The Ability to Read Women/Christmas Party/Saturdays in New Beginnings

I wish there were a paint by numbers guide to reading women. A memory keeps popping up in my mind from that coffee “date” I had with that recruiter, Tayna. At one point, we were discussing how whenever my dad passes away, my inheriting his business will neccessate my needing a job that allows me to telecommute. I mentioned how I didn’t clarify this fact when I started my current job because it wasn’t an immediate concern. She responded with “Yeah, I know. It’s like fighting with a boyfriend about something that hasn’t even happened yet.”

I wonder if that was supposed to mean something. I know I refer to our meeting as a “date” of sorts, but I’m pretty sure that’s just me. She reached out to me through Linked-In, and really the purpose of our meeting was to network. Why would she make some sort of allusion about fighting with a boyfriend in what was technically a professional meeting? Was it a signal that she may be single soon and I could ask her out, or was it just an innocent and meaningless remark?

I know I’m likely reading too much into it, but something about Anya also keeps coming to mind. She and I were walking back to our dorms after eating dinner in the dining hall one night. We must have been talking about dating, and I almost certainly commented about my romantic ineptitude. I remember laughing and saying that one of my problems was how I was bad at picking up signals. As she said this, she touched my forearm, not once, but twice (first when she laughed, and second when she made her comment).

Months after the fact, another girl told me that when a woman makes physical contact with a guy, she’s effectively screaming that she’s into him. I wondered if Anya was alluding to something when she made that comment, but she had emphatically reiterated point that she wasn’t interested in anything serious. Such a statement doesn’t encourage a guy to declare his romantic feelings for a woman. I said nothing because she was basically saying she would have said “no”, and “no” means “no” according to one of feminism’s current talking points. Of course, Anya then hooked up with another one of her friends, and that’s who she’s with today. Apparently, “no” means “no” except when it means “yes”. I also apparently missed out on being with the woman I’ve been most smitten with because I took things at face value instead of inferring that they meant more. Seriously, how am I supposed to know when a woman means what she’s saying, means more than what she’s saying, and means the exact opposite of what she’s saying?

I have some positive things to mention, too. Every year, my department at work has a Christmas potluck lunch. We had our potluck last Friday, and I prepared a Boston Butt. Originally, I was going to try out a recipe for candied bacon, but when I gave the recipe a trial run, it didn’t come as tasty as I hoped, so I changed my item at the last minute. I found a dry rub recipe that looked really good, and it was a hit at the party. My dish looked absolutely succulent, and tasted even better. Everyone complimented me on it. It was a bit messy to make, but I’ll certainly have to use that recipe again.

Also, it’s funny my relationship with exercise. When I was younger, working out was all I wanted to do. Maybe because as I get older, my figure isn’t as lean as it used to, so the work at times can seem pointless. Maybe because I’ve been working out for so long, I’m just burnt out on it. Maybe exercise is just one more thing to do. Everyday I have to go to work, go to the gym, or both, so I never get a day to just do nothing but decompress.

It’s not like I don’t enjoy the process of working out, and I feel fantastic once I’m finished for a day, but making myself get started is always an ordeal. I procrastinate starting, which wouldn’t be so bad except that I don’t want to do anything else until I’ve finished my work out session. For instance, each week I have two easy easy exercise days and two really hard days. The hard days consist of at least an hour of hard cardio in which I really push myself. In the past, I’d usually have one of my hard days on a Saturday. Theoretically, I could get up, run some errands, do my workout on at about 1pm, be finished and showered by 3pm, then I could come home with plenty of time to cook, clean, read, work on my CPE courses, watch Netflix, and play on my computer. Instead, I’m so reluctant to start, that I usually waste time on my computer so that I don’t actually get to my workout until 3 or 4, which leaves me less time to do those other things when I finish in the evening. I especially don’t want to cook because I finish about the time I’m starving for dinner, so the last thing I want to do is cook for an hour. I’m ready to eat.

I tried something new this week. I did my Saturday workout last night after work, so now my entire Saturday is free. It feels marvelous! I’ve already vaccuumed and dusted my condo, washed my laundry, cleaned my bathroom, cut my hair, dropped off my recycling, started my next book, and it’s only two o’clock. I would cook today if I weren’t leaving next week. I think I’m going to go fold my laundry do a CPE course, game on my PC, and maybe watch a movie. This is officially my new Saturday schedule.

Last updated December 20, 2014