tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-269912142024-03-07T00:53:55.339-05:00Misadventures in Internet DatingI may be done with the internet dating, but I'm sure there are still plenty of Misadventures to be had...LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.comBlogger288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-47293292385354010352010-06-26T19:44:00.004-04:002010-06-26T20:26:37.335-04:00Single No MoreAs I said before, things have changed.<br /><br />I am no longer the girl that I was when I started this blog. For one thing, I turned thirty. I've left the mistakes and uncertainty of my twenties behind and I feel no need to look back. I'm also no longer confused, no longer looking, no longer wondering about the "why"s and "how"s of love and relationships. The answer is: Because.<br /><br />Because you suddenly cannot imagine your life in any other way. Because you suddenly find yourself in a world that is gray when he's not beside you. Because you can be absolutely, completely, utterly yourself and he still looks at you like you're his own, personal angel.<br /><br />Bombshell of bombshells: Joe Montana and I are getting married.<br /><br />He popped the question on May 21st, with my grandmother's ring. My family was ready to hand it over after Thanksgiving, barely 5 months into our relationship.<br /><br />Living with Joe Montana (since February, when he came down here from Montana) has been amazing. I cannot believe how easy every day is with him, even when things aren't so easy. He is more than I ever could have imagined. I've never been one to believe in things like Soulmates, or The One. But he is. He is The One.<br /><br />For months, I've been ruminating on where to go with the writing, on how to carry on. And I've been distracted, jealous of my time with Joe Montana, feeling that every moment is special and important and it's so hard to tear myself away. But I do want to continue writing. I want to continue for me, because it's good for me. But I also want to continue for anyone out there that was where I was before I got together with Joe.<br /><br />A year ago (tomorrow, actually) I was resolutely single. I was quite, and almost contentedly, sure that I was going to go it alone. I knew that things like marriage and coupledom weren't for me, and I was okay with that. I was almost happy about it. Compared to the catastrophes that I had weathered, being by myself was a refuge. It was safe.<br /><br />And here I am. I'm planning a wedding that doesn't matter to me nearly as much as the marriage that I get to share with a man that I love more than breathing. I'm trying to reconcile my old, independent self with this new self that hurts when he's gone (as he is now, sent to North Carolina by his job, for two weeks that include the weekend of our anniversary) and can't seem to enjoy things as much with out him as with him. I'm here, thinking of how I want to write about what it's like to be in love. Not just in love, but in love now, here. To be in love in this time when love and relationships are so fleeting and I've found a man who promises me 54 years of love. (Due to his odd refusal to promise to live to be older than 86 is the time limit, and one I'm determined to convince him to reconsider.) So this is going to be my, somewhat hackneyed, focus in my next blogging endeavor. Love. Modern Love. Lasting, lifelong love.<br /><br />And, despite the odds against it, how it can ultimately triumph over all.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"Ahh home. Yes, I am home. Home is when I'm alone with you." Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros <span style="font-style: italic;">Home</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-3437664798841966722010-02-01T07:09:00.001-05:002010-02-01T07:29:31.561-05:00Lucky<div>How can I sum up what is now happening in my life without resorting to tired cliches or sounding like a Nicholas Sparks novel? Well, kids, I'm not entirely sure that I can. But, as usual, I'm going to give it the old college try. (Cliche #1. You can make this into a game. Every time I use a hopeless cliche, take a drink! You can then judge me as a writer by how drunk you are able to get by the end of this post.)<br /><br />Remember when I talked about <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/10/selling-out.html">selling out</a>? It's done. It's sold. It's been wrapped up, the shop's closed, the lights have been turned out. Whatever idea I had in my head regarding the noble cynicism of remaining single <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g51MFt-obP0">for-e-ver</a>, it no longer applies to me. This is not to say that I'm a full convert to the side of marriage and coupling up. I'm not. I still think that it's beyond stupid to be in a relationship for the sake of not being alone and I can't even imagine the idea of deciding to marry someone that you have even the tiniest of doubts about. But I think I'm managing to defy the odds here. And here is where I go all sorts of sappy on you...<br /><br />You know all those things that you're supposed to feel about the person that you choose to spend your life with? That they're your best friend, that you would support them in anything, that you would take a bullet for them, that they are the best, most wonderful person ever to walk the earth? Yeah. I feel those things. It's seriously embarrassing to see them laid out on the page like this, but it's all true. These are the feelings that I always thought I should be feeling for other men in my life; these are the feelings that I spent a good deal of time faking or convincing myself would come. Loving someone just for who they are? Check. Not wanting to imagine your life without them? Check. Wanting to become that cute old couple holding hands in the park? Check, checkity check.<br /><br />(I hope you're drinking! Or throwing up in your mouth. I couldn't blame you.)<br /><br />Someone <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-angle.html#comments">commented</a> on my last post, curious as to what is different about Joe Montana. Well, pretty much all of the above. But some of it is also base compatibility. We have a ton in common, but we also compliment each other. Where I'm high-strung, he's laid back. Where he gets stressed, I am calm and confident. There has always been space for one of us to be the cheerleader when the other needs a boost. It's pretty amazing actually. There is also nothing abusive or manipulative in his behavior - something that has been a problem for me in the past. I won't belabor the point, but everything that raised red flags early on in my last relationship has been completely absent here.<br /><br />So now is the time for steps. The most exciting step is that Joe Montana is about to become Joe Florida. Well, I'm not actually changing his name, but he is changing locations. JM is joining me in Florida and he should be here, fittingly, by Superbowl Sunday. This step, moving in with him, means more than it may seem. After my last disaster, I vowed never again to have a live-in boyfriend. I am now of the mind that moving in together should not be a rung on the relationship ladder that falls between dating exclusively and getting married. I think that, for me at least, moving in together can't be a trial period or something that you do so that you can delay having to make the decision of whether or not you want to marry someone. To me, moving in means that a bigger commitment is already made. And I'm making that commitment. Taking that step.<br /><br />The next step is a step away. I think that I have outgrown this particular space. There are no longer many misses in my adventures and there certainly isn't any more internet dating. This doesn't mean that I'm abandoning you all or that I'm done indulging my latent narcissism anonymously. It just means that I think I'm going to shift my focus and my location. I haven't done anything definitive yet, and you'll be the first to know when I do, but the move is coming. I hope you'll take this step with me.<br /><br /><strong>Lyrics of the Day</strong></div><br /><div>"So if you wanna be with me, with these things there's no telling, we'll just have to wait and see. But I'd rather be working for a paycheck than waiting to win the lottery. Besides maybe this time it's different, I mean I really think you like me." Bright Eyes <em>First Day of My Life<br /></em></div>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-49184862590637359172010-01-05T17:49:00.004-05:002010-01-05T18:17:52.137-05:00No AngleI think about you all a lot. I think about posting. I think about telling you about Joe Montana and everything that happens and everything that I'm thinking. But then I don't. And another day passes.<br /><br />So I've been wondering what it is that is keeping me away. Then I realized what it is. I have no angle on Joe Montana.<br /><br />You know how it is. Nobody reads blogs for earnest self-expression and heartfelt words of emotion. People (myself included) read for entertainment. And maybe to identify with the author in some way. But not many people are interested in keeping up with something that resembles a 14-year-old's diary.<br /><br />That's the problem here. I can't seem to take my relationship with Joe Montana and give it a spin. I can't make it entertaining. I can pretty much only tell you things that will make you want to lose your lunch.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"While you were sitting in the backseat, smoking a cigarette you thought was gonna be your last, I was falling deep, deeply in love with you. And I never told you til just now." Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros <span style="font-style: italic;">Home</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-18142366890058877272009-11-21T11:30:00.002-05:002009-11-21T11:36:59.806-05:00Joe MontanaI know I've been quiet, but it doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about you!<br /><br />They don't know why, or where the name came from, but everyone I know is calling my man Joe Montana. Everyone. <br /><br />Last night I went out with my friends Ghost and Polo. They were asking me what the plans are for a "Meet Joe Montana" function on December 5 - a weekend that Joe will be in FL for a visit. I told them that they need to remember that his name is actually [redacted for privacy purposes], and not Joe Montana. They said, "Yeah, we're probably just going to call him Joe."