What Are You Hiding?

Yesterday on the drive to work, we tuned into the Ryan Seacrest show. The topic for this particular morning was a woman who had been dating a man for over a year and had yet to ever see his home. Um? He told her that he was fixing it up and remodeling it but did not want her to see it until it was totally perfect. Um?

They tried to trick him by calling and telling him he’d won free flowers and they could send the flowers to anyone he’d like. He requested to have them sent to the girl who called in with her concerns. Hm… So what was going on?

I mean, Ryan almost lost his %^&$ on this guy and I was right there with him. It just doesn’t make any sense as to why his “girlfriend” would not be permitted to see his home. It’s been over a YEAR. The gentleman insisted that he is just a very “private” person. Why this young lady was tolerating the situation is so far beyond me. Not only would I have not been okay with this, my antennas would have gone up. Does she have no access to a computer? A little internet stalking sure would do her some good. A couple swipes through Google, Twitter, and Facebook and she would have cracked the case by now. If all else failed, why would she not have just followed him “home” one day?

After a bit, Ryan opened up the phone lines to take some calls from listeners. One guy called in and said that obviously the man is cheating. Another woman called to say she had been through something very similar and lo and behold, the man was married. Finally, another woman called in and said she was in the SAME situation and that it was totally okay. What? %*^$!!??

This got me to wondering WHY on earth women tolerate such things? How desperate must you be to accept such crappy excuses? What do you guys think?

My vote? He’s a sociopath who lives in a meth lab with his mother and wife (which is obviously totally normal).

xx,

WhyDid

Let’s Just Be Friends

Oh dating. Aren’t you fun? I mean, as bad as you suck for us ladies… you must really suck for guys. Hey fellas, how many times have you heard, “I really like you… as a friend“? What the *#%#?

After countless dinners, flowers, opening doors, and sweet nothings… you get just that: Nothing. So, what is it that takes a guy from “just a friend” to “my future baby’s daddy”?

• Sad as it is, we love bad boys. I discussed this with our fantastic interns today. They are seniors at USC and still lovin’ those boys you wouldn’t take home to mama. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be a gentleman, but there’s a fine line between gentile and doormat. Tread lightly.
• Just like girls can be overzealous and clingy, guys can be too. You know how much you like that cat and mouse game of playing hard to get? We like it too. Don’t blow up my inbox and don’t keep calling til I answer.
• “Going Dutch.” (Also know as being a cheap @**hole). If you split the bill, she’s gonna split. Period. Done. Goodbye.
• If you share a bed and there is no type of contact, she now thinks of you like her gay bff. As far as she’s concerned… you’re gay (and there’s NO coming back from that). We get you’re trying to be polite, but at least attempt to cop a feel.
• Talking about “your feelings.” That’s our job. Stop trying to steal the show. Shut up and crush a beer can on your head.
• Wearing more makeup or hair products than we do. Um,  yeah… We don’t like to share our mascara (it’s unsanitary).
• Do not under any circumstances, high five me, chest bump me, or “pound fists” with me.

By avoiding all of the above, you may actually have a shot in hell with the lady of your dreams. Check, please!

xx,

WhyDid

Love is a Choice.

A few months ago, my father sent me an article from the Jewish publication, Aish.com. He sends me a lot of things during the week to ponder, but this one especially resonated with me. As you may be aware, I was not exactly having the best time dating or meeting the right type of guy. I had just undergone a hell of a heartbreak and had basically sworn off true love and  marriage. I resorted to telling myself I would adopt some sweet needing baby when the time came.

After reading the article, it became clear to me that my focus and ideas about love had been totally off. Movies and TV have skewed what “love” is. We believe it is some sort of magical moment that happens and suddenly we just “know” this is “it.”

This is how many people approach a relationship. Consciously or unconsciously, they believe love is a sensation (based on physical and emotional attraction) that magically, spontaneously generates when Mr. or Ms. Right appears. And just as easily, it can spontaneously degenerate when the magic “just isn’t there” anymore. You fall in love, and you can fall out of it.

Perhaps this is why our divorce rate is as high as it is? People are falling in love with the idea of love. The grandiose, romanticized movie kind of love (which just does not exist, my friends). When our grandparents and even some of our parents got married, they held that vow as something sacred. They chose that other person to be their mate, their partner, their rock.

Because deep, intimate love emanates from knowledge and giving, it comes not overnight but over time — which nearly always means after marriage. The intensity many couples feel before marrying is usually great affection boosted by commonality, chemistry, and anticipation. These may be the seeds of love, but they have yet to sprout. On the wedding day, emotions run high, but true love should be at its lowest, because it will hopefully always be growing, as husband and wife give more and more to each other.

