Ok, I’ve been getting a lot of “weird” comment emails lately, many from women asking bizarre questions about dating, relationships, sex and men in general.  I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to answer them, because quite honestly, some of the questions are pretty uncomfortable.

     I got an e-mail from an ex (like the majority of mine, we’re still friends, or try to be, at times) the other day, talking about her issues with a guy she’s been seeing.  I realized that sometimes it’s difficult to separate the person you know from the person she is now, even it’s been quite a while, but I tried.
     I asked a few friends, “Hey, was this too mean?” and let them read my response.  After I’d already fired it off, of course.

     A few of my female friends adamantly declared, “You should blog that!”

     So … here we go…

     From e-mail:

From: Confused
Date: August 8th, 2007 at 8:07AM

It’s definitely wrong to expect any man to make things better.  That’s something I have to come to terms and deal with … hopefully learn from and move on.  Except …..

You meet a man who’s kind, interesting, humorous and exhibits all these great characteristics. He puts no heavy pressure on you.  You *do* appreciate the effort he’s putting into the relationship and let him know that. 

But then after a while, he gets comfortable/complacent and changes.  The wine and dine/ conversation changes to the beer/ belching/ farting/ cursing and eventually belitting.  Why????  Is it something I caused or was there a sign I should have noticed in the beginning??  In any case, at that point a woman can’t be expected to accept that.

I really don’t think I overanalyze.  I wasn’t expecting anything… It started as  spending time with a friend, and developed into a relationship which I didn’t push at all.

I don’t think I’ve ever asked “tell me you love me”.  If I felt the need to do that, either I’d be insecure in the relationship or in a situation like I was with Mr. Slimebag (I already knew the answer).

You know, I just realized that I’m more upset with being blindsighted than I am with him.  And maybe I’m overthinking a bit because I want to understand why guys do that?

What do guys want???

     Ok, typical thing, right?  A woman breaks up with a guy she’s been seeing, then starts the whole self-doubt and confusion bit…
     But is it ever really that simple?

     There are always two sides to a story… And honestly, in most cases, only half of it makes sense to a guy.

     In cases where ”relationships” are going well, sometimes there’s a sudden, gigantic detour into “crazy,” leaving a guy going, “What the f$&* just happened?”
     To me, it’s always ironic, in those situations, when women will come back filled with self-doubt, questioning everything from the relationship to themselves, when that was exactly what caused the diversion to begin with.

     And I’m not saying it’s “always” like that, either… It’s definitely a “sometimes” thing.  It’s just an ironic situation that happens to have been on my mind for about six months.
     So I responded, perhaps a little harshly, and with gigantic generalizations…

     I’ll tell you what guys want … We want someone to be with, to be happy with… Easy … do you really think it’s any more?

     You certainly do the dating persona … showing your best, until you become yourself … I guess you think it’s easier to be yourself once you get to know someone, know that they’re there. 
     I’ve just always been me… nothing more, nothing less.

     You always overanalyze things…

     Your version of “Tell me you love me” is passive-aggressive. “I’m starting to have feelings for you,” “I think about you all the time,” “Would you ever get married again?” ”I need you,” ”You’re like a drug,” ”You’re the only person I can trust,” ”I’ve never felt this way before…”
     Those are all pushing towards getting him tell you how he feels.
     Then you get the, “I love you,” which is a hard thing for a guy to admit anyway, and your interest subsides. “You’re obsessive.” “You want more than I want.” “I can’t handle being responsible for your happiness.”
     You can’t be happy … You have to keep asking questions, pushing buttons, and trying to screw things up.

     For guys, it’s different.

     We find a woman — she’s beautiful, she’s demure — and she seems to have her head and her heart in the right place. All wrapped up in a nice little package of sweet and sexy, confident and secure.
     We want be strong for her, so the first thing she does is start showing her emotional side and strokes our ego by appealing to our protective nature.  Then she gets distant as she wrestles with the fact that “I can take care of myself,” ”I don’t need anyone else” and starts to pull away.
     Things start to break down.  The more she wrestles with herself, the further away she goes, and the more frustrated we get.  We can only get to know her as much as she’ll show us… And she’s the same woman, but now she’s upset all the time… 
     We keep trying and trying to be strong… but the more she gets upset about every little thing that comes along, the more she pulls away, the harder we try to be there, to make her happy… to help… to fix it…
     And she resents it, begins spouting the typical, “You always want to fix everything!” “Some problems you just can’t fix!” garbage, because she’s terrified to think that someone might be able to look through all her crap and baggage and actually give a damn about her.

     And it’s frustrating as f$&*.

     Somewhere along the line, we get desperate, and start attempting last ditch efforts and ultimatums.  The more she’s around, the more she begins to see our usual nature, along with a new “manic” that we’ve gained from trying to deal with her moods…
     Pretty soon, nothing works.  Every single damn thing we do is an excuse for why, “This isn’t going to work,” regardless of the fact that we never would’ve been like that had she not been so f$&*king fatalistic…

     Okay … sorry … never mind.

     I don’t know what guys want…  *smirk*

     So I asked a few other female friends for input…

     “Oh my God!  That was raw, but not harsh!  Damn, you really understand women!”
     “How can you know all of that?  There’s so much of me in there… That reflects a great understanding of women far beyond anything I’ve ever seen from a man!”
     “Exactly!  Why don’t other guys understand that?”
     “You are brilliant as ever!  You pegged us!”
     “No, you weren’t mean.  You were honest.  You really know women!  Thank you!”

     So, basically, I’m told that I understand women… that I know how they think… and understand why they do things… but hey, if that’s true, then why the Hell do I keep getting screwed over?

