Flakers and Liars

Good grief (I'm trying to not use the g-o-d word here)! What is with these guys and flaking? I've decided guys suck. I knew that, but I have to admit I had hope. Now I know for sure...they suck.

So last night I was suppose to have an actual first date with a new guy that I've been talking to all week. About 3pm he told me his son was sick so he couldn't go out. If his son is really sick, sorry. But come one, that's the oldest excuse in the book. I'm beginning to figure out that making "plans" with someone online is a very loose term. Especially when it come to a first meeting/date. It's incredibly frustrating and I guess I need to readjust my expectations with these jerks. Either that, or pick a different outlet. I'm about ready to 'retire' from online dating. It's more hassle than it's worth.

That said, I knew when flaker cancelled I needed to come up with a back up plan. I checked my email and low and behold another guy I had been talking to had emailed me earlier in the day about going to happy hour. I emailed him back and told him I was in. So I show up and realize right away that there was no way he was 35 (his age on his online profile). And sure enough, he wasn't. He looked like a washed up surfer dude. He said he had only been online about a week and just learned how to use a computer 6 months ago (WTF?). He told me his real age (43) and said he didn't think anyone actually told the truth on those dating website. Really? Holy crap. Then I found out he was engaged about a year ago, but as he put it, "it feel through". Then he went on to tell me it was a women whom he left his first wife for. Really? Holy crap. I will say, he was a nice guy, seemed fun to hang out with but at this point I was thinking, "how quickly can I get outta here". Luckily I had already told him I had other plans so that got me out of there pretty fast. I went and met my old friend Andy on the Plaza, had a nice dinner and a few drinks then called it a night.

Seriously...I'm considering retirement from dating. While it makes life interesting, it's really more frustrating than it's worth.

Freak of the Week

This week has been pretty mellow...which was much needed after the last few. I do have a date scheduled tonight with a new guy. It's a first date and these guys online seem to flake quite a bit so we'll if it actually happens. And no, he doesn't have a Mc-name yet. I figure I don't need to waste time on a name until I actually meet them. Although I will say, this one seems pretty cool and promising, but I've said that before. It's a whole different ball game once you meet them in person!

And, now...the FREAK OF THE WEEK. This guy is just plain creepy. He sent me a 'wink' and an email this week. I didn't respond to either and I am thinking I probably won't. I mean really, this is the best picture this guy could come up with?

Random Thoughts

It's been a few days. Nothing too terribly exciting in the dating world, but I've got a few things cooking. Here are a few random thoughts from the last few days:

-I realized this weekend I am no longer 21, nor do I want to be. I went to Power and Light district with a few friends and apparently we picked the wrong night to go. It was a Mardi Gras celebration. Which equated to a $30 wrist band that got you all the beer and wells you could drink at any of the bars down there. Yeah. You can imagine the 21-25 year old frat party that ensued. I have decided unless it's a big group of people or on a school night I am not going back down there. What a waste. I don't know about you but I'm past the waiting in at bar 6 deep for 20 minutes to get a pint of beer that's warm by the time you get back to your table. And I won't even go into the outfits I witnessed...my words aren't worthy.

-Layla is FINALLY back to her normal little happy monkey self. This last ear infection really took us for a whirl and I hoping with the diet changes (no more dairy) the infections will stay away. The poor girl can't seem to catch a break! By the way, I must brag for a minute. The smarty pants can count to 10 in 3 (count em, THREE) languages. Hell, I can hardly do that!

-Kenny here we come! My brother convinced me to sign up for the fan club so we'd get in on the pre-sale. We got in alright! 4 floor seats. Row 26 Baby! I can't wait until May 9th. I'm floored!

-I started 'talking' to a new dude yesterday. He seems promising but I hate to even write that until I've met him in person (they all seem 'promising' online...it's a whole other story when you see them face to face).There are few others by not quite as exciting. Again, you never know until you actually meet.

-I'm starting to really embrace my single life. I think I've hit my stride. I've figured out some things and realized this is going to be a really, really fun time in my life.

