ex boyfriends

UpDATE: Everyone, Meet Alex.

~ 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…

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They’re Baaaack

~ 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.

Frustration, an Ex and the Deleting of my Plenty of Fish Account

~ Single Girl ~ 5 Comments

Valentine’s Day is this Friday.

As of today (Monday morning), I have no plans with anyone special and I’m doing my best to not flip my lid.

Not that I think the world will end if no one asks me on a date for Valentine’s Day, but with all of the recent shenanigans activity you would think SOMEONE would make a move. But, no.  Nothing yet.

Let me update you.

Since my last blog, there’s been MUCH going on.  With several people.

I’ve spent a tremendous amount of time with Mr. Architect lately, and also saw The Doc.

Both are special men who I have a unique connection with, especially The Doc, for those of you who’ve been reading our 8-month-long journey.

Also, last night a guy I used to date briefly a few years back got together with me and told me that his world stops and time stands still whenever he sees me, and that he’s never wanted to be with anyone other than me and how special and connected he feels with me. “If you’re ready for a relationship, I’m sure you’ll pick me.”

Ummm, no.

You’re not the one, buddy.  We had our moments, but that window has closed.  Thanks for pouring your heart out to me, but I can’t help if I know in my heart you’re not the one, and now I’m even MORE frustrated because you’re a nice guy offering me what I want, but I have no feelings for you.

So, hence my frustration because no one seems to be willing to make any REAL moves here.  Well, correction – the guys I WANT to make moves, aren’t.

Or my Prince Charming just hasn’t arrived yet and I’m still being taught how to be patient.

Patience, my ass.  Ain’t nobody got time for that!

(Ok, that was probably the most ironic statement of all time.  So, just kidding.)

So, on Saturday morning, I had logged on to my Plenty Of Fish account.

POF shows you who’s “online” of the guys you’ve been talking to, messaging, or in some cases people you’ve met in real life from POF who still have an active account.

I log in to check my messages and see what’s going on.  It’s kinda become as routine as checking emails.

Who do I see “online?”

Mr. Architect.

Again.

I’ve now seen him “online” every day for the past two weeks or so and it’s obvious he’s still using the site.  In fact, there have been a few times where we’ve both just seen each other, and 20 minutes later are both logged into “Plenty of Fish.” That can’t be good, right?

So I see him logged in on Saturday.

That’s fine.  We’re not married, but for some reason this really starts to bother me.

His communication with me lately is still pretty good, we’ve seen each other a lot, we text and email all the time and he’s “serious about this” with me, so it’s always weird to see someone say and do these things yet continue to log back into the dating site that brought you two together in the first place.

I can’t stand it any longer.  I actually thought Mr. Architect and I were heading down the path of only being interested in each other (he even has told me that his intuition told him I was “the one” when he first saw my profile online, among other serious conversations we’ve had about what we’re both looking for, etc).

Yeah, so why be online so much?

So I delete my Plenty Of Fish account.

I need a break.

Too much to figure out, lately, and I need answers.

Ok, I don’t need answers, I’d just really like to know what’s going on inside the heads of a few people.

I feel more comfortable with stability here, and guessing what’s going to happen, or waiting to see what’ll develop gets old real fast.

Deleting my POF account helped relieve some of that stress.  I’ll no longer have to know if this dude is online talking to plenty of other fish in the sea everytime I log in!

(Side note: I DELETED MY POF ACCOUNT! Did you read that part?! Not sure if you realize, but for me, that’s like the equivalent of a smoker giving up cigarettes.  Oh wait.  I just made the analogy of dating to quitting an addicting, disgusting disease that makes you smell nasty and could eventually kill you at some point.  Hmmm….gulp.)

So there ya have it.

A brief update on the love life.

(Second side note: I did talk to my sister who lives in Nebraska for quite awhile this weekend, too.  She’s married and has been off the market for awhile now.  She asked why it was so tough to date in LA, and I’ve broken it down to two reasons, but that’s best left for another blog.)

Thanks for reading, my friends.

Love and hearts and roses and stuff…to you all.  If I don’t have a Valentine by Friday, I’ll be sure to choose you guys instead, deal? 🙂

Facebook Is a Snitch (upDATE: Mr. Can I Get A Vowel)

~ Single Girl ~ Leave a comment

It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve turned into a Private Investigator and gone to social media to find somebody to stalk,… err, I mean, look at.

We all do it.

And with new dates popping up faster than the Orville Redenbacker popcorn machine at the movie theater, I’ve got to find extra info on these boyz STAT, yo!

Remember Mr. Can I Get A Vowel?

Well thank goodness he’s missing a vowel in how to spell his name cuz he was the ONLY guy on Facebook that came up in my search. How convenient!

He’s still texting me everyday, calling me “baby” (Btw, what is that with guys? I’m not your baby until we’re exclusive! Do you know how many people’s “baby” I am?? It’s getting watered down.  Ugh.), and he’s tried to see me again (I already had plans that night) .

