Coffee and a Conversation
As Told Over Brunch is a home for intelligent discourse from the twenty-something perspective - so the stuff you gossip about over mimosas on Sunday morning or over takeout on your friend's couch when happy hour ends too early. We love chatting about our lives, whether it be the relationships we’re building (or destroying), lessons we've learned at work, struggles at school, growing pains we've felt, or even the food we’re talking over.
A few weeks ago, while returning from out of town to Richmond, I was graced with the following message via OkCupid:
Hey, I'm Rachel :-) I would assume a lot of women start out with a hypothetical relationship question, but I'm curious.. say it were the end of the world, and we were the last 2 people, and there was nothing to eat except for the little bunny in front of us, how would you kill me for the food?
Read MoreTwo months ago I went on a quasi-date with "Jeanine." I never thought it a date until she referenced it as such, and so then I went with it. Later, we hung out, and the date came up.
"But you know we're just friends, right?" she said. "That's all I'm looking for."
I had deduced even before our date that Jeanine was a conglomerate of clinginess and hypochondria, so this was fine with me. I had to stop myself from nodding too fast to being "just friends" and mentioning she was too manic for me.
Read MoreLast week a new business opened in Richmond, VA. While at a birthday dinner, someone brought up Cuddle RVA, which I promptly renamed the Cuddle Factory. The Cuddle Factory is . . . I can't even put it into words. They offer cuddle services. Like, they will hold you and hug you for money.
Me: So basically they're a massage parlor or on-site escort service. Within the law's boundaries, of course.
Of course I had to try this place out. I'll do anything for a story. Except just kidding. No, I am not doling out $60/hour to be cradled by a stranger; we have Tinder for that. And I actually hate being touched. Here's Sara trying to hug me back in 2013.
Read MoreLast Saturday my two friends and I grabbed dinner at a neighborhood restaurant. It's a small family place as in, every customer is someone you may have seen on the sidewalk while walking your dog or driving to the grocery store.
I noticed an older gentleman seated smack dab in the center of the restaurant - reading a newspaper. Mind you, it's 8:30 PM on a Saturday (though if we're judging, I should add that my friends and I ordered a mimosa pitcher). And by older, I don't mean octogenarian-maybe-he's-a-widower status. More like he could be a silver fox.
This prompted my friend to say that she always fears eating out alone because she's afraid people will judge her. "When I was younger, I used to say that's one of the reasons I have to get married, so I'll never have to go to dinner alone."
Read More