Getting romantic with oneself outside of someone else's window.

Some nights are just long. Some nights are just hard. Some nights I wish I didn't see naked men scampering around my apartment while feeling something long and hard.
So the other night I am sitting on my couch in my underpants watching Mad Men like most nights. I hear what sounds like noises you'd hear in the heat of passion, they were loud and sounded like they were right outside my patio. I texted my boyfriend to tell him about the loud sex my neighbors must have been having on their balcony. I will not include what was also said in the discussion, but you get my drift. The next night, same position (on my part) around the same time, Mad Men and a slushie were making my night enjoyable while 'my neighbors' partook in their nightly enjoyment. It was so strange how close it sounded and I just couldn't understand why it sounded like it was on my patio, so I flip the light on and look out the glass door to investigate. Nothing. The next night, same thing. I was becoming a little annoyed with the timeliness and consistency of these moans of pleasure. I wondered if that routine of theirs was getting boring. Saturday night I actually went out so I didn't find out if they were going for a 4th night in a row. Sunday night, same time same place. I even went to the extent of going out my front door to see if I could hear it from anywhere else, they were really loud. Though it was always the same noise and tone. Now we come to Monday night. I switched to Mad Men and a particularly sad episode at that. No sounds. I was overjoyed to not have to awkwardly listen to moaning while I'm watching Betty tell Don she doesn't love him anymore. Phew.
Then my boyfriend makes the usual bedtime phone call. We chat for over an hour and I mention that my neighbors are starting later than usual and they must have taken it to their bedroom this time because I could hear it while laying in bed. I had gotten into a habit of sleeping with a lamp on after the break-in and this night was no different. As I was saying 'goodnight' I saw a movement in my window. The blinds were closed but I was certain I saw something, enough to get my heart racing. So I do what girls do when they get murdered and I investigated outside without a weapon or mace.
This is when things get sticky, thankfully not literally. As I am standing outside of my front door I am looking here:

Imagine it being dark and the only light is coming from behind me. In that space between the buildings I see a man, completely naked, cock in hand run from left to right. I sat for a second rubbing my eyes to make sure I had just seen that correctly. I knew I had when I saw two heads pop around the right side corner of the building. I walked towards the rocks and yelled 'What the **** are you doing?' The only movement I saw was a continuous masturbatory motion in which the only part of the body I saw was hand and penis. Even after yelling the motion continued and I bee-lined for my apartment and called the police. They showed up within 15 minutes, looked around with flashlights and stuck around the parking lot for quite a while. I filed a report. I texted my sister and her and her boyfriend were insistent on coming to get me and not letting me stay there.
This is not the first time in my life I have been confronted with a masturbator. Detroit. That's for another time though.
Ladies and Gentleman, follow your instincts and keep your clothes on in public.
Thank you and have a lovely evening.

Cause there ain’t nothing like your smile

I keep thinking back about this week but it's kind of a blur at this point. I know there was class and a ton of reading, some projects, new friends and trouble making. Ahh yes, now I remember, an interesting class on Wednesday put the week on a strange path.
So have you ever been sitting with people you don't know very well and something happens that makes the situation incredibly uncomfortable? I'm not talking about someone farting and people looking around awkwardly trying not to look guilty. I'm talking about shoulders tensing, heart racing uncomfortable. In my research class we were put into research groups that we will be working with throughout the semester. We were discussing a research topic and naturally people want to add suggestions about things they are interested in. We all added input and I wrote it down on a list. One of my group members continued to attempt to sell her idea for research (which was not a great topic for the project) and after the third time of her telling me what she wanted I rolled my eyes (subconsciously I think) and looked down at the paper to make sure I wasn't crazy and that it was in fact on the paper. Much to my dismay the eye-rolling was noticed and then to my horror it was confronted. My integrity as a social worker was questioned, I was told I was being disrespectful and she berated me in front of of my peers. She made a childish scene and took it very personally (she's a veteran-that was the major point of contention) and then stormed off. After the group all came to their senses and discussed how odd that was we got back to work and finished up. I attempted to speak to her again before leaving to no avail. Yikes. The positive that came out of it was that it opened dialogue to begin a friendship.
Score.
That was the only odd happening of the week. The rest of the week involved spending time with my sister, drinks with a friend Thursday night and Saturday night. All the while packing up my poor little apartment and getting things organized to move. Things have to happen I suppose, it's just going to be different. I do look forward to spending time with my sister and her boyfriend.
I'm looking for new tunes, a new hobby and an effective way to stay out of trouble and not spend a ton of money. I can't wait for this upcoming week as I get to spend time with my boyfriend. Now let's just hope we're both not overworked and stressed from school.
Today I spent time with a mix of friends and it was quite nice. It was a short amount of time but I love being able to bring people together. It was also nice to realize that I do have people here, a small amount but it's quality not quantity, right?
Have a great week, I know I will :)

Now if only I could find someone to fund that.

