What to b!tch about today

Go for it, in fact ask another MALE friend to accompany you.

I have seen a similar instance, not suggesting this is yours, where the person felt he would be 'going on a date' and decided to fly alone to remove assumptions of a relationsihp.

Let him fly, get yourself some good tunes and enjoy the trip, who cares if it's alone enjoy the time away from everything and make the most of it.

I'd go with you because I love road trips anywhere for any length of time, but unless you are going to Seattle I can't accompany you, sorry I need to get down to Seattle this week sometime, road trip to Victoria ferry to Seattle, preferably alone where I can enjoy it at my pace and not someone elses.

I say go for it and make the most out of it.

Hmm...good friend...afraid to upset him....so I guess stabbing him the throat with an edge trimmer..oh sorry nevermind...that was another thought for something else. ;)

ANYway....for real I say go for it, the trip that is. But to copycat off of Oz's comment -- ask another friend to join you on the trip. Hey its your unique child free weekend time right? Make the most of it. Laugh, joke, whatever...just enjoy it. Stop to eat along the way, heck stop at any site you pass by that may catch your interest, relax, take your time...ENJOY!

And personally if your male friend gets unnerved about it...dude needs to grow up a bit. Its nice that he's a good friend to you, but friend or not -- putting you in guilt mood isn't cool and you don't deserve it.

First of all, Friends do NOT play guilt trips on friends.

If this is someone you are hoping to be romantic with, inviting another guy will make sure that doesn't happen.

Have you talked to him about what you think about him changing this
plan on you?  Try it and you will find out just how good a friend
he is.

I would NOT follow through if he decides what you think is unimportant.  Find a different way to spend the weekend.

Hope it works out.

I will refrain from giving relationship advice, because we all know how bad my judgement about that turned out to be.

not that it will matter...but...

Any kind of friend who would say they would travel with you, then change plans to fly and not accompany you...is no friend.

The least he could do is offer to pay most, if not all, of a seat on the flight for you as well.

Anyways...I'd never do that to my friends...

Not only do I need the instant gratification, I need someone with taste
to tell me what it is I need to get to get gratified with.

I am what I have termed as fashionably retarded.  If I keep it
real simple I can do it.  How can you go wrong with black pants
and white shirt?  Another problem is I DO like shirts that have
colors, but most mens stores do not carry good colors.

Guess I need to head down to the big malls in detroit for the boys
school shopping in the fall and get myself something then.  Till
then, oh well.

LOL I'm definitely on the sock gnomes' route. I haven't been able to
match a sock properly in about ten years. I use the total opposite
solution, though. I try to buy as close to the exact same kind of sock
every time I purchase. I figure I have a better chance of matching that
way... 

You have BOO BERRY SOCKS?  I LOVE BOO BERRY!

The boys and I LOVE helloween because (among other reasons) that is the
only time of the year that they sell boo berry.  I always buy four
boxes ASAP and we scarf them down by the end of the week.  An on
going joke, always say "MY boo berry!" and then run away with the box,
the other two give chase through out the house.  This coming
helloween will be the first time we will be able to do it without all
three of us getting yelled at.

As for gnomes, have you tried leaving a decoy set out for them?  That will show them!

Maybe an extra pair as a peace offering?
jd

They always sell Boo Berry here. Wal-Mart carries it if it's not anywhere else. They have FrankenBerry as well.

I owe the sock gnomes nothing! I'll show them by never wearing socks again! no more socks!

I love socks. Always wore the craziest ones I could find, which wasn't easy until the late 1960s when I got my first pair of American flag socks. I'm always prepared for every holiday. My wife and I have the definitive collection of "hot socks" from the 1970s-80s. People give us funny looks when we say we share the same sock drawer, but why buy two pairs of everything?

I'm not normally a truly compulsive person, but I'm sufficiently sock-centric that I almost never toss a pair in the laundry without safety-pinning them together. You can imagine how impossible it would be to pull twenty or thirty pairs out of the dryer if they were all blinding colors and the chance of finding a match were one in 59.

You have to be sure to use stainless steel safety pins or they leave rust marks.

It is funny how a voice can come from the most unlikely of souces and be dead on.

I actually had a fortune cookie tell me two days before the EX told me
she was leaving that she would be leaving.  Not in those exact
words, but close enough.  It fit.  Why ask why?

Now, back to YOU.  So how does your Karma shape up so far THIS
life time?  Got good things to look forward to the next ride
around or will you be paying dearly?

Fess up now.

Well, I prefer to not suffer the company of fools, so I might be held a bit there, but I figure that in the end I am a good person and will be rewarded by another time around. 

One day I went and got 15 inches cut off my hair and bought a new wardrobe and got my nails done (none of this was anything i had ever done before). Once I was done with all that I went and got some chinese food and opened my fortune cookie and it said "You will try something new today!". And I said, "Now it tells me."  True story.

