Weekend Update ~ Ice Cube Throwin', Interview Impressin' and Mystery Man Crushin'

What a GREAT weekend!

Hope yours was equally amazing.

My Friday night was spent doing laundry, packing up for the weekend, and watching Letters to Juliet.

I know I know hardly the exciting thing that I like to brag about but a necessity I guess.

Here's the trailer in case you missed it.

Obviously a chickflick,  and filmed in Italy so obviously I loved it...and even found it to be the least annoying of Amanda Siegfried whatsherface's movies.

Saturday I was so SLOW in getting up and getting going which is beginning to be a pattern for me.

I think it may be all the driving I'm doing back and forth to the TDot.

My main plan was to hang out with Val for the evening.

Talking to MM (Mystery Man who I think needs a better moniker but for now MM it will be because I'm too lazy I can't think of anything better at the moment) we didn't know if we would have a chance to see each other this weekend.

The last thing we had done was the Sunday date of bowling and lunch in my home town (read here).

So we had chatted and after I gave him a hard time of waiting until Thursday evening to make plans (doesn't he KNOW that is soooooo against "the Rules") I said all I had left in my busy weekend was possibly lunch on Saturday because I had plans with Val.

It was going to be too tight for him because he was thinking I was offering to spare 2 hours for lunch on Saturday in my hometown (with a four hour + round trip for him)...once I realized that...I reminded him Val lived in Toronto so I would be there and could just head there earlier in the day (since we had late afternoon/dinner plans).

So overall he was pretty excited about that (and I was too!)

So I finally headed to the TDot and I was singing/dancing to Britney's Femme Fatale...seriously how ridiculosuly good is that CD?!  It puts me in a great mood.  If you ever see a girl bobbing around while singing her heart out to Britney on Highway 401 it's probably me.

So I get there and I pulled up to his place in my Beast of a car.

He was already waiting outside wearing jeans and a black T-shirt and just looking classically handsome.

My heart starting beating just a little bit faster.

So I go to park in visitors parking underground in his condo building.

The only spot was IMMEDIATELY as you pulled underground.

MM must have noted the look of shear panic on my face as I contemplated how exactly I would manuever the Beast into the parking spot.

So he said "Teagan just follow me and park in my spot and then I can put my car in that spot until we leave."

So thoughtful and nice.

After I parked we hugged and then before heading out he said he wanted to show me his place.

Really nice condo...total boybachelor pad...inclusive of a ginormous vat of protein powder on the kitchen counter (is it bad that I secretly like that?)

So he gave me the tour of the place...and was really sweet about it.

AND he had a surprize for me...flowers and something for my dog (will post about that later).

So thoughtful and sweet to not only give me flowers (which I love love love and they were a perfect colour! (well besides pink~ though I think he is actually colourblind for real) but to think of my dog too.

Then we hopped in his car and headed to College street in Toronto for a Taste of Little Italy Festival.

Which is basically where they shut the street down and the restaurants extend their patios and often have special food and drinks and there are little street fair type things like small rides/games/etc.

So we just walked around and chatted.

Here's a description from here.

It's summer, which means street festival season in Toronto. This weekend (June 17 – 19) Taste of Little Italy takes over College St. from Bathurst to Shaw. Besides bands, street performers and fun activities for the kiddies, the highlight of the fest is checking out samples from more than 45 area restaurants. Ranging in price from $1 to $5 a sample, visitors can check out everything from ice cream to pasta. Participating restaurants include Frank's Kitchen, L.A.B., Sidecar and Cafe Diplomatico.

 I have the BEST time with him and this is seriously something I love to do.

He has some friends who run a restaurant there so we met them for a few minutes.

This made me incredibly nervous for some reason.

We stopped and got ice cream and just chatted and chatted.

He said we could stop for food but you know when it is hot outside and you are nervous...you don't really have a huge appetite...so ice cream it was.

Then we headed toward Queen street where they were setting up for the MMVA's the next day which is Canada's equivalent to MTV Video Awards.  It was so cool to see the set up but I didn't want to nerdout to bad and take pictures...but it was seriously so cool.

Set to perform was Lady Gaga, Avril, Down with Webster and a bunch of other performers and hosts including the Biebs, Selena Gomez, Drake (LOVE), etc.

