Today Was a Good Day

Today was a good day.  That’a all I’m going to say about that.  😊.  See you guys in the morning. 

Straight to the Point

Morning!  This is going to be a good day.

My favorite part is at the end where OKC notices that the language might be inappropriate.  I wouldn’t say that it’s inappropriate, but the guy could definitely benefit from trying to make conversation before jumping into the sex request.   I’m assuming he got busted by the OKC police since his account got disabled. 

I have a busy day ahead of me, so I gotta get rolling.  See you guys tonight. 

Cookie For Your Thoughts?

Today has been a busy day.  I worked, went to dinner with a co-worker, went to a leggings party, worked out, and then made cookies.  

I'm excited about the cookies.  And about having more clothes with an elastic waistband.

I got an e-mail today from one of the speed dating guys whom I picked but did not pick me.  He said I give off the impression that I'm not interested.  Unfortunately, I know why I do this.  I had a bad experience last year that I'm not going to describe, but it has definitely made me paranoid about giving men the wrong idea.  I'm not really sure how to turn it off at this point.  I'm not really sure that I want to.

On a happier note, tomorrow is gonna be a really fun day.  I'm meeting up with some friends and then going to a passion party.  I highly doubt I will buy anything, but I'm excited to hang out with the girls.

I need to sleep so I can be semi-functional for lunch tomorrow.  See you guys in the morning.

Romcoms are Dead

Good morning!  Happy Friday. 

I really do hate romcoms, but that’s a story for another day.   I also don’t see the competition aspect of romantic comedies, but what do I know.  I don’t watch them.

I’m so happy that today is Friday.  I’m exhausted, and I have a fairly busy weekend ahead of me.  See you guys tonight.

The Results Are In...

...and I shouldn't take Logan's dating advice anymore.

I did the worst I have ever done at speed dating.  Granted, I selected a lot fewer guys than I have in the past, but I got one match.  It was the guy I was hoping for, so that was cool.  I guess that's the difference between keeping things light and asking deep, oddball questions.  Also, I noticed that telling guys that I write short horror stories didn't go over super-well.  I feel like I'm reverting back to my awkward high school geeky side.

Takeaway lesson: Logan's fictional character question is sabotaging my love life.

On a happier note, Jessica and I went to the Back to the 80s Cafe & More tonight.

It's super cute and retro.  The owner's grandfather used to own an antique mall, so he has storage areas full of 80s memorabilia that he rotates on display in the cafe.  You should check it out.  It's fun, and the food is nostalgic.

That's about all I have for today.  I'm mentally exhausted and I need a shower.  See you folks in the morning.

They Count

Good morning!  That was another short sleep cycle. 

One thing I forgot to mention about speed dating last night is that Logan suggested I ask the guys to pick their favorite fictional character from any universe, then explain why they picked it as their favorite.  I got one or two good answers out of fourteen, which I guess isn’t bad odds.  

Alright, time to get up and be productive.  Jessica and I are meeting at an 80s cafe after work, so that should be interesting.  See you tonight. 

Go, Speed Dater!

A few business items before I get into tonight's activities:

The Station 102 show on 1/27 has been canceled.  We are all super bummed.  I'll let you know if/when it gets rescheduled.

The Willie Listen show at Luna's on 1/24 is still a go!  In fact, Willie just made this poster.

Come see Willie Travis get strangled by a lei, me get fake arrested, Stephen Ferris hitchhike down a stairwell, and Teo Morgan look terrified.  Or Teo-rified, if you will.

Alright, tonight was my fourth round of speed dating.  I told one of the guys that it was my fourth time, and his answer was, "I guess it doesn't work, then".  Touche, but true.

As usual, the other women were my favorite part of the evening.  They were all very kind and friendly, and one of the best times I had tonight was standing in line for the bathroom getting to know all of them.   I hope that we can all hang out again.  Someone should invent friend speed dating.  Speed friending.  I don't know.  It's late and I'm tired.  Moving along.