What's to fear? They were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed groups of the era (customarily known as "the sixties" but actually the period roughly beginning in 1964 and ending in 1976) and of the genre (folk-rock). As measured by "classic rock" radio they're one of the few American groups of that day whose music is still highly popular. "The Sounds of Silence" is one of the signature songs of "the sixties," although "Mrs. Robinson" may get more airplay because of its association with Dustin Hoffman's debut movie, "The Graduate."

Along with a few tunes by the Beatles, the Stones, and Pink Floyd, "The Sounds of Silence" will probably still be heard far into the future. (Not to say there won't be others but they're harder to pick in advance. At the time we Americans would all have bet on "Me and Bobby McGee," probably the most-covered song of the era.)

Paul Simon is one of very few popular music makers of that era who still have meaningful careers and he predates most of them, including Eric Clapton and Peter Gabriel.

Nah he did not change over night,you allowed him to control the relationship and by giving into his wishes you gave him power to dictate how what when and where.You knew what he was like in the first month and was willing to endure the challenge of changing him,and he got worse,hope you did not give in to much and for the books let him keep them,you should not torture yourself,he kows you like the books and holding them hostage.

Challenge yourself to picking up your self esteem,you have let it slip,reset priorities.You really sound angry right now.

dmiles7

Camping is cool, but can't be done in the 8 hour time frame you gave
us.  See, this is CLOSE to the idea I gave you and the
biking/hiking is always a great part of camping.

Hope this is a nice weekend for you.

Do you fish? I know it usually isn't very exciting but some people love it. That is what I will be doing this weekend. The boys wanted to go fishing, so we are going fishing.

Are you a golfer? Nice to get out and play a round.

Got to have the right mindset for golf.  Golf for me is like people that like to work in their yard. 

First, it is a GREAT time to spend with my boys.

It isn't what I concider a fun sport, but it is something I enjoy doing.  Does that make sence?

These of course are all WILD stabs in the dark as your personal likes
and dislikes really haven't had a whole lot of light shown on
them.  We know your VERY well read, don't care for the sun and
HATE DELL.  Got a thing for germs, but not sure just how far this
goes.   Do you carry a pack of wipes to clean your hands
constanlty?

Now we can add no golf and no biking.  But you DO like to camp and canoe.

You like guns.  Handguns?  Rifles?  Both?  Big bore
or small bore?  Shotguns?  We are just starting to shoot
skeet, and I have a few trophies for handgun competition. 
Switched from Darts to guns when I hurt my shoulder at work.  Do
you hunt?

Perhaps your friend fell in love with you. We men are nice to people in the following order:

Nicest: Men who have power over us

All other men

Fathers

Children (either gender usually)

Women who have power over us

All other women

Girlfriends

Least nice: Wives

If you care for someone, even as a friend, why would you go out of your way to hurt them? And to do it on purpose? I do know some kind men out there.

 While I don't know the depth of this "friendship" but the only
thing I can think of on why he would do this was he WANTED to end the
friendship but didn't want to be the one to end it directly.  Some
people just are not good at that.

Sometimes people just wear on each other.

Don't really have enough information to make more than that wild guess.

By now you should already be heading out to the woods, if your not already setup.

Watch out for the bears and have a good unwind.

Well, Monday has come and gone and no word from the girli girl. 
Did the bears get her after all?  Did she find the relaxation
and/or excitement she was looking for?  Did she raise bloody
hell?  We may never know..........

Don't edit existing comments to add to the end!  Bad girli!

Those of use that stalk you in this site have read it and knew how many
replies there are so we know if we need to go to the bottom and read
more.

I put some ideas in the Q&A, but email can be tough to find sometimes.

And yes, I am VERY FREAKEN calm, thank you anyways.

Remember when you ran away

And I got on my knees

And begged you not to leave

Because I'd go beserk

Well you left me anyhow

And then the days got worse and worse

And now you see I've gone

Completely out of my mind

And they're coming to take me away ha-haaa

They're coming to take me away ho ho hee hee ha haaa

To the funny farm

Where life is beautiful all the time

And I'll be happy to see those nice young men

In their clean white coats

And they're coming to take me away ha haaa

You thought it was a joke

And so you laughed

You laughed when I said

That losing you would make me flip my lid

Right? You know you laughed

I heard you laugh. You laughed

You laughed and laughed and then you left

But now you know I'm utterly mad

And they're coming to take me away ha haaa

They're coming to take me away ho ho hee hee ha haaa

To the happy home with trees and flowers and chirping birds

And basket weavers who sit and smile and twiddle their thumbs and toes

And they're coming to take me away ha haaa

I cooked your food

I cleaned your house

And this is how you pay me back

For all my kind unselfish, loving deeds

Ha! Well you just wait

They'll find you yet and when they do

They'll put you in the A.S.P.C.A.