That's Colin Ferral?, Drake, the Biebs and his GF host Selena Gomez.  And if you look super close the Biebs is seriously wearing a Kelly Kapowski (Saved by the Bell) T-shirt!

It was neat to see the set up and will definitely try to get to it at some point.

It is super hard to go because its free but... you have to line up for wrist bands like a week in advance.

Before I knew it it was close to 5 so I headed out to meet up with Val.

And we ended the date with a hug...he totally makes me so nervous at the end and I'm sure I make things awkward myself...more about that later.

So I met up with Val and took the subway to an area of Toronto called Yorkville (which is a place that I love and we had visited once before (read here)).

Turns out Mark Walberg just purchased a condo there 

(I guess it IS a super trendy place in Toronto)!

And the next day the place was also visited by Tori Spelling and her family (I totally would have loved to run into them because I'm a HUGE fan and have read all her books).

Anywho we had no celebrity sitings but we did decide to try a restaurant there called Ciao and it was FAB-U-LOUS.

We shared the brushetta and argula/endive/roasted mushroom salad to start.

Val had the Gargonzola Gnotti and I had a Lobster Risotto that was to DIE for.

Then we decided to grab drinks and dessert somewhere else.

After walking all around Yorkville (which is super gorgeous and swarming with gorgeous people too).  

There was definitely a ton of women teetering in Louboutin heels and beautiful cocktail dresses.

Val and I kind of giggled at our non "high fashion" wardrobe...her in a military cotton button up dress and myself in a cotton jersey dress with cotton sash.  Both of us in comfortable ballet flats.

We finally settled on going to Hemingways again (the same place we had gone to a few months ago read here).

As we waited for a table I felt like a squirt of liquid ...kind of like when someone squeezes a lemon or lime into their drink but thought nothing of it.

A few minutes later I felt it again.

Then Val said "okay this is really weird but I fell like I'm getting wet or something but it keeps happening".

And I was like "ME TOO!"

We could not figure out what direction it was coming from.

THEN the next time it happened we found an ice cube that had skittered to a stop in front of our drinks...clearly someone was throwing ice cubes at us.

However we couldn't figure out where they were coming from.

But in the nick of time we were gathered to sit at a patio table.

Where we ordered an ice cream dessert to share and a few rum and cokes.

We had some fun conversations...she suggested that I "linger" more to advance out of the hugging stage with MM.

She also gently assessed that I, in a sense, needed to learn to hug like back in Uni.

So that is I guess an embarrassing confession, let me explain.

I didn't really ever know how to hug well.

My family isn't exactly a hugging type.

The girls in Uni gently pointed it out to me.

They wouldn't allow me to do the one arm hug.

And I had this tendency to hug fast and draw away quick with my eyes averted away...like I was shy about it.

I had sort of forgotten about that until Val said...do you think you may have reverted to that?

And it was a stunning realization I DEFINITELY do that with MM because I'm so nervous and shy.

I definitely do not linger.

I pondered out loud with her about that and we discussed Spencer and maybe he thought I didn't care for him in some of my actions because I have to work at being affectionate in a way because it is harder for me...so maybe sometimes I come across as colder or more unaffectionate.

Which is weird because the truth of the matter is I'm starved for affection and I love being touchy and feely with people usually but I guess only when I'm comfortable with them.

However, I definitely am not comfortable yet with MM so the hug at the end of the night is just tons of added pressure I think.

So Val encouraged me to linger more and not be so quick to turn away with MM.

She said "Teagan you need to be confident...you are a beautiful smart fun and caring girl...he's not going to NOT kiss you but you may need to give him a better opportunity."

My friends are totally insightful and amazing and supportive.

Around 12:30pm we were both tired so we headed back to her place and had some spiced hot tea before heading to bed.

The next morning we SLOWLY woke up (see a pattern yet haha).

I showered quickly and prepped for my Sunday interview (yup an interview on a Sunday).

When I got out of the shower...this is the breakfast Val "threw together".

Delicious scones, yogurt, granola, fruit salad and raspberries.

My friends are incredible and talented and I mean just look at this!

So I headed downtown for my interview.

The place was beautiful and posh and in a great area for more of a high end clientele.

I already got called in for a second interview Wednesday.

It is a split one straight commission also but it is pretty darn awesome and in a GREAT area of the TDot.  So this is a dilemma for sure.

I realized after I happened to be really close to MM's place...and in a serendipitous moment he messaged me right then!  Asking if I had time to stop by even for just a coffee because he would really like to see me that day.

