The Weekend of Aarons (& Assorted Coworkers)

Friday: Went out with Kate from work (totally cool new hire in sales) to Sea Thai (saw friend who was waitressing from school - the Thai girl I can never understand! and this was no exception!!!, got huge discount and free dumplings), Then we went to Bowery Bar to catch up with Kate's friend, and then went to a private party at a new bar on 27th, hung out with a bunch of Murray Hill Jewish guys (including one of my authors, named Aaron..... who was very fun to meet and chill with...... but to my dismay, no one interesting otherwise to talk to - although Michelle & I went to Shade and got SHITFACED on wine..... thus resulting in (for me) puking when I woke up on the train at 168th St... and hangovers (for her and me.... ). Now I remember why I hate the East Side.....

SaturDAY: took myself out. Went to brunch (Jackie woke up foreboding the heat wave saying that there were warnings on TV and that I would end up with heatstroke if I spent the entire day hungover in the apartment) by myself and read a great new book, LOVE IS THE ONLY DRUG, which made me feel better about myself, a la Elizabeth Wurtzel (that I'm not SO crazy...). I also went to go see HUSTLE & FLOW, which was superb.... I love Taryn Manning!!!! Then I came home and ended up showering and leaving for......

Saturday Night: Went to absolutely fantastic party with Athena (editorial new hire that I ADORE.....) in Williamsburg, compete with ducks (duck and cover), fountain, gazebo, hot bartender, free all-you-can-eat-and-drink whatever, miscellaneous people, dancing, what I'm pretty sure was a professional male "exotic dancer" and a TRUE burlesque dancer (www.missrubyvalentine.com) who bears a resemblance (from a distance) to my friend Erica - except Erica's skinnier... or was last time I saw her.

So I had grapes from these people who had gone somewhere deep in Bklyn for an off-the-vine grape picking experience - which was totally weird, but the grapes were absolutely delicious and I handed this guy grapes to eat as well while we were waiting for half-raw burgers off the grill..... (my pickup line was "want some brooklyn grapes? )

About an hour later he approached me in the yard, we talked, and another hour in, we were inseparable for the evening. His name is also Aaron (hence the title of the post) and he's a writer for VH1, a very fun guy (I am proud of any white guy who can dance and hold a drink at the same time), also from the Midwest (Indiana...) and I was taken aback when he said that he could fall in love with me because I got sick of trying to politely slice a burger with a plastic fork and at the same time balance the drink on the plate.... and just picked up the whole thing and ate it with grease dripping down my fingers. I think the actual words were "this may be very much too soon, but I think I could be in love with you..." (Mind you, this was a half hour into our conversation at best.)

This was the first of a great many things he said to me both last night and this morning.... when we quickly exited the nice apartment (it is Williamsburg, after all) to go to the bar (at 8:30 am - for him, not me - to watch Arsenal play..... with Spanish commentary - but it was a live broadcast... I found this soccer obsession of his endearing, which just proves to me yet again that I'm weird) and home (me) he said he felt bad because he didn't do what he normally does which is make breakfast (omelets, with tomatoes from HIS GARDEN).

We had the usual awkwardness, and there wasn't a grand gesture, but after all grand gestures have not served me well in the past. This is the first guy I've really liked in a long time (not counting Todd); and by really liked I mean could totally see myself with. He's funny, articulate, kind, ambitious and at the same time, very challenging and I think smarter than me. We had text flirting earlier today; I managed to stay up all day and get shit done (surprisingly) even though now I'm definitely coming down off my all day Aaron high.

I'm trying not to jump the gun, but I think I like him a lot and I hope we see each other more. We work relatively close to each other which is always good since we don't exactly live close; but his place is a lot cooler than mine (he has A/C so I mean this both figuratively and literally).

And it helps that when I googled him, I found that he had interviewed Michelle Branch for her first album for MTV.... and that he loves Nick Hornby as much as I do. And the fact that he knows all about any kind of music, ever, and gets to go to tapings of CROSSROADS... (CMT).

Plus.... anyone who's comfortable playing the guitar naked is okay with me.

I also really like the fact that within about an hour or two of meeting me (when he was in the arm brushing the shoulder physical contact progression) he said that he a) really likes me and b) is really scared that he'll mess it up? I told him that I could be in love with him for that comment.... and he laughed.

And then when he asked me to come back by saying that all he wanted to do was shower (we were dancing and my shirt was SOAKED THROUGH....) and hold me, I was completely smitten. So, okay maybe I'm not down off of my high yet.

& Today: I've been very productive (laundry, working out, etc) and very sweaty. Jackie left for Westchester again to help Dave build our mammoth of a bookcase, and I'm just airing out the apartment, hoping that it will storm and stop being 95 degrees out..... and I'm going to cry watching EXTREME MAKEOVER: Home Edition....

But I won't stop smiling. Fucking VH1! Totally makes up for the receding hairline (which I think is cute....), right?