5 weeks in GA

Wednesday

Papa's Pantry changed my shift from 1-3 to 11-1 for today.  Don't they know I don't get up that early?  I actually had 3 appointments today at Papa's Pantry.  Everyone is very hesitant to take all the food they want.  I am constantly encouraging people to take more food.  The last lady I helped today had the most disgusting, dirty, stinky, filled with clothes, garbage, food, etc. car.  I almost couldn't load the groceries into it because it smelled so bad :(

That night I went to a comedy club (The PunchLine) with Ryan in Roswell.  There was an hour of up and coming comedians....it was open mic night.  And then there were two openers and the headliner.  I always feel like comedians who are struggling to get their foot in the door are way funnier than already established comics.

Thursday

I get a text from Seumus saying, "So is it uncouth to ask for some feedback?  I get the sense that you aren't all that interested.... I'd rather be wrong because I enjoy your company:  you are fun, witty, engaging, sexy and smart, but I'm right, well, that's ok too..."

Is it ok to say "Your car is so filthy that I would never step into it again, much less let our future babies"?  And "that makes me see what you value in your life and it is not cleanliness nor making a peaceful and relaxing home environment," and "I'm allergic to cats, so they'd have to go."?  Or, "it freaks me out that you told me a story about how one time you got pulled over for a DUI but refused the breath-a-lyzer and instead starting doing yoga poses to prove you were sober, even though you were self admittedly wasted"?  Who does that??!?!?!

Friday

There was a dance lesson posted through the Cherokee County Social Adventures meetup group that I'm in.  Keith and I went on a second date to that.  We went to a Mexican place for dinner first, and then went to Canton GA for a ballroom dance lesson.  The lesson was a group lesson from 7:30-8:30, and then from 8:30-10:30 there is a "dance party" in which you can practice the moves you just learned.  We spent 45 minutes learning the fox trot, and then 15 minutes learning the swing.  He was a good dance partner, but I will not be dating him any longer.  He's just kind of too goofy and nerdy, in a nice way, but not in an "I want you to be my future husband" way.  The men are dropping like flies!

Saturday

Ryan came with me to look at some apartments I want to rent in Mountain Park and Marietta.  It's not really working out living with Stephanie and Jason.  I'd like to SAVE the friendship, not RUIN it, so I feel it's best for me to move out.  Maybe I'll explain in more detail why on some future post.  Then Ryan and I went to Acworth for dinner.  We went to some Cajun place named "Henry's" that he's always wanted to try.  The food was AWESOME!  And Henry himself walks around wearing old school hammer pants and gives all the ladies and kids mardi gras beads to wear.  There were also a few little shops we walked around in and of course there was a train that we had to get our picture on.  See facebook for photo.  On the way home I saw this gigantic spider on a roof and had to pull over to get that photo.  Again, see facebook for photos. 

Sunday

Today I finalized plans to move out.  I will be moving in to a basement here in Woodstock.  Private entrance and exit, fully furnished with high end quality items:  black leather couches, 65" TV, full bar, and designer pool table.  Not that I need all that stuff, but I do need a place to myself.  After living in CT and now GA with roommates, I REALLY value alone time.  When I first lived in South Bend by myself, I hate hate hate hate hated it.  Now I crave living by myself!  So I'm moving out on September first.  The people who live in the house are from Pakistan.  They live in this upscale neighborhood, in this ridiculously nice house.  There's a Hummer in the driveway...  They will take me on a month to month basis, because if the son's girlfriend kicks him out, he will need to move back in to the basement, says his mom.  HA!  That's awesome for me, because I don't know how long I'll be in GA, but I do know that I'm not ready to leave yet.

Happy 1 month GA Anniversary to me....

Saturday was fun.  Stephanie and Jason actually left the house and invited me to come with.  It was Stephanie's birthday, and we went to the Pigs and Peaches Festival in Kennesaw, GA.  I posted those pics on facebook, and of course I made her a red velvet birthday cake.  I'm having trouble uploading pictures to this blog now.  In fact, if I take the pictures with my iPhone I can upload them on here, but if I take the pics on my camera, I can't.  Since all the pics were on my camera from the Pigs and Peaches fest I couldn't publish them on here.

