Now that everyone is back, I thought I’d post a few updates as to what is going on.

First, there’s Praveena.  She’s finally back, and I paid her a special visit to ask how her New Year’s Eve was.  She said that she spent it with cousins.  Remember how I wrote that she may not have known I was married, even though I always wear my ring?  Well, I specifically told her that I spent my New Year’s home with my family, and she seemed to get the hint.  I didn’t come right out and ask if she was married — I felt this would “tip my hand,” so to speak.  But I’ll gauge her reaction over the next few days.  If she is, in fact, single, then I will have to change my strategy somewhat.  I still want to let her know I’m interested, but you have to be careful with single women.

I did get a chance to chat with Amy.  She is getting ready to sell her house.  This is great because it gives me a conversation starter.  No mention of the dancing comment, however.  Bonus: I got a peek at her bellybutton!  It’s an innie.

An amusing thing happened with Ashna.  You have to understand that Ashna’s name is not actually “Ashna”; I change all names to protect the innocent.  But her name is close to Ashna, and this almost tripped me up.  While I was walking into the building yesterday, I was deep in thought, thinking about my plans to track Ashna’s monthly cycle, when suddenly I see her standing in the lobby.  I had to stop myself from actually calling her Ashna!  That would have been weird.  But she did notice the studder, and later on, she commented on how she said hi to me but I was deep in thought.  Heh, if she only knew.

On a more serious note, I learned that Maryanne’s husband was in a car accident.  He’s okay for now but needs to undergo physical therapy.  This basically means that I have to stop flirting with Maryanne, at least for the time being.  I’ll switch it into “emotional support” mode.  I’ll have more to say about this kind of situation in future posts.

My goodness, what have I started?

If you remember, last Thursday was the night that the A-party was supposed to happen.  They postponed it, and I thought it would happen in January, if ever.  But instead, they scheduled it for tonight!  True, it was at a different hotel, and although it wasn’t real swanky, it still ranked as a decent party.  Maybe not an A, but definitely a B+.  (I’ll still call it the A-party for consistency.)

You’ll also remember that I had a sure-fire dance invite from Amy.  Well, unfortunately, Amy didn’t go.  I was also hopeful that Maryanne would be there, but she is out on vacation.  (Ashna and her team were not invited to this party.)   But then, I ran into Praveena, and she said the most wonderful thing — that she was going to the A-party.  That’s when my day really started to look up.

Remember when I suspected that Praveena was flirting with me?  Well I am now convinced.  Let me give you the highlights of tonight’s events.

• When I got there, I spotted Praveena, but played it cool and pretended not to see her.  When I did meet up with her an hour later, she said that she saw me before but didn’t get a chance to call out to me.
• Praveena does not dance, but I almost had her out on the dance floor.  It was no secret how much I loved to dance, and she asked me if I was going to dance.  My line was, “Yes, I’ll dance, if you’ll come up with me.”  After a few tentative steps onto the dance floor, she backed away, sat in a chair, and said, “I’ll watch you from here.”
• A little later, the dance DJs were handing out party trinkets (hats, feather boas, beads, etc.)  Praveena tossed me a pair of beads and said that she got them for me.
• There were times where we were sitting together — just the two of us.  She did not make a move to get up or leave me.  I used those opportunities to ask a few general questions (job-related, mostly).  But she did not want to dance.  (When I got up to dance, I looked back, and sure enough, she was looking at me.
• At around 9pm, she announced that she was leaving.  I gripped her hand, gave her a subtle touch on the forearm, and told her that I would see her tomorrow.  I then returned to the dance floor.  One minute later, Praveena had come out onto the dance floor, and was talking to a guy that we both knew.  Everyone around said that she should now dance, since she was on the dance floor.  She just froze there and said that she didn’t know what to do.
• At this point, I took her hand in mine and led her through a few dance steps (and yes, she was all smiles).  After a minute, she was finished, and said she had to leave.  I gave her a hug — a good full one — and she returned it.  (I was so tempted to give her a kiss but I chickened out.)

Praveena is from India, and although she has been in the USA for a few years, I’m not sure if she knows that a ring on the ring finger means marriage.  (As you recall, I always wear my ring.)  But it’s pretty clear that she’s interested in me.  I’m not sure if she is waiting for me to make the next move.  If she is, what the heck is the next move?  Lunch?

We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

About five times a year, I have to come into work on a Saturday.  In the computer industry, it’s called a release, and it’s the time where we publish the latest version of our website.  The whole department comes in, and despite the coffee, donuts, and catered lunch, it’s a pretty hectic time.  But there’s plenty of time where you are just waiting, and to the Office Player, that’s flirting time!

First let me talk about Maryanne.  Yesterday (Friday), she was in a somewhat playful mood.  When I was standing in line at the cafeteria, Maryanne sneaked up behind me and touched me.  (It wasn’t quite a squeeze or a tickle, more like a two-handed tap.)  Then she commented on how thin I looked.  Talk about flirtatious!  I tried my darndest to meet up with her that afternoon, but she was always busy.  Later that day, she came to me with a business issue, and the playful mood was gone.  Same thing with today; no playful mood.

Hasna is on maternity leave (more on that in a later post).  Ashna and Michelle work on a different web site.  Ellen works in a completely different department.  So who does that leave?  Well, time to introduce another hottie!

Let me tell you about Praveena.  She is a consultant with whom I have worked before.  She is in her thirties, average looks, a little chunky, glasses. (I love glasses!)  And she’s always smiling — and you know how the Office Player loves a nice smile!  And get this:  the few times I have seen her, she has always been asking me how I’ve been doing, what’s new, etc.  Is she flirting with me?  We shall see.  I flirted with her a few times today.  Not too strong, mind you, just enough to keep the juices flowing.

Praveena works in my old office location.  But so does Maryanne.  It’s safe to say that I will be venturing back there often.