Let’s see what this guy’s REAL story is…

His profile? Pretty barren and locked down. Most recent profile pic was from 2011, and it was one of the same ones from his dating profile.

I couldn’t see or learn anything else, really. I flipped through a few old pics in an album on the red carpet with his brother, the guy in the NBA. Meh. Whatevs. Nothing too shocking. No women in his pix, just a bunch of guy friends. He still looks good, though.

But THEN… I see it.

A picture on his timeline from 2011, a selfie of a woman he had tagged as “my friend.”

She’s a pretty Asian girl and right away I remember him saying on our first date that he has a crazy, Asian ex. Whatever that means.

So naturally I click through to her profile and lo and behold, her current default profile pic is both her AND Mr. Can I Get A Vowel all hugged up together.

Further, her cover photo is of him and her at a zoo.

Busted.

I dig deeper to find the dates these pics were taken. Turns out, it was awhile ago but she had just re-uploaded them a few weeks back. I can read a public comment thread and see her tell her aunt who commented on how cute they are together that she “loves him very much!”

Hmmm.

Either they just broke up recently and she’s not quite ready to let go of their 3+ year relationship, or they’re still together.

Either way, I ain’t the one!

Too messy. And as I told him, I’m looking for a more serious relationship. I couldn’t expect anyone to be ready to jump right back into one.

I ended up questioning him about it. He said he had already “explained” the situation me. (No, playa, you didn’t. I’m pretty sure I would have recalled that info.)

So I told him I ain’t the one, and he said he wishes me the best and that I deserve the best.

Yes. Yes, I do.

Vanna, out.

Next!

I Think I Got Proposed To…

~ Single Girl ~ Leave a comment

I owe you all an upDATE from the other night.

First of all, it’s so funny how different the men all are that I’m going out with in terms of relationship readiness. They are keeping me on my toes!

Fresh off the heels of The Doc assuring me he’s NOT interested in anything serious, I meet up with this other guy – an ex, actually.

Well, not technically an “ex” as in boyfriend, but a man I’d casually dated several years ago during my phase where I was not relationship ready.

We always had a good time. He’s funny, charming and a total gentleman. The guy once delivered flowers to me after a simple misunderstanding just to make sure we were cool.

He’s financially stable, divorced for a long time and has two grown kids out of the house. He just turned 48 but looks and acts much younger.

During the time we were “dating,” this guy fell for me hard. Like, head over heels. I had some sort of a clue back then, but really didn’t know the extent of it…

One night last week, I was surfing around on Plenty of Fish and there he was! We had originally met on POF, and it was cool to see him single and available.

We exchanged messages and he said he was JUST wondering about me! How strange.

I was uber curious to see this guy again. I had changed. I was ready. Had he changed? Was he still ready? Was the timing better now?

It turned out that his birthday landed on the day after we selected to go out. Cool! One stone, two birds. We’d celebrate.

It took awhile to figure out where we’d meet for dinner. I suggested a few places and he was pretty indifferent.

Now, normally that’s not a big deal, but this is the guy who when we were first dating used to pick two restaurants before our date, and DRIVE to them each, check out the vibe and ambience, look at the menu, and actually talk to the manager to get their feedback before choosing which venue would be best.  Screw Yelp. Just ask this guy…

But, whatever, I just took it as maybe he was feeling guarded and didn’t want to extend his gentlemanly-self quite so soon. After all, I kinda rejected him and broke things off last time.

So we arrive at Bottega Louie, a nicer Italian spot downtown LA. I love this place. He had never been.

We have the “Wow, I haven’t seen you in a long time…” jitters and strangely enough we launch into conversation about dating. Online dating, dating in LA, what he’s experienced since we had last been dating, what I’ve experienced, etc

(Btw, I’ve found this conversation to be a pretty typical one with guys nowadays. Nothing too extensive but we definitely chat about dating and meeting online without any stigma. In the past? Stigma.)

So he’s actually telling me that dating hasn’t been going so well for him. That it’s been hard because he started working the graveyard shift over a year ago for his job and that makes it impossible to date. He admits he’s a bit rusty.

He also tells me he no longer believes in the institution of marriage.

Screeeech! Hold up. Say what?!

This dude HAD changed. But why?

So he proceeds to tell me about a “relationship” he had after me that really messed him up. He says he got played pretty bad by a conniving woman who wanted him to chase her for a year when he really wasn’t interested, and when he did switch from only liking her as a friend to all of a sudden realizing he loved her, she broke it off because the chase was over. Messed up. And I felt bad.

That was over two years ago and he’s over that now. But it had changed him a bit.

So I’m listening to his stories. We order a fancy Italian pizza and drinks and continue to chat.

He’s still making me laugh, in between stories and I’m enjoying his company. He’s really one of the good guys and I can still see that. I tell him I’m having a good time and it’s good to see him and catch up.

