forth between how I feel because I can't decide if my life is going anywhere or not. More specifically - this current yo-yo is linked to the boy as I continue to avoid actually bringing up the subject with the only person who could actually answer my question.
But now - with my grandma in hospital - this other stuff doesn't matter as much and I feel guilty that it matters at all. Funny how things can be put into perspective eh? I usually am pretty good at keeping my perspective, but I do allow myself to get swept away on the high that is infatuation at times. I like to think it's my little dopamine vacation from reality.
So my question is this - do you find yourself also going in cycles of how you feel?
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Stop making excuses
This is directed at everyone who like me makes a lot of excuses about why they won't just spit it out and go talk to a guy. Popular excuses I myself have used:
1. What if he says no? It'll be so awkward.
2. But we work together.
3. We have class together.
4. We're in the same group of friends.
5. But I've known him forever - it would just be weird to try and bring it up.
6. But I just can't!
7. I don't know what to say.
8. I'll feel like a loser.
9. I tried before and it didn't work.
10. Why can't he say something first?
Now here's the thing - these are excuses for a reason. You know what you want, so why don't you go after it? I know this for myself and I constantly find ways to give myself reasons not to put myself in a vulnerable position. However - I have done it. Multiple times. It's usually a "Let's just stay friends" type of response. In 2 cases it was actually with guys I'd already made out with. One was rebounding (hard) after breaking up from his long term girlfriend (they were still technically sharing an apartment too). One was still hung up on another girl. Both times I made out with a guy then asked what it meant the make out had been when both parties involved were at some state of intoxication that allowed for previously controlled flirting to escalate.
I recognize there can be circumstances surrounding different things - believe me I am the Queen of going on about the circumstances as to why I don't want to be the one to make a move. Take my situation right now - my go to excuse? We work together.
But here's what I'm realizing - nothing ventured, nothing gained. Think of it in terms of Pascal's Wager.
You have two choices.
Choice 1: You never say anything.
Possible results:
- Nothing ever happens because he's not interested or is too chicken shit to say something the same way you are.
- He says something when you still like him and yay! He says something much later when you've moved on - either that he still loves you or he had a crush on you back in the day.
Choice 2: You say something.
Possible results:
- He says he's not interested. You now have closure. You move on with the help of ice cream and terrible movies and your girlfriends.
- He says he likes you too and yay!
Overall when it's spelled out like that - isn't your best option to just ask? I mean even if he says no at least you have an answer, right? It allows you to move on and be free from the "what if" possibilities that nag at you.
"But how do I know if he's actually interested?" you cry.
Simple. ASK HIM!
Let's see if I'll be able to take my own advice. Although in my defense I have in the past (and gotten "let's just be friends" every single time) and we do work together. ;)
1. What if he says no? It'll be so awkward.
2. But we work together.
3. We have class together.
4. We're in the same group of friends.
5. But I've known him forever - it would just be weird to try and bring it up.
6. But I just can't!
7. I don't know what to say.
8. I'll feel like a loser.
9. I tried before and it didn't work.
10. Why can't he say something first?
Now here's the thing - these are excuses for a reason. You know what you want, so why don't you go after it? I know this for myself and I constantly find ways to give myself reasons not to put myself in a vulnerable position. However - I have done it. Multiple times. It's usually a "Let's just stay friends" type of response. In 2 cases it was actually with guys I'd already made out with. One was rebounding (hard) after breaking up from his long term girlfriend (they were still technically sharing an apartment too). One was still hung up on another girl. Both times I made out with a guy then asked what it meant the make out had been when both parties involved were at some state of intoxication that allowed for previously controlled flirting to escalate.
I recognize there can be circumstances surrounding different things - believe me I am the Queen of going on about the circumstances as to why I don't want to be the one to make a move. Take my situation right now - my go to excuse? We work together.
But here's what I'm realizing - nothing ventured, nothing gained. Think of it in terms of Pascal's Wager.
You have two choices.
Choice 1: You never say anything.
Possible results:
- Nothing ever happens because he's not interested or is too chicken shit to say something the same way you are.
- He says something when you still like him and yay! He says something much later when you've moved on - either that he still loves you or he had a crush on you back in the day.
Choice 2: You say something.
Possible results:
- He says he's not interested. You now have closure. You move on with the help of ice cream and terrible movies and your girlfriends.