I've figured out what I want to do with my life. I want to travel from city to city researching and assessing needs for the city, setting up programs and implementing them. Evaluation could be done after six or 12 months via surveys. Now, who wants to find me that job?

Le sigh. I'm only one week into school. Eight months left of this school year, summer then nine more months and done. I can't stop thinking about the end goal. That's the point, right? Graduating so I can find a job and change the world. Instead I'm also worrying about what I want to do exactly with my degree. Or if I chose the right concentration. Rarg.

I'm rambling. My mind has been going non-stop lately. I love that I'm busy. I love that I have things to look forward to but I don't love that I'm getting so ahead of myself. I need to sloooooow down. Unfortunately there are things that I need to get done and am under time constraints that are no school related. I have to pack up my entire apartment. I've had to make a decision to leave my apartment to be more financially responsible and I'm leaving much sooner than I anticipated. Alas, it will be for the better. I may actually get to see my sister once in a while and I won't be obligated to any kind of lease so if perhaps, I don't know, I spent the summer somewhere else it wouldn't be an issue. There I go getting ahead of myself again. Routine is good. Schedules are good and keep me consistent. I just need to keep this momentum. And the people watching at the cafe has been pretty damn good as well. That's as much of a motivator to study as good grades. And the amazing weather because soon enough it will be Fall and gorgeous.
One long day of classes left and I am done for the week. The rest of the time will be spent studying, packing and wishing time would go faster so I could see that boy that makes me smile so much.

"If you look disinterested, I will kill you!"

I thought that it might be nice to sit outside and write tonight, unfortunately it still has yet to cool off and is humid as ever. I am in need of a cool breeze and probably a reapplication of deodorant, I can't wait til Fall hits us. However I have learned that Fall in Tennessee doesn't come til around late October and the days still get up to the 80's but the nights are usually nice and cool. I probably shouldn't want hoodie weather quite yet but being back in school makes me think of leaves changing and hot apple cider from Biggby's, oh man do I miss that.
This week was my first week of classes, tomorrow will start the first full week. Not being on an actual campus for school is kind of weird. And a pain in the ass when it comes to getting books for class. Oh well, I don't want to be in Knoxville anyway. I had two classes on Wednesday. My morning professor is younger, full of energy and kind of out there. She laughs at her own jokes (I can appreciate that) and seems to like things to be casual. My research professor in the afternoon has an awesome sense of humor and the first class she carried around a miniature Chicago Cubs bat. There was never an explanation as to why though I was dying to ask. She threatened to kill us if we looked disinterested during class and then laughed maniacally (maybe that explains the bat but that doesn't seem like an effective way to commit murder). I think I'm going to like her. She's also my advisor and went to grad school at Ohio State. Football season may get interesting. The profs didn't waste time in assigning readings and papers. My first paper is already due Tuesday, though it's a really short one. I had a 3 hour class Thursday morning and spent time talking to a few of my classmates about my experience in the field. Though I am in the younger end of the spectrum of my program I seem to have as much or more experience in the field than the others. I'm excited to get this school year underway and am already looking forward to my internship though I've still got over a month before it starts. My field placement instructor said that around 70% of the students at their internship end up with job offers but that's more likely in the second year. The most rad part about my field placement is the fact that I will be getting a small stipend. That will be especially helpful if my search for a part time job is unsuccessful. Oh money.
Speaking of money, I have decided that in an effort to keep from completely screwing myself financially I either need to find a roommate or move back in with my sister. Talks are being had and it looks like I've got some options so soon I will be saying goodbye to underpants dances in my kitchen and not closing doors. Farewell personal privacy, hello being able to pay my bills. That's always neat.
Netflix has become a disease again this week and will likely continue. Mad Men in its entirety is on there as well as Lost. No wonder why I leave my house to study and read.
This weekend I spent a lot of time by myself. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes it's not. This weekend proved to be a little difficult and made me reflect on why I think the way that I do. Damn introspection. I did get a chance to catch up with some friends here, which was much needed. It's harder to spend time with people when they've got different obligations that you can't really connect with. I'm not a churchgoer and I don't really see myself ever being one, but to each his own, right? Everyone has their own take on spirituality and faith, mine don't involve organization. I know I'm going to be confronted with that with clients and already have been at times but everyone has those dilemmas I suppose.
Anyway, next week means reading, class and job hunting as well as lunch with the E.D. and program director at the internship. As well as counting down to being able to see my boyfriend. Come on Labor Day weekend!
Have an excellent week.

Am I arrogant or just right?