     Sorry, but if that shows “great understanding” on my part, then the Universe really is stacked against us…

     This thing’s been going ’round and ’round, and I read several of these blogs at least a few times a week (if not daily).  So … Let’s get on with it.

-Start Copy-

It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)

Add the next number (1. 2. 3. 4. 5., etc.) and write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.

After that, tag 10 other people. Link love some friends!

Just think– if 10 people start this, the 10 people pass it onto another 10 people, you have 100 links already!

1. Look, read, and learn. ****
http://www.neonscent.com/
2. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. ****
http://www.bushmackel.com/
3. Don’t let money change ya! *****
http://www.therandomforest.info/
4. Always reply to your comments. ***
http://chattiekat.com/
5. Blog about what you know & love. *
http://sugar-queens-dream.blogspot.com/
6. Alt tag your images for added search engine exposure. *
http://fracas.wordpress.com/
7. You can’t please everyone — just write what you feel. *
http://www.blogitude.com/

-End Copy-

Fracas said it best:

I am tagging: Because this meme is helpful and if done, can provide links to those who choose to do it, I’m not pointing the finger at anyone in particular but offering it up to anyone who wants to do it. If you want, also feel free to nab the graphic I’ve created to add a bit of fun. Just remember that if you’re doing the meme, you should make sure you carry over the links to the people on the list. Otherwise, their tiPs aren’t getting a fair shake.

Although… that said… I’m gonna tag one person: Anton.

     Fracas said she wouldn’t tag me, because she was afraid I’d kill her.   But since she was so kind as to tag one of the writers here, who’s known for her sarcasm, of course she’d tag me…
     Right now, I’m still thinking, “Fracas did this on purpose!”

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:

1. More Random Than Average
2. Bluepaintred
3. Fracas
4. Diva (blogitude.com)
5. Mark (blogitude.com)

NEXT select five people to tag:

Thpft.  No.  The buck stops here.  heh  Besides, Diva already tagged five from this blog.

THEN answer the following Questions:

What were you doing 10 years ago?

• Flying back and forth to London
• Getting lots of migraines
• Helping a friend, who was going through a nasty separation.
• Running a company
• Assisting with various bits of Federal legislation
• Spending time with a pretty cool nine-year-old — first time I’d really spent any time with kids, and she was great.  But I also realized I’d never be able to handle having one of my own.

What were you doing 1 year ago?

• Waiting on divorce papers to come back signed
• Being overmedicated from trying to get rid of migraines
• Writing music again, but couldn’t play guitar due to medication
• Getting my bearings in my new house
• Reconnecting with family I hadn’t seen in years
• Running a company
• Realizing I’d already done everything I ever wanted to do — and coming up with some new things that I wanted to do
• Reflecting on baggage, and getting rid of it
• Dealing with an Internet Stalker

Five snacks you enjoy:

• Spicy Beef Jerky — or biltong, the South African variety
• Cheesecake — and not that moussy-type shit
• Fireballs — ya know, the cinnamon jaw breakers?
• Chili Cheese Fries, without the bacon — I’m allergic to pork
• Fried Pork Rinds — because I can’t eat them, I crave them

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:

• Anarchy in the UK - The Sex Pistols
• Synchronicity II - The Police
• Last Caress - The Misfits
• Mother - Danzig
• High - Lighthouse Family

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

• Buy a house with cash — why bother with mortgage payments?
• Buy another beater car — no sense spending money on them
• Help some friends
• Make some good investments
• Two words — Disney World

Five bad habits:

• Cussing like a sailor
• Drinking like a fish
• Smoking like a freight train
• Spoiling women
• Helping people to my detriment

Five things you like doing:

• Reaching for the “unattainable” — I’ve attained a lot of those things just because I had the balls to try.
• Doing what I say I’ll do — keeping promises
• Making out — and making love
• Spoiling women — emotionally, financially, physically
• Helping people to my detriment — I’d rather get burned than turn away anyone who legitimately asks

Five things you would never wear again:
(Ok, I had pretty sensible clothing sense, so this’ll get esoteric)

• An under-arm carry holster — my arm gets sore
• One of my piercings — don’t ask
• A cast on my hands — they heal up fine without it
• Guilt/Shame/Dishonor from those who share my DNA — they can keep it
  Parachute pants — I think I wore them because everyone else did…

Five favorite toys:

• Romanian AK-47 circa 1968-1972 (milled) — though I don’t have mine anymore, it’s still a favorite
• Great video game/simulation — ArmA: Combat Operations
• My crappy car — since some people have felt it was okay to sabotage said vehicle so many times (screwing with my brakes, mufflers, tires, wheels, gas tank, windows, etc.), I decided a little offroading on July 4th wouldn’t hurt it much worse — good times, good times.  ;-)  Besides, driving still relaxes me.
• My Home Theater system — I put together all of the components so that I could have exactly what I wanted.  Nothing like watching Jurassic Park with bone-shattering bass that makes your heart race every time T Rex takes a step.
• My roommate’s cat — it wants total affection, but is so stand off-ish that it’ll attack you as soon as you get close.  The sadist in me can’t help but lead it around a little … besides, it’s bloody hilarious to watch it run up the wall after a laser pointer, and subsequently realize that it can’t hold onto the wall, freak out, and not land on its feet like usual…

Tagged by fracas…

So…

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:

1. It’s A Blog Eat Blog World
2. More Random Than Average
3. Bluepaintred
4. Fracas
5. Diva (blogitude.com)

NEXT select five people to tag:

(Since I really don’t know anyone at all and nobody really knows me, I guess it doesn’t really matter who I piss off now does it? Let’s play tag, shall we?  *wink*)

1. RealityMe
2. Mark - my pal.  I owