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December 31, 2007

Lip-lock plotting

When planning for my new year's get-together, one of my friends joked that I needed to provide, along with food, drinks and good company, a cute man for her to kiss on New Year's Eve.

My fledgling escort service is still struggling to get off the ground, so I was unable to do good on that request, but it did get me to thinking. They say that you'll spend the year the way you end it. If you're single (and looking for a new boo), perhaps you want to be smooching a cutie when the clock strikes midnight? How do achieve such a goal?

I can think of a few tips off the top of my head:

+ You must be somewhere where you do not know everyone. The more unknowns, the better your chances.
+ Alcohol can work in (and out) of your favor. It lowers the inhibitions of you and your potential kissee, but there's also the unfortunate champagne goggles and/or low-lighting effect: Your Prince can turn out to be a toadstool (and/or a jerk) at first light. Then you've set the precedent of kissing fugly meanies for 2008.
+ You have do a little legwork before midnight, chatting up your chippie before you even attempt to lay a big one on her.

I say all this with never having attempted such a thing, but surely this happens all the time, right? ... Right? What are your tips?

Building my resolve

I asked about relationshippal new year's resolutions, and BaltAmour reader AJ volunteered a good one:
I resolve to be more open to pursuing new types of relationships, not just the tried and true ones that I've gotten so comfortable with.
It's good to push out of your comfort zone and try new people sometimes.

aeb said that she wouldn't share hers until I shared mine. I didn't volunteer mine Friday because, honestly, I hadn't figured it out yet. I haven't been hitting my usual relationshippal potholes lately, so it's a little hard to gain perspective on what I need to be doing better.

There's the usual "Keep in touch with people better" resolution, but I knew I could do better. After much hard-thinking, I've resolved to stop thinking so much and to live in the moment, especially when it comes to my relationships. I resolve not to stress out about future fights or past anxieties, but to appreciate people in the here and now.

Aside from Bridget Jones-esque plans, what are your love resolutions for 2008?

Promises, promises...

Promises, promises...

I know I promised a new Meet Me Monday last week, but there are technical difficulties over here at BaltAmour. So, like the hot ne'er-do-well that I am, I promise I will do better next time. Meet Me Mondays will return in the new year.

Photo courtesy of fishmonk of stock.xchng

December 28, 2007

New year, new way to love

Title sounds like a self-help book, eh?

It's the Friday before New Year's Eve. Do you have your resolutions ready? Any of them related to love, relationships, dating?

New Year's Eve 2005, mine was "Get out and date more."

After a slew of e-mails, a number of phone calls, a passel of dates, a no-strings relationship and one ill-advised (in hindsight) relationship, my dating resolution for 2007 was: "Figure out what I want in a relationship."

I think I'm still working on that one, though I'd say I've made some progress. (And had some unexpected revelations along the way.)

What's yours for the year of 2008?

December 25, 2007

Surprise!

surprise!

Got a gift you didn't care for? If it's from a significant other, hopefully you have kept the appreciative look on your face for long enough. Just think of the advice that Peter Post, great-grandson of etiquette maven Emily Post, gave for giving:
The word that underlies all that we're talking about is 'sincerity.' If you do it within your heart, it's going to be received well.
Just keep that in your head as you wear your light-up reindeer sweater at dinner. She gave it with sincerity in mind. He gave it from the heart. And if "sincerity" doesn't help that much, also remember: That's what gift receipts are for.

(photo courtesy of rrss from stock.xchng)

December 24, 2007

Meet Me Monday: Holiday edition

I figured I'd save this profilee for a special occasion. This guy is not a native Baltimorean, but he spends some time in Charm City every year.
Name, age, status:
Santa Claus, 100+, married.

Where he calls home:
North Pole.

How he makes a living:
Manages a small toy company and spreads cheer to children worldwide.






Hee hee. A dirty Christmas Eve trick, I know. Have a good Christmas Eve, if that's your bag. Meet Me Monday will be back next week.

Aside: The above photo is of a real person -- A monk who lives in Lake Tahoe, legally changed his name to Santa Claus, and advocates for children's issues.
(Photo courtesy of santaslink.net)

December 20, 2007

Guilty Pleasure Friday Revisited

This site is an example of a good idea, not-so-great execution: Don't Date Him Girl.com.

The About page is wrapped in feel-good, supportive axioms about women helping each other and sharing their dating experiences. Nice right?

Click on "Search" and type in Baltimore.

A lot of she-said, she-said on cheating, lying men. (There is a section where men spotlighted on DDHG can defend themselves.)

It's wrong. Very wrong. And if you're really concerned about the guy you're possibly dating, court records are a much more reliable source.

