UpDATE: Everyone, Meet Alex.

October 6, 2014October 6, 2014 ~ Single Girl ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes life’s adventures really knock my socks off.

Travel with me back to November 4th, 2009.

(PS – This next part of the story is really personal, but I’m definitely way past it, so no worries. Plus, it helps set the stage for the rest of it…)

My boyfriend of almost 3 years had just dropped me off at the airport. I was en route to Las Vegas for a week to attend a business conference. I had never been before and wasn’t all that interested in the location, but was looking forward to the conference.

He and I were on really rocky terms at that point, and I could feel the end of our relationship almost inevitable, but our last conversation before I left town was one that promised he’d go to therapy.

Unfortunately, he made choices with another female later that night that ultimately ended our relationship.

I found this all out just two days after I had arrived in Vegas.

Imagine finding out the WORST type of betrayal when you’re out of town. Horrible! Helpless!

Naturally, I was devastated.

Beside myself.

Destroyed.

Crying, sobbing in the middle of the Palazzo hallway at 2am because I didn’t want to wake my roomie I was bunking with during the conference (as totally understanding and comforting as she was). For hours and hours I bawled, trying to understand what I had just found out.

But, in my true figure-it-out fashion, and after ditching day 3 and 4 of the conference by staying in bed, I finally pulled myself together enough to get some fresh air down in the casino that next evening. After all, I was staying in a suite at the Palazzo and it was my first time ever in Vegas. Might as well make some good use of it.

I accompanied a girlfriend of mine from the conference at the roulette table. I don’t gamble so I sat there watching, mildly entertained.

At one point, a tall white guy with a friendly face and confident demeanor came and sat down next to me.

He places three crispy one-hundred dollar bills down on the table and gets himself in the game.

He strikes up small talk with us as they all played.

His name is Alex.

And he’s winning.

And winning some more.

Aaaannnd some more!

Dang! Homey is lucky! Or good. Or both.

He’s actually really funny and charming and eventually offers to buy both of us a drink at the piano bar nearby.

We are now quite entertained by our new friend and so we leave Roulette and make our way to a table to continue more conversation.

Eventually, my girlfriend says it’s getting late and heads back to her room.

I’m left there with Alex and we stay awhile longer. The chatting turns to flirting and then I gather what is obvious interest from him.

Due to my VERY recent devastation, I candidly pump the brakes. I tell him I’m a total mess, my boyfriend had just cheated on me and he doesn’t want to have to deal with that.

Who would?! Talk about a rebound sitch!

But he doesn’t care. He’s really interested. And totally shocked and almost angry that any man would EVER consider doing me wrong like that! WTH?!

And/or totally wants to have a random hook up in Vegas. Not that THAT’S ever happened with people in Sin City before. *sarcasm* (Either way, it’s too early to tell Mr. Alex’s intentions.)

I’m due to leave to go back to LA soon, and the week was coming to a close. He asks me when I’m coming back to Vegas because he travels there for his business all the time. Strangely enough I have tentative plans to be back that next week for another conference. I still had to figure some things out, so I was on the fence.

He invites me up to his suite for drinks but I politely decline. I had so much going on in my mind at that point and being the classy-ish lady that I am, I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay with a stranger, so yeah, no, thanks.

He’s cool with that and I get no extra pressure or begging. A gentleman.

He walks me to the bank of gold elevators, pretty sure he kisses me, and then says, “I’d REALLY love to see you again next week. Please consider it.”

Shortly thereafter, I was on a plane back to the City of Angels.

What a whirlwind trip.

My mind was reeling.

As much as I had felt someone had physically ripped my heart out of my chest, this angel type of a guy came along the last part of the trip and made me feel wanted, important, adored.

There was no denying we had a special connection, either. During our chat we had found so many things we had in common, and already had WAY more similarities than my ~~current~~ ex-boyfriend of mine.

I arrive home on Saturday AM, lug my suitcase into my room, and crash on my bed.

I’m exhausted.

Not much later, my phone rings.

It’s Alex.

He can’t stop thinking about me and wishes I had never left.

By then I had figured out I was definitely going to attend the other conference that next week and had already booked a flight back out on Monday. I had no plans for the weekend but to rest.

He’s glad to find out I’ll be back soon, but not ok with waiting the 48 hours to see me.

“So change my ticket for me then,” I tell him, chuckling to myself on the phone.

No way is some guy I just met going to pay to change my flight info. I had plans to be back shortly anyways!

“Send me your itinerary and I’ll do it,” he says. “We can spend the weekend together. You’ll have the best time.”

Oh SNAP.

This dude is serious!

Umm….I panic.

“Really?! But I literally just got off the plane from Vegas and you want me to come right back?”

Well, folks, I’m sure you can guess where this story goes.

I thought, “What the hell…” and grabbed my suitcase.

A few short hours later, I was flying back to Vegas.

The story continues…

UpDATE: Mr. Birmingham. (Ugh!)

August 24, 2014August 25, 2014 ~ Single Girl ~ 3 Comments

(There’s two other parts to this story of my Southern Gentleman Caller and myself. Get caught up here for the first one and here for the second part.)

After very, very brief texts since we had last seen each other (and our first amazing date), I was feeling frustrated because he hadn’t yet nailed down any plans for the upcoming weekend.

We had tentatively said we’d get together this weekend. He was getting really busy with shipments of his things arriving to his hotel, and was still working with realtors to find a house.

But he was interested in seeing me this weekend, as opposed to a day during the week while all this was going on.

