Cultural or Personal Differences?

I am finally back again. I was in Illinois attending a friend's wedding and visiting my Bestest Friend in the WHOLE World (Gayle). I spent the night at my sister's on the way up there and on the way back in order to break up the trip and hang out with Sis, her hubby and niece. Sis was ready to party when I got to her house on Sunday on my way home but I was so exhausted from staying up late, drinking and waking up early for 3 nights in a row that i could barely keep my eyes open. I managed to stay "fun to be around" but I started getting more and more tired and Sis got more and more tipsy. I love her a lot and get along with her better than anyone else I know (I think I mentioned before that she is my sister by choice, not by blood. If not, leave me a comment and I'll revisit that story) but she can really say some crazy things when she drinks.

Our conversation kept going back to the time I spent at Gayle's house for a few days and Sis blurted out that she would never go back to Gayle's house with me after the last time I took her up there with me last year... That puzzled me a little bit as well as offended me in a way. She continued to explain how she thinks my friend Gayle is a wonderful person but has no clue about hospitality the way we understand it. She didn't offer us breakfast the last time we were at her house at all. I told Sasha that this statement was a little offensive to me because Gayle is my good friend but she is right... No matter how tired, busy and/or hungover Sis and I may be, we would always make sure our guests are properly fed and taken care of. Gayle has two little kids to chase around and she just doesn't eat much herself, so it is never a priority for her. I realize that and I let that go because she is so wonderful in all other aspects but I do wonder if it really is a cultural thing or not.

In my culture, if a person comes to your house, even for 5 minutes, you offer him/her everything you have to eat and/or drink; if he/she is staying at your house overnight, the guest always gets the best sleeping accommodations even if it means you sleeping on the kitchen floor. That's how I grew up, that's what I live by...

Not sure if I made any sense. Just rambling...

Equal Opportunity

I was sitting around drinking some wine while my clothes were in the dryer last night and reflecting on my dating life. Then it hit me - I've dated a very diverse group of guys. Let me do a quick recap for you (some of these may have been one-daters and others - long-term).

I've dates guys from the following countries:

• Russia
• Venezuela
• Mexico
• Zimbabwe
• Turkey
• Canada
• One of the small countries in the middle east (can;t remember which)
• Germany, and
• USA

I've dated:

• Olympic Swimmer (medalist)
• Pro-football player
• Funeral Home Director
• Cowboy
• Male Stripper
• Head coach of a College Football Team
• Arabic Prince (the real prince, no joke)
• NBA Player (ok, he wasn't one at the time but went on to become one 2 months after we broke up)
• Chef
• School Prinicipal

Wow! I've been busy!

Things all of them had in common:

• They were all at least 6' tall
• None of them smoked (which is ironic because I do)

How to shower: Men vs. Women

http://www.glumbert.com/media/shower

Another "Trent Update"

So... I sent him a message:

Me: "So you are f*cking sick of females???"

He replied: "Yeah, that was in response to my buddy Scott's recent issues with his girlfriend....long story short is she cheated on him and ended up pregnant...with a guy that she had only just met and doesn't even know his last name!!!! Sorry sweetie...it wasn't a blast at you...you are my sweetie...not just a "female" ;) muah"

Then he changed his status to: "Trent is glad he's sweethearts with Girlie Monkey"

I am laughing my ass off! How do I find these wackos???

Male Harem + An Update on Trent

I managed to piss off 4 guys yesterday without even leaving the house! That takes a special talent, hehe.

Guy #1 - N.: N. and I have been very good friends for the last 6 months or so. When we first met, he tried to take it to the next level. I was drunk one night and we ended up making out but I made it clear afterwards that it was a mistake and we remained friends. Well, we both went out on Saturday with some friends and he wouldn't stop talking about how I had this special glow and looked even more beautiful than usual... I think it had something to do with my new red dress ;-) Anyhow, we stopped by his house after the bars to pick some CDs and take them to a party. I had to pee so I used his bathroom while he was getting the CDs. I got out of the bathroom to find him waiting for me in the dark for a juicy kiss. I was so caught off guard that I didn't even react right away. I just turned around and sort of ran out of the house, then pretended it never happened.

