Hanging Out with Mr. Cutie

I can't believe the great night I had last Saturday! My friend S and I, and her friend M, went to Mr. Cutie's POB (place of business). Before we headed over there, we had dinner at this restaurant I've been to many times before. The initial plan was that we would have dinner and then walk over to you-know-whose place because there was going to be live music. As soon as we finished dinner, we were nearing the stoplight to cross the street when who do I see but Mr. Cutie! I told my friend, S, "OMG, there he is!" Well, as we were about to cross the street, some guy on his bicycle crossed Mr. Cutie's path & they started talking...right in the middle of the street! I obviously couldn't say anything right then and there, so we continued walking. After we arrived at his POB, S and I ordered some wine. Mr. Cutie was no where in sight. I wonder where he had wandered off to. Well, about an hour later, he arrived. By that time, I had already finished my wine & unfortunately, I didn't get a refill because I had to drive home. Heck, I could have even walked home!

The entire time M and S were teasing me, but also encouraging me to go talk to Mr. Cutie. Well, about this time, more people came into his place and he was mingling with the regulars. Obviously, I am NOT a regular! I know for sure he noticed me, but the entire time I just kept talking to my friends. If I stared at him the entire night, I didn't want to give him the impression that I was totally into him! At one point, he started talking to the woman who was sitting at the large table in front of us (who was accompanied by several others) and had his back towards us. Shortly thereafter, he turned around & asked if he could take the chair that was at our (small) table, which wasn't being occupied. I think my friend, S, answered at the same time, but I answered, "Sure, go right ahead!" Ok, so I was really thinking of saying, "Hey, it's your place and you can do anything you please!" Maybe he thought we were expecting more people. Grrr! I let the opportunity to talk to him pass me up.

Since the music started late, we didn't leave until about 1 hour and 45 minutes later. I had to call it an early night because I had to try studying for finals and my two friends needed to drive back home. I didn't let S persuade me to leave through the door closest to where Mr. Cutie was. We ended up leaving from another side door, which was closer to me. I'm sure he noticed us leaving, but we had to go.

Of course I regret not initiating a conversation with Mr. Cutie beyond him asking me if he could use the chair at our table. I mean, HELLO, this is his place after all! You know what I really wanted to say was, "Instead, you should pull up a chair and join us!" Note to self: Work on my flirting techniques because it needs a LOT of improvement!

After we finally left, we walked around town and then resumed in the parking lot where our cars were parked. Of course, I wanted to kick myself for keeping quiet the entire night (ok, so I didn't want to interrupt him talking), but I have faith there will be a next time and that I WILL talk to him!

The Return of Mr. Cutie

Yes, I never thought I'd be saying this again, but I think my feelings for Mr. Cutie have returned!

I went to the grocery store today and ran into my friend, E, who has been working there for years. I felt bad that I haven't been able to talk/call her, so we chatted a bit and I asked her if she was going to attend the celebration that the city was throwing for the town we grew up in. She said she was thinking about it and I told her to give me a call if she decided to go. I was hoping she'd call because I really needed a distraction away from my studies.

By now it's about 1:30 or 2:00 p.m. and I walk over to E's house and then she, myself and her two kids head into town to check out the festivities. Before we arrived, we stopped by the store to buy some drinks and ran into our cousin (E is related to this cousin on her mother's side and I'm related on my father's side). We finally made it downtown and we were probably there about 30 minutes when I spotted Mr. Cutie! He was chatting with some friends, who were BBQing for the festivities. I told E that he was there, as I had suspected he would be.

I don't know her reasons for doing this, but E brought her camera with her and she said that she was going to take a photo of Mr. Cutie. Well, at one point, she said something to his friend (I can't remember if she knew him or not) and within a few minutes, she snapped the shot while I was several feet away. When we met up, E told me that he noticed she was taking the picture and was trying to get out of the way or just out of the shot. I hope he didn't suspect what she was doing!

I felt like E and I were going around in circles at this party, until we found ourselves in the wine tasting area. We probably stood in one spot for like 30-45 minutes when E recognized a regular from her store. I jokingly kept asking E, "Do you see my boyfriend around?!" She would then reply, "Yeah, he's standing right in back of you!" Literally, he was within a few feet away or within proximity of me and a few times, our backs were to each other. I noticed Mr. Cutie chatting with some friends, as well as some new ones, but I saw NO girlfriend in sight! Someone had asked him a question about where he lived and as I was trying to listen, there was some other commotion going on. Then I heard that he was going back in to the city tonight. Does he have another place that he resides in away from our town? I was trying not to make it obvious that I was checking him out and I think I pulled it off really well. Incidentally, when I first noticed him today, those butterflies found their way back into my stomach!