First, there is one thing about me you must understand:

I don’t chase.

I expect my experiences to contain more of the traditional type of courting and dating where a man pursues a woman.

Yes, that’s hard to find in 2014, and even more rare to see in such an ambitous city as Los Angeles.

However, I do my part to help things along the way if I see a great opportunity, but in general, I subscribe to the rule that if a guy is interested in you, he’ll make that clear.

He’ll call. He’ll plan. He’ll communicate.

Now granted, some guys have those intentions but are truly busy and/or they don’t have a clue on how to be more forward. Communication is key here.

So Wednesday passes, Thursday passes, and it’s Friday night.

We had touched base on Thursday – his cars had arrived! Yay.

But I had heard NOTHING else since then, and got his voicemail the few times I tried to call. Boo.

Finally, Saturday afternoon (after a very fun day with a good friend of mine), I give him a call.

No answer. Surprise, surprise.

So I send this text, to which he immediately replies:

I respond and let him know I was disappointed in his level of communication and how I deserved at the very least basics.

I also said that I totally understand how he could be so overwhelmed, having just moved across the country, and quietly was skeptical about whether or not he would be able to give me what I’m looking for right now anyways.

The conversation went back and forth a few times. I told him to keep my number, that I’m talking to and seeing other people, but nothing’s too serious and I’m not in a hurry.

So there you have it.

And now I can scream….

WHAT THE HELL?! ARE THERE ABSOLUTELY NO SINGLE MEN IN LA THAT I CONNECT WITH WHO WANT THE SAME THINGS AS ME AND ARE READY RIGHT NOW?! F#×%*!

#rantover

UpDATE: Meet Mr. Birmingham – Part One

August 18, 2014August 18, 2014 ~ Single Girl ~ 2 Comments

Okcupid has been working overtime for me lately.

After a pretty decent break of being on it (and instead, focusing on Tinder’s shenanigans) I logged back in about two weeks ago to peep the scene and check a few messages.

I noticed a guy from Alabama had viewed my profile and the bow tie he was wearing in his profile pic was enough to get me to click through to check out his whole profile.

He has style. Nice.

The fascination had just begun.

The first line of his bio states that he’s a “confident, established, successful gentleman.”

Now that’s all relative, as I’ve learned through previous situations, but I’m curious to learn more, and am definitely looking for someone who’s more established than not.

I skim his profile and it leaves other nuggets in there for me that I love, like that he’s a “relationship guy…who prefers to only date one woman at a time ..sorry if that offends anyone….”

Well, what the what?!

Offended?!

No, charmed. More guys in LA need to adopt this concept.

Continue.

He’s an “engineer by trade, but a writer by heart.”

We’re already similar in that we’re both 50/50 right-brain/left-brain. Nice!

Then it says he’s in the process of relocating to LA.

I wonder if he’s been here already and that this profile is old, but I send him a message saying. ..

“I’m the best tour guide you could ask for in LA, if you’re looking for one!”

He responds back,

“I was hoping you’d say that…!”

We exchange a few messages back and forth. He says he’s arriving to LA on Thursday and that I should contact him then.

We’re both excited to meet each other!

The days go by and we text and play phone tag until we finally have a chance to connect on Sunday. He’d been here a few days already.

I reach him on the phone while driving to my gf ‘s birthday party.

He totally has an accent! A true Southern Gent, born and raised in Alabama. Refined, and I love it.

We talk about things we like and don’t like and we learn we have a bunch of things in common already. Hmmm, interesting!

I don’t really have any friends from the South here in LA, so this is different for me. All I know is that everyone there is friendly, polite, takes their time and loves good food. Kinda like the Midwest where I’m from, I guess. 🙂 Fun!

We’re both available later that evening and I make plans to pick him up. He’s staying at the Hyatt Regency until he buys a house, and won’t get his two cars (yes, TWO cars) delivered here until Monday, so I arrive.

I call him and he says he’s walking out.

Soon I see a man in a light-colored, striped seersucker suit on the phone, walking towards me.

Yes, folks. Seersucker. The South is alive and well.

We hang up and I get out to hug him hello. He cleans up nicely, and can totally pull it off. I learn he’s always styling.

We get in my car and he’s kinda quiet, and chuckling.

I ask him what’s up. He says,

“We drive the same car.”

“What?!”

Haha…yes. Apparently we have matching BMWs, except his is white and mine is black.

“I’m walking up to your car thinking, ‘This woman is not driving my car…’lol….”

We add this to our already long list of things we have in common. 🙂

We take a 4 minute ride over to Beverly Hills and to one of my favorite spots for great first date drinks, The Peninsula. I already knew he’d love the vibe.

We pull up to valet, amongst several Bentleys, Rolls Royces, an Audi R8, and more. I love this place.

We head to the very fancy lounge and sat down to talk and have some wine.

He’s very calm. Confident. Refined.

And totally wearing seersucker!

I’m quite intrigued by this man, and I know the evening is about to get interesting. This is not an ordinary guy…

To be continued….

I Am Absolutely Certain, Without a Doubt, That “The Doc” Loves Me! I Think…

July 28, 2014July 28, 2014 ~ Single Girl ~ Leave a comment

(Head-up….this was from a draft I had written a long time ago but never published. The below story happened in MAY! Much has happened with The Doc and I since, but I had to get you caught up on a very important evening…)

Sigh.

I saw The Doc again.

