Winner Winner Chicken Dinner #21

I haven't done a post like this since October.  I'm not going to say I haven't won something in between then and now but I'm not going to say I have.  Truth is, I don't remember.  I guess if I did I wasn't overtly excited about it.


This weekend I received my "winnings" from an InPink giveaway GrrFiesty had earlier this month.  It was another one of those 50 winner deals.  I honestly figured if I was one of the 50 they'd choose someone else since I'd won from them before but apparently not.


I just checked to see when I won the other InPink giveaway and I am cracking up.  I won a $40 gift certificate for them in January.  I managed to mention it in a WIWW post but never did a WWCD post.  With the timing I'm going to say it had less to do with me not being overtly excited about it and more to do with what was going on at the time.  Losing a friend so unexpectedly and so unnecessarily sort takes the fun out of winning giveaways...and everything else in life.  


You can see me wearing my 1st winnings here, but what I chose was this...

MULTICOLORED CHAINS NECKLACE AND EARRING 

I, also, got a ring with the same "theme" but it is no longer listed on their site.  It's bigger than I expected so I don't wear it often.  


This time with my $40 gift card I bought a set of rings I had my eye on...

TRIPLE BAND SIZED CUBIC ZIRCONIA RING SET

I really really like them.  Plus, they are very versatile.  


What I am most excited about winning is a pair of shoes from B.A.I.T. Footwear off the lovely LoveElycia's blog.  Like squealed, out loud, while at work, after reading that I won.  I think this is the 3rd or 4th giveaway I'd entered for B.A.I.T.  I think the only way I could have been more excited was if I'd won a pair of Blowfish shoes since I've entered at least 20 giveaways for them....possibly 50.  At least with Blowfish it is easier to just go out and buy a pair.  I have yet to see a pair of B.A.I.T. at any stores (except online).  


So after much internal soul searching and asking a few people's opinions I chose the Dennise in RED.  It was between the red and the black but I figured I have black shoes already.  I've been wanting a pair of red shoes FOREVER.  If going bold while getting a pair of FREE shoes isn't the thing to do, then I don't know when is.  I cannot wait to get my red shoes!! 

 

 Now if I could only be this luck when at the casino.  

POF Update for Lack of a Better Title

I've been on POF for three weeks now and I've learned a few, possibly interesting, things.


1. Plenty of Fish needs a new name.  There may be "plenty" of fish but we are all crammed into the same small pond.  I swear I "run" into the same 50 guys day in & day out.  


2.  It is not smart to use the same profile picture on POF as you use on other social networking sites.  Say such as Facebook.  Luckily, I knew this one already but some of the guys I've "run" across on POF  are not as smart.  I've spotted one guy for sure on FB, but it is possible I've seen more but their profile pictures aren't quite as memorable as one with a horse in it.  Luckily I am not friends with any of the people I've seen nor am I friends of friends.   


3.  Either a lot of guys lie about their actual height (which I know is a real life problem) but an oddly large amount of men on POF are listed as 6"4'.  Um...hello, sexiness!  Tall men are so...yummy!  Yeah, if you couldn't tell, tallness a weakness of mine.


4.  A lot of veterans and/or military men are online.  A. Lot.  Like possibly half the guys on POF are vets or active military men.  It's sort of insane.  Speaking of insane, want to know what else is insane?  I have a hard time ignoring vets or military men when they contact me.  Doesn't matter if I'm interested or not.  I have a hard time NOT responding and being nice.  It's sort of like I can't say no to people who have risked their lives for our country.  Luckily, I'm not completely insane and do have a limit on how far I will go in saying yes or in being nice.  Though, this insanity has led to some slightly uncomfortable & probable awkward situations.  


5.  Men don't read.  Some, I am sure, just can't but most of them just don't.  It's annoying and actually cuts a lot of cute guys off my "list" just because they don't read and end up not use their words when contacting me.   I mean, how do  you respond to "Sup?" or "Wow...u b (insert descriptive word)". My favorite opening line was..."well hello there sexy pants..." Um...really?  I didn't even take the time to check out his profile, call me rude but sexy pants gets you automatically rejected, ignored & possibly blocked.


