A Whole Lotta Camping for This City Girl

Dating a Nature Boy has its perks.

We definitely fuel each others sense of adventure.  While I like being in nature, especially the ocean, there's still the bit of uncertainty about being in the middle of the woods.

My family is not a camping family.  Whenever we went to other places, we would always stay at a hotel.  Perhaps it was coming from a different culture where having a bed was more of a luxury.  My mom would even question why I would want to sleep over a friend's house.  "You have your own bed already. Why would you want to sleep in a different bed?" she would question.  It was a similar line of questioning when it came to camping - "You have your own bed already.  Why would you want to sleep outside?"

When they finally allowed me to go on a camping trip with a mentoring program in middle school, I realized I was definitely afraid of the unknowns in the dark of nature.  I felt safer when we were carrying large, bright flashlights.  I had to walk in the middle of the group - because if something or someone attacked from the front we would be able to see it and run away, and if something or someone attacked from the back then people in the group might not realize it right away.  Being in the middle was the safer option for me.

With the Annual All Night Costume Dance Party in Vermont, I've been more comfortable with camping, mainly because it's not at all far from the rest of civilization.  Though I had invited Nature Boy last year, I didn't really pursue it because at the time we were both dating other people.  But this year he received the official invitation - Facebook invite and all.

campfire cuddling

This year, the theme of the All Night Costume Dance Party was the Apocalypse/End of the World.  I decided to go for a silly costume, as though I was ready for the impending flood.  Nature Boy went as, well, a Nature Boy, complete with fur loincloth.

ready for the end of the world

He grew up with a camping family.  They would often go on trips that involved setting up tents and pop-ups and things like that.  So, I made sure to rely on him for his tent construction skills as well as making sure we had the right kind of gear.  But his experience also made him aware enough to invest in better camping gear - like an inflatable mattress and a larger tent.

another dresser on fire...
destructive beauty

Dating a Nature Boy also means possibly going on more than one camping trip.

His brother and brother's friends were going on their annual camping trip together and invited us.  This time, we were in Saco, Maine at a KOA site.  Nature Boy and I couldn't figure out what KOA actually stood for, so we made up things like "Karaoke Outlawed Area" and "Kangaroos of America."  But apparently, it's as simple as "Kampgrounds of America."

These campgrounds are pretty awesome, actually.  I had never been in such a luxe campground, with all the amenities like clean showers and toilets.  It was also nice to have access to a power source so that we could have lights, fancy meals, and charging stations for our phones.  But it was also nice to get back to basics around the campfire.

embers

We were there for Labor Day weekend, so 3 nights of camping.  Three whole nights of camping.  At this point, 2 was my max.  But, in such a cushy situation at the KOA, it wasn't to difficult to feel comfortable.  We had a tent that was large enough for us both to stand in and fit a queen-size inflatable mattress, and it even felt like we had a little entryway area.  I basically had nothing but mosquitoes to complain about.

So, for a City Girl like me, nature is much more manageable with a Nature Boy around.

Toesies of the Month - August 2012

It certainly has been a while since I've had time to sit and blog.

But here I am, near the end of this most amazing summer, to share my latest pedicure experience.

Well, let me catch you up a bit before I get to the toes.

I'm once again in a relationship.  Truth be told, he caught my eye when I first met him, but we were both in circumstances that wouldn't have allowed for anything to happen.  But I've learned more about myself in the experience of getting to know him better. 

It's been a busy summer as I've still been at the summer camp.  There's been lots of beach trips, laughs and frustrations, and a lot of sunshine.  I really have a lot of adventures to blog about.  Just looking back at my calendar makes me have flashbacks to all the things that have happened in the past 2 months.

But let's get back to the pedicure experience.

I don't know how, but I managed to convince a boy to get a pedicure.  It's kind of amazing, really.  I told him it was my treat to myself, and that the spa chairs help to make it a good experience.  He had been complaining about foot pain, so I figured it would be a good way for him to start taking better care of it.

man-pedi...NOT mani-pedi...

The nail techs were thoroughly enjoying the fact that a man was getting a pedicure.  They kept asking if he wanted to pick a color, and he continued to politely decline.  The infomercials on tv were the most ridiculous, one of them being about a bra.

I could tell he was so absolutely uncomfortable.  But he was a trooper.  He stuck it out with me til my toesies were ready to hit the road.

Speaking of which...

Designed by Betsy at Nails 2000, Jamaica Plain, MA
Color: OPI - My Fave Wave
Occasion: Summer Lovin
August 2012

You can't really tell, but there are specks of gold in the aqua.  It's gorgeous, and it matches what this summer has been all about.

I promise to blog more about my fabulous summer soon.