I debated writing this blog because whatever unfolds from our interactions is always SO REAL and SO DEEP that it’s almost too hard to write about. But nonetheless…

It’d been a few months since we last saw each other. That was after I politely told him to stop contacting me. His random messages of “What’s up babe?” on any given Wednesday but with no follow through or plans to see me was too much for me to handle, so I thought “Outta sight, outta mind” should do the trick. I needed to move on. He had politely agreed, and didn’t argue.

For two months straight I tried my best to forget about him.

I failed miserably.

The Doc is EVERYWHERE and never far from my mind, as hard as I try:

I drive past a hospital or pharmacy – I think of him.

I hear a reference to Belize – I think of him.

Someone plays a reggae song – I think of him.

I travel to Terranea Resort – I think of him.

I meet someone from USC – I think of him.

I’m breathing – I think of him.

See? Bad. I’d want to reach out but never did.

But then I got this freaking kidney stone thing that landed me in the ER and the whole fiasco really, really made me miss him. And it gave me a really, really good reason to reach out to him.

So, naturally, I did.

I emailed him, gave him a quick run down of what landed me in the hospital, and told him I’d love his feedback and opinion on whether or not I should take these two prescriptions they gave me. (I hate taking pills, if I can help it.)

He emailed back right away and said he was leaving for the airport for a meeting but that he’d call me when he got back later that night.

He did call.

He was meeting his boys to play basketball so he only had a few minutes, but he gave me great feedback and said we’d catch up more later.

A few text convos and a week or so later happened.

Fast forward…

It was Saturday and I was looking forward to a second date I had planned with Mr. Marketing. As much as The Doc is…well, my unavailable soulmate in scrubs, I am also a very realistic person and am seeing and meeting other great guys.

Unfortunately, Mr. Marketing cancelled our plans due to family stuff that afternoon. Jerk! Dang it!

I was bummed. Kinda sad, actually. And I hate getting cancelled on last minute.

Actually, I’m being dramatic. For two seconds I was sad.

I read his cancellation text and then immediately text The Doc.

“Happy Saturday!”

He responds right back.

“Happy Saturday to you, too, sexy lady. What’s up on your side?”

Success.

I already knew two things:

1. He wanted to see me.

2. He wasn’t busy that night.

Sure enough, I was right. I really know this man.

Later that night, I brought myself and a tasty 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon over to his place.

I pull into his garage and recall how perfect our cars fit in there next to each other. He’s in there doing laundry, which I can say is probably even MORE perfect of a scenario.

He gives me a huge, big hug and kiss on the neck. His smile is enormous. I’m sure mine’s bigger. I’m SO excited to see him.

We make our way upstairs and he breaks open the wine.

The mood is light, flirtacious, fun. It’s us. It’s always exciting and we both haven’t stopped smiling or laughing for a good 10 minutes now.

He asks me what happened to my plans that night and I tell him (vaguely) that “…people cancelled and wanted to re-schedule…”

“People?” he asks, coyly, as he smiles a knowing smile.

“Ok,” I say. “One person in particular.”

I shake my head, he smiles, and we both know there are others involved here but that it was working out for the better with the two of us right in this moment.

I’ve always loved our honesty.

We catch up. He tells me I look good, despite the kidney stone nonsense, and I get scolded for not drinking enough water. He’s always giving me loving medical advice.

He tells me his cousin says hi.
I want to tell him to give his cousin my number so i can tell him to knock some sense into The Doc and wake up and smell the coffee here and realize I’m the perfect woman for him, but I don’t. I just smile and think it’s special he mentioned that.

And then he tells me that he’s looking to buy another house in Belize.

“What?!?!” I shrieked.

To catch you up on something – he was against another bidder on a property there about 6 months ago, but he lost. When he called me to tell me that he didn’t get it, I told him he lost that house because of fate. I wasn’t in on it with him, and that we should buy our dream house there together. I was half-serious, and I’m sure he thought it was cute.

I told him I didn’t want to hear about this new one.

“Why not?” he asks. “Because you’re not in on it with me?” He smiles.

Ah ha! He remembered.

Honestly, I can see this picture of us living in paradise painted so clearly in my head that I don’t want to hear about it unless it’s going to happen. So I ask him one question:

“You can tell me about it but ONLY if the answer to this question is “yes”…

“Ok, shoot,” he says.

“Will I ever see this house with my own eyes?”

And without missing a beat, he says, “Sure! Why not?”

I get all serious and say, “Yeah, ok. Whatever. I don’t invite myself to places that I’m not wanted…”

He corrects me. He’s serious, too. “You’re here now, aren’t you?”

We’ll see.

Anyways, he tells me about this amaaazing property on the tropical blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. I picture him, me and a hammock and I go into dreamland again. This fairy tale is amazing, isn’t it?

Back to reality…

We talk for another hour cuddled up on the love seat, have the TV on in the background, laugh, catch up on work and careers, and finish the bottle of wine.

It’s getting late now. Time to go to sleep.

We head upstairs, a now familiar trek. I mean, we’ve known each other for awhile now.

Sorry to let down you about any juicy, racy, sexy details, but the rest of the night is literally a PG situation – we sleep/cuddle and nothing else. About 90% of the night he’s spooning me. He’s even affectionate in his sleep! Perfection.

I wake up early in the AM to the sound of my phone buzzing. It’s a new message on OkCupid.

The Doc is turned over and snoring.

I check it, cuz, hey why not.

Side note: At this point, for those of you following this never-ending love story of The Doc and I who are all like, “What the heck is she doing?? Why’s she holding out for this dude? He’s clearly not into her the same way…” Well, just hold it one hot second.