<br /><br />Fortunately for me, Joe Montana is a very good sport and doesn't mind if people happen to call him Joe rather than his actual name.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"Hey Joe, where you gonna run to now? Where you gonna run to now?" Jimi Hendrix <span style="font-style: italic;">Hey Joe</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-203014555587918942009-10-27T19:21:00.003-04:002009-10-27T19:28:34.956-04:00Selling OutI was out with some girlfriends the other night (thanks to <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/04/kickin-it.html">kickball</a> – I have actual friends!) and my friend Ghost was giving me crap for the complete 180 that I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ve</span> done since we met.<span style=""> </span>She and I had a mildly-intoxicated late night confessional in my car way back at the beginning of the summer and we discussed our mutual issues with men.<span style=""> </span>I was in serious PC/relationship backlash at that moment and I went off (as I was wont to do around that time) about the possibility that I’m not the marrying type and that I don’t think you need a relationship to complete you, and blah blah blah.<span style=""> </span>Ghost brought that up as we were out on the town last weekend and said, “Now look at you!”<br /><br />So, yes, I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ve</span> sold out.<span style=""> </span>The odd thing about it is that it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">doesn</span>’t feel like selling out.<span style=""> </span>Once I <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/03/and-she-lived-ever-after.html">regained my independence in March</a> and remembered how much happier I was alone, it seemed perfectly reasonable for me to assume all relationships would make me feel smothered, drained and miserable.<span style=""> </span>But Joe Montana <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">doesn</span>’t make me feel that way.<span style=""> </span>Yes, we talk every day (because how else can you sustain a long-distance relationship?), but neither of us is ever upset or resentful if the other is too busy to talk at certain times or can’t talk for very long or puts their own social obligations ahead of spending hours on the phone.<span style=""> </span>I had a little too much to drink when I went out with Ghost and the girls and passed out on a friend’s couch instead of calling Joe Montana.<span style=""> </span>Rather than being upset with me, he was happy for me that I had so much fun.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchJKcc0ZPe4tFGMu86SI5jxGitCrmmYCRHV1JcD4chcGMYg8xdvDVAi4U5KGyWpXrjfULVmMhr3TQNWAO8W6qOSS6xUBkTzPg0vWN9LtuxzMXgu1iJO47yqeyeqmj5q2XvGACsA/s1600-h/soldout.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchJKcc0ZPe4tFGMu86SI5jxGitCrmmYCRHV1JcD4chcGMYg8xdvDVAi4U5KGyWpXrjfULVmMhr3TQNWAO8W6qOSS6xUBkTzPg0vWN9LtuxzMXgu1iJO47yqeyeqmj5q2XvGACsA/s200/soldout.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397425057634534674" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I keep thinking that I should be more worried about selling my Single Self out – but it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">doesn</span>’t feel like I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ve</span> had to give anything up to be with Joe Montana.<span style=""> </span>I haven’t had to change my life or how I do things for him, I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ve</span> just been able to add him to everything that was already here that has been working so well for me for the past 6 months.<span style=""> </span>So is it nuts for me to think that maybe I am the marrying kind – as long as it’s Joe Montana that I’m thinking of marrying?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ghost told me that she’s totally jealous of what I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ve</span> got going on, and if she felt the way I feel she’d be married in about two weeks.<span style=""> </span>I told her people would think I’m insane if I were to rush into marriage that fast (or even this fast).<span style=""> </span>She said, “I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">wouldn</span>’t think you’re insane.<span style=""> </span>Well, maybe insanely awesome.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">Lyrics of the Day</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“…These wrinkles masterfully disguise the youthful boy below, who turned your way and saw something he was not looking for: both a beginning and an end.”<span style=""> </span>Death Cab for Cutie <i>Brothers on a Hotel Bed<o:p></o:p></i></p> <!--EndFragment-->LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-51488449012012799032009-10-03T19:41:00.003-04:002009-10-03T19:58:35.960-04:00PC: EpilogueI really try not to get defensive when people give their views and opinions on what I write about, because it would be pointless to write in a public forum and expect all comments to be flattering. But I'm going to address this subject one last time, because I just feel like I should say a thing or two.<br /><br />I realize that my accounts of my relationship with PC are one-sided. The catch is that I was never 100% honest with how things were between us. Never. From the moment that PC knew about this blog, he constantly brought it up - when things were good or bad. He'd say, "So are you going to write about this in your blog? Are you going to make me look like a jerk? Are you going to tell your friends and your mom and your sister about this?" Because of this constant reminder that he felt what I was writing and saying affected him, I glossed over much of the bad stuff and all of the worst stuff really. Even after he left, I pulled punches. <br /><br />I never felt that I was a woman who could be abused, in any way, but I've come to believe differently. <br /><br />No, he did not ever actually hit me.<br /><br />Would he have? If things had continued on the course that they were on (and they would have had I not ended it once and for all), I think he would have. In the last week that we were together, he scared the hell out of me more than once and one time he grabbed me forcefully enough for it to hurt and enough to send a million red flags and warning signals through my head.<br /><br />With what I know now, and what I have found out since PC and I broke up, there was a lot more wrong and a lot more going on than I ever knew or probably ever will know. I realize that I sound cold when I talk about my frustrations concerning what I hope will be my final communication with him, but 6 months of half-knowledge and endless speculation have put me in a place where it makes me <span style="font-style: italic;">physically ill</span> to speak to him and sometimes even to think of him. I felt a lot of guilt for a long time (guilt is a lot of what kept me with him for as long as I stayed), but I can't feel guilty any more. He made the choices he made - over and over and over again. He manipulated me every chance that he had, doing his best to ensure that I wouldn't leave him - that I would feel like I <span style="font-style: italic;">couldn't</span> leave him.<br /><br />He's not the worst guy in the world, there are plenty that are far worse, but he's an extremely troubled and messed up guy and he did everything he could to hide the worst and keep me tied to him. I was <span style="font-style: italic;">miserable</span> with him and I thank my lucky stars every day that I finally had the wherewithal to end it.<br /><br />By the time that I had been with PC for 3 months (as I've been with Joe Montana now), I had spent probably a week's worth of nights up and crying because of things that PC did or did not do. And those were the good times.LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-4189627193171553002009-09-30T18:43:00.001-04:002009-09-30T18:52:29.523-04:00Keeping it To MyselfSo I’ve been busy. Frighteningly busy really.<span style=""> </span>I bought my townhouse and have spent much of the past couple of weeks working on furnishing it and getting my things moved out of the old apartment.<span style=""> </span>I’ve also spent much of the last couple of weeks dealing with the train-wreck of BS that is still my every interaction with PC – but I’m mostly going to leave that alone in this space.<span style=""> </span>Suffice it to say that six months after we broke up, he has still not come back to Florida to pick up his stuff (which truly is almost every one of his earthly possessions) and he is now scrambling to try to get his act together before the end of the lease on the apartment.<span style=""> </span>It’s not been a stress that I’ve needed, but I don’t seem to have any say in that.<p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve also been trying to analyze why I haven’t been more eager to tell you all what’s been going on with Joe Montana.<span style=""> </span>I think that I’ve come up with a couple of viable reasons:<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">1.<span style=""> </span>I chronicled a lot of my elation at the beginning of my relationship with PC and I just can’t bear for anyone (including myself) to make comparisons between that and how things are with Joe Montana at this point.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2.<span style=""> </span>Part of me wants to keep this happiness all to myself and not share the intimate details with anyone.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What’s going on here is too good and too special and too <i>realistic</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> to really be described.<span style=""> </span>It’s also hard for me to talk about it publicly because I know that there are people who will think that it’s just me rushing into something again and that I’m destined to get myself into more trouble (people like The Sister, especially).<span style=""> </span>But it’s just not like that, although I don’t know if I’m able to truly articulate why.<span style=""> </span>It just </span><i>is</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, and that’s what’s amazing about it.