We were talking about going to the pool the next day but I was too tired and hungover to mess with trying to look pretty at the pool, so I just told him we should go some other time. He continued to text me suggesting that we should hangout in the evening, drink some wine, watch a movie, etc since he was leaving for the whole summer on Monday. I said it wasn't a good idea. A couple of hours later, he texted me again asking what time he could stop by to say "bye". I got pissed and sent him a rude message (something like: "like I told you, it's not a good idea"...). He was pissed. I finally apologized and said I wasn't in a good mood and he caught me at the wrong time. We are back to being friends.

Guy #2 - G.: G. is a friend of mine as well. We always make flirty comments to each other but it's always been just a joke to me. Well, it turned out that he was hoping it was more serious than that. He tried to confess his feeling to me at that same party on Saturday but I escaped. However, I promised to see him at this bar where a bunch of our friends go to on a Sun. afternoon. I didn't show up...

Guy #3 - S.: Almost the same story as the one about G. S. is someone I know through friends. We hung out in the same group of people a couple of times. I saw him on Thurs. night and mentioned that I was probably going to see him on Sun. I didn't show up...

Guy #4 - Trent: I mentioned before how I invited Trent to go to an amusement park this Sat. and he said he was going to think about it and let me know on Thurs. I never heard from him on Thurs but here's our communication on Fri via Facebook messaging:

Trent: I will be heading up to Iowa to visit my Uncle and cousins who are in town over the weekend. This was kind of a last minute thing (last night actually) and I was planning on coming down on Sat, but my cousin Charlie is leaving for army basic training in a few days. Let's work on meeting up through the week sometime....I mean I usually only stay one night anyway..and you have to work every morning after. I really miss you. Call me if you want, I have a 3 hour road trip ahead of me, it would be nice to hear your voice.Trent

Me: Hey. Well, I figured you weren't coming since I didn't hear from you yesterday. It's kind of a bummer, because I am leaving for Illinois on Wed. night, will be gone for a week but that's alright. Are you still going to NJ in June?I'll try to call you this afternoon if I get a chance. Today is graduation so it's a little crazy. If not, call me some time this weekend. GM

I didn't have time to call him on Fri afternoon, then I figured he was busy with family and would call me when he had time. He never did. Then, last night he changed his Facebook status to: "Trent is f*cking sick of females"... I am guessing it had something to do with me...

There you have it! None of this breaks my heart really. I think it's really kind of humorous. I am glad that N. and I are back to normal because I really value his friendship.

(NOT SO) SIMPLE MATH

DRINKING + DANCING TILL 3 AM = BAD MORNING + NO SHOWER + TOUGH PRESENTATION AT 8AM

CHANCE TO SEE ALMOST ALL OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS IN ONE PLACE LAST NIGHT - PRICELESS...

P.S. LUCKILY THE PRESENTATION WAS WEB-BASED...

My kind of party!

I took last Friday morning off and drove to a Lake Resort an 1.5 hours away to meet up with my sis and her hubby on a Thur. night. He was there on business and she just tagged along to enjoy the luxuries, so, naturally, I couldn't miss out on that opportunity. We had a nice dinner, went to some fancy reception, then to a party at one of the suites where we were the only two women among 40 men. Let me tell ya - my kind of party. It doesn't matter whether the men are attractive or not or eligible or not. Just the amount of attention directed at us made it really fun for us. Of course, Sis's hubby had to spoil the fun and herd us back into the room when he saw the guys at the party watching porn (we were sitting on the deck, missing out on that). Well, we put him to bed and kept the party going on our own deck. Sipped on margaritas and gossipped till 3am.

My sis and I have this amazing ability to never get tired of one another. (I wish I could find that in a guy...). We can spend the whole weekend sitting around and talking and never running out of things to say...

Here's a part of our conversation about Trent:

Sis: When is Trent coming to visit you next? Oh, I wish I could meet him! He sounds like a real keeper!

Me: Mmmm Yeah... He is supposed to come tomorrow night...