Interesting Offers on the First Beach Weekend of 2012

It had been too warm of a winter.  And now it's been somewhat of a cloudy summer.  Still relatively warm, don't get me wrong.  But still not the consistently sunny-with-a-couple-of-pretty-clouds-in-the-sky kind of summer I would hope for.

Actually, let me take that back.  It's not even officially summer.

But, on the days when it has been beautiful, I am certain to be spending it outside in some fashion.

A couple of weeks ago, we had quite a bit of rainy days followed by a beautiful weekend.  Two of my girl friends and I made our way to Crane Beach, one of the North Shore beaches here in Massachusetts.

beach supplies

On a complete sidebar, do you remember that so-horrible-I-can't-stop-watching-it afternoon soap opera, "Passions"?  It was the only soap I watched ever.  It was so bad.  So cheesy.  I loved it!  But, if you remember, the wealthy family lived in "Harmony, New England," and their last name was Crane!  Well, Crane Beach is part of the Crane Estate, and though it's now a public area (but there's still fees for everything), I can't help but think back to Passions.

Anywhos, back to my story.

So, here we are, lounging on this gorgeous beach. The sand is warm, the water is (relatively) warm.  It's beautiful.

sparkly sand

I notice this one large man carrying a large gallon of water.  I thought about how strange it was since it wasn't that hot.  Then I realize that he spots the 3 of us on our towels, and he proceeds to park himself on a nearby spot.  I roll my eyes internally.

Within about 5 minutes, he proceeds to start doing pushups, superman's, snow angels, and crunches.  Then he goes for a jog and returns to chug from his gallon jug.

At some point, one of my friends heads to the water.  Immediately, the man, let's call him Gallon Man, stands up and slowly follows behind her.  My other friend and I are watching intently to see what will come of this situation. 

Eventually, he seems to say something to her, as we see her turn towards him.  They separate ways.  Oh, man!  I couldn't wait to see what she had to say!

We get up and walk towards her, ready to hear what he had said to her.  Apparently, he said, "Compliments on the view."

Wooooow.  Ballsy.

When we all head back to our towels, Gallon Man is back at his.  He overhears our conversation and proceeds to chime in.  I believe it had something to do with Norway and the Baltic area.  He shared that he had been to that area, also stating that he had been to "Swedish."  Oops.

After sharing a bit about his experience, he then proceeds to get up and approach us three, asking how we knew each other.  When we explained that we knew each other through Middle Eastern dance, he then explained he knew we were dancers.  We walked so "gracefully," and the way our bodies moved definitely meant we were dancers.

It hasn't even gotten to the good part, y'all.

He then tells us we're all "Goddesses."  He would love the chance to "worship" us.  If he put all of our bodies together we would be some sort of supreme goddess.  He said something about my strong legs, my friend's butt, and my other friend's lower back. 

Believe me, I was face down in my towel trying not to laugh in his face.

He continued to ask if he could "worship" us, and I had to speak up and ask him to clarify.  He said he would just love to give each one of us a quick kiss on those parts of our body he decided were worship-worthy.  He even said, in a somewhat begging voice, that he would do upside down push ups for a chance to worship us.

What the heck are upside down push ups?  I honestly feel like he would have to be on his back or something.  But my friends said he was talking about being in a handstand position, then doing the push-up movement.

Ridiculous.  Just ridiculous.

After laughing a bit about him, and learning that he was some Buddhist martial arts instructor, we settle back into our respective towels. 

Eventually, he got up to leave and began to virtually beg us to let him "worship" us.  We end up convincing one of my friends to let him kiss her lower back.  It was kind of hilarious, really.  She said it felt really "chaste," as though if was one of us giving the other a quick peck.

He then grabbed all his belongings and went along his merry way.   We couldn't believe any of that actually happened.  I wondered out loud if he was going down the beach to try it on some other schmucks, or perhaps it was a dare, or perhaps he was actually genuine.

Still.  This is the most ridiculous thing to happen to me on a beach in recent memory.

If this is any indication of how the rest of the summer is going to be, I can't even express to you how excited I am!

Romance Might Be Close to Death...But It's Still Twitching About Somewhere

The title of this blog post seems so morbid.  But I really meant it to be sort of darkly humorous.

Firstly, Happy Valentine's Day to You All!

vintage valentine

Secondly, this post was inspired by recent events and the fact that it is Valentine's Day.

I've always loved Valentine's Day.  I can understand how uncomfortable it must be to be single, as I am now, on a holiday so focused on romantic love.  But I always took the opportunity to be a little bit kinder to myself.  I also really enjoy handing out candies and making Valentine's cards for my co-workers.

The other day at my after school job, some roses were distributed among the kids to give to their parents.  Somehow one of the roses ended up with my supervisor.  At first, we joked about how funny it was that he received a rose, but then I encouraged him to take it to his girlfriend who he happened to be meeting after work.

