The Good Girl Gone Blog

Jen vs. Angelina: how did it come to this?

Woah, I did not realize you all were so opinionated about my love life! You know I always appreciate your comments, but today, some of them made me a little sad. I'm not sure if my story came across the way I expected it to. I was in no way trying to vilify my roommate.

Yes, I was initially upset with her, but really, I was just upset with the situation. What made me most upset was that so many people were saying hurtful things about her. I thought it would only be fair to get her side of the story....so we're writing this one together:

When we first started Jdate, we both looked at it as an opportunity to try something new. We weren't super serious about the idea and thought it would be fun. When the cute Jewish boy started messaging both of us, we were flattered. We both chatted with him a bit, and found it slightly amusing that he spent so much time talking to each of us. He'd even text us at the same time...basically the same message.

It became sort of a game- what could one of us reply without giving away that we were roommates? Rach and I spend a lot of time together, so our answers to "what's up" were typically pretty similar. When he asked me out on a date, I was excited, but nervous. I felt like he could be a bit of a player, but that going out with him would be a step in the right direction.

When he didn't text me the day of our date, I got worried. Since he'd sent us both around 659 text messages the night before, I wondered if something was wrong, so...I texted him. And I had Rachel text him to make sure he wasn't just blowing me off.

That's when I jokingly said "Rach, you should text him during our date." We laughed about it and moved on. I forgot about it.

Rachel then helped me get ready and I nervously headed to my date. I texted her about a million times while I stood outside waiting for him. She may have responded to his texts, but she didn't innitiate anything. I'm sorry if that was unclear.

So here's what we learned from the situation:

1) Don't go for the same guy, even if your'e not serious about him. Clearly one person will end up being hurt, and it's just not worth it.

2) If you get a sketchy vibe from someone, they're probably sketchy.

3) Friends are more important than boys...especially if the boy is question is sort of lame.

I apologize if I gave you the wrong impression of my roommate. She's a very lovely person who's always here for me. She lets me cry whenever I want. She makes me toast when I'm sad. We go shopping together to forget about broken hearts. She's one of my best friends and I'm so lucky to have her. 

The whole situation was a bit of a misunderstanding, but I think it taught us a few lessons. Also know, I'm not the kind of person who can passively forget about a problem, so I confronted Rachel right away. We talked about it, decided we were both at fault, and got over it. I even showed her the blog post before making it live, and neither of us thought it would incite so much controversy.

In terms of the boy: I don't think I'll be seeing him again...he wants to do something this week, but I'd rather the whole drama be over with. Moving on.

Red Flagged

Hey blogtarts! I'm back from my big date with the cute Jewish boy...

Before I go into the juicy details, I have a confession to make. The thing is, this was the first time I'd ever met the boy. A few weeks ago, Rachel and I won a twitter contest. Our prize: a month of free access to Jdate. Yup, that would be the Jewish online dating site. I know what you're thinking: Alana, you're 21. You're young, cute and in college, you should not be using an online dating site! Well, the thing is, I really need a little bit of distraction right now, to get my mind off of my most recent heartbreak. Plus, I thought it would be a fun (and free) experiment for the summer. Seriously, what do I have to lose?

The Date:

We planned to meet at a cute restaurant/bar in Brookline at 9. Rach helped me get ready and I was pretty happy with my outfit, minus the shoes which I knew would be killing me at the end of the night. But hey, beauty is pain, right?

RED FLAG  1: I got to the bar and he wasn't there. I texted him saying I was outside. He texted back and said he was parking the car. Fine. But um, I waited for about 30 minutes and must have looked like a complete idiot. You should NEVER keep a lady waiting.

RED FLAG 2: When he finally arrived, he gave me a big hug and apologized for his tardiness. We walked into the bar, grabbed a table and dove right in. The conversation flowed pretty well. We laughed, we joked, he made fun of me for being tiny. You know, the usual stuff. I discussed my internship and my dogs, while he told me about his weekend. The thing is, he was smooth, like really smooth. That makes me nervous.

RED FLAG 3: We continued our meaningless banter for a bit longer- it was fun, light and a much needed distraction. The thing is, he kept checking his phone and texting...during our date! I will say that he first asked if I was ok with him using his phone. I of course said yes (what was I supposed to say?) even though I thought it was highly rude. I understand answering your phone in case of an emergency, but continually checking your phone? I couldn't tell if he was texting, checking game scores or just being ADD, but he looked at his phone a bunch of times.