Seriously I'm trying not to be smitten with this boy but I'm not being so successful at that.

So I stopped at his place and we walked to a small coffee shop.

We sat and enjoyed the fantastic weather and iced coffee and just chatted...and he totally touched my knee a few times ...YEA!!!! 

We had a great talk (as per usual with us)...I may have said "I like you" which is pretty bold of me.

But I'm afraid that's where the boldness ended I completely forgot to linger etc so we had another hug goodbye.  Which I sort of kicked myself in the butt about on the drive home.

Then I headed home for Father's Day celebrations.

I had planned to take my family bowling (obviously inspired by Sunday's date with MM).

My brother never plans or does anything so this was my plan. 

I had called my brother earlier and told him to be ready for 3 and I would pick him up then my parents.

When I got to his place he was in swim trunks and said "I just need to grab hot peppers from the fridge".

I was like "why do we need hot peppers to go bowling?"

He said "we decided we didn't want to do that so I told dad to barbecue instead at his house".

I.was.fuming.

My brother who had gone out last night drinking at a SnoopDog concert until the wee hours of the morning called my parents to do this because he is selfish and lazy.

I was so angry.

I was trying to do something fun and different with my family.

We have never gone bowling together.

AND since the Mother's Day debauchery of dinner (I only briefly mentioned it here) so from that experience I realized that us just sitting around and eating and drinking does NOT typically fare well.

This was my solution and I got trumped by the family.

I was upset because my dad always will do stuff for us and this was a chance to have fun and have him not be responsible for cooking etc.

I was so completely irritated by the time we got there.

My dad was (happily) barbecuing for us.

As we sat outside having lunch I found myself quiet.

As my brother drank a bottle or two of wine and gorged on BBQ I was still seething.

Everyone continued to eat and drink a lot and I just drifted further and further away.

Sometimes I really feel like I'm adopted.

I don't eat the same, drink the same, talk the same or think the same as my family.

This sometimes makes me sad.

I just really don't fit it.

I felt sad because to me it seemed like this ended up being not at all for my dad and I was frustrated at this.

I felt like my brother made it about himself and what he felt like doing on a Sunday afternoon.

Maybe my dad didn't want to go bowling or something? 

Not sure ...I just didn't feel so good about this Father's Day.

So I was kind of in a bad bummer mood.

I went home and started to get organized for the week.

Then MM called and we talked for two and a half hours!

Seriously.

It was so much fun. 

And just when I was worried that I talked to him entirely WAY too long...he sent me a text message that said..."Simply put, you put a huge smile on my face. Have a good night and sweet dreams."

So hopefully he is just as happy as I am with the marathon phone conversations.

And that is how my weekend was filled with ice cube throwin', interview inpressin' and mystery man crushin'

Pics from here, here, here, here, here, here,

Lord Stanley what the F*ck was that?

Okay so to those who don't know...
The Stanley Cup Finals (who wins the NHL for the year..the hockey equivalent to the SuperBowl if that helps) just wrapped up Wednesday in a Game Seven (Series Tied at 3-3 going in).
Now not to mention that I can't name the starting lineup to save my life...I still watch playoff hockey because its fun and exciting.

Game seven was in Vancouver (home to the most recent Olympics).
They lost...badly...Boston deserved the win.
But then things fell apart in Vancouver.

This is really unusal for Vancouver.  The Olympics was brilliant and full of great celebrations.
I thought it was unusual for Canada to be turned upside down like this...before someone reminded me of the G20 riots.
This totally bums me out!
Can't there be positive peaceful celebrations or graceful defeat?!

I think it goes to show that a few bad apples can spoil the bunch.
While there are stories of destruction and vandalism, there are also stories of those trying to stop it and a clean up effort by the public where people showed up in droves.
A great use of social media for sure!

I hope that as a country Canada will not become know for these destructive acts and we can accept defeat graciously. 
Of note did you see a picture that has emerged from it all?
It totally caught my eye because I may have a slight obsession with kissing pictures.
Check it out...

Talk about "Make Love Not War"...turns out the couple, the boy an Aussie Bartender and the girl a Canadian College student..."were between the riot police and the rioters, and the riot police were actually charging forward, and Alex got knocked by a [police] shield and fell to the ground," Brett Jones told CBC News. "[Scott] was comforting her and gave her a kiss to say, 'It's going to be OK,' and the photographer just took the shot at that moment."

