HotPants: An Update

I have come to realize that I write much better blogs with alcohol (and very little food) in my belly.  I hope it does not disappoint you, my dear readers, that I write while drinking.  Once again, it has been like weeks since I last wrote a post.  This probably has to do with the fact that I spend a good percentage of my time at Oz's place.  Yes, I know.  The cats hate it to.  Although, not because I neglect to write a post but because they feel neglected and depressed that they are no longer the center of my mundane existence.  

After one long, crazy weekend of Thanksgiving leftovers (gravy was especially good), debauchery, lamb tenderloin and long conversations, Oz and I have finally made the commitment to each other, to try to make this work without ever breaking up, ever again.  Oh yes.  We are going the distance.  We shall see how long this lasts, eh?

In other news, the new coche has already given up the spirit.  Or the battery.  I am not sure which.  It was jumped multiple times over the weekend and now I have dropped it off at the dealership for repair work.

I have not made progress on my commitment to make friends.  It is really, really hard!  I work all day and don't get home until about 6pm.  I hang out with Oz a lot of the time.  Then I have to spend time with the cats.  My mother was in town, this week was crazy, busy busy busy.... when shall I ever find time for making friends?!

HotPants is ready for HotMama!

Guess who's coming to dinner?  I mean, to town?  For a visit?  My mama!  I am so super excited.  I cannot tell who is more excited, her or me.  I know this because she called today around 1:07pm to ask if she should bring a hair dryer or if I have one.  I surmised that she is packing this evening.  My mother never, and I mean ever, never, ever, packs early.  It is usually like 30 minutes before she has to leave.  Not lazy and not procrastinating, she is just that efficient.

We will probably take a MARTA ride.  Pet my cats.  Eat some guac.  Oh, and Oz decided he does not want to give my mum (or me) the impression that we are there yet, so he does not want to cook for her.  I knew this would happen and this is why I asked him the other day if he had changed his mind.  I am sooo good at predicting bad, boy behaviour.  Whatever.  I am not upset, but that does not mean it is not bad behaviour nonetheless.   I am going to get to the bottom of this tonight.  In like, half an hour.

I will hopefully have some more things to report on, as far as things I have seen, heard and done here in HotPants.  

Cars, Guacamole and Cats

I'm not sure what one has to do with another, but it sounded like a fun title.  It is kind of like my evening....I drove home (who knew you could tolerate traffic if driving the ultimate driving machine?), well, okay, so first I drove some miscellaneous side streets, then to Kroger and the funny thing I noticed about Kroger here is that I don't think they condone contraception.  It caught my eye (ironically, right around the corner from their outstanding (cough) wine selection), that a very limited selection of condoms is available in a locked plexiglass cabinet.  I am going to venture a guess that they do not do much business in this particular product.  That is probably why I noticed so many pregnant women wandering the store.  No, not really, but that would have been funny.

But I digress.  Kroger, Target and then home.  Wait, where was I going with this?  Oh yes, cars, guac and cats.  Okay, so you have the car piece.  Let me jump to the cat part really quickly.  I just heard Portia cat run into the screen door, and then meow so offendedly!  Oh, what a silly cat I have.  Not only does she have to be outside 90% of the time (thank goodness Georgia weather has so far been nice enough), but she also eats spinach and avocado.  How do I know this?  Well, this evening while making guacamole (there it is!), she begged to sniff the avocado, as she begs to sniff anything when I am standing at the kitchen counter. 

Seriously, I could be staring at the kitchen counter, but for all she knows, I have some hidden food that I do not want to share with her and therefore, she insists on seeing what is going on.  She stands on her hind legs, usually one front paw on the cupboard, meowing and looking at me expectantly.  Like I am going to magically produce the ultimate cat snack.  So, sometimes, I humour her and let her catch a whiff of garlic or onion, to which she rapidly blinks and recoils her little nose and pulls her head back.  But tonight she ate a little bit of avocado and asked (in cat-speak) for more.  

There you go: car, guacamole and cat.  I was particularly excited about the guac part.  

And now, for your regular Oz update: I am pretty sure I have gone through 5 iterations of love and apathy since my last post.  Wasn't that just yesterday too?  I was sweet enough to write and mail a note to him, then a few hours later was indignant that I had not heard from him all day.  And that after saying he would check out my new wheels today, told me he promised some co-worker something.  It all did not make sense to me.  Trim up something after last week, was going to do it after work....whatever!  Doesn't sound like something that would take all night and warrant not having time to see my new vehicle.  Bugger.  Blah.

Now, back to cars, guac and cats...

