What a horrible, horrible day. I got to leave the office around 5 even though I wasn't really done, because I just couldn't take the atmosphere in there anymore, and because I had two viewings scheduled for this evening (I had two yesterday night but neither was really what I was looking for). It's annual assessment time right now, and it's almost my turn (I'm scheduled for Tuesday) but in the meantime I get to see all my co-workers go through this. I'm lucky to have a champion in my boss John, but many of my colleagues don't have that kind of support. If I do well this year (it's my first real one -- when it was assessment time last year I had only been there for 4 months so I got what John called a "mid-term grade") it will be because of him, I know it. I saw Dana, who Julian calls my nemesis, come out of one of the conference rooms with red eyes and a kleenex in her hand. I watched her as discreetly as I could over the half-divider that separates our cubicles. She wasn't packing any of her stuff so I guess she's safe, but whatever was said to her couldn't have been good. I saw a couple of other people around my level come out of the conference rooms with similar expressions. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous. I have the weekend and Monday to think about my performance. John said I shouldn't be too worried, and that my dedication and hard work have been remarked upon, especially all the late night webinars and early morning teleconferences I have volunteered for.
I spoke with John about my plan to go part time instead of quitting. He sounded really enthusiastic about this and said he would speak to our COO about this, but that it was certainly something he could get behind. I told him I wanted to be responsible only for the Dutch account and that I could easily fill 20 hours a week with that. John said that this will only be for the best for my assessment. I really think I can do this right -- working part time and helping Julian, well, full time get adjusted to living in California.
Hmm. I am not really sure how to talk about this, or if I want to talk about it, because certain people think that I am sharing too much on this blog. I mean, it's MY blog and if my fiancé doesn't have an issue with what I am saying, why should anyone else care? Isn't a blog supposed to be a safe place for people to talk about their experiences? Should I only talk about things like what I ate for dinner (tonight it was a chopped salad and a Diet Coke) or how my workout at the gym was tonight (really good) or the houses I saw tonight (I will write about that more)? I feel like if people are offended by what I write they shouldn't read. And it's not like I am writing anything about the people on VJ who are making comments about me! So frustrated.
Anyway, okay, here it is. Julian got into a really embarrassing series of posts on VJ about our upcoming honeymoon. I had thought we could go to St. Barts, but it turns out we can only go to somewhere in the US until Julian has his greencard. Wow, simple question and simple answer, right? Julian was not really happy about this, because he LOVES St. Barts and wanted to show me the place and share it with me. He isn't keen about going to Hawaii or Puerto Rico because he wanted something really intimate, really discreet, and he had somewhere in mind in St. Barts. But then Julian went on and was really, really blunt and probably went a little overboard in his criticisms of the USA.
Everyone was attacking him, and someone even said he was emotionally abusing me! Unbelievable. I mean, like I would stay with someone who was abusing me! Emotional abuse is no joke, I have a cousin who went through it. Her boyfriend never let her leave the house or see the rest of the family. He made her life hell. He made her quit everything that made her happy. One day she finally broke free and she is much, much better off. But Julian DOESN'T do any of that. He agreed that I could keep working. He said it was good that I was talking to Jen and Jenn again. He loves my parents and we are moving to within 15 miles of them so I can stay close instead of me moving there, where I wasn't really very happy but where he has a terrific life that he will miss very, very much. He doesn't object to me keeping this blog. He always tells me how beautiful and sweet and lovely I am. He is just a little old-fashioned and has very strong views about things that he expresses because he feels he has to tell people when they are being stupid. He can't stand stupidity.
I tried to get him to stop -- we were chatting on Skype as it was going on online -- but he kept saying that these people will never learn, so why not have a little fun with them? He was teasing them all, saying outrageous things that are actually slightly more extreme versions of what he feels. I told him to stop since people obviously didn't get it was a joke. And what people had to say back to him... wow. So many insults. Maven taught me a VJ saying and I will say it tonight: VJ, sheesh.
Anyway, I had already cleared my early leaving with John, and I went out to look at a couple of houses. One of them might be the sort of thing I'm looking for. It has four bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths, a living room, drawing room, big kitchen... Gorgeous backyard with tons of beautiful flowering shrubs and mature trees... And the doors of the kitchen open up to the garden and it almost flows from inside to outside. It feels a little like home. I sent Julian the details but he was asleep when I sent them so I don't know what he will think. It's the first one I have seen that I have felt this way about. I know it's early but maybe!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Compromising
I'm sure you saw all the comments yesterday on my blog. 20 comments... I would be flattered if some of them weren't so hurtful. I won't even bother to touch the one that claimed I was Julian's "beard" and that Alex was his lover, which is so ridiculous considering that I have had sex with both of them and I know they are both straight. There isn't ANYTHING sexual in their friendship AT ALL.
And as for Alex's attacks on me, they aren't really even worth replying to or explaining, beyond saying that Alex is convinced that I am only marrying Julian for his money and that that is the big secret that will come out. He's already told Julian a million times, so it's not like there's anything earth-shattering about it. Maybe that will explain to people why it seems like Alex has this big secret he hasn't told J -- he has! He just doesn't care and doesn't think it's true. It'd be funny if it wasn't so annoying.
Getting on to more important matters, I spoke to Julian about my ideas, my new ideas to keep working and maybe delay having a baby. He was a little surprised at first, and a little hurt to think that I hadn't told him what I really wanted to do with my life. He said he thought we had agreed a long time ago, in fact when we got engaged the first time, that I would quit work after the wedding and help him get settled and then support him in his work once his EAD (work authorization) card came through. He said this was a bigger job than I might have thought, and that his mother had always been perfectly happy in her role as his father's spouse. I said I was really happy to be his wife and support him like that, but I wanted to keep working because I needed it to be my own self, and if I wasn't my own self, then eventually I wouldn't be the woman he was marrying!
He paused for a second and then started laughing, which I was pretty insulted by. How dare he? I was spilling out my soul to him and he was laughing? He said, "Oh Liss, you have such a charming turn of phrase sometimes. Of course I want you to stay you." He asked me what exactly it was that I planned to do. I said I wanted to take some time off around the wedding, maybe a day or two before the wedding, and then two weeks off for our honeymoon in St Barts. Then I wanted to return to work like normal, and keep working there until I have a child. Basically, I want my life to be like it is now but with him here. We can get a maid to come clean twice weekly and I can cook as often as I can during the week.