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Sunday I had my first date with Keith.  After going to the P & P festival and sweating profusely I decided doing something outdoors might not be a great idea for a first date.  So we just went to lunch instead.  We went to TacoMac, which is kind of like a B-Dubs...huge sports bar, wings, etc.  What I liked about Keith prior to meeting was his skill at holding meaningful conversation.  Upon meeting him, he wasn't as attractive as I had imagined, and all we did was have deep conversation about the meaning of life, and other things blah blah blah.  While I love to have meaningful conversation, it needs to be balanced with fun and meaningLESS conversation too.  There was none of that...it was kind of intense.  He seemed really nervous too...he was literally shaking at various times.  All of  these most recent dates are making Ryan look better and better...

Dates

So Friday night, the very next night after I went to the Braves game, Ryan invited me over to his house for dinner and a movie.  He was going to cook but I still wasn't feeling the greatest and was not trying to eat around him.   So I went over there, he ate, we ended up watching Jersey Shore and the roast of David Hasselhoff.  He is taking a GMAT class on Saturday mornings so it was a low key and early night.  Jason gave me an anti-diarrhea pill before I went there.  HA!  No gases escaped my orifices this time...

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Tonight I went on a second date with Seumus.    We went to an improv comedy event in the ghetto. 

Before we left, I met him at his apartment.  I walked in and it was such a mess.  There was incense burning, two cats, a huge weight lifting apparatus, and about four computers. Random laundry was everywhere, several blinds were bent backwards, stuff was out everywhere on the counters and tables, no decorations, the dishwasher was running, etc.  I just immediately thought, "I can't believe he let me in here".

When we left and I got into his car, I got a whole other view of how this guy lives.  His apartment was at least not dirty.  VERY ridiculously messy, but not dirty per se.  His car, however, was filthy.  He had leather seats that were ripped to shreds in some parts with stuffing spewing out.  There were random cigarette butts in various places around the car (none being in the ashtray).  There was such a thick layer of ash coating the entire inside of the car that I couldn't believe it.  There were weeks worth of parking passes from various places sitting on his dash that had accumulated for who knows how long.  I don't think his vehicle has EVER been cleaned. I was speechless that again, he even let me near his car. 

So that kind of set the tone for me for the evening.  The improv place we went to was no where near as funny as the one I went to with Kim last weekend.  He wanted to go out for a drink after that but I declined.  I'm still not feeling 100%...it kind of comes and goes in waves of me feeling fine and then not feeling good at all.

But never fear - tomorrow I have a date with Keith from Atlanta for the first time =)

MORTIFYING

Today I had a second date with Ryan. We went to a 1:00pm Atlanta Braves baseball game. I met him at his house, got a tour, and then changed into the t-shirt he got me so I could look like a real fan. I asked him, the day before, if he had a Braves shirt I could wear, I did not mean for him to go out and buy one. Apparently I must look littler than I am, because the shirt was a little tight! The game was really fun. We sat in an area that was covered by the floor above us so we were in the shade, right behind home plate. He is more than willing to do fun photo opportunities, he has a great attitude, and he is funny. Not as funny as me, but we can’t all be.

 

When the game got out there was a man selling turtles. “Turner Field Turtles!” I couldn’t resist…they were so cute and little and the most perfect shade of green I’ve ever seen. So now I have turtle named Turner (shhh…don’t tell Stephanie and Jason!).

And all was going just swell until the car ride home. About 20 minutes in to downtown Atlanta rush hour traffic, I got really hot. I tell Ryan this and he cranks up the air. I lean over on to the passenger door side armrest to close my eyes and relax. All of a sudden I feel like I’m going to throw up all over the place. Then I remember Turner is at my feet and his little habitat would be an ideal location in which to puke. So I tell Ryan I’m going to puke and I pick up Turner’s container. Ryan, being ridiculously concerned about Turner, tells me I can’t puke on him. Really? Where else would you like me to puke in your Lexus? Next thing I know, there is water dripping on my leg because Ryan has removed Turner from his container to save him from my vomit. Now, he says, puke away.

