Re-launching and Re-booting
10 years later-
More to come-
10 years later-
More to come-
Re-launching and Re-booting
10 years later- More to come-
2 Comments
The cars my neighbors have seen are no secret-They have come and gone in plain sight-
North Carolina tags, two of them Georgia tags, two of them A red Chevy truck spent the most time here-over a year- and several visits over a 4 year period-carefully backed in with precision each time- its been a year since I heard its engine warm up and drive away- For 6 months a white Outback came and left on the weekends-its windows down and the back end always full of supplies or things to be used for building a home-but the blueprints for that plan were thrown in the backseat and returned to Clarksville- A BMW for a dinner night-maybe three-but it was always gone by 9-not long enough for my fingerprints to smudge the surface of the leather seat- A van with California tags- An Escalade with R and B always booming- A mustang, a beautiful convertible-sometimes would stop by just to show off- A custom jeep for 3 months- A Mini -Cooper police cars-sometimes for a visit, sometimes for a safety check for false alarms and drunken friends The distant rumble of a Harley kept me looking out the window for months, hoping the only motorcycle I'd ever been on might stop for a visit- The vehicles didn't always park overnight regardless of what the kids, my neighbors or ex husband and friends may think- there are couches and guest beds who have had frequent guests-and I have a lock on my door for those drivers who may have thought that parking here included anything other than parking privileges. As the cars, trucks and motorcycles made their ways down the driveway ,many drove away hurriedly and others carefully and slowly backed out reluctantly-Many with a part of my heart on the dashboard or still on the lips of the driver -and if they cared to look back, the memory of a goodbye wave I hope still lingers in the rear view mirrors of those whose front seats and radio dials I touched the most. Shana Landry Choices- conversations, implications, accusations, first impressions, impact, interact, friendly banter, physical matter, boys or men? means to an end, eye contact, connectedness, meaningless relationships, endless love, kissing lips, friends with benefits, so many chances, nameless faces, private places, time wasted, heart ache, boys,or men? so many choices the end By Shana Revised May 3,2016 Orig. Feb. 12, 2015 While at the grocery store last night at 11:30, I found my way to the frozen food section to retrieve a specific ice cream that my daughter had requested. I wasn't at the usual store since I was shopping after a concert, so it was late which meant there was no guarantee I could find what she was craving. A generic brand of ice-cream sandwiches was easy to find, but her blackberry chip was not. I looked up, down, over, under, and perused the frozen breakfast foods for a distraction, refocused, and still couldn't find what she wanted. What I did find was a man searching for the perfect ice-cream flavor and working just as hard as I was to please a family member. I saw his frustration and determination. I had passed by him several times already as I navigated my cart from one end of the aisle to the other, while he stayed in the general area of the designer ice-creams. He was on the phone with someone and spoke kindly and gently into the receiver. He was not speaking English, it was Chinese I believe, but my guess was he was saying some of the same things I had been texting my daughter. "Yes, I will be happy to get you the ice-cream. What brand is it? Will it be in a small container? OK? What flavor again?" I don't know if these were his words, but after several minutes of us both searching for the elusive flavors the person on the other end of the phone wanted, I watched while he began taking pictures of the ice-cream selections and sending them via his phone to the recipient. I thought it was endearing and sweet that someone else was searching for the right flavor to take home for their loved one and was so intent, that he was taking pictures to get the right one. I imagined a daughter at home, but he looked too young to have a child old enough to still be awake at 11 p.m. I pictured his mother at home recovering from surgery. But from the look of determination on his face, I decided he was getting the ice-cream for the love in his life. I pictured her at home bundled up on the couch with her pregnant belly covered in a hand made quilt from China. Her puffy hands from pregnancy resting on top of the baby to be. Or maybe she was just warming up the couch for a late night movie with him and he was making a stop before heading home to have a romantic ice-cream dessert and watch a love story on pay - per -view. Regardless of who lay home waiting for him, I found it charming that he was so intent on finding the right flavor, to please his lover, that he would concentrate so deeply that he never once noticed me standing there watching him. I finally found two flavors that were no where near blackberry chip, but would have to do for my daughter at home. One had berries in it, and one had chocolate chips in it . These would have to do in a pinch. When I left the frozen food aisle, he was still taking pictures, and searching the vast number of shelves for the right flavor . My hope was he found it and enjoyed the rest of his evening with the sweet woman at home. But as an afterthought, I considered that she might be the type to send him to all the open stores until he found the right ice-cream, or he would be sleeping on the couch that night. This made me reconsider the determination on his face. But to err on the side of being positive, I believe he found the perfect flavor and enjoyed a night of ice-cream and cuddling on the couch with his love under the home made quilt. It's good to know there is a man, or men out there, willing to spend the time to find the perfect ice-cream flavor for their partner at the partners request. Now if only I could find a man like him who would search for my favorite ice-cream flavor. And if I only knew what that favorite flavor was.....