That said, the title of this post does have "guilty" and "pleasure" in it. So, disclaimer aside, it's fascinating.

Green-light countdown?

Samhita at Feministing pointed out this gross advice column on askmen.com on "Training Your Girlfriend."

There are many things to tackle there, but one comment that Samitha made sparked a whole other conversation. Matt Fitzgerald of AskMen said that men have to be on their best behavior so that they can get the ever-elusive nookie. Nonsense, Samitha said:
OK pinch me if I am dreaming here, but who does that? I have, let's see, NO friends that don't have sex with a guy within the first week of dating him. It is a myth that men are more into sex than women in relationships. If anything, from what I have experienced and heard from my friends is it is quite the opposite.
Word on the men-more-into-sex myth. No gender has a monopoly on libido. But is it true that sex is a given within the first week of dating?

Boyfriend says two weeks of dates (avg three dates a week) is a reasonable amount of time. I'd think that's a minimum. What do you think?

The journalist approach

The other day, as I was walking the streets, looking for people to talk to about dating issues, I had an epiphany.

Every day, reporters, writers and broadcasters put themselves out there for their stories. You often face rejection -- because people are busy, they don't want to talk about that topic, they don't trust the media -- but you persevere, and sometimes you end up having some pretty cool conversations with people and having some really cool experiences. As a reporter, even if you've been rejected the last 10 times, you have to get back up, dust yourself off, believe that you will get the story and try until you're successful.

It's kinda like dating. You're gonna meet some duds, you're gonna face some rejection, but you just have to believe that you will meet someone you connect with and try until you're successful.

Does it sound like I'm on to something here?

December 19, 2007

Under the influence


Four venues for looking for love through reality TV: I Love New York, The Bachelor, A Shot at Love and Flavor of Love.
(Photos courtesy of VH1, ABC and MTV)

After reading James from Hampden's comment about A Shot at Love, a question popped up:

Do you think that these dating reality shows -- from The Bachelor to I Love New York -- have some influence (negative or positive) on how people view relationships or act in them?

Sure, most of the general population knows that these reality shows are anything but reality. But, the same could be said for porn: We all know that the sex is not real, but people still end up having unrealistic expectations about sex.

Do shows like The Bachelor reinforce the fairy tale myth? Do shows like Flavor of Love reinforce the idea that you have to fight for your man?

You can't pick your parents...

I've had some friends who have had problems with SO's parents, so I was eager to read the 6 Ways to Survive Your In-Laws post on Ask Dan & Jennifer.

While well-intentioned, the six ideas gave little help. Active listening? Good idea. Activate Your Own Forcefield? Weird, but I can see where she's going. Breathe? Wait a minute. That's pretty much the same as activating your own forcefield. Wait. Where's number six? There's supposed to be six tips!

So, I'm branching out. To you. Anyone have problems with the S.O.'s parents that were resolved (or ended horribly)? How do you deal with meddling moms and overprotective dads?

December 18, 2007

A new alliance

According to the Associated Press, match.com is teaming up with Facebook, with two features: Match My Friends and Little Black Book.

Match my Friends -- where a friend of family member can set up a profile for a person, with their approval -- is allegedly already on Facebook, though I could not find it on a cursory search. Little Black Book, basically online dating in Facebook should be launched soon.

A Match executive said that the applications are meant to give those who are on the edge about online dating a little push.

Facebook users, would you use these programs?

December 17, 2007

Meet Me Monday: Casey Adams

If he had to, Casey says he would describe himself with these three words: intuitive, tenacious and stubborn.

Casey, a California native, has been single for more than five years, but he likes it that way. He prefers instead to focus his intuitive, tenacious and stubborn qualities on his love: food.

"When I watch the baking programs, I kind of like the arts, the decorations and stuff like that," he says. "And it's incredible the way they can put things together in such a way that is so out of the ordinary. I definitely want to study to learn to do that."

Name, age, status:
Casey Adams, 35, single.

Where he calls home:
"I moved to Columbia maybe six months ago, but I actually lived in Baltimore, in Reservoir Hill for a year," he says.
If he had to choose between the 'burbs and B-more, the choice is easy: "I prefer Baltimore."

How he makes a living:
He waits tables at Bob Evans and he's working online toward his bachelor's degree, in business administration with a concentration in human resources, from South University in Savannah, Ga.
He's says he is starting at Baltimore International College in January -- he's getting his certification in culinary arts.
"I'm not sure exactly what I want to do with it yet," he says. "But I know I'm interested in food. And I know I'm interested in culinary. And I know I'm interested in hospitality. So I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna get from food to writing ... just trying to meld everything together."

