Potential.

I sometimes whinge and whine about being single; most of my friends are in serious relationships if not married, and I sometimes feel like The Last Single Girl (hey, that could be a good title for a movie... cast me!).  But you know what's awesome about being single?

Dates.

Yes!  The actual act of going on dates almost always fades out of a long-term relationship, and even in those that deem "date nights" important, the need to impress each other fades.  Which is a nice thing, comfort is great, but sometimes it's fun to take a chance, to feel nervous, and to have no clue what you're getting into.

Especially when the date hits it out of the park.

Cut to my Sunday.  Now, y'all, I'm telling you this because I'm not embarrassed or ashamed, I'm just 29 and living in Los Angeles -- I'm on eHarmony.  And I'd been emailing with this particular guy, we'll call him B, for about a week.  I'm a big proponent of meeting relatively early on because there's only so much you can tell from emails and a few pictures; to feel someone's energy & real compatibility, you have to spend some time with them.

So I suggested meeting & he suggested LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art).  Perfect.

We met in the forest of streetlamps in front of the building; he looked like his pictures and bought my admission.  The museum was pretty full, which aided our mutual non-reverence; we weren't being disrespectful, but were there to enjoy ourselves & immediately feel into an easy dialogue making up silly stories about the Indian art we were looking at. 

We discovered a Jerry Springer plot in a painting of a nobleman with his handmaidens, and identified India's Siskel & Ebert of the 1700s.  We were cracking ourselves up.  We tried to be quiet, but noticed a few people giggling around us, and one couple even joined in & added to our story.

We stood for a while in front of this painting, imagining the dinners this very dysfunctional family might've had.

As we wandered around, we got to know each other better and the art helped us avoid awkward silences by inspiring questions like, what's your background, and where've you traveled?  It may sound like a stuffy location but because of its somewhat interactive nature, it was actually the perfect place for a first date - boys, take note!

When we got hungry, we headed to a shabu-shabu place down the street (if you don't know, it's a Japanese cook-your-own-food style restaurant), where we talked over the steam of seaweed water boiling our beef & veggies.  Dinner led to a discussion of karaoke (naturally), so we headed to a bar and picked each other's songs over the riot of a very large birthday party.

 very dark small pictures from my phone...

That's right, I said we picked each other's songs.  As in, neither of us knew what we were singing until we were standing up there with a mic in our hands.  So not only did I do karaoke on a first date, I did blind karaoke on a first date.  What am I, crazy???  Eh.  It's all part of the fun.

I had to sing Gwen Stefani, Hollaback Girl, and he had to sing Boys II Men, I'll Make Love to You (just because it's funny, don't go thinking dirty, it's a first date) - and we totally rocked it.

He was a total gentleman.  Besides a few "that's what she said"s (which, let's face it, I probably initiated) and a running Indian-exhibit-inspired joke about the kama sutra, he held doors for me, was hands-off, and even picked up the tab (which the Very Independent Woman that I am fought against, but he refused to budge).

I'm pretty sure it was the best first date I've ever been on.  That's what they all should be: fun, silly, spontaneous, full of conversation & laughter, not an awkward meal & silent movie, or some dude drooling all over you waiting for the end of the night to make a move.

So, I don't know, it may not go anywhere, but there will definitely be a second date and, hey, sometimes it's just nice to be reminded that dates like this DO exist.  :)

Today I am so grateful & happy for:

~ a fun day with a good guy

~ time to write

~ my new phone is working (and puuuurty!)

xo!  n.

Lovely Los Angeles

Yesterday I went to the farmer's market and hiking with some friends & then out for a 3 hour dinner with another friend; it's days like this that make me love LA.

Today I'm so grateful & happy for:
~ great friends
~ delicious fresh food (and eggs worth standing in line for)
~ a new phone!

xo!  n.

Reverb10 - Release, create, love

To participate in the Reverb10 prompts, reflect on 2010 and manifest for 2011, check 'em out here.

December 5: Let Go.  What (or whom) did you let go of this year?  Why?