Also, I don't want to have a baby right away. I'm not ready for it emotionally and I feel like we need to spend more time as a couple together before bringing a third person into this relationship. There are a lot of things I want to do with him before I have a child. I said I really do want to have a baby, maybe in a couple of years, but not right away. I said I knew this totally went against everything we agreed on back in late 2008 when we got engaged, but I was only 23 then and didn't realise how much I liked working since I hadn't even started at my job yet. I could tell he was angry at this point and no longer amused by what I had to say, because he was very quiet. He always gets really quiet when he's upset with me. I think he realized I was serious. So I asked him what he thought of my plan.
J: Melissa, when you agreed to marry me you also agreed to several conditions, didn't you?
M: Yes, Julian. But things have changed! I have changed!
J: But I haven't. Isn't it enough that I have gone along with your ridiculous requests -- to move to the States, to have the reception at your parents' house instead of the Huntington --
M: But that's always been my dream!
J: Your dream, Melissa, not mine. And as for your refusal to sign a pre-nup... My solicitors and my parents think I'm insane to marry you without one. But we won't have one as a sign of my commitment to you. Where is your commitment to me? I make a few small requests and you consent to them and then you turn around and say you don't "feel like it" anymore? Is that what you'll say to me five years from now about our marriage, that you don't "feel like it" anymore? Marriage is a commitment, Melissa.
M: And I'm ready to make it! I just want to be the best wife I could ever be for you. And I don't think I can do that if I'm not working.
J: My mother is perfectly happy not working. She raised Annabel and I, which was a big task in itself. She keeps the houses running and she helps my father in whatever way she can.
M: But she's old! I mean, from a different generation. And she never worked, not even before she married your dad. And she's not American! Maybe we do things differently, I don't know.
J: Melissa, this has nothing to do with my mother. This has everything to do with what you want to do. I will listen to you, so make it clear to me what you want.
M: I want to keep working and I don't want a child right away.
He didn't answer right away, which made me nervous. He told me he needed to take care of a call, and he would call me back within the hour, which I spent nervously waiting for him to call back. When he did, he had a proposition for me: how would I feel about working part-time? I couldn't believe it -- he was actually meeting me halfway! A real compromise! I feel so much like my new attitude about being assertive and acting like an adult is finally paying off.
I told him I would speak to John about this. I think he will probably be pretty happy to do that, because he already knew he was going to lose me later this year and he wasn't really that okay with me leaving because of how things are going with the Dutch client. But I'm thinking I will say something like (and Julian and I have come up with this plan) what if I just handle the one account with Marijke and the Dutch and nothing else? It takes up half my time anyway.
And as for the baby, he said we will see what life brings us. We don't need to start straight away, but if we're lucky enough to be blessed early on, we should realize it for the gift that a baby will be. I looked at that house yesterday -- yuck. Big enough, but the swimming pool was like a hole in the ground. But I really liked the realtor and she is setting up two nice 4 beds for me to look at tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait!
And as for Alex's attacks on me, they aren't really even worth replying to or explaining, beyond saying that Alex is convinced that I am only marrying Julian for his money and that that is the big secret that will come out. He's already told Julian a million times, so it's not like there's anything earth-shattering about it. Maybe that will explain to people why it seems like Alex has this big secret he hasn't told J -- he has! He just doesn't care and doesn't think it's true. It'd be funny if it wasn't so annoying.
Getting on to more important matters, I spoke to Julian about my ideas, my new ideas to keep working and maybe delay having a baby. He was a little surprised at first, and a little hurt to think that I hadn't told him what I really wanted to do with my life. He said he thought we had agreed a long time ago, in fact when we got engaged the first time, that I would quit work after the wedding and help him get settled and then support him in his work once his EAD (work authorization) card came through. He said this was a bigger job than I might have thought, and that his mother had always been perfectly happy in her role as his father's spouse. I said I was really happy to be his wife and support him like that, but I wanted to keep working because I needed it to be my own self, and if I wasn't my own self, then eventually I wouldn't be the woman he was marrying!
He paused for a second and then started laughing, which I was pretty insulted by. How dare he? I was spilling out my soul to him and he was laughing? He said, "Oh Liss, you have such a charming turn of phrase sometimes. Of course I want you to stay you." He asked me what exactly it was that I planned to do. I said I wanted to take some time off around the wedding, maybe a day or two before the wedding, and then two weeks off for our honeymoon in St Barts. Then I wanted to return to work like normal, and keep working there until I have a child. Basically, I want my life to be like it is now but with him here. We can get a maid to come clean twice weekly and I can cook as often as I can during the week.
Also, I don't want to have a baby right away. I'm not ready for it emotionally and I feel like we need to spend more time as a couple together before bringing a third person into this relationship. There are a lot of things I want to do with him before I have a child. I said I really do want to have a baby, maybe in a couple of years, but not right away. I said I knew this totally went against everything we agreed on back in late 2008 when we got engaged, but I was only 23 then and didn't realise how much I liked working since I hadn't even started at my job yet. I could tell he was angry at this point and no longer amused by what I had to say, because he was very quiet. He always gets really quiet when he's upset with me. I think he realized I was serious. So I asked him what he thought of my plan.
J: Melissa, when you agreed to marry me you also agreed to several conditions, didn't you?
M: Yes, Julian. But things have changed! I have changed!
J: But I haven't. Isn't it enough that I have gone along with your ridiculous requests -- to move to the States, to have the reception at your parents' house instead of the Huntington --
M: But that's always been my dream!
J: Your dream, Melissa, not mine. And as for your refusal to sign a pre-nup... My solicitors and my parents think I'm insane to marry you without one. But we won't have one as a sign of my commitment to you. Where is your commitment to me? I make a few small requests and you consent to them and then you turn around and say you don't "feel like it" anymore? Is that what you'll say to me five years from now about our marriage, that you don't "feel like it" anymore? Marriage is a commitment, Melissa.
M: And I'm ready to make it! I just want to be the best wife I could ever be for you. And I don't think I can do that if I'm not working.
J: My mother is perfectly happy not working. She raised Annabel and I, which was a big task in itself. She keeps the houses running and she helps my father in whatever way she can.