If anyone is unfamiliar with the way speed dating works, there are a bunch of tables with numbers on them.  Each table has two people, and every six minutes the moderator rings a bell to tell the men to move to the next table.  Six minutes is both incredibly short and an eternity, depending on the conversational skills of the people at the table.  Fun fact: don't tell people that you do stand-up comedy if you don't want it to consume the rest of the six-minute session.  You will realize afterwards that you know virtually nothing about them, but they will all know the details of your upcoming shows.

I'll be frank: I marked a lot fewer "yeses" than in my last three speed dating attempts.  Maybe some of it is my state of mind right now.  Maybe part of it is that I finally realized you shouldn't say yes to someone you can't imagine going out with on an actual date.  

So the question of the day is: did it work?  I guess.  The matches aren't generally sent out until a few days after the event, so I should be getting an e-mail on Friday.  

One of the guys came over and talked to me at the bar before the speed dating started, then stopped me to talk on my way out.  He asked for my number before I left, which is against the rules, but I admire his initiative.  We'll see how it goes.

I need to sleep.  I'll see you guys in the morning.

Don’t Be a Hater

Morning, folks. 

I have speed dating tonight.  It’s something I have mixed feelings about currently, for multiple reasons.  Right now I’m just looking at it as a fun experience where I can hopefully meet some cool people and get some stories. 

Time to get up and go to work.  See you guys with some hopefully not too traumatic stories in tonight’s post. 

...And Now For Something Completely Different

So this happened today.

Thanks to everyone who looks at this thing.  I love you guys.

Comedy news: Dave Touchstone just booked me on the Sacramento Comedians Invade...Sacramento showcase at Laughs Unlimited on 2/28.  The lineup includes a lot of names that should be familiar, including Wendy Lewis, Jay Wuck, Tom Bomb, Josh Means and Buddy Rahming.  Buddy is fresh off a role in Love Kills on Investigation Discovery.  It's going to be a good show.  You should be there.

I know that this blog is already the least focused thing on the internet, but I'm thinking about posting some of the short stories I have written, as well as writing from some other cool folks.  If you would like to see your work on here, e-mail me at nicole@thebeentheredonethatproject.com.

I'm tired and I want food.  I'm going to eat and then read for a bit.  See you guys in the morning.

Driving Miss Crazy

Good morning!   

When I saw this, my mind immediately went to Uber/Lyft.  Maybe because I don’t really see Yuba City (or even Sac) as a place where people utilize chauffeurs.  We’ve already established that I’m a mean person who hates cryptic job descriptions.  Anyway, moving along. 

I already can’t wait to get back into bed.  See you guys tonight. 

Where Are We Going?

I hope that you all had a nice long weekend.  I did.

I'm in a weird place right now.  There are a lot of things that are going on in my life that I'm not going to blog about.  Some are because they're too personal.  One is to protect the privacy of the other person involved.  If anyone out there has a piece they would like to submit to the blog, please do.  I would love to post another perspective, especially right now.

I got into a discussion this weekend about not knowing where things are headed.  I'm in a complicated situation right now with both space and time constraints.  It sounds way more sci-fi than it actually is, but now that I think about it, that would actually make a great concept for a story.  Anyway, I digress.

There is someone whom I care about very much that I can't be with.  It's a lot more complicated than I would like it to be.  It's not logical, and I didn't plan it this way.  I have no idea what's going to happen, but it did get me thinking.

Nothing is ever 100% guaranteed.  People change.  Situations change.  It isn't even necessarily anyone's fault.  I guess that all we really have is what's in front of us right now.

For now, I'll just enjoy the situation for what it is.

Sorry that this post is both vague and overly dramatic.  I'm listening to Pink Floyd right now.  What can I say.

I'm signing off to read and get ready for bed at a decent hour for once.  See you guys in the morning.