HotPants Has Wheels and the Colour Orange

Before I get to the exciting news, I have a question: What is your favourite colour? I thought this was pretty interesting as orange is my favourite colour and supposedly this is what it means:

Orange

What it represents: OK, orange is not exactly the easiest color to wear and it’s not the most common favorite color, but guess what? Orange is as sensual as it gets. Orange is a mellowed red — and it takes primal, lusty urges and mellows them with a softer vibe. Orange is the color of early attractions, emotional responses, and inner magnetism. Oh, and one other thing: orange is also close to gold, the color of success and wealth. 

Understanding people who love it: Someone who likes orange is alive with feelings, the ability to nurture, and can intuit a path to success. If your favorite color is orange, you don’t have an “off” switch when it comes to passion. This is all good stuff, but there’s nothing casual about the connections this kind of person usually forges. 

This is pretty much me.  

In other news, I bought a car today.  Heated seats give whole new meaning to my life, and to HotPants! Was it sudden?  No, not really.  I had been thinking about this for a few weeks and what car I wanted.  And now, it's too late to take it back if I don't like it, so it's pretty final.  Just like everything else in my life, it seems surreal to be driving a car, to own a car and now I have to remember to put gas in it too.  Bets on how long it takes me to find myself out of gas because I just haven't had to think about that at all in the last 6 months? I drove it home and except for the car payment, it feels like I will have to return the car in a few days or something.  

Everything in my life seems so temporary and transient.  Relationships, jobs, cars, friends, a full box of popcorn....seriously, I am kind of embarrassed to admit how much popcorn I eat.  Thanks to my did for instilling that habit early in life.

But the most temporary thing of all lately is how long I am mad at Oz over something.  Yes, indeed we are back at it (the girly stuff was his mother's, from her visit), had a great weekend and now I am tired of this whole thing once again.  What is my problem?  It's like neither of us ever knows what we want.  I'm really kind of tired of it.  Problem is, when it's good, it's really good and when it's bad...I couldn't feel more apathetic.  We very much play off of each others' perceptions of the others' current mood.  Match made in heaven, right?  Maybe we are too much alike.  We are both Leos after all.  

 I maintain that things should not be this difficult.  So why do I continue?  I have no idea.  

Rising Roll: A Review

Back to what I really should be doing...reviews!  Rising Roll has been my go-to for lunch since I discovered it, shortly after starting my new job in downtown Atlanta.  Rising Roll is a franchine and this particular downtown location is just a few blocks away from my office.  They have a very large selection of sandwiches including garden, hot, paninis and salads and sides too.  They even offer breakfast.  And a 16-punch punch card, which requires (as the name would indicate) 16 punches for a free lunch.  Yes, I have in fact, already earned myself a free lunch.  It doesn't hurt that 2 days a week are double punch days. 

I came in so often, that I have gotten to know Natasha, who is planning to go back to school for a Masters in Physics.  She is super nice and friendly and always recognizes me, so finally one day I introduced myself to her.  Sometimes the service can be a little slow, but it is only because they take so much care in preparing your sandwich.  And, for me, because I can barely see (or be seen) over the very high glass deli case in which they store their fresh ingredients.  For a quick, hot sandwich at a reasonable price in downtown ATL, they cannot be beat. 

Here is what I've had from the menu and my tasting thoughts:

Killer Blue Turkey  This is pretty standard turkey with blue cheese.  A good, solid turkey sandwich.

Buffalo Wrap  I guess maybe I am not a huge wrap or buffalo fan.  I was looking for something kind of spicy and different, but the wrap was so huge (good for some of you, I am sure), that it was hard for me to eat in a neat, graceful fashion.  Taste-wise, it was good if unmemorable.

Ham and Brie  I think this has to be my favourite.  It's a hot sandwich and I usually get it on sourdough.  I didn't mention you can choose your bread?  Oops.  You can choose your bread.  But this hot 'wich has ham, brie, thin slices of apple and a dijon aioli.  Quite delicious and really hits the spot.  Since I usually only eat a half a sandwich at a time, I remove the apple when I reheat this delicious bite, as apple I have discovered, does not reheat (or probably just heat) well. 

Durango Chicken  This is a pretty good one too, but I have to say, guac doesn't appeal to me when it is slightly heated.  This might be better as a not hot sandwich, but I still really like it.  I am just kind of in love with guacamole in general.

French Dip  I admit, this is my first ever French Dip sandwich.  Really.  I am 30 and never have had one before.  I do not know why.  I must also admit to being an Arby's roast beef fan.  So, I did not really care for the roast beef on this sandwich.  It was kind of thick and too chewy for me.  I did, however, like the au jus and the whole dipping of a sandwich in it thing appealed to me entirely.  Note to self: eat more french dips.