You mangy mutt

And they're coming to take me away ha haaa

They're coming to take me away ha haaa ho ho hee hee

To the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time

And I'll be happy to see those nice young men

In their clean white coats

And they're coming to take me away

To the happy home with trees and flowers and chirping birds

And basket weavers who sit and smile and twiddle their thumbs and toes

And they're coming to take me away ha haaa!

Sounds like someone over induldged....

"I promise to never drink again, until the next time".

Hopefully you didn't DO anything while under the influince that is bothering you. The other aspect will all go away with time.

I am personally planning on LOTS of over indulging over the next few weeks!

Drink some gaterade, take a handful of asprin and keep the shades pulled.

I will help you if you help me.

I KNOW I will be writing a self-help about getting through a divorce after this hell is over.

Emotionally I have been single for years, the main thing I lost was a free babysitter and driver to get my kids places.

So feel free to bounce any idea off me that you wish. Just make sure I get a mention for contributing!

And don't forget, you DID accept my answer for your trip Q&A so you now HAVE to go to niagra falls with me! hee hee!

Frankfurt. I believe that is where my brother lives.

The real issue of dating a signle mother is the "baggage." And before my head gets torn off, your child isn't the baggage, it's the actions of both parents that is almost always the problem.

I've met very few people with children who had a friendly divorce. Most of the stories play out as a badly directed combination segment of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the final battle in Lord of the Rings and your favorite version of War of the Worlds. Usually one, and sometimes both parents, use the children as battering chips to score points on each other. Most people are loathe to admit that relationships fail due to the actions of both parties and it is always easier to be a victim and blame someone else.

Another issue I see is "shopping list dating." I often am very amused looking at the list of qualifications that people put out as their "ideal." Seeing some of these lists, it is a wonder that people ever manage to meet, fall in love and reproduce at all, without the addition of copious amounts of alcohol and/or drugs. Of course, the flip side of this situation is that the person is at home, all alone, every evening in order to dream up all of these mate requirements.

Please note that I am not stating that any of these observations apply to your situation, but it does apply to many of the single people loose on the net these days.

You and your child are better off without this loser. I believe the term for such men is "sperm donor?"

I am rather shocked that men invite women on a date and expect them to pay. I am realizing that I am a great deal more old fashioned than I care to admit. I can't think of more than one or two times in my entire life when a woman demanded to "go dutch." And I do hear this same story from female friends about the number of cheap men. One friend told me she liked me cause when I ask her fishing, I will pay for the worms and put them on the hook for her. I should get a bumper sticker for my butt that says, "Old. Not Cheap." I am sure that would really catch the ladies' attention. More likely make them point and laugh, but I am used to that.

Fact is, these days, men are crap. I don't even know why I would want to go and find a guy who is just going to end up treating me like crap in the long run. I usually go for the older guys because I figure they will at least be a little better, but they are only interested in having a young thing around.

I would just like to find a nice guy who is intelligent. Just one. But most of you guys are all over the world and non eof them seem to reside within a 50 mile circle around this area. Or at least not any single ones.

Girli, tell us how you really feel!  Saying all men are crap is like saying all Muslims are terrorists. :D I personally know one guy (AHEM!) who is not crap. ;) Though I will admit that at times in the past I have been total crap in the eyes of a woman or two (see comment below about younger guys).  I hope I'm older and wiser now.  BTW, I'm taking notes here so that whenever I start dating again, I'll know how to act like a gentleman.

I'll help write that book. I can be a rather prolific writer when highly motiviated.  Though I have no kids, I am trying to start dating again (see comment above about taking notes), so I can contribute a little bit to your future Emmy award winning novel. If I ever get a date again, that is. :-/  Personally, I would have no problem dating a woman who has children.  It does make things a bit less convenient as far as when/where you can go, but there are worse obstacles to overcome. It probably is a bigger hurdle to climb for younger guys who can be selfish, arrogant jerks.  Dating a woman with kids would give me great insight into what kind of person she is. If she shows concern and compassion for them and puts them #1 in her life, that would be a good sign. If she is loose and lackadaisical with them, I would not want to date her any longer. And for you, having a child, it can also give YOU great insight into any guy you date. If he does not heed your concerns about your child when planning a date or if he gets impatient or jealous because you have to give your child priority, then I suggest you send him packing ASAP.

hello, i think you better starting lady.

Dating women can be rough too, especially for those of us that have
been out of circulation for a while.  Women can get a date any
time they want, but getting a date that is more than just sex isn't
quite as easy.

Men, if your not looking just right, then the options are stacked
against you.  So many people these days are more than ever hung up
on what people look like, instead of who they are and how they treat
you.

Kids.  Kids can be a major obsticle in finding a nice person to
share their lives with you.  First problem is, will this person be
around for a while?  If not, I don't want my kids meeting them
just to have them leave.  Another problem is, but it is good too
is you get to see how that person is with kids.  Lots of people
are great, until the kids come along and they can't run wild
anymore. 