And then he drops the bomb…

“It’s good to see you, too. But as far as I’m concerned, we should be sitting at this table as husband and wife.  You should have long since been my girl.”

Ummm…. excuse me??? Did you say WIFE?! #WhatTheWhat

He proceeds to tell me that he held back a lot when we were first dating because he knew I wasn’t really interested in anything long term. He is acting timid and kinda shy and totally vulnerable now, but he continues to share his feelings.

I was “the one.”

The whole time my mind is reeling. Is this guy serious? Is it worth checking out? Maybe we should date again…

He assures me I’d be the happiest woman on the earth, that we’d be great together, and that bit was always easy with us.  We clicked.

I tell him I’m confused because earlier he had said he didn’t believe a happy marriage was in the cards for him. He cleared up that I was a different situation. I was different from all the other women he’s dated over the years.

Oh.

I begin to understand. I’m acting super sweet, caring and aware of his vulnerable state, all the while. But still processing this news…

So the restaurant is closing down by this point and the lights start to come up as bus boys clear all the tables.

It’s getting late, it’s a “school night” and I have to work in the morning, so we head out.

I drive him to his car parked farther away, and he’s making me laugh so hard by random things he’s saying in our small talk conversation. (Sense of humor is MUST for me in a match.)

He reminds me that the “ball is in my court”, he gives me a quick kiss goodbye and we part ways.

So there ya have it! The proposal-ish conversation.

It’s been 5 days since that date and I’m still not quite sure what to do. He’s definitely a different person nowadays. I suppose I am, too. There are new things about him that I don’t love and that rub me the wrong way, but I dunno… Maybe I’m sabotaging what could be a really good thing? Heck, I did it once with him already! (even though the timing was off)

And I further suppose that starting over with each other might just be a good idea. I’ll continue to date and meet other people until I figure things out.

The shenanigans of a single woman in her 30s in Los Angeles continue!

“MANifesting”

~ Single Girl ~ Leave a comment

There’s a term I learned while living here in California. It’s called manifesting. Now I may lose you right about now and you might think I’m about to get all “hippy dippy” and “woo-woo” with you, and you’d be right, but get over it and read on anyways. 🙂

I wasn’t raised this way, but I’ve proven over and over that we definitely have the power and/or capability to manifest specific things we want into our lives. I know God has a hand in it, too, but I also know the “Universe” is at play.

That being said, there are times when I’m on a manifesting roll. Where things I want to happen, just happen.

For example, one day I’ll literally be thinking about or talking about something I want and then, BAM! The next day it’s happening to me.

From huge things like wanting to hear from someone I haven’t heard from in awhile and then they go ahead and text me, to small things like telling a friend I’m wanting a chocolate covered strawberry from Shari’s Berries and the next day it shows up at work because a gift from Shari’s Berries just came in from a vendor. (This happened yesterday.)

Some people might call this coincidence. Others might say that my energy of what I want is being put to work and that the Universe just starts conspiring to make it happen. Either way, I know one thing is for sure: You can’t be vague. You have to knew EXACTLY what you want, or nothing happens.

So it’s clear that I’m on a manifesting roll in my dating life, too. Two months ago I made the decision to start dating again (after a year or so hiatus)  and really start looking for someone special. And the abundance of men in the last few months only shows I’m on track. I’m intentionally and unintentionally bringing people into my life. Online dating sites help, but it’s organic, too. There’s no question that this MANifesting thing is working. My butt is tired! 🙂

But what’s most crazy is that in the past week, guys I’ve dated in the past that I’ve been thinking about, have reconnected with me and wanted to see me. (separate #upDATE blog posts coming.. Including a marriage proposal)

Like, they’re contacting me out of the blue.

And I think I know why…

A few years ago, I was truly only about the shenanigans of dating. Having fun, no-strings-attached shenanigans. I was always classy with it, but I was busy building my business and only “dated” men in a casual sense. I thought I wanted a relationship then, but looking back, I wasn’t really in that place. I was unknowingly a heartbreaker and I acted like a dude.

I was focused on something in Los Angeles other than seriousness with a guy, one of the “challenges” a lot of women (maybe me, now, too?) say sucks about dating in LA.

(This is also why I ended up laughing out loud when I was last with The Doc recently.  Taste of my own medicine, indeed!)

But now, I want a committed, long term relationship. My best friend and partner. And the guys who wanted to give me that back then are now showing back up. It’s weird.

I think it’s a test.

I think I’m being tested to make sure I know for SURE what i want. These guys are popping up to see if I’m interested in what they originally were offering. They represent guys who want something long term. Omgggggg! It actually exists in LA!

So stay tuned for the conversations and insight I’ll gather from these men. Not sure if anything will happen with them, as I’m still meeting new guys, too. (another first date on Saturday that I’m really looking forward to!)

Until then, I’m going to get very clear on other things I want in order to continue my manifesting trend.

Winning lottery tickets, anyone? 🙂