Home Alone: Best. Birthday Party. EVAR!! :)
Something has finally gone right for me in the world: my birthday party was a real hit.
On Friday morning we had a Salsa Mob event, at our favorite ice-cream parlor! We put on music and danced out in the street, and people actually stopped their cars in the road to stare, or to ask questions, or even to come dance with us! It was fucking awesome. And after the dancing, the owner of the ice-cream shop treated us to free ice-cream :) We were only about 8 people, so it was a small event, but we did it to wake up the group and remind people how much fun Salsa Mob is. Hopefully this'll reinvigorate the group and more people will come volunteer next time.
My parents went abroad on vacation on the 24th, so aside from having the house to myself (which also adds responsibilities, like cooking for myslef and doing the dishes, laundry, taking out the trash, feeding the cats, etc.) I was also able to drive my mom's car. Which in turn, freed my car. So I gave it to Ron. And he actually said thank you! Finally, a glimmer of appreciation and thankfulness. He tried not to use it a lot, and filled it up with gas before he brought it back today, but mostly he used it to get to me: otherwise he would have had to rely on friends to get to my birthday party on Friday. This way, with a car on his own, he was able to come sleep over at my place for 3-4 times over the week and weekend, so I wasn't alone in the house.
I made chocolate fondue for the party - something I did for two years running in high-school and discovered to be really fun. There was dark and white chocolate fondue, and marshmallows and fruit to dip in it. There were also snacks, and drinks! I managed to get some of the alcohol we'd bought for the Passover camping trip, even though one of the girls was totally against it and I do believe even nicked two of the liqueurs (which were what I wanted to drink most, gah) buuuuuuuuut I'm gonna let it go because I can't prove anything.
I think about 20-25 people came, and one of the guys brought a huge speaker and music system :) Ori got there first (since he had to leave early), and Romano (the almost-fling) also came, and then everybody else, and Ron arrived quiet late, which made me very upset with him, but he made it up to me later. He's not a great party person, so he likes to be in charge of the music to keep himself separate. But he did made an effort to come sit with me and let someone else take over the music for a while. And - he organized another salsa birthday circle for me! I was unfortunately wearing my glasses (since I hadn't though we'd be dancing that seriously) so I did the whole thing half-blind, lol! And at one point, Gil, who I haven't seen or talked to for about half a year now, wanted to do a complicated dip. He did warn me in advance, and it was a dip we'd practiced some before, but he botched it and I ended up on the floor with my dress flying up my hips and everyone seeing my panties (which were, btw, part of a red lace set I'd gotten at H&M for a super-low price and was very eager for Ron to see).
Gil was pretty embarrassed, and everyone was worried about me, but I just moved on, and Ron took me back to the circle and did the dip properly! :) lol, poor Gil...
So we danced a lot of salsa, ate a lot of chocolate and snacks, and people stayed til 3AM. Ron helped me clean up a bit and we went to bed. At first it seemed like we were both too tired for sex, and Ron was also somewhat indifferent to the red set, which was a real disappointment. But he warmed up to it eventually, and we both warmed up, and we did have sex. It wasn't earth-shattering - it was good, yes, and Ron did finally try tying me up, and he did pay quite special attention to me, so it was nice :)
And he stayed almost all of Saturday after that. We cooked lunch together (pasta and sauce, and we drank some of the leftover wine) and watched some TV and cuddled... it was so nice to sleep, and have sex, and then spend quality time with my boyfriend in my own home, rather than at his. Regrettably, that's over now, since my parents are coming back home tomorrow morning. He spent the night yesterday, and brought my car back, so as of this weekend we're mostly back to his place. Oh well.
In the evening I went to Saturday!Salsa, which I don't normally do, and which wasn't a very good idea now, since I had the morning shift on Sunday. But it was fun, I was one of 4 girls in our teach, to 8 guys, so there wasn't any time spent 'on the bench' as it were, like there usually is on Tuesday!Salsa nights. The instructor picked me to demonstrate with, and I was wearing my Red Dress, which always makes me feel sexy and confident. Even Ron managed a "Wow" upon seeing me at the entrance to the club.
Sunday at work was kind of hard, as the first shift of the week always is, but it was over eventually. I've received a promotion of sorts - I'm going to be a mentor when the next course finishes (in 3 weeks or so) and I'll be helping new phone representatives find their footing in the call center. It shows that my boss trusts me and also things I'm a good rep - knowledgeable, serviceable, intelligent, and able to handle the responsibility.
Things are also going strong with the Improvement Team - I don't know if I've mentioned it? We're a group of representatives from several departments at the company - back office, call center, managers, customer complaints, etc. I'm the "lowliest" of the bunch, being a mere customer service rep, but on the other hand I'm also valuable because of that: I get all my information from the customers on the line, and also from all the other phone reps. I've also received very, very positive feedback from several higher-ups, which has made me blush repeatedly. They say they see great potential in me, and frankly I'm starting to believe it.