6.  I've noticed if I go out of my comfort zone and initiate the first contact I do not get a response.  It's sort of sad.  Possible proof I am always attracted to the unattainable.  Heh.  I'm hoping it has more to do with how my profile is set up or how their profile is set up and they are actually not able to respond to me.  That thought is a lot easier on the ego.  You know, instead of the thought that they are just uninterested and not responding to me.  There are a lot of invisible things that can be selected in a profile that would block certain people from being able to contact me or respond to me.



I have plans for a dinner date sometime next week but I've been putting it off because of #3 listed above.  He is nice enough, we do have some things in common, but he's definitely not what I am looking for.  I was being overtly nice because he was a wounded vet.  Turns out that you can be a vet and have to retire from the military due to an accident and not be a "wounded vet".  The two things can totally be two separate things.  His accident & recovery is an incredible story but one he says has scared off a lot of people.  I don't understand that but at the same time I guess I do.  I was only mildly interested to begin with but hearing his story and having a bit of insight into his struggles has not helped.  Really though I think it has more to do with his... over eagerness, I think would be the right word.  He over shares on some things and not enough about others.  Because of our conversations and his relieve in my response to his story I do not feel that I can cancel.  When starting this whole POF thing people said, "Go to dinner.  It's just dinner, what could it hurt?" Well, apparently it could hurt a lot.  Meeting and then telling him that the needed "spark" just isn't there will be a lot easier than bailing now & him thinking it has to do with his accident, which it doesn't.  


There are a few others who have been circling around meeting up but I don't know if it'll happen or not.


Maybe I'm doing it wrong but I just don't find any of this all that fun.  If something is this awkward it should at least be fun.  Most of the time I find it mildly annoying and at times stressful.  Annoying is not fun.  Stressful is not fun.  

It's That Time of Year Again

We've already surpassed the 100 degree mark here in Arizona.  So to say it's short season is a bit of a overstatement.  Most of the time I think shorts... Ugh! but this year I got a FREE pair of shorts from Old Navy.  FREE makes short shopping so much more fun & enjoyable!  


Seriously, being a member of CrowdTap and being a part of the Old Navy Style Council is really paying off.

Come join me.

The BFF, Karie, and I had just had a long discussion about shorts and our need for new ones when I got the invite for the ON short sample. I, of course, took it as a "meant to be" type of thing and asked her to be my plus one for the sample share.  

There were a ton of shorts to choose from and although I knew I am not a fan of the short shorts (5 inches & below) I still tried some on because they were so dang cute.  I'm a realist.  I know that even if I lost the 20 lbs I'd really, really love to lose, I'd still hate my thighs (because just about every woman does,  no matter what they weigh or what size they are) and being in my 30's 3 inch shorts are just too short.   But the 5 inch shorts would be doable.  Note to self: Eat less cookies & more veggies, and start working out.  Seriously!   

So here are the super cute shorts that are just too short for someone like me...

Women's Printed Canvas Shorts (3-1/2") 

Women's Perfect Khaki Shorts (3-1/2") 

Karie pretty much felt the same...

Women's Perfect Khaki Shorts (3-1/2") 

Women's Perfect Khaki Shorts (3-1/2 ) 

Women's Denim Cut-Off Shorts (3") 

We had better luck with the longer short shorts...

Women's Denim Shorts (4 1/2")

Women's Denim Shorts (4 1/2")

I already own a pair of the Women's Denim Shorts (4 1/2") from last season so I know I do like them.  Though I do wish they were about an inch longer.  It was a toss up between these and what I chose.

Women's Denim Shorts (4 1/2") 

Women's Linen Drawstring Shorts (5") 

Women's Cuffed Tie-Waist Twill Shorts (4-1/2") 

In the end I ended up with bermuda shorts, which is what I pretty much knew I would get....