M: But she's old! I mean, from a different generation. And she never worked, not even before she married your dad. And she's not American! Maybe we do things differently, I don't know.
J: Melissa, this has nothing to do with my mother. This has everything to do with what you want to do. I will listen to you, so make it clear to me what you want.
M: I want to keep working and I don't want a child right away.
He didn't answer right away, which made me nervous. He told me he needed to take care of a call, and he would call me back within the hour, which I spent nervously waiting for him to call back. When he did, he had a proposition for me: how would I feel about working part-time? I couldn't believe it -- he was actually meeting me halfway! A real compromise! I feel so much like my new attitude about being assertive and acting like an adult is finally paying off.
I told him I would speak to John about this. I think he will probably be pretty happy to do that, because he already knew he was going to lose me later this year and he wasn't really that okay with me leaving because of how things are going with the Dutch client. But I'm thinking I will say something like (and Julian and I have come up with this plan) what if I just handle the one account with Marijke and the Dutch and nothing else? It takes up half my time anyway.
And as for the baby, he said we will see what life brings us. We don't need to start straight away, but if we're lucky enough to be blessed early on, we should realize it for the gift that a baby will be. I looked at that house yesterday -- yuck. Big enough, but the swimming pool was like a hole in the ground. But I really liked the realtor and she is setting up two nice 4 beds for me to look at tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Missed connections
Well, I got to talk to Julian a little on his way home from Alex's, before the reception cut out somewhere near Coventry. Not as much as I would have liked but Alex was in the car with him and kept telling him to "put the phone down on that stupid bint." Which just distracted J from talking to me, because he then would have to tell Alex to shut up, and then Alex would say something even worse. But somehow I managed to tell him I loved him, and he posted on VJ from his iphone too, just to show me he's there for me. He also texted me from just outside London, where they'd stopped for a pick me up, to tell me he missed me and missed having me near him, and how he can't wait to see me this summer.
I have been looking at a few houses online but Julian asked me not to post any links or anything about the addresses because you never know who's out there. He said I already say way too much about my private life here and this would be a step too far, so I will respect that. I am trying so much harder to listen to what is obviously good advice, and I think he is probably right. I mean, Maven wouldn't even have a drink with me in the Blue Room after I said we were going there, so showing where I'm going to live is probably even worse. But I made an appointment to see one tomorrow, which is so beautiful and amazing, with six bedrooms, which is way more than we need, but looks perfect. I doubt this is going to be The One, but it is at least a step in the right direction. The sooner I find something that looks good the sooner Julian will be here, which is a real incentive to get things done.
But I still haven't had the chance to talk to him about my feelings about work and the baby, which is really frustrating. By the time he got back to his flat it was very late his time, but I was still at work. I will try to call later but I am so tired I figure I probably won't make it to 1am, and we really need to find the time to talk about these issues. I feel angry with myself for not being more clear before with him about how I feel about everything.
I also emailed Sean and told him I was really sorry for leading him on but I still didn't think I was able to see him without other people around. He wrote back what is pretty much the only angry email I have ever had from him. He said that he was sick of Julian running my life for me. That he was so happy to think the other day that our life would be back to normal after MONTHS of problems, problems that all came from Julian. How much happier I would be if I could just see that that son of a bitch was trying to control me, and that I deserved someone much more normal than that, maybe not some "asshole English twit" but a regular guy. It was like I could finally see after all these months: Sean does not want me to be happy with Julian or even BE with Julian. He wants to be with me.
I was pretty shocked, and I had the kind of feeling of shame that starts in your belly and rushes up your arms and knots in your neck. I had done all sorts of things to make Sean believe that maybe I might want him and not Julian. I felt so bad for making him think that because he is such a good and decent guy. And it's not like I hadn't done it before, I think, because when I was seeing Noah, Sean was still very much in my life. In fact when Noah had to move to Seattle he told me to look out for Sean. Noah and I were pretty much breaking up at that point -- if you can call it a break up after four months of dating. It was more like a long summer fling that had to end, even though I did drive all the way up there a week after he left because I missed him so much. Anyway, yeah, he thought the same thing.
So I have decided that Sean can't be around me unless we are part of a larger group and until he can tell me that he has no more feelings for me than as a friend. I wrote him back a very short message that basically said this, and also that I was sorry if I ever led him to believe I loved him as anything more than a friend. I still haven't heard back from him but you know what? I don't really care.
I have been looking at a few houses online but Julian asked me not to post any links or anything about the addresses because you never know who's out there. He said I already say way too much about my private life here and this would be a step too far, so I will respect that. I am trying so much harder to listen to what is obviously good advice, and I think he is probably right. I mean, Maven wouldn't even have a drink with me in the Blue Room after I said we were going there, so showing where I'm going to live is probably even worse. But I made an appointment to see one tomorrow, which is so beautiful and amazing, with six bedrooms, which is way more than we need, but looks perfect. I doubt this is going to be The One, but it is at least a step in the right direction. The sooner I find something that looks good the sooner Julian will be here, which is a real incentive to get things done.
But I still haven't had the chance to talk to him about my feelings about work and the baby, which is really frustrating. By the time he got back to his flat it was very late his time, but I was still at work. I will try to call later but I am so tired I figure I probably won't make it to 1am, and we really need to find the time to talk about these issues. I feel angry with myself for not being more clear before with him about how I feel about everything.
I also emailed Sean and told him I was really sorry for leading him on but I still didn't think I was able to see him without other people around. He wrote back what is pretty much the only angry email I have ever had from him. He said that he was sick of Julian running my life for me. That he was so happy to think the other day that our life would be back to normal after MONTHS of problems, problems that all came from Julian. How much happier I would be if I could just see that that son of a bitch was trying to control me, and that I deserved someone much more normal than that, maybe not some "asshole English twit" but a regular guy. It was like I could finally see after all these months: Sean does not want me to be happy with Julian or even BE with Julian. He wants to be with me.