-And I have to end this post with one final update on McScotty. I hadn't had any contact with him for almost 2 weeks. He still has some 'things' at my house (one of which being his family photo album). I want it gone and hesitated about contacting him. I finally did it this evening because I was sick and tired of looking at it. He'c coming at 4pm tomorrow to get it. It will be placed on my front porch for him. Hope that is the final contact. ;)

Quote of the Week

Quote of the week from potential suitor:

"I need to start tanning and get 'ripped'. I've gotta be ready for the Adult Pool at Ocean's of Fun Memorial Day Weekend."

Seriously? Ocean's of Fun adult pool? I have no words for that.

Busy Bee

Okay...you need an update. I only have 5 minutes here before I need to head out to a lunch "date".

The double header last night didn't work as planned. I was wrapping up date #1 when date #2 text to say he was headed to the hospital...grandma had a heart attack. That was probably for the best since I drank a little too much wine on date #1. I learned a valuable lesson...if you're going to do a double header, you are going to have to hold back a little on date #1. Double headers are a great use of 1) a cute outfit and 2) hair and makeup. You get 2 for the price of one (if of course it actually goes as planned). I might try that again soon.

Speaking of date #1...nice guy. Really, really nice guy. Not so much in the physical attraction department, but I had a good time and would probably say yes to a second date with him. After all, he owns a house, owns a car, has a good paying job, seems to have a good head on his shoulders, close with his family, etc etc etc. Solid guy with some potential (and he plays golf!).

So lunch date today...I'm outta time here so I'll update after. Suffice to say I have kept my eye on his profile for some time as he seems darling. We'll see what he's like in person. :)

***UPDATE ON LUNCH****
So...don't really think there will a second date with that one. Nice kid but pretty much a dork (yet another case of pictures are a little dated/deceiving). I say kid, because I could tell his maturity level was that of a 23-25 year old. We don't have much in common...in fact he spent 20 minutes telling me all about different phones, plans and service Verizon has to offer. Really? What part of my body language told you I cared??? Although it was 20 minutes that I didn't have to talk and try to come up with conversation pieces (which by the way wasn't easy). You'll get a laugh out of this one...at one point he shows me this picture on his phone that apparently his friend had just sent him. The picture showed a guy's gnarled feet and a scale. WTF? He followed it up with a 5 minute story about how he and he said friend are having a weight loss competition for the next 2 weeks and that was his 'weigh in' picture. Again, did he think that was something I needed to see/know? Holy crap. This one doesn't even get a nickname...not worth the brain power.

Now I have Happy Hour with a single girlfriend to look forward to. Woo hoo! And since I was at this bar last night, I know there is an awfully hot bartender that works there. Hopefully he's there tonight!!! :)

Cheers! C

Man...that was easy!

Before I update you on McScotty, I have to tell you about the worst weekend ever. Friday morning I got a call from Peanuts school that she was running a fever. Great. I took her to the Dr that afternoon to learn that once again she has a double ear infection. Strep and RSV were running rampant in her class last week so I thrilled she tested negative for both. Although the DR did listen to her lungs and thought she might have just a touch of pneumonia. Apparently she felt confident that antibiotics she was going back on (round 5 I think, but who's counting) would kill it all. So you can imagine what fun this past weekend was. I spent the entire weekend hole up in the house with a cranky 2 year old. I tried as often as possible to get into the bathroom so I could steam it up and loosen up her lungs. Do you know how much fun it is to entertain a 2 year old in a bathroom for 20 minutes? Try it some time and you'll see for yourself.

Which brings me to the update on McScotty. Like the Civil War, he's history. Apparently my distance to him last week/this weekend made it clear that I was pretty much done (either that or he found the blog). Aside from a few texts here and there, I haven't talked to him since last Tuesday. We were suppose to go out to dinner last night to celebrate Valentine's Day. I didn't want to go and was thrilled when he never called/text to confirm. The last time I heard from him was via text Saturday morning to see how I was doing. I think maybe we've ended our little fling and I didn't even have to do anything! I love this! Why can't they all be this easy!!!! I do however have a few items of his. One being a picture album that includes childhood pics, etc. I tried to give it to him last Tuesday so it would be out of my house but no luck. He forgot it. Now I probably need to make some sort of contact to tell him to come pick up his crap. Damn him for leaving stuff at my house.

This week's social calendar is starting to fill up. Tonight I am going to have dinner with a good friend (who is also recently divorced). We always have a good time comparing out latest 'war' stories so I'm looking forward to it.
Wednesday night I have yet another first date. I haven't told you about this one yet. He's another match.com'er. We talked Fri night for about an hour and again last night for an hour. He's 30 something (can't remember exactly, but about my age). Seems super cool and really nice. Although I will say, he does seem a little too 'metro' for me (last night he told me all about his membership to Massage Envy). Yup. Who knows.

Thursday night is shaping up to be a possible happy hour with the HS friend I went out with a few weeks ago and the dude we met at O'Dowds (and hopefully some of his friends). Nothing firmed up yet, but should be fun if it happens.

For those wondering how I do this with neglecting my lil' Peanut, it's called creative time management. My rule is only 1-2 babysitter's a week (and it's usually my Mom or Dad). I plan things on nights that F-head has her and plan them early enough to pick her up and be able to spend some time with her before bed. If I am going out-out, I try to schedule it for after her bedtime so she doesn't know the difference. Being a single parent and trying to date isn't exactly easy, but I think I've managed to do an ok job thus far. Ugh.

I'm a total Chicken!

Oh lord. What a day. What a week. What I thought would be a pretty laid back week was anything but. Work was crazy and Layla was sick. Not a good combo! Tuesday afternoon I met "Random" for a drink. I like this one. He's still pretty random, but I like him and think I would have a great time with him. We have a lot in common and even have a few mutual friends. It was a great date and we were laughing about all our crazy dates we've had. He said I have the perfect excuse to get out of a date, just act like my daughter is sick and leave. About 20 minutes after he said that, daycare called and Layla was in fact sick (running a fever). We laughed pretty hard, but needless to say the date ended a little earlier than I had hoped. In the 10 minutes it took me to go into her school and get her, he had already text and called me, text again to tell me to call him. So obliged and called him. He just wanted to make sure I had a good time. We decided maybe we would hang out again Wednesday night. I'll get to that in a minute...

I had actually double booked myself for Tuesday and McScotty was coming over that night to cook me dinner. He came over and made an amazing dinner (after Layla went to bed). So we were sitting there watching TV and all the sudden he looks at me and says, "Ya know, we would make beautiful kids. I can't wait for you to get pregnant with my baby". WHOA WHOA WHOA. BACK YOUR SHIT UP! I think the look on my face said it all and he immediately apologized for making me uncomfortable. I knew right then (well, I had had these thoughts before) that I need to get rid of him. That pretty much sealed the deal. Thank goodness Layla woke up about 10:30pm and I was able to kick him out. Of course it was pouring down rain and he didn't want to carry all the stuff he had brought over the make dinner out to his car so he left it here. So part of me is being a complete chicken, the other part is trying to figure out the best timing for telling him "so long". We are suppose to be going out to dinner tomorrow night. We'll see what happens. He has to have a clue because I really haven't talked to him (aside from a few texts here and there) since that night. I feel bad because he was telling me the other night that although the drama in his life has settled down, he was just so peaceful when he was with me, couldn't imagine not having me in his life, blah blah blah! In no way should you take this as me having a big head, but I am really going to hurt this guy. I don't want to, but I am. I can hear you now, "Chicken, Chicken, balk balk balk". And yes, you would be accurate.

So during my date with McScotty, "Random" sent me a few texts. I didn't text him back so I think he thought I was completely blowing him off. We had planned to get together the next night (Wed). He sent me a text about 3:30p telling me he had just got home from flying. We exchanged just a few texts which as always, were totally random. He does these 2-3 word texts and I just don't know him well enough to know what he means. So that was around 4pm. Didn't hear from him so I sent him a text after I got Layla to bed at 9pm. He replied that I had 'dissed' him. What? To be honest, I was exhausted so I was quite glad we didn't get together but I sure as hell didn't think I dissed him. He never called or text to make plans definite. Granted I didn't either but whatever. We have had just a few texts back and forth sense then, but not much. I am kicking myself thinking I completely screwed this one up. I really think I could have liked him. We'll see if he comes around, but for now, he's MIA.

But, there are a few others on the horizon out there. Stay tuned....

My graceful self...

So you'll have to scroll down to the previous post next (I am posting back to back here).

You'll get a kick out of this because it's so classic me. I signed up to play on our church dodgeball team. One would think that since I have been working out a lot and losing weight I would be a little more graceful these days. Not so much. But I figured it was dodgeball...could I really get hurt? Apparently I can find a way!

