Today's rambling: Another one!
Written on Tuesday, Aug. 06, 2002 at 9:54 p.m.
while feeling a bit

Oo, another good day! Well, work kinda seemed to suck more than it did yesterday (maybe because Evan showed up)...

Anyway, Geoff and I went on lunch, walked up front to punch in (actually, he wouldn't have walked up at all if I hadn't, hehe)...our usual routine. As we were walking up, we were talking about the band Yes again, and he asked me when I was done work. But then, almost immediately, we started talking about something else...however, I wasn't about to let a possible opportunity pass me by, so after Geoff finished what he was saying, I innocently asked, "Did you ask me when I was done today?" He said yes, so when I told him that I was done at 4:30, he said, "Let me know before you leave, and I'll let you borrow one of their CDs."

*sigh*

Oh well, it got better from there. ;) I went over to tell him a story (which I'll relate later), and as I was about to walk back to the bakery, he was like, "Four-thirty, right?"

"Yeah..." I replied, walking back to him.

"I made a mistake; turns out, I'm working 'til 5:30 today," he told me. Of course, I already knew that, but I kept quiet. ;)

Instead, I said something like, "Well, I'll wait for you--wait, that would mean you'd have to drive me home. Nevermind!"

"Can you wait until 5 o'clock?"

Again, I'd taken a few steps away from him, so I came back and replied, "Mom's done at 4:30, so that's when she'll be leaving--"

"I'll drive you home," he all but interrupted.

^___________^

I clocked out at 4:30 and went into the break room to wait for him, talked to Nina and Zenon (and Nick, for all of 2 minutes)...Geoff came back to collect me (heh), and then we left.

This ride wasn't as much fun as the past 2 times. He veered a little bit out of the way, but for the most part it was a straight drive back to the apartment. Listened to two of the Yes CDs he had (the third one had a big crack in it...so guess what I'll get him for his birthday? lol), and I can honestly say that I don't think I care much for their music, hehe! When he put a Moody Blues CD on right as we were pulling into the apartment complex, I felt like I was hearing an old friend!

He parked the car, and I got all happy thinking he was going to walk in with me...but instead, we just sat there listening to other songs. He brought out his huge CD folder and began paging through them, asking me if I'd heard of this band or that band. He came to Jethro Tull, and when I said that I'd never heard their music, he gave this mock-disgusted sigh and put in one of their CDs.

They're...interesting. ;)

So yeah, for nearly two hours, we sat there in his car and did nothing but listen to classic rock music. He'd left his engine running the whole time, too...But it's just funny, to me, to think of us sitting out there for that long. People were probably looking out their windows like, "Are those two ever going to move? What are they doing? Are they going to make out?"

Yeesh, I didn't even get a kiss out of THIS one, either! *falls over laughing* If this is actually considered courtship, it's gotta be the weirdest way of going about it that I've ever heard of.

Finally, he said he had to go...I don't remember what spurred it, but I made some comment and reached over to tousle his hair a bit, so that led to at least 5 or 10 minutes of him showing me how completely abnormal his hair is (just by messing it up a little bit, he got it all poofy up front a la James Dean, heh)...

But that was it. I told him we'd have to do it again tomorrow, but I think he works 8-4:30 tomorrow, whereas I have to work 9:30-6! *cries* Mom goes in at 5, which is why I have to go in with Linda...assuming that she remembers me, which I hope she does!

OH! That story I referenced earlier...Karen, as she was about to leave, asked me if I was working tomorrow. When I said yeah, she said, "Are you working with me?"

I'm still not completely over Saturday, so I merely said "No" and went back to what I was doing. So she said, "You don't want to work with me?"

Here's where, at ANY other time of my life, I would have lied to spare her feelings. Instead, I looked up, my wavering smile reflecting the warring thoughts inside my mind, and finally said, "Karen, I like you, but...I don't know if I like working with you." I didn't say it meanly at all, so it's not as if I was attacking her! She just grinned in this sort of "Wow, how do I take that?" sort of way, but in the end thanked me.

"I didn't hurt your feelings, did I?" I called out after her, completely shattering my moment of honest assertiveness.

"No," she replied, "I'm actually glad you were honest."

There was more that happened in between (I told her that basically, I like working by myself more), but that was the gist of it. After she left, I turned to Jason and laughed, "I can't believe I actually said that!"

"I was rather shocked myself!" Jason exclaimed, also laughing.

Wow. For years now, I haven't really been able to lie about major stuff, but when it comes to sparing someone's feelings, I've still usually just lied to keep them from feeling bad. This is the first time I've said what I was really thinking! Sure, I didn't get to tell her how horrible and irresponsible I thought she was on Saturday, but at least I admitted that I don't really like to work with her! Yet I feel worse, in a way, than if I had lied...

Oh well, like I said, I was nice about it, hehe...

I asked Geoff if he was going to be online tonight, and he said, "Sure, what time?" But it's quarter of 11 now, he's still not here, so I'm thinking he's stood me up. Hehe...we never set a time up anyway, though...I'll live.