The Improvement Team gets together once a month to discuss company policies, to make changes and see how things can be, well, improved. The head of the team (who is in charge of customer complaints at the company, and who at first seems like a very intimidating woman: freakishly tall and she wears heels as well, dark hair pulled back tightly, she dresses mostly in black and white, and talks very fast. But she's turned out to be super-nice and very impressive) came into the call center to explain about the team and ask for a volunteer representative. I was very impressed and asked my boss how I could apply. A week later she answered with "You're in :) " Apparently I was the only one who'd applied XD
At the end of this month we have a meeting with the vice-president of the company, showing him all we've accomplished in the past half-year that the team has been working, and the head of the team has asked that I present one of the upcoming topics. I was very very nervous - it's a topic that doesn't have much to do with me as far as company policy goes, but it will affect my work as a phone rep, and all the other reps at the call-center. But presenting the topic in front of the VP (who, btw, used to be the police commissioner a few years ago!) ?? Yikes. I used to see him on TV on the news, and I've also passed by him in the hallways a few times at work. He seems nice enough, but again - an intimidating figure. He was supposed to come in to the meeting on Wednesday, but it got pushed to the end of the month, so I have more time to practice :P
On Sunday my nephew Omer was sick, so my sister Noa got called in from her first day at a new job (!!!) to take him home from daycare, and she asked if I could look after him on Monday. Luckily, I had the evening shift that day, so I said sure. Then when I told my parents about it over Skype (they were on holiday) my dad went apeshit when I complained about having to get up early and then get to work at 2PM and work 'til 9. He was like, "Why did you agree to it if you can't handle it?"
And I'm in shock, and I replied: "Well.. because she asked. She's in a pinch and needs help, and I have the morning free so why would I tell her no?"
His tone was just... very belittling and made me feel like a little girl. I'm 23 for fuck's sake, I can handle a long, hard workday. He does this a lot, he underestimates me. In the end, I helped my sister and brother-in-law at a time of great need, looking after the younger nephew when he was too sick to go to daycare and also the next day picking him up after daycare from 4:30PM until they got home in the evening. They appreciated it so much, they practically kissed my feet. It's nice to be appreciated, and also, it felt really good to face the demon that was looking after Omer all on my own. I'm just not good with kids. I'm the youngest in the family, so I never had to look after younger siblings, and I've never babysat. I've never even changed a diaper in my life! I often look after the kids along with my dad, so he does that part. And this time, I did it, and it turned out to be pretty fucking simple. Aside from baby poo being fucking gross :P
So... it's been a fucking looooooong week, and I do mean week, since my parents left for holiday last Wednesday and til now. And I'm working tomorrow as well... gah. Short weekend, poo :(
On Friday morning we had a Salsa Mob event, at our favorite ice-cream parlor! We put on music and danced out in the street, and people actually stopped their cars in the road to stare, or to ask questions, or even to come dance with us! It was fucking awesome. And after the dancing, the owner of the ice-cream shop treated us to free ice-cream :) We were only about 8 people, so it was a small event, but we did it to wake up the group and remind people how much fun Salsa Mob is. Hopefully this'll reinvigorate the group and more people will come volunteer next time.
My parents went abroad on vacation on the 24th, so aside from having the house to myself (which also adds responsibilities, like cooking for myslef and doing the dishes, laundry, taking out the trash, feeding the cats, etc.) I was also able to drive my mom's car. Which in turn, freed my car. So I gave it to Ron. And he actually said thank you! Finally, a glimmer of appreciation and thankfulness. He tried not to use it a lot, and filled it up with gas before he brought it back today, but mostly he used it to get to me: otherwise he would have had to rely on friends to get to my birthday party on Friday. This way, with a car on his own, he was able to come sleep over at my place for 3-4 times over the week and weekend, so I wasn't alone in the house.
I made chocolate fondue for the party - something I did for two years running in high-school and discovered to be really fun. There was dark and white chocolate fondue, and marshmallows and fruit to dip in it. There were also snacks, and drinks! I managed to get some of the alcohol we'd bought for the Passover camping trip, even though one of the girls was totally against it and I do believe even nicked two of the liqueurs (which were what I wanted to drink most, gah) buuuuuuuuut I'm gonna let it go because I can't prove anything.
I think about 20-25 people came, and one of the guys brought a huge speaker and music system :) Ori got there first (since he had to leave early), and Romano (the almost-fling) also came, and then everybody else, and Ron arrived quiet late, which made me very upset with him, but he made it up to me later. He's not a great party person, so he likes to be in charge of the music to keep himself separate. But he did made an effort to come sit with me and let someone else take over the music for a while. And - he organized another salsa birthday circle for me! I was unfortunately wearing my glasses (since I hadn't though we'd be dancing that seriously) so I did the whole thing half-blind, lol! And at one point, Gil, who I haven't seen or talked to for about half a year now, wanted to do a complicated dip. He did warn me in advance, and it was a dip we'd practiced some before, but he botched it and I ended up on the floor with my dress flying up my hips and everyone seeing my panties (which were, btw, part of a red lace set I'd gotten at H&M for a super-low price and was very eager for Ron to see).
