Mystery Date

When one door closes, another opens. Will he be a dream? Or a dud?



When I was a little girl my Barbie doll's Mystery Date was always the same guy - a one-armed G.I. Joe. (A war injury, I suppose.) As pitiful as this Joe was, she couldn't even have him all to herself! She had to share with Midge and Francie, and Skipper too.

I've never had much luck with men, and neither did my Barbie.

When one door closes...

A few weeks ago I told you that I was pleasantly surprised when my ex-boyfriend asked me to go golfing with him. Actually, that invitation wasn't completely out of the blue. We had been having some good talks and had gotten together the previous Saturday too.

I won't lie. I was thrilled about getting a second chance with him. And I was crossing my fingers that maybe, just maybe, the sun the moon and the stars would all line up on my behalf, and things would work out between us after all.

But once again (as of yesterday) it's over.

Yeah, I'm disappointed. He is a good man. And that's all that I'll say for now. (What do you expect? You and I, we hardly know each other - of course I'm going to put on a brave face.)

One thing I will say, though, is....Wow, what a great guy he is to break up with! I mean that sincerely. I think that you can always tell a lot about a man's character by the way he handles the ending of a relationship - and he passed with flying colors. I'm grateful, because the healing process usually goes so much faster when the dumping has been a good one.

And I know what I'm talking about because I have been dumped badly a few times. What do I consider a bad dump? Well, one boyfriend ended a three-month relationship by phone, with very little explanation, just two weeks after the words "I love you" came from his lips - and then he refused to see me again. How does one go from "I love you" to "I never want to see you again" in just two weeks? I was heartbroken for a long time over that one.

Second bad dump: five-month relationship, ended by phone, during a time when a (very) close family member was in the final stages of terminal cancer. Like the other guy, I never saw him again after that phone call (his decision). No broken heart this time - but his name definitely left a bad taste in my mouth for a while.

But I don't want to dwell on that. I prefer to remember the good endings. Two men that I've dated were especially great at it. My most recent boyfriend, of course - and one other man who shall also remain nameless. (But if he reads this, he'll know I'm referring to him.)

Are you in the market for a new boyfriend? Too bad that I can't find a way to pass these two wonderful gentlemen along to you - they both come highly recommended! The great thing is that even if the relationship doesn't last very long - at least you can count on a lovely ending... :-)

They say that when one door closes, another opens somewhere. Yeah, I know it's cliche. Just like: "Everything happens for a reason." But I don't care. I'll take my comfort anywhere I can get it.

So - I guess I'm single again! That's not such a bad thing. Wish me luck...

Better than Par

My ex-boyfriend caught me by surprise yesterday by inviting me to go golfing with him.

I made a few lucky shots, but on the whole I played a pretty lousy game.

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I didn't care, though.
Some things in life are better than par.

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And I'm not talking about a candy bar.

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"Wise is the golfer who carries a Baby Ruth in his pocket.

What a feast it is at the hungry ninth.

Stimulating, pure chocolate, plumply bulging with meaty nuts

whose toasted crispness gives rare flavor to the creamy fudge center in which they await your pleasure.

Here is enjoyment better than par - a generous goodness which satisfies your hunger deliciously;

a nourishing bracer which creates eager energy

for a lustier game on the last long nine...."

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Vintage 1929 ad for Curtiss Baby Ruth candy bar, featured in June 1929 Photoplay magazine

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Hmm...what exactly are they selling here?

They sure don't write advertising copy like they used to! :-)

You're so vain, I'll bet you think this blog is about you...

Actually, he's really not vain at all. I can't imagine him watching himself gavotte while wearing a hat dipped below one eye and a scarf of apricot. I tend not to date men who like to gavotte. I'll happily leave those men for Carly Simon.

So...no, he's not vain. But he wouldn't be too far off track in thinking that this blog is about him. Let's just say that he was a major source of inspiration.

The "he" I'm referring to, by the way, is a recent ex-boyfriend. The same one who told me - "If it doesn't kill you, it'll make you stronger."

Those words give away quite a bit about his character: This is a man who sets goals and follows through. He's determined, consistent and disciplined. There's not one lazy, procrastinating bone in his body.

Basically, he's everything that I am not. And I admire him for it. While we were dating, I think part of my motivation for wanting to get closer (besides the fact that he's so damn attractive) is that I was hoping that some of it would rub off.

Well, no such luck. I was, and still am, the world's worst procrastinator. I am capable of being incredibly determined and disciplined up to a point, especially if I get excited about something. But my excitement (and the discipline that went along with it) tends to fizzle out as soon as the goal starts to feel like work. I get bored easily, I think, and then I'm on to something new. That's not a very good habit, is it?

Okay...I think you should know something about me. I do have a tendency to exaggerate my flaws. For one thing, I am not the world's worst procrastinator. I am pleased to say that, even though I was in a bit of a panic the night before, I got my tax returns completed and in the mail by 11:30 a.m. on April 15. I had over twelve hours to spare! A true world's worst procrastinator would have been driving to the post office at five minutes to midnight...or filing an extension...or missing the deadline completely.

But I can do better. Not so long ago, I wanted to do better for the ex-boyfriend. (Sad, isn't it?) Now I just want to do it for me. And I want to make it fun.

I have some ideas in mind, but I'm still working them out. Bear with me, while I figure out the details. Stay posted!


This one's kind of fun. Mick and Carly together again. Take a look!