Start of something new…

I know, I’m awful about writing…  But I’ve had a lot going on!

Because things didn’t really work out with my grad school (my advisor keeps changing my schedule, which costs ME money, can’t afford it, no one is helpful or supportive, blah blah blah), I have decided to take this derailing of plans and try something new.  I’m planning on moving to Louisiana to live near my sister and brother-in-law.  It’s just time for a change.

I’m pretty excited.  I’ve lived in different parts of PA for about 17 years, so it’s about time for a change of scenery.  I’ve got some leads on jobs, research assistance, nursery schools, children’s homes, etc. and I also might be able to live in a parsonage.  It’s nice having Leanne and Jarrod to help get the word out about my moving.  So many people have offered to help out, so that’s exciting.

I will admit, I’m a little sad about leaving Philly.  Sadder than I thought I’d be.  I’m not sad at all about leaving my job.  12 hour days will do that to you.  But there are some people I will miss an awful lot.  I’m trying to think about all the things I wanna do before I leave the northeast.

1. Chocolate World (Which obviously includes the Puppy Store and walking around LVC)
2. Pat’s and/or Geno’s cheesesteaks
3. Philadelphia Zoo
4. The Diner
5. King of Prussia
6. Peddler’s Village
7. Newtown Theatre

There are probably a million things I’m missing, but that’s what I’ve come up with so far.  Most of that stuff is already planned out, but not all.

So, hopefully I will write more when I am a Pennsylvania Yankee in Louisiana…

Warning: My feminism shows a little in this one…

I don’t want to write many posts about romance.  Frankly, Sex And The City has pretty much covered everything you might want to know about relationships from a woman’s point of view.  However…

A friend and I were talking about a guy I had gone out with.  We had one date, it was a very good date, but just one date.  He seemed really nice and polite and everything you look for in a first date.  I was definitely interested in seeing him again.  Over the next week, we had texted a bit.  He was being very sweet, borderline romantic.  I talked to him a week later when I was out with some friends.  When I woke up the next morning, I had 2 voicemails, 3 missed calls, and a text message from him.  He wanted to know that I got home safe.  Yes.  After one date, he was that concerned.  Now, I had already been thinking that maybe he was coming on a bit strong, even before this night.  When we talked about it the next day, I gave him the chance to tell me that he had just been drunk and that’s why he’d called so much.  No such luck.  He was just that concerned.  I told him that I was very capable of taking care of myself and to not worry so much.  I so wanted to add “Especially since we have only been on one date!” but I refrained.  Since then, I’ve been responding to him less, hoping he’ll either get the hint and back off or leave me alone altogether.

Now, it’s easy for someone to tell me he’s just being nice and girls are always saying they want someone that considerate, and here I am blowing my chance.  Believe me, I am down playing how strong he is coming on.  Before this guy was another guy who I had known for a while and after our first date, it felt like we were already in a very serious relationship.  I’m 23, single, and living alone for the first time in my life.  Is it a sin that I want to just date and have fun without any commitment?
Let me spin this around for you.  Let’s say a male friend of yours went on a great date with a girl.  He tells you he’s thinking about taking her out again, she seems cool.  Within a week she texts him multiple times a day saying she misses him and how amazing and great he is.  Would you tell him to get rid of the crazy clingy girl or not?  Of course you would!  When a girl gets like that, she’s a stalker, she’s desperate, she needs to chill.  When it’s a guy though, and you’re the girl of his affection, he’s being sweet, you are expected to give him a shot because there are so few nice guys out there.

I refuse to settle for a guy who’s driving me nuts just because it might take me a while to find another nice guy.
What I am curious about is…is this a new trend?  My brilliant friend said that she thinks because women are becoming more independent, we’re not constantly looking for someone to commit.  It makes sense that in the past, our mothers and grandmothers wanted that man who will always be there because their generation was not taught that women could take care of themselves.  But today, it is not rare to find a 20 something girl who is single and living alone and supporting herself.  Men figured out how great independence was a long time ago.  Now we’re starting to learn and, in my opinion, they don’t like it.  Is that too feminist?  I apologize if it is, I just think the guys I go out with are surprised that I’m not looking for someone to take care of me and fix my problems.  Frankly, I can probably handle my life better than they can, I’m more experienced at it.
So, for now, I will continue being independent and waiting for a man who will be there because he wants to be, not because he thinks I need him.

Roommates

Doing some math today, I realized I have had 12 roommates in my life, not including family members.  Yes, 12.  And having lived with this many people of different personalities and backgrounds, I feel as though I must have learned something.  So, I’ve been attempting to compile a list of things I’ve learned.