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A brief break-down is that Joe Montana’s Labor Day visit was <i>amazing.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style=""> </span>There wasn’t a single thing about the weekend that wasn’t fantastic and not a single thing about it that I wish had gone differently - except maybe the part about him getting on a plane and flying 3000 miles away from me afterward.<span style=""> </span>We’ve talked every day since.<span style=""> </span>We’ve been doing this phone thing for three months now and last night we still managed to accidentally stay on the phone for over an hour because we just didn’t get to the end of our conversation.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m going to man up and be honest here, because it’s what I usually do, even though it’s something that has always been hard for me – to be honest about my feelings.<span style=""> </span>I’ve fallen completely in love with Joe Montana.<span style=""> </span>It’s serious stuff here kids.<span style=""> </span>Like, someone-may-have-to-move-across-the-country kind of serious.<span style=""> </span>No real decisions have been made at this point, but we both know that eventually we will actually be able to be together.<span style=""> </span>Because we know this, it’s somewhat easier to be patient with the distance now – though it’ll never be a cakewalk.<span style=""> </span>I’m going to Montana for a weekend to see him in October and he’s coming back to Florida to visit for New Years.<span style=""> </span>It’s not often enough, but we’re doing what we can.<span style=""> </span>And as for that whole “<a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-should-be-committed.html">we can date other people</a>” stipulation, well that’s just a moot point.<span style=""> </span>I can’t imagine wanting to, and it’s quite possible I’ll never date again.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">Lyrics of the Day</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“You know I dreamed about you for 29 years before I saw you.<span style=""> </span>You know I dreamed about you.<span style=""> </span>I missed you for 29 years.”<span style=""> </span>The National <i>Slow Show</i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-2289381307020981772009-09-04T16:28:00.000-04:002009-09-04T16:28:00.347-04:00I Should Be CommittedSpeaking of commitment, Joe Montana and I (rather inadvertently) had The Talk. We were on the phone one night and he just threw out the “boyfriend/girlfriend” words. So I said, “Oh is that what’s going here?” Then we proceeded to have a stammered, halting discussion about the idea of being monogamous from three thousand miles away. I shared my opinion that in a situation like this, if one of us were to meet someone that we truly wanted to go out with, we should be able to do that as long as we’re honest about it. Joe replied with the conviction that he had no intention of meeting anyone else, that he couldn’t think of anyone but me. I had already thought this over from my perspective and had realized that Joe had set the bar pretty high. I couldn’t imagine myself engaging in a random, flip cup-fueled make-out session and it would take quite a lot for a guy to impress me enough to want to give him a chance.<br /><br />So whether or not Joe Montana and I agreed on my stipulation (and I’m still not sure whether or not we really did), we did agree on the boyfriend/girlfriend words. So, here I am with another long-distance boyfriend: a long distance boyfriend who is on a plane on his way to see me at this very moment.<br /><br />Although this long-distance business is familiar ground for me, everything about this relationship feels like uncharted territory. I don’t think that anything has gone so easily before (although I’m sure that I have said similar things in the past about relationships that were not going nearly as easily as I was imagining they were) and I’m both excited and nervous about where to go from here. If things go as well this weekend as I am hoping they will (and there is every indication that my hopes are based on reality), I think that this relationship is going to get pretty serious. From my perspective, Joe Montana’s perspective and the perspectives of River (who knows us both very well) and the therapist that I’ve been talking to (that’s a long story, but she’s been listening to the events since the beginning of things with Joe and she’s been behind it the whole time) Joe and I are just about perfect for each other.<br /><br />The therapist said that a person’s life is like a movie script and when you’re dating someone, you’re letting them audition to fill a role in your movie. So far, Joe Montana seems perfect for the role and I’m thinking he could actually make the final cast. (Though we do disagree on which way to put the toilet paper on the roll; it was almost a deal-breaker for me, but I decided to try to be open-minded.)<br /><br />When I was younger, I thought that it was perfectly reasonable for people in their 30’s, or thereabouts, to move more quickly in relationships. Obviously with more years of life and dating experience under your belt, you can figure out much more quickly what you like and what you want in a partner. Hopefully you can also figure it out more quickly when it isn’t working at all. Now that I have reached this venerable age group myself, I am feeling like it would be irrational for me to move too quickly with Joe. Or rather, a large part of me thinks that he really could be someone that I could be with long-term; the rest of me feels like I need to justify having this belief a mere couple months into the relationship. But I do believe it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"I’m getting lost in your curls, I’m getting rushed back on a whim. Our breaths get wind back to the time when we were green. I know we have changed, but I still grin cause I can’t wait to see you." Animal Collective <span style="font-style: italic;">Bluish</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-28237818255806276622009-09-01T18:02:00.004-04:002009-09-02T19:11:24.190-04:00"He's Scared, She's Scared"When I decided that I would be doing a little bit of research for posting material, I went to my local <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/">Barnes & Noble</a> to browse the love and relationship section. At the time, I was curious about my self-diagnosed commitmentphobia and found the perfect book with which to educate myself. Who better to reference than the very authors who originally coined the term “commitmentphobia”?<br /><br />Having been published in 1993, the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hes-Scared-Shes-Understanding-Relationships/dp/0440506255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251842563&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">He's Scared, She's Scared</span></a>, written by Steven Carter and Julia Sokol, is slightly dated in its references to the changing landscape of modern dating. It refers multiple times to the new, independent, modern woman – the type of woman that I’ve always considered myself to be and a gender role that has become common and familiar to my generation. The book addresses this subject to emphasize the evolution of gender relations and the shift from the perception that men have the monopoly on fear of commitment. Aside from these slightly dated details, I think this book is as useful as any I have ever read in addressing a subject so comprehensively.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQTEKhhyphenhyphentB8st01X2PDTHdSllSlx-W6D8p6pYbDSMUKhUvO3_a4XSojYOAQAKpl1Ju8YKfCbU0RpLhz09mOp-9YFKhCkgRIrZmc_A9Bsd6LLoVMYZF-xqXnZobfKu7kuDwqa_XQ/s1600-h/He's+Scared,+She%27s+Scared"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQTEKhhyphenhyphentB8st01X2PDTHdSllSlx-W6D8p6pYbDSMUKhUvO3_a4XSojYOAQAKpl1Ju8YKfCbU0RpLhz09mOp-9YFKhCkgRIrZmc_A9Bsd6LLoVMYZF-xqXnZobfKu7kuDwqa_XQ/s200/He's+Scared,+She%27s+Scared" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376623605854759346" border="0" /></a><br />Unlike <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/06/man-plan.html">The Man Plan</a>, <span style="font-style: italic;">He’s Scared, She’s Scared</span> uses scores of anecdotes and partial case studies very effectively to illustrate its points. The authors use these stories to put the behaviors they outline into real-life context. I don’t think that anyone could read this book without recognizing a relationship that they’ve been in or witnessed in one or more of the cautionary tales. The Sister’s relationship with her first boyfriend was so classically commitmentphobic that I almost believed she must have been interviewed for the book. (I actually Priority Mailed her the book almost as soon as I was finished reading it. It should be quite useful to her.)<br /><br />The ideas in <span style="font-style: italic;">He’s Scared, She’s Scared</span> are complex and involved. I won’t outline even the basics here, but if you have any reason to believe that you have issues with commitment or that your partner does, I highly recommend reading this book. It doesn’t treat people with commitment problems like they’re crazy or like there’s no hope for progress – it’s actually quite the opposite. There is even an appendix at the end with tips on how to deal with a commitmentphobic relationship, whichever stage it’s in and whichever role you’re playing in it.<br /><br />Surprisingly for all of my asserting that I need space and my independence, I don’t seem to be an actual commitmentphobe. I have made mistakes in selecting partners and I have repeated a couple of odd patterns, but I don’t perpetuate the same destructive patterns that are detailed in He’s Scared, She’s Scared. The reason that I didn’t want to stay with PC and didn’t want to marry him wasn’t that I’m afraid to commit: it was that he was just the wrong guy for me. So there is hope for me (and maybe for Joe Montana) after all. If you think you might have issues with commitment, I think this book can show you that there’s hope for you as well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"If you'd only seen yourself hating me, when I'd been so much more than fair. But then you'd have to lay those feelings bare. One thing I know has still got you scared." The Shins <span style="font-style: italic;">Turn On Me</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-92071996754388567772009-08-25T07:25:00.002-04:002009-08-25T07:34:09.782-04:00Life Goes OnAs happily wrapped up as I have been in all the newness and the fun of my romance with Joe Montana, I’m not allowing it to take over my life.