Control.  I've always been an over-achiever and a worrier; I've always had a pretty tight hold on what I expect and how I'm going to get it.  This year taught me that I can't control everything; I've learned I don't even want to control everything because it often turns out SO much better when I just allow things to be what they are.

December 6: Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Besides my writing... :)  the last things I made were banners and signs for an event at work; I designed them in Photoshop & then the company printed them & they looked really good.  But the last things I made without prompting from anyone were the art pieces I made for the last Side Work show.  I sculpted wire hearts and made a lotus out of cardboard, newspaper and watercolors - picking only the positive, celebratory newspaper articles (which are really hard to find).  They all sold, which was such a great feeling.  I would like to do more projects like that; I always have a million crafty ideas, and I'm pretty good at executing them, but I don't put it at the top of my priority list, generally.  I would definitley like to carve out more time for creating physical, beautiful things, because it gives me an instant feeling of achievement.

December 7: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

The Stratejoy community has been THE most amazing, unexpected support group for me this year.  To those of y'all that found me on SJ, thank you, from the bottom of my heart; you've made the experience of writing cathartic, meaningful, and so very joyful for me.  In 2011 I really want to connect more deeply with that community and with similar people; I want to create an inspirational community (plans are in the works & expect something new & shiny to be revealed in January!!!)

Also, my LA "family" of friends has been an amazing, supportive community for me through this year of ups and downs, lefts and rights, confusion and clarity.  Through each step, they've said with a laugh, "we can't keep up with you, but we love you and are so excited for you."  On Thanksgiving, I looked around at a living room full of friends and thought: I love ALL of these people.  So much.  Thanks, y'all.

Today I am so happy & grateful for:
~ catching up  :)
~ Christmas champagne
~ a busy busy week/weekend with friends

xo! n.

[photo: my art display at Side Work]

A Portrait

I step out of the house in too-big boots that clack on cement and crunch golden leaves as my feet slide inside, skinny jeans (I've succumbed) tucked snugly in.  A woven hat that perches back on my head drooping like a wooly empty pillowcase hides my still-wet hair.  The dark green courdoury blazer and gold pashmina tied as a scarf that've become my winter uniform hide whatever possibly cute, probably bummy shirt I've chosen for the day.  A faded purse weighs my shoulder; I carry my coffee in one hand, keys in the other.  My neighborhood is alive but always quiet; it is sleepy and still as I cross the street to my beat-up car, in which I sit, waiting for the engine and my hands to warm.  It's 50 degrees and I'm pathetically freezing.

This is winter nikki.

Today I am so grateful & happy for:
~ finding flavored coffee creamer (the little ones from a gas station) in my desk - I'd forgotten about them!
~ fresh, free sushi lunch
~ a yummy-smelling soy candle in my office

xo! n.

[photo source]

Spreading Christmas Cheer!

My weekend was very festive!

Saturday Teeter, Chick and I were elves at Santa's Workshop at the Magic Castle.  We tray passed milk and cookies, helped kids stuff bears & bunnies and decorate wooden cars & trucks, and hung out with Santa and Mrs. Claus.  Don't be surprised if you see a Christmas card that looks a lot like this in your mailbox this year...

And do you see those hot elf shoes Teeter's sporting?  I had a first date later that night & on a dare from Chick, totally rocked those shoes to the coffee shop.  Oh yeah.  Luckily, I think he found it more funny than weird...  :)

Meanwhile, my new house underwent a transformation!  The landlord finally pulled up our nasty 20-year old carpet so now we have wood floors upstairs in the living room!!  She's not refinishing them until we move out (fair enough) so they're very stained and scratched, but it still looks two billion times better than the carpet did.  We have a Christmas tree, too, and the TV's been mounted above the fireplace (instead of in front of it), and all these lovely new elements make for a house that really looks like a welcoming home instead of a dirty frat pad.  Yahoo!

 Then, on Sunday, after a gray day sitting in my pjs with football on the TV & a cup of coffee in hand, I headed over to Teeter & Chick's house to help them decorate for Christmas!  We watched old-school Rudolph (Santa's a butthole in that movie!) and sipped hot chocolate.

It's been quite a lovely weekend.  How was yours?