I’m not in my 20s anymore. I’ve worked in the dating and relationship space for years and know many former clients or friends who are relationship experts, authors, speakers, therapists and more. I’ve learned a ton and feel pretty healthy in my choices.

Besides, if I WAS all into him (and only into him) I wouldn’t have been excited to check my dating app notifications while snuggled under his 1200 thread-count sheets while he slept beside me. 🙂 I’m optimistic, yet realistic. Big difference.

I check the message. It’s from a new guy. Cool.

I also check my texts. More late night messages from others who are pursuing me. Cool, but I don’t respond.

The Doc is still sleeping but I do kinda have a guilty conscience so I put my phone back on the bedside table. They all can wait.

I’m fully awake now and it’s about 8am on a Sunday. No going back to sleep for me, so I lay there and look around. His master bedroom suite is so familiar to me and I’m always amazed at how neat and orderly it is.

The pile of books on his bedside table include “The 5 Love Languages” and “What On Earth Am I Here For?” by Rick Warren.

I know what he’s here for!!!!

Unbeknownst to him, the answer is clearly for him to find me, fall in love and live happily ever after.

I’m WISHING that it said that on page 42 or something and all he’d have to do is stumble across it eventually.

But it doesn’t, so I’m left to let the Big Man Upstairs handle the timing or outcome on this one.

An hour or so passes by and FINALLY he stirs awake.

He leans over and kisses me gently on my head.

“Good morning.”

I smile.

I tell him “Hi…” and that I should get going soon.

Honestly, I have no plans, but never want to overstay my welcome, and also I recall him saying he had plans to meet his mom for lunch. #perfectson

But I did not expect what would happen next to happen.

For the next THREE HOURS, we laid in bed and talked.
(TALKED, people! I swear to goodness.)

He didn’t want me going anywhere. I was officially trapped on this cloud.

But seriously, the stuff we talked about was deep. It was real.

Real deep.

It didn’t start off that way. In fact, it was our usual catching up conversations.

Conversations that couples have on lazy Sunday mornings who are conquering life together, as a team.

He caught me up on his work, his less-than-amazing boss, his recent accomplishments and his busy travel schedule lately. Meetings, conferences, speaking engagements. He’s killing it out there.

I’m so proud of this guy. He’s a star at his company and is looked to for knowledge and expertise that guys 20 years older don’t have. His intelligence, drive and ambition is one of the most sexy things about him to me.

The hours tick by and we’re still cuddling and talking in bed.

We’re both in the comfortable space we’ve become accustomed to. He stops for a moment, kissses my forehead and says..

“Hey. Don’t ever stop talking to me like you did again, ok?”

He’s kinda sad, definitely serious.

The Doc has actually communicated something that he wants from me. Fascinating.

I feel bad now that I did spend the last few months ignoring him and cutting off all communication. I guess the guy noticed.

I agree and tell him I’m sorry and then tell him that as hard as I FRICKIN’ TRIED, I couldn’t stop thinking about him during that time anyways. My plan had backfired.

Then The Doc tells me I’m never far from his mind. He’s always thinking of me and praying for me and wishing me the best. Always.

Well, dangnabit. I had no idea.

We end up basically professing love for each other.

Not the “Let’s-get-married-tomorrow” kind of love, but the “We-really-care-about-the-lives-of-each-other-here” kind of love. It’s one I’ve not ever experienced.

And yes, it’s not the one I’m exactly looking for, either.

I do feel amazing, however, and protected and special, and….loved, in this moment. I try to hold onto it for as long as possible, knowing that as soon as I get up out from under the crisp white down comforter we share, it’ll be back to reality.

And back to my OkCupid and Tinder messages.

Strangely enough, I’ve come to appreciate both situations.

We spend a bit more time together in bed (still only a PG situation) and then it’s time for me to leave.

As I head to my car in his garage, we’re both smiling. He kisses me one last time, gives me another big hug and I’m on my way.

I drive all the way home with a smile….and a peace in my heart.

Tinder: Crash and Burn 101

July 28, 2014July 28, 2014 ~ Single Girl ~ Leave a comment

In case you either live under a rock or are married (both are perfectly fine), there’s this new dating app called, Tinder. It runs strictly on your smartphone.

I think they called it “Tinder” because the idea is to set your love life up in flames as quickly as possible.

Let me explain.

Known as the “hook up” site and a reputation for quick, meaningless connections within a few miles of where you’re currently located, Tinder requires less effort than blinking your eyes and about 2 brain cells to determine whether the “match” displayed on your screen is someone you want to like or not.

If you like their pic and have read their short bio (if they’ve even written one), you take your thumb and swipe right on their pic to let them know you’re interested. (For the uber curious, you can click to see up to 5 total pics…if they’ve actually uploaded them.)

If they’ve already done that same “swipe right” process after seeing your profile, BADABOOM! You’re a MATCH! Cupid can go back to sleep now and your hot and heavy adventure can begin.

Given my extensive knowledge and current practice using other dating apps, I’d say this one’s at the bottom of the spectrum in terms of finding someone amazing, who’s also truly looking for a long-term relationship.

Except for this guy I met on Tinder last Friday who I’ll probably marry….

But more on that later. 🙂

upDATE: Mr. Can I Get a Vowel

April 28, 2014April 28, 2014 ~ Single Girl ~ Leave a comment

After 7 months of not seeing each other, I agreed to finally see Mr. Can I Get a Vowel again.