So uncontrollably I start dry heaving over Turners habitat when a huge, unpredictable toot comes flying out! Oh yeah, totally cut the cheese, let one rip, passed gas, whatever you want to call it. I was surprised when it happened, but really too ill to be embarrassed. Five minutes later however, when I was feeling back to normal, without ever having puked, I had the whole car ride home to be humiliated. While I was in the process of feeling hot, feeling like crap, and deciding I was going to puke on Turner, I was embarrassed enough at those facts alone. NO that turned out to be the least of my concerns! The car ride continued and I would feel good for a while and then the hot flashes and nausea would come back for a few minutes and the cycle repeated itself 3-4 times on the way home. I never did throw up.

I just pretended it never happened, and he certainly didn’t mention it. He was very understanding and supportive and concerned about how I was feeling but all I kept thinking was that he was thinking the worst of me. There’s a saying in AA that you’re only as sick as your secrets. So I’m outing myself in hopes of one day looking back on this and finding it funny, instead of self-esteem damaging.  Is it funny yet?  Nope.

Decisions, decisions

Jobs, Men, and Leisure - Me thinking out loud

Jobs

• 
  
  I got called today to be a maternity leave sub at Pebblebrooke High School in Mableton, GA.  In GA, you need a GA teaching license in order to be a regular sub, but in order to be a permanent sub, you only have to have a degree - in anything!  It makes no sense to me...  I'm scheduled to interview Thursday at 2:30.  It is a 45 minute drive with no traffic.  Mabelton, I found out, is a very under developed poverty ridden area, and I would be teaching Math I and Math II.  These classes are for high school kids who aren't even in algebra yet.  The more I've gotten to think about it, the less I want to interview.  The benefit of being a sub is working when I want to, and not working when I don't want to.  This position would be everyday for a minimum of 6 weeks and they can't tell me the maximum number of days other than it caps out at 3 months.  The pay is good...$100/day (again, more than regular subs get paid even with a GA teaching license!), but I think I am going to cancel the interview.  The whole point of this year was for me to explore options OTHER than teaching.  Plus, I wouldn't be able to volunteer at Papa's Pantry anymore.

• 
  
  I also applied and got called for an interview next Thursday at 10:30am with a company called CLASS.  This complany sends people to anywhere in the US for 45 days.  You live and work in an apartment complex for those 45 days straight, and then get 2 weeks off.  During those 45 days your job is to increase renters of the complex through marketing and who knows what else.  There are 10 days paid training on how to become a leasing agent, and then they send you off.  After your 45 days working, and then 2 weeks off, you start all over again and get sent somewhere new for the next 45 days and the cycle repeats.  I think that this job could be ideal for what I want to do this year - travel, meet new people, and explore new places.  And to do it on someone else's dime is ideal.

• 
  
  I also signed up with a tutoring company and have gotten my first client.  She is a 7th grade girl, who is an actress, so all her schooling is done on-line.  She needs help with the math since no one is really there to teach her.  So I will be doing that for 2 hours per day, every other day.  But only from September 7th -October 5th, because then "she will be gone for three months for the national tour of How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  Maybe she will be the next famous movie star...

 Men

• 
  
  I had a date tonight with Seumus (pronounced Shay-mus), 30, from Vinings, GA.  Surprisingly, it went well.  Considering all my eHarm dates from IN and CT were total wastes of time, my GA matches are good so far!  We met in Marietta's old fashioned town square.  The first place we went was called Hemingways and we sat outside on tables and chairs on an old brick roadway.  We had a drink or two and then left.  Next we went to the Marietta Pizza Company.  Again we sat outside and we ordered Hawaiian pizza (sorry Kel) which was amazing!  Is it rude to take the leftovers home if you didn't pay for the meal?  I didn't take them, but SO wanted to!