I’m not suggesting that love is not a feeling. I do believe, however, that love is a feeling coupled with a choice. Perhaps reading those fairytales as children may not have been the best idea. We’ve tricked ourselves into being lazy about love. We think that it’s something that should just “happen” to us. In reality, love and relationships take constant maintenance just like your car or home. Love is a choice we make.

I sent that article to as many of my friends as I could in hopes that it would speak to them the way it has with me and now I’m sharing it with you. Since receiving this… I must say my love outlook has certainly taken a positive turn.

xx,

WhyDid

from “HEAD TO HEART” by Gila Manolson

The Bachelorette: Hangover Edition

So now that we’ve all recovered from The Bachelorette Season Finale on Monday night, let’s dissect it. I mean, we all knew she was going to pick Roberto from the get go, so who are we kidding? Those “choosing single” rumors were merely cover up for the blatantly obvious choice. Besides, there was no way in hell a girl like Ali was going to choose being alone.

Of the past 17 seasons, only two couples have actually wed (Trista and Ryan and Jason and Molly – not the original pick, FYI), so this would lead me to believe that there is a common thread here. I mean, despite the fact that 85% of these people are just trying to become famous or further their careers, the entire season is taped over the course of a mere three weeks! Who the HELL falls in love that fast?

Well, the good folks over at ABC have cracked the code on how scientifically people fall in love (and have fully exploited it). By putting said bachelors and bachelorettes in extremely romantic locations and and forcing them to do things like jump out of helicopters and go for hot air balloon rides (which I have done and have plenty to say about it- more on this later) they are tricking their brains into feeling love. Don’t believe me?

Adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin are all released when the brain experiences the first love pangs (also known as attraction). All of these chemicals being released actually change the way people’s brains work. During this beginning stage of love, couples tend to be “blind” and exalt their relationship. All of this happens before actual attachment has even occurred. Meaning, that while these people may have very strong initial feelings for one another, these could easily wear off and suddenly they awake with a love hangover.

So, I will wish my best to Ali and Roberto, but let’s see how they do after spending some time doing “real life.” All the boring mundane things that life is actually made of. Let me know how much you like Roberto after picking up his dirty gym socks for a few weeks.

xx,

WhyDid

Samantha Who?

As I sit here with a dog on my left, cat on my right, Deluscious cookie wrappers strewn about and watching Sex and the City DVD’s (I’m PMS’ing, don’t judge me), I started thinking about our dear friend, Samantha.

We all love to think that we’ve got a little Samantha in us.  Unfortunately, I don’t know that that’s true.

After years of playing cat and mouse with a guy, I finally agreed to clear my schedule and make it a date. No friends as bodyguards, no BS, no games.  After dinner I decided to escort my fellow back to his hotel and allow whatever was meant to happen happen. I told myself it was totally fine and braced myself for emotional impact. During the deed, I caught myself thinking, “Is this okay?” When it was all said and done and he went to the restroom, I put my clothes on faster than a wardrobe change backstage during fashion week. When he came back and I was buckling my shoes he was startled and told me he’d like me to stay, but I was out of there like a bat out of hell.

On the way home, I thought about what had just happened. I had gone into it thinking that I didn’t care. I hadn’t cared about this guy for all the time that he had been pursuing me, so WHY all of a sudden did I care? Why is it, that women can not sleep around the way that men can? I know that a lot of women like to pretend that they can have sex with no feelings, but I really just don’t buy it. I just believe that women are wired much, much differently than men.

What do you think? Can women have sex like men? Void of feelings and commitment? Or is there a deeper lying issue here?

xx,

WhyDid

One Bad Apple Don’t Spoil the Whole Bunch, Girl.

You know when you bite into an apple and it’s mealy? You chuck it across the room, nearly vom, and swear off the fruit forever. That’s letting one bad apple spoil the whole bunch and sometimes we do the very same thing with our relationships. We get burned one time and then swear off the entire species.

I have been there, my friends. With my last doozy of a relationship, I swore I was going to join the nunnery (my dad was pleased with this idea) and never ever date again. For a while, I actually did just that. I may as well have carried around a can of Man Raid. I was repelling men left and right because I wanted nothing to do with them. Some people suggest that the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else (maybe not literally, but you get what I’m saying). I think that’s basically the worst advice in the world. It’s merely a Band-Aid and a temporary fix. It’s like trying to hot glue a hole in the Hoover Dam. Only a matter of time before that baby bursts and it all starts flooding.