The fact that his name is literally missing a vowel and is spelled incorrectly (yet….not…cuz that’s how his mama spelled it) still bugs me. However, we did have some crazy chemistry and I remember both dates that we had last year like they were yesterday. Might as well, right? He told me he’s completely single and still wondering what I’m up to.

We met at a place in Venice for drinks.

As I began to walk in to meet him, I realized that he hadn’t seen me (or even a pic of me) with my new haircut. I’ve been told I look pretty different now, and I agree.

Oh, great.

I immediately felt the anxiety of the “First Date Nerves” all over again. That beginning part where you’re meeting someone in person after communicating mostly via text or message or phone.

Sure enough, I’m walking towards who I think is him, sitting at a table towards the back. The place is packed.

The guy turns and looks at me walking towards him across the room. He doesn’t respond.

Oh, CRAP! He totally doesn’t recognize me! Wait. Is that even HIM???

I literally keep walking towards this guy, getting closer and closer. I’ve committed to it.

Still NO RESPONSE. Not a smile, but a look of confusion, perhaps?

I am now literally AT the table and I’m 98% sure it’s him but need him to say something so I can recognize his voice. Or a smile, or something! ANYTHING!

I decide that it’s him and pull up a chair next to him and say, “Hi! Yeah, it’s me. I cut my hair….”

The look of wonder starts to fade and he smiles a faint smile.

He totally didn’t recognize me!

Ha!

Awkward.

He looks at my hair, me up and down, back at my hair. It’s funny and random. He says he likes it, he just didn’t recognize me.

We begin to catch up and our nerves dissipate.

He’s still super attractive and I love his style and designer jeans. The man can dress.

He asked me what happened to the guy I last told him I was seeing (umm…that would be The Doc, last year). He has a great memory.

I tell him that that guy was great, but that he didn’t want a longterm, serious relationship with me.

He says, “Yeah, welcome to my world. That’s woman’s problem in LA.”

Umm, excuuuuuze me?! I thought that was just MY challenge!

Apparently he’d been meeting other people off of Plenty of Fish who were a bit bat*** crazy. He says that most women here don’t know what they want.

I love hearing the men’s perspective on dating. It’s usually a topic on 80% of dates I go on.

He’s an affectionate guy and we’re flirting. He puts his hand on my knee as we watch the NBA game that’s on and talk.

After he buys us a round or two of drinks, we close out our tab.

Since we’re a block away from the ocean, we head to his car to put our stuff away.

I recognize the same black BMW he had last year, and it felt nice to see something “familiar” when I haven’t talked to him in so long. Our connection is definitely there and I feel very comfortable with him. He has a very quiet, calming presence.

He grabs a blanket out of the trunk and we walk around the pier and almost empty boardwalk of Venice.

After about an hour of hearing waves crash on the beach, we parted ways with him promising me that I won’t wait another 7 months to see him again.

I made the promise, and I’m sure it won’t be 7 months, although I’m not exactly sure why or when we’d see each other again.

As much as I enjoy our connection on the chemistry side of things, he’s lacking in a few other areas that are very important to me. Ambition and career track. Plus, he may be moving to Puerto Rico for 4 months to go work for his brother who’s a professional basketball player (and former LA Clippers player).

Nothing longterm is really there, but we’re still in communication and I won’t blow him off or lose his number anytime soon.

(Fun Fact: As I started to type this blog about him, I remembered on our date that he said his birthday was yesterday! And he turned 40! That was a big deal! OOPS! I feel like a total jerk.

I just text him “Happy Birthday” wishes and hope he had a good weekend and we’ve been texting back and forth.

Thank God I’m blogging! I probably wouldn’t have remembered til sometime next week when it randomly hit me! Thanks, Single Girl Shenanigans. See – I blog for you guys, but I also blog for me. It helps me remember things.) 🙂

They’re Baaaack

April 22, 2014April 22, 2014 ~ Single Girl ~ Leave a comment

First of all, I know I owe my faithful readers a Part 2 of the last blog, False Starts and Orgasms, but to be honest with you that all sort of fizzled out and I’ve been too uninspired to finish the story. Sorry.

Mainly because the guy has been keeping in contact with me but not making any further plans. He tells me he’s focused on his gig at Warner Bros, as well as his side projects and launching his company. He checks in on me and we talk every now and then. But nothing more. So frustrating! I also think he’s confused on what he wants.

Welcome to the non-committal, career-driven, Single Man Syndrome in Los Angeles. Again. My catch-22. Sounds like The Doc.

That being said, I’m writing this quick blog update to let you know that there are people who DO know what they want, and they won’t leave me alone! And strangely enough, these guys are from my past blog updates. It was last year when I met both of these guys, if I recall correctly.

So many guys come back down the road. Especially if I’m the one who isn’t interested after a date or two. Weird.

Anyway, Mr. Can I Get A Vowel and Mr. Too Young Tyson Beckford have both been consistently persistent in wanting to see me again. Last night both of them were texting me…

Mr. Can I Get A Vowel is single (and still VERY hot, I imagine) and apparently thinks about me all the time but didn’t want to bother me. However, his tune clearly changed recently, as the texts began picking up again. He has been asking to see me for several weeks now but I’ve been hesitant.

I told him I had reservations that we don’t want the same things. Although we have CRAZY chemistry, I’m looking for a long term committed relationship, and I’m not sure that’s what he wants too. He says he understands what I want, that he’s open to that idea, that he really likes me and that he wants to ‘go with the flow.’