Having a younger child is also hard because to go out you need to find
a sitter, and if you don't have family to do it that is a hard thing to
find.  Hard to just take off for a weekend trip, and most things
have to be planned out.  Many perspective new mates are not
looking for that kind of schedule conflicts.  (not that you needed
me to tell you this)

To make matters worse there is one extra problem someone like me
has.  What happens when you meet that perfect person, but they
want to have kids of their own yet?  Having been "fixed" and
already having raised my kids, this isn't something I could see dealing
with.  Someone who already has kids?  As long as they are out
of diapers!

And yes, it does seem like age does play into how people think about
you.  Maybe I should lie about my age?  As for you girlie,
you just have to accept that if you are attractive (will just assume
you are as I haven't seen ANY pictures of you) that a lot of shallow
people will want to be with you based on what you look like.  But
you will someday find someone that thinks your just great, sight
unseen.  Someone that doesn't live 800 miles away at least.

Oh quit whining about people whining about being called a whiner!  ;\

Yes, it is funny just how sensitive some people are sometimes! If
you can't handle someone calling you a name, then you will have a hard
time when you move out of mommies house and try to go out into the real
world, you will have a VERY rough life.

As for me, it is easy to deal with people calling me names. I
just don't give a sh1t what they think, so it really doesn't matter
what they say.

But what can you do?

Drizzle, drazzle,
dradle, drone
Time for this one to come home.

"Newhart".  The show ran from 1982 AD to 1990 AD. Darryl #1 real name Tony Papenfuss (That's an odd last name. Switch around a 'p' and the 'f' and it is an even worse last name. I bet his friends gave him a hard time about that name when he was a kid.  If my last name was Papenfuss, I'd shoot my parents. Then I'd change it to Smith.), Darryl #2 real name John Voldstad (That's a wierd last name too but not as bad as Papenfuss.  "Voldstad" looks German. I guess if you're in Germany, it wouldn't be such a wierd last name.), Larry real name William Sanderson (at least he has a normal last name)  Anything else you wanna know, just ask.  ;)

For some strange reason, I am not surprised to hear that you were a funny child.  Lucky for your parents. I was an evil child. The devil incarnate.

Are you in a better mood today?  ;) ;)

How'd your date with Mark the Beer Drinker go?  You should write about it on your blog.

I didn't end up going out with him last weekend. I tried calling him but didn't get an answer, he has no voicemail or caller ID and his cell phone is broken (I've seen it. The display exploded). But I had a party to go to on Saturday and when I checked my phone about 2 that morning, I saw that he had called. I tried calling him back the next day, but didn't get him. I might try calling him again this weekend or the next.

Thanks for that bit of info. I'm only 24, so I don't remember things from back then very well. It was just too funny that there was actually a guy named Larry with a brother named Darrell and I knew them.

I was fine yesterday. I was more amused than anything else.  Marriage is nothing but a money pit. This does not mean that I don't like going to weddings. i love weddings. Open bar! dance with strangers! Life's great!

Mark the Beer Drinker has no voicemail or caller ID?  Does he at least have running water in his home? I'm sorry it didn't work out with him this past weekend.  If this was a planned thing with him, it sounds like he left you hanging and I'd have been either disappointed or pissed. Or both. If it was planned, then he doesn't deserve for you to call him.  It's supposed to be the other way around.

You're only 24, huh?  That explains everything!  haha  I'm teasing.  You've been through quite a lot for a whippersnapper.  I was 24 once.  When I was 24, I didn't know a damn thing about anything and didn't give a damn about a damn thing.  I thought I knew everything about everything, though.  I wonder what the world record is for using some form of "thing" in consecutive sentences. I may have just shattered that record.

That's wierd how the Daryl-Daryl brother name thing came up the same day as the Hurricane name discussion which somehow ended up with the Allman Brothers.  It started with brothers and ended with brothers.  Strange. George Foreman has five sons named George and a daughter named Georgetta. Here's more wierd stuff about wierd sets of wierd names in wierd families: The Name Game  ( http://newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA/MGArticle/LNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783841114&path= )

I suppose I should quit clogging up your blog and write something else in my own blog instead.  Blog clogging.  I think I just invented a new tech term.

Hey there "smiley"!  Your letting me down when you only do one
blurb to beotch and then don't follow up with another rant.  Don't
tell me someone took your boo berry socks and ruined your whole week?

So tell us, what is it that is p1ss1ng you off today?  Has to be something that has got your tights in a bind?

Well, time to drive back across the state.  Only a three hour
drive home from a wasted trip to try to fix the network. 
Grrrr.  Details later, and elsewhere.

Cheers!

jd

Having a bad summer?

Just because we only know the names of the primary colors, have three pairs of shoes in our closet, speak in nouns instead of adjectives, come home from the store with just what was on the shopping list, and believe you when we ask "What's wrong?" and you say "Nothing," you think we're simple and primitive?