I was pretty shocked, and I had the kind of feeling of shame that starts in your belly and rushes up your arms and knots in your neck. I had done all sorts of things to make Sean believe that maybe I might want him and not Julian. I felt so bad for making him think that because he is such a good and decent guy. And it's not like I hadn't done it before, I think, because when I was seeing Noah, Sean was still very much in my life. In fact when Noah had to move to Seattle he told me to look out for Sean. Noah and I were pretty much breaking up at that point -- if you can call it a break up after four months of dating. It was more like a long summer fling that had to end, even though I did drive all the way up there a week after he left because I missed him so much. Anyway, yeah, he thought the same thing.
So I have decided that Sean can't be around me unless we are part of a larger group and until he can tell me that he has no more feelings for me than as a friend. I wrote him back a very short message that basically said this, and also that I was sorry if I ever led him to believe I loved him as anything more than a friend. I still haven't heard back from him but you know what? I don't really care.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Some big new thoughts.
Another busy weekend here, which I think is probably good. The busier I can be the less I think of how much I miss Julian. I haven't heard much from him over the past few days because he's been away since Friday with Alex in Scotland, at Alex's parents' house. The reception on his mobile is terrible up there, so he can really only call me when they go into Perth. And they only have dial-up internet up there! Unbelievable. I have been there once, and it was so cold and uncomfortable that I begged Julian never to make me go back. I had to share a room with Fenella, Alex's twin sister, and she snored both evenings after all the wine she had had.
So I got to see the Jen(n)s yesterday which was fantastic. We went to Caitlin's and had a barbecue. I was a little nervous about seeing Jenn, but she walked right up to me when I arrived and gave me a huge hug and told me that she had missed me. I told her I had missed her too, and that I had been doing a lot of thinking about what she had said about being true to myself and not letting Julian run the show all the time. I also told her that other people (I said it was on VJ and not here on my blog because she doesn't know I have the blog) had been saying the same thing to me so I was taking a long hard look at this and trying to see where I could be more myself. Where I can have my own identity apart from Julian's wife.
We talked about this a lot, and I told her some of my ideas. First, and Julian doesn't know any of this yet, I am thinking about not quitting my job when we get married. I mean, I know I don't have to have it, but it will keep me busy and after all, John says I'm doing a great job. I know it stresses me out, but I do like it mostly, even with passive-aggressive people and their notes about cups! Maybe I could work from home a couple of days a week, or go part-time or something. I think if I could keep doing it even just a little, I would have a better sense of being Melissa.
Also, I am not so sure I want to try to get pregnant right away. I'm only 25! My mom was a lot older than me when she had me, and I keep having this nagging feeling that there is so much to life as a couple that we would never experience if we had a child right away. Don't get me wrong, I love babies and can't wait to be a mom. But we'll never get to do some of the things I imagined us doing, like going to Tahiti or even just having a lot of time being a couple at home, if we have a baby right away. And if we don't have a baby, we can keep my Boxster for a while longer.
Jenn said these were excellent ideas, and that I was clearly thinking about myself first for a change. She even said I sounded like the old Melissa, the one who had dreams about seeing the world which had brought me to England in the first place. She said that if Julian could accept these ideas, he would go a long way to making her feel better about our relationship. I took everyone's advice and I just listened to her and didn't tell her that I wanted her to support him no matter what.
I want to speak to Julian about these plans, but I don't know what he'll say. I feel like sometimes he has our lives all planned out, with a house and a baby and his career over here and maybe us returning to England one day after he gets his citizenship. I mean, it's not like I never said no to any of it, so it's not really his fault if he doesn't know I'm not sure about it all. I mean, the only thing I'm sure of is that I really do love him and that I want to be with him forever. I don't know if I'm cut out for all of this extra... stuff. Before I met him, I mean, before we got really serious, I thought I would try to go to do an MA somewhere in art history, which is what my major was in. I wanted to maybe go work for Sotheby's or Christies, or even instead of the MA I could go back for a degree in painting conservation, which has always fascinated me. I wanted to go live in Italy for a while, or see Alaska. Instead I seem to look ahead and see me as a mother, me as a wife, me as a hostess. These are all great things, but I don't know really if this is going to be enough for me.
I was there for a good two hours when Sean showed up, totally unannounced. Caitlin had thought, apparently, that it would be a good idea if he and I just made up because it was making our circle of friends feel unbalanced if we continued to not speak with each other. After I got over the initial shock of seeing him for the first time since my birthday, I decided I could at least be civil so I waved hi to him. He just smiled at me and waved back. I felt so much better, like maybe things COULD go back to normal between us, and maybe he never meant anything more than just being my best male friend. He was really caught up for a long time talking to Caitlin and Mack but I felt like I wanted to talk to him as well, to be a big girl like everyone says I need to be and STOP acting like I'm in high school. Like I'm an adult and I can choose who my friends are.
I eventually went over to him since it didn't look like he was going to approach me. I just said hi, and that it was nice to see him. He was tanner than when I had last seen him, and I told him that. He just laughed and said he'd been running on the beach a lot recently. He said he was so sorry that he had made any trouble between Julian and me, and that him bringing me home to his was just the most sensible thing to do because he lived closer to the bar than anyone else, and he was worried about me having trouble getting home to Pasadena, that I might have been taken advantage of somehow. It was like I was seeing the old Sean, the one who was always looking out for me and protecting me again. I knew that whatever I had thought had happened hadn't happened at all. I feel now like I can trust Sean again and I told him this, which made him really happy. He offered to take me out to dinner this week, nothing fancy he said, because he didn't want Julian to think we were being "romantic" which made me laugh. I said okay, so he's coming up to Pasadena later this week; we'll probably go to La Estrella, which is the least romantic place I can think of -- it has its own resident panhandler!
God, I feel so much better. I can't wait to talk to Julian about all my ideas. I mean, ultimately I do need to listen to what he has to say about them too, but I think it's all a step in the right direction.
So I got to see the Jen(n)s yesterday which was fantastic. We went to Caitlin's and had a barbecue. I was a little nervous about seeing Jenn, but she walked right up to me when I arrived and gave me a huge hug and told me that she had missed me. I told her I had missed her too, and that I had been doing a lot of thinking about what she had said about being true to myself and not letting Julian run the show all the time. I also told her that other people (I said it was on VJ and not here on my blog because she doesn't know I have the blog) had been saying the same thing to me so I was taking a long hard look at this and trying to see where I could be more myself. Where I can have my own identity apart from Julian's wife.