That’s either code for “yeah yeah yeah…I just want in your pants so I’ll say anything at this point…” OR it means he’s potentially interested in really getting to know me better and doesn’t want to promise me anything he’s not sure about. They both sound the same.

You could flip a coin on this one. We’ll see.

We have a date on Wednesday night.

He came up with a plan, a place, a time, a day – all something that a lot of men, it seems, have trouble doing.

Side note: It’s not rocket science to ask someone out for coffee or a drink, geez! Be a man! Ask us single ladies out on a date, already! 🙂

I digress.

So naturally, I accepted his invitation.

Last night I fell asleep to his text that said he was very excited to see me and couldn’t wait. That made me excited, too. It will be good to catch up with him at least.

This morning I woke up to a text from him telling me:

“Good morning, beautiful. I hope you have a wonderful day.”

I like it. 🙂

Mr. Too Young Tyson Beckford isn’t that serious, and hasn’t planned an actual date with me yet, although he’s mentioned wanting to get together a few times. He was gone for a couple weeks on a business trip in Canada and returned recently.

He’s still a few years younger. I believe he’s still in his late 20’s, which was my biggest reservation in the past.

My ex-boyfriend is 50! That’s quite a gap.

However, he’s very, very interested in seeing me again and who knows what I’ll do with that one. Probably nothing. Even over text I can sense some immaturity. It’s not his fault, its just where he is right now in life. Nothing wrong with that. (Except horrible timing for me!) I’m really looking for someone who’s in their 40s.

But DANG! He is gorgeous!

So there’s a quick roundup.

There are other players on the field. More of them are on the sidelines or brand new to the lineup and not yet blog-worthy. Of course, I’ll be sure to let you know if anything develops.

Who knows what will happen, but I can almost guarantee you… shenanigans.

Shenanigans, indeed.

False Starts & Orgasms – Part I

April 2, 2014April 2, 2014 ~ Single Girl ~ Leave a comment

Attention faithful followers of my shameless shenanigans!

NEW GUY ALERT!

Yes, folks. There’s someone new on the scene and he’s worth blogging about. The online dating gods have conspired yet again to bring me a “match.” Well, that happens all the time, actually. But we spent almost all of our time together this last weekend, so it’s definitely more than an algorithm’s suggestion at this point. Read on.

About a month ago:

1. He sends me a message on OkCupid (remember I deleted my Plenty of Fish account awhile back)

2. I check him out, think he’s cute and interesting and funny, so I respond.

3. We go back and forth for the next week or so.

4. We finally exchange numbers.

5. We text.

6. I leave for a trip out of state a few days later. I’m gone for a week.

7. I return and we make plans to meet.

8. We have a few conversations via phone. Yes, folks. A real conversation on the telephone. Rare. I treasure it.

9. We make plans to meet on a Saturday night.

10. But THEN….those plans fall through. He basically flakes on me. I’m mad/disappointed, yet honestly was too tired to go out that night anyways.

11. He KNOWS I’m mad/disappointed and profusely calls/texts me the next day apologizing. He had a misunderstanding of the plans.

12. He’s cute and funny and he’s APOLOGIZING so I forgive him.

13. After reading him the polite version of the riot act about how my weekend time is precious and usually pretty scheduled in advance and how I LOVE when a man makes a plan (ie – “How about we meet for coffee on Saturday at 3pm?” instead of “Well maybe we can cross paths on Saturday night…”), and also how 3 other guys contacted me the night we were supposed to go out (FUN FACT: including Mr. Too-Young-Tyson-Beckford!… who I haven’t heard from since I turned him and his hot, gorgeous, skinny jeans-loving self down), and NOW he understands. He feels bad. And he realizes he needs to “step his game up” because I’m clearly a “popular woman…” Um, yes. Whatever the case, communication is all I ask for. Still cute.

There’s the backstory.

Here’s the rest:

Armed with his new knowledge about how I roll (I love a solid PLAN and all…), he calls to ask me out to dinner, Saturday night. Reservations are at 7:30pm and we’ll have dinner and drinks at this cool place he’s been to before. RESERVATIONS!

Now, let me share something.

I feel this is way too much for a first date. What if I don’t like him? Or, worse….what if he doesn’t like ME?! That makes for a very awkward dinner.

I much prefer to meet first for a brief cup ‘o joe and let a coffee date organically turn into something more, but apparently this guy wants to do things a bit differently.

Ok, fine. I just roll with it. Dinner is going to be at least $125, if not more, but hey, his call. He’s clearly listening to how I prefer things now and brushed off my suggestions for something simple. I can definitely appreciate his extra effort.

We have plans to meet at Bar Pinxto, very close to where I live, but a place I’d never been to. He gets excited when I tell him it’s something new for me to discover. It’s a super cute, rustic but fancy Spanish tapas bar. I’m up for it and feeling adventurous.

I’m wearing a purple-blue dress and tall, black boots. It’s dressy for Santa Monica, yet it’s not. I love the diversity here.

I’m standing outside the restaurant and then see him walking up towards me. He’s CUTE! Even cuter in person. He’s wearing jeans, a collared shirt and a brown leather type of jacket over it. Stylish.

He hugs me hello and gives me a kiss on the cheek. Very sweet.

We head inside and are seated.

He’s nervous. I’m nervous. We make awkward small talk as we look at the wine menu we’ve just been handed.

He’s smiling. I’m smiling. This is going to be interesting.

Him: “Do you see anything you like?”

Me: (a lover of wine, but definitely NOT a wino) “Ummm….I’m not picky. Do you have a preference?”

