the year i dated a hundred boys
July 3rd, 2009
I’m sure it comes as no surprise that the reason my dating life this year has come to new level of “sweet action” is in part to my first experience of on-line dating. Yes, yes…I know. Don’t even get me started on how this whole thing unfolded. For now, I’m going to blame my sister Janel as the one responsible for this mess. I had a pointed conversation with her last fall about why I DIDN’T want to sign up for something like eHarmony, mainly because (as I told her) “it’s not the story I’ve wanted.” You know “the story”…the one you’ll tell for the rest of your life when people ask you how you met. Anyway, she looked at me in a way only she can and said very pointedly, “Is it the story you want, or the lifetime?” Ugh. Well now that you’ve put it that way…
So I begrudgingly signed up January 1. What BETTER way to put to rest “No Date 2008″? We’ll skip over all the details that made the first part of this experience tragic in a multitude of ways and only highlight the fact that the first two men who contacted me, expressing their interest in yours truly, were 1) a sweaty man wearing an animated M&M figurine necktie and 2) a man who in six of his profile pics was sporting Mickey Mouse attire in three of them. Things did NOT look hopeful.
I’m convinced, more now than ever, that I have a brilliant book in the making. It could very easily be the funniest book on dating ever written. Kind of an “Anne Lammot kicks Josh Harris in the crotch” inspired chronicle of what my romantic endeavors have taught me. In an effort to allow all of this to be what I’m convinced it to best be (entertainment for the masses), I will resurrect my dating tales as so very many of you have begged me to write of them here again. Because seriously, if you haven’t heard the accounts verbally…you have missed out on some GOOD stuff.
In the next few days, I will simply post some of the e-mails I’ve received in the last few months, starting with the tamest of them. This is but one of a half dozen I’ve received from the Catholic Latino international population. Apparently I am a big deal with the Catholic Latinos.
So how’s this for an introductory e-mail? I know I swooned, how ’bout you?
“hi beautiful
good to find you here
I read your profile and besides being a beautiful person was very interesting.
i would like to know about you. could be that you write back
write me, tell me more about you. are you open to relationchep with people from other countries?
how about come to Brazil?
big hug
flavio”
Well, Flavio…thanks for the “big hug”, but I’m not going to make it to Brazil. Why? If for no other reason because you don’t know how to spell relationship.
photo reflections: turkey, vol. 8
June 29th, 2009
The photos below were taken in Tarsus, my second day in Turkey. (Yes, as in Paul of Tarsus.) We were walking around looking at wells where Paul would’ve gathered water (supposedly) and gates where Cleopatra would’ve entered (most likely), and saw this bizarre social interaction (see below). I wouldn’t have thought a whole lot about it, other than, “That’s a hard way to ride a bike”, but Curtis and Annie seem to think that something very Turkish is caught in these images as men in that country are very, very publicly affectionate. Now, this is the same country where you’ll most likely be killed or severally wounded/assaulted/etc. for being gay…but somehow riding around like this is totally appropriate. Interesting…
photo reflections: turkey, vol. 7
June 21st, 2009
The image below could quite possibly be my favorite image from my trip. This cute little cat was just outside the Spice Market in Istanbul looking longingly at the goods. The owner of this little shop saw me taking photos and waved me over to show me how his other cat knows how to shake on command. I wasn’t as impressed by what that image evoked. Shockingly. This, however? Yeah…I love it.
photo reflections: turkey, vol. 6
June 21st, 2009
What are these? Random ruins roadside somewhere near the Mediterranean. Don’t ask me what they are. I don’t think anyone really does yet. We would drive by stuff like this all over the place in Turkey that offered no explanation. Why? There’s just so much of it to uncover that they can’t put time and money into it all. Just across the road from this were more ruins that the Italians had come in to excavate and discover. Maybe when they’re done with those, they’ll cross the way and figure out what these were all about. All I know is that made me feel like I was stepping back in time and that the beautiful amber sunlight made them look like honeycombs.
photo reflections: turkey, vol. 5
June 21st, 2009
This sweet group of Turkish teens were hanging out by the Blue Mosque in Istanbul one afternoon. I loved watching them smile and laugh through their vibrant headscarves.
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