Sis: What? He is getting a pink slip already?

Me: I didn't say that...

Sis: I know that look though. You are thinking about it, aren't you?

Me: I don't know. I am trying to convince myself to give him more time. I have no good reason to break up with him, he is a great guy, a perfect candidate for a serious boyfriend...yet, this whole thing feels very forced and uncomfortable to me. I find myself thinking that I'd rather spend tomorrow night alone with a good book...

Needless to say, Sis and I finished a bottle of tequila, had at least 4-5 margaritas at the reception and a couple of mojitos at the party... I had to drive for an hour and half in the morning to get to work by Noon.... Friday was rough... I called Trent and told him that he shouldn't come because I just wanted to go to bed as soon as I came home from work...

He said he understood but I could tell he was pissed! He hasn't called me much in the last few days and I just emailed him to see if he wanted to come this weekend. I told him we could go to an amusement park on Saturday, so he could come in the morning, leave in the evening and not worry about staying at the hotel. He told me that he didn't want to pay for the hotel any more and perhaps I could let him stay on my couch... I know he wouldn't do anything bad but I am still uncomfortable with this invasion of my privacy, so I suggested this day-long scenario... We'll see what he thinks about it...

Restaurant Meme - way overdue!

Chrissy tagged me with this meme a long time ago and I am finally getting around to it! By the way, someone else tagged me and I can't remember who. I apologize. I checked around the blogs that I read but couldn't find it today.

The rules:
1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the state and country you’re in.


Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
Velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
J (California, USA)
Curiosity Killer (Hong Kong, SAR)
Chrissy (Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada)

Girlie Monkey (Missouri, USA)


2. List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.

#1 - Haruno - Japanese Sushi Bar and Grill

Haruno features a fine assortment of local seafood presented by a Japanese chef who is aware of both the heritage of service and the dynamics of introducing this food to many who have not yet sampled it. For those who want to break into this cuisine slowly, they also offer the finest noodles, tempura, and bentto.

If you ever get a chance to visit, try the Miami Roll - I dream about it about once a week ever since I tried it. Yum! The atmosphere is very welcoming, yet cosmopolitan and prices are very reasonable.

#2 Trolley's Downtown Bar and Grille

Trolley's is located right on the square in the middle of all the downtown action. It is by far, our (mine and my girls) favorite weekend hang out. The atmosphere, crowd and menu are great, prices are reasonable. My favorite Grey Goose Dirty Martinis are $8.00 a piece but I only order them when someone else is planning on paying for my drinks (i. e. my friend's admirer who is a son of some oil magnate from Saudi Arabia. He has more money than he can spend so we don't mind helping him out once in a while ;-) Other menu favorites are: Sweet Potato Fries, Mediterranean Tuna Salad, Black and Bleu Burger and many more.

The restaurant is owned by four locals. One of them is Aaron who was nominated for and selected as "The Bachelor" on ABC a couple of years ago. Assuming you were one of the thirty million viewers of that season’s "The Bachelor", you got a sneak peak of Aaron holding a saw in his hand while finishing up the construction of the restaurant.

#3 Bijan's Sea & Grille

One of the best restaurants in town. Simply chic and delicious! Pricey but totally worth it!

#4 Springfield Brewing Company (commonly known as BrewCo)

BrewCo is one of the few breweries in the world built, operated and owned by a brewery equipment fabrication company. Paul Mueller Company began laying the ground work for Springfield Brewing Company in the fall of 1996 for the purposes of brewery equipment research and development. Anxious to share with the public the wide assortment of fresh, high-quality beers brew in name of innovation, Paul Mueller Company established this restaurant and pub.

Simply put: great fresh beer, lots of space (including an outdoor deck), best salsa I've ever had and great location!

#5 Great Wall Buffet



Yep! You heard me! When I moved to this town 2 years ago, I spent months on trying different Chinese restaurants in order to find the best one. I finally stumbled upon Great Wall and it was love at first sight (or sniff, I should say). The food is fresh and delicious. No wonder, it is packed at any time of the day!

