the perils of a single girl: part I

since most of my girlfriends are married, engaged, or in serious relationships they find it hilariously entertaining to live vicariously through my love life...they get such a riot out of it in fact, that they have begged me to write about it. i have thought long and hard about this decision, (remember my aversion to revealing private matters - dang scorpio trait) and i have come to a similar conclusion that it would be quite inquisitive and interesting to document my (mis)adventures in love. so here it goes - the inaugural post in the series...hope you enjoy! *and boys, don't worry! i won't use your real names!

i guess i should start by admittedly telling you that it's been awhile since i've been on the dating scene. when my heart gets obliteratingly smashed, my natural reaction is to go into hibernation and forget about romance, love, and the like. i find myself feeling like that old '97s song lyric, "i believe in love, but it don't believe in me." however, i have been poked and prodded by everyone i know to "get back into the game." as dad so eloquently put it, "shan, if you're not gettin' bucked off, you're not ridin' the horse!"

so over the past few weeks, i have decided that i know they're right. i can't drown in a self-imposed state of isolation just because i'm afraid...i have reluctantly pushed myself to go on a myriad of dates over the last few weeks - setups, blind dates, friend-with-potential-chemistry, co-worker, rodeo connections, etc. and gosh y'all, this takes a lot of work...

i could write endlessly on this topic, but for this post i'd like to focus on one phenomenon that keeps reoccurring. i call it the toolbox effect. i'll meet a seemingly normal, attractive, driven man and then i have to sit pretty and listen to him drone on and on about his fitness regimen and his new ______ (fill in the blank with boat, motorcycle, toy). frankly, I DON'T CARE.

i think most women would think i've lost my mind, i mean these guys are top notch. one in particular looks like the love child of bradley cooper and brett favre and i will surely spend the rest of my life trying to find the cologne he wears. another comes from a well-known south texas ranching family and he picked me up in a mercedes (truth: my heart sank when i realized he didn't drive a pickup truck.) i guess the point i'm trying to drive home is that don't impress me much. i don't care about all of your real estate, your golf courses, your pedigree, your ralph lauren wardrobe, your dashing good looks, or who you know. i'm so over it...GIVE ME SOME SUBSTANCE! thank you shania.



if anyone knows a man who can hold down an intelligent conversation, has a good heart, will treat me like a woman should be treated, and will bait my fishing hook...please send him on down my way.