<span style=""> </span>I think that I did that with PC, I dropped my focus off of myself and what I should have been doing at that point and put all my energy into seeing him and talking to him as much as was humanly possible.<span style=""> </span>Obviously, that didn’t turn into a good situation; I’ve been determined not to repeat those mistakes (even if I am crazy enough to repeat the <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2007/05/long-distance-blues.html">long-distance experiment</a>).<p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Kickball has started back up for the fall season, so I’m forced to thrust myself back out into the social world.<span style=""> </span>I took a week to cocoon when I got back from Montana and then I had a week with The Mother in town.<span style=""> </span>Now I’m back to my sleepless Thursday night routine and back in weekly contact with the friends that I’ve made down here.<span style=""> </span>I’m also… drum roll please… buying a house, a townhouse to be more specific, and it’s actually a done deal.<span style=""> </span>I’m just waiting for the 15<sup>th</sup> of September for my closing date and I will be an honest-to-goodness grown-up homeowner.<span style=""> </span>It has been my life goal to be a property owner of some sort before my 30<sup>th</sup> birthday and I’m actually going to achieve that goal.<span style=""> </span>I’m pretty damn excited.<span style=""> </span>The Mother also bought a house in the area to have as an income property, so I’ll be seeing a lot more of her over the fall and winter.<span style=""> </span>I’m back to normal at work and received a favorable six month review.<span style=""> </span>Life is chugging along.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Of course I am still talking to Joe Montana through all of this.<span style=""> </span>The more that I get to know him and know about him, the more I like him.<span style=""> </span>We talk so easily that an hour can pass before I even know it.<span style=""> </span>I find myself wanting to tell him about anything interesting or funny that happens during my days, and share with him first when something good happens.<span style=""> </span>I had a nightmare one night (not a usual occurrence for me) and he was the first person that I wanted to call to make me feel better.<span style=""> </span>Of course, it was four a.m. and the feeling passed before I actually did wake him up in the middle of the night.<span style=""> </span>But it was a comfort to know that he was out there somewhere.<span style=""> </span>Nothing has yet happened (sense my cautious optimism) that raises any red flags.<span style=""> </span>He’s also coming down to Florida to visit me for Labor Day weekend.<span style=""> </span>I’ve been counting down the weeks and days and I’m thrilled at the idea of getting to see him again.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As well as things are going, I can’t bank on it working out.<span style=""> </span>I can’t get so fixated on the idea of being with Joe that I think I need to move back to Montana immediately and start planning a wedding and naming my unborn children.<span style=""> </span>I’ve got a lot going on here in Florida and I’m going to keep working on it all and enjoying myself.<span style=""> </span>If things happen to work out with Joe Montana too, it’ll just be icing on the cake.<span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">"All I know is I gotta be where my heart says I outta be. It often makes no sense, in fact, I never understand these things I feel. Don't change your plans for me." Ben Folds Five <span style="font-style: italic;">Don't Change Your Plans</span><br /></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-3036599169636474032009-08-18T07:22:00.003-04:002010-01-05T18:10:50.614-05:00Across the UniverseI’m going to skip ahead a bit here. Long-story-short, Joe Montana and I maximized the rest of the time that I was in Bozeman. I felt so completely comfortable, at ease and able to be myself around him that it just felt natural to see as much of him as I could. When I last saw him on the Saturday that I was leaving town, we hugged goodbye and agreed to keep talking. We didn’t discuss anything further than that, which was perfect. I didn’t know what I wanted, but I did know that there was <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2007/04/goodbye.html">one road that I definitely did not want to be traveling again</a> so soon and so irrationally.<br /><br />Since I’ve been back in Florida – over three weeks now – Joe and I have talked every day. We talk at night and exchange text messages semi-regularly throughout each day. Again, I’m feeling like a teenager here. This infatuation, these long phone conversations, the Romeo & Juliet feeling of a romance complicated by outside influences. I really don’t think that I have any clue what I’m getting myself into here, but I can’t help but fall head-long into whatever it will or won’t be.<br /><br />Joe Montana is extremely open with how he feels about me. And he’s crazy about me. Every so often, his adoration has given me a pang of worry – my brain remembers the disaster that was PC and how frighteningly clingy and suffocating he got. It only takes me a few moments though, to remind myself of the many significant differences between Joe Montana and PC (shared first name aside…).<br /><br />• Joe Montana has an established job in a career that he loves<br />• He has his own friends and maintains the relationships<br />• He is completely presentable in public and is in no way embarrassing<br />• He is <span style="font-style: italic;">older than me</span> (which I still consider to be a minor miracle, with my track record)<br />• He’s never had a significant brain injury (I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this other bizarre pattern of mine, but it’s been one)<br />• He hasn’t done any of the creepy, manipulative, passive-aggressive crap that PC pulled when we were first long-distance dating<br /><br />The part of all of this that is truly scary and very frustrating is that Joe Montana could just be perfect for me. By perfect for me, I don’t mean perfect in every way, but we just seem to match up really well. The catch is, there is no way that I can leave Florida in the next year and a half, and I have no desire to drag Joe Montana down here (away from all his friends and family and his job) to live with me. So if something is to continue between us, it’s going to be a long, slow road.<br /><br />I talked to River about what has been going on, because I felt like I needed to really get her blessing. I asked her how she felt about Joe and I talking and she said she’s so excited that she’s really trying not to get her hopes up too high. She told me that she loves us both and couldn’t think of two people she’d rather see together.<br /><br />I’m prepared for you all to admonish me and tell me that I shouldn’t jump into something crazy when I’m still so newly single; that I’m nuts for trying to have something with a guy that is three thousand miles away and is going to stay that way for a while. But the part of me that harbors general optimism thinks that there is something here and that something would be a shame to rule out before I even get to see what it is. Besides, it could just make a great story someday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"Well, hot and heavy, pumpkin pie, chocolate candy, Jesus Christ. Ain't nothing please me more than you. Oh, home, let me come home. Home is wherever I'm with you." <span style="font-style: italic;">Home</span> Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic ZerosLBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-90136766317287907622009-08-07T10:00:00.001-04:002009-08-07T10:00:01.457-04:00On Heartbreak and Breaking HeartsFor as long as I can remember, The Sister has had the worst taste in men. She’s been with neglectors, abusers (emotional, not physical – though I suspect it could have gotten there had it been given the time), charming players. I could be wrong, but suddenly it seems like she may have found a Keeper. We were discussing the timing of the new man in her life and she floated the following theory: that a person needs to experience at least one great broken heart and break at least one heart before she is ready to settle down for good. The Sister has done both in her dating history and I realized, with the end of my relationship with PC, I have too.<br /><br />I’m not seriously getting insanely ahead of myself here; I just like this theory.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2m3jZv4PM2fDOuO5Tq_clLI_Bu1dBw_Dx4JbkQNOLmMmqKVIEywvzZFj4cLS9MRmL3inVVTdTQGacT7dzhyeG7dUzkadQ0pBI4Z2mZPSxHmuvVg5F0uHM8gzV6WzQ4nvMhl7Mg/s1600-h/IMG00029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2m3jZv4PM2fDOuO5Tq_clLI_Bu1dBw_Dx4JbkQNOLmMmqKVIEywvzZFj4cLS9MRmL3inVVTdTQGacT7dzhyeG7dUzkadQ0pBI4Z2mZPSxHmuvVg5F0uHM8gzV6WzQ4nvMhl7Mg/s200/IMG00029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365078066794590418" border="0" /></a><br />Once The Mother, The Sister and I were finally able to say farewell to the last of the family and friends that were in town for my dad’s memorial, the time started to fly. We spent a good amount of time together, just the 3 of us; my new nuclear family. But I also managed to see quite a lot of Joe Montana.<br /><br />The Wednesday after the memorial, Joe and I went on an actual date-type-thing. We went to dinner, made a stop at Target to find a birthday card for his youngest sister (For those of you who don’t know me personally, Target is my version of shopping paradise. I can get anything I want there and it’s easy and pretty and it makes me happy. I even have a Target credit card. It’s all red with bull’s-eyes - it’s adorable.), then stopped at my new favorite Bozeman bar for a drink. It was a really great night, and the first real quality solo time that we had spent together. <span style="font-style: italic;">He opened the car door for me.