Him: “Oh, yes. I love Spanish wines.”

I recall we’re at a Spanish tapas place. There is a large assortment of bottles of wine all around us on display.

I’m quickly sold on the fact that this guy clearly has some culture and cuisine skillz. YES.

He suggests I try a favorite wine of his and we talk about our day.

He works for Warner Bros and actually had to push back our reservations by a half hour because he was stuck at work on a Saturday getting something ready for a film they’re about to release. I’m glad to learn he’s a career-guy!

He’s from NYC and was transferred out here to Los Angeles about a year ago for work.

He’s good at his job, yet also has a full-on business plan for what he wants to do with his own company he’s about to launch.

The waitress asks to take our order and I tell him I don’t understand anything on the menu (more or less…it’s all in Spanish) so he politely orders for the both of us. A few small plates here and there.

The food is amazing!

Mostly things I’ve never heard of or experienced, and I’m loving the adventure as much as he’s loving that he’s the one who gets to watch me experience it for the first time.

The special of the night has squid ink in it and I learn he MUST order this dish.

Like I said. Adventurous. That sounds nasty, right?!?!

Well, this man hadn’t led me astray all night and sure enough, it was delicious.

Throughout the next 2 1/2 hours, we dine and talk and bond over squid ink and calamari.

I learn about his family and how he’s very close with his mom, dad and three younger sisters all back on the East Coast.

He also has a 5-year-old daughter and the bi-coastal parenting adjustment has been hard for him. I can relate and I give him tips about his plans to take her to Disneyland when she’s ready to come visit pretty soon.

He asks me questions about what I do and he’s fascinated.

I share more about who I am and a bit on my work, but mostly he’s a chatterbox telling me stories about living and growing up in New York City and his transition to living here on the West Coast now.

We’re having a GREAT time!

We wrap up dinner and then decide to take a stroll down Ocean Avenue.

We stop to look inside the windows of an art gallery and we both identify our favorite pieces. He tells me he just picked up some new canvases at Michael’s the other day, and I’m glad to find we also have this hobby in common. I’d love a “paint date” in the future. 🙂

He walks me back to my car and as we’re standing in the parking lot, he begins to play the “I don’t want to leave but I’m not sure if I should kiss you or just keep talking to you” game.

It’s cute.

He’s been kinda stand-offish all night physically, yet definitely connected.

So it’s getting late and I say I’m going to head home. We hug and I thank him for an awesome night, with big kudos on picking out a great restaurant.

He’s glad I enjoyed the evening – he’s had just as good of a time as well.

I get in my car and he heads off to his.

On the way home, I realize we just spent about 3 hours together. Not bad for a first date! All smiles.

I also realize that you’ve read this whole blog and there has been NO mention of orgasms. Sorry.

That happens on the next date, so I’ll be calling this one Part I.

Stay tuned…

UpDATE: The Architect

April 1, 2014April 1, 2014 ~ Single Girl ~ 2 Comments

I learned so much this weekend.

First, I learned that as much as The Architect intrigues me, it’s not a match.

Without divulging too much detail about his personal life and continuous drama with the mother of his two children, I’ll say this much:

We all have baggage. We just have to decide how much strength we have to carry a heavy (or lighter) load. And when it comes to a very fresh, very new potential relationship, this includes you and how much of their baggage you choose to deal with alongside them. Especially when you’re close enough to be trusted with and learn all of the craziness happening from a pretty early start.

There’s a LOT.

Long story short, the level of his “baby mama drama” is like an 11 on the 10-point scale. And even though she’s this famous blonde Hollywood-type you’ve most likely seen on a TV show (a Dr. who talks about relationships of all things!), according to The Architect she’s bat-poop cray cray. A fraud and total hypocrite who is somehow “obsessed” with Mr. Architect, as he says. The stories he shares with me about her are like nothing I’ve heard and it makes me appreciate the people in my life who are SANE.

They’ve not been together for over 6 years but as a very active dad in his two daughter’s lives, it’s inevitable and almost unavoidable drama for him on a daily basis.

I learn more and more during our date this weekend:

After not seeing each other for a month or so, The Architect invites me out for brunch.

I was curious to see how he was doing (new developments for him on the work side of things) and we do have a special connection.

We spent a few hours in the warm, sunny SoCal city of Manhattan Beach. After we ate at Ocean View Cafe, we walked down to the ocean.

He shared with me the latest gripes and groans about everything going on (his ex, his latest client who won’t pay his full rate, etc) and I found myself feeling sad.

Sad for him because it’s never any fun when one parent uses the kids to manipulate the other parent. Sad for him because I know he loves his daughters and his ex puts so much unnecessary strain on those relationships, and after 16 years of it, he’s TIRED. And finally, sad for him because the majority of what he talks about now is almost all negative.

I’m a glass-half full type of woman and maybe when I’m 56 I’ll be a Negative Nancy, too, but I certainly will do everything in my power to NOT be!

In addition, I can’t STAND people who are negative. Or not just negative, but who only talk about the bad things in life. He might speak about actual facts of a situation that he can’t do anything about, but there’s always light to find in a situation, too.

I much prefer to keep things positive, happy, light-hearted and fun.

Much of what he talks about is just repetitive, too, and I’m not a fan of a broken record.

I AM a fan, however, of acknowledging the bad stuff but then changing things up and to start focusing on the positives we see right in front of us.

Fast forward…

He knows I have plans later in the day (another date!…although I didn’t share that), so we head back. I drop him off. We hug and he gives me a kiss goodbye.