Today I am so grateful & happy for:
~ Christmas decorating
~ clarity & calm
~ french press coffee

xo!  n.

Thanksgiving Shenanigans!

I woke up at 8am Thanksgiving day & drove over to Teeter & Chick's house in my PJs to watch the parade.  I had coffee & peanut-butter-chocolate cake for breakfast, just warming my body up for the gluttony that was to ensue.

I talked to my dad on the phone and texted my brother (we had just talked), and I skyped with my mom and got to see and say hi to my cousins, aunt and grandma, who are all enjoying a rented mountain cabin for the holiday.  It's the first time mom & I have video chatted, besides on Christmas last year when I was in Australia, and the fact that we can do that, and feel like we're in the same room, still blows my mind.

Then we all got dressed, me in a vintage inspired brown dress with the most adorable little half-apron AB sent me from Australia a couple years ago, looking like I just stepped out of the 1950s.  We made ourselves pumpkin-juice cocktails (with the pumpkin juice from Harry Potter!!) as we snacked on appetizers and watched football.

People slowly started to arrive - we ended up with about 15 people for dinner, with another 5 or so showing up after for desserts and games - and we started cooking.  Chick and I made the turkey (which, despite looking frightfully crispy early on, ended up perfect!) with a burbon-orange marinade, and I also made a fresh, from scratch, cranberry relish, cran-orange pecan stuffing, and ginger glazed carrots & sugar snap peas.  I felt very domestic and they all turned out happily deeeeelish.

We found the most awesome (and by "most awesome" I mean "absolute worst" and by "absolute worst" I mean "so very bad that it's so very good") Thanksgiving horror - you heard right, horror movie - ThanksKilling.  Oh yeah.  It was a deranged turkey killing people & stealing their identities and actually fooling people, despite the fact that it's 2 feet tall and feathered, into thinking it's a person.  It was hilarious and got us through our food comas.

Then it was game time.  Of course we played catchphrase, our go-to game, and then we played truth or dare on a friend's iphone, which sent us all into fits of giggles.  I had to look just slightly to the left of people when they spoke to me and melt an ice cube in my armpit, and all the dares were goofy like that.

Then we played Apples to Apples, and just when I thought people were going to start leaving, we got a whole second wind, second wave of people and ended up staying up til 4am (!!) playing Mafia.

It's ridiculous, really, who do we think we are, a bunch of late-20s early-30s jokers staying up all night?  Three of us crashed on the couch (luckily they have quite a large couch) and woke up around noon Friday, hungover and ready for Teeter's blueberry pancakes and a day of movie-watching.

We had a P-jammer jammie party; Teeter, Sean & I stayed in our PJs all day (a few other people joined us but we were the only ones in PJs), laying on the couch, eating leftovers and watching movie after movie.  It was a complete waste of the day, indulgent and wonderful.  Even Chick & Todd's two kittens joined us in the laziness.

It was a really fantastic Thanksgiving, full of friendship, laughter, ridiculousness and great food.  I hope you all had a lovely, thanks-filled Thanksgiving, and are enjoying a relaxing long weekend!

Today I am so grateful and happy for:
~ being able to spend Thanksgiving with these great friends (I wasn't supposed to still be living here!)
~ Skype
~ silly games & friends that are silly enough to play
~ a day where it's ok to be a lazy lump

xo!  n.

Randoms.

I don't know what to write about.  But I told myself I'd write at least every other day (especially weekdays) and all day long I've been staring at a blank blogger New Post page, trying to think of something interesting to say.

I got nothin'.

I will tell you this: it is cold in LA tonight & for the first time in... wow, eight years (!), the house I live in has central heating.  The steady exhalation from the vent over my bed is comforting and makes me feel like I'm back in my parents house.

I will also tell you this: there's a plant on my desk at work.  It was given to me by the Ellen Show & it's not just cut flowers, it's in soil.  It's not doing so well.  Yesterday I trimmed all the dead blooms and leaves and everyone made fun of me & told me to just throw it away, but I can't.  I can't give up on a living thing.  Especially when it's my fault I didn't water it enough and now it's dying.  What does that say about me?