Roast Pork Caliente  This is a panini that I really like.  I am not sure why I haven't ordered it more than once.  Oh yes, it is because of the vast menu that I feel obliged to fully explore.  But this is a good one.  I may have to order it on Monday.  I have been out of town for a week on business, so I think this will be my grand return meal. 

Oh, and soup!  Have I mentioned that they have soup?  Yes indeed.  Check their website for which soups are served on which days, but I usually get the Loaded Baked Potato or Tomato Basil Bisque, both of which are pretty decent takes on the standards.  Beware that the LBP might be slightly oily and if you have a sensitive tummy to such things, it may not sit well with you. 

I also haven't had any of their sides; I am not really a fan of mayo, so potato salad and such things are out for me.  But I do know that for $1 more, you can choose a side and a pickle.  And they have one mean soda machine...it dispenses my personal crack, Coca-Cola!

Lastly but not leastly, breakfast!  I admit to one hangover (at least) in my time here in HotPants and Starbucks just was not going to cut it.  The only remedy for a hangover, in my opinion, is soda.  Fountain soda, in particular.  And it goes well with a Rising Roll croissant with eggs and bacon.  It was delicious and cured my hangover pretty quickly. 

Rising Roll delivers a solid, usually quick, always friendly lunch experience.  If you're downtown and need something quick, solidly American and want a lot of options, I would recommend this place.  And as for breakfast...I haven't found a better place yet.

Lost: Season 30

I thought that the extraordinary events of the last few days deserved their own post, and a second post for today.  I occasionally am hindered by self-conciousness to be bluntly honest in this blog, as I know most readers know me personally.  But then, I think it is this deeply personal openness that many others would struggle to achieve that I do so well.  This splaying open of my heart, my deepest thoughts and feelings...  okay, enough with the dramatic preface.

Over the last few weeks I have kind of, sort of gotten back together with Oz.  First it was undefined, until he decided to tell his mother we are dating.  Dating, I tell you, after he told me he did not have a definition for what we were doing.  Bizarre.  But then, I kind of live in Bizarro World, so I guess I marked this on my mental chalk board (no, really, I do keep tabs on this sort of thing mentally with an image of an actual chalkboard and those five strike marks we are all taught to keep score with in kindergarten) and at an opportune moment (opportune meaning loaded with Benadryal and a few cocktails), asked him why he would tell his mother this without telling me or asking me first.  "Well, don't you want to be dating?" was the deadpan response.  I'm not so sure, whispered a voice in my head. 

There are (several) parts to this conversation clouded in a Benadryl haze, but I distinctly remember telling him, "We are not 20 any more Oz, we are 30.  You're either in or you're out."  At my age, I do not feel like one should have to guess whether one's partner truly wants to be in one's life.  If you're not doing everything to lock me down after a certain point, well, there's a giant red flag waving in my face because damn it, I am the kind of woman who should embolden any man to proclaim his love and affection for me so resolutely and with such certainty to never waiver from it, and desire such from me in return.  Yes, I am that wonderful ladies and gentlemen.  Why?  Because I love fearlessly, deeply, unconditionally.  Among other things.

We ended our evening, which had become a routine one evening per week, as always, with Oz's arms wrapped in an iron vice grip around my entire body as we fell asleep.  This grip has become symbolic in so many ways.  In the beginning of our relationship, it signified the strength of our unity and togetherness.  I craved the security it gave me, that he never wanted to let me go.  I remember nights at home in my own bed, not being able to fall asleep without that comforting, secure hold on me.  It made me feel so small and tiny, to have those big, strong arms wrapped entirely around me.  In the end, that vice grip squeezed the life and love out of my heart.  He had a hold on me that I could barely break out of.

Without going into great detail, let it suffice to say that he lied.  He lied about a seemingly little thing (whether or not he was going to a Halloween party).  I didn't call him out on it.  I just slowly let my affections for him waste until it was small enough to slip out of that vice grip.  I wonder how we started out as we did, both of us so sure we were meant for forever, and ended here, like this?  I saw him a bit over the last few days.  For the second time, he fell asleep when he was supposed to pick me up from the airport.  There were other things.  Like the girly, expensive shampoo that a cheap, manly, black man with 1/16th of an inch of hair would probably not buy (please see picture to the right of the actual, suspicious shampoo and conditioner.  Oh yes I did).  The quietness, the lack of response and conversation.  No more teasing. 

It's not that I haven't been here before.  I certainly have.  I just wonder what makes someone do this.  I wonder what makes someone think I shall be at his beck and call.  He should get the message soon.  I didn't answer a text.  I declined dinner.  I didn't respond wihen he asked if that meant I was not available to hang out.  When I am ready, I shall tell him that this isn't working for me, and it is not what I expect from a dating relationship.  I doubt I shall get any real objections. 