We talked about this a lot, and I told her some of my ideas. First, and Julian doesn't know any of this yet, I am thinking about not quitting my job when we get married. I mean, I know I don't have to have it, but it will keep me busy and after all, John says I'm doing a great job. I know it stresses me out, but I do like it mostly, even with passive-aggressive people and their notes about cups! Maybe I could work from home a couple of days a week, or go part-time or something. I think if I could keep doing it even just a little, I would have a better sense of being Melissa.
Also, I am not so sure I want to try to get pregnant right away. I'm only 25! My mom was a lot older than me when she had me, and I keep having this nagging feeling that there is so much to life as a couple that we would never experience if we had a child right away. Don't get me wrong, I love babies and can't wait to be a mom. But we'll never get to do some of the things I imagined us doing, like going to Tahiti or even just having a lot of time being a couple at home, if we have a baby right away. And if we don't have a baby, we can keep my Boxster for a while longer.
Jenn said these were excellent ideas, and that I was clearly thinking about myself first for a change. She even said I sounded like the old Melissa, the one who had dreams about seeing the world which had brought me to England in the first place. She said that if Julian could accept these ideas, he would go a long way to making her feel better about our relationship. I took everyone's advice and I just listened to her and didn't tell her that I wanted her to support him no matter what.
I want to speak to Julian about these plans, but I don't know what he'll say. I feel like sometimes he has our lives all planned out, with a house and a baby and his career over here and maybe us returning to England one day after he gets his citizenship. I mean, it's not like I never said no to any of it, so it's not really his fault if he doesn't know I'm not sure about it all. I mean, the only thing I'm sure of is that I really do love him and that I want to be with him forever. I don't know if I'm cut out for all of this extra... stuff. Before I met him, I mean, before we got really serious, I thought I would try to go to do an MA somewhere in art history, which is what my major was in. I wanted to maybe go work for Sotheby's or Christies, or even instead of the MA I could go back for a degree in painting conservation, which has always fascinated me. I wanted to go live in Italy for a while, or see Alaska. Instead I seem to look ahead and see me as a mother, me as a wife, me as a hostess. These are all great things, but I don't know really if this is going to be enough for me.
I was there for a good two hours when Sean showed up, totally unannounced. Caitlin had thought, apparently, that it would be a good idea if he and I just made up because it was making our circle of friends feel unbalanced if we continued to not speak with each other. After I got over the initial shock of seeing him for the first time since my birthday, I decided I could at least be civil so I waved hi to him. He just smiled at me and waved back. I felt so much better, like maybe things COULD go back to normal between us, and maybe he never meant anything more than just being my best male friend. He was really caught up for a long time talking to Caitlin and Mack but I felt like I wanted to talk to him as well, to be a big girl like everyone says I need to be and STOP acting like I'm in high school. Like I'm an adult and I can choose who my friends are.
I eventually went over to him since it didn't look like he was going to approach me. I just said hi, and that it was nice to see him. He was tanner than when I had last seen him, and I told him that. He just laughed and said he'd been running on the beach a lot recently. He said he was so sorry that he had made any trouble between Julian and me, and that him bringing me home to his was just the most sensible thing to do because he lived closer to the bar than anyone else, and he was worried about me having trouble getting home to Pasadena, that I might have been taken advantage of somehow. It was like I was seeing the old Sean, the one who was always looking out for me and protecting me again. I knew that whatever I had thought had happened hadn't happened at all. I feel now like I can trust Sean again and I told him this, which made him really happy. He offered to take me out to dinner this week, nothing fancy he said, because he didn't want Julian to think we were being "romantic" which made me laugh. I said okay, so he's coming up to Pasadena later this week; we'll probably go to La Estrella, which is the least romantic place I can think of -- it has its own resident panhandler!
God, I feel so much better. I can't wait to talk to Julian about all my ideas. I mean, ultimately I do need to listen to what he has to say about them too, but I think it's all a step in the right direction.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Jenn.
I guess it's time to talk about Jenn. Why it is that our disagreements are not just about what she thinks about Julian, or what she thinks about me not speaking with Sean. I mean, sure, to some extent it IS about those things. But it goes back a little further than that. And I don't really know that what it is about is actually anything substantial but it still is an issue that keeps coming up again and again. And no, it's not about her being jealous of me, or me thinking she's prettier, or even about a guy, since I bet some of you were thinking just that.
This time it is just about her and me and how we support each other.
Jenn and I go back. Way back. Not as far as Jen and me, but pretty close. We met in fifth grade, when she moved to Burbank from New York. Her dad is in the movie industry, like a lot of people in Burbank. He had done something with a TV show, on the production side, and then the show moved production from New York to Burbank, and I guess he followed the work out west. Anyway, Jenn came and she was like no one I had ever met before. She didn't sound like the rest of us, didn't dress like the rest of us, and I thought she was the coolest person I had ever met. She thought I was a weirdo at first (she says) because I kept trying to get her to tell me about what life in New York was like. Did she live in a browstone? Did she go to Times Square? What was it like to live with snow? (I can't even believe I was so stupid back then!)
But eventually we became friends, and through me she met Jen, and after that it was always us three. It's almost impossible to talk about Jenn without talking about Jen, too. Our mothers always say how much we are like sisters (god, I wish Jen and Jenn were my sisters and not Rachel!), how we complement each other. Jenn is the one who speaks her mind immediately, Jen is the sweet and rational one. And I'm... well, I'm just me. Jen says I'm the sweet one too, just a different type. Jenn says I tend to always see the best in everyone, even when they don't deserve it.
I guess the difference in how I feel about Jen and Jenn is that I have never, ever doubted that Jen would have my back. I can't say the same about Jenn. It goes back to when we were juniors in high school. Jenn and I had always had disagreements about things, stupid little things like whether or not it was fair that I had had the solo in school chorus two Christmases in a row, or if an actor was cute or not, or if she really should wear her hair like that. But we always got over them pretty quickly, usually with Jen acting as a mediator. She HATES it when we fight. Anyway, it was another stupid fight that got out of control, and honestly, I didn't cause the trouble.