On the other hand, women are self-righteous, self-centered cun+s
that tend to think that they are always right and everything should be
done their way and when they want it, but they are really quite
useless. They believe that they should control the world and that men are not up to task. It is indeed a woman's world. I am by no means condoning chauvinism, I'm not into the whole barefoot-and-pregnant thing. I just feel that if women want to be treated as women, they need to treat men as gentlemen.
I hate walking into work in the morning and getting on the elevator,
reaching my floor, and before I can even get off the elevator I am
pushed aside by a woman in a suit on a cell
phone who does not know the first thing about courtesy. A society of
swill. Callow individuals that think the world should be theirs. What happened to a woman accepting simple acts of courtesy with grace? Since when is letting a lady order first at a restaurant a crime (that is one of my biggest peeves)? This is why I don't like to leave my house.

This has been a public service announcement from the hypocrisy identification network.

I could go on, but between statements that don't seem to actually
bear on the subject at hand and the fact that I have work to do today,
I think it's best to quit now. I trust my point is made: it's not men,
nor women, who are the problem. It's people. When you start blaming one
gender or the other, you become part of the problem.

I'm from the last generation that was raised under the old social order, and I notice its disappearance as much as you do. But I also agree with the observation that younger women in general suffer from the same affliction. Not as badly, probably because it's still true that girls are raised to be somewhat more people-oriented than boys are. But I am dismayed by the deliberate lack of respect for others, the casual selfishness, and the proud ignorance of the world around them by members of both genders.

I suppose this is part of the Paradigm Shift. It's difficult for young people to respect their elders when we have to come to you for help in making these blasted computers work the way the manual says they do, in explaining the references in pop culture, and in understanding why "safe sex" no longer means simply not getting caught. And if you don't feel a natural respect for those who came before you, the motivation to respect anyone dissolves. Perhaps that's Confucianism but it's one of the few Ancient Ways that doesn't seem completely obsolete in the Post-Industrial Era.

Every third or fourth generation has always believed that the world is going to the dogs. What's alarming is that now EVERY generation feels that way.

WOW! You've started another firestorm, girli!  OK don't blast me for giving my 2 cents worth but here goes.  I think both you and Apotheon are only partially right. Not ALL men suck and not ALL women are c**ts (Sorry, I can't say or even type that word).  Some are. Some ain't. I think if you WANT to find a fault in any particular person, you're gonna find pretty damn many faults. By the same token, if you want to find something good in most people, you're gonna find pretty damn many good things, too.  I don't know the circumstances surrounding the cell phone fella who pushed you aside by the elevator or the chap who talked down to you about some news event (maybe he had to talk down cuz he's taller than you? haha) or the bozos who order before you in a restaurant or any of the other several dozen cases you mentioned. :-/  Maybe I hang out with the wrong crowd, or I guess that would be the RIGHT crowd, cuz I never notice such repugnant behavior in any guys I know.  Same goes for any females I know, Apotheon (which these days is not very many :-|  ) I don't know of any females, or see many females, that are c**ts. Being a guy, maybe I have a natural and subconscious tendency to think that women are not treated as shabbily as you say, girli. I don't know. I have no perspective on that.  Do you think most women feel the same way as you do?

Damnit, TR blogs suck! Or maybe I'm just clumsy.  I posted another comment here ( a comment to my last comment) but somehow the f-ing thing ended up as a new post to my own damn blog. Then I copied it over  here and thought I submitted the freakin' thing.  But F*CK!!!  It ain't here now!  F! F! F!  I'll try to recall what I wrote. I probably won't be able to because it was written during a moment of sheer brilliance....  Write now I am pissed, pissed, pissed...

I was rereading my previous post and realized that I wrote alot but didn't say anything that was worth anything. Not even the 2 cents that I said it would be worth.  And then I was thinking (something that can be dangerous for me to do) about this discussion and this one particular ass-of-a-guy came to mind.  The ass that I speak of is a cop who directs traffic near where I work during rush hour (OK...well F*CK!  The blog gods are against me tonight!  I just now hit some button by accident and this message somehow got submittted...Thank goodness I didn't delete it instead or I would be in spastic stroke mode by now!)  OK, the ass-of-a-cop...  From my vantage point in my pickup stuck in traffic, he thinks he's God's gift to the female species. He struts around like a peacock on steroids.  Neck arched back like some kind of Roman god. Chest puffed out like King Kong.  Shit-eatin' grin on his face.  At least once a week, I see this guy go into overkill mode when an attractive member of the female species drives by.  Traffic is backed up at his intersection, so you gotta drive real slow. He gives the woman a silly sissy-looking wave and a sly smile and a come-on look and mouths something to her as she drives by and tries to ignore him.  He is like 51-yrs old. And he performs these immature mating antics while on-duty.  ITgirli, I am thinking that a few encounters with a dork like that would probly put a bad taste in any woman's mouth about the stupid things guys do regarding the female species.  (Figuratively put a bad taste in your mouth, not literally! haha I had to get you back for the left-handed/right-handed comment that you made to me.)

Bad man day?  Hey, there are plenty of good guys out there, don't let one or two jerks spoil it all.