Women's Distressed Denim Bermudas (12")

I really wanted them in white, because they are totally out of my comfort zone and FREE is the perfect time to do something crazy but they didn't have my size.

Women's Distressed Denim Bermudas (12") 

I totally cheated and they are not zipped up.  Fine for photo taking but not so much for real life.  I'm hoping they'll have my size when I have the money to go shopping again.  The only bad thing about these shorts are they run pretty small so you've got to go up a size.  Wearing a larger size than normal messes with the delicate balance one has when concerning self image.  

Women's Perfect Khaki Shorts (5") 

 This photo does not do justice to how cute these shorts look on Karie.  They make her already rockin' butt look fabulous but she wouldn't let me take a photo.  

Our final FREE choices.

These photo's remind me that the wedges I was wearing that day have since broke and I am still not over it.  I've only had them about a month or so and the whole "inside" sole came apart from the wedge.  I need to figure out how to glue them back together so I can wear them again.  They are seriously too cute to give up on.  Plus, far too new!!

Proof I Watch Too Much Criminal Minds

After reading though some of my POF responses I've discovered a very large tactical error on my part.  One that will probably end up with me being the next story line for Criminal Minds.  


If you recall I listed going to the park/bird preserve in my "About Me" section of my profile.  I pride myself on being a "smart girl" and of taking care to not put myself in situations where I am an easy target for serial killers.  Skills I like to think I honed while living in the same complex as Mesa's Serial Shooters.  I know when I take photo's or post from the park I use the location tag but I figure I pretty much know who is watching me on Instagram and I am 99.8% positive that none of my Facebook friends are criminal intent stalkers or serial killers. 


Why Criminal Minds?  Well, if you've religiously watched the show, like I do, you too have learned all the nice places serial killers like to take their victims.  If you've ever been to the Bird Preserve and really wandered around then you know that it is the perfect place for a serial killer to kill and dump a body.  It's quite possible no one would ever find the body.  If that happens we wander into the land of Bones, which I will try to stay clear of for this post to keep things less complicated and confusing.  This is by no means an endorsement to any serial killers out there to actually use the bird preserve as a killing/dumping ground. 


I am a cynical person so everyone on POF is suspect.  If you are less suspect than others I will contact you back.  If I feel like it.  I'm not sure how between the three of us (Crystal, Karie & myself) we did not realize that my profile was going to be seen by men (which by default are men of suspect) who live in the area and may know of the bird park.  I might as well have just placed a bright neon sign as my tag line that said, "PERFECT VICTIM WITH PERFECT BUILT IN KILLING/DUMPING GROUND.  INQUIRE BELOW".  Off hand I can already think of at least 5 of my favorite places (possibly 7 for the exceptionally talented serial killer) at the park that are ideal for raping/killing/dismembering/eating by a serial killer.      


I have since rectified the error but now I am unsure how to proceed with the inquiries that I got mentioning the bird preserve.  Do I ignore to be on the super safe side or do I let it play out and see if any murderistic tendencies show up during our chat?

Would You Date Me?

So a week ago I joined Plenty of Fish.  What?!  Oh, no, I didn't.  Oh, but really... yes, I did.  I'd had my profile hidden since then to work out the glitches but went "live" this afternoon. In the few minutes I was online I had an overwhelming response. Not that I'm saying I'm a success or anything or that the responses I got were even good responses but they were responses non-the-less.  My brain actually wants to explode and fall out of my head, it is that overwhelming.  I don't even know how to proceed at this point.

There really isn't a wading area nor is there wearing any floaties once you jump into the pond that is POF.  It's just straight into the deep end and you better know how to swim.  Since I am not the best swimmer I quickly jumped ship pond and have stayed offline since except for a few peeks to check something out.  Or to fix the spelling error Crystal caught.  The one that neither Karie nor I noticed.  That, right there, is why you have at least two people check your work.  I'm a bit terrified and cannot promise that I won't chicken out the next time I log on and some guy tries to chat, email or whatever.