I'm thinking this may become an iconic photo and I like it a lot better then the sad destructive photos.  On a random side note my brother "heard" that an anarchists group is behind it and they threw on hockey jerseys so that it would be blamed on unruly hockey fans.  I hope not but either way its a sad thing to have happened, and I hope the world does not think of Canadians in this way.



Pic and story from here,

Simmering

So today I had the offer meeting with the one job I was hopeful for (read here).
And seriously my blood was boiling afterwards.
I'm sure my chest and face was scarlet as I left the building.

So I already had to decline the DreamJob.
I was excited because I thought I would be a great fit at this job too.
And I also received two other offers last night via email
(well offers that are again a percentage no guaranteed income, etc. therefore I don't want to take them).
So I was excited to see what this person had to say.

The offer...
30K no vacation, and no benefits.
She told me to consider it an investment (I would be eligable after a year for a straight percentage...again still no guarantee).
In my head I was yelling...my 8 years and 6 figures worth of education was my investment.
Instead I said that "the barrier for me to accept this job is strickly financial" and I thanked her for her time.
And cursed the whole way back to the car (in my head).

What a waste of a 4 hour round trip.
What a waste of gas money.
But mostly I'm secretly terrified at this being what is the "standard".
I can't wrap my head around it.
It makes NO sense to me.

Granted I suppose I am to blame.
When I was 16 and I made the decision to do what I did.
I didn't look at the actual numbers.
I mean I looked at the average income statistics (which was more than double what I've been offered thus far) but didn't see how it actually fully worked.
I'm really just baffled at the whole situation.

I'm back at my dad's office "working" trying to work from a boil to just a simmer.
My dad said "well it looks like you ARE staying here in (insert my hometown)"...which made me want to scream.
Trying to stay positive that maybe there will be better in the next 3 interviews I have scheduled before Monday.
Trying to just breathe.
Trying to let go of the anger and frustration I'm feeling.




Pic from here

Second, Third and Fourth Dates (not bases).

So I'm hesitant to write about these in detail.
I'm nervous and excited but trying not to be too nervous and excited if you know what I mean.
Probably because I have a big stressful horrible pseudomarriage that legally isn't dissolved at this point and will likely be a lengthy expensive process.
And I don't know how to tell him about it.

Here is what I do know...

Eva has been wanting to introduce us for a long time but her wedding was when it was first feasible (but incredibly awkward...read here).

We have been on dates 2, 3 and 4.
Date 2 He drove from the TDot to pick me up in my home town and BACK to the TDot for a super long date (basically restaurants in the Distillery District (where Taylor and I went when she visited the girls in the TDot) and walking around the TDot, etc.) and then drove me back home before he drove back to the TDot.
I was worried about being in a car for that long and running out of things to talk about but we never did.

We talk a ton.
He is easy to talk to and I look forward to hanging out with him.
He is kind and sweet and he always tries to make me laugh.
He ALWAYS opens the car door for me which I LOVE.

Date 3 was sushi and a martini bar (in Toronto after I had an interview).
I remember looking at him across the table and thinking...he is the total opposite of Spencer (dark features, shorter and well built (totally my type), good hair (sort of reminds of George Clooney hair without the gray), has a good lifestyle (he is a runner and eats healthy like me).
And he may have put me up in a hotel (and he didn't stay there so get your minds out of the gutter...heck we have not even had a kiss yet at all) so that I could go on a date and then make a 7am interview the next day (which was super sweet and considerate).

Date 4 was in my home town (he drove down from Toronto again).
We had lunch on Sunday then we went bowling.
It was fun and he didn't make me feel bad when I sucked big time.

All our dates have ended with awkward hugs.
I'm always so nervous wondering if he will kiss me or not and then there is that hug.
But it is kind of refreshing to be moving slow...especially with the conversation looming I'm going to have to have with him at some point about Spencer (which is stressing me out).

So I have a cautious crush on him.
I'm going slow.  And I'm trying not to like him too much (I know this is kind of a bizarre approach).
Last time's falling fast and deep in love didn't work out so well for me.
I like him already more than I want to...darnnit.

Pic from here

Stalled...Apologies and Exhaustion

Sooooo I know I wrote about my new blogernization (read here).
But I'm prolonging it until this weekend because I'm busy and exhausted.
I've been driving back and forth between the TDot 4 times + every week for interviews.

