QOTD

I haven't done a quote of the day in a while, but I love this one every time I hear it (and just saw it on twitter again today):

Don't marry someone you can live with.
Marry someone you can't live without.

I guess I just haven't found that guy yet. (Though I've found plenty of guys that I can live without.)

But who knows what this weekend may bring? ;)

Happy Friday, peeps!

On to the next one

A few weeks ago, it was my birthday. I tell you this not to have you send me presents (though I certainly won't refuse them). I tell you this because anyone who's been reading the blog for some time knows what my birthday means: the obligatory annual email from The Murse.

Well, my birthday came and went. No email. So I thought that maybe -- just maybe! -- he finally realized that it was time to just let things live in the past.

(Sidenote: Don't get me wrong. I'm all about being civil with exes. But after you date someone for 6+ years -- during the prime (and skinny) years of your dating life!! -- you sort of have a bad taste in your mouth.)

Anyhow, no such luck. He was just a couple of days late with his greeting.

(Sort of like he was late with everything else. Including realizing that he effed up the best relationship he had ever had.)

It was a cordial email, telling me that he moved YET AGAIN to a new city (he has a track record of moving after break-ups) and got a new job, asking about my family, yadda yadda yadda.

But you know what? This was the first year that I didn't feel even the slightest ping of "what could have been?" after reading it.

Guess the fourth time's the charm.

As Jay-Z would say... ON TO THE NEXT ONE!

P.S. is anyone else as OBSESSED with that song as I am?!?

Miserable schmiserable

By now you've probably seen that stupid story floating out there about how Cleveland is a miserable city.

(And if you haven't, I'm not even going to dignify it by linking to it or acknowledging its source.)

And while I rarely ever write about non-dating/love life/boy issues on my blog (since the rest of my life is actually relatively normal and probably not all that entertaining to read about), I just HAD to address it here.

Cleveland is not a miserable city.

I'm not even going to further elaborate on that. If you've never been here and don't believe me, come visit. I'll even put together an itinerary of things for you to do while you're here. And if you do live here and agree with that article... well, then maybe you need me to put together an itinerary of your own. Because there's PLENTY of cool stuff here to be proud of.

Now if my love life were deemed "most miserable," that might be a different story... ;)

There might be something to this whole karma thing

Remember when I said I wasn't going to write a lot about "in progress" boy activities for fear of screwing things up?

Well, I think it might be working.

(Don't get too excited just yet, peeps. But at least I'm having dates! Three in as many weeks, in fact.)

In the meantime, I just have to tell you how glad I am that I picked Ryan as the winner for the Valentine poem contest. He seems like such a sweet guy. (Insert collective blog reader "Awwwww!" here.) I hope he gets his belated Valentine's Day package soon!

(BTW, have you ever bought presents for a stranger? It's sooooo not easy!)

Happy Hump Day, peeps! :)

A Valentine heart on

Thanks to all of you who responded to my last post with Valentine's Day poems for me. I loved them all!

(Even the inappropriate voicemail message from blogdad -- which he felt would be too inappropriate to post on the blog -- involving the words "woody" and "goodies." Oy.)

Anyhow, I did say I'd pick one person to send a little package to. And while it wasn't easy, I think my favorite was (drumroll, please)... Ryan!

(I just thought it was cute that he has wanted to comment a number of times before, but never got the guts to do it til this time around. Obvs, bribing you guys to comment works.)

So, Ryan, email me (cleve27dresses@yahoo.com) your mailing address and expect a little surprise in the mail from yours truly.

And thanks to everyone else for their great poems! Loved 'em all. (And you all for posting them.)

How was your V-Day?

Won't you be my Blog-entine?

Well, it's official. Looks like I won't have a Valentine again this year.

(Other than my adorable little nugget nephew, who is just sweeter than a box of heart-shaped chocolates!)

Anyhow, not having a Valentine sorta bums me out because I really love putting together little Valentine's Day gift packages.

(Heh, heh. I said "package.")

Sooooo... I guess that's good news for you guys. Because I still really want to put together a little fun goody bag. So I'm going to. And I'm going to send it to one of you!