So here's my profile...would you date me?  

XXXXX : Yikes, here goes..

About	Non-Smoker with Average body type
Details	34 year old Woman, 5' 4" (163 cm), Christian - other		Ethnicity	Caucasian Capricorn with Brown hair
Intent	XXXX is looking for a relationship.		Education	Some college

Interests Music     Movies     Going to concerts    Shopping     Eating out    TV About Me I always thought other people only did this. I am completely terrified to try online dating but I have a rule I try to live by...  If I want to do something but I find it too scary I, first need to figure out why that is, and as long as it won't hurt me or  someone else, I just need to get over it and do it.  At least once. So here I am. I work full time. I am currently in a serious & committed  relationship with my TV/DVD player. I do, however,  enjoy being outdoors and spend at least 4 nights a week wandering around a park/bird preserve near me. I lack the coordination needed for any type of sport. I have  3 cats and some days they are the most intellectual and  interesting conversationalists I encounter. If that makes me an  elitist and snobby, so be it. I love movies as long as I don't have to read subtitles. I am a girl, so romantic-comedies are always  good entertainment but sometimes there just really needs to be a lot of eye candy, shoddy plot lines and big massive explosions  (Yes, I am a fan of Michael Bay and I'm not ashamed to admit that  The Fast & Furious movies are on my favorite movie list). I tend to  say what I think and often find what I think to be hilarious... even if no one else gets it. I love animals & take care of strays when they let me. I will notice  a squirrel or prairie dog running along the road while driving past  but rarely will see deer or elk while standing still 10 feet in front  of me. I cannot live a day without music. Attending a concert is  just as energizing as taking an actual vacation. I have severe  crowd claustrophobia but prefer a small standing room only  concert to a sit down concert at a large venue. I've been told I  have "socially acceptable" nerdiness. I'm not quite sure what that  means but it sounds good to me. I have never played Dungeons  & Dragons or any online gamers games but I do worship at the  altar of Joss Whedon & Eric Kripke and follow Wil Wheaton on twitter/FB... If any of that made sense to you, we will get along just  fine. If not, well I am sad for you, but we can definitely work with  that as well. When I asked my friends for words that best describe my personality I got things like loyal & reliable, which sort of sound like something  you'd say when describing a golden retriever or some other furry  friend. I got loving, generous & helpful. To be honest I can, also, be high strung and moody but I like to think of that as meaning  I'm fun & passionate...which are another word my friends used to describe me. I think I am AWKWARD but my friends don't  (usually) tend to see me that way. My most favorite quote  regarding this situation is "...she is an inadvertent vortex of  awkward moments so she just rolls with it. I have no clue why  cuz she isn't awkward herself but awkwardness always happens  when she's around..."  So there you have it... First Date No matter the situation first dates are awkward. Period. Mail Settings To send a message to XXXX you MUST meet the following criteria: Male Live in United States Must not have messaged users looking for intimate encounters  or sex. Must not be looking for Intimate Encounter Must not be looking for Activity Partner Must not do drugs Must not be married Must not smoke

I think I need to add an age range to my mail settings.  I've gotten a lot of older men contacting me.  I swear it's the power of the boobs.    

I'm sure there will be plenty more tweaks that will need to be made the more I wade into this crazy online dating world.


To explain how I ended up joining POF I'd have to share the whole back story and the back story has back story so at this point I will just say I had a good reference.  A good enough reference that the thought there may be more out there online than just weirdo's and skeezy men occurred to me.  


Because I am me, and I am awesome, hilarity and hijinx ensued after I hit the “Finish” button on my profile the very fist time (when I joined, before I hid my profile).  I should probably preface this with a back story on that, as well, but really one can only endure so much public humiliation and mockery in one go so I'm just leaving you with a my profile and the little nugget that I am actively on an online dating site.  


*GULP*