i went home to portland this past weekend to celebrate my grandma's 88th birthday [crazy, no?] and also to see my cousins visiting from the east coast [boston and jersey]. my grandma's birthday is always this huge event and all the family flies in, no matter where they are, because this is the only time of the year where all of my mom's side of the family is in one place.

right...so...i go home...and the most frequently asked question by both family and friends is this: "do you have a boyfriend?" followed closely by this: "when are you going to get a boyfriend?" ok...correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm 21...still young, right? and i'm totally going to rant right now because there's something i don't understand. when did not having a boyfriend become something akin to having a disease or disorder? i had one friend ask me this: "when was the last time you liked a guy?" [said in a way that made it seem as if me liking a guy was a totally improbable idea] did i want to smack him? yes. did i actually do it? no - i restrained myself. just because i don't happen to be a "serial dater" or talk about wanting to date, doesn't mean that i have no interest, ya know what i'm saying? a lot of my guy friends seem to think that because i don't talk about guys that i have an interest in, that it automatically means i don't like guys. let me spell it out: i like guys. i just don't find it necessary to tell people when i do - i think it's because the whole deal is that important to me and plus, i'm kind of shy about it [i know...me...shy...go figure]. so, there you have it.