Upon parking I saw this caboose or something that I just had to get my picture on. Yes, I hopped the steel fence in order to do so, and yes those are my shoes laying on the ground. "Hi, I'm Courtney. Would you mind taking my picture on that train? I'm serious." How exciting would it have been to get arrested on a first date? hahaha
• 
  
  Then there's this guy Keith, 37, from Atlanta that I've been talking to on the phone but have not yet met.  The first phone call was 45 minutes and the second was an hour and 45 minutes.  We are planning on doing something active this weekend, like hiking or climbing a waterfall.  So I'm super excited to meet him too.

Leisure

• 
  
  I have to decide by tomorrow if I want to go on that cruise or not with the 575 Singles Meet Up Group.  You know, the one where everyone was in their mid to late 40s.  The price is sooooooooo cheap and I looooooooove cruises so it's hard for me to pass it up.  On the other hand, how crazy is it to drive 8 hours to FL, stay with this woman named Tammy on the ship, and drive back 8 hours with Tammy.  I guess it's one way to make a friend in Woodstock.  Then again, my year is supposed to be spent doing things outside my comfort zone and saying "yes" to adventure.  Plus, if I continue working out four days a week, it will be a nice reward for doing so.  The boat leaves September 20 and I'm guessing I will be on it.

I am not the only one...

I am not the only teacher from my school who took advantage of the opportunity to take the school year off.  My good friend Britney is also taking the school year off, in order to go to Haiti and volunteer her year teaching at a school there.  She has to raise all of the money herself for food, airfare, house payments while gone if she can't find renters, storage for her belongings, etc etc etc.  Britney is only about halfway where she needs to be financially in order to go.  If you have any extra room in your wallet to help support Britney in this amazing cause that God has called her to do, please visit HER blog at http://britneylsmith.blogspot.com/

For example, her blog lists the following as things she still needs (among many many other things):

•round trip airfare from Chicago to Port au Prince $600


•insurance for the entire year $600

•a dry, secure location to store furniture and household items for 11 months OR $140/mo for a storage unit

•electricity and propane tanks for the stove $70/mo
•in country transportation costs $50/mo
•600 cell phone minutes $16 (can purchase more as needed)


Please check out her blog to learn of her faith, her mission, and where she's at financially.  THANK YOU!

3 week GA anniversary

I had a date last night with Ryan, 33, from Woodstock.  He was a little thinner than I thought he'd be, but good looking.  He asked me if I wanted to meet him at his house.  I said, "Maybe, but is that so you can bury me in your back yard?"  His response was, "Yep.  Already got the hole dug right next to the last girl that stopped by."  So right then I knew the night was going to be FUN, or least not BORING =)  I did not go to his house, just in case he really is a serial killer, so we met in some parking lot in Woodstock and then he drove us to Roswell, which is a neighboring town.  We went to the historic old downtown area which was SO cute with tons of restaurants with outdoor seating, little shops, and art galleries.  It reminds me of a little beach town full of touristy shops and people, but there is no beach around and all the patrons are local.  It was strange... I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that this is how people live.  They aren't on vacation, they live here!  This isn't a special little place to go once a year - you can come there anytime and any season! 

We went to a place called Greenwood's for dinner.  It was good old fashioned country cooking.  We sat outside, and most outside seating in GA has ceiling fans which is fun.  I decided to be daring and I ordered grits.  Cheesy grits.  And I hate to admit this, it actually hurts my pride to do so, but I actually liked them!  They were really unusual... but really a pleasant surprise.  I didn't eat all of them, but I was proud of myself for trying them.  Then I tried one of his fried okras.  I thought anything fried is probably pretty good but it was not.  It definitely needed ketchup.  Ryan says no one dips them in ketchup :(

After dinner we walked around down town.  Upon spotting two large moose made out of steel, I made Ryan "mount the moose".  I told him he had to for my blog.  He obliged.  This is not a great picture of him, but you get the idea.

After that we went to this place called the Street Kitchen.  We sat outside and there was a large, jolly man singing live music and playing the guitar.  It was awesome!  We each had a drink, and then called it a night.