It didn’t feel “final” or anything, but in my heart he’s definitely moved into The Friend Zone.

Which, of course, SUCKS because now instead of getting it for free, I’ll probably have to pay him to build me that dream house, in which I won’t be living in with him. Sigh.

The Doc, His Cousin and Me: An Interesting Threesome

February 22, 2014February 22, 2014 ~ Single Girl ~ Leave a comment

After a long somewhat stressful, definitely busy week at the office I was ready to just come home tonight and chill. It’s a Friday, I’ve survived the post-Valentine’s Day madness, and I just want to kick back.

Earlier, I declined an invite to meet a new guy from OkCupid out for drinks (and yes, I deleted my Plenty of Fish account for certain reasons, but OkCupid has been there like a trusted standby.)

I had already re-scheduled dinner plans earlier with a girlfriend for another time.

Another text comes in. I decline a second invitation to head out to party with a guy who I’ve known for several years, who’s interested in dating me (even though I’d rather just be friends). He’s so much fun, but definitely not near me in Santa Monica right now, and I don’t feel like driving anywhere.

So I’m chillin’ on the couch, eating some dinner and watching American Idol on the DVR when guess who calls me out of the blue?

The Doc.

My heart skips a beat and I debate not answering. I’m sooo tired.

But, HELLO! It’s The DOC!

So, duh, I answer.

He wants to know what I’m up to tonight. Him and his cousin (who I’ve heard many things about) are looking for something to do, and he says it’d be nice to see me. They’ll even come to me so I don’t have to drive.

So an hour and change later, I’m walking across the street to our local watering hole, which is ALSO the same place I had my housewarming party where The Doc and I slow danced for an hour, holding each other and catching up after not seeing each other for awhile. Obviously special memories.

I meet his cousin.

He’s tall and built, just like The Doc, and also from Belize.

They’re both dressed nice – The Doc in a salmon-colored Nike polo shirt and jeans and his cousin in a nice collared shirt and jeans.

I’m feeling floored that I’m being introduced to family members for the first time tonight, but hey, whatever. I can roll with it.

The Doc immediately tells his cousin that the last time we were here together he and I “slow danced to an uptempo jam while all her friends carried on around us…it was great…”

…and all of a sudden I realize that The Doc has DEFINITELY told his cuzzo about who I am and what I mean to The Doc, on more than one occasion and knows things like I’ve stayed at his house before, and how we both love when he makes coffee in the mornings with his new French press contraption. And, he’s not shy or embarrassed or squeamish about these details.

Refreshing.

It’s almost like we’re dating.

We all laugh, we joke, we have a GREAT time.

His cousin, more than once, laughs at my jokes or high fives me for giving The Doc some crap about something or other (I like to give him a hard time…he loves our sharp, witty banter).

On several occasions, his cousin looks at The Doc after something I said and goes, “I approve” as he points at me and smiles. “Yeah, man…”

At one point, his cousin says, “I’ve never seen him smile so much. He wasn’t even smiling til you walked in, and now he can’t stop!”

It’s cute.

We banter, we flirt, we order fancy drinks (of which they are both connoisseurs of good drinks) and talk about several things, including love and relationships.

Yes, we went there. In a light-hearted kinda way.

I have no problem telling The Doc that he’s more of a “Tinder than eHarmony kinda guy,” mostly to test him and his lack of commitment conversations we’ve had so many times in the past.

But tonight he actually defends himself!

Which is weird cuz that’s not like him.

Plus, we’re talking about all of this with his cousin, too, who’s very much a part of this conversation.

I’m finding it very interesting how open and vulnerable The Doc is being. Not only with me, but in front of his cousin, too! We’ve had many a deep conversation by ourselves, but this is unique. I know they’re super close and it’s obvious he’s comfortable in this space.

The Doc tells me maybe he IS more of an eHarmony target customer but that most people just don’t know his heart is actually on the other side, so they can’t find it.

I joke that he just shared with me where his heart is, and whether or not he realized that, and he says, “That’s ok that you know. I know you won’t break it.”

Breakthrough.

I tell him “that’s true” and deep down I know that if this man truly gave me his heart, it’d be the world’s best love story, and that I’d love him more than anyone I’ve ever loved in my life. There are SO many things I love and respect about who this man is as a person.

His cousin goes to the bathroom at one point and The Doc pulls me close and tells me how good it is to see me.

I’m in familiar territory but I refuse to get all goo-goo-gaa-gaa over this moment, because I never know really where he’s at. My heart is protected now, too.

Eventually the bar is closing down so he takes care of the check.

We walk out and he wants to walk me home (across the street) like a gentleman.

I hug his cousin goodbye as he waits for valet to get their car. He says he definitely wants to see me again, and that we’ll make plans. I like him – he’s cool people!

The Doc walks me to my door. We stand reallllly close to each other, we hug, he tells me I smell good.

We banter, I give him crap about the whole “Tinder vs eHarmony” thing again, he tells me to quit, smiles, he thanks me (again) for coming out to meet them, and I thank him for meeting me here so close to my place.

We kiss, and I wipe some of my very red lipstick off of his lips after.

“Oops, sorry,” I say.

He shrugs and says, “I like it.”

We then hug and say good night and he watches me walk away, with this big cheesy, adorable grin on his face.

And there ya have it.

A random night with The Doc, where he wanted me to meet his cousin. So I did.

It means everything, nothing or something in the middle.

Too late and too much to figure out with this guy, so instead, I’m heading to bed.

The story of The Doc & I continues…