- He says he likes you too and yay!
Overall when it's spelled out like that - isn't your best option to just ask? I mean even if he says no at least you have an answer, right? It allows you to move on and be free from the "what if" possibilities that nag at you.
"But how do I know if he's actually interested?" you cry.
Simple. ASK HIM!
Let's see if I'll be able to take my own advice. Although in my defense I have in the past (and gotten "let's just be friends" every single time) and we do work together. ;)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Chaos
It always seems to me that I go from being bored to tears to being overwhelmed. This time I'm partly to blame in terms of being overwhelmed. I decided that on top of working a full time 40+ hour work week I would also take an online course for an additional teaching qualification. Not the best of ideas because I'm coming home from work absolutely exhausted it seems.
On top of that I have soccer - practices and games - and I'm trying to maintain some semblance of a social life by keeping up with friends. I had to say no when a buddy of mine asked if I wanted to play softball tonight. I really wanted to but I'm buried under work and I haven't even had dinner yet because my parents are out doing something and then we're going to eat together as we do.
This whole week has been one hell of a rollercoaster with it's ups and downs. It's giving me whiplash. Something will be going well and then suddenly something else happens. Injuries at my camps (nothing huge, but still stressful with paperwork and making sure everything is fine - especially when kids are making a huge deal out of every little thing). Behavioural issues at my camps. Staff almost quitting as a result of the behavioural issues at camp. Gaining yet another staff at one of my sites because numbers have been so high. Angry parents. Staff calling me at home at 10pm about something I didn't need to know about that night - or really at all. Realizing I'm not getting an interview with a school board who put out interview offers this week. Not sleeping enough. Having a shitty soccer practice.
Then there's the good times. Being interviewed for tv and then watching myself. Pirate Day was enjoyed by all - except me really because I spent so much time being the bad cop. But the kids had fun which is the important thing. The good kids - who get all excited when they see me and come running up to give me hugs screaming my name. Freezies. Realizing my staff respect and look up to me - and notably gaining the respect from some difficult staff (albeit grudgingly, but they've at least acknowledged that I've done this job long enough that I'm going to know more than them in some areas). Swimming with two of my camps yesterday. Seeing the work husband every day this week for some reason and talking online with him at night every night this week as well. Laughing with my staff - and getting my one super stressed out staff to laugh again on the phone after he was nearly in tears because of this shit day he had. Solving problems. The kids having a blast just chasing me around the gym because I was in a costume and being silly. Having friends who will listen to my ranting and raving.
Having the work husband ask me to save him a seat at the meeting tomorrow. The way he smiles at me. The way that he's all business with his camp and then as soon as he can makes a beeline to me in the pool. The look of annoyance he got when one of my staff came to ask me a question and totally interrupted him mid-sentence. His laugh. The back and forth banter. The way he haphazardly tries to divert my attention and make me laugh when I say I'm stressed out with the work stuff that happened this week. Watching him with his kids.
Oh I'm smitten alright.
Everything is so back and forth. I need something consistent and suddenly he is that person without even meaning to be. He had some great ideas about the one problem I've been having with my one camp and I'm going to use it.
I suppose it's the nature of my job to be back and forth and crazy, and I already knew I didn't do well with online learning so that explains that stress.
But I'll get through it because there's so many other GOOD things happening too.
On top of that I have soccer - practices and games - and I'm trying to maintain some semblance of a social life by keeping up with friends. I had to say no when a buddy of mine asked if I wanted to play softball tonight. I really wanted to but I'm buried under work and I haven't even had dinner yet because my parents are out doing something and then we're going to eat together as we do.
This whole week has been one hell of a rollercoaster with it's ups and downs. It's giving me whiplash. Something will be going well and then suddenly something else happens. Injuries at my camps (nothing huge, but still stressful with paperwork and making sure everything is fine - especially when kids are making a huge deal out of every little thing). Behavioural issues at my camps. Staff almost quitting as a result of the behavioural issues at camp. Gaining yet another staff at one of my sites because numbers have been so high. Angry parents. Staff calling me at home at 10pm about something I didn't need to know about that night - or really at all. Realizing I'm not getting an interview with a school board who put out interview offers this week. Not sleeping enough. Having a shitty soccer practice.
