<editorsnote>Hi, I'm Jen Friel, and we here at TNTML examine the lives of nerds outside of the basements and into the social media, and dating world. We have over 75 peeps that write about their life in real time. (Real nerds, real time, real deal.) Sit back, relax, and enjoy some of the stories!!</editorsnote>
AHHHHH ... holy buggerdy. It is currently almost 2am, and in an hour and a half, my cab is going to be here to take me to the airport. Stupid 6 am flight, and stupid self for booking it so gosh darn stupidly early.
I'm pretty stoked, tonight I hung out with some peeps from this loverly community ... and HOLLLYY CRAP did we have an amazing time. Here ... read what Nicole had to say ...
ANNDD it was super gnarly, I randomly connected these 3 people, and come to find out they had all met each other before. TOTALLY RANDOM!!!!! Like energy, man. I say this shit with CONVICTION!!!
LIKE. ENERGY. WILL. ATTRACT. period end of sentence.
You also have to understand how humbling this entire experience is for me that EVERY.SINGLE.CITY. I go to, I have a built in network of awesome. You guys make my life - I really really really mean that - thank you.
But yeah ... back to sleeping, or lack there of. I have SUCH a busy day tomorrow. BAHHH!! Gotta put on my big girl pants and just deal - hey, at least I'm not sleeping in the airport. YAYYYYY for that!!!
Dub-step. Some rub a dub dub ... ah yes, that shall keep me up.
Dudes, have you guys heard this from Skrillex? It's all shades of awesome, and totes in the top tracks on @spotify.
shut the front door ... shut the front door ... shut the front door ...
Okay, lemme break this down for you.
So, I was checking twitter, and I saw my buddy @ajonespua tweet out the Ustream for Steve Ward matchmaker extraordinaire, and star of Vh1's Tough Love. Anyone that reads this site knows that I am OOOBBBSSSEEESSSSEEEEDDDD with studying social dynamics, and after 103 dates in 9 months the notion of breaking down the organic root of attraction is pretty appealing to me.
And ... let's call a spade a spade ... Steve is fucking HOT!
LOOK AT THAT SMILE!!! UGGHHH!!
See ... there I am in the chat ... see the pink shirt thingie on the right hand side from my avatar??
AMAZING!
So I'm in the chat, kicking it - asked my question to Steve "are you a mac or pc guy." To get him to respond you have to add in the hashtag #toughlove(genius btw).
First time, he didn't answer ... second time when I put the hashtag in, he did.
I'm on a mac, he answered.
::SWOON::
Yo soy una mac-aholic.
He then took a swig of his beer. Heineken light.
OMG OMG OMG!! I just finished a Heineken light too!!
And FTR, it's not necessarily my "go to" this is more of a kickin it at home, editing kinda beer. I'm still allagash til I die!!
Alrite, I think, a date now just has to go down. Where in the world is he, I thought. I scope out his twitter page.
Philly. What a coinkie dink. ON FRIDAY, my bud Ashley Hans posted this on my Facebook page ...
HMMMMM ... so if I were to go to Philly for let's say a weekend, I'd have a place to crash. ::insert Mr Burns.::
EEEXXXCCEELLLLLEENNNTTT!!
I then ask Steve out.
About 5 minutes later (the Ustream social stream delay is pretty bad) - I get a response. Jen Friel wants to know if I'll go out with her. Lemme check out her profile ... (insert long moment of silence) ... (meanwhile I am DYING!! Say yes! Say yes!)
Sure, you're pretty cute. I'll go out with you, he says.
I take a deep breath and then ... I. START. SCREAMING.
And not even the cute kind of screaming, this was like Beatle-mania circa 1977 type shit.
Seriously!!! He said yes!! Here I was less than 24 hours ago watching Tough Love on VH1, and now because of social media I had access to Steve, I was given a chance to ask him out - and boom! he said yes!!
You don't G-E-T if you don't A-S-K.
I have ZZEERROOOOOO problem asking people for things. I have no fucking shame! What was the worst that was going to happen? He was going to look at my profile, say no, and move on!
I very. very. very. honestly wouldn't have cared.
Crushed? Meh, prolly.
Cried myself to sleep? no.
We are conditioned as children to be afraid of the word "no" because it means we're bad, and we're doing something bad. LET THAT SHIT GO, MAN!!!
Had I been afraid of hearing the word "no" this entire experience never would have come to fruition.
Steve has since DMed me his email, I just emailed him dates I could be in Philly - and we'll see where it goes from here.