That being said, it’s fine to take some time off of the dating scene for a while to heal, but there is no reason to be a complete and utter psychopath to some possibly wonderful men. I was so effed up from my break up that I blew of some great guys (and threw some crazy temper tantrums due to my trust issues).  Just because I found a worm in my last apple, doesn’t mean that every apple there after is going to suck.

You just have to take a blind leap of faith and take another bite. An apple a day…

xx,

WhyDid

You Don’t Always Get What You Want…

Once upon a time a friend told me that I should go ahead and write down everything I wanted in a mate. Every single last little detail down to his hair color, shoe size, and favorite ice cream. She explained that by doing so, I would be putting it out there in “the universe.” She was on some kind of The Secret kick, but having gone through several traumatic third dates, I figured, “What the hell? Why not?”

So, I got to work writing down little things like his height, his goals, his age, his hobbies, the size of his… brain. Anything I could think of that mattered to me, I scribbled down on that piece of paper. It was like being five again and writing down your Christmas list for Santa. Now all I needed to do was sit back and wait for this so called “universe” to go ahead and deliver Prince Charming like a Barbie Dreamhouse.

At times I got a little impatient, but one fine day, my wish was finally granted, and I was presented with a gentleman (let’s use the term lightly, kids) who seemed to really fit my bill. He was basically all the things that I had hoped for on my little perfect mate wishlist despite the fact that he showed up for our first date wearing True Religion jeans (yes, I did specify that he would not own a pair of True Religions and in hindsight, this should have been my first clue). Needless to say, things did not quite pan out as planned and before long, I was cursing that damn list.

How on earth was it possible that after getting everything I’d wished for I was eventually left back at square one with absolutely nothing? Well, I’ll tell you how. Let’s go ahead and pretend that it isn’t totally ridiculous to think that writing a wishlist will get you everything you want (Uh- how many times did Santa forget that Easy Bake Oven?). The real problem? I seem to have left off a few key factors like “honest” and “loyal” and a few other core values that would have proven to be helpful. I was so fixated on superficial things that I thought I wanted that I forgot to focus on the things that matter in the long run.

Boy oh boy, if I could track down this list I’d first, die of second hand embarrassment for myself and then burn it. Better yet, I would keep it as a reminder to be careful what you wish for.

You may not get what you want, but if you’re very, very lucky, you’ll get what you need.

xx,

WhyDid

Bamboozle 101

Have you ever heard of the “bait and switch?”  You know, you’re promised one thing and somehow end up with something completely different. This can  happen in with “As Seen on TV” situations as well as your own personal dating life. Guys have all types of tricks up their sleeves, therefore, it is important to be alert. This little ditty is going to be both a blessing and a curse. For the ladies, heed this as a warning. For the gentlemen, you’re welcome. Now you have new and creative ways to pull the wool over your lady’s eyes (unless, of course, your gf reads WhyDid… and if she doesn’t, she probably deserves it).

All That Sparkles…

While jewelry shopping one fine day, the very knowledgeable woman working at the store informed me of a little trick that men sometimes play. As you are (or should be) well aware, diamonds are very expensive. Well, have no fear: white sapphires very, very closely resemble diamonds. So much so, that to an untrained eye, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between them even when they are sitting side by side. So guess what? Cubic zirconia is not your only enemy now, ladies. The young woman in the store told me that many of her male clients purchase these as a cheap substitute for their lady friends. So those diamonds in your ears? It’s bullshit.

Real or fake?

Don’t Judge a Gift by Its Box

Going right along with the good ol’ sapphire switch is the box switch. This is pretty elementary. Some girls are only concerned with where something comes from. For instance, simply seeing a Tiffany’s box will make some girls panties drop. They are so excited about the fancy wrapping that they forget to notice the jenky piece of tinfoil inside. That new heart pendant necklace of yours? It’s bullshit.

Table for Two

Have you ever received an invitation to a group dinner from a guy you know only to show up and find that it is a quiet cozy table for two? Weird. Everyone canceled last minute! Hate when that happens. Congrats, you get to spend the next ninety plus minutes coming up with small talk for a “date” you didn’t agree to. So next time you’re invited to dinner “with a bunch of friends?” It’s bullshit.

Step Into My Cubicle

Wow, your bf sure does spend a lot of time on his Blackberry! Don’t worry though! He’s really just doing work. Very, very important work that MUST be addressed during your romantic dinner date. How is he going to be able to take you to nice places and afford you all these luxuries if he doesn’t work so hard? Jen, Julie, and Jessica are all just girls he works with. Don’t worry!! Next time your man explains why his Bberry needs to accompany your crudite on the table? Check, please. It’s bullshit.