Then there's the good times. Being interviewed for tv and then watching myself. Pirate Day was enjoyed by all - except me really because I spent so much time being the bad cop. But the kids had fun which is the important thing. The good kids - who get all excited when they see me and come running up to give me hugs screaming my name. Freezies. Realizing my staff respect and look up to me - and notably gaining the respect from some difficult staff (albeit grudgingly, but they've at least acknowledged that I've done this job long enough that I'm going to know more than them in some areas). Swimming with two of my camps yesterday. Seeing the work husband every day this week for some reason and talking online with him at night every night this week as well. Laughing with my staff - and getting my one super stressed out staff to laugh again on the phone after he was nearly in tears because of this shit day he had. Solving problems. The kids having a blast just chasing me around the gym because I was in a costume and being silly. Having friends who will listen to my ranting and raving.
Having the work husband ask me to save him a seat at the meeting tomorrow. The way he smiles at me. The way that he's all business with his camp and then as soon as he can makes a beeline to me in the pool. The look of annoyance he got when one of my staff came to ask me a question and totally interrupted him mid-sentence. His laugh. The back and forth banter. The way he haphazardly tries to divert my attention and make me laugh when I say I'm stressed out with the work stuff that happened this week. Watching him with his kids.
Oh I'm smitten alright.
Everything is so back and forth. I need something consistent and suddenly he is that person without even meaning to be. He had some great ideas about the one problem I've been having with my one camp and I'm going to use it.
I suppose it's the nature of my job to be back and forth and crazy, and I already knew I didn't do well with online learning so that explains that stress.
But I'll get through it because there's so many other GOOD things happening too.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Being a Third Wheel
Last night I was out at a local festival with a good friend of mine. Let's call her J. J and I are very similar in many respects - tomboy-ish, recent teacher's college grads, similar sarcastic sense of humour, etc. As a result the two of us get on really well and have a tendency to get off on tangents that other people don't always follow.
Anyways - last night we'd already been hanging out for probably about two hours when we added someone else to the mix. A friend of J's asked her if she would take their friend out for something because he'd been sitting at home alone, depressed and bored. J and I are both social people and don't have any problems adding other people when we go out. In fact we usually do. So this guy ended up meeting us at the festival and we meandered together and also ended up going for drinks after at a bar.
Walking to the bar he stopped us and said "No offense, you both seem really cool but I kind of feel like a third wheel."
We legitimately felt bad and immediately tried to temper the fact that the two of us kept getting caught up in our own conversations. Neither of us are the type to get super annoyed by such a comment because we are aware we get wrapped up in our own little world and we need someone to point it out to us - otherwise we forget they're even there.
But here's the other thing - we both did feel awkward about it because she barely knows this guy and I didn't know him at all. The only reason we invited him was because J's friend asked her to. She's maybe met him a handful of times and he's always been talkative before. And the cold hard truth? She invited him as a favour because she felt bad. In fact her comment in my car when we left was "I need to learn to say no."
Having three people go out together when there's one of the three who doesn't really know either of the other two particularly well is not going to work overly much. The two who know each other well will dominate the conversation and then you end up with the dreaded third wheel. This is when you need the buffer zone of at least a fourth person who maybe only really knows one of you.
We did feel bad though - particularly as we were letting our girly sides out a bit when we were looking at the different booths at the festival and because both of us were discussing our love lives or lack thereof. But we'd already been at it for 2 hours and found our stride and couldn't quite alter it mid-race, ya know what I mean?
So this is my PSA to all of you - if ever you find yourself going to hang out with two other people you don't know particularly well, but you think they might know each other well - get there at the beginning and nip it in the bud. Especially if it's girls. Don't let them get into girl talk mode before you've even arrived. You'll be bored and feel awkward and then it will make them feel super awkward and bad.
Anyways - last night we'd already been hanging out for probably about two hours when we added someone else to the mix. A friend of J's asked her if she would take their friend out for something because he'd been sitting at home alone, depressed and bored. J and I are both social people and don't have any problems adding other people when we go out. In fact we usually do. So this guy ended up meeting us at the festival and we meandered together and also ended up going for drinks after at a bar.
Walking to the bar he stopped us and said "No offense, you both seem really cool but I kind of feel like a third wheel."
We legitimately felt bad and immediately tried to temper the fact that the two of us kept getting caught up in our own conversations. Neither of us are the type to get super annoyed by such a comment because we are aware we get wrapped up in our own little world and we need someone to point it out to us - otherwise we forget they're even there.