RED FLAG 4: When the check finally arrived, I reached into my clutch for a $10 bill. Did he tell me to put my money away? Nope. He just said we'll split it. Yes, I know this is the 21st century and women are all emancipated etc, but at least offer to pay! Seriously.

RED FLAF 5: At the end of the night when I recapped with Rach, she made a confession: he'd been texting her...during our date. I knew that they'd been talking recently, and to be honest, Rachel and I both thought it was a little funny. But seroiusly? Why did he feel the need to text another girl on our date? It's not like he wasn't having a good time...because he clearly was. I don't know the details of the text messages, but I'm still hurt that the interaction even took place...ON MY DATE.

So right now, it's 3:45 AM, my feet are blistered to bits from my shoes. Though I'm in a considerable amount of physical pain right now, what hurts more is my ego. I know he clearly has a right to talk to other girls (I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scoping out other people...that is sort of the point of online dating) but I don't want this to come between me and Rachel.

I know what I should do: tell him I don't want to see him again. Yes, that would make sense, but I had such a great time with him. Ugh. I don't think he's a keeper, but I'm not entirely against the idea of a second date. We did have a lot of fun...but I can't shake the uncomfortable feeling that he's a massive creep.

MY VERDICT: He's a skeeze. But, if he were to prove me wrong, I'd consider going on a second date, only because I had such a good time. Looking back at my post, it probably seems like I had a horrible night, but the thing is, we got along really well and I had fun.

Go ahead, you know you want to leave comments and tell me I should ditch him!

Someone has a date on Saturday...

Here's to new beginnings...via Dad

I first wanted to say a big thanks for all of your comments on this post. This may sound cheesy, but it means so much to me that you're reading my blog. I've been trying to respond to your comments, but for some reason, my responses haven't been showing up. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate your kind words....because I really do.

In other news, I have a date on Saturday...with a cute Jewish boy (!!!)

Details are still vague, but we're planning to meet for drinks. I told him I was busy during the day, so he asked me to pick the time. Only problem? I've never met someone for drinks...so I suggested 7, and then 9. I'm thinking 9 makes more sense.

I'm not really sure I'm that into this guy, but I think it'll be a good experience. Plus, did I mention he's really cute? Now all I have to worry about it picking out the perfect outfit. Thoughts?

Even Audrey Hepburn Likes Pink

I first found this photo on Grosgrain and fell in love. I'd love to have this piece of word art sitting above my bed in the new apartment. I mean, Audrey Hepburn, my idol, believes in pink! I bet she'd be all over Pink Thursday!

Get your own beautiful sign at the Loveletters Etsy shop.

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda...Sort of

I've seen this "meme" in a few places lately, most recently over Ramblings of a Fab Brunette. She really is fab- she's starting her own cupcakery! She's yet another blogger that I want to be when I grow up.

I Can't...

• Whistle
• Roll my "r"s
• Juggle
• Snap
• Reach things on high shelves
• Blink morse code a la Sydney Bristow 
• Change a flat tire

I Can...

• Bake pie
• Edit copy
• Win at beer pong
• Speak Hebrew
• Put together an adorable outfit
• Wiggle my ears

I Won't...

• try snowboarding
• eat shellfish
• watch TLC (that channel is scary)
• dye my hair blond
• smoke

I Will...

• design my new blog header
• tell you how I won a free month of online dating via twitter
• go to bed before 11 tonight...probably. I already dozed off on the T at around 5:30
• have to go commando if I don't do laundry this week
• send you over to my little sister's new photoblog  and ask you to leave her some comment love

I Shouldn't...

• worry
• over share at work
• continue scratching the scab in my ear
• be embarrassed that I'm wearing an entirely pink pj ensemble right now

I Should...

• take cough syrup/an expectorant and a hot shower...I thought I was better :(
• tell my roommate that leaving his socks in the living room is not cool
• get a pedicure
• buy curtains for my window. The ones I made don't really do the job and my window looks directly into the kitchen of an apartment next door.

So...what's on your list?

Was it love?

Let me first preface this post by saying I'm not an emotional wreck. I'm doing my best to deal with a tough situation. This is the summer of Alana...

*     *     *

I had my heart broken recently, at least, I think I did. I fell for a guy who was practically perfect. He's charming and kind, funny and cute. Oh yeah, he's my best friend, or at least, he was. Everything was fine until we tried to turn our friendship into something more. The whole situation made me slightly uncomfortable. I was confused. I didn't want to ruin the friendship, but I felt myself falling for him. We both kept changing our minds- he wanted a relationship, I didn't. I wanted a relationship, he didn't. We were out of sync, and things got hard.