Favorite neighborhood:
Downtown.
He says his favorite spots are the Harbor and the Basilica.

On dating:
Casey says he has tried everything when it comes to dating and has figured out none of it is really for him.
"I actually tried having same-sex relationships when I lived in San Francisco, and they kinda didn't work," he says, "and I had a girlfriend when I lived in California, that worked, but we broke up. So now I'm actually trying something different. It's more or less like, keeping to myself and not having anything serious.
"I just suspect and think that relationships are ... something I'm not searching for.
Friendships is better, hands-down, he says.
"I think friends are more important than actually having something, you know having a relationship. I don't know if my parents ever wonder, worry about me being by myself, but I enjoy being by myself. And I think that's something I've learned.
"There's a lot that goes into a relationship. You know, possibly having children, or being in a good relationship, there's a lot of issues there that I'm really not one to deal with it.
"So being by yourself and sort of looking at it from the outside ... is better for me.

His ideal mate:
"I guess that it would be someone that I connect with. Everyone says that it would be more, 'Oh I want someone I can connect with on an emotional level,' but I think it's just someone you connect with, that you know it's instantaneous, you know what I mean? It's nothing you have to discuss and is just there, and if it develops into a relationship that is worthy of pursuing, you pursue it."

Does he believe in love at first sight?
"The possibility, yes."

Deal-breakers:
Smokers and bad breath are no-nos, he said. And also, Pigpens need not apply.
"I mean, I'm messy ... but I'm clean though. I mean, I'm messy but that's because I'm busy or I think I have other things. But there are people who are just messy. There's nothing about them that would be clean. You can just tell something's not right about them."

Best thing about being single:
"Sometimes you don't really have to explain yourself. When you do things by yourself, you don't really have to answer to anybody else and you can have things the way you want to inside and outside of your home."

Worst thing about being single:
"I guess sex, when you think about it, if you really want to have sex with anyone ever again, which I have not," he says, laughing.
"I'd rather just be by myself and not worry about having to (sighs) have sex at the end of the day."

If he could date anyone in history:
"If I could split myself in two!"
"I think I'm my own best friend."

The other woman

On Friday, I posted a question about SOs and friends on Friday and was posed this question from an Anonymous poster:
My boyfriend is good friends with an ex, and I have a hard time with it. They were friends for almost 10 years, then decided to see if they could be more, it only lasted 3 months, and decided just to stay friends. BUT, it still bothers me when she calls, etc. How do I cope with this?
I'd say it's all about emotional fortitude. It sucks to be rendered insecure by your SO's pals, even if you know deep down that they are no threat. But it is natural. I find that the best course of action is to be aware, and perhaps even let your SO know that this is your issue and you're working through it.

As for the actual working through -- you just have to keep telling yourself that there's no reason to be bothered,* until you actually believe it. I'm still working on it. It gets easier with time.

But that's just my humble opinion. I'll see if I can get an expert to weigh in.

What do you think?


* Unless there are signs that you need to be worried. That's for another post.

Heading for a love hangover

While surfing the Interwebs this weekend, I ran across an MTV reality show: A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.

In the show, Tila Tequila, a former Playboy model and an "Internet celebrity" -- she has 2 million MySpace "friends" -- pits 16 guys and 16 girls against each other in a competition for her love.

It's an interesting experiment. I wish we could see it without MTV's slick production and reality show editing. The finale is Tuesday at 10.

December 14, 2007

What about those friends?

Quick-fire question(s), inspired by this post:

What's your opinion on significant others and friends of the opposite sex? Whatever; Makes Me a Little Queasy, But I Get Over It; or Absolutely Not?

How about being friends with exes?

I'll admit that I'm in the middle column. But I'm upfront to my SOs about that too.

Committed

A couple of days ago, Indiana at The Dog's Name broke down the cliche that men are afraid of commitment. Men aren't afraid of being with the same woman for the rest of their life, he said, they're afraid of making the wrong choice.

To which I said: What's the big deal? I say many women have the same issue when it comes to commitment. We are not any more hard-wired to be confident in our decisions than men are, it's just likely that most women are able to accept that fear or at least come to terms with it.

As I've said before, commitment is not about settling with the one who makes all others invisible (I'm not sure that's possible); it's about settling with the person who makes those others unimportant.

And this is coming from a girl who has been known to break out in hives when someone mentions her and marriage. I am often at odds with the generally accepted view that women crave commitment and weddings and the real person who has trouble merely deciding what she wants for dinner.

"I'm afraid of making the wrong choice," is a real fear, but it's ultimately just another excuse.