But here's the other thing - we both did feel awkward about it because she barely knows this guy and I didn't know him at all. The only reason we invited him was because J's friend asked her to. She's maybe met him a handful of times and he's always been talkative before. And the cold hard truth? She invited him as a favour because she felt bad. In fact her comment in my car when we left was "I need to learn to say no."
Having three people go out together when there's one of the three who doesn't really know either of the other two particularly well is not going to work overly much. The two who know each other well will dominate the conversation and then you end up with the dreaded third wheel. This is when you need the buffer zone of at least a fourth person who maybe only really knows one of you.
We did feel bad though - particularly as we were letting our girly sides out a bit when we were looking at the different booths at the festival and because both of us were discussing our love lives or lack thereof. But we'd already been at it for 2 hours and found our stride and couldn't quite alter it mid-race, ya know what I mean?
So this is my PSA to all of you - if ever you find yourself going to hang out with two other people you don't know particularly well, but you think they might know each other well - get there at the beginning and nip it in the bud. Especially if it's girls. Don't let them get into girl talk mode before you've even arrived. You'll be bored and feel awkward and then it will make them feel super awkward and bad.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Look
So I was over at Hooking Up Smart and Susan had asked me how things were going with my current crush in the comments section. I had then launched in on the play by play of yesterday. I then received this comment from someone else:
"So in other words, not much actually happened. And the guy might be as clueless as he may have been the day prior, right? Just wondering…"
This was my instant thought in my brain. "Fuck off - quit harshing my mellow!" The guy does have a point though. Except for one little detail - there was something else that happened because the pair of us where sharing "the look." This shared look is the one where you lock eyes and silent communication passes between you. In our case add in the presence of a camper and the fact that we were doing it to initially get her going when she was trying to guess my age and my hint was "Well...I'm older than him." Instant shared look of recognition of something that is a potential hurdle here for us. It was a conspiring look of shared mischief really before I decide to casually mention to the girl "You know he's psychic, right?"
By the end of the whole exchange the girl had a look on her face of "there is something going here." While he and I were laughing to beat the band.
There's something about eye contact.
Also - the way someone reacts when you first walk through the door unexpectedly, when they don't have time to hide what they're thinking because you've caught them off guard. However, when they then proceed to show you all the cool stuff they've been doing...kindda like when Lenoard meets Penny for the first time on The Big Bang Theory and is like "I have a board, look at my board."
I dunno - but that shared look...that kept happening when the two of us had been left alone in the office...
"So in other words, not much actually happened. And the guy might be as clueless as he may have been the day prior, right? Just wondering…"
This was my instant thought in my brain. "Fuck off - quit harshing my mellow!" The guy does have a point though. Except for one little detail - there was something else that happened because the pair of us where sharing "the look." This shared look is the one where you lock eyes and silent communication passes between you. In our case add in the presence of a camper and the fact that we were doing it to initially get her going when she was trying to guess my age and my hint was "Well...I'm older than him." Instant shared look of recognition of something that is a potential hurdle here for us. It was a conspiring look of shared mischief really before I decide to casually mention to the girl "You know he's psychic, right?"
By the end of the whole exchange the girl had a look on her face of "there is something going here." While he and I were laughing to beat the band.
There's something about eye contact.
Also - the way someone reacts when you first walk through the door unexpectedly, when they don't have time to hide what they're thinking because you've caught them off guard. However, when they then proceed to show you all the cool stuff they've been doing...kindda like when Lenoard meets Penny for the first time on The Big Bang Theory and is like "I have a board, look at my board."
I dunno - but that shared look...that kept happening when the two of us had been left alone in the office...
Monday, July 5, 2010
Workplace Romance
A work spouse is a co-worker (usually of the opposite sex) with whom one shares a special relationship, having bonds similar to those of a marriage; such as, confidences, loyalties, shared experiences, and a degree of honesty or openness. The work spouse is a potentially key relationship when one's actual spouse or boy/girlfriend is not able to be there. As people work more and more and spend less and less time at home, these hybrid relationships have begun to spawn more and more. This relationship can be threatened rather than enhanced if it ever becomes sexual.
(From Wikipedia)
I alluded to this a few days ago, but now I'm going to actually discuss it.