(Provided you don't live in China or somewhere else that will cost a zillion dollars to ship to.)

All you have to do is comment on this post with a Valentine's Day poem for moi!

Have at it! I'll pick my fave poem on Monday, February 15 and announce the winner here.

(Bonus points if it's hilarious, makes fun of douchey guys I've gone out with -- helloooo, Amnesia Guy! -- or just generally puts a smile on my face.)

xoxo --
Always a Bridesmaid

P.S. In order for this to work, you can't comment anonymously. Well, I mean, you can. But it'll be hard to prove that you were the poem's author. (Which means I may just have to keep the sweet treats all for myself!)

P.P.S. Sorry I had to turn word verifications back on in order for you to post a comment. But I've had it up to heeeeere with spammers leaving comments about porn, Viagra and Russian brides (which I have obvs not been publishing). So, at least for the short term, had to turn the verification back on. (Now, if I only had someone to turn me on!)

The cult of personality

I had a (blind) date a couple of weeks ago, and I've come to the conclusion that there's probably not going to be a second date.

(So no worries about karma coming back to bite me on this one.)

Why no second date? Because... well, I can pick up on lack of interest when it's staring me right in the face.

This, of course, then leads to the inevitable self-doubting, then the inevitable self-assurances that it's not you, it's him, blah blah blah.

But, in this case, I think it was me. Or, more specifically, my personality.

And I'm okay with that.

Here's the gist: The guy I went out with was pretty quiet/shy. And I just don't think he was into my in-your-face/talk-to-anyone personality.

That's not to say that there's anything wrong with being quiet/shy OR loud/outgoing. It's just to point out that not *everyone* is always going to mesh with your personality style, and that's perfectly okay.

The sad part is that I came to this realization over the weekend after watching an episode of The Millionaire Matchmaker in which this very cute -- and very shy -- millionaire went on a date with a girl who was very outgoing, beautiful, had her shit together, etc. (I was actually watching thinking, "I would soooo be friends with this girl!") But he didn't ask her out for a second date. And it was pretty clear it was because her personality was just a little too much for him.

I felt like I was watching an episode of my own life right there on Bravo.

(Except, you know... blogmom doesn't have creepy scary bangs like Patti Stanger.)

So, it didn't work out. At least I gave it a shot. But I'm not going to change who I am. I'm loud. I'm outgoing. I was once described as "effervescent." And I realize that may be too much for someone who is more mild-mannered, reserved and quiet.

But that doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with me. Or that there's anything wrong with him.

It just means that there wasn't something right about "us."

P.S. Happy S.A.D. Week!

Laptop love

Remember how I said blogdad was conspiring to fix me up with some guy he (sort of) knows?

Well, our beloved blogdad forgot to mention that, in the midst of telling this guy about me, he also whipped out his laptop -- in an office setting -- and showed the guy my picture on his computer!

(I'm told it was a "flattering" picture, which I assume to mean it was not a bathing suit shot from our family summer vacation.)

Sweet Jesus and Mary, peeps. It's like blogdad is a roving version of eHarmony!

(Except I didn't get to pick my profile picture!)

(Easter) Sealed with a kiss

What's got two thumbs and is attending a charity event next Thursday to support my friend going up on the auction block?

THIS BRIDESMAID.

See, my friend is participating in the Easter Seals' Single in the City Bachelor & Bachelorette Auction. So I'll be supporting both her and a great cause at the same time.

(And I'll be bringing my checkbook to possibly even help my own love life in the process. Which has sort of become a charity case in and of itself, no?)

So anyhow... if you were wondering whether I have a date lined up with any of my potential cuties next Thursday, wonder no more.

I'll be too busy riding a mechanical bull and supporting my friend.

(One part of that sentence is false. I'll let you figure out which part.)

See you there?!?

Kickin' it at Carnaval!

Don't forget about the Jump Back Ball discount for 27 Dresses readers! Click here for the full details. And you better get on that because the special offer code ("DRESS") expires tomorrow!

(Hey, if I can't dish about boys right now, at least I can save you some money, right?)

Later, lovelies!