On a sad note...I'm officially declining the position at the DreamJob.
It makes me sad.
It is purely a financial decision.
I literally make more money working as a receptionist then what their employees in my position make.
As in the employees that are there that have been there for 3+ years and are established make less then what I make as a receptionist.
As in there is NO way I could survive in Toronto on that.

It is also too difficult to maintain that job and another one at the same time to try and work with the scheduling that they have because of other employees (i.e. it is not flexible whatsoever).
So I need to cancel the meeting I have scheduled on Thursday with them.
And let them know that I just can't do it.
Which makes me incredibly sad.
Although it is better then working for 6 months and then feeling like I'm forced to quit because it just doesn't make sense financially.

On the other front I have 3 more interviews in the next 2 days.
One seems like a possible good fit which I'm excited about.
I have declined 3 other jobs so far (not including the DreamJob) because I want to find a good and more long term fit.
Even though I'm DYING to move to the TDot.
Which I think is kind of grownup/responsible.

So I'm exhausted and have officially been neglecting the blog.
I'm trying to get back into it.
I mean I do have things to update seeing as I have now been on 4 dates with the MysteryMan (who STILL desperately needs a new moniker).

So that is where I am...stalled...and not nearly moving fast enough for my liking.

Pic from here

First Dates and Second Interviews

Really this should have been posted Monday May 30th.
But pretend I have a time machine to erase my laziness busyness. 
So I first had an interview at another place.

Then I had a second interview at the DreamJob the one I wrote about here, here,  here, and here.
One of the key loves of this place was the fact that it was downtown.
On the way there I actually had hit some traffic.
So I hurriedly parked my car on a main street and rushed right in.
It went really well I thought but I still hadn't made up my mind.

So I was walking out of the building and the sun was shining and it was easy to fall into a simple daydream of living downtown, doing what I love and just starting anew.
And I walked to where I had parked my car...

Hmmmm where was my car???
Then I saw the sign...the one that said no parking between 4-6pm.

It was 4:08pm.
Uh-oh.

So I called Eva and she was able to give me a number to call and find where they had towed my car.
I hailed a cab and headed to the tow lot.
And after a $158 tow charge and receiving a $60 ticket I was off again.

I was headed to Val's place with a very light wallet.
Lesson learned... read the parking signs VERY carefully downtown.

So Val and I had a quick chat while I waited for MM (Mystery Man but he needs a way better reference name) to come pick me up.
I was nervous even Val could tell...but she gave me good advice..."Teagan just be yourself and have fun."
What did I wear?
The same thing I had worn to my interviews.
Black dress pants, flats, my blue-ish silk new Banana Top and cardigan (see here).
I wore my glasses and didn't even add more makeup.
This was definitely a first for me.

So he picked me up in his fun car.
And we headed to a place called Panorama.
It is at the top of this building in Toronto.

It is described as "set atop the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre at Bay and Bloor, Panorama offers guests a stunning view of both uptown and downtown Toronto as well as two of the country's highest patios. The award winning cocktail menu and full dinner menu, created by Executive Chef Scott Doust, are matched with fantastic service for a truly outstanding experience.  The décor is almost as spectacular as the view. The interior features "bauhaus" leather couches, contemporary Italian seating and sleek dark wood and steel accents. The patio is done "South Beach" cabana style. Image enjoying drinks or a romantic dinner looking over the City at night".

We had a gorgeous city view to watch and awesome drinks.

I actually had so much fun with him just talking.
We covered a range of topics.
He makes me laugh and he opens the car door for me.

Before I knew it I realized it was pretty dark out and we had spent 4 hours together.
I suggested he take me back to Val's place because it was pretty late (oopsie).
By the time I got there it was after 11pm so Val had laid out a bed for me (seriously do I have the best friends or what?)

And that is how I went on my first date in more than 9 months.
And I had fun.
And that is as far as I let myself think about it for now.

 
Pics from here, here, here, here,   

Eva's Wedding Weekend Update sans photos (for now) aka Pumas, Mystery Men, and Cleaning Lady Wackness

The Picture will make sense later...oh come on just go with it.

So two weekends ago it was Eva's wedding and it was a total whirlwind.
First the reason I have no pictures was because of how the Saturday morning started.

