A Toast to 2014 and the Land Down Under

The new year has come. I wish I could say I have some grand plans for 2014 but right now they’re just inklings and I’ve always found the idea of resolutions to be a daunting recipe for disaster. I have however always thought that the way you spend ringing in the new year is highly reflective on how your year will go. Regardless of the truth in that statement (sure, I’ve had crumby new years and good ones with varying (or mostly just good) results for the year overall) it’s a fun thought to entertain.

 

So you may be thinking, “Okay Brunette, I bite: here is where you want us readers to ask ‘how did you ring in the New Year?’” and right you are, dear reader !

 

As usual this story involves some background.

 

A few days after Christmas, I was tindering away when I came across a small group of australians in town on holiday. I started messaging with one without realizing I had right-swiped (or ‘liked’, for those not familiar with the app) all of his friends as well. This became obvious when the other two decided to send me the same message and convinced the first one to do it too. The jig was up. And while they were cute, I decided to stick to the original aussie. It seemed kind of tacky to trade him in for another and talking to them all at once would have been a recipe for disaster.

 

Aussie numero uno and I exchanged numbers. We met up for a drink. He stayed over but for the first night there was no funny business (I had to have my IUD replaced after the first one had started to fall out of my uterus [fun!] and was in no position for that kind of action) but he stayed over. We cuddled. We talked. I gave him head but mostly because he was such a good sport. He left in the morning and I went on my ways.

 

That Sunday, during the disgusting monsoon that happened post Christmas in New York, I met a friend for afternoon drinking in appreciation of the pig-skin. I can watch a football game and I enjoy the energy that comes with it, but if we’re being honest, I love it mostly for it’s social purposes. Drinking during the afternoon sounds far more unacceptable/like alcoholic behavior than saying you went to the bar to watch some football when in fact that acts are somewhat synonymous. Either way: our Sunday night eventually led us to drinks at Skinny Dennis in Williamsburg where we met more Australians.

 

After a few rounds and some dancing, I invited them both to the New Year’s Party our friend was hosting. One was shorter and kind of rustic looking with stubble and dirty blonde/light brown hair. He wore a fantastic sweater that we later found out was made by his grandmother. The other was tall and looked oddly similar to the ever handsome, ‘GIRLS‘ star Adam Driver. I figured their attendance couldn’t hurt the party and if they didn’t come: so what? They were nice looking strangers from a bar. And if I’m being honest I hadn’t invited them with the intention of hooking up with either. I was more so just overcome with the holiday spirit and thought they would enjoy coming to a party at someone’s place with beautiful and fun people (yes, I think all of my friends are beautiful and incredibly fun so I will not be apologizing about that one) rather than trying to find a bar to go to or enjoying themselves at a warehouse party that the neighboring ‘hoods are notorious for throwing for holidays and non-occasions alike.

 

And come they did.

 

So then, new years eve morning, Aussie number one woke up in my bed and when the sun rose 24 hours later on January 1, 2014 Aussie number two did the same.

 

Their accents still humming in my head I’m hoping that this year brings me more foreign territory. And not just in the sense of sexual conquests but in physical location. I don’t think this this is a sign and I should pick up and move to Australia, but I think it’s time for a change of scenery. 

 

I truly hope you all had a lovely New Year’s eve and are starting 2014 off on the right foot.

Promise still to love this brunette even if she no longer resides in the BK?

Turn Around, Sad Eyes (The Good, The Bad, The Boring)

Beginning of last week I went on a “date” with this guy from OkCupid. We had exchanged messages back and forth for about a week and decided to grab a few very last minute drinks right up the block from my apartment, so it really wasn’t/couldn’t be a big commitment or hoop-la.

 

We drank pitchers of cheap beer and played scratch-offs while talking. I learned a lot about what was going on with him. And while he was pretty cute, he just had the saddest of eyes. I had obviously mis-read a number of Sad Eyes’ messages as funny instead of truthfully sad (not the first time the medium of texting has failed me). He had had some difficult family history and recently left a PhD program in Canada to come back to Brooklyn with his kitty. He moved back in June and was still looking for a job. Much like the glasses of beer, the sad stories just kept coming.

 

It wasn’t a great date. And not in the way that is typical of bad-dates. It was just sad. But, as a guy friend pointed out, it’s great that he’s putting himself out there and trying to make a change. I don’t feel like it was a night wasted–we had some pleasant conversation and plenty of cheap beer. I applaud him for making the effort to change his circumstances–be them long term or short term. I don’t know if I’ll see him again. He lives in the same neighborhood so bumping into each other wouldn’t be unheard of. Hopefully next time Sad Eyes will be in better spirits all around and those eyes might be a little happier.

 

As for the weekend – I spent mornings lazily in bed, and evenings/afternoons with friends, only to bump into the Cuddler (/Artist) at Union Pool saturday night (or was sunday morning). There was even a rendez-vous in the early hours of the morning at my place, followed by some sleep-cuddling and then a comically non-awkward run-in on my corner that afternoon, only hours later. I’m sure I’ll see him around.

 

Also on the topic of sightings, saw the Journalist across the platform at the Nassau G stop while I waited for a train to take me to queens and then the subsequent city at the beginning of my Saturday evening (for fellow new yorkers: weren’t the trains this weekend the absolute WORST?). Looked like he might have been on a date and conveniently stopped at a place across the platform blocked by columns from my view–intentional or not, I guess I’ll never know. Definitely for the best though.

 

It’s another Monday. I don’t know how this happened, but it has. Started my work-week with some morning yoga and breakfast with the roomie. I can feel the holidays sneaking up with Thanksgivakkah rapidly approaching next week. It’s time to start crossing people off my gift-list and maybe deleting a few numbers in preparation for the approaching new year. Tomorrow night I have a date with a guy from Tinder. He’s offered up tickets to the Rangers/Bruins game, so to MSG I will go.

Happy Monday dear readers – make it a good one.