As single women who earned this title through a divorce or a break up, a husband's incarceration, or possibly a death, we all are thrown into the world of dating without a guide book. But, without a guide book, there are still tips to learn through my mistakes or through some anecdotal examples I will share with you (names have been changed to protect the not so innocent). I was reminded recently that one good rule of thumb is to research the job for which you are applying, the candidate for whom you are voting, and especially research the new friend whose number you just put in your phone. And if possible, do it before you meet him (or her) for dinner.
"Googling" something or someone has become America's past time and an educational one at that. Even students "Google" just about everything for test taking to Instagram posts. I like to "Google" people (my own version of google that is) sometimes just for fun. I have even "Googled" myself a time or two. The internet knows more about me than I know about myself! One good word of advice though is to research your new acquaintance!!! Criminals and creepers are everywhere! Here are just a few of the reasons why you should research any man or woman before you go on a date, move in with them, go into business with, or loan money to your new bestie or significant other: Mugshots, marriages, divorces, jobs, homes, more mugshots, more marriages, more divorces, ex-wives, current wives, current husbands, child support delinquency, girl friends, boyfriends, or both. The list goes on and on. I have gone in blind on blind dates, dating website dates, coffee dates, dinner dates, lunch dates, picnics and some other more disastrous dates. In the past, I often forgot my own advice and ended up practically scarred for life after learning way too much over coffee and a bagel with new acquaintances. When you realize that the person sitting across from you thinks they are Tom Hanks in "The Da Vinci Code", a quick escape plan is a must. True story. I heard from a friend that a guy she adored and thought was "the one" was married and had a pregnant girlfriend. If only there were a way to research a person before falling in love.... Fortunately there is Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. But even I have been known to brush off the obvious doubts and ignore that little voice in my head that says "RUN!! " Once, when I discovered my date had an arrest record, I bolted all doors in fear that the domestic assault charges he confessed to over dinner might be a problem for me. All social media is there at our finger tips!!! USE IT! Men who come in town while "traveling on business", are the worst. I love the guys who slide off their wedding ring while attempting to casually move closer to the young blond at the bar, or at the next stair-master at the gym. These guys are not smooth. But sometimes, they suck you in. I once received a text message from a woman in Las Vegas who was convinced I was dating her husband. I had met this man, several months before, but that was it. How she got my number, I will never know. She asked me late one night, "Are you with my husband?" Several texts and phone calls later, I finally realized who she was talking about, and convinced her he was not with me nor had he ever been "with "me. I recognized his name, and even found pictures of him and his family on social media. When he had invited me to dinner months before, he told me he was a widower with an adult son. He had definitely sold me a pack of lies. I regret now that I didn't tell this poor woman just how many lies he had told me over one dinner six months before she called me. I could have warned her. But I also could have done my own research by following my own advice. My suggestion instead was that they needed couples therapy. I suggested she "Google" some good local Las Vegas marriage counselors.... I used to think that the ability to meet interesting and different people had to do with my openness to embrace all types of people and to be accepting of everyone. I thought it was a good thing that people of all sorts, even those with social or emotional difficulties, found me easy to talk to. But in the world of dating, a person with an emotional difficulty, especially a certifiable one, is not always interesting or different. They are just difficult and just plain crazy. Why I have met so many men who have a glitch, a twitch, a split personality or other disorders, I do not know. It could go back to my ability to embrace and accept everyone, though I have tried to squelch this ability. I asked a friend once, "Why do I seem to find all the crazy ones?" His response was, "You don't find them, they find you." This made