We were both in the school play, which that year was A Midsummer Night's Dream. Jenn and I went out for the play every year, even though neither of us were particularly good at acting, because we liked feeling part of something big and exciting like a play. We sang in the chorus in Grease sophomore year as sort of random teenagers, no names, because I think the drama teacher realized we could sing even if we couldn't act. This year we had decided to be more focused and really go for a part, even a small one. We decided to focus on the fairies, since the parts were small and might have nice costumes. It also meant we could be together in scenes. It was a plan.
Well, it turned out to be a plan that didn't quite work out. We did our auditions and waited for the cast list to go up. I was totally shocked when I got the role of Hermia and Jenn was Peaseblossom, just as she wanted to be. This was not supposed to be how it was going to work out. Jenn seemed really happy for me, not jealous at all, but I felt it was wrong. I wasn't any good, or at least not good enough for a big part. I didn't even have the time for a big part -- I was on the yearbook staff and I was dating Dan Szciemanski (I think that's how he spelled it) too. So I did what I thought was right. I asked to see the drama teacher and I told him I didn't want to be Hermia, and I wanted a much smaller part. He was pretty shocked and asked me if I was sure I wanted to do this. I said I wanted to be one of the fairies (he hadn't cast all of them at this point) and that he should find another Hermia. He gave me the role of Moth, which was fine by me.
I told Jenn later that night. I thought she would be really, really pleased that I had done something that would allow us to make our plan real. Well, she wasn't. Oh boy, she wasn't. She screamed at me, and told me I was an idiot -- I was giving up a chance that I had deserved and earned and why? So we could be together? She was sick of me giving in to what I thought people expected of me, and passing up chances so I could make other people happy before myself. She told me I needed to love myself more than anyone else, and I just laughed and said I didn't even know that was possible. That seemed to make her even angrier, and she told me she didn't know who I was anymore, that ever since I had started dating seriously in freshman year I had disappeared, and that the funny and silly Melissa was gone. All I cared about was fitting in and boys and parties, which was NOT true.
I didn't lash out at her though. I told her calmly that I had made up my mind, and that I wanted her to support me. I was doing AP French and US History that year and I was so busy, and I was doing the play to spend more time with her, just like we always did. And before the school play, we had done chorus in junior high. It was our thing that we shared. She said I was crazy, that I was a doormat, that I never stood up for myself anymore, and she said it was just getting worse the older I got. She said the Melissa she had met in fifth grade would never have done this. She said she was sick of my martyr routine and that I should call her when I got a spine again.
The next day in school the drama teacher asked to see me. He wanted to tell me Jenn had quit the play, and maybe I wanted to reconsider my decision to take a smaller part? I was totally thrown by Jenn's quitting, but I said no, I had made my decision and I was sticking to it. He offered me her role, which I refused to take out of respect to her. He found a new Hermia who was about ten times better than I could ever have been, and a new Peaseblossom, too. My costume was gorgeous and I enjoyed being in the show, but it wasn't the same without Jenn.
Jenn eventually came around to the idea of being my friend again before the show went up. Jen stepped in (as usual) and made us sit down and talk it out. Jenn said she was sorry for not supporting me, and I said I was sorry too, but I wasn't really sure what for. It didn't matter. But after that point things between Jenn and me have always been a little... different. I think sometimes she sees me as being too trusting and too willing to put other people before myself still. And that is exactly what is going on again now. Julian could be anyone or anything or any situation that she wasn't happy with.
I love Jenn. I miss her. I'm ready to see her again, and I'm ready to hear what she has to say. She'll be at Caitlin's tomorrow and I can't wait to give her a hug and tell her just that.
This time it is just about her and me and how we support each other.
Jenn and I go back. Way back. Not as far as Jen and me, but pretty close. We met in fifth grade, when she moved to Burbank from New York. Her dad is in the movie industry, like a lot of people in Burbank. He had done something with a TV show, on the production side, and then the show moved production from New York to Burbank, and I guess he followed the work out west. Anyway, Jenn came and she was like no one I had ever met before. She didn't sound like the rest of us, didn't dress like the rest of us, and I thought she was the coolest person I had ever met. She thought I was a weirdo at first (she says) because I kept trying to get her to tell me about what life in New York was like. Did she live in a browstone? Did she go to Times Square? What was it like to live with snow? (I can't even believe I was so stupid back then!)
But eventually we became friends, and through me she met Jen, and after that it was always us three. It's almost impossible to talk about Jenn without talking about Jen, too. Our mothers always say how much we are like sisters (god, I wish Jen and Jenn were my sisters and not Rachel!), how we complement each other. Jenn is the one who speaks her mind immediately, Jen is the sweet and rational one. And I'm... well, I'm just me. Jen says I'm the sweet one too, just a different type. Jenn says I tend to always see the best in everyone, even when they don't deserve it.
I guess the difference in how I feel about Jen and Jenn is that I have never, ever doubted that Jen would have my back. I can't say the same about Jenn. It goes back to when we were juniors in high school. Jenn and I had always had disagreements about things, stupid little things like whether or not it was fair that I had had the solo in school chorus two Christmases in a row, or if an actor was cute or not, or if she really should wear her hair like that. But we always got over them pretty quickly, usually with Jen acting as a mediator. She HATES it when we fight. Anyway, it was another stupid fight that got out of control, and honestly, I didn't cause the trouble.
We were both in the school play, which that year was A Midsummer Night's Dream. Jenn and I went out for the play every year, even though neither of us were particularly good at acting, because we liked feeling part of something big and exciting like a play. We sang in the chorus in Grease sophomore year as sort of random teenagers, no names, because I think the drama teacher realized we could sing even if we couldn't act. This year we had decided to be more focused and really go for a part, even a small one. We decided to focus on the fairies, since the parts were small and might have nice costumes. It also meant we could be together in scenes. It was a plan.
Well, it turned out to be a plan that didn't quite work out. We did our auditions and waited for the cast list to go up. I was totally shocked when I got the role of Hermia and Jenn was Peaseblossom, just as she wanted to be. This was not supposed to be how it was going to work out. Jenn seemed really happy for me, not jealous at all, but I felt it was wrong. I wasn't any good, or at least not good enough for a big part. I didn't even have the time for a big part -- I was on the yearbook staff and I was dating Dan Szciemanski (I think that's how he spelled it) too. So I did what I thought was right. I asked to see the drama teacher and I told him I didn't want to be Hermia, and I wanted a much smaller part. He was pretty shocked and asked me if I was sure I wanted to do this. I said I wanted to be one of the fairies (he hadn't cast all of them at this point) and that he should find another Hermia. He gave me the role of Moth, which was fine by me.