*All photos and some general info are from the restaurants' websites.

Too tall to date? PPPPalease!

I am feeling very productive at work today, that is why I found this article on msn.com (go here to read). Of course, I was totally doing work-related research...

Anyhow, the topic really hit home because I am 5'8" and can relate to the author and the ladies interviewed. However, I do not think it's that big of an issue. While I am not that tall, all the shoes I own have high heels. That's all I wear, not because I am trying to be taller but because they make me feel sexier. So, if you ever see me out you would think I am 6'1". I never felt that it limited the number of men interested in me. On the contrary, there is something about being a confident tall woman that is very magnetic to men of all sizes (maybe, I have the modeling industry to thank). I do have my own height requirements for my dates but I am flexible. It seems like I get hit on by the short guys a lot more than the tall guys. After discussing that with several guy friends we came to a conclusion that men and women view the issue very differently.

Taller Women: They are thinking, "Are people looking at us funny? Are they thinking I was that desperate? Do I look like a cow next to him?"

Shorter Men: They are thinking, "Damn! I am on fire! I got me a tall chick! Everyone around me now thinks I have a lot to offer in the other department!"

The bottom line is - be yourself, be comfortable with who you are and what you look like. That is the most attractive physical quality any way and people will notice.

Bad boys vs Good boys

Sooooo.... I am trying to figure out what is wrong with me...

Trent is nice, good looking, smart, funny (quite a catch, right?) but he wouldn't shut up about how much I mean to him and how he would never do anything to hurt me, how he can see us growing old together, blah blah blah. He says he doesn't want to pressure me or scare me away yet he keeps putting me on the spot, trying to ask me if I miss him (or asking me if I am just saying that when I say it myself). I've been trying to be patient because I am hoping he will tone it down eventually but he is really starting to annoy me... Don't know how much more I can take...

Is it because I am used to dealing with guys that only want sex with no strings attached? Why do I like the bad boys that treat me like crap?

By the way, he is not going to make it down here tonight, so I get to spend the weekend with my girls. So excited!!!

Some more on Trent

I am working on my startegy on how to tell Trent about his kissing skills. I am thinking I am going to let him know how much I love kissing him first, then tell him that I would love kissing him even more if he wasn't as agressive and show him how it's done... We'll see how that goes.

I originally planned on spending the whole weekend with friends but Trent talked me into letting him come down on Fri night. I really didn't have anything planned till Saturday, so I told him that was fine. I'll just have to figure out the nice way to kick him out in the morning so I can get ready for the festivities with the girls.

Gotta get back to work. I'll get to that "meme", that I got tagged for by several people, soon.

The missing Monkey is back!

Well... My crazy travelling is finally over. I went to Wisconsin and Chicago last week. Tried to blog while I was there but for some reason, my bosses lap top that I had with me didn't allow me to get on Blogger...

Any how, the trip went well, no flight delays this time (for once ;-). I came back on Fri night and got ready for my date with Trent.

Update on Trent:

He came down around 5pm on Saturday. The first 10 mins were a little awkward but I got him to loosen up pretty fast. We sat around, had a couple of drinks and talked for a couple of hours; then got him checked in to a hotel and went out to dinner. Had a great steak, moved on to bar next door and did some more chatting. It was a fairly uneventful date but it was nice. I enjoyed it. I invited him to my house for breakfast the next morning. We ate, watched a movie while cuddling on the couch and he had to drive home.

I liked just about everything about Trent. He is nice, good looking, smart (and smart-assish like me), funny and serious about wanting a relationship. Just a couple of things that make me nervous: he lives 3 hours away (at least for now); he is VERY serious about a relationship (he practically told me he thought I was his dream woman and he wanted to marry me) - a little scary to me while still flattering; I don't like how he kisses (but I am still sexually attracted to him).

I don't think any of the listed "disadvantages" are "fatal". I can work with these so we'll see where it takes us...

He wanted to come see me this weekend but I desperately need to relieve some stress by hanging out with my favorite girls so i told him this Saturday was reserved for a girl's night out. He can miss me for a little while ;-)