me think about the signals I send out. Do I send out the vibe that I too hear voices, have severe OCD, create relationships with celebrities in my head, am delusional or believe in extra terrestrials? Because I have been approached by these people , and those with even more disturbing issues , I truly have had to question my own sanity. Interestingly, these men, and occasionally women, find me lovely, desirable and want to date me or at least be my new best friend. This is frightening in itself. So what does being approached by and pursued by persons with real mental illnesses say about me? The stories are endless and sometimes unbelievable even to me. I have been at friends' homes, sales events, Christmas parties, restaurants, class reunions, bars, and even in my own home where crazy repair men or wacky female friends have appeared. They do seem to find me.
People who have gone crazy in front of me are some of my least favorites yet some of the most mysterious types. I have seen the car salesmen tell me that I should leave the table if I wasn't attracted to him, this while I was on a date with his coworker. He was fired the next day and went into a psychiatric facility. I had three dinner dates with a man who was engaging and attentive each time. The conversations consisted of him while telling me his ex wife was crazy and that he hated her, mixed in with comments about how wonderful I was. At the end of the third date during which he laughed and then cried over his ex, he looked at me and said , "I am going to work things out with my ex wife". I left the table and never saw him again. I watched in horror as a former classmate read me a secret message from the crossword puzzle he had just completed. It was directed at him and was a direct message from God, mixed in with a message from the band of thieves who had just stolen his house key from him. I also witnessed a woman loose her mind, or part of it, with a crowd of onlookers just watching in dismay. She exchanged numbers with a younger man who was celebrating his birthday and told him she wanted to be his birthday present. When he thanked her and returned the compliment to her, she tossed her drink at him and said. "how dare you! get your hands off me!" He shrugged his shoulders and walked away. A few seconds later she asked me, "Where did the cute birthday boy go?" I too walked away. There are more stories, but in re-hashing them, I am overwhelmed with the content and the bizarre details !! There are too many to repeat. The bottom line is, the men who need straightjackets and the women who need mood stabilizers find me. I don't invite them in, but I don't run away quickly enough either. Different and interesting is good. Wacky and eclectic are great characteristics to have too. But crazy and single, not so much. If only there was a place for these men and women to gather together. Now that I think about it, there is. It is usually wherever I am on any given weekend night. I met a great looking guy in the line at Starbucks and we shared a table for awhile, chatted and decided to exchange numbers. He was funny, smelled good, and dressed well. There was something funny about his front tooth, but his green eyes seemed to diminish this one physical flaw. I was excited to think that my happy ending would result in a wedding on the beach and a fun story for the grand kids about how I met the love of my life in the line at Starbucks. This , however, did not happen. After our initial meeting, our second date was pleasant, but not amazing. He attempted to kiss me when we met at the restaurant, and I turned my head to allow a kiss on the cheek. This seemed to offend him but I made it clear that I wasn't ready for that. He then laughed and said I must be a good Christian girl and he liked that, but that he made the rules about kissing and that he would get one by the end of the night. Over dinner I learned he was a good old country boy who liked to take care of his momma who lived next door and that he had never been married. Even with these red flags flying, I agreed on a third date. At the end of the evening, he grabbed me and stole a good night kiss. I was taken aback, not too happy, and ignored the red flags again. He jumped in his over sized , over sized truck after asking me out again . On the third date we went to Target together, walked around a shoe store together( where he did buy me a pair of shoes) and ate a burger and shared fries for dinner. This was fun and casual, and we actually laughed a lot. But at some point, the conversation went South. In general, he talked about himself, his job, his clothes, his house, his momma, his truck, his money, his momma, his money, his momma and more