At first, he scoffed at it, stating that he felt really cheesy bringing a rose to the bar.  But I absolutely insisted that he do it.  Why not?  What could he possibly lose from bringing a rose to his girlfriend?

I laughed with the administrative assistant about how the reason so many women are single is because none of the guys treat them special anymore.  I said, "No one wants to be romantic anymore!"  But, I kind of meant it. 

In the end, his girlfriend loved the romantic gesture.

More Romance, Please

One thing that I didn't include in my 2012 Goals was that I'd like to be open to more romance.  Now, I didn't necessarily mean this in the relationship sense.  In fact, I just wanted more happiness and joy in my daily life, and I think that starts with having slightly-rose-colored glasses on.

I think somewhere in the sadness of my previous relationship, I lost sight of my joyful and cheery disposition.  This was partially why I included dancing and making music more, because I know those two things bring me a lot of joy.  There's something lovely and romantic about being creative.

Perhaps because I've been trying to be open to more romance, I'm trying to encourage it in others as well.  It's also shown itself in my life again as well, which has brought up a couple of questions.

Closet Romantic Meets Feminist
Now, let me back track a little bit.  I'm secretly a big fan of romance.  I'm a sucker for some of those romantic comedies.  In fact, I will sit through another viewing of "While You Were Sleeping" if it came on t.v. right now.  Secretly (or perhaps not so secretly anymore), I would love to have love fall right into my lap.  I would love that swell of music to play as a fountain lights up in the background.  I would love that kind of stability and knowing.

But then there's the part of me that values equality. I want to be able to pay my own way before someone else does.  I don't need someone to open doors for me, or pay for my dinner.  Actually, when I was in my early and mid-twenties, I basically insisted that I handle my own way.

I'm a big girl, and I want to be treated like a responsible adult.

As I've gotten older, however, I can definitely see the value of being treated like a lady.  There's something to be said about being wined and dined and treated like I am someone special or someone more important than the material things or even more important than a quick hook up.

But of course, I wonder if romance and feminism are at odds with each other.  Would a woman still be able to maintain her independence while having someone else open the door for them?

After Googling a bit, I found some articles (here and here) that seemed to say that feminism actually benefits relationships.  Because it creates a somewhat level playing field in the relationship where both partners could have some level of control.  Each partner being able to act independently makes them a whole person, and they're able to bring that whole person to the relationship.

I realize it's not necessarily about the gestures.  The gestures are just established traditions from older generations.  The gestures aren't necessarily what makes the romance.  What makes the romance in relationships is the respect and adoration for the other person.

My Romance Won't End on a Sorrowful Note
Suffice it to say, being single has been fun so far.  I'm definitely having fun with it, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

I've gone on a couple of dates with different guys, and they've all been quite pleasant.  One date, however, definitely threw me for a loop.

Firstly, he offered to pick me up - which has honestly never happened unless they were already my boyfriend.  When I expected him to just call me when he arrived, he legit parked the car and rang the doorbell.  He opened car doors, ordered for me, bought me drinks and dinner, and took me dancing.

It was perhaps one of the nicest (and funnest, I might add) dates I had ever been on.  And it felt WEIRD.  I really didn't know how to react at first.  In my head, I could see some of my friends rolling their eyes, while another set of friends were telling me that that's how I deserved to be treated.

There is a part of me that wants to insist to be treated like another friend.  Like one of the guys.  But maybe that's why it hasn't worked, because at the end of the day I make a pretty awesome woman.

I reminded myself that I wanted to be open to these sorts of gestures and that I wanted a bit more romance.  Here it was.

Today, on Valentine's Day, we had a Valentine's Lunch.  I insisted I didn't want anything fancy, but just chill and tasty.  But we ended up at a French bistro.  Honestly, I was impressed.

On a personal note, while I'm not necessarily ready to jump into another serious relationship, it has been lovely to be treated like this.  Perhaps it's just the physical manifestation of the romance that I was trying to be open to. Regardless, I'm learning to be open to this as well as more romance every day.

City Sights - Just Plain Inappropriate

Now, I'm not necessarily an expert on moral behavior.  But there are just some things that just seem plain inappropriate.

May 2010
On the T (B-Green Line)
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize we were on the freakin' Love Train!
Seriously, the couple got on at the stop after the older woman and her friend/daughter/companion.  Before I took this picture, they were totally making out quite heavily!  I'm all for love, or whatever you want to call it.  But that PDA in such a tight space...I don't care who you are, but if you're riding the T, it's not your personal make out spot.
And to this guy, don't be an ass and just let your girl have the seat.

September 2010
Dance Studio in Lakeville, MA
O. M. G.
Really?
You also want to make sure that the boys know that you're a dancer...so bend over occasionally, buy some clear plastic heels, and get this t-shirt! Like, now!
Boys definitely like dancers...so slut it up, girls!