</span> I haven’t had a man open a car door for me since I dated <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2006/09/deja-vu.html">The Ex</a>. In 2005. Joe Montana held my hand and refused to let me pay for drinks and laughed at my witticisms and made me laugh right back. If I had any doubts about our compatibility before, I was able to cast them aside that night.<br /><br />Did I mention how much I love it when a man opens the car door for me? I should also mention that Joe Montana has the most arresting eyes. I don’t know if it’s that they’re light, or that they’re big or that they’re framed in those lovely long eyelashes that evolution gave only to men – but I’m taken aback every time I see him.<br /><br />I mean, I have had my heart broken (more than once). And I have broken a heart. I’m just saying.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />“And all I want is your eyes, in the morning as we wake, for a short while.” Bowerbirds <span style="font-style: italic;">Northern Lights</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-52371756981753489392009-08-03T14:50:00.003-04:002009-08-03T14:50:00.781-04:00ComfortJoe Montana managed to do the impossible over the days surrounding my dad’s memorial gathering. He was somehow one of the very few presences that was able to calm and comfort me without demanding anything additional from me. I was still surprised and baffled at both his kindness and my willingness to accept it and lean on him, but the whole situation felt so natural that there was nothing I could do (or wanted to do) but go with it.<br /><br />Joe came to my father’s memorial, with River and her husband. Being able to have Joe there and to have his arms around me was almost essential to my sanity. He was just able to let me be. He wasn’t the only one there that I had to lean on: my cousins came from California; <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2006/09/married-life.html">My Husband</a> flew in from LA (we had been estranged for months, due to <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/04/trust-no-one.html">the horrible complication</a> with PC, but MH spent a lot of time with my parents during their various visits to CA and his coming to MT re-formed our friendship), my godmother made it up from the Florida Keys. It was just that Joe Montana was the easiest to be with; he allowed me to breathe.<br /><br />After an interminable day of family, friends, and way too many tears, Joe and I eventually ended up alone. He drove me back to my parents’ house and we ended up in the back yard. There, beneath a version of the Milky Way that you can’t even imagine outside of Montana, we were teenagers again. We tangled together in the cool grass, fitting length to length and kissing – just… kissing.<br /><br />It was perfect.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsl25B7ZFW-2-XGegPmLvUfJyRPEHlJ1RuqIoLNqzvZEDxE2oOCgOk2k3NaYPm1EjKvydhoJnkH6RnILvSpP9IFEaNYReHjhey4nFXqXlWpGUh16XSLAVwnt9sgIs1tLnuLCAq1Q/s1600-h/IMG00011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsl25B7ZFW-2-XGegPmLvUfJyRPEHlJ1RuqIoLNqzvZEDxE2oOCgOk2k3NaYPm1EjKvydhoJnkH6RnILvSpP9IFEaNYReHjhey4nFXqXlWpGUh16XSLAVwnt9sgIs1tLnuLCAq1Q/s200/IMG00011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365075106818982770" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">The view from my the back porch at my parents' house. <br />You'll have to imagine the stars.<br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"You told me victory is sweet, even deep in the cheap seats. And you don't judge me, that's not your style. But I won't see you for a little while." Conor Oberst <span style="font-style: italic;">Cape Canaveral </span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-39685119052310169992009-07-31T16:00:00.000-04:002009-07-31T16:00:01.298-04:00Home and the HeartJoe Montana was dead serious about wanting to come for a visit to Florida, and though I was slightly apprehensive, I was pretty excited about the idea. He was looking at flights, I was thinking about available weekends and we were talking almost every day. Then things with my dad started to take a turn for the worse, and I asked Joe to put the FL trip on the backburner. I knew that I’d be seeing him much sooner than I had expected and for the worst possible reason.<br /><br />The Mother called me on Saturday July 11 and told me that I needed to book a ticket home ASAP, because she didn’t think my dad had a lot of time left. I booked a ticket for the following morning and proceeded to do a combination of tidying my house, running last-minute errands and trying not to panic. A few hours later, The Mother called with the News. It was the last thing I expected to hear. It was the last thing I wanted to hear.<br /><br />I don’t want to get into the next week too much. There was family, memorial arrangements, obituaries and boundless kindness from friends, neighbors and the community. It was hard. It was more than hard. Every day crept by.<br /><br />During most of the first week that I was home, I didn’t see Joe Montana. But I was communicating with him often, mostly via text. He wasn’t pushy, he wasn’t insensitive, he wasn’t smothering. He just wanted me to know that he was there if I needed anything. I’m not usually open to support from much of anyone, much less from a man that I don’t know all that well. But as the week wore on, I found myself more and more comforted by his presence and I realized that I really wanted to see him.<br /><br />That Thursday night, before my dad’s memorial on Saturday, we invited a slew of friends and relatives that had come into town out for a night of drinks and remembrances. I invited <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/something-new.html">River</a> and her husband and of course, I invited Joe Montana. I don’t think that I can adequately describe what it felt like to see Joe when he arrived; he put his arms around me and it felt safer, more comforting, more of a relief than anything else had up to that point.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"We strangers know each other now, as part of the whole design. Oh, hold me like a baby that will not fall asleep. Curl me up inside you and let me hear you through the heat." Suzanne Vega <span style="font-style: italic;">Gypsy</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-20712740102762744482009-07-30T20:51:00.002-04:002009-07-30T21:00:58.937-04:00Guesting Again<a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/05/single-ish.html">Ryan from Single-ish</a> was kind enough to ask me to write another guest post for him while he's away for his brother's wedding. It's not new material for you faithful readers, but the comments are a lot of fun. Check it out here:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/single-ish/2009/07/have-you-ever-hooked-up-at-a-w.html">Have You Ever Hooked-Up at a Wedding?</a><br /><br />And I promise, more Joe Montana stories and details to come...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"It's a nice day to start again, it's a nice day for a white wedding. It's a nice day to start again." Billy Idol <span style="font-style: italic;">White Wedding</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-7295323241532909722009-07-28T16:57:00.002-04:002009-07-28T17:02:29.978-04:00Out of the BlueI didn’t mean to leave everyone in suspense for so long there. My father passed away on July 11 and it’s been a long few weeks. I feel as though I’ve been forced to stare at it and talk about it and be strong in the face of it all for long enough now, that I just can’t bear to write about it here. Instead, I’m going to continue the story of <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/something-new.html">the man from the wedding</a>. <br /><br />Seeing as though I’ve had ample time to ponder, I really actually like <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/something-new.html?showComment=1247514667884#c8627645278598818922">Chris’s suggestion</a> of calling him Joe Montana, so I’m going with it.<br /><br />Joe Montana was thinking about me. This, just like the kiss at the wedding, was a complete surprise. It was also a surprise when he called me the following evening, bored and hoping to chat. I happened to be asleep at the time; I went to bed early that night (Thursday before July 4th) so that I could be up at the break of dawn to embark on my long-weekend camping trip. Again, I didn’t think all that much about it. Joe also sent me a happy 4th text on the day itself, which I didn’t get until I got back to civilization on the 5th.<br /><br />When I was home and exhausted, I sent Joe Montana a text telling him that I hoped he had a good 4th and that I was worn out and might just die of sleep deprivation. He responded that he thought it was too bad that he wasn’t there to take care of me. I was seriously taken aback. I just didn’t know where any of this was coming from. <br /><br />The text messages got flirtier and flirtier for about half an hour and then Joe called me; we proceeded to talk. For two and a half hours. Like a couple of teenagers. I actually think I was a teenager the last time that I spent that long on the phone with someone. I think that we text messaged the following day, but nothing major was said. On Tuesday, Joe Montana sent me a text early in the morning (for him, there’s a 2 hour time difference between FL and MT) to ask which airport he would fly into if he wanted to come for a visit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"Everyone's getting off. Ended up in such a, such a familiar fade. When it started it was all so foreign to me. The company I keep." White Rabbits<span style="font-style: italic;"> Company I Keep</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-60174886465221711972009-07-11T07:25:00.000-04:002009-07-11T07:25:00.792-04:00Something NewLast month I went home to Montana to be a bridesmaid in the wedding of my best friend from high school, River. When she asked me to be a bridesmaid I was really touched and accepted; the one thing that I requested was that she put me in anything but a strapless dress. I have always looked terrible in strapless things and I avoid them at all costs. So what did River do when she picked out the bridesmaids dresses? Went with the strapless.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiEuQ71a8w-LHEBWAbQY_a4PELGZCs8r8SNOxGOpofFjSSjI-wnDAx6VBHjxH8ejlpnAX78ZS0hm-luCrFIfMyc6F1LLG1U5UpajrkfCIU_x2Tu54LZJFKaEEdRyktsrydq09gg/s1600-h/IMG00015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiEuQ71a8w-LHEBWAbQY_a4PELGZCs8r8SNOxGOpofFjSSjI-wnDAx6VBHjxH8ejlpnAX78ZS0hm-luCrFIfMyc6F1LLG1U5UpajrkfCIU_x2Tu54LZJFKaEEdRyktsrydq09gg/s200/IMG00015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357011498614271026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Dress</span></span><br /><br /></div>I knew it was a terrible attitude, but I wasn’t at all excited about the prospect of wearing the dress. It turned out though, that River knew way more than I did (shock of shocks) about what would look good in the wedding. There were 4 of us girls in the wedding party and I have to say that we all looked fantastic. I apparently looked so fantastic that I was nearly irresistible.<br /><br />There is a man who I have known for a couple of years now, he’s a very close friend of both River and her now-husband. He’s adorable and very sweet and I always enjoyed hanging out with him while I was hanging out with River. He’d always been a little flirty, but it seemed he was that way with most girls, so I never thought a thing of it. I was also with PC when I met this guy and had been in a relationship the whole time we had known each other. As soon as he appeared at the wedding, however, he was suddenly far more flirty and affectionate than he had ever been. I noticed, but took it in stride until he pulled me aside at the reception and said he wanted to talk to me outside. Then he grabbed me and kissed me. Naturally, I kissed him back.<br /><br />We were both swept back up into the activity of the evening and that was really the last significant interaction that we had. I was surprised as hell that it had happened, but it wasn’t an unpleasant surprise. A few days after the wedding, I got this man’s phone number from River so that I could just send him a quick text to say I was sorry that I got distracted (to be perfectly honest, I got distracted by dancing with this completely adorable guy who was fresh out of both 8 years with the Navy and a broken engagement) and that I hoped he had a good time. He sent a text back saying all was good and I thought that would be the end of it.<br /><br />Then he sent me a text the next morning to tell me that he was thinking of me…<br /><br />[<span style="font-style: italic;">Sidebar: before I continue on with this story, I seem to be having a bit of trouble coming up with a name for this one. I was speaking with a friend the other day who suggested that I put it out to committee. I think that’s a brilliant idea and so that’s what I’m about to do. Here are some of the basic facts that I know about this guy and you can tell me what you think I should call him:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">He’s a genuinely sweet, good guy (River describes him as the best possible guy)</span> </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">He’s 5th generation Montanan (a fact that I’m jealous of)</span> </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">He’s a Surveyor and loves his work</span><br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">He’s recently become entertained by guns, due to the influence of River's husband</span> </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">He’s been a bit of a gambler in the past, poker mostly, but kicked the habit</span> </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">He’s the 3rd of 4 kids and all of his siblings are married with children</span> </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">He’s a big outdoors lover</span> </li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">He (in a creepy twist of fate) has the same first name as PC</span> </li></ul><span style="font-style: italic;">So, I’m going to put all that out there and see if anyone comes up with something brilliant. This came up, partially, because after I had already named Mr. Green, my coworker started calling him Evel Knievel. I was upset because that was such a fantastic name for him and it was too late to use it. So maybe one of you will be that brilliant and come up with something that just didn’t occur to me. If not, I’ll go with one of the ideas that I've had, though I don’t love either one. Once we can find a suitable name for this new man, I’ll bring you up-to-date on the happenings.</span>]<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"Your tongue in my mouth, trying to keep the words from coming out. You didn't care to know who else may have been here before." Bright Eyes <span style="font-style: italic;">Lover I Don't Have to Love</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-81737196105513390762009-07-08T20:37:00.005-04:002009-07-08T21:14:03.077-04:00No FearSomewhere along the way there has been a change in me.<span style=""> </span>I’m not sure that I actually felt it happening as it did, or that I even know exactly when it did happen.<span style=""> </span>I do know that getting the hell out of LA had a lot to do with it and recovering from the catastrophe that was my relationship with PC also contributed.<span style=""> </span>Maybe some of it has to do with my current family situation and the sub-conscious realization that there’s a lot more to worry about than how other people are going to perceive me.<span style=""> </span>Or maybe that’s just over-thinking it.<br /><br />You see, my dear readers, I spent most of my life battling with some form of low self-esteem or another. I was one of those maudlin teenagers wearing black and lighting candles and listening to Tori Amos’s album <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Earthquakes-Tori-Amos/dp/B000002IT2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1247101259&sr=8-1">Little Earthquakes</a>. (Still a great album, I just don’t obsessively identify with it any more.) Some part of me never felt good enough. I have always believed that a person’s confidence means a lot more than their actual level of attractiveness. Feel good about yourself and other people will be drawn to have good feelings about you. Feel bad about yourself and it surrounds you like a dark cloud or a sign reading “Keep Out”. I used to live under that cloud and behind that sign and it showed in the meager number of dates that I went on in high school. Some of that adolescent insecurity carried over into my adult life (though thankfully I retired the black clothing and candles) and it led to many of my struggles with dating and relationships. Some of those struggles have been documented here. Many of them.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eaKzHlz_HeXOzqGp3_wB5ACOv2jjvgsImJpJdi7hlATjBla4QHoC1nB9gHSLQaIaC21Y8wllt2afdl_BqpLWjoaboQDzNUtLRAqIXbEBrCXejBaZiWvggrzqNkmVVOLuaF95LA/s1600-h/IMG00013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eaKzHlz_HeXOzqGp3_wB5ACOv2jjvgsImJpJdi7hlATjBla4QHoC1nB9gHSLQaIaC21Y8wllt2afdl_BqpLWjoaboQDzNUtLRAqIXbEBrCXejBaZiWvggrzqNkmVVOLuaF95LA/s200/IMG00013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356261503733874354" border="0" /></a><br /> But something has shifted.<span style=""> </span>Situations and people that used to give me pause or make me nervous no longer have the power to do so.<span style=""> </span>Since PC left and I decided to go full-force in the pursuit of a new life and social group here in Florida, I’ve felt very little fear or intimidation.<span style=""> </span>It’s difficult to explain what this feels like for someone who wasted as much of her time worrying about self-worth as I did – but it’s a welcome change.<span style=""> </span>I have received more attention (both romantically motivated and platonic) in the past few months than I have ever received.<span style=""> </span>Surprised as I was by the development of the Mr. Green situation so soon after the break-up, it hasn’t been anywhere near the end of it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"We're ordinary people, we can't help but to change as we walk and make plans in the dark, or to make haste with the boy who can't help but keep good people out. As you talk to me, too much you're assuming, we don't always want what's right." The Shins <span style="font-style: italic;">Pressed in a Book</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-29000768362639945752009-07-01T08:39:00.007-04:002009-07-08T21:15:13.360-04:00Nothing CertainAt the moment, I cannot bear to use this space as a purely emotional outlet. It is so difficult for me to focus my attention away from what is happening right now, and I need to try to do it as much as possible. So I am just going to state the situation, get it out of the way and go back to frivolous posts about the joy of being single again.<br /><br />My dad is actually dying. It's past the point where I can fool myself by just saying that he's sick. We've had hospice care come into the house and they think that we'd be lucky if he was around for more than another month.<br /><br />This is still mostly unimaginable to me, but it's getting to the point that it's undeniable. I was just home in Montana for a bit over a week and the changes that I saw during that time were frightening.<br /><br />I will be going back home to spend what time I can with him in the next little while - it all depends on how much time he has left. I can't imagine not being there through it all, and I'm going to be there as much as I can.<br /><br />So that's where I am. That's why I've been silent the last couple of weeks. But I'm not going to dwell on these events here. I can't do it. I need to allow myself to continue to find fun in things and to continue to develop a life here in Florida. I'm not going to wallow when I don't have to and I'm going to distract myself with cute boys and crazy 4th of July weekend camping trips and I'm not going to make myself feel guilty. This will be hard, as my combination Catholic and Jewish heritage makes me predisposed to all sorts of guilt, but I'm going to work on it.