Workplace relationships are hardly news to anyone. In the past I've always had a very strict no workplace romance policy that has been very easy to follow. Largely because I work in a predominately female environment in the summer at various camps. Also because in the past any guy I would have found myself attracted to was already spoken for. Solves that problem quite nicely.
However...this year I'm close to breaking my self imposed rule. Why? Well within the first week or senior staff prepping for the summer I found myself a work husband.
It started innocently enough and it's nothing new to me to tend to hang out with the guys. When we take our lunch break we usually go outside and play games/sports because we're all just overgrown kids who keep coming back to camp even though we're older now. The first day this year when we came in to work I ended up sitting next to a guy I've known for a few years now. He was promoted to supervisor the year after me so we're on the same level, but he's two years younger. We've always got on well and by the end of week one I realized he was going to be my work husband for the summer. I thought it was kind of funny how the two of us were such a pair of shit-disturbers together during meetings because we are both terribly sarcastic and apparently have to say whatever pops into our heads immediately when it pops into our heads.
Anyways, somewhere around the end of week 2/beginning of week 3 something shifted. Literally in some cases. Suddenly our chairs were closer together. We'd sit there heads inclined towards each other mulling over paperwork and soliciting the other's opinion at random on ideas for our respective camps. We reached a point where physical contact was ok at times - first high fives, then poking each other in a distinctly more flirtatious way. Additionally whenever we started to sense it was getting a bit much - usually when there would suddenly be more people in the room, we'd knock it off. We started doing the air five like Jim and Pam on The Office if we were talking across a room or calling down a hallway.
Then it got amped up again. When I commented that I needed binder dividers, but couldn't find any in the office supply closet, he went on a mission later (without telling me) and found me a whole stack. When I returned to my seat at the table a bit later, he was out doing something else but there they were. When I walked past him photocopying a few minutes later and started to ask he practically burst out with "I found you dividers - they're on you stuff!"
Other little things here and there as well - like making sure to compliment me after we played something at lunch. Asking how my soccer game had gone the night before. Remembering any little detail of my life I may have mentioned.
We're quite the pair. When all the counsellors (our staff) started training, he and I would sit in the back together during sessions harassing each other. At one point we were blatantly flirting in front of some of our staff. As in our staff knew something was up and started looking at each other funny.
So...the question is what will I do about the situation? Do I really want to cross that line and shit where I eat? Do I want to deal with work potentially becoming awkward if I've misread the situation? Even if I have read it correctly - do I want to risk it considering we do run into each other fairly often since we work in the same part of town.
Or does that even matter since our job has a seasonal expiration date and right now I don't think I'm coming back next year?
Today was the first day our programs ran. He called me this morning to ask me if any of my camps were swimming at the pool beside his camp this week because they're closed now one day to fix something. He didn't need to call me - the pool would have called me like they'd called him.
And we also just talked online via Facebook chat when I got home from my game about how our first day went.
So thoughts from the general public? Workplace relationships - yay or nay? I've always been in the nay category myself because of my fear of appearing unprofessional, but maybe that was always because I hadn't met the right guy yet.
(From Wikipedia)
I alluded to this a few days ago, but now I'm going to actually discuss it.
Workplace relationships are hardly news to anyone. In the past I've always had a very strict no workplace romance policy that has been very easy to follow. Largely because I work in a predominately female environment in the summer at various camps. Also because in the past any guy I would have found myself attracted to was already spoken for. Solves that problem quite nicely.
However...this year I'm close to breaking my self imposed rule. Why? Well within the first week or senior staff prepping for the summer I found myself a work husband.
It started innocently enough and it's nothing new to me to tend to hang out with the guys. When we take our lunch break we usually go outside and play games/sports because we're all just overgrown kids who keep coming back to camp even though we're older now. The first day this year when we came in to work I ended up sitting next to a guy I've known for a few years now. He was promoted to supervisor the year after me so we're on the same level, but he's two years younger. We've always got on well and by the end of week one I realized he was going to be my work husband for the summer. I thought it was kind of funny how the two of us were such a pair of shit-disturbers together during meetings because we are both terribly sarcastic and apparently have to say whatever pops into our heads immediately when it pops into our heads.
