Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Drext and Drail?

I’ve come up with some new words for my bad habits…

drext (drekst)

v, n : abbreviation of drunk text

1.A system for sending and receiving messages electronically over a cell phone, after imbibing substantial quantities of liquor.
2. A message or messages sent or received by such a system.
See also drail

drail (drail)

v, n : abbreviation of drunk email

1. A system for sending and receiving messages electronically over a computer network, after imbibing substantial quantities of liquor.
2. A message or messages sent or received by such a system.

I got wonderful feedback from Morgan... friends don't let friends drunk dial, text or email!

Saturday, December 17, 2005

He just doesn't bug me

An acquaintance recently asked me what my deal-breakers are for a guy that I would date. Strange that I've made it to the ripe age of 34 and never once considered writing out a list of what the deal-breakers might be. I don't even know what my *must-haves* and *nice-to-haves* would be?

It got me to thinking if I do have any specific must-haves... or deal-breakers, for that matter. The latter is easier than the former. Also, perhaps it's my lack of depth, but when I consider what the character traits of the ideal guy might be... I seem to get stuck on superficial characteristics.

Must-have: >5'10", self-confident, college graduate, athlete, ambitious, brainiac, good kisser, holds his date's hand

Nice-to-have: Ivy league college graduate, blonde, >6'2", loves kids, well-travelled, american, shaves his legs, good grammar

Deal-breakers: G.U. (geographically undesirable), arrogant, married, smoker, parties past midnight frequently

Pretty superficial, huh? In fact, half of the list above is just a label for something deeper... which of course, I won't let myself voice?!?!? Naturally, I'm not at all convinced that this is my list... college graduate is a social mnemonic for rigorous thinking or strong work ethic. Shaves legs clearly marks the dude out as a cyclist ;-)

This personal insight is probably what keeps me away from online dating sites such as match.com. Despite the creative, truthful blurb that each guy writes, I read an online profile and boil down that guy into a series of superficialities and labels so I can pigeon-hole him into a comprehensible *box* in my mind. Ironically, in person I'm attracted to the guys that I can't *pigeon-hole*, guys that possess a set of juxta-posing traits that I can't nail down but which makes them all the more irresistible!

Upon further thought I remembered a quote from a friend of a friend that was recently married. When asked why she thought that this guy was *the one*, her response was: "he just doesn't bug me". Is that enough of a reason to marry someone? A lot of guys that I've dated in the past have bugged me for one reason or another...? Is she on to something?

Over Thanksgiving, I hung out with a guy for 4 straight days... and he didn't bug me for a second. I didn't even question any choices he made, things he did, we just hung out and had fun. Yeah, 4 days is not a long time for someone you barely know. It's all very new and exciting. I brought up the topic with a girlfriend and she quoted her *must-have* as a "guy that wants to be with me" and then suggested I download Nikka Costa's song, "I gotta know".

The achingly-sung chorus lyrics are as follows: "Because I've been so strong for so long, never needed anyone but my strength is wearing out my heart, so I'm letting my guard down because I feel like I finally found somebody... that I gotta know"

It couldn't be further from how I behave in relationships. I let my guard down and get hurt every time! I clearly need to come up with a better "screen" for relationship material than "he just doesn't bug me". Where should I set the bar? This will continue to be a work in progress...

Halee emailed me this quote the day after I wrote the above blog: "Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will stay awake just to watch you sleep. Wait for the guy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in your sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends. Wait for the one who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares about you and how lucky he is to have you. Wait for the one who turns to his friends and says, "...that's her."

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Learning new tricks… Poker?

My elder sister, Janet, has teased me for a long time about my academic approach to learning. Pretty much from the time I could read, if I decided I wanted to master a new skill, I’d run out and buy the book, read and absorb as much information as I possibly could about the topic. Only when I felt comfortable that I could put the *aforementioned* skill into practice would I head out into the wide world and apply the information I had soaked up. Did not matter what the skill was. Sailing, downhill skiing, swimming, I’d buy the book… and the most recent new trick, Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. Thanks Phil Helmuth!

Perhaps this *learning mechanism* stems from the embarrassment I think I would feel to attempt something about which I am totally ignorant. They say a little knowledge is dangerous, but to me, zero knowledge might as well be suicide. I guess my attitude is that if I can at least *talk the talk*… perhaps I can then *walk the walk*? And, speaking of *talk the talk*, Poker has a fine lexicon that I am gradually mastering... stealing blinds, short stack, pocket nines, bluff, all-in, river card, heads up, buy-in, limp, play tight (or loose), off-suit, overcard...

I learned the basics of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker watching a friend play in the casino and online over Thanksgiving. Since then I have read a book on the basic strategy of the game, watched a few Tivo’ed episodes of the World Series of Poker, downloaded online playing software, fronted some cash and to date have played two online tournaments.. and placed second both times, earning back ~5x my buy-in. I've even covered the cost of the book. Pretty nice, huh?

Friday, December 02, 2005

My 1920s Name

There are a lot of random website's out there... here's the results of a site offering up "your name from the 1920s"
Your 1920's Name is:

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