1. Always pick up milk when you’re out of it.  Even when it’s not your turn.
2. Every party needs a party planning committee.
3. Earplugs are your best friend.  Although, if you don’t have them, enjoy the memories of girls yelling at their boyfriends, people fighting over the bathroom, and the Zombie song.
4. When in a prank war, always cut the pieces of tape in your room with the door closed so they don’t hear.
5. If you hear “Baby When The Lights Go Out” either leave the apartment, or eavesdrop.  The second choice produces much funnier results.
6. If you’re having trouble finding a way to bond with a new roommate, the grosser and more personal the topic, the more memorable that first real conversation will be.
7. If at first the front door won’t open…hop the fence.
8. Coloring on the front porch listening to music may seem like a waste of time while you’re doing it, but you will miss it incredibly when you don’t have anyone to do that with anymore.
9. When you live with 4 boys, never underestimate the bond you will feel with the only other girl in the house.
10. Regardless of how much you might love your roommates, always be sure to have friends outside of your living arrangement that you can vent to.  You will need to vent.
11. If you find the right people to live with, don’t let them slip out of your life, even if you’re all living far from each other.
12. It’s ok to just be roommates.  You don’t have to be best friends with the people you live with, and in the same respect, you may not be able to live with your best friends cooperatively.
13. BE CONSIDERATE.  It sounds simple and self explanatory and like an after school special, but honestly, put yourself in someone else’s shoes and treat them the way you want to be treated.  It will do a world of good.

All of my 12 roommates hold a special place in my heart.  However, I LOVE living alone, regardless of how many people told me how lonely I’d be in my own place.  I do miss living with my best friends, but sometimes, coming home to a silent apartment just feels nice.

Format

Thanks to my big sister for the banner and new format!

Crazy Neighbor

This is a post about the man who lives across the hall from me.  No, it’s not a fairytale.  Usually it feels more like a nightmare.

Who knows what kind of hours this man keeps, because regardless of how late or early I get home, his tv is blasting (along with his voice).  When I first moved in, he would simply talk to himself about football.  I thought it was relatively normal.  When you live in Philly, if you’re not crazy obsessed with the Eagles, the Phillies, the Flyers, or the Sixers, you may as well move.  Thinking it would all end once the football season did, I didn’t let it affect my love for my tiny apartment.  However, time went on, football season ended, and his madness continued and grew.

Usually he just sounds like he’s rationalizing some problem in his life: his social security check, his meds, when the mail comes, etc.  However, occasionally, you’ll catch him on a bad day.  If someone has truly upset him, you can hear him screaming in the hallway, usually foul language, sometimes he’ll add in his experience as a marine vet, almost always ending his sentences with “You’ll see, homeboy!”  To give you a visual, the “hallway” I live in is basically a square in between my apartment and Crazy’s.  There’s no one else on our floor.  Sometimes he’ll be in a good mood and sing.  One of my roommates can attest to his rendition of “Saturday, in the park, think it was the fourth of July…”  He also sings “We are the Champions”.

He spends his days pushing a shopping cart around our neighborhood with trash bags filled with God knows what.  I know this because I’ve seen it.

The first time I met Crazy, I was walking downstairs to the parking lot and heard someone talking downstairs.  When I got there, I saw him talking to himself and when he saw me he instantly said “I’m not crazy!”  I should have known then.

I rationalize that all of his antics are ok, because everyone needs a crazy neighbor once in their lives.  I grew up in suburbia, and my neighbors were painfully ordinary, and in college my neighbors were my classmates.  I’m about due for this.  Hopefully it means that in my next home, I will have an AMAZING neighbor.

About Me

So, my sister keeps telling me I need to start blogging.  Now my concern is that my life isn’t nearly exciting enough for anyone to be interested in reading about it, so we’ll see how long this lasts, but I figure it’s worth a shot.

My title is the Reluctant Nanny because as of now, that’s the best description of me.  I graduated from college over a year ago (which terrifies me because I officially can’t say “I just graduated!” anymore!) and decided to take a year off to save up some money and get my life together before grad school.  One year feels much longer than you’d think.  But I’m glad I took the time off because my senior year of college was very stressful and I needed the rest.  I am now registered in grad school and will be starting in August.  While impatiently waiting for August, I am working as a nanny.  My boys are great, but they are old enough that they don’t really require much from me.  I basically get them up in the morning, put them on the bus, get them off the bus in the afternoon, help with homework, and take them to their various sporting events.  While it’s good money, great hours, and easy work, it’s not even a little bit where I want to be right now, so I keep waiting for school to start so I can be that much closer to a career in family counseling.  I also volunteer at a crisis hotline occasionally (for the counseling experience), so that can usually give me some stories to tell.

Since I graduated college, I have lived in 4 different places around Philly with 9 different roommates total.  Now I am (very happily) living alone, with the exception of my cat Charlie Bartlett and a bunny named Bunny that I used to share with my college roommates.  My apartment may also be a source of stories given the insanity of my Crazy Neighbor (more on that in the future).

Another HUGE part of my life is my involvement with the Breast Cancer 3 Day this year.  Inspired by my older sister (a 3 Day Online Ambassador), I have decided to walk the 60 miles over 3 days in Dallas on November 6-8.  This means I have committed to raising $2,300 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Fund, and at only $155 currently, I am CONSTANTLY looking for support!  So, please help me out and donate!  I just started training this week and am already feeling it!

So, hopefully I’ll actually follow through with this blog.  I’ve already thought of about 3 different posts I could write, so that’s a good sign.