eCrush

My friend Carrie has warned me against this. She's a veteran eHarmonizer (?) and has developed some guidelines. Don't fall in love over emails and phone calls (let's call this "eLove") before you meet the guy. Meet him right away, so if there's no connection or chemistry or spark or whatnot, it's easier to move on to the next prospect. Sounds reasonable enough. eLove can only lead to eRelationships and there's no such thing as eMarriage or eBabies. But I'm eCrushin' kinda hard right now. I told myself I was going to do it all differently this time around. Play the field so to speak. So I'm "communicating" with like seven other people but this guy (Chris is his name. He's a self-proclaimed eFlirt.) is blowing them all out of the water so far...

Wish me eLuck that he'll ask for my phone number soon enough so that we can finally meet before my imagination takes me too much farther.

Two, two, shoot two!

I love the city's library system. Today I checked out Coaching Basketball for Dummies; Coaching Youth Basketball; Coaching Youth Basketball: The Guide for Coaches, Parents and Athletes; The Baffled Parent's Guide to Great Basketball Drills; The Basketball Pass Cut Catch Guide; Modern Memory Keeper; and a James Blunt CD.

"Why the sudden interest in basketball, Courtney?" you're probably asking yourself. Well, let me tell you why. For some reason that is still a mystery to me I agreed to coach one of our sixth grade girls basketball teams. Yep, you heard right. Me. Coaching. Basketball. Interesting indeed. I don't even like basketball. I was surprised I lasted the whole first half at OBU's homecoming game last weekend.

My pal Mel told me not to worry. In sixth grade you don't need to worry about teaching them actual plays and all. Just work on the basics. Dribbling, passing, shooting layups, etc. That's when I opened my mouth and asked, "Layups are the ones where you bounce it off the backboard, right?" That got a round of laughs from my friends. Followed shortly thereafter by a better definition of a layup and a promise to make a road trip of one of our games. Great. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted. Which, by the way, is apparently a basketball word too.

The scrapbooking book was to feel a little girlie. Even though it's been awhile, crafting is something I'm good at. No need to school me on any lingo there. And the CD was because I'd been on the waiting list for it for months! Man, I love our library!

Soap Box

Did you know that if you get stopped by a cop all you have to do is give your name and birthdate? Or anyone's name and birthdate? Yep. I know this because my sister has given MY name and MY birthdate several times to get her out of a pickle. And me right into one. I was stopped for speeding a couple of years ago and the trooper almost didn't let me drive myself home. Nope. He was supposed to take me to jail and have someone else come pick me up. Because my license had been suspended. My what had been what?! He told me it was due to a traffic ticket earlier that year. Nope...not me.

I spent the next few days at the DPS in Jenks, the Tulsa County Courthouse, and the Tulsa Municipal Courts. My sister had been stopped for speeding, told them she didn't have her license, gave them my name and birthdate and I was issued two tickets...one for speeding and one for driving without a license. Which turned into a supsended license when "I" didn't pay it. So I had to request an ID hearing to have my record cleared. When I got there I found out I also had a petty larceny charge on my record. A what?! Yep. "I" had shoplifted at a grocery store. We added that to the docket and I got everything cleared. My sis wasn't really hanging with the fam much in those days but I got a hold of her and told her if it ever happened again I would absolutely press charges.

All that to say I recently found out that I have a seat belt violation on my driving record now. I immediately called my sister (recently in everyone's good graces) and asked her if she knew anything about it. "No way, sis, not this time. I haven't done that in years." Later that day I received a text. She fessed to it but said she had been drunk and didn't remember...her boyfriend reminded her of it. Upon further investigation, I learned that this ticket was actually paid a couple of weeks after the ticket was issued. So she didn't remember getting the ticket or paying it later. Hmmm....interesting. So it's back to the courts for another ID hearing. Unfortunately I cannot transfer any of these things to her record; they can only be dropped from mine. Because this one has been paid and the last ones were erased. Well crap. How is she supposed to learn she can't do stuff like this and get away with it when she does and can?!

Doesn't it seem wrong that all you have to do is know the name and birthdate of someone who has the same color hair and eyes as you? How is that acceptable? A lady I spoke with said that unfortunately this happens a lot with relatives. Grr...