Saturday

I woke up and had everything packed so that I could leave my place by 9:30am.
I was just packing my last minute toiletries when I noticed a pair of my pink shorts on top of my hamper....They looked like they were covered in a white liquid (eww don't think something gross!)  so I picked them up and they and two other pink tank tops were soaked.
Our cleaning lady had last been in Friday morning.


I do have to take this point and clarify that the cleaning lady is my brother's and she does clean his house.
She is the cleaning lady for a lot of our homes (within my family) and is actually more of a family friend.
I even feel guilty so I don't have her clean my room/wash my clothes/change my bed linens etc.
The ONLY thing she does for me is clean my bathroom.
And my bathroom isn't exactly gross by any means...I'm sure my brother's and the one his friends use is a lot more sketch.


So she had obviously taken 3 articles of my clothing as rags (she is provided rags also) to very CLEAN the bathtub.
I was livid.
My blood was BOILING.
I was so super angry so I called my parents to have them ask her about it.
AND SHE TOTALLY LIED ABOUT IT.
She said maybe her hands were wet and she moved clothes from the floor (ummmm hello I have a hamper because I don't leave my clothes on the floor).
And they were still TOO WET and COVERED in Vim (the one with Bleach) to have just been transfered to the hamper.
So I was (and kind of am still) so angry.


Amongst all of that I forgot my flat shoes for the wedding and my camera and my cell phone.
Seriously it was starting off as a stressful and bad morning.
I was also a little worried about sitting through a wedding and how I would feel (I know terribly selfish on my part).
A few weeks earlier Eva had also told me that there was someone that she really wanted me to meet at the wedding that she thought I would hit it off with.
But 4 weeks ago he had RSVPd with a guest (which Eva gave him a little bit of a scolding because she had told him that she had someone she wanted him to meet).


The plan was that I pick up Shelby and we head to Toronto with enough time to freshen up and change before the first church ceremony at 2pm.
I wanted to stop in the South end of town for a Nars lipstick but Shelby pouted about it making us late so I felt guilty and didn't (though I was kind of grumpy about it...more about that later).


So we get to the hotel with two hours to spare until the church Christian ceremony.
Ummm totally enough time to have stopped for one lipstick (grumble grumble grumble but I sucked it up and didn't say anything).
So we got ready and then when we planned to go (a half hour before the ceremony).
Shelby wasn't ready...seriously annoying.
Anywho we did make it to the wedding in time but late enough that we were one of the last ones to enter the church.


As I sat down, smoothed my hair out and straightened my fascinator.
Shelby and I did a quick boyscope (looked like there were plenty of cute ones...fun!  maybe I didn't need to be set up by Eva.)
Then another couple of late wedding guests filed in.
Including a girl wearing the same dress as me (that's what I get for buying a mall dress the week before).
At least I had killer accessories to keep it so fresh and so clean (as the rappers say).


Then the ceremony started.
It was beautiful.
Eva was elegant and effortlessly gorgeous.
That is what brought tears to my eyes.
The emerald-eyed girl wasn't at the church at all.
My heart was bursting with love and pride and admiration and happiness for one of my best friends.
Her sister sang At Last and the congregation burst into applause after.
It was the best singing I've ever heard at a wedding EVER.
It brought tears to Eva's eyes.


After that Brooke and I got busy moving two floral arrangement to the reception hall.
And just had enough time to grab a quick glass of wine at the hotel before heading back to the reception hall for the Persian ceremony.
It was really interesting and fantastic except for none of us had any idea what was going on!  Including Eva.
Her fiance was trying to translate but was telling jokes instead so us girls (only a few feet from them) were giggling and Eva was giggling.
Until the minister admonished her saying...  "Eva.  This. is. a. serious time.  Please. be serious."
But all of us were on a giggle path and it was so hard to suppress the giggles!


After that it was cocktail hour.
Where they passed out apple martinis and cosmos and had a bar for everything else.
Tons of passed orderves (spelling anyone???)


The actual reception was great.
The speeches short and to the point but still beautiful.
The food was great (a mixture of traditional Canadian (ie. regular wedding food) and Persian food.
The drinks were flowing...coincidence our table was right beside one of the bars...I think not...we all thanked Eva for that later :)


Then the dancing began...Brooke's daughter was asleep though before that started (we tried to wake her up for one dance but she wasn't feeling it).
Then a very excited Eva came over and said "guess what buddy?"
I'm like "what?"
"That guy I wanted you to meet...broke things off with the girl he had started seeing on Monday so he is here alone!"
I said "that's great but I almost wish you hadn't told me because NOW I'm nervous"... whereas before I was just flittering around being a social butterfly without a care in the world.