Today signified the end of an amazing two weeks of doing nothing that resembled being responsible or working. I loved every minute of it.
This past week after driving to Nashville for my Master's program orientation I then completed eight hours of boring, redundant presentation on the importance of being responsible while in grad school and where I could make copies. I entertained myself by making side comments to the girl sitting next to me who seemed to think I was pretty funny. Making friends in grad school, check. I started to worry that I was going to be bored the first year of school considering it's the 'foundation year' so basically it involves me learning about the process of social work. Hmm. Someone should have applied for the accelerated program. I'm guessing the first year should be pretty smooth sailing as long as I don't get arrogant and start thinking I know everything, which I began doing tonight while doing my readings for my first classes tomorrow. Oops.
Anyway, after orientation I drove straight back to Louisville so that Jason and I could leave for Michigan the following morning. Jason packed everything except for the kitchen sink, and I thought I over-prepared. We got on the road and decided that we didn't want to be in a hurry or have a schedule. It's vacation, we don't wear watches! We stopped more than enough for random things including slushies and laffy taffy, yup the kind with the jokes. We arrived in Grand Rapids around 6pm and went straight to J's friends so we could head out for Ethiopian food. It was a first for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We spent the rest of the night with his friends playing games and hanging out. I really like his friends. The following day we slept in as per usual and then headed out to a 'secret' beach that his friend knew about which meant driving to Lake Michigan just South of Holland. The 'secret' beach was actually on private property and not only did we end up trespassing and following a trail to the beach but we also were confronted with a massive dune that was unavoidable and our only way (that we knew of) to get to the beach. The dune looked like a white wall when we walked up to it and took all of my effort, including sweating and heavy breathing, to make it up. The boys even had some trouble getting up it. Luckily we had the foresight to buy a mini-keg of Oberon and were rewarded with beer after reaching the top. The view was incredible and the water was freezing. The hike back went much easier (comparatively) after we found out about a set of stairs (nearly 200) about 1/2 mile down the beach. J and his friend had to take the adventurous route to get the cars and picked us up. He picked Caroly and I wildflowers along the way. That night we headed to Founders for drinks and food and to enjoy the last night in GR with his friends. The next morning we went for brunch and spent a good chunk of time in a record store that he used to frequent while living there. We ended our time in GR with a parking ticket, awesome.
Next was Lansing where I got to spend time with some very amazing people including my best friends. We made necessary visits to Biggby's, Stober's and Pizza House. At Pizza House we discovered that Jason's friend knew half of the people I used to work with (small world) and I spent time hopping around the huge table catching up with people. Two of my friends drove over an hour to see me, which is pretty much the coolest thing someone could do. I love and miss my friends soooo much. Time in Lansing was fantastic and I wish I could have spent more time there but alas, the trip continued onto Breckenridge (where Jason grew up) then onto Yale and finally Sunday was spent at Cedar Point. The weather didn't cooperate and we spent a lot of time waiting around for rides to start back up after the rain stopped. We drank extremely expensive beer and got loopy on empty stomachs toward the end of the night. We then headed to Toledo to stay at a friend's so we didn't have to drive all the way back to Louisville. I spent one last night in Louisville being lazy and learning how to make curry and watching Lost on Netflix. Any time spent doing anything with him is amazing.
Yesterday officially marked one year living in Tennessee. Since moving to the Bible Belt I have learned a few things about what it means to live here.
-'Bless your heart' doesn't mean what you think it does.
-Southern Hospitality doesn't seem to apply to large cities.
-The sunshine and warmth agrees with me.
-I function pretty much the same as I would in Michigan, just with a more sunny disposition.
-New places can drive a person to really put themselves out there and Southerners seem more receptive.
-People from the South have a tendency to flake out on social obligations.
-I like Atlanta more than I like Nashville and I like Louisville more than I like any Southern city I've been to thus far.

Like I had said, school starts tomorrow and I'm not feeling nervous or scared which could be a bad thing. I guess we'll find out soon how much I really know about this field I'm delving into even further. Class bright and early, these early mornings are going to be rough getting used to again. I wish I had another two weeks in Louisville on vacation. Boo.

Have a great week, I hope that I will.

'He's dancing naked!...'Well he deserved it'

