Cardinal Rule on Dating...

8 1/2 months after selling my house and sort of drifting around I’m finally in a place I can call my own, at least for the next six months. Home really is where the heart is and you don’t have to own it to love it. I had forgotten what I had kept and what I had left behind. It definitely made unpacking interesting. “Hello teapot”. “Hello mugs”. “Hello unnecessary crap”. Home is also where your friends are. This week Skype took me to my girls in Atlanta for a play date and catch up over cocktails. I also got some one on one time via skype where I learned something new about an old friend. I love technology. I don’t always get it but I love it. I'm starting to think video chatting is the best thing since chocolate peanut butter ice cream was invented. 

As I settle into a new home I'm realizing my online dating membership ends this week. Honestly, I'm relieved. While I’ve actually met some interesting guys, the process itself is exhausting; especially the guys who send email after email with question after question, asking me what I like, what I don’t like, what’s my favorite place in Portland so far ... yet with no request to meet me in person. And I get it. I get that some guys do this because women say they want a man to get to know them first. Well, not this gal. If I wanted a pen pal I would send a note up in a balloon. Seriously, I think it’s great to go back and forth but sooner rather than later it helps to say “hey, would love to grab coffee or a drink and meet up”.

Recently, over drinks with friends of both sexes I asked what they thought was the cardinal rule of dating. I got all kinds of answers, everything from "don’t date" to "it’s all about the package", or my favorite: "it’s always good to sleep with crazy but never fall asleep with crazy".