And speaking of men making excuses, filmmaker Ian Williams goes off on young single hetero men in this blog post. I'm not completely sure where it comes from -- and yes, he does make a lot of generalizations -- but here's the gist: 20- to 30-year-old men are emotionally adolescents and women need to stop encouraging such stupid behavior.

If some of our most popular movies are any indicator of today's society, he may have a point, at least on the emotional adolescent part.


December 13, 2007

Love through a microscope

BaltAmour reader Charles tipped me onto scientificmatch.com, a Florida-based service that says it can use modern technology (and a little of your DNA) to find your perfect match.

The service does DNA analysis -- "to find others with a natural odour you'll love, with whom you'd have healthier children, a more satisfying sex life, and more,"the site says -- as well as background checks and personal values matching.

Scientificmatch.com is starting in the Boston area, but if you're interested, no worries. You'll possibly need some time to save up for the membership fee: $1,995 a year, all up front.

December 12, 2007

Cute missed connection

From Baltimore-area blogger Malnurtured Snay:

You: Cute blonde upset that you bought your copy of “Harry Potter” at a store not offering a free Harry Potter Calendar.

Me: Stocky dude in “MARYLAND” hooded sweatshirt buying “Harry Potter” at Circuit City because it was the cheapest price and not caring a wit for free Harry Potter Calendar.

You: Happy that I gave you my free calendar.

Me: Happy I was able to make you smile and pissed at myself for not asking you out. (I think you woulda liked my Hogwarts*.)

*Yeah. No double entendre, that.

As a fellow Harry Potter nerd, I've gotta say I love geek love.

And speaking of missed connections, has the craigslist forum ever worked for anyone?

 



Blind date from Hades

A while ago, BaltAmour reader Carey e-mailed me a story of her horrible blind-date. I'll share some of the story in her words, but I'll set you up.

Her friends set her up with a guy who lives near New York City. He talks up a "surprise" restaurant he wants to take her and her friends. She drives up on a weekend, she gets lost in Jersey, he's unable to tell her how to get there, she finally gets to his house, using her own brain cells. He drives them into the city. They get lost twice, yet Blind Date Wonder Boy refuses to tell the others where the restaurant is -- It's a surprise! -- so that they can help him find his way.

Finally, they get to the restaurant. Dinner is nice, in spite of Wonder Boy insisting they take a $50 picture there. They head home, and Wonder Boy backs into a car. He leaves a note. They get back to Wonder Boy's house, where they were all staying the night. Then the date gets better:
He offers his bed for me to sleep in.  I explain that I can sleep anywhere and just need a blanket.  He insists.  I insist that I like camping and am really fine on the floor, couch, chair, whatever.  I really don't even need a pillow, just a blanket and I'm good.  He gives in, then asks if I want to watch a movie.  I explain that I don't, but if he wants to that's fine, I can sleep through anything.  Then he tries to kiss me.  I explain that I am very, very, very tired and have alot to do the next day and really just want to sleep.  He finally gives up and goes upstairs.  I left at 6am, cursing the whole time I was scraping the snow off my car (did I mention that I hate cold weather?  And for some reason NJ doesn't seem to think it's important to plow/salt roads on Sundays?!?  There was a good 6 inches of snow on the road til I hit the TP).  I got home, got into bed with my dog (who, at that point, I could not wait to see) and took a really long nap.
I love the end of this story for two reasons: One, this is a clear case of a guy not getting a clue. You have to watch your signs, guys! If she doesn't want to sleep in your bed, if she insists that she doesn't want to watch a movie, that she can sleep through anything, don't go for the kiss.

Secondly, it brings to light a phenomenon that I think was most apparent in college -- the movie move. Whenever somebody goes over another person's house (that they're possibly romantically involved with) to watch a movie, they're not going to watch the movie. Or at least that's somebody's aim. Anyone else notice that?

Anyone else have some crazy blind date stories?

December 11, 2007

Flipping the switch

An interesting question (or series of questions) came up on the Tierney Lab blog.

Scientists have found a way to turn straight fruit flies gay and the other way around, using a drug that adjusts how they react to pheromones. The ultimate application is human, of course, and beyond the big questions of being able to "cure" homosexuality, Tierney also wonders if some people would vie for "designer libidos," embracing the new freedom of sexual choice:
Would some people, gay or straight, who weren’t having luck attracting one gender decide to switch to the other? Would some people casually switch back and forth?
I'm skeptical of this wonder pill having a consistent success rate among people anyway, given that biology seems to only be one of many factors in people connecting. But let's say they did create this wonder pill. Do you think there'd be a huge demand on all sides? And what about bisexuals?

The magnifying glass

Not that I'm advocating leaving our wonderful site -- with food and news and