Gil was pretty embarrassed, and everyone was worried about me, but I just moved on, and Ron took me back to the circle and did the dip properly! :) lol, poor Gil...
So we danced a lot of salsa, ate a lot of chocolate and snacks, and people stayed til 3AM. Ron helped me clean up a bit and we went to bed. At first it seemed like we were both too tired for sex, and Ron was also somewhat indifferent to the red set, which was a real disappointment. But he warmed up to it eventually, and we both warmed up, and we did have sex. It wasn't earth-shattering - it was good, yes, and Ron did finally try tying me up, and he did pay quite special attention to me, so it was nice :)
And he stayed almost all of Saturday after that. We cooked lunch together (pasta and sauce, and we drank some of the leftover wine) and watched some TV and cuddled... it was so nice to sleep, and have sex, and then spend quality time with my boyfriend in my own home, rather than at his. Regrettably, that's over now, since my parents are coming back home tomorrow morning. He spent the night yesterday, and brought my car back, so as of this weekend we're mostly back to his place. Oh well.
In the evening I went to Saturday!Salsa, which I don't normally do, and which wasn't a very good idea now, since I had the morning shift on Sunday. But it was fun, I was one of 4 girls in our teach, to 8 guys, so there wasn't any time spent 'on the bench' as it were, like there usually is on Tuesday!Salsa nights. The instructor picked me to demonstrate with, and I was wearing my Red Dress, which always makes me feel sexy and confident. Even Ron managed a "Wow" upon seeing me at the entrance to the club.
Sunday at work was kind of hard, as the first shift of the week always is, but it was over eventually. I've received a promotion of sorts - I'm going to be a mentor when the next course finishes (in 3 weeks or so) and I'll be helping new phone representatives find their footing in the call center. It shows that my boss trusts me and also things I'm a good rep - knowledgeable, serviceable, intelligent, and able to handle the responsibility.
Things are also going strong with the Improvement Team - I don't know if I've mentioned it? We're a group of representatives from several departments at the company - back office, call center, managers, customer complaints, etc. I'm the "lowliest" of the bunch, being a mere customer service rep, but on the other hand I'm also valuable because of that: I get all my information from the customers on the line, and also from all the other phone reps. I've also received very, very positive feedback from several higher-ups, which has made me blush repeatedly. They say they see great potential in me, and frankly I'm starting to believe it.
The Improvement Team gets together once a month to discuss company policies, to make changes and see how things can be, well, improved. The head of the team (who is in charge of customer complaints at the company, and who at first seems like a very intimidating woman: freakishly tall and she wears heels as well, dark hair pulled back tightly, she dresses mostly in black and white, and talks very fast. But she's turned out to be super-nice and very impressive) came into the call center to explain about the team and ask for a volunteer representative. I was very impressed and asked my boss how I could apply. A week later she answered with "You're in :) " Apparently I was the only one who'd applied XD
At the end of this month we have a meeting with the vice-president of the company, showing him all we've accomplished in the past half-year that the team has been working, and the head of the team has asked that I present one of the upcoming topics. I was very very nervous - it's a topic that doesn't have much to do with me as far as company policy goes, but it will affect my work as a phone rep, and all the other reps at the call-center. But presenting the topic in front of the VP (who, btw, used to be the police commissioner a few years ago!) ?? Yikes. I used to see him on TV on the news, and I've also passed by him in the hallways a few times at work. He seems nice enough, but again - an intimidating figure. He was supposed to come in to the meeting on Wednesday, but it got pushed to the end of the month, so I have more time to practice :P
On Sunday my nephew Omer was sick, so my sister Noa got called in from her first day at a new job (!!!) to take him home from daycare, and she asked if I could look after him on Monday. Luckily, I had the evening shift that day, so I said sure. Then when I told my parents about it over Skype (they were on holiday) my dad went apeshit when I complained about having to get up early and then get to work at 2PM and work 'til 9. He was like, "Why did you agree to it if you can't handle it?"
And I'm in shock, and I replied: "Well.. because she asked. She's in a pinch and needs help, and I have the morning free so why would I tell her no?"
His tone was just... very belittling and made me feel like a little girl. I'm 23 for fuck's sake, I can handle a long, hard workday. He does this a lot, he underestimates me. In the end, I helped my sister and brother-in-law at a time of great need, looking after the younger nephew when he was too sick to go to daycare and also the next day picking him up after daycare from 4:30PM until they got home in the evening. They appreciated it so much, they practically kissed my feet. It's nice to be appreciated, and also, it felt really good to face the demon that was looking after Omer all on my own. I'm just not good with kids. I'm the youngest in the family, so I never had to look after younger siblings, and I've never babysat. I've never even changed a diaper in my life! I often look after the kids along with my dad, so he does that part. And this time, I did it, and it turned out to be pretty fucking simple. Aside from baby poo being fucking gross :P
So... it's been a fucking looooooong week, and I do mean week, since my parents left for holiday last Wednesday and til now. And I'm working tomorrow as well... gah. Short weekend, poo :(