about himself. I smiled and nodded and never said a word. I am a great date. Eventually, he spoke about his brother, a confirmed gay man. I am not sure at what point I felt afraid for my life, but when I said that we all have at least one relative who is born that way and that I had several gay friends whom I adored. I saw the flames shooting out of his ears and the daggers flying from his eyes. He got the check and we made our way out to the parking lot. I thought he was moving in for a hug and I moved forward toward him thinking that would be the end of the date, but he backed away and thought I was trying to kiss him. He said to me, "I wouldn't kiss you again if you paid me $1000 dollars!" He got in his truck and drove away. I stood there in the parking lot with the Red Robin neon sign glaring at me. I shook my head and got in my car, rolled my eyes and feeling relieved I would not be picking out a wedding dress anytime soon. Strangely, he sent me a smiley face and a "thank you for a great date" text later that evening. I responded with a long list of things that had offended me from his comment in the parking lot to his inability to love his own brother. He seemed to be shocked that I was offended by his comment and asked when he could kiss me in the future. I blocked his number. This guy was nuts. I added him to my list of men who had a bi-polar, homophobic, momma's boy complex. I also added Starbucks to the list of places not to meet men.
Have you actually met a man at a bar named Bubba? I'm pretty sure I have. In fact, more than once have my friends and I
commented that ,"there sure are a lot of Bubbas here tonight." Or, "Bubba always finds me !" Or, "I looked on that dating website and they are all Bubbas! " I am not a critical person by nature, and just because someone's name is Bubba doesn't mean I would run from a conversation, or a free drink. I just think that I have met a few Bubbas in my lifetime. These guys, regardless of their actual names, can be what certain Southern girls recognize as the person we would never bring home to meet the family. Don't get me wrong, these guys are great, If you like to fish, to hunt and roll around in the mud after your four wheeler crashes in the pond, that is. These guys are great also if you like your men to wear t-shirts with the sleeves cut out and their bellies and rib cages exposed more than is necessary in a public setting. But ladies, don't we Southern girls like to think that we can do better than the man with the biggest belly, the biggest wad of tobacco in their lip and worst grammar skills at the bar? It's not that I or any of us girls from the South have great grammar skills. We all slide back at times and use double negatives, and ,"have just went" instead of "just gone". But we think we want someone who compliments our Southern charm instead of someone who represents the parts of the South that many people make fun of. However, what I find most interesting about the Bubba phenomenon, though they are the very man I run from, is that I will often see a woman, having the time of her life, dancing and laughing with the very man I just described. His rib cage and belly overly exposed by his cut out sleeves on his t-shirt that reads,"I don't care who you are, that right there was funny". And I will find myself thinking, "Maybe the next time I see Bubba at the bar, I should approach him and get to know him better." Having shared personal dating experiences with only my closest of friends, and occasionally with strangers at bars who
pretend to be interested, I thought I would jump on the blog bandwagon and share some warnings and dating advice through these tales of caution. I am almost 50, and like many of my single friends, I have experienced a number of dating disasters and memorable moments worthy of steamy chapters in books as well as comedy shows and B rated films. Some have been short lived with no more than a coffee shop visit and a forgotten name ,the only memory being the coffee stain on my shirt left from exiting the date in a hurry. Other memories of the dating scene have left scars upon my heart, and left men with broken spirits as they passed through the storm I can sometimes create. The moments that make up the life I now lead have been full of drama, pain, laughter and just plain stupidity at times. I think that the strange world in which I and all those single Southern women around me live, is worth a look. Proceed with caution. We like our lemonade cold and our men hot, but we love to love and we keep searching no matter how many times the humidity, a rainstorm or an encounter with a man named Bubba may derail us. |
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