So Val gathered me up and we were sent on a mission to find this mystery man.
On our way Val didn't want it to look obvious so she went to find the mystery man's best friend (who happened to be the groom's brother).
While I was waiting this guy pounced.
Let's call him Puma because really he was all over it and I was like an oblivious lamb (wait...do Puma's eat lambs...well let's say they do because it felt like I was certainly stalked by this Puma).

So Puma introduced himself.
He had gone to the same Uni as I had for undergrad (though I didn't recognize him at all and based on his introduction it wasn't like we knew each other before).
So I made some akward small talk with him while he stood entirely way too close to me and touched my arm a little to often for my comfort level.
What was probably 5 minutes but felt like 5 hours before Val rescued me.

On our way over to meet the mystery man we linked arms and she was like I can't believe you met PUMA!
I was like "why? Do you know him?"
She said, "yes in Uni I met him because of Eva's now husband...and he would NOT leave me alone" (she totally confirmed my stalkerPuma hypothesis).
Made a mental note to try and avoid the Puma.

So we finally walk over to the best man standing with the mystery man.
There were the introductions...and I thought he was cute.
He definitely was my usual type...shorter (but still taller than me), stocky/well built, dark hair and dark eyes, tanned skin.
And just for a random fact...Spencer was the EXACT opposite of my usual type he was super tall and lanky, skinny for my usual tastes, very very fair, and a receeder (as in hair line)...but I thought (stupidly) that maybe something different was what I needed...but now I think I'm going to stick to my initial physical type/attraction...which the mystery man fits.

So there we were standing there and making akward talk...which became even akward-er when the best man said, "so you were supposed to me you and now you should go hang out by yourselves" (well there were a lot of drinks consumed thus far to be far to the best man).
Thank goodness Val was there to try and smooth things over and called the best man Akwardo becuase of the akwardness he induced.

So I bravely turned to the mystery man and said, "wow this IS totally akward...do you want to grab a drink?"
He agreed and off we went.
We chatted about a few things for an hour.
I was nervous, he was cute and we seemed to have a few things in common.
He had randomly worked in Singapore for 3 months so we had that to chat about.

So there we were chatting and I felt like we were being stalked watched.
And the Puma strides on over and grabs my elbow and leans in to whisper in my ear "Eva needs you for something".
I pulled away slightly and apologized to the mystery man and headed to see what Eva needed...with the mystery man and Puma in tow.

I go up to Eva on the dance floor and check if she needs anything.
She tells me "No I don't need anything but Puma WON'T leave me alone about you...he is dying to spend time talking to you and wants to know all about you but I want you to talk to mysteryman!"
I nod in agreement and then we didn't want to look obvious so I went to get her lipgloss from my purse.
And then the Puma all cheeky/fake-innocently asked "what did Eva want?"
I held up the lipgloss and smiled and asked mystery man if he wanted to grab another drink.
So we walked away from the Puma.

The mystery man and I chatted for about another half hour before he had to go to a different celebration for one of his other friends and he left.
But he did ask me for my number (YEA!!!!)
As he walked away I smiled to myself becuase for the first time in a long time I thought to myself...maybe I still have it...maybe all hope should not be lost for me and boys after all.
I reapplied some lipgloss, repositioned my fascinator tucking my hair behind my ears and turned to go catch up with the girls and BAM I almost run smack into the Puma!

And at that point a slow song began playing and he asked me to dance.
And I'm horrible at saying no... so I danced with him.
Signs it was going bad for me...
1. It was a Country Slow Song (I don't love Country...the stuff I can tolerate is introduced to me by Taylor and or Eva).
2. Way too close for comfort slow dancing...I felt like my skin was crawling.
3. The moment he started singing me the chorus (seriously).
4.  The moment he explained that the song was about a guy whose wife left him and his pickup truck broke down and his dog died...okay I'm kidding sorry but sometimes that seems like country songs are all about that.  The song was about a guy that met the love of his life and after a year she died but he was glad he met her even for a brief moment.
5.  The overexplanation after was not needed from Puma that "it is better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all" (really I seriously was able to draw that conclusion myself...I'm way smarter than I look haha).
6.  At the end of the song he hugged me.
7.  During said akward hug he said he wanted to find me later and definitely DEFINITELY get my number.
Yea it was bad.