Anyways, somewhere around the end of week 2/beginning of week 3 something shifted. Literally in some cases. Suddenly our chairs were closer together. We'd sit there heads inclined towards each other mulling over paperwork and soliciting the other's opinion at random on ideas for our respective camps. We reached a point where physical contact was ok at times - first high fives, then poking each other in a distinctly more flirtatious way. Additionally whenever we started to sense it was getting a bit much - usually when there would suddenly be more people in the room, we'd knock it off. We started doing the air five like Jim and Pam on The Office if we were talking across a room or calling down a hallway.
Then it got amped up again. When I commented that I needed binder dividers, but couldn't find any in the office supply closet, he went on a mission later (without telling me) and found me a whole stack. When I returned to my seat at the table a bit later, he was out doing something else but there they were. When I walked past him photocopying a few minutes later and started to ask he practically burst out with "I found you dividers - they're on you stuff!"
Other little things here and there as well - like making sure to compliment me after we played something at lunch. Asking how my soccer game had gone the night before. Remembering any little detail of my life I may have mentioned.
We're quite the pair. When all the counsellors (our staff) started training, he and I would sit in the back together during sessions harassing each other. At one point we were blatantly flirting in front of some of our staff. As in our staff knew something was up and started looking at each other funny.
So...the question is what will I do about the situation? Do I really want to cross that line and shit where I eat? Do I want to deal with work potentially becoming awkward if I've misread the situation? Even if I have read it correctly - do I want to risk it considering we do run into each other fairly often since we work in the same part of town.
Or does that even matter since our job has a seasonal expiration date and right now I don't think I'm coming back next year?
Today was the first day our programs ran. He called me this morning to ask me if any of my camps were swimming at the pool beside his camp this week because they're closed now one day to fix something. He didn't need to call me - the pool would have called me like they'd called him.
And we also just talked online via Facebook chat when I got home from my game about how our first day went.
So thoughts from the general public? Workplace relationships - yay or nay? I've always been in the nay category myself because of my fear of appearing unprofessional, but maybe that was always because I hadn't met the right guy yet.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Sports...sorta
There are few things that bother me more in the world than people who are fake in some way shape or form. My current pet peeve with fake-ness stems from the World Cup.
At 22 years old, I still play high level competitive women's soccer in the summer. Soccer is my number one sport and I'm good at it. I enjoy watching the World Cup on TV, even though I don't really have a specific team I want to cheer for per say. I would really have enjoyed seeing an African team win this year because it's in Africa, but alas, it was not meant to be. I was thrilled to see some of the heavy weights sent home early on though - mainly France and Italy because they thought it would be a walk and were acting a little to diva-esque.
In short - I like soccer, but have no patience for the theatrics it sometimes brings out in it's players. If you didn't get hit, get off your ass and keep going.
But that's not the point of this post.
The point of this post is my annoyance at people (girls in particular) who have decided they understand soccer. They clog my facebook newsfeed with meaningless posts about games and players. These are girls who I know for a fact who are completely un-athletic and have had zero interest in sports...until now. Suddenly, they have realized that for the duration of the World Cup, they can fake an interest and enthusiasm for certain countries to gain attention from the opposite sex. They talk about how hot players are - not about skills. They make stupid long rambling posts about nothing in particular with spelling and grammatical mistakes on top of the usual overuse of exclamation points.
A girl that I know from university is actively researching stats in an attempt to impress a guy she is madly in love with and who has already told her he has no serious interest in her past friendship.
Here's the thing - taking an interest in something your boyfriend enjoys is one thing. It's even one thing to take an interest in something so you can meet guys. I get that. However - these girls? They take it too far.
Those of us girls who have a legitimate interest in the sport are then looked upon as posers as well because of the bad rep these fake-tastic girls are tittering and giggling and going on and on about Christiano Ronaldo - which is usually the only name they know anyway. Did you even understand why that pass up the middle was a bad play? Didn't think so. Now get out.
It really boils down to this - don't fake it. We all know you're faking it. So stop. This goes for anything else you might fake as well. Because there are some females in the world with a legitimate interest in the sport and we can't hear the tv over your squeals. Go to a Justin Bieber concert where that sort of nonsense is tolerated.