Part of the problem: I was yelled at recently because I opened a door
for a woman that was right behind me.  She made a snide comment to
the affect that she didn't need a man to open the door, she had
arms. 

Men that have an ounce of class are being told to be classless. 
Men that would normally be a gentelman are being told that is
wrong. 

While there are the jerks, there are diamonds in the rough...you just
have to find em.  Sure they might need a little spit and polish,
but no big deal ;-)

Ok, my turn.

I have to agree that it is "people" that suck. There are plenty of worthless people of all three genders.

I have even noticed that many people don't even recognise it when you are nice to them, or wonder what you want. I still hold doors, wait for a lady to go first, try not to let them catch me staring at their breasts. You know, all the good stuff they USED to expect out of men.

I think in your case Girli, it is WHERE you live that affects WHO you live by. Could be worse, you could be on the west coast!

In the mean time, give them he11. :^O

(hope tomorrow is a better day)

No, I haven't dated a man lately (or ever). I'm going to hazard a
guess that you haven't dated a woman lately, though, ITgirli. I have,
however, had a fair number of conversations with a fair number of
people of all sexual orientations, to include self-avowed
heterosexuals, bisexuals, homosexuals, pansexuals, transexuals, and
even sapiosexuals. The common thread is that every gender,
gender-identification, and gender-dysphoric demografic includes some
horrible people. There's no "this one is worse". Blaming a gender for
your problems solves nothing, and is generally going to lead to a lot
of inaccuracies to say the least.

Don't even get me started on the problem women I've dated. To judge
by my experiences, 85% of women should be locked away for their good
and/or for that of the society in which they live. I've even fallen in
love with a girl that subsequently gave me reason to believe she might
be a genuine sociopath. Somehow, I manage to avoid blaming the gender.

I agree that everyone should show a little common courtesy. I do.
Stupid online tests identify me as the "gentleman" type, and I've been
called such to my face many times. That's exactly the problem here: you
condemn an entire gender for whatever bad experience you've had in the
last week or so. Congratulations. You're a bigot, at least for the
moment.

I'll leave you with a final note. This is a lesson I've learned over
time, and maybe it's one you've yet to learn: the one common factor in
all your failed relationships is you. That doesn't mean you've
necessarily done anything wrong, but you might consider examining how
you put yourself in a position where you've trusted the wrong people.
Sure, 98% of the people you meet are going to be jackasses, but that
doesn't mean you have to date them all.

EDIT: M_a_r_k, I wasn't actually saying that all women are . . .
well. I wasn't actually expressing an opinion with that phrase so much
as showing that ITgirli's statements cut both ways with the same degree
of accuracy.

Apotheon, you mentioned something I've never thought about. The common link 'tween each of our failed relationships is ourself.  That is not good for our self-esteem but it is a true statement.  In fact, unless our mate dies, we will go through our entire life having succeeded in only ONE relationship.

Something else I thought of is that in this day and age of frivolous sexual harassment lawsuits, men can be confused how to act toward women in the workplace. If I hold the door open for a female co-worker and not for a male, am I being perceived as giving her special treatment just b/c she's female?  Things get even more confusing if your boss is female.

ITgirli, you're still young. Way too young to get stressed about the same old problems that have plagued mankind since forever. Just cuz it is 2005 doesn't mean men and women are suddenly gonna start seeing eye-to-eye on everything.  That won't ever happen; we are physiologically different beings. Don't get too bent out of shape if your having a hard time with guys for now. ("Bent out of shape"...a subconscious reference to your scoliosis. hah!)  When I was a youngun I went thru similar periods of frustration too.  Be patient and take all the bumps in stride and learn from your experiences.  Better days are ahead.

I have a solution for what to do about your elevator friend.  Take the stairs.  :-)

OK then I have another solution for you.  Transfer to a job as a security guard so you have acess to the stairs. :)

So you're saying that you can get into the stairwell but you can't get out?  Sounds like a Roach Motel. What happens if someone accidentally stumbles thru the wrong door and gets trapped inside the stairwell? Or worse, what happens if there's a fire in the building?  Everyone knows you shouldn't use the elevator in case of fire.  I know what kind of physical condition your typical security guard is in.  How long do you think it will take him to huff and puff his way to the stairwell exit door, then fumble around searching for the right special key out of the dozens that your typical security guard lugs around. By that time, the fire will have consumed the building, including the stairwell, and everyone inside will be BBQ.

And what is this world coming to, you ask?  With roads full of rude people and with elevators full of rude people, we have no safe haven anymore. In times of stress and distress, I used to retreat to the nearest quiet elevator and ponder away the world's problems. I dunno what the world is coming to.  The answer is buried somewhere deep inside the Book of Revelations. If you can read and decipher anything from that time-tested manuscript, I'd love to know.