It’s a GERD, It’s a Plane!

Good morning!  I’m thankful that I have today off, because acid reflux kept me up most of the night.  Getting older is fun.  I did make this awesome Shakshuka, though.

Today’s screenshot is not creepy.  This guy seems to be really trying. 

Part of me wanted to just answer “NO.”  Another part of me wanted to message him back and suggest re-wording it to something like “Tell me about your favorite concert or professional sporting event experience.”  It’s a way more open-ended question, and hopefully leads to some discussion.

I don’t think I ever did answer that guy, but it was because I got locked out of my POF account.  It’s a blessing in disguise.  I was getting a lot of hateful messages.   

Alright, I’m gonna find some non-acidic food since I’m having poke tonight.  See you guys in the evening. 

Nicole Tries RPGs

Happy almost tomorrow!  Last night I went to my high school friend Joel's house to watch he and his friends play Pathfinder.

Pathfinder is a fantasy role-playing game that is very combat-based, and very complicated.  This particular group of 6 friends (and two gamemasters) had already been playing since the end of 2014, so I popped in somewhere in the middle of their progress through the book.   

From what I could gather, there is a map in the middle of the table with a grid on it, and each character has a figurine that appears to serve approximately the same purpose as a Monopoly piece.  Each person has a set of dice (SO. MANY. DICE.), and the numbers they roll determine what happens next in the game.  Joel and the other gamemaster sat and crunched numbers the entire time.  Another player was on a laptop the whole time manipulating data.  It was a lot to take in.  Joel mentioned that it takes a ridiculous amount of prep to get ready for one of these game nights, and I believe him.

Each player has a sheet with information about his/her character.  The other side of the page also has a ridiculous amount of data.  I understood almost none of it.  Joel tried his best to explain it to me, but I had too many questions and I didn't want to interrupt everyone's game.

The game took about 3 hours.  It was intense, but there was also a lot of laughter.  Everyone brought food and beverages and had a great time hanging out.  It was a lot of math, but also a lot of problem-solving.  Even though I had no idea what was going on, it was still fascinating to watch.

My main takeaway from watching this campaign is that it's about the game, but not really.  It's a bunch of friends getting together to enjoy a common interest and each others' company.  Everyone I met last night is really awesome, and I hope to see them all again at some point.

This is going to be an interesting week.  I have speed dating on Wednesday, plus I'm going to be reuniting with someone I haven't seen in a really long time.  I'll keep you posted.  Right now I need some sleep.

See you all in the morning.

What are You Doing Here, Steven?

Good morning!  That was a short night.  

You’re just...chilling in your car...at the park...looking for company...

The grammar in this post is scarily bad.  So bad I’m concerned about what else this guy is doing while he’s chillin’ at the park. 

I think I see Chris Hansen from To Catch a Predator coming for you, Steven.   

I’m off to do some shopping.  I’ll post the wrap-up for RPG night later in the day.  See you later. 

Good Night/Morning/Whatever

I apologize.  Tonight’s post is going to be short.  I stayed out later than I meant to, but that seems to be my Saturday night schedule as of late.  

RPG night was awesome.  I will post about it tomorrow.  I need to do some research, because at this point I don’t even know what I don’t know.  I ended up meeting Eddie and Pete at Stoney’s afterwards.  It was fun.  Neither of them had much luck at the bar, but what else is new.  

I’m going through a transition period where I’m forcing myself to confront some stuff.  It’s hard, and I probably wouldn’t have done it on my own, but I think I will feel a lot better at the end of it.  Things that are worth it generally aren’t easy, though.

I’m getting up semi-early, so I’m gonna get some sleep.  See you guys in a few hours.

Kid-Tested, Mother-Approved —> Still Rejected

Morning, gang!  I slept for ten hours, and I feel super refreshed.  Maybe I should try sleeping on weekdays, too.