One more thing:  do you think that if, instead of arguing with people & telling them what they're doing wrong or how they could improve (however helpful and loving of a place it's coming from), if we told people what we need from them - i.e. I need to be treated with respect or I need your support - would our relationships be stronger?  That sounds more selfish but is it really?  Don't we all just need the same basic things at our core?  If we all said what we needed out loud with no bullshit and we all listened to what other people needed, what would that be like?

Thinking too much...

Oh and ps - the other day I locked my keys in my car at a gas station.  The guys from the garage attached to it came over with coat hangers & long twisted lengths of wire and worked for at least 45 minutes trying to get my car door open.  I cheered them on from the passenger window.  Finally, when they gave up, I called AAA who, of course, had it open in 3 seconds.  I could've done that from the beginning, but it was so nice to get unsolicited, selfless help in LA, I didn't want to discourage them.

Tomorrow I will be fighting the grocery store crowds for last-minute Thanksgiving shopping.  Do any of you have a good stuffing recipe?

See, I warned you it'd be random.

Today I am so happy and grateful for:
~ my down comforter
~ paw paw ointment
~ a low-key day at work today

xo!  n.

Everything I Need...

There's a Muppet movie filming right outside my window (and let me just tell you how very happy that makes me - I love love loooooove the Muppets!!) at work this week.  I can't see much of the action due to a lot of equiptment and a poorly placed church facade, but they're playing the music over and over so the dancers and puppeteers can rehearse.  At first I tuned it out as just another element in the cacophany that is my on-lot work environment, but as it plays, I've been slowly picking out words, and DUDE.  I so needed to hear this:

"You've got everything that you neeeeeeeed,

right in front of you!

I've got everything that I neeeeeeed,

right in front of me!

Life's a happy song..."

Oh Muppets, y'all are the freaking best.

Today I am so happy & grateful for little reminders.

xo! n.

[photo source]

VIVA Eagle Rock!

I heart my new neighborhood so hard. 

My friend C swung by to pick me up Sunday for our Eagle Rock day of fun & when he saw me step out the door of my little red house, past hanging plants and down the sweet curving pathway to the car, he said, "you look so right coming out of that house!!"

We drove streets of wood-sided bungalows and little gabled houses with charming wide porches to Eagle Rock Blvd. and Auntie Em's Kitchen, a funky little restaurant/bakery with a seasonally fresh menu.  Through the brightly colored interior, past the vintage wooden case displaying their famous cupcakes and a blonde-haired plastic skull, we settled ourselves out back below little chandeliers and next to a flourishing herb garden.

Both of us being southerners, we just 'bout flipped our shit when we saw there were cheesy sausage GRITS on the menu!!!  We both wanted lighter meals but shared a side of the grits and they were incredible - perfectly cheesy and not too sausage-y with fresh tomatoes on top.  And that, added to his cauliflower scramble with rosemary potatoes and my squash and fennel salad, made it a deeeeeelightful (and gorgeous!) meal.

And then, of course, we HAD to try the cupcakes.  Oooohhh super delish!  The little sample size was just perfect, and obviously, we demolished them.

But the best part was the conversation.  C always seems to understand where I'm coming from and what's going on with me; we constantly find ourselves exclaiming "Yes!" in agreement and bursting out in laughter.  I really love hanging out with him.

We wandered around, window shopped, cranked up beautiful music and let go of all the questions in our minds to just enjoy the day.  We found an awesome gastropub, The York, which happens to be only one mile from my house (!) and we stopped for an afternoon pint.  And guess what!!?  They serve grits too!  What WHAT!  L-o-v-e love.

It makes me very happy to find people and places that make LA feel like home.  Viva the Eagle!

Today I am so grateful and happy for:
~ a random day of fun
~ creative ideas & friends to bounce them off of
~ cheesy southern grits!!

xo!  n.

Only in Hollywood

Overheard today at work:

"Muppets are shooting in the firehouse."

No!  Fozzie, put down the gun!  What did that dalmation ever do to you!!??  Hee heee heeeee...

xo!  n.