Feeling a little restless this evening. Need to break out some crafting supplies and have at it. Or at least bust out my brand new journal and scrawl details of the past couple of weeks. Or paint my bathroom. Nah, I'll just sit here for a bit and then catch some TV.

Yesterday was pretty monotonous at work (that's actually a GREAT thing considering how Monday went. No principal. No assistant principal. That's right folks, the counselors are next in command! A fight at lunch. A suicide threat. A DHS referral. A catfight on the bus. A handcuffed student. Yes indeedy, a calm Tuesday was a blessing). It picked up quite a bit in the afternoon. I ran over to my voting location and was pleasantly surprised the line was only four deep. I was in and out in minutes. Headed home to change for "Bootcamp."

That's right, I worked out. For the first time in years. My mom and I used to go to the Y a few years ago and we took a class that a lady named Denise led. Lots of cardio and step and random torture devices like weights and bands and poles and balls. We went for months but eventually stopped going. Anyways, I finally gave into my stepdad and agreed to go to the Bootcamp his office provides for its employees and their families. He had said the instructor was named Denise but I thought it was absolutely impossible for her to be THE Denise. I was wrong. And I'm in some kind of pain today. My legs, my arms, my back, my neck, my "core" (apparently that fitness-ese for abs) are all screaming at me. But I was proud of myself for finally going and, for the most part, keeping up with the group. I was red-faced and stinky by the time it was over, but I did it!

Then I had to haul ass home and get ready for a date. Now, I wasn't so into this (second) date so I didn't shower or anything, just smeared on another layer of deodorant and caked on some more makeup. Threw my hair into my standard headband-pouffy-ponytail combo and headed back out. I tried the whole subtle hints thing all night long. He had offered to pick me up but I said I'd meet him at the restaurant. I had also told him I needed to be home by 9:00. I had previously told him that we could postpone this meeting until after he returned from a business trip. We wrapped up dinner pretty quickly and it was still fairly early so we headed to the movies. In separate vehicles. Yes, he offered to drive again. I declined, telling him it made more sense because we'd be right off the highway and he could just hop on and head back home. In the theater I kept my hands clasped in my lap. The only time he got any "action" was when I shielded my eyes from the gore and he was able to grab the hand nearest him and hold onto it for a few minutes. Afterwards I kept the goodbye as quick as possible but he was still able to sneak in a hug and a peck. I thought I was free and clear when he remembered that he had to take a picture of me for his friends. Apparently he has been telling them about me. And apparently my "subtle hints" tactics aren't working. He's really a pretty neat guy who sounds perfect on paper but there's just nothing there. And I feel bad but I can't help it. What to say to him? I'm apparently going to have to use some words. Because he plans on calling me often while he's on his business trip.

Oh little Buttercup, you're a dream come true...

Ah, Buttercup. My sweet little scooter. That hates me. Now I know that it's been four months since I've spent any time with her. And that I had her for less than a month when I stopped spending time with her. But still...she should not be so tempermental yet. My pal Val and I got excited about spending time on our scooters during this abnormally gorgeous November weather. She hopped on White Lightning and headed over to my place. I had drilled new holes in my license plate so it could be displayed properly and had even grabbed a towel to wipe my baby down.

I pulled her out of the garage and tried to start her. Now, I admit that it has been four months to the day since I've ridden and I needed a quick tutorial on how to start her up. We sat there for minutes and she wouldn't turn over. Val made a quick call to scooter maven Sacha and we tried to kickstart her. Still nothing. Buttercup's battery is a little depressed from the lack of attention I guess. Drats! But at least we snapped a few photos (for my eHarmony profile - a whole other post topic) in between laughing our heads off and breaking a sweat trying to crank that kickstart.

Here's a brief visual timeline of my relationship with Buttercup...

Wednesday, June 11 - picking her up to take her home. I didn't know how to drive a scooter, so Valerie drove her back to my place.
Later that afternoon - Valerie gave me a lesson and I was on my way. A natural indeed!
Thursday, June 12 - I found myself thrown off of the scooter and onto the roadside as she careened into a ditch. Maybe not such a natural after all...The scars are still really bad!

I continued to ride for a couple more weeks until I was shaken up by a young kid who was riding his scooter in my neighborhood in early July. He ran a stop sign and hit a moving vehicle. He died on my street corner. My house was the backdrop for the live newsfeed that evening.

November 2 - Well, at least she still looks cute.