I know I’m being a hater this week, but there are so many things that make me uncomfortable about this profile.  

First of all, it’s great that you love your kid, but I don’t think it’s safe to put a picture of him/her on your dating profile (Eddie is also big on this having the potential to go south for single parents).  That guy’s “Kid Tested Mother Approved” tagline also has super creepy connotations.

The username is hella cheesy, but that’s the least of my worries at this point.  There’s also the mega-vague “Have Professional Career” line.  Please.  For the love of God.  At least list the general industry in which you work.

Also, I have an aversion to guys sticking their tongues out in pictures.  I’m sorry.  I just can’t get past that.

I have a jam-packed day of getting a pedicure, sitting in on an RPG night, and then meeting Eddie and his friend Pete out at a bar to try to help Pete get over a breakup.  See you guys in the evening post (which will realistically probably be a 2 am post).  

10 Things I Hate About You: In Movie Theaters

Happy Friday!  If you haven't started watching Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams yet, do so immediately.  That show is fire.  I'm watching it right now.

Tonight's post is the second installment of 10 Things I Hate About... with Jessica.  This week's theme is movie theaters.

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10 Things I Hate about You: In Movie Theaters

1. Talking constantly throughout the movie.
2. Guessing the end of the movie throughout the movie. See Number. 1.
3. Asking me what just happened because you were talking to me and not watching the movie. See Numbers 1 and 2.
4. Smoking pot during the movie.  I don’t care if it’s legal—it’s stinky.
5. Eating crunchy food, esp. with your mouth open, and even worse, during quiet scenes.  
6. Coughing loudly and dramatically. Get up and leave the theater if you must.  
7. Trying to touch me during the movie. Don’t grab my hand, put your arm around my shoulder, or put your hand on my knee (esp. the latter-- you will get punched in the arm.).
8. Getting up and sitting down throughout the movie.   Please get your food/drink/go to the restroom beforehand.
9. Putting your feet up on the back of the seat in front of you.  It’s rude to that person, and your big-ass feet are probably partially blocking my view of the screen.
10. Anything you are doing with your phone – answering it, texting on it, even having it on silent but letting it be visible so it lights up when someone tries to reach you. PUT IT AWAY OUT OF SIGHT. This goes for your Apple Watch, too!  Please hide it under your sleeve or disable the light so I don’t see it out of the corner of my eye lighting up.  And don’t keep checking it! 

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Side note: Jessica and I saw IT together in the theater a few months ago, and I think the other patrons did all of the above.

This is a nice night in.  I'm going to turn my attention back to the show and the person watching it with me.  I hope that you all have a lovely evening as well.

Lightning Never Striked Twice

Ok.  You guys all know I have a thing about grammar. 

In addition to the lightning thing, I also have a hangup about guys being cryptic about their work.  I doubt you’re a spy.  Just put something general on there.

Today is going to be a little emotionally draining, but I’m looking forward to starting Electric Dreams tonight.  See you guys in a few hours. 

Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Do you guys remember the dude from Tinder who was asking if my eggs were still good? My friend Sara in New York sent me these screenshots, so apparently it's a nationwide thing.

I needed a male perspective on this, so I sent Logan the screenshots.  This was his response.

Offensive words aren't funny just because you add "lol" at the end.  Sara is beautiful, funny, and smart, and she is going to find a guy who loves her for all of those things.  Maybe not on one of the dating apps, but she will.

Jessica sent me another Top 10 article, so that will be tomorrow's evening post.  I have some reading to do tonight, so I'm out.  See you guys in the morning.

We’re Just Looking for Different Things

Morning, world.  I did some swiping when I was in Hawaii visiting family back in October. 

I hope he found what he was looking for. 

Knock on wood, today looks like it won’t be completely nuts.  Maybe I can catch up on some work.  I am embarrassingly behind on my daily writing prompts and Journal 29, so maybe I’ll do some tonight if all goes well.  See you guys in the evening.