So after being at this celebration party for about four hours, it was time to go home. Our feet were killing us (we both wore sandals because it was such a gorgeous day today)! I thought by that time Mr. Cutie had left back to his place of business, which was around the corner, but I noticed him as we were trying to find a public restroom. Eeek!! I'm sure he noticed me, but again, I played it off like I didn't see him. You know, the least I could've done was make eye contact and smile at him like I did when I first saw him almost two years ago. I can't continue to keep letting good opportunities pass me by because I'm definitely not getting any younger! :(

Before we left the party, I ran into a high school classmate of mine, who I hadn't talked to in two years. We were talking about how we really should get together because we weren't able to the last time we spoke. I told her that as soon as I'm finished with finals, I would call her and see if she wanted to meet up for lunch. Hmmm...I think I know of a place to go grab some lunch at! Let's just hope he's there when I go!

The saga with Mr. Cutie continues...

More Reasons to Love This Man!

My fellow "Blockhead" (H) e-mailed this to me and a few other BH friends last night and I wish I would've sent it to Jonathan via Twitter. Oh well, because he ended up posting this link early this morning. This interview speaks for itself. More celebrities need to take a lesson from Jon. He's the most down-to-earth, sweetest person you're ever going to meet! :) Did I mention that he was gorgeous too?! I can't wait to see him again this summer!

The interview was taped on April 28th at the Debbie Gibson "Electric Youth" benefit in West Hollywood, CA. Click on Debbie's website and you'll see many more photos from this event, including some of Jonathan! http://www.deborahgibson.wordpress.com

It's times like these that I wish I were living in Southern California right now! By the way, I don't think I could've done a better job at interviewing him, but I'm still hoping for a chance someday! :)

My Adventures in Fresno

On April 16th, my friends and I drove four hours to the "armpit capital" of California, also known as Fresno! You're probably thinking, "Why on the earth would she go there?" Well, we had our reasons...five very good reasons! Despite this being our first trip to Central California, my three friends and I (my Godsister merely went for the experience) made the trip because we were going to go see another NKOTB concert and were going to meet the guys again!

My Godsister and I actually arrived an hour ahead of my three friends, who decided to take another route. We didn't have much time to relax, so we started getting ready because we needed to be at the venue, located at Fresno State University, by 4:00 pm. Then we had to be in the building by 4:30 so that we could be directed into the VIP lounge. However, before heading over to the venue, we stopped off at BJ's Restaurant and ate some lunch. I was famished, but I only managed to eat like 30% of my salad and french fries. Yes, I believe I was starting to feel a bit anxious as to what was to come.

As we drove into the venue, I noticed all these women standing alongside this little hillside looking down. They were looking down at the tour buses, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the guys. A few people saw Joey and Jordan waved hello to a few fans. I met up with my friend K, who brought her friend B, and then my group of friends (H, K, S and my Godsister) and I gathered together to get in line. A few days prior to the concert, I had read that if we didn't already have a pre-made group of 10 people, we were likely going to be separated. We weren't going to let this happen, so we were fortunate to find three more girls--twin sisters & a younger (younger as in 29 years old) fan. YEAH! We were set!

We were the 6th group lined up, which meant we were Group F. As I stood underneath the doorway of the venue, I started coughing this nervous cough. I was experiencing a bout of anxiety because I was going to meet the guys again. :( Why now?! As we got off the elevator, I finally felt better when we found ourselves a table and started chatting with the rest of the girls in our group. We discussed different aspects of the group, as well as what we all did for a living.

Finally, at around 6:00 pm or so, a rep started talking and began to call out the letters of the alphabet because it was time to get ready to meet the guys! There I go again with the nervous cough. When our group letter was called up, I started feeling weak in the knees. Then as we approached the black curtain, my anxiety woes went away when I saw the guys!

I noticed from right to left were Jonathan, Jordan, Donnie, Danny and Joey. Of course, I went to Jon first and received a great big hug from him. As I tried to make my way to another guy, I remembered what my friend N told me: Stay put where you are and don't leave his side. If there's any time left later, go back and give a quick hug to the other guys. At one point, just before the group photo, I showed Jon what I had found the night before. It was a flier that was passed around my high school in Oct. 1988 announcing a benefit concert the guys participated in near my town. It was the one and only time they were in my area. I showed him both sides of the flier and, of course, I knew he wasn't going to remember. :( This small concert was likely the second one they had ever done to promote their sophomore album, "Hangin' Tough," and occurred immediately after their first, historical show, which was at the Fulton Mall in Fresno in 1988.