I told Jenn later that night. I thought she would be really, really pleased that I had done something that would allow us to make our plan real. Well, she wasn't. Oh boy, she wasn't. She screamed at me, and told me I was an idiot -- I was giving up a chance that I had deserved and earned and why? So we could be together? She was sick of me giving in to what I thought people expected of me, and passing up chances so I could make other people happy before myself. She told me I needed to love myself more than anyone else, and I just laughed and said I didn't even know that was possible. That seemed to make her even angrier, and she told me she didn't know who I was anymore, that ever since I had started dating seriously in freshman year I had disappeared, and that the funny and silly Melissa was gone. All I cared about was fitting in and boys and parties, which was NOT true.
I didn't lash out at her though. I told her calmly that I had made up my mind, and that I wanted her to support me. I was doing AP French and US History that year and I was so busy, and I was doing the play to spend more time with her, just like we always did. And before the school play, we had done chorus in junior high. It was our thing that we shared. She said I was crazy, that I was a doormat, that I never stood up for myself anymore, and she said it was just getting worse the older I got. She said the Melissa she had met in fifth grade would never have done this. She said she was sick of my martyr routine and that I should call her when I got a spine again.
The next day in school the drama teacher asked to see me. He wanted to tell me Jenn had quit the play, and maybe I wanted to reconsider my decision to take a smaller part? I was totally thrown by Jenn's quitting, but I said no, I had made my decision and I was sticking to it. He offered me her role, which I refused to take out of respect to her. He found a new Hermia who was about ten times better than I could ever have been, and a new Peaseblossom, too. My costume was gorgeous and I enjoyed being in the show, but it wasn't the same without Jenn.
Jenn eventually came around to the idea of being my friend again before the show went up. Jen stepped in (as usual) and made us sit down and talk it out. Jenn said she was sorry for not supporting me, and I said I was sorry too, but I wasn't really sure what for. It didn't matter. But after that point things between Jenn and me have always been a little... different. I think sometimes she sees me as being too trusting and too willing to put other people before myself still. And that is exactly what is going on again now. Julian could be anyone or anything or any situation that she wasn't happy with.
I love Jenn. I miss her. I'm ready to see her again, and I'm ready to hear what she has to say. She'll be at Caitlin's tomorrow and I can't wait to give her a hug and tell her just that.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Work IS a four-letter word.
Ugh. I have been at my desk now for over five hours and I am so overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I STILL have to do for the Dutch client. It's like it never stops! I think I mentioned a while back that somehow Marijke, the woman who I deal with a lot over there, somehow thinks I'm the only person who can do the work that needs to be done on this account, and she has convinced John, my boss that this is the case. John sees it as being really flattering to someone as junior as I am (I've only been in this job for a year and a half) but I see it as being really distracting from all the other accounts I have to work on with other team members.
Speaking of which, ugh. I am a little wary of typing this because she is about 6 feet away from me (but over the side of my cubicle wall so she can't see me actually typing) but Dana is just about the most annoying person I have ever had to work with. First of all, she is always complaining about how loud I type. I do NOT type loud. What does that even mean, type loud? She also brings her own lunch in, every single day, and it always smells strongly of garlic. No wonder she is still single -- all that garlic! Hummus, eggplant stuff, stuffed shells... Sure, maybe once in a while, but every day? Even having to smell egg salad would be an improvement. And she never comes out with us when Mary and I invite her to have sushi or go for a walk and a look around the stores. Ever. She said there was nothing for her in Forever 21 anyway, and I said, ummmm, that's not where we're shopping.
And there is this thing that is totally annoying me right now at work, and what's worse is I don't even know who's doing it! In our staff kitchen, we have a microwave, a fridge and a dishwasher. We're all supposed to clean up after ourselves and put our dishes right in the dishwasher after we use them, but people forget. I'm usually really good at it myself, but some people are lazy. Anyway, I often end up putting other people's plates and cups in there, and although I think I'm okay at doing this, someone else thinks they have a much better system of doing this, where everything is pointed in the "right direction" and grouped by type. Well, this someone has posted a notice about this and said that whoever (I guess me) is doing this improperly just needs to stop putting the dishes in if they can't get it right.
And while I'm at it, whoever has an issue with my dishwasher loading has also posted a notice on the cupboards to stop stacking the mugs "improperly" in there. I didn't even know there was a "proper" way of stacking mugs. This is what the note said:
God, some people. It's only mugs! And only once has one fallen out on me, and it missed me. And yeah, it was in red letters, just like that.
I ran into Maven last night, which was nice but kind of weird. I suppose we might have crossed paths before and not realized it, after all. I mentioned this to Maven, and she said she had grown up in a city that was about the same size as Pasadena, and was always bumping into people there just after she had first met them -- they had probably been in the same places all along but never knew it. We were at Barnes and Noble -- she was waiting for her friend and I was wasting time before my hair appointment drinking a Frappuccino in the Starbucks.
So... I got my hair done! Finally. I think I love it -- it's very different from before. I used to be a dark strawberry blonde, and now it's kind of a medium-ish brown, with red and honey highlights woven in, very warm. I didn't get much taken off the length though. I think it looks fantastic, and a real difference to what I had before. I was really sick of my natural color. A real change.
Still haven't had time to look at any houses -- Julian is getting increasingly worried that I won't actually get around to this, and he has said to me that if he arrives here on his K1 and we do not have a family home that I have already moved into, he will be staying at The Langham Huntington until all is in order because he will not be living in my apartment again. If I wish to put my things and his into storage, I may move in with him. Actually, the idea of living in a hotel for a while is SO tempting! He said my place was fine for 88 days, but not for a lifetime; how I lived in a one-bed with no central air and an exposed cat litterbox was beyond him; and that time was wasting. I guess I'd better get on to it then.