So yesterday evening was my second official game. We have kind of a hodge podge team although we aren't bad. We were in first place. Last night only about half our team showed up. The other team was comprised of 4 guys in there mid-30's and 2 of their wifes. They took it to a whole new level. They had a strategy and honestly, we got killed. I mean killed.

Which brings me to my injury. The 4 guys decided to unleash every ball they had and I was the chosen target. I managed to 'dodge' 3 of them and decided to try to jump over the final ball which was thrown low. Not so smart. I landed on the ball and rolled my ankle. This isn't exactly an uncommon thing for me. My ankles are weak from so many years of basketball and what not. I tried to walk it off and it actually didn't feel too bad. That was until I got home last night. It freakin hurts. It's bruised, swollen, the whole nine yard. Yes, I managed to injure myself in dodgeball.

After I put Layla to bed I decided to break out the ice, lay on the couch and enjoy me some Grammy's. That's when the life size Elmo that is still floating around the house from Layla's birthday decided to play a nasty trick on me. He played his first trick on me this weekend when we floated upstairs and scared the shit out of me. So I get all cozy on the couch, get all set up and this is where he decides to plant himself:



Needless to say with the bum ankle I had to watch the Grammy's between Elmo's legs. :)

Taking Inventory

So I recieve a few emails this weekend from confused readers. I told you this was going to be confusing. I am having a hard time keeping it all straight (I ask again, why am I doing this? Although I do have answer...it's quite fun!!!). Here's a quick breakdown of who is still on my radar:

McScotty: still around. Thinking more and more he shouldn't be, but hey, it's fun to hang out with him so I'll keep him around.

McSkinny: This is the one I suppose to have a lunch date with last Wed but cancelled due to the stomach flu. We are suppose to be rescheduling for this week but I haven't emailed him yet.

McCountry: First date was last Friday night. He was a little too short for me and tad too boring, but really, really nice. He told he'd call or email me this week. I am thinking I might suggest we round up some friends (single ones) and do a happy hour. Who knows...maybe he has tall friends.

Random Guy: Haven't told you much about him, but he's burst onto the scene in last 24 hours. It started with a random text yesterday morning (8am on a Sunday!). We made plans to grab a drink last night but I cancelled...I hurt myself playing dodgeball (hold your laughter...more on that in a minute). So we decided Tuesday night would be best. Then, he text this morning. And called to see what I was doing today. He flies a corporate jet for a living and doesn't have to work until Wednesday so he's bored. I told we could hang out tomorrow. Lunch perhaps. If all goes well, maybe drinks later. More on him to come!

Then there is the guy my friend and I met last weekend. We emailed back and forth last week and we are suppose to converse this week about setting up a happy hour. The actual guy is not for me, but when we met and talked he apparently has single friends. We'll see.

So...I think that covers it. There are a few more on the 'radar' but I hit the high points (for the most part).

Are we clear now???

Randomness

Random...seems like the best word to describe my weekend. It was really a pretty good weekend (and incredible weather to boot)....

Friday night I had my first 'looksy' (someone else called it that it sounds like a pretty good way to describe a first 'date' these days) with McCountry. He was really nice....fairly cute, but kind of in a "kid brother" way. His profile on match said he was 5'10. Granted I'm 5'10 and wore 2 inch heels (couldn't resist), he seemed a heck of a lot shorter than 5'10. The conversation was pretty basic...and pretty boring and safe. We did figure out we shared a mutual interest in a TV show...The Bachelor. You read that right...the guy likes the Bachelor. We ended up talking about that probably more than anything. I felt like I was having drinks with one of my girlfriends. I figured pretty early on this would be probably be a first and last date with this one. Not to say it was awful, it was actually fun. It felt more like friends than anything. I couldn't help but think what single ladies I know that might be a good match for him (still contemplating that). We hung out about 2 hours and upon leaving he asked if he could call or email me next week. I obliged. Who knows...maybe he has tall friends. :) I then met some good friends out and had a ball!!!