Why is this all so extraordinary?  I don't know.  I guess it isn't.  It just feels like Season 30 of Lost.  Obnoxiously endless and I should know what the outcome is, but I am always left hanging until the finale comes right out of no where. 

Two Bloke Weekend

Now that sounds like a great name for a beer...there is Two Hearted Ale, so why not a Two Bloke Weekend?  If I even come up with my own beer or wine, it will be called that.  But I digress.  

I know you came to read a good story.  Apparently one about two blokes and a weekend.  Please note this weekend was several weekends ago...like 2 or 3 to be exact.  So, here it goes.  It all started out pretty swell.  Oh, wait...maybe this is a three bloke weekend!  My friend MD and I decided to catch a movie after work, so we went to see Hereafter and have a bite to eat.  We are actually really just friends.  No, I really mean it.  I promise.  Just. Friends.  Okay, so that was how it started.

I had reserved Scuba, a cute little Nissan Sentra Zipcar for Saturday, an all day, 24 hour reservation.  But, little Scuba was for some reason unavailable, so they gave me Bennett, a nice BMW 328.  Wow.  Wow.  Wow.  Like, I can hardly describe how I felt.  It was like I was weightless, light and floating; my whole body was warm and tingly; flowed seratonin flowed freely throughout my entire body and it was nothing short of orgasmic.  Everything Oz had told me about driving a BMW was in fact, quite true.  

With such a great start to my day, I ran errands and mailed a present to little Lila, as she is about 2 months old, it was about time.  Dry cleaners, Goodwill, eyebrow wax, grocery store, Nordstrom, nails, two conference calls and a whole lotta driving Bennett...and then, it was date time!  

I stepped into my hot date jeans, a cute top and sweater and hot 4" heels and cute jacket.  I fluffed my curls, added some eye makeup suitable for an evening date, added jewelry and voila!  I was off to Cafe Intermezzo.  I really liked this place and hadn't ever been to a place designed with the concept of a European coffee house in mind.  The menu was like 50+ pages, with copious coffee drinks, pastries, wines, beverages, entrees and so much more available.  Each new section (such as Cognacs, Ports, etc.) had a description and history of the beverage, which was really fascinating.  Had I not been on a date, I might have snuck one of the menus home with me, and next time I think I will.  

In addition to the amazing menu, I loved the ambiance.  We sat outside, cafe style (I forgot it was about to get a little chilly after dark).  It was lit with low lighting and candles on the small, wrought iron tables. It's an excellent choice for a date, I have to say.  It can be intimate without being overly so.  The place filled up gradually, with couples sipping espressos and having dessert.  One of my first thoughts was, I would love to bring Oz here.  He might have thrown a fit over the service, however.  Our waitress did not have any answer really when I asked for a Malbec recommendation, and she did not come back to the table more than twice, until it was time to hand over the bill.  

I had a very good Deseno Malbec for $8 and it was a generous pour.  That seems pretty reasonable for HotPants.  Neither of us had eaten, so we decided to have a bite to eat as well.  So I ordered a panini with pulled chicken, apple, spinach and honey mustard.  At first, I was skeptical of having the spinach on it, but it actually turned out quite good.  The combination of flavours was very engaging and it was not just eating something because I was hungry, but it was genuinely enjoyable. 

For dessert, we went inside to the little bakery, cafe area.  If you're not familiar with the place, what you do is leave your table (tell your waitress you're having dessert!), order a cheesecake or other cake from the delectable choices and return to your table.  Shortly thereafter, your dessert arrives.  My date opted for his favourite, the Strauss cake, a rich chocolatey creation.  I asked for a recommendation and was told the apple pumpkin cake was delicious and there was only one slice left.... so I ordered it!

The Strauss cake arrived, but mine did not, so I had to ask the manager about it.  It was okay, but I have to say I was disappointed.  I generally am not a cake fan and the only part of this cake I liked was the pumpkin cheesecake wedged between two pieces of apple cake.  There was some kind of apple-cinnamon streusel top, but it was just okay. Long story short: lovely date and I will be back to further explore the menu, particularly the extensive coffee drink menu!

After I got home, Oz decided to stop by for a visit and we talked a bit about his mum's visit (she was at home sleeping).  It didn't take long for him to become allergic to the cats, so he didn't stay too long.  I'd like to think that he just missed me so much that he wanted to see me, but in fact...it was probably a good thing his allergies got to him. 

There you have it...a three bloke weekend.