Oh, and seeing Jen at the weekend! Almost forgot about it. She and I are going down to Venice to see Caitlin and have a barbecue. I asked Maven last night if she wanted to come, but she said that it would be kind of weird to meet these people having read so much about them, but with them not knowing she had read about them at all. (Did that make sense?) Also, she is going to Canada tomorrow morning for two weeks. She told me she was seeing Julez from VJ there. I didn't say anything, but I'm not crazy about that. Julez has been really rude to Julian on VJ, and I worry that maybe she will bad mouth him to Maven. Also, it's been so nice to have someone nearby I can talk to about all this VJ stuff who understands. I got so upset the other day I decided to take a break and I haven't been on there since yesterday morning. I think I just need for things to calm down a bit and then I can go back.
Wow, 2pm here and I still haven't eaten lunch. I guess I'll do that now.
Speaking of which, ugh. I am a little wary of typing this because she is about 6 feet away from me (but over the side of my cubicle wall so she can't see me actually typing) but Dana is just about the most annoying person I have ever had to work with. First of all, she is always complaining about how loud I type. I do NOT type loud. What does that even mean, type loud? She also brings her own lunch in, every single day, and it always smells strongly of garlic. No wonder she is still single -- all that garlic! Hummus, eggplant stuff, stuffed shells... Sure, maybe once in a while, but every day? Even having to smell egg salad would be an improvement. And she never comes out with us when Mary and I invite her to have sushi or go for a walk and a look around the stores. Ever. She said there was nothing for her in Forever 21 anyway, and I said, ummmm, that's not where we're shopping.
And there is this thing that is totally annoying me right now at work, and what's worse is I don't even know who's doing it! In our staff kitchen, we have a microwave, a fridge and a dishwasher. We're all supposed to clean up after ourselves and put our dishes right in the dishwasher after we use them, but people forget. I'm usually really good at it myself, but some people are lazy. Anyway, I often end up putting other people's plates and cups in there, and although I think I'm okay at doing this, someone else thinks they have a much better system of doing this, where everything is pointed in the "right direction" and grouped by type. Well, this someone has posted a notice about this and said that whoever (I guess me) is doing this improperly just needs to stop putting the dishes in if they can't get it right.
And while I'm at it, whoever has an issue with my dishwasher loading has also posted a notice on the cupboards to stop stacking the mugs "improperly" in there. I didn't even know there was a "proper" way of stacking mugs. This is what the note said:
"Whoever is the moron who keeps stacking the mugs DIRECTLY on top of one another (very unstable) instead of across needs to STOP doing this. For the third time this week, some have fallen out of the cupboard and broken. This is a waste of money and could get you or someone else injured. If you don't know how to stack the mugs, STOP TRYING TO HELP."
God, some people. It's only mugs! And only once has one fallen out on me, and it missed me. And yeah, it was in red letters, just like that.
I ran into Maven last night, which was nice but kind of weird. I suppose we might have crossed paths before and not realized it, after all. I mentioned this to Maven, and she said she had grown up in a city that was about the same size as Pasadena, and was always bumping into people there just after she had first met them -- they had probably been in the same places all along but never knew it. We were at Barnes and Noble -- she was waiting for her friend and I was wasting time before my hair appointment drinking a Frappuccino in the Starbucks.
So... I got my hair done! Finally. I think I love it -- it's very different from before. I used to be a dark strawberry blonde, and now it's kind of a medium-ish brown, with red and honey highlights woven in, very warm. I didn't get much taken off the length though. I think it looks fantastic, and a real difference to what I had before. I was really sick of my natural color. A real change.
Still haven't had time to look at any houses -- Julian is getting increasingly worried that I won't actually get around to this, and he has said to me that if he arrives here on his K1 and we do not have a family home that I have already moved into, he will be staying at The Langham Huntington until all is in order because he will not be living in my apartment again. If I wish to put my things and his into storage, I may move in with him. Actually, the idea of living in a hotel for a while is SO tempting! He said my place was fine for 88 days, but not for a lifetime; how I lived in a one-bed with no central air and an exposed cat litterbox was beyond him; and that time was wasting. I guess I'd better get on to it then.
Oh, and seeing Jen at the weekend! Almost forgot about it. She and I are going down to Venice to see Caitlin and have a barbecue. I asked Maven last night if she wanted to come, but she said that it would be kind of weird to meet these people having read so much about them, but with them not knowing she had read about them at all. (Did that make sense?) Also, she is going to Canada tomorrow morning for two weeks. She told me she was seeing Julez from VJ there. I didn't say anything, but I'm not crazy about that. Julez has been really rude to Julian on VJ, and I worry that maybe she will bad mouth him to Maven. Also, it's been so nice to have someone nearby I can talk to about all this VJ stuff who understands. I got so upset the other day I decided to take a break and I haven't been on there since yesterday morning. I think I just need for things to calm down a bit and then I can go back.
Wow, 2pm here and I still haven't eaten lunch. I guess I'll do that now.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Simple and short.
Quick post -- just back from Jen's. Jenn was there, and I was a little upset, because clearly this was Jen's way of trying to make us all be friends again. I mean, Jenn was very nice and said we should just just let all the past issues just go but I knew she wasn't happy with me still being with Julian. I was nice back and said yeah, maybe we should just not talk about J and she seemed so happy with that I thought: well, if you can't love the person your so-called best friend is marrying, what kind of a friend are you? I was very friendly and we seem to have kind of patched it up. I'm only doing it for Jen.
And then, oh, just to make it better, Jenn actually CALLED Sean and made me talk to him. Awkward doesn't even begin. He said he was sorry for making Julian mad at me, and that he would never DREAM of doing anything to make me feel uncomfortable, and that if I had issues with Julian that he would accept it was his fault. I'm still mad at him, but at least I feel like what happened looked bad. Nothing else. He wants to get together in the next few weeks but if I say yes, then Jen needs to be there.
AND I am getting my hair colored tomorrow! Not sure of the color, but likely to be a dark red-brown. Why not?
And then, oh, just to make it better, Jenn actually CALLED Sean and made me talk to him. Awkward doesn't even begin. He said he was sorry for making Julian mad at me, and that he would never DREAM of doing anything to make me feel uncomfortable, and that if I had issues with Julian that he would accept it was his fault. I'm still mad at him, but at least I feel like what happened looked bad. Nothing else. He wants to get together in the next few weeks but if I say yes, then Jen needs to be there.
AND I am getting my hair colored tomorrow! Not sure of the color, but likely to be a dark red-brown. Why not?
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