Well, needless to say, I stayed put next to Jonathan because within a minute or so, someone called out that it was picture time! We got into our places and they snapped the pic. The entire time I was thinking that Jon didn't look so good. Well, my friend had read Jon's Twitter message stating he was sick with the flu, so you could tell he was not well. Dang, he still looks good, sick or well!! So now I figured I'd have a few seconds to go give Donnie a quick hug and show him the flier too, but the Knight Brothers assistant, as well as a security guard, were rushing us out because they needed to bring in the next group. Literally, we were in the VIP room for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes. :( One funny thing that happened as we left the meet and greet was when my friend K asked if she could get a solo pic with Donnie, which she did! Note to self again: Be more assertive and don't forget to introduce myself next time!

My group of friends and I re-grouped, and we finally received our tickets for our seats. As the usher helped my Godsister and I, we noticed we were sitting in the 2nd row, just steps away from the stage! I was blessed again with such great seats! My friends H and K were about two rows behind me, my friend S was near H and K, and my other friend K and her friend B were just one person away from me! K and B decided to stand right at the corner of the stage, so as soon as the lights went down, we joined them there!

The night was fantastic and I had a great time meeting up and hanging out with my friends! We decided to go to Denny's after wards because we were all (*insert Bostonian accent here*) stahving!

Our final morning together, my friends and I had brunch at the Cheesecake Factory and discussed the great time we had at the concert. I think all of us agreed that we (minus my Godsister, who will be moving soon) can't wait for our next adventure(s) this summer!

I'm Ready for Another Fun Adventure!

Well, I'm getting ready for another fun adventure. This time my friends and I are driving down to Fresno this morning for some FUN, FUN, FUN! In fact, this will be my first trip to Central California. We're going to meet up with a few more friends in the evening and dance, and "rock out" like there's no tomorrow! I hear the weather will be warm & beautiful, so I can't wait! Upon my return, I will let you know all about my little expedition and the five "creatures" we saw!

I am now happy to say that I finally got my promotion! YEAH! I started my "new" job on the 6th. I'm gradually getting into my new position and will welcome the new responsibilities as they come. However, my former boss just hired two new people to take over my old job and now we have a full house!

Lastly, about two weeks ago, I was on one of those social networking sites checking my e-mail when I noticed my 21-year-old nephew's status: "Just joined the Air Force." :( I automatically started feeling tearful and retrospective. Several months back, he mentioned it to the family that he was considering joining. Well, now it's official. I guess part of me was upset because of the way he presented it and, of course, I don't want to see him go. Later that day, he came over to the house and explained his reasons for joining. He's very excited that he's going to get the opportunity to continue with school and that he'll be able to travel around the world. All I want for him is to be happy and safe. I just pray that he isn't sent overseas.

Stay tuned for a recap of my adventures!

Easter

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter! Cherish the blessings you have and the time you get to spend with your family and friends on this special day.

Perhaps, 3rd Time is the Charm

I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but I've had a lot going on that I finally needed to vent some of my frustration out.

Back in January, the assistant to my boss offered me a position in which I'd be working directly for her. The job offer came at a good time because, as a student employee, the pay sucks. I gladly accepted the new position, for which I was to have started in February. Well, here's why I'm frustrated.

The person who offered me the position didn't realize that there was one more step to follow before submitting the paperwork to Human Resources. And because of the problems California is currently facing with its budget, this paperwork also has to go through one more channel: a meeting in which my boss has to attend. Well, yesterday I found out that this meeting has been rescheduled again, which makes this the 3rd time now!

As much as I appreciate the bosses assistant for thinking of me for this "promotion," I'm going to have to keep looking for something better and/or stable. I do realize that it may take a while to find a new job, but I intend to stay positive and I know I will eventually find something I'm well suited for.

Edit: I just got selected for an interview, which will take place next week. I pray that I do well because I've been asked to do a presentation during the interview and I'll admit that I've always shied away from doing public speaking!

Because my focus is currently on school and work, I'm going to need a day where I can just relax and have fun, so that's why a few friends and I are getting together in five weeks and driving down to Fresno to meet NKOTB, again! Yes, hopefully the 3rd time will be the charm and I will put away my shyness for one night so that I can actually have a real conversation with my crush, Jonathan Knight!

For those who have NEVER been to a New Kids show, what in the h*** are you thinking?! Kidding aside, you are totally missing out on two great hours of entertainment! And for those, like myself, who have already been to a few of their shows, well, we/I just can't get enough!

Below is a sneak peek--aka spoiler--of their first 2009 U.S. show from last Saturday! If you don't want to watch it, then turn away now! For the record, let me just say that I absolutely LOVE this song and can't wait to see it performed live soon--sans the thrusting performed in the original video (Video 1)! Enjoy! :)