OK then I have another solution for you.  Transfer to a job as a security guard so you have acess to the stairs. :)

So you're saying that you can get into the stairwell but you can't get out?  Sounds like a Roach Motel. What happens if someone accidentally stumbles thru the wrong door and gets trapped inside the stairwell? Or worse, what happens if there's a fire in the building?  Everyone knows you shouldn't use the elevator in case of fire.  I know what kind of physical condition your typical security guard is in.  How long do you think it will take him to huff and puff his way to the stairwell exit door, then fumble around searching for the right special key out of the dozens that your typical security guard lugs around. By that time, the fire will have consumed the building, including the stairwell, and everyone inside will be BBQ.

And what is this world coming to, you ask?  With roads full of rude people and with elevators full of rude people, we have no safe haven anymore. In times of stress and distress, I used to retreat to the nearest quiet elevator and ponder away the world's problems. I dunno what the world is coming to.  The answer is buried somewhere deep inside the Book of Revelations. If you can read and decipher anything from that time-tested manuscript, I'd love to know.

Well, your Armageddon day came and went. We are all still here. At least I'm still here.  My dogs are, too. So all is well in the world. I didn't even bother to pack. Armageddon is actually a place. It's in Israel. It's the location of the final battle between good and evil.  Which side are you gonna be on?

BTW, your attitude improved markedly between Aug 9, 8:14 AM and Aug 12, 9:25 AM.  I'm glad we could help perk up your mood. And don't stop taking your meds!  :D

Three pairs of shoes? Wow,I thought most of us men only had one. Oh,well times change.

It seems to me someone is maybe just a little bitter from her past lovers,etc. Get ove it. Men suck,woman suck, with all that sucking going on you'd figure sex lives would be more interesting!

We all have had past relationships,good and/or bad.It's ok to learn from them but don't punish the next person who comes along for the wrong doings of a past relationship.Forgive but don't forget.I myself have been swindled out of $1000's from the evil ones with t&a.But I wonder who'll be next and how much will I loose(give away)(pay for services) this time?On the plus side I loose less with each  new partner.Like I said get over it and if men suck for you well there are other alternatives and if you do decide to go that path, that's your choice.Don't let anyone affect your choice,if they don't like it (male or whatever) they indeed do  suck.

With Love OXOX and best regards,

BobsFeatures

http://www.bobsfeatures.com

Gah!  I hate the Chevy vs Ford thing.  I also hate the Dodge
crap that people put on their Dodge mini-van...uh Durango.  You
don't need the ram brake light covers, ram mud flaps, ram floor mats,
ram sticker in the back window, Calvin peeing on Ford on one side and
Calvin peeing on Chevy on the other, and for damn sure you don't need
the "Ram Tough" sticker on the top of the windshield.

It isn't regional, it is ALL over here in the southwest (you are in the
midwest, right?).   Oh, we also have the Harley riders that
won't shut up about how cool their oil leaking, slow moving, rattle
traps are....

Bah - you should have broken his ankle on his way outta the elevator.
If that seems too 'strong' for you - suggest you take some classes on how to do it.
RE: the CarStuff - screw em - get yerself a Volvo 850 Wagon and trick it out w/lectronics.

He, I have a 1970 VW Bug (beat up, but restoring) and my new Tacoma to haul Bug parts in.  I am impressing nobody ;-)

On that note, with gas prices going the way they are, I might have to
buy a motorcycle just to be able to afford driving around town. 

Oh Little Miss Manners. I love to read your daily gripe. A day without a girli gripe is like a day without sunshine.  Another elevator tail, huh?   (Yep, that would be "tail", not "tale", in reference to the asses (people, not posteriors) that keep smushing you against the elevator wall). I already told you how to solve your elevator problem.  Transfer to a job as a security guard so you can take the stairs.  Some security guards carry a sidearm. I don't recommend this for you. You're liable to go postal and do something we'll all regret. You'd be on CNN and Newsweek.  Headlines would read "girli gone wild".  Then you'll get hauled off to the state pen. And you think you have a lot to bitch about now. And then the feds might come after me as an acessory for prodding you into taking that security guard job.  So please leave the sidearm securely locked in your boss' desk.

If you don't like that idea, let me suggest a more radical approach to solving your elevator problem. If someone is rude to you, calmly and matter-of-factly inform the person of this. Most of the time, people aren't even aware about how rude they are. It just comes naturally.  You'll be surprised at how quickly even the rudest person changes their attitude when you are direct, honest and objective with them about their behavior. You don't seem like a shrinking violet.  Try this out. I'll expect a full report on the results.

Maybe you just live in a state full of extremely rude idiots. Yesterday in Richmond, 5000 Virginians committed jihad on each other just for a cheap USED laptop 'puter:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/16/tech/main781387.shtml

That just blows my mine!  Most people I know would NEVER dream of
shoving a pretty young thing aside like that.  He must have been
gay?  How else can you explain it?  But then again, most gay
people I have met are very well mannered, so that doesn't fit
either!  Drat!  Don't have an answer for that one.