Last night was suppose to be date night with McScotty. Since I had been out both Thursday and Friday, I told him I really wanted to stay in so I could hang out with Layla. He was great with that and decided he'd cook dinner for me. Good in theory, however it didn't exactly come off as planned. His son had a BBall game at 3pm and he was suppose to come over about 5pm so we could run to the store together, etc. Apparently, his ex-wife and her fiance broke up so she asked if he could take his son to this soccer demo after the game. Can't fault him for wanting to spend time with the little guy (I did by the way confirm independently that they had actually broken up...gotta love Facebook and the people that don't have private profiles...which include both his ex and her ex fiance). So McScotty shows up at nearly 8pm. I was slightly annoyed at this point. He promptly tells me he can't stay very long because his ex got hammered and couldn't take his son for the night. He didn't flake on me though. He didn't stand me up. Apparently his son was hanging out with his roommate for a bit while he came over the hangout with me. Does he gets points for that? I'm not sure yet. I was annoyed because I had had 3 other people invite me to do things and I turned them down thinking we would spend some quality time hanging out and laughing. After he left I realized just how tired I was and how a night in would be good for me (and my DVR that was overflowing). He did cook me dinner (that was wonderful) and only stayed about 2 hours. The conversation seemed strained and awkward. Not sure what to think of that but he asked if we could do a re-do tonight with the movie we were going to watch. Not sure if I want to do that yet. I'll just have to see how I feel later!

So, that brings me to the randomness of this morning. About 8am I get a text from a number that looks vaguely familiar. "How have you been?". I respond, "Great. Don't recognize this #, who is this?". It's a guy I was casually talking to from match about a month ago. We've never met although he looks REALLY interesting. We had planned to meet but I had something come up. He fell off the face of the earth and as far as he was concerned so did I. It was great he text me, I'd love to meet this one, but Sunday at 8am? What's is that all about? We went back and forth for a few minutes and decided we would try to meet up again. Seriously random. This one could be interesting (and provide ample material for you blog readers).

We've got a new horse in the race...

First off, I apologize to anyone whom I didn't return calls or emails to this week. It's been nuts. I showed clients all day Monday, worked all day Tuesday (yes, I was actually in the office working), then starting feeling a little green. Tuesday night and Wednesday morning I was battling a little case of the stomach flu. Luckily it didn't hit me too hard...12 hours and I was in remission. Even felt well enough to drink a few beers with a friend on Wednesday evening (and about 7 mojitos last night). Yesterday was insane. I mean insane. From 7am until 10:30pm last night I didn't stop. I had back-to-back 'stuff' going on. Needless to say, it's been busy. I know, it's just a big ole' excuse, but if I hurt your feelings by not responding to you, I'm sorry.

Sooo.....maybe you want to hear the juicy details of my lunch date on Wednesday??? Sorry, didn't happen (see stomach flu bit above). I didn't feel bad about cancelling because I went back to this dudes profile on Tuesday night and somehow I missed the fact he is 6 feet tall (which I have learned means he's about 5'10) and weighs 160. So he's a lean machine...to most people that would be ok. But I have a rule. The rule is I can't date anyone who weighs less than me. Sorry, just can't do it. Things were left with him that we would reschedule for next week, but I'm in no big hurry. I feel bad because I keep blowing him off but I've had shit going on. I might go to lunch with him anyway (who says no to a free lunch these days?) Am I horrible or what??? So I now have a new name for this one: McSkinny.

And now, the new horse in the race. Tonight I have a little drink date with a new guy (another match victim). We just started 'emailing' on Wednesday and this one might be a winner. He seems normal, has a good job, owns a house, and did I mention he's totally cute (in a my-type preppy kind of way?). We'll see when I meet him tonight, but so far all things are pointing to 'good'. And to top things off, we both love country music. That's a little exciting for me. And it wouldn't be right not to name him (although it's a little premature): McCountry. I'll surely let you know how this one goes. I'm giving myself a new rule on first dates: I am limited to 3 drinks (however in my rule book, double bourbon and sprites do only count as one).

For those who are keeping track, McScotty is still around. I am definitely keeping him at arms length and to be honest, it feels good. I am in total control of that one. He actually called yesterday to ask me out on a date. Novel concept! Who knew telling him I wanted to date other people would turn out so well.

Life is good my friends...life is good.

PS: Have you heard? My 2 year old daughter can count from 1-10 (in order) by herself. Woo-Hoo this girl is smart (just like her mommy!).

Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

Sorry it's been a few days. I didn't have too terribly much to update (actually, I was pretty much hung over all weekend so blogging fell to the bottom of the list!).

This might be a long one...lots of good things going on! :)

So I'll start with Saturday night. I met a friend I hadn't seen since High School out for drinks. Another facebook miracle so to speak. She is also single and we seem to have plenty of dating/match.com war stories to share! I had a blast! I was still a little hung over/tired from Friday night but I managed to rally! We started off at a fairly low key restuarant/bar on the Plaza for drinks and dinner. Then we decided to head to O'Douds. So glad we did. It was nice enough that she thought maybe some people might be up on the roof. He he he. We walk up there and what to our wondering eyes should appear??? 20 guys all sitting at one huge table....and us. Since the only available heat lamp happened to be at a table right next to them, we took it. They were pretty mellow and it took us a while to figure out what their story was. We could tell is was a broad mix of guys and it was obvious that didn't all know each other. Which is brough to one deduction: bachelor party!!! It didn't take too terribly long and one of the gents came over and struck up a conversation. He was charming and really quite adorable (not for me though...I think he'd be a good one for the friend I was with). He did confirm that in fact it was a bachelor party and they were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the party bus to take them to their next destination. A few of the other guys came over to chat and they starting getting a little more social and lively. It was really fun. The intial guy ended up giving us his card and we are planning a little happy hour sometime in the next few weeks. He swears he has other single friends so who knows! :) Needless to say the night ended up being a ball. Sunday morning I swore off drinking for a few days. That lasted until 5pm Sunday evening when I arrived at a SuperBowl party. Damn bourbon!

So, here's what you've all been anxiously awaiting...the update on McScotty. Strap in...this gets good. I hadn't heard from him all weekend which I was honestly OK with. After such a good time out with friends both Fri and Sat I quickly realized that maybe the 'love' feelings I thought I had were more 'lust'. I would certainly be ok without not being tied down to an 'exclusive' relationship right now. It's probably great all the drama happened with him because it gave me time to step back and reevaluate my situation.

So Monday at 7am I get a text: "I miss you so much". I waited a while to respond because frankly I didn't know what to say. I responded with, "Thanks for the message. I have been doing my best the last few days to move on."
And then we had a little mini-conversation that played out as follows:
He: "I am having a very hard time doing that. This is the most trying time of my life. And I fear I have compounded my own pain by pushing you away. I am so sorry"
Me: "I don't what to say to make it better. I know you are going through hell and I tried to be there for you but you shut me out. I know you are sorry but it doesn't change what happened."
He: "I was foolish. You are the best person I have ever known. If I could have a second chance I would be grateful.
Me: "We need to sit down and talk about some things before that could even happen."
He "Name the place and time, I'll be there".

So....last night we got together for a little bit to 'talk'. I thought it was going to be really awkward, which it wasn't. I thought he was going to cry a lot, which he didn't. He seemed to be incredibly remorseful and realizes how bad he screwed things up. I do have some sympathy for the guy...he has a lot of shit going on in his life right now. But, in the last few days I have had a lot of time to think about where things are going with him and what I need and want right now. Never in my life have I been selfish. I like to make others happy, even if that means sacraficing my own feelings. So after we talked for a few minutes I laid it out there for him: I told him basically I liked hanging out with him, wouldn't mind continuing to see him but we need to take about 10 steps back. I am not ready to be in an exclusive relationship. I am not ready to lay my heart on the line for him or anyone really. I have only been divorced (officially) for less than 3 months. I need to have fun and figure things out. I told him I realized how incredibly selfish this was of me, but that's what I need right now. And if he wants to stick around and hang out, great. If not, I completely understand.

His response was pretty good. He said he completely understood where I was coming from and he could deal with that. He then asked if he could "have" Valentine's Day. It was funny...a good light-hearted moment. After the big 'talk' we hung out for a while and had fun...we laughed. We talked about other things. It was really good. But, I have to be honest. The feelings I had for him before didn't all come rushing back. That was my fear in seeing him and to my surprise they didn't. I think I can really do this. I think I can casually date him and not let my emotions get sucked in like they did before. I think I can just let myself have some fun for a while!!!

And to that end, I have a date with a new guy tomorrow. Lunch date. He has the same first name as McScotty...this could get confusing! :)