Holy crap DUDES!!! Seriously, above everything else I cannot WAIIITTTTT to sit and discuss social dynamics with someone like him. OMG OMG OMG such a turn on. OMG OMG OMG this is happening.
PS. Leaving Boston in a few hours!! VidBlogger nation releases new episodes every Monday! So if you're in the New England area remember to tune in!! I'm putting my blood. sweat. and tears into this TV show. Well, maybe not blood - cause that's icky ... oh but dudes, fortunately I don't have to sleep at the airport - negotiated a cab pretty cheap. Home in LA for a few days, then going to the San Dizzle next weekend, followed hopefully by Philly the following weekend. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGGGGGG!! This is making my life right now ... you have no idea. And btw, this was WAY easier than crashing the 2010 grammies to meet Pete Cashmore!! *sigh* Love love LOVEEEEE YOU LONG TIME SOCIAL MEDIA!!
Hey Ashley! Better prep that couch pretty lady!! =) =) =) Thanks again for the offer! Whoop whoop!
GO AFTER EVERYTHING YOU WANT IN LIFE NERDS!!! People, places, things - LIFE IS YOURS FOR THE TAKING!! Just be specific and make sure you ASK FOR IT!!! No one hands you anything in life. You have to go and GET IT!! YAYERS!!
<editorsnote> Julie Wilson recently endured an agonizing break up with her fiancé after being together for 8 years. She is now in her late 20s and confused about what to do next. These are some of her frustrations, and ways she is attempting to heal from her loss. </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Julie Wilson
I feel like I should give a bit of insight as to why I actually miss this person so much. The story of our engagement is a good one.
It was 2007 and my ex and I were home for the holidays and we decided to spend Christmas at his grandparent's house in Key Largo along with his father.
We started in Ft. Lauderdale at a holiday function that his mom's side of the family was throwing. These people just about ruined the surprise that had yet to come, but luckily my ex is a good actor and I'm gullible. One of the first people we spoke to at this party was his cousin who told us "Congratulations!". I was so confused, I remember going up to his mom and being like, "Do these people think I'm pregnant or something? What's going on?" I was so clueless, I had no idea, we were so poor I never even imagined he would get the money to buy the ring in order to propose. But his grandparents used to own a jewelry store and they had helped out with the ring. I'll never forget speaking with his grandmother and seeing her eyes ever so slightly watering as she smiled at me.
Then on December 23, we went out on the boat fishing with his amazing grandfather (The man is about 80 years old and can catch a lobster on the ocean floor in 15 feet of water). When we got back it was clear that a lot of people had done the exact same thing that day. After everyone cleans their day's catch they throw the unwanteds over the edge of the dock. Then the stingrays swim by to feast. I walked over to the edge of the dock, laid down and watched the stingrays (and a nurse shark!) in delight. Then I helped clean the fish and we brought everything back to give to his grandmother to be made into a tropical holiday dinner the next night.
On Christmas Eve, after cocktails and dinner we were all just hanging out. It was around 6:00pm and I was on his grandmother's computer putzing around when my ex announced that he was going for a walk. Of course I chimed in with, "I'll go with you!" which is exactly what he was counting on.
As we often did when visiting we took a stroll down to the dock. We walked to the end where there is a single lamp. It's really beautiful there at night. I knew that since it was night there wouldn't be any stingrays still hanging out but I looked over the edge anyways. I turned around and there he was directly behind me crouched down. I couldn't see well as it was really dark. I walked over and kneeled down.
"What are you doing?"
"Julie, stand up" (we would laugh about this afterwards).
Then I saw the jewelry box and realized that he was not crouching, but was on one knee.
"OH! I stood up.
I remember how shocked and surprised I felt in that moment. And of course, how overwhelmingly happy I was as I said yes.
Neither of us even knew which hand the ring was supposed to go on (there's really no right or wrong with this, different cultures follow different rules). So he just put it on my right ring finger.
We walked back to his grandparent’s house. I remember laughing and asking, "What would you have done if I hadn't come out with you?" He said, "I was never worried, I knew that you would". When we got back his grandmother actually thought I said no because she didn't see the ring on my left hand. After she realized that we were in fact engaged she explained to both of us that the fourth finger of the left hand is considered to be the veina amoris or the "vein of love", which means that the veins are directly connected to the heart. His family had champagne and an engagement present waiting for us. I later wrote on myspace on December 30, 2007 that "it was the best Christmas present!"
It didn't last obviously. But, at least for that night, there was another person in this big world who thought that he wanted no one else in it but me.
