my latest obsession

I have always loved TV. ever since I learned how to pull off a timed recording on my VCR I have been obsessed. then came boxed sets of seasons. I have Felicity, Will & Grace, Friends, Lost, and Grey's Anatomy. during college breaks these DVDs were my sanctuary. when I first moved to DC and was scared to death, Marti and I watched Felicity and it comforted me. it was my security blanket during such an unfamiliar time. that hasn't changed. for the past few months I have been in uncharted territory. no job and no for sure plan. it's strange and unsettling. that's where abc.com, Netflix and Comcast On Demand come in. I watched all four seasons of Lost at abc.com, three seasons of Weeds sent to my mailbox from Netflix, and what did Comcast On Demand bring into my life?

Dexter! if you haven't watched it, you must. I can't stop watching. at first I was just intrigued. curious. but now I'm full-on in love! so in love that I have dreams that Dexter is my neighbor and I have a crush on him, but he doesn't have human feelings which you know if you watch the show. I love all the characters. Angel, Rita, Masuka, Dexter, Miguel, and Deb. Deb is played by Jennifer Carpenter who also played Emily Rose. it freaked me out for a while, but now I love her too. they are all fast becoming my favorite imaginary friends. they are on showtime. you must watch.

online dating horror story #1

as some of you may know, this actually happened a couple months ago, but I couldn't bring myself to write about it until now. although I've been doing the online dating thing for years, I still feel pretty self conscious about it and hesitate to admit it. so, here we go... hi. I'm Christa and I meet guys online. there, I said it.

I have met quite a few great guys this way - just enough to keep me from deleting my profile. but, usually the ones that aren't meant to be, are REALLY not meant to be. take this one for example:

John (not his real name) and I had been talking on the phone and texting for weeks before we actually met. he seemed like a great guy. very intelligent, funny, good looking, motivated, well-read, cultured. all the things I look for. I wasn't worried about anything on my way to the coffee shop that night. in fact, the only thing I could think about was whether I would have a job a week later.

he was late. I sat at the high boy for about 10 minutes, and then he called to say he was in line ordering a drink and would be right there. he didn't offer to buy me one, which never really dawned on me until just now... anyway, he came and sat down and we had great conversation, we laughed, and found we had more in common than we thought. I learned that he had only been divorced for a few months, was raised Catholic but converted to Judaism a couple years ago, and was a self-proclaimed wine expert. then, out of nowhere, he starts asking me about Star Wars. I have never seen the movies, nor do I want to. he is appalled and vows to watch all of them with me. I let him know it isn't necessary, I will continue to be ok having never seen them. he still insists.

I try to change the subject, and he brings up Lord Of The Rings. I have seen them and I enjoyed them. he says, "my ex-wife could speak elvish. it was a huge turn on." I was in shock. what? elvish isn't a real language. how nerdy is that? he continued, "I used to know it pretty well myself. I even have a tattoo." "wow," I say, "what is it of?" he points to his arm and says, "it's a band around my bicep. it has the inscription that is on the ring." I'm pretty sure my face gave everything away at this point. what kind of universe had we just entered? where was the guy I had been talking to the past few weeks? he nervously said, "I don't usually reveal that until the 3rd date at least." I can see why.

I changed the subject again. started talking about skiing. he loves it. I hate it. wanted to make that clear to him right then. and he begins talking about all the strange vacations he has been on and wants to take. he spent a week on a Navy ship in California pretending to be a sailor, and now he wants to go live at the Mars station in southern Utah. "WHAT?" I say. my dad works for them. nobody knows about that place. it's in the middle of nowhere and it's a weird NASA training spot. he can't believe I know about it and that my dad worked there and he says he likes me even more now. all I can do is picture him in a space suit walking around in the desert and converting his urine into drinking water for two weeks. ...not attractive to me. not. at. all.

as we were walking out to our cars he said he couldn't wait to see me again, and that he thinks I'm beautiful, and all that jazz. I smiled and waved. I couldn't wait for it to end! what the......? the next day as I was cleaning out the art room at work I received a text from him that read, "did you have an enjoyable enough time fort night?" I didn't even know how to answer that. what does that mean? who was this guy?? needless to say, I haven't seen this guy again. am I wrong to write him off? I don't think so!

here's to online dating and the great stories it brings into my life. let's all pray I'm not single for much longer, ok?

yes, I am a Dork

with a capital D. and I am proud. why be ashamed? I embrace my dorkiness. what makes me a Dork you ask? here are just a few reasons:

- I LOVE puzzles. in fact, I am working on this Disney Fine Art puzzle right now. which brings me to my second point

- I LOVE Mary Poppins. I hope to be practically perfect in every way some day, and I know how to spell supercalifragilisticexpialadocious. I actually love almost all musicals and would choose a musical production over a movie any day.

- I read. a LOT. I always have a book with me, and half of my moving boxes are heavy with books. I get lost in them and sometimes spend my day longing to get home and get back into my book. I have a list 20 pages long of books I want to buy at Barnes & Noble where, yes, I have a membership, and yes I worked there part time for a while just because I loved being there so much.

- I am way into politics. and I'm not just into it, I'm emotional about it. I can lose my emotions in a debate, and I have been known to cry during speeches. Barack Obama, JFK and Dick Gephardt know how to pull at my heart strings for sure. I get emotional on election days too, at the end of the night when the winners and losers give speeches. it brings back so many memories, and makes me get all patriotic.

- I love word games. Text Twist is one of my favorites. I can play that game for hours on end.

- I don't like clubs or big parties. I would rather be at home with just a few friends, or just my best friend. or if I go out, I prefer it to be an intimate setting. there are exceptions like concerts or Jazz games, but I usually only go with a few of my closest friends. I'm an introvert for sure.

- I have a thing for museums, national monuments, and historical sites. I like to take detours to these things on road trips and living in DC was SO exciting! there was always too much to do and even after living there for two years I still haven't seen or done everything I wanted to.

- I'm crafty. I like to make my own things like pillows, curtains, chair covers, etc. I've been known to whip out a mean cross stitch and you have all seen my adventures in cardmaking and scrapbooking. and yes, I started my own card swap club and we meet every other month.

I may be a Dork, but I'm a cool one and you all seem to like me anyway.