Ohhh where to begin?
I suppose the beginning of the week, last Monday. As was mentioned in the previous post I have been spending the last week in Louisville visiting the boy and enjoying time off before school starts. Monday involved helping a friend pick up an insane amount of lumber at Lowe's so that he can build a shed in his back yard. This involved about 2 hours picking out and loading wood into a U-Haul with 2 other dudes and then unloading the U-haul FULL of wood to his back yard. Large plywood boards are quite unwieldy and making about 50 or 75 trips from the truck to the backyard in ridiculous humidity and heat does not make for a fun time. However, we were rewarded for our work with amazing cucumber margaritas and pizza. Then we woke up early the next morning to move the old pieces of shed into the U-Haul and to the dump. At this point I'm wondering if Jason is angry with me considering the amount of manual labor he's signed me up for  or if it's just some form of torture. Neither are the case he's just a good guy who helps out his friends and I just so happened to be in town to help as well.....I was quite bruised and sore by Tuesday afternoon and then went over to his other friends house so that we could fix my car. Turns out the radiator needed replacing due to a crack in it-a misdiagnosis from the Firestone here, thanks, a-hole. Thankfully the quirky friend is mechanically inclined and was willing to help me out for the price of a case of beer. HUGE help. And I learned a few things while helping replace it. It ended up being a 2 day process due to parts and mishaps but through no fault of the friend. By Wednesday I had remarked being sick of doing 'dude' stuff to no avail though because it was moped rally weekend for the Bourbon Bandits and I got wrangled into helping. How could I not when they are all super awesome people? So from Wednesday on it was MOPEDs, mopeds, dancing, mopeds, hipsters, mopeds, dancing and swimming.
So back in April when I met this boy that I have fallen for it was at a moped rally. And then I blogged about and made fun of the whole concept 'cos let's be honest, I'm kind of an ass sometimes. Being there and watching it be planned and carried out made me realize how much work goes into it, how much of a sub-culture it has become and that people are just damn crazy. About 200 people showed up on Friday to join in the festivities so from about 12pm and on I was surrounded by exhaust smoke and kids in skinny jeans or cut of 'jorts' if you will. People were showing up after long drives (one girl told me it took her and her crew 20 hours! from New England!) and were ready to get right in it. It was cool to see all of these people meeting up to share in a hobby that they've taken to and enjoyed. It was twenty and thirty-something year old big kids. The excitement was contagious and by the end of the night Friday I could totally understand why people went to such extents to get there. Saturday involved me driving a chase vehicle to pick up any riders that had broken down on the 30 mile ride to the quarry (Falling Rock Park in LaGrange, KY). The quarry was awesome because it's basically a swimming hole created by a man that wanted to blast into rock. So there was drinking, swimming, drinking and camping. Oh and drinking. One of the gangs also set up lights and music when it got dark which created an impromptu dance party. Night swimming is always and blast and we made use of like 150 glow sticks. It was kind of like being a kid again and I'm always ok with that. The man that fixed my car also did a celebratory dance after miraculous feats of engineering. Yikes.
Overall amazing week. I'm leaving out ridiculous details including getting dressed up and going to see a soul band and dancing as well as sushi and meeting some really incredible people through the boy.
However I just realized the connector cord for my laptop is busted and the battery will soon die....frick. Also I'm having some anxiety in social settings which needs to be remedied immediately.
Anyway, more adventures next week including a trip to the mitten. Wooooot.
Have a fantastic week, I know I will.

Why do curse words make me feel more comfortable?'

So this past week I've been relatively busy. I finished up my summer job last Thursday after a pretty busy week. I was given a lot of busy work to make the days suck a little less. I helped my boss with a few of her projects and even did some rearranging around the office after helping to clear out her storage room. On my last day we all had lunch together and she told me I could leave early so I was pretty stoked. She also gave me a gift card for Kroger (which is a huge help cos I'm still poor) and told me to feel free to use her as a reference for anything I need. She said she'll still be looking for ways for me to work there, ha. OHH and she was frustrated with her computer and she said "fuckin' thing!" I'm sure I had the biggest grin on my face after hearing that.
 The other days of the week in Nashville included the usual mundane things around the apartment and going to the cafe. I also had to ready my apartment for my friend so he has a place to crash before he moves into his new house. It works out perfectly because I'm going to be out of town the first two weeks of August anyway so that I can spend time with the boyfriend before we both start school and also to go to Michigan and CEDAR POINT! I am so stoked to see my friends and ride some roller coasters.
These last few days in Louisville have been fantastic. I'm just happy, simply put. I really enjoy spending time here with Jason and his friends. I like doing the undesirable stuff like helping him clean out his moped garage or helping out his friends with stuff they need help with because we just make things fun. Thursday night the awesome soul band was playing at the dive bar so we met friends there. Friday night was game night and ended up being a really late night. I learned how to play disc golf. We went to a course here at Iroquois Park which ended up being 18 holes and hiking in between each hole. There were six of us and comparatively for it being my first time I did pretty well and we were all dripping sweat and gross by the end of it. Last night we went to the drive-in thats like 25 minutes away. I haven't been  to a drive-in in years and I forgot how much fun they can be, especially when we sat there an made mixed drinks on a blanket in the grass. We saw Harry Potter and Bridesmaids. We didn't get out of there til 2 a.m. but it was totally worth sitting outside for over 4 hours.
I'm looking forward to spending the next week here before going back to Nash for orientation and then straight back here so we can head to the mitten.
Hope everyone has a wonderful week, I know I will.