<br /><br /><strong>Lyrics of the Day</strong><br /><br />"And I said, 'Oh Sophia, where'd you get a name like that, living in this dirt road town?' She said, 'I think she was a movie star my father saw before I was born, but I really don't remember now. He left when I was so young.'" Joe Purdy <em>Meteor City</em>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-59724918194497397512009-06-12T08:20:00.002-04:002009-06-12T08:20:00.836-04:00Lost That Lovin' FeelingIn the middle of all the rest of the turmoil in my life, my dating status changed. As much fun as it was to meet someone new and as good as it was for me to confirm that there would, indeed, be life after PC - things with Mr. Green have fizzled out. Somewhere at the confluence of my new social life, his increased work schedule, my family situation and my petrifying fear of commitment the flames of attraction sputtered and went out. I could feel it happen gradually: the phone conversations became less fluid, the plans to hang out less inventive, the need to touch less pressing.<br /><br />Although it's a little sad - the ending of a crush, a possibility - I don't think the timing could have been better. I'm good with dating people and the end of dating. I can very easily develop and maintain a friendship with someone that I've dated, as long as things never got too serious. The other side of the coin is that I'm a terrible ex-girlfriend. Once an actual relationship is over, I have no desire to have any interaction with my ex. Ever. (Unless he totally broke my heart. Then he is welcome to come crawling back to me so that I may accept or reject his entreaties as I choose.) I know that it's cold to want to cut off someone who was once such a large part of my life, but that's just how I roll.<br /><br />I will still see Mr. Green. We're still going to be on the same kickball team. It was one of the things that we talked about early on - that we wouldn't let our personal relationship get in the way of the team - and it won't be a problem. It could be mildly uncomfortable the first time one of us flirts with someone else in front of the other, but that's a bridge that won't have to be crossed for another month or more.<br /><br />It was a good thing for me, and I'm glad that I hung out with him. But I knew that there wasn't any real potential there to get serious (nor did I want to be getting serious with anyone again) and I'm glad that it ended before anyone got hurt. I only really regret that I didn't get more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clue_(film)">Clue</a> jokes out of it while I had the chance.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 189px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345018055264147874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYGTir3Q5Xouv6pM4JejoCOqWpPHZnd5GsdFG4-enP-cyVn8Y08U8jTeB6GcAUpyAwpfu_zWgMDKQMTT9u3svlO5KAUyjdu38qA2jJdVmCh0NJit594PG4DrGe3Ne9gTXERENdLw/s200/clue_board_1986_small.jpg" /><br /><br /><p><strong>Lyrics of the Day</strong></p><br /><p>"What are you holding out for? What's always in the way? Why so damn absent-minded? Why so scared of romance? This modern love breaks me. This modern love wastes me." Bloc Party <em>This Modern Love</em></p>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-8238850332954370532009-06-09T14:47:00.000-04:002009-06-09T15:25:07.318-04:00Downward SpiralI'm supposed to be happy here. I'm supposed to be building a life here. I'm supposed to be getting as much as I can out of what I have around me. But how can I have a clear conscience about doing all of this while my father is dying?<br /><br />It's been a hard 5 or 6 days. Last week I got a reality check that I don't think I was fully prepared to face: the remaining time I have with my dad is severely limited. Just how limited is still uncertain, but the feeling is that it would be a minor miracle if he were to survive the year.<br /><br />It is so hard for me to grasp this. Yet, it's even harder to stop from obsessing about it. Obsessing about the fact that my father will never walk me down the aisle. About the fact that everyone I meet from this point forward may never get to know him. About the fact that he may never get to see the first home that I'm going to buy this year or be able wish me a happy 30th birthday.<br /><br />Part of me feels like I should pack up and go home. Or at the very least, take my 3 month family medical leave and spend as much time as I can with my parents. The Mother assures me that is not what they want me to do. She says that it's more helpful for them to know that my sister and I are living our lives and doing well and being happy. But it's something that I'm now struggling with every day. Until now, there was always some kind of new hope on the horizon: a doctor that hadn't been seen yet, a completely untested new treatment to try, new supplements to add to the diet. Now, there's really nothing left. And I'm left here, wondering what the best thing to do is. For him. For me. For all of us, really.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"And you can learn to live without it, but your heart's gonna stay torn. And you can try hard not to need it, but you'll want it more and more. It's like the calm before the storm." Wild Sweet Orange <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Either/Or</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-77355173647010559762009-06-05T08:40:00.004-04:002009-06-05T08:40:00.844-04:00"The Man Plan"First of all, DO NOT - under any circumstances - buy this book. If your curiosity somehow gets the best of you and you absolutely must read it, either get it from the library or <a href="mailto:SingleLB@gmail.com">email me</a> your address and I will send you my copy (Seriously. Otherwise it's going to Goodwill). Please don't support this book. It hurts my brain to think that it even got published. At the time, I thought the blurb made it sound like it would actually be useful...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOq5QlY_hKOu7lctciBphhYHKxWSXv_iqd2OHTfpE3tYuspNiPtEIDZbxDGLsziaeICWCTOvCaPkzxzgmLeddgrHaVbwHKUs-oLXsgHmBHD_CYvM_z4Fnr2VIyX6EQgd8dX5IVA/s1600-h/IMG00010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOq5QlY_hKOu7lctciBphhYHKxWSXv_iqd2OHTfpE3tYuspNiPtEIDZbxDGLsziaeICWCTOvCaPkzxzgmLeddgrHaVbwHKUs-oLXsgHmBHD_CYvM_z4Fnr2VIyX6EQgd8dX5IVA/s200/IMG00010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343242894954904482" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0399534776/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books"><em>The Man Plan </em>by Whitney Casey</a><br /><br />"<em>While it’s great to suggest that a woman shouldn’t have to conform to unreasonable expectations of perfection in order to attract a guy and keep him, the reality in the dating world is somewhat different. Men are tactile, visual, and visceral, and a spectrum of factors—from the way a woman orders wine to the pictures she has next to her bed to how often she shaves—can be enough to turn a guy off…permanently.</em><br /><br /><em>With</em> The Man Plan<em>, relationship columnist Whitney Casey shares with women what men really think on a variety of issues, from the way women dress to how they take care of their cars. Including the opinions of a cross section of single men—as well as such notable personalities as Joel Osteen, P. Diddy, and Dr. Laura Berman—The Man Plan helps women identify the little issues that can make a big impression."</em><br /><br />Maybe I should have read between the lines. Maybe I should have known what I was in for. But I was less than a week out of a relationship and I was feeling vulnerable and easily sold. So I ordered the book on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/ref=gno_logo_b">Amazon</a> (there was no way I would be caught dead buying it in the store) and hoped for some help in re-entering the dating world.<br /><br />This book nearly rolls back the clock to the days of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Cleaver">June Cleaver</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_van_dyke_show">Laura Petrie</a>. It begins with the idea that all women are stereotypical Girly-Girls with very little sense or sensibility. The first few chapters are a glorified grooming/decorating guide for the completely clueless. Did you know that men like it when we understand basic hygiene and can actually walk in the outfits we've chosen to wear? Me neither! Case in point:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">"So, you've got your body under stink control for the manly stink patrol. But wait - there is one factor you may not have factored in the smell wars. What about all that hot air you are putting out there for him to hear and er...um...uh...smell? Your breath woman! That's another huge and fierce funky factor for him. If your breath speaks louder than your words, you can kiss everyone kissable good-bye."</span></span><br /><br />More gems like this follow in chapters that explain how to pronounce the names of foods (Like Cabernet - not pronounced "cab-er-net", but rather "cab-er-nay". Just in case you were born in a shoe box and never left it.), which car brands you should be aware of to appease a man (Know the difference between a Miata and a BMW - or at least know better than to say something when you don't know.) and how much you should know about the economy and your own finances. This is one of my favorite passages:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">"Four New York City guys are out on the town in Los Angeles. They are far away from their high-powered, high-pressured Wall Street jobs and they are ready to start their high-priced, high-partying night on the town. It's not even an hour into their night before Wayne, Tod, Fred, and RJ meet Marci, Carla, Tiffany, and Tracy - four smoking-hot Orange County girls, 'raring to get down on the town.' As Tod explains: "I don't think these girls had ever met a wallet they didn't like. When I told one I was an investment banker, she said 'Oh, like you work in a bank...like a bank teller?"... </span><br /><span style="font-family: courier new;">... RJ says it best: "These girls were not, but they were so dumb and silly, it was just too annoying." All four of the guys seem bewildered by the absurdity of the previously mentioned dialogue. "I don't get it; women can quote you the exact amount of money they spent last week on that pair of designer shoes, but ask them to quote the exact amount of money Google's stock is selling at, and they look at you like you are speaking in tongues," RJ says. Wayne adds that "women never know about money. They don't know what is happening in the economy, how to save their money, or how to make their money grow. They just know how to spend it."