Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Stick- y

A question was posed of "how important is it to be thin?" In terms of dating... that's a hard question to answer. Every person is different. It's a stick-y situation.

Case in point: A girlfriend of mine is dating a rather thin young man. She isn't known for dating men who happen to be of his physique BUT there was something about him that she liked so her "rule" was broken. Ok, it wasn't much of a rule - more a preference.

Then there is me. I dated a guy while living overseas who, I thought, like the way I look. That was until one day he "jokingly" poked my tummy and said "maybe you should work on this." Needless to say, I was LIVID! Who says that to someone they are dating?? I would never tell him he was too skinny! Most of my girlfriends wondered why I didn't punch him. His words still haunt me to this day ... which is why I was incredibly self-conscious when I started dating someone new. No matter how many times my guy friends would say that I was thin or that I looked hot - I always had this idea in my head that I needed to be thinner in order to attract men. This may be *true* in the Jewish-American culture but in the Israeli-American culture, I found it to be the opposite ... with the exception of that random guy I dated. Most of the men that asked me out would tell me to eat more because I wasn't curvy enough.

Another case in point: a male friend of mine prefers women to have a curvier body, as opposed to being stick thin and ripped. He likes women to be a bit softer and squishier ... but not a bean bag chair. He likes women who have something to grab on to as opposed to the women who are skin and bones. This is his preference. I can't say I disagree with it either ... it also won't stop women like me from doing pilates and crunches to obtain a flatter tummy.

There is also the mindset of finding the one. A person with a de-featest attitude will, more often than not, find themselves without someone. The notion of "I will never find love" has no place in finding love. This also goes with the mindset of "I am too fat to find love." If you love yourself, someone will love you. If you are unhappy with yourself, it is up to YOU to change it.

Men AND women of all cultures, races, and ethnicities find different body types to be appealing.

So, to answer the question of "how important is it to be thin" ... it just depends on the person you either want to attract or the person you have attracted. More importantly - it depends on YOU and how you feel. I have no intention of being on a constant diet for the rest of my life but I do intend to love my body and treat it well. I suggest we all do the same.

Love yourself and someone will love you too.

She don't like you...

I've taken this from one of my other blogs because I thought this would be helpful. Happy Reading!

Some men will never learn. Within this generation of the Internet/communication savy, some people just miss the point... quite often. Maybe it's that we want to believe EVERYONE will like us if we put our best foot forward, alas not everyone will and not everyone does. Take me for example. On paper I am AWESOME! I am a woman who knows what she wants, knows where she is going, and knows where she has been. I love kids and animals (except snakes!!), would do anything for my friends, and can kick ass- then take names. I dig sports, speak my mind, and enjoy a good puppet show. What the paper doesn't show is that when I get stressed- I don't want to talk about it. If I want to talk about what's bugging me, I will start talking. If you try to coax it out of me, I will get annoyed. If I get annoyed enough, I will not like you. Case closed. The paper also does not show that I have a proven track record of being hot and heavy for about two months until I lose interest. I am terrified at falling in love. The paper also does not show that I mean what I say and I say what I mean. If I like you, I will tell you. If I don't, to spare your feelings- I will show you with signs. Most women will. And they will look like these:

The walk away: If a woman is not interested in you, her body will not be positioned towards you and she will be making her way towards somewhere (or someone) else. Honestly, don't try to box her in- it makes her feel uncomfortable and it makes her like you less. A lot less. Let her go, she just doesn't like you. Do you enjoy being physically chased after? Neither does she. Unless she has to go to the bathroom, if she likes you- she won't walk away from you.

The watch check: Does the object of your affection constantly look at her watch as if she's praying for it to be later? If she was truly interested, time wouldn't matter. Even if she has to be up at 6 AM. The watch check, or any fidgeting motion, shows she wants time to pass faster because she is either bored or has somewhere else to be. Either way, she's not into you.

The cell phone check: We live in the age of caller ID and voicemail. Thank g-d for those. I've been on many dates where I did not want to answer my phone because I really enjoyed the company. Aunt Sally in Nebraska can wait on dates like those. However, in my early 20's, my best friend used to call me a half hour into my date. If I picked it up on one or two rings, she created a story that got me out of the date... quickly. If it took me a while to answer (say 4 rings), it was her sign to call back in another 30 minutes. If I didn't answer at all, she knew it was ok to leave me alone because nothing was getting in the way of that glorious evening. Make sense? If the cute girl your talking to keeps checking her phone, then she isn't checking you out. Move on.

The no call/e-mail back: Some guys (and girls) don't get it. If the person you seek wants you back, they will return your calls... or answer them at least. Ya dig? This one seems like a no-brainer to me. You meet a girl at a bar, get her phone number, call her in three days... if she doesn't call you back in three days- find a new girl. Same goes for girls. You meet a guy, go on a date, he doesn't call within the first three days, call him ONLY ONCE. No call back? Move on. Someone will like you- just not that person.

In an age where we have an over abundance of communicational aides (yes, I did just create a word), we seem to forget the natural signs in dating. If a person truly wants to talk you- they will. If they don't, they won't... and nothing you say or do will change that. Occasionally, you will meet people who will stop at nothing to keep in touch with you- no matter where in the world you are. More often than not, you won't. Happy dating!

Monday, March 24, 2008

starting out...

After much thought, I decided to break down and write about dating. Not so much my experiences dating but more a guide of what NOT to do while on a date, dating, or while in a relationship.

As I write this, I see a blue jay outside my window - which I'm taking to be a good sign. Blue jays are symbolic for communication and power. This seems fitting since I hope to give people the power to communicate better in the realm of love.

Feel free to email me your questions (always confidential) and I'll post my answers to them! Granted, I have no PhD, no masters degree in counseling, but I do have real world experience in the land of dating. That has to count for something - right? I've learned that sometimes when a guy may not seem into you- he really is and then when a womans' body isn't facing you but her face is - she doesn't like you.

The aim of this blog is to decode the language difficulties between men and women. It is also meant to be a humorous guide towards the path of finding love.