At 22 years old, I still play high level competitive women's soccer in the summer. Soccer is my number one sport and I'm good at it. I enjoy watching the World Cup on TV, even though I don't really have a specific team I want to cheer for per say. I would really have enjoyed seeing an African team win this year because it's in Africa, but alas, it was not meant to be. I was thrilled to see some of the heavy weights sent home early on though - mainly France and Italy because they thought it would be a walk and were acting a little to diva-esque.
In short - I like soccer, but have no patience for the theatrics it sometimes brings out in it's players. If you didn't get hit, get off your ass and keep going.
But that's not the point of this post.
The point of this post is my annoyance at people (girls in particular) who have decided they understand soccer. They clog my facebook newsfeed with meaningless posts about games and players. These are girls who I know for a fact who are completely un-athletic and have had zero interest in sports...until now. Suddenly, they have realized that for the duration of the World Cup, they can fake an interest and enthusiasm for certain countries to gain attention from the opposite sex. They talk about how hot players are - not about skills. They make stupid long rambling posts about nothing in particular with spelling and grammatical mistakes on top of the usual overuse of exclamation points.
A girl that I know from university is actively researching stats in an attempt to impress a guy she is madly in love with and who has already told her he has no serious interest in her past friendship.
Here's the thing - taking an interest in something your boyfriend enjoys is one thing. It's even one thing to take an interest in something so you can meet guys. I get that. However - these girls? They take it too far.
Those of us girls who have a legitimate interest in the sport are then looked upon as posers as well because of the bad rep these fake-tastic girls are tittering and giggling and going on and on about Christiano Ronaldo - which is usually the only name they know anyway. Did you even understand why that pass up the middle was a bad play? Didn't think so. Now get out.
It really boils down to this - don't fake it. We all know you're faking it. So stop. This goes for anything else you might fake as well. Because there are some females in the world with a legitimate interest in the sport and we can't hear the tv over your squeals. Go to a Justin Bieber concert where that sort of nonsense is tolerated.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Canada Day!
Today is Canada Day - a magical day in which my dad blows up our front lawn with a vast array of chemicals that make pretty colours when brought into contact with fire.
I've also decided to try and actively blog some more. This is due in part because of all the random things that seem to have occurred in my life as of late. Little things, but things that require some thought.
This will also give me an outlet in the month of July because I feel July is going to be sheer chaos for me. I'm working full time with my camps, my online course begins on Monday and I have soccer. Oh, and I'd like to attempt some semblance of a social life in there as well.
This is where my day planner is going to come in handy.
In any event - I've decided to attempt to outline some more topics I will likely be discussing in this blog. Most likely I will blog about anything that pops into my head. I may go off on tangents. Actually that's a given with me, who am I kidding? I work with kids, so likely there will be some references to that. And, of course, the opposite sex.
The opposite sex has featured in a new role as of late. But that deserves it's own post at a later date in which I can devote the proper time needed to explain how this one has managed to sneak into my thoughts and set up camp as my current crush.
In any event - the stats you need to know about me:
+ 22 year old female
+ Canadian
+ just completed a Bachelor of Education to add to my Bachelor of Arts in History
+ reformed tomboy (hence the blog title)
+ overly sarcastic
+ single
So there you are. Now I'm off to meet some friends for lunch so we can sit on a patio and enjoy the sunshine.
I've also decided to try and actively blog some more. This is due in part because of all the random things that seem to have occurred in my life as of late. Little things, but things that require some thought.
This will also give me an outlet in the month of July because I feel July is going to be sheer chaos for me. I'm working full time with my camps, my online course begins on Monday and I have soccer. Oh, and I'd like to attempt some semblance of a social life in there as well.
This is where my day planner is going to come in handy.
In any event - I've decided to attempt to outline some more topics I will likely be discussing in this blog. Most likely I will blog about anything that pops into my head. I may go off on tangents. Actually that's a given with me, who am I kidding? I work with kids, so likely there will be some references to that. And, of course, the opposite sex.
The opposite sex has featured in a new role as of late. But that deserves it's own post at a later date in which I can devote the proper time needed to explain how this one has managed to sneak into my thoughts and set up camp as my current crush.
In any event - the stats you need to know about me:
+ 22 year old female
+ Canadian
+ just completed a Bachelor of Education to add to my Bachelor of Arts in History
+ reformed tomboy (hence the blog title)
+ overly sarcastic
+ single
So there you are. Now I'm off to meet some friends for lunch so we can sit on a patio and enjoy the sunshine.
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