Yikes......and phew!

So last night I had kind of a crappy experience.

It was Thursday which meant volleyball night at the stake center.

Wait, backup. FIRST, after work I went to J.Crew. I was successful in finding a new swimming suit which was is so cute! The top is brown and white zebra stripes and the bottoms are brown with white polka dots. My favorite prints!

I got home around 7:30 and decided I would walk to volleyball. Granted, its 46 blocks south and a couple of avenues west, but I'd just been SWIMMING SUIT shopping, and felt the need for a little exercise. Besides, I could always hop on the subway if I wanted to. Then my plans were smashed to smitherines when out of no where it was pouring, thundering, and lightening. I opted for the subway. As I suspected, no one really showed for volleyball, I assume because of the rain. No one wants to go out in that.

The good news is, Chelsie and I had a little catch up time which is nice since we don't live together anymore. We decided we were starving around 10pm as neither of us had eaten dinner. We opted for Harrys, a little mexican restaurant we've frequented a few times in the past after volleyball.

So it was about 11:30pm when we split. I only had to walk one block north a couple avenues east to my subway. This is where all the fun begins.

I walked to 72nd and waited for like 20 minutes-no subway. Finally they made an announcement that there were no uptown trains from that station, and to take a downtown train to 59th and go back up. So I go downstairs and wait for like 10 minutes, see no sights of a train, and decide to walk to 59th. At this point it's after midnight so I didn't want to walk along the park side of the street because it was dark and didn't really have people walking along it. I thought maybe I should in case the bus came (since it would stop on that side of the street) but didn't feel good about walking along the poorly lit side.

At about 64th a bus comes. I run over, just miss it. I'm at the point of frustration because of course I don't have any cash, or even an atm card (not that I'd want to go to an atm that late, but in case the opportunity arose, I would maybe go into a convenience store or something.) (At this point I'd decided to forgo walking to 59th because I had a feeling I'd be waiting there a long time for a train as well. I considered just walking home, but thought maybe it was too late. While I'd been walking I'd called Brandon to ask him a question but he didn't answer because he wasn't off work yet. So I'm waiting at the bus stop forever, thinking one would be around in another 10 min or so. The thought crossed my mind to call Chelsie and just crash at her place, but I didn't have ANYthing with me (really I just would have needed contact solution and a case) but also I would have had to get up so early to come home and get ready for work and pack (I'll explain), etc, and at that point I was already awake and so tired and just wanted to be home.

I started realizing how really on my own I am. I mean, if I were to get hysterical and call my parents it would have done absolutely no good. Other than a little emotional support, and maybe help brainstorm some ideas, there's really NOTHING they could have done. Strange when you realize your parents can't just fix things.

So I wait FOREVER. A normal looking middleaged man shows up to wait for the bus as well. It's a good thing I didn't go down to 59th because he said he'd been there and there were no uptown trains there either. Not to mention, there's no signs about the trains not running. Nice. So the guy is chatting me up, and I'm friendly, yet still cautious. Like I said, he seemed normal, but I'm still very paranoid. Ted Bundy was normal looking, handsome even, and charming.

Throughout the normal conversation the guy asks me where I'd been coming from, and how far I needed to take the bus. That totally annoyed mevbecause HELLO, I don't know you, who do you think you are asking some girl all by herself where she lives?? Not wanting to have an akward moment I stupidly told him my street, he asked, "Oh, like around 8th?" "Yes." Good job Rachel, now he knows what corner you live on. So then he starts telling me about Columbia....he went there when he was a kid, blah blah blah. He starts asking me if I go to school there, then if I go to school, etc. We end up establishing that I'd moved out 4 months ago. (I realize how stupid this all sounds.) He says, "Oh, so you moved from....California?" Okay, now I'm impressed. Then he says, "Okay....hm....it's gotta be southern." Okay, wow, now I'm just wondering if he was with me at the DMV and stole my license. He actually gets in the general ballpark of the neighborhood, only an hour away.

Weird.

Then he asks where I graduated from and this is when the conversation heads downhill. He says, "Oh, Brigham Young?!" "Yes." "Are you a Mormon?" "Yes." (smile) Then he starts to go off about how it's too bad about Mitt Romney and what an idiot he is. This is the first time I've ever heard anything negative about Romney, even from a no-mo. He's telling me how it's too bad he's representing us so poorly. I say, "Oh, well, he's actually really well liked among us." He looks at me as if I'm crazy and is telling me how the guy is such a liar and will say anything to get elected. I don't really know what to tell him so I just say, "Oh, that's really too bad." He starts asking me questions about it and whatnot and finally I say, "You know, it's kind of embarrassing but I just don't know much about politics." This was a mistake. He starts lecturing me about how I need to get involved because I'm going to be around another 60 years and I need to know about the world's issues, etc etc. I laugh and tell him, "I know, I try. It's just so boring to me. I know that sounds horrible, but I just have a hard time not being bored."

Meanwhile my phone is buzzing. It's Brandon. Brandon to the rescue except this man is lecturing me and there's just no breaking point for me to answer the phone and I miss the call. Finally I can break away and go to call him back, voicemail. Luckily before I have to walk back to the man, he calls me back. I get on the phone with him and at that point I'm so frustrated/kind of scared/tired I start to cry. Ugh. Fifteen seconds later the bus pulls up, halleluia. I tell Brandon and that I have to go but he won't let me hang up till I get on the bus. I go running over to it just as the doors are closing. I knock on the the window and luckily he lets me on. I sit a few rows behind creepy man, trying to not look like I'd started crying like a little baby, and now worry that he'll stay on the bus until I have to get off. I try to come up with a plan of what I would do should that situation arise, but alas, he got off at 84th. (I seriously was wondering the whole time why this guy didn't just grab a cab because he was SO annoyed waiting for the bus as well.) The rest of the ride was uneventful and I made it to bed by 1. Ugh.

In happier news....after work today I'm meeting up with KaRyn, her friend Erin, and Chelsie. We're renting a car and driving to Atlantic City. We're staying in this sweet two bedroom villa.


Here's the floor plan.

It includes: (these are just the best parts)

-AC
-Washer/dryer
-Hot tub/jacuzzi
-HBO
-Dishwasher
-Microwave
-Pots, pans, serving dishes
-Refridgerator

There's an Elizabeth Arden spa in the resort so 9am Sat morning, this will be me:


And then the rest of the day, this will be me:


It's been a rough two weeks. I deserve it.