</span></span>*<br /><br />Honestly, I'm so worked up by how offended I am by the book (don't <em>even</em> get me started on the chapter that tells you how to behave when your man is watching sports), it's hard for me to want to tell you the one thing, aside from <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/06/fools-rush-in.html">this</a>, that I got out of the book. But it did actually change the way I do things, so I feel that it's worth mentioning.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;">"'Shave with cold water </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: courier new;">before</span><span style="font-family: courier new;"> your shower or bath.' The hot water of your shower/bath makes your legs well just enough to prevent the closest shave possible. Thus, try shaving your legs sitting on the edge of the bathtub using cold water... as cold as you can stand it. You'll get a much closer shave, and your shave will last longer!"</span></span><br /><br />Somehow in my lifetime of grooming and all my previous research, I never happened across this fact. It really does make a difference to shave in cold water and it's actually a really pleasant experience when you live in Florida where it's warm all the time. For those of you in colder parts of the world - have courage!<br /><br />Unless you've never interacted with a man before or are a complete moron, most of the information in this book is going to sound condescending to you. I felt like it was written assuming that all women are complete idiots and wouldn't be able to find their way out of a Prada handbag without the help of a big, strong man. Even the "celebrity guests" and the oh-so-topical anecdotes that introduce every chapter are extremely weak. If <a href="http://www.whitneycasey.com/">Whitney Casey</a> was ever <em>actually</em> a serious, legitimate journalist, she has fallen far. (Clink on that link. I'm not kidding.)<br /><br /><strong>Lyrics of the Day</strong><br /><br />"Show him that you care just for him: do the things that he likes to do, wear your hair just for him. 'Cause you won't get him thinking and a-praying, wishing and a-hoping." Dusty Springfield <em>Wishing and Hoping</em><br /><br />*<span style="font-style: italic; font-family: times new roman;">There are so many problems with this anecdote, I don't think I can even get into it all. But seriously, the girls are from </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: times new roman;" href="http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county">Orange County</a><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: times new roman;">. Also, I don't know a single woman who doesn't know at least a little bit about the economy or how to handle money. And I also don't know anyone (outside of a stock broker or investment banker maybe) who can quote the "exact stock price" of Google at any given moment. Obviously these douche bags hang out with the kind of girls that don't know what an investment banker is all the time. That's not the fault of woman-kind.</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-40597602861176998982009-06-02T13:25:00.000-04:002009-06-02T13:28:36.429-04:00Fools Rush InThe beginning of my <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/05/treading-water.html">research phase</a> seems to be paying off a little bit already. Last night, I finished a truly terrible "get a man" guide. It contained one relevant piece of wisdom, one chapter that was a little bit of a reality check for me, and a whole load of insanely useless information. I will check back in with a full review (including some of my favorite wonderfully stupid quotes, guaranteed to roll back the clock on feminism) a little later this week. Today, it is the reality check I am interested in discussing.<br /><br />Without going into book-quoting detail, what happened was that I realized I am completely jumping the gun on being worried about how far things have gone and how far they could go with Mr. Green. It is completely normal for people to date for multiple months before anyone starts hinting at full-on Relationship Status. I realized that my view is completely skewed, because it has been about 5 years since I have had a truly normal dating relationship with anyone. Each of my 3 significant relationships have started like a forest fire, burning suddenly and out of control. The last reasonably-paced dating experience I had was when I dated a classmate from school during the summer of 2004. We dated in a completely fun and civilized way for 3 months before deciding that we weren't compatible enough to continue. I had completely forgotten that that is the way that things are <em>supposed</em> to go.<br /><br />Mr. Green and I have only been dating for about a month and a half. Our schedules are such that we can really only see each other on weekends. Things are at just about the right place for the situation, as far as I can tell. So I'm going to let this realization ease my mind.<br /><br />At least that book was good for <em>something</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Lyrics of the Day</strong><br /><br />"Would you always, maybe sometimes, make it easy. Take your time." Grizzly Bear <em>Two Weeks</em>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-9270890179973664572009-05-27T19:51:00.006-04:002009-05-27T20:25:00.387-04:00Treading WaterI haven't been updating all that much about what's going on with Mr. Green. That's because there's not a whole lot new going on with Mr. Green. It's just sort of, well, holding steady.<br /><br />This past weekend, my wonderful girlfriends <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2006/07/saturday-nights-alright.html">SJP</a> and <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2006/08/best-laid-plans.html">LAJ</a> came to visit me. <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/05/open-floodgates.html">Once more</a>, I was able to unleash the maximum dose of Girl Talk upon them. And once again, it was refreshing and a relief. But much of what I had to say was redundant. Things are where they are right now: I like Mr. Green, I like hanging out with Mr. Green, I am deathly afraid of being Mr. Green's (or anyone's) girlfriend. I know that doesn't seem fair, and maybe it does mean that I'm <a href="http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/single-ish/2009/05/have-you-ever-been-in-a-reboun.html">on the rebound</a> a little bit. Because I'm just not there. And however "on" Mr. Green's <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/04/men-are-like-taxis.html">taxi light</a> is, I can't force myself to commit.<br /><br />And it's not that Mr. Green is trying to force that. Actually, we don't really talk about that kind of thing at all. It is basically assumed that neither of us is seeing anyone else (because we spend what mutual free time there is with each other), but it's not something that has been discussed. He definitely hasn't said anything about the big, bad G-friend or B-friend words and I'm not going to encourage him to do so.<br /><br />So, in the meantime, I'm going to do the <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2009/04/right-outta-my-hair.html">research</a> that I alluded to before I met Mr. Green and unwittingly got wrapped right back up in the world of romance. I'm going to be doing a lot of reading in the near future. I've decided to take it upon myself to take on as many of the published love / dating guides as I can stand and to report back to you on their varying levels of usefulness. I can already tell you, some of them are going to be <span style="font-style: italic;">completely</span> useless. And some may be helpful... Only time (and I) will tell.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW2k3bvahSvlNrmCxXHC-R2ACAN3-SpjfvD1B1ve3NnKasB8ngY_v1HDAO_G-rqV-XmF-LHoXyLIFE_Kn_oiheaW2NW3dAAr1hQP0WZTUm8WNzzFaJYqCBPHPYi7c7lUqv2OQqQ/s1600-h/IMG00009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW2k3bvahSvlNrmCxXHC-R2ACAN3-SpjfvD1B1ve3NnKasB8ngY_v1HDAO_G-rqV-XmF-LHoXyLIFE_Kn_oiheaW2NW3dAAr1hQP0WZTUm8WNzzFaJYqCBPHPYi7c7lUqv2OQqQ/s200/IMG00009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340663964570324434" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"You think she's an open book, but you don't know which page to turn to, do you?" Cake <span style="font-style: italic;">Open Book</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26991214.post-35778914546834413332009-05-25T07:45:00.000-04:002009-05-25T07:45:00.061-04:00Single-ishRecently, my lovely and wonderful friend <a href="http://lasinglegirl.blogspot.com/2006/06/and-now-back-to-our-regularly.html">Blondie</a> took it upon herself to pimp me out. She developed a relationship with a sweet and adorable dating blogger on <a href="http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/single-ish/">Single-ish</a> at <a href="http://www.glamour.com/">Glamor.com</a> and took the liberty of directing him to this modest space. <a href="http://www.glamour.com/contributors/ryan-dodge">Ryan</a> seemed at least mildly entertained by my ceaseless ramblings and asked if I would be interested in guest blogging for him while he is in Europe next week. Always ready to prostitute myself for the enjoyment of others, I heartily agreed.<br /><br />So, tomorrow and Thursday, you'll have the opportunity to read a little thing or two that I wrote for <a href="http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/single-ish/">Single-ish</a>. Please visit, and while you're there check out the regular posts and the archives. I know that I was mightily entertained and found a lot of food for thought in there.<br /><br />The fun part of the assignment was that I was to ask questions of the readers and I'm eager for the answers. You all know how usually hopeless I am - maybe there's guidance out there for me yet...<br /><br />Also, many thanks to Ryan for having me as a guest. It's been fun!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics of the Day</span><br /><br />"I am a writer, writer of fictions. I am the heart that you call home. And I've written pages upon pages..." The Decemberists <span style="font-style: italic;">The Engine Driver</span>LBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214743808940339418noreply@blogger.com1