Chrysler man myself, but that is just because that is what they buy for
vehicles for work and when they get so many miles I can buy them for
about half of the value of them.  Matter of fact, my last four
vehicles all came from work and each one is still running just
fine.  My first Concorde that I gave to my bud is still running,
even though it has over 280K Miles on it.  It purrs.

Ford makes the Mustang, so you can't knock that.

Chevy has the Camaro, so they have fun toys too.

But yes, I see this in the North as well.  Esp with the Nascar
fans.  It drives them nuts when they fashion their lives around
their favorite driver and car and then that driver goes to a different
car manufacture.  LOL!

Come up north Girli, you will be treated much better up here.  We still know how to treat a lady.

Oddly, I tend towards shyness and was a very shy child. It was not until I got into Theater when I was 7 that I started to make my way out of my shell. As a matter of fact it is still something that I am not comfortable with. I'm not a confrontational person by nature, but thanks to the power of the internet, I can fool you all and no one knows who I am or where I live. BWAAHAAAHAAAAHAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Internet can do wonders for one's self image. I am whomever I want to be, whenever I want to be it. Free! Free!

I'm not a believer in astrology.  Never could figure out how every human being born within a particular 30-day window of any year is supposed to exhibit the same personality traits.  Not a believer in reincarnation either. Except for animals.  You're a Leo, huh?  Well, I'm an Aries. That North Moon Leo stuff is a dead-on description of me. And the stuff about hurting the people you are closest to.  Very true.  It's part of the reason my marriage fell apart.  Gosh, I always thought it was cuz I was a selfish jerk. Now I see that it's the stars' fault, not mine. :/

Shy? I was a shy kid. Very introverted. I always blamed my parents. Now I see that it's the stars' fault, not my parents. :/  I finally came out my shell as I got older. But once an introvert, always an introvert. So I guess I just found ways to compensate. Hence, the aloofness and reserved demeanor.

I'm a very perceptive fella when it comes to judging other people. Maybe it's a characteristic of introverts. I dunno. ITgirli, just from reading the stuff you post here on TR, I'm thinking that North Leo stuff is a pretty accurate description of you too.  Maybe you're my long-lost identical baby twin sister that I never knew I had. haha

I'm not sure what month Leo is. If it's Aug-Sept, happy birthday. Leo is a lion, right? What's Aries?  If the astrology stuff is really true, to descirbe me Aries would have to be a lightning bolt. Or a grizzly bear. Or a mythological Greek warrior.  Er...or maybe a paper tiger?  hah!

I'm not a believer in astrology.  Never could figure out how every human being born within a particular 30-day window of any year is supposed to exhibit the same personality traits.  Not a believer in reincarnation either. Except for animals.  You're a Leo, huh?  Well, I'm an Aries. That North Moon Leo stuff is a dead-on description of me. And the stuff about hurting the people you are closest to true.  It's part of the reason my marriage fell apart.  I always thought it was cuz I was a selfish jerk. Now I see that it's the stars' fault, not mine. :/

Shy? I was a shy kid. Very introverted. I always blamed my parents. Now I see that it's the stars' fault, not my parents. :/  I finally came out my shell as I got older. But once an introvert, always an introvert. So I guess I just found ways to compensate. Hence, the aloofness and reserved demeanor. I can be loud and bombastic and obnoxious, like I am with online stuff like TR where it's "safe" to do so, but personal relationships have always ben a scary thing for me.

I'm a very perceptive fella when it comes to judging other people. Maybe it's a characteristic of introverts. I dunno. ITgirli, just from reading the stuff you post here on TR, I'm thinking that North Leo stuff is a pretty accurate description of you too.  Maybe you're my long-lost identical baby twin sister that I never had. haha

I'M Leo is a lion, right? What's Aries?  If the astrology stuff is really true, to descirbe me Aries would have to be a lightning bolt. Or a grizzly bear. Or a mythological Greek warrior.  Er...or maybe a paper tiger?  hah!

Gemini is a twin?  Holy crap, maybe you ARE the long-lost identical baby twin sister that I never knew I had! :-O  Aries is a ram...that makes sense. Thank goodness it's not something like a flower or a poodle. There might be something to this astrology stuff after all.  When I was in the 2nd grade I won a science fair competition for an exhibit about the constellations. I guess astrolography was my true calling.  Or it could just mean that I was destined to go thru life with my head in the clouds.

Being a Gemini myself, I can relate in some ways.

Girli, shy?  I can see that.  Many people that come on strong
are usually compensating for aprehension or shyness, and that is how
they get past it.  There is nothing wrong with having fears as
long as you don't let those fears stop you.

Aloft?  Can't pin that one down from postings  on a geek board.

Trouble sharing, While your good at helping others with their problems, I can see you having issues taking care of your own.

Glad North Node of the Moon in LEO doesn't mean your a LEO.  
"HE" is a leo and my EX was always checking this crap between
them.  I really need to learn some VooDoo curses or
something!