I was finally able to go hang out with the girls the rest of the night.
It quickly became debaucherous.
Shots were downed and drinks continued to flow.
Dancing began.
Jane's husband continued with his tradition of stripping to his boxers on the dance floor.

I was having to pull out stealthy manuevers and use the girls as help to avoid the Puma.
It was so difficult to do so.
It was almost comedic as I artfully would twirl away from him or Jane would grab me from behind and pull me away etc.
Finally the bar shut down and we knew it was time to head to the after party in the hotel lobby our rooms.

Jane's husband had won a bottle of gray goose at one of the games.
So about 20 of us sat in our (me, Val and Shelby's) room and passed around the gray goose with a couple of cans of red bull chasers until almost 5am.
And the Puma followed us there!

I luckily sandwiched myself between Jane and Val.
It was your standard hotel room so imagine like 6-8 people sitting on each bed and some pearched on the chairs and desks and on the floor it was CROWDED!
Only the Puma was in full pounce mode and trying to grab me by the elbow from behind and pull me towards him!
So creepy but I shook it off and pretended to be too drunk and interacting with my friends to pay attention.
At which point he totally starting sulking and it made it so akward!

People slowly started leaving and heading to their own rooms.
And the final stragglers finally got the hint when Val and I crawled into bed still wearing our cocktail dresses.
Where we feel into restless drunken sleep.

Sunday

We woke up and got ready to head to Eva's home for a family brunch.
Of course she was totally prepared with quiches, and muffins, and fruit, and everything possible (this women is my Canadian versian of Taylor (or at least those two completely remind me of each other)...who is my perfect example of the best hostess on the planet...can prepare wonderful delishious food, have perfect decor and the bubbly fun personality to match).

On a side note Val, Shelby and I that morning found in our hotel room the following items that people had left behind.

• 1 purse (found under the bed...good thing Val had the sense to check under the bed).
• 1 pair of men's shoes (and no dude slept over or anything shady like that).
• The groom's and best man's tie (seriously).
• 1/4 full bottle of gray goose.
• 1 cell phone.
• 1 empty bottle of red wine that we found in Shelby's suitcase in the morning.

So we returned all those things.
We all didn't feel in great shape at any point in the day.
Around 1pm we left (Shelby and myself) to drive home.
Well actually (this is the point where I was perturbed... that she didn't want to stop for my Nars lipstick I wanted) we drove to a different city (Cambridge) to stop by one of her friend's 30th birthday party.

I didn't know this friend.
I was the one driving.
And this would for sure add at least 2 hours to our time in getting home.
And when you are feeling crappy and hungover that just makes you cranky.

So we pull up in to suburbia-ville with toys strewn across the driveway etc.
It was going to be all couples with small children.
Not so great on the hangover.
So we go inside and I meet the birthday girl, her beautiful 1 year old daughter and her husband.
And as I'm shaking his hand he says, "Teagan you have don't remember me at all do you?"

And I was stunned...that he knew my name or how the heck I would know him.
Turns out he went to my high school and was in my class (of like 200).
Oops I felt like such a B*tch.
But I honestly didn't recognize him but afterward he did seem slightly familiar.
Ughh I HATE that because it makes me feel like I'm this big snob and high school was tough and I wasn't like this super popular person or anything.
Oh well, so after about an hour or so we headed home.

I wanted to crawl right into bed I was exhaugsted!
As I was watching trash TV and drifting in and out of sleep around 8!
My phone rang.
It was the mystery man calling!

We chatted on the phone for about an hour.
And made plans to grab a drink after my second interview for the DreamJob (read here about the first interview for the DreamJob).
And with that I blissfully fell into real nondrunken sleep.

Overall it was a great weekend.
I avoided the Puma.
I at the least had made a new friend in Toronto...the mystery man (who really needs a new nick name)...but escapes the colour coding.
I didn't feel any piece of the emerald eyed girl at all.
I was able to celebrate with one of my beautiful best friends a monumental moment in her life.
All of this I may have missed had life turned out any other way.
I really need to trust and appreciate that maybe...just maybe things happen for a reason.



Pic from here