The details aren't important, but the fact is, things are over, he's with someone new and I can't bring myself to talk to him. I feel hurt and betrayed...and completely helpless. I also feel like an idiot. I opened myself up to someone, allowed myself to be completely vulnerable, only to get hurt. I've been struggling lately, trying to mend what seems like a broken heart. But the thing is, I've never been in love before...so how am I supposed to know what it feels like? I think about him a lot, but I'm not ready to pretend nothing happened, to simply go back to being "just friends."

Maybe I fell in love with a concept, the idea that my boyfriend should be...my best friend. Was I in love, or was I just comfortable? How will I ever know?

Advice? Words of wisdom? Come on ladies, you have to be better at this than I am...

Weekend DIY: Man Stuff

Daddy, this post is dedicated to you. Happy Father's Day!

I'm not really good at doing hands-on man stuff. I've always been a bit of a girly girl, but for some reason, I really enjoy building things. I think it started when my dad and I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity last summer. It was a great bonding expereince...plus, I got to play with power tools. If you'll recall, I've recently put together a bookshelf, as well as a (very girly) desk chair.

Yesterday I installed an AC unit in my bedroom. I used a screwdriver, screws, and um... duct tape. I followed the directions and didn't break anything. I'm pretty proud of myself.  The only thing I needed help with was lifting the actual AC unti and placing it in my window (thanks Rach).

Working hard


How awesome is my green screwdriver?

Bangin'

Remember when I had that little drastic hair change? Well, it was a little too much for me...so, I gave my favorite stylist an S.O.S call and she agreed to fix my hair. She went over the red highlights, dyed most of them back to my natural brown color, and left just a hint of red. Oh, and on the suggestion of this lovely blogger, I took the plunge and got bangs- real, live bangs!

I'm absolutely loving them- I can sweep them up bump-it style, I can brush them across my forehead. I can wear them curly or straight. Getting bangs was a much better decision than going to the dye. I definitely recommend it.

Oh, and I actually just took the scissors to my hair about 15 minutes ago in an attempt to make my bangs look more like hers. I think I did a pretty good job :)

Personal branding

Maybe it's because I first read about these babies on twitter when I clicked a link about winning a macbook pro at blogher, or maybe it's because I was tempted to give a cute guy on the T my phone number, but I'm fascinated by these safetytats!

Basically, they're like bandaids that you stick on your kids in case they get lost. You can fill them out with your phone number as well as any important medical information. I was sort of thinking they'd be fun to stick on cute guys you meet at bars...

"Hey, I'm the short girl you met last night. Call me!"

I know, I'm lame, but I thought it was sort of funny.

The only fish I'll eat are Swedish

via here

* Alternatively titled: Why you should always listen to your mother

If you'll recall, I recently mentioned that I discovered I actually liked eating fish, much to the chagrin of my mother. Well, last night I came home from a long day at work to a home cooked meal of broccoli, rice and salmon. Let me tell you, it was delicious! I don't know how she cooked it, but the salmon was perfectly textured so that it almost melted in my mouth.

I was enjoying my dinner, when suddenly, it hit me: my throat was beginning to itch, my lips felt like they were swelling, and my tongue was not happy.

Alana: Hey guys, do people have fish allergies?

Geoff: Yeah, but I think it's usually to shellfish. Why?

Alana: Ok, don't freak out, I'm not going to die or anything, but I think I'm allergic to salmon. I just need to take some Benadryl and I'll be fine.

I then did a little research on the internet and found this via about.com:

"Pollock, salmon, cod, tuna, snapper, eel, and tilapia are among the fish that commonly trigger fish allergies. Fish allergies are similar to shellfish allergies in that they are more likely than many food allergies to start during adulthood and less likely than other allergies to be outgrown. While fish is easier than many other allergens to avoid, fish allergies are often quite severe."

Yup, that would be me. Hi, my name is Alana, and I have a new allergy.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, Benadryl makes this tiny girl very loopy. So much so, that I couldn't get up to go to work today. Literally, I almost fell asleep standing up in the shower. Oy vey.

Check out the stuff I've compiled about food allergies and feel free to add your own content- I particularly like the video from Hitch...it makes me feel better about myself.