A Date is a Rare Fruit

The "date" has come and gone. My reflection on the night is.... hmph... I got to my friend's house before NTO* (she now has a nickname... which will be explained in a bit). I was surprisingly not nervous at all. Not for sure why. NTO* soon showed up and we were introduced to each other. My initial reaction was.... OK. Nothing spectacular, but that is what I expected. I was still looking forward to the night. We arrived at dinner with the friends. At dinner I got the first feelings of "this girl is not for me." I am a quiet guy but trying to have a conversation with her was difficult. I asked her questions but she seemed less than willing to be an active participant. Then the moment of "you just lost major points" came. After dinner we went to a bar with all sorts of games. We (NTO and myself) were playing my friends in a game of fuseball. I said something like, "we are going to win" and she said, "no we aren't." There it was, something hard for me to overlook. I am not a fan of a person's lack of confidence and have a hard time looking past it. I would still say the evening was a good experience. It was worth it. As with most things in life, I like the challenge of the experience. I can say I did it. I have a feeling she probably feels the same way about me as I do about her. So NTO* stands for Not The One. I hope I wont have to use the name again.
Still looking for Miss WONDER(ful)
Kevin
Note* Today is the first day of autumn. A reflective summer entry (with Summer 11 comments) will soon be coming.

It's a date... or should we call it two mutual friends meeting for the first time

My friend called back and I will meet the mystery woman some Friday soon. Which Friday, this one or the next, isn't yet clear. If she only knew, I am forsaking a night out hitting a ball over a net, just for her. It must be love. That was a joke. But I figure I can spend quality time on a court with friends any Friday night. So she wins out, handedly. I still don't like the idea going into this thing blind. Does that make it a blind date? Even worse, a blind date with two observers, or chaperones. Ok, chaperones is another joke. I am sure if myself and the mystery woman (not her official nick name because at some point she will become less of a mystery) wanted to go off and have adult time alone, my friend would be more than happy. After all he was the same guy that convinced his sister in law to play strip lawn darts. But that is another story... Wish me luck and wittiness.
To Friday with WONDER...
Kevin

A Phone Call From A Friend

I got an interesting phone call the other day. A friend that I talk to on a erratic basis called. He told me that his wife knows a woman and we should all go out together. The woman (I really need a nick name for her, but that is going to have to wait) is a teacher at the school my friend's wife teaches at. After much thought, something I do very well, I have decided to give it a shot. That is about all I know about the woman. (Special ed teacher, 27, friend of a friend) I hate these set up type things. Chances are there wont be any chemistry, just using the law of averages. Then there will be the strange friend thing. I like the idea of no one knowing the women I date. So they can't talk about us much. I like her being the mysterious women. But for this one, the two other people at the table will know a lot more about the both of us than we know about each other. A weird situation...
I looked at the calendar today and noticed that Summer ends Saturday. Two goals on my Summer 11 list that I am lacking in are seize an opportunity and put myself out there. I figure accepting the invitation goes a long way to fulfilling these goals. So here I go...
A mind filled with WONDER
Kevin

Some thoughts on this day

Earlier, I was thinking where I was 5 years ago today. I remember being in my classroom working with my kids on some group work. My principal came over the intercom and said if teachers hadn't already they may want to turn on the TV. The images of the smoking towers was on the screen. The students began to ask all sorts of questions. I remember doing my best to answer them and even having an idea that Bin Laden was involved (although I didn't know how to pronounce his name). I remember eventually the higher ups coming around to quietly tell us to turn off the televisions and to try to get back to a regular school day (like it was a possible thing to do). I believe I was privilege to be in the situation I was. To be a teacher during such an event is a special experience. The students didn't know it at the time, but I leaned on them as much as they leaned on me. Few other places have a structure in place that provide instant support in times of need.
Can a positive come from such a horrible event? I know of one. Two weeks ago a couple got married. From all I can tell they are extremely happy. The groom is from New York and the bride lived in Canada. Without September 11th they would have never met. Someday I am sure they will have a child. A child that would have not existed without the acts of terrorism. I am sure there are many stories like this one. Two people meeting, falling in love, getting married and having kids. All impossible without September 11th.
With WONDER
Kevin

If I get to choose....

Ice cream... Mint chocolate chip, hands down
Popcorn... Butter, lots of butter - Why have cheesey popcorn when it tastes nothing like cheese? Bikes... I am a Trek man
Underwear... I am in flux at the moment, but I am beginning to like boxerbriefs more and more
Water... Filtered out of the tap, why spend a $1 on the bottle when the stuff out of the faucet is 1 cent?
Computers... My first was a Mac and I often think of going back, but for right now I am a PC person
Season... Fall and spring - I like the change
State other than my own... New Hampshire, so many great memories
Ethnic food... Mexican, from taco bell to the fancier stuff
Driver or passenger... I love to drive, makes time go faster
Sport... To play raquetball, to watch football
Color... No doubt green, forest green to be exact
A night out... Dinner and lots of conversation
Sleeping... Night owl all the way but appreciate a good morning
Sleeping... Recently changed to being nude, I figured why not
Writing instrument... I prefer a nice black pen with a good grip
Book... Fiction, coming of age is the best
Day... There is nothing like a Saturday
Favorite thing to do... WONDER
Kevin

Around and Around My Groceries Go

I often notice the little things in life that have changed. I was in the grocery store check out lane the other day. This particular store had the new carousel bagging system, a lazy susan type thing where the cashier can turn to a new bag. I must say I am impressed by this new technology. I believe it has significantly cut down the time customers wait in line. The thing that confused me was that I was responsible for putting the bags into my cart. Not a huge deal, but when the cashier waited and just watched as I put the last few bags into my cart, I noticed the downfall of this new technology. Shouldn't she have helped me? I like the idea of sharing the duty of putting the bags into the cart. I want to spend a little quality time with the cashier as we both experience the mundaneness of bag moving. I remember the day when I just pushed my cart forward a bit and magically it was filled with numerous bags of groceries. I even remember when they asked, paper or plastic? What has happened to the poor paper bag industry?
Bagging with WONDER...
Kevin

Time to Reflect

Some occasions in a year lend themselves to reflecting on one's life, such as New Years or a birthday. I tend to have other times that cause reflection. In the past years Labor Day weekend has been a big time to reflect. Maybe it's the beginning of the school year. Maybe it's the 30 minutes lite conversation fireworks watching people around here do. Maybe it's the end of summer. Regardless of the reason a few reflective thoughts have passed through my mind the past couple days...
The past year has been a pretty good one. The past school year have been a fantastic one. New challenges, new friends, new schools, new kids, new smiles. I certainly made the right decision to change my teaching position. I hope this year is as good as the past one.
Should I break a heart? A woman is floating in my life. I know she wants so much more than I am willing to give at this time. Will I ever be willing to give it? Is she the best thing that has happened to me? Will I be happy? Content?
What's going on with Winnie*? My gut is telling me she is still married but my curiosity is telling me to delve deeper. My gut usually wins. Would she contact me if she is divorced? Would she want me to contact her if she was divorced? What would she think (married or divorced) if suddenly an email popped into her mailbox from me? Would I even be attracted to Winnie* all these years later? Should I just wait? Have I "just waited" too many times in my romantic life?
What new challenges should I chose for my life? What challenges will choose to be in my life? Will I meet those challenges head on and work past them?
Summer, a year away. Should I go big? Should I enjoy it like I did this past one? Will I be madly in love and not care?
With WONDER
Kevin