Dudes, this comment was just left on the story of how I lost my virginity ... and I thought it was so interesting, it actually deserved its own post. Read onnnnnn ...
Wow. First off, thank you for sharing. Really really brave of you.
So last night was your first time receiving oral and having vaginal sex? That's 0-60 right there! Wow!
First off, you have options. I would recommend going down to the pharmacy immediately and purchasing Plan B. It's a single pill (costs I think around $50), and taken within 72 hours of an incident like that can prevent unplanned pregnancy.
Dude, these things happen. The most important thing to do is breathe, and understand what your options are. Think back to your days of health class as well, she would have to be ovulating for the sperm to fertilize the egg which would cause pregnancy. If she just had her period chances are good that you are fine. But no matter what, just get her the Plan B just incase - it will help keep you calm for the next 28 days.
Also too dude, what's with all the self deprication in this comment?? 2 pump chump? Come on, man - you're better than that, but if you don't see it no one else will. Life is reflective duderino. You're not going to attract that kind of attractive, intelligent, confident woman unless you start seeing YOURSELF as attractive, intelligent, and confident.
Screw what other people think about sex, and losing their virginity. AT LEAST 70% of my guy friends have all told me the same story - they all wanted to wait, then lost it to some random girl drunk one night. It happens, so what! You're not alone. Sex is a big commitment - your body is very literally merging with someone else's ... that is a BIG BIG DEAL!!
Be gentle with yourself, and stay strong.
All my love and all my heart, thanks for reaching out!
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Lindsay. She and I met ... well, somewhere in the social space. I think we might have started talking through this site directly, then through facebook - maybe ... I'm not sure. But she's awesome. I talk to her on twitter almost every day, and she's really rad and TOTALLY a big huge animal lover. Like crazy huge!! In these series of posts she will be talking about her life and random adventures with sometimes more than two legged creatures. I guess there's only one more thing left to say ... HIT IT LINDSAY!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @TheCraftafarian
Today's post is another serious type post. This didn't happen to me but this is one of the things No Kill Advocacy is working against. My boyfriend works as a server at a local Italian family restaurant and one of his fellow servers (we can call her M) told him about this, which of course he told me. (He thinks I'm an activist, I mean I call myself an advocate but whatever.) Her little dog-which was no bigger than a miniature schnauzer--got loose in their neighborhood. The little guy was picked up by our local animal control...which would be Orange County Animal Services in FL (the very group I have been working with all month). As soon as the lady heard about her dog getting out and being taken she went to the county shelter. This was not even 24 hours since he went missing. She gets to the shelter only to find out that they have euthanized ... no... they have killed her dog. As far as I am aware the dog was not aggressive and was not injured.
I am completely outraged!!! I have been working with this fucking group all month to adopt pets out and they don't even give the owner a fucking chance to find their beloved pet! I don't know if she was contacted by the county or if the dog had a collar with tags or a microchip. But if that was a lost pet they should at least give the owner a chance to find them before just killing the dog. Most county shelters require a minimum of a three day hold on stray dogs. Seminole County (nearby county and honestly I believe they have always had a far superior shelter system) holds their strays for 5 days. M would have been reunited with her dog if she lived in Seminole County. (http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/dps/ansrvs/lostpets.aspx) I will be looking in to this. I work with several important people involved in the no kill movement and if these standards were in place that dog would have never been killed. Only the most severe behavioral (unable to be rehabilitated) or sick animals are put to sleep. All adoptable animals get every chance to find homes. This is what standards should be in place at our local shelters. Think about what your tax dollars are paying for. I am not paying taxes so they can kill dogs and cats within 24 hours of going missing. In my mind there was no reason to put this dog to death, he was a small dog so no threat to people, he wasn't injured, and god dammit you fuckers gave him less then 24 hours!! The owner of the dog does wish to get involved in this advocacy movement as a means of closure and also to see if anything can be done to prevent this from happening to anyone ever again. Can you imagine going to pick up your beloved pup or kitty that went missing only to find out the people who are paid to and expected to protect these animals have betrayed them and put them to death? Bullshit. I call bullshit. And we are going to see what we can do about this. I'll let you all know how it goes.
PS- Just to be safe always always ALWAYS have collar with tags for your pets (breakaway collars for cats) and microchipping is a permanent means of ID, safe, and its only a bit of a bigger pinch then a vaccine. I recommend any and all means of identification for your pets.
Sunday, October 9, 2011 at 10:47PM