Destination Unknown

So, your man informs you that he’s going on a little weekend trip with his buddies. Where are they going? Golf trip to Palm Springs? Ski trip in Utah? No, no, wine tasting in Vermont. Wait. What? Is your man gay? If he’s not, this is code (read: red alert) that he and his buddy are taking a trip with some ladies… who aren’t you. Some quiet bonding time with the fellas in Catalina? It’s bullshit.

One of These Things Is Not Like the Others

The new box of condoms, the strand of hair that is neither your color nor length, the random pink toothbrush, and the Fage yogurt in the fridge is not his maid’s, his sister’s, his friend Paul’s or his. Guys forget how observant we, as women, are. I remember noticing that Scrabble had been moved from its normal spot on the shelf when I had been out of town. Some other bitch was spelling words and spilling wine. Oops! If it’s not yours and he doesn’t even have a sister… It’s bullshit.

So, if your man presents you with one of the above scenarios, kindly pat him on the head, ask him to try again, and let him know this isn’t your first time at the rodeo.

xx,

WhyDid

… Just Right!

Not so long ago I wrote about not being able to have it all in regards to footwear, but I’m starting to wonder if this also carries over into your love life. Since my last serious relationship I have dated a bit here and there but have not been able to find someone who I would even consider being totally committed to. I’ve met some really great and interesting men, but in each case, they seemed to be missing something.

This became blatantly clear to me recently when I was seeing a few guys at once (that’s right, fellas, ladies can juggle too). Each of the gentlemen that I was seeing possessed something that interested me, but lacked in other areas. Suddenly I felt like Goldilocks and the three dudes.

The first guy was incredibly good looking (like so good looking my friends gasped when they saw his photos), sweet, and funny. On paper and in theory, he is most certainly someone I should have wanted to nest with. I trusted him, he was respectful of me, and most importantly, wanted to settle down- with me.  So what was the problem?  I did not ever feel the urge to snuggle up next to him let alone rip his clothes off.  Bizarre, right? How in the world was I going to have a long term relationship with someone who I did not feel physically connected to? Sexy times seem to dwindle as time goes on, so where would this leave us six months from now when we were starting at zero? Negative 400? Too cold.

With guy number two I suffered the exact opposite problem.  I didn’t want to do anything but rip his clothes off.  He lived about 2700 miles away on the other side of the country, so when I actually got to see him it was on. However, when he would start talking to me, all I wanted him to do was shut up and leave. As sexy as our sexy times were and as physically attracted to him as I was, there is a lot more that goes into a relationship than a good ol’ fashion pants of dance off. Bad things happen in life and I need a partner, not a plaything. Too hot.

And my last little fellow, was something extra special.  He had something that neither of the first two had.  He got inside my head (which is no easy feat, my friends).  I actually never even realized what was happening because our relationship did not start in a “dating” scenario. We spent a lot of time talking and getting to know one another without much (read: any) physical interaction. He understood me and my twisted sense of humor and there was not a day that passed where he didn’t make me cry with laughter. The only thing that held me back was that he was not what I had pictured when my Cinderella fairytale played out in my head. Somehow that didn’t seem to matter. The connection I had with him mentally was much stronger than any of the physical connections from my past. Just right.

So what’s a girl to do? In a perfect world, I would be able to combine all three into the perfect specimen. Unfortunately, this is no perfect world and I don’t get to write my own script. And really? Is there such a thing as a “perfect man?” Probably not. So which is the most important? Looks? Chemistry? Connection? Can the physical connection grow as the mental connection increases? Is giving up one of the three settling or being savvy? Would waiting out for the trifecta be selfish or smart? Can a girl really have it all?

Sigh. Looks like I’ll be testing out more porridge til I have the answer.

xx,

WhyDid

Cat Scratch Fever

For years women have endured the cat calls, whistles, and obnoxious shout outs from men on the street. It’s so common in NYC, that I actually no longer even hear it. When people are in from out of town they are appalled by the suggestive, aggressive, and offensive commentary.

Well, the other night, we decided to flip the script. We started treating men like the pieces of meat they’ve been treating us as from the moment we started wearing training bras. Surprisingly, our method was incredibly effective. We had a 95% return on our obnoxious commentary, which is sort of disturbing. It seems that men actually found it incredibly amusing… even (gasp) charming when we hurled lusty dialogue in their direction. Perhaps men appreciated the ladies doing the “work” for once, though I’d hardly consider telling someone to “take their top off” work.

Don’t believe me? Oh, well, don’t you worry… we documented it (obvsies):

And there you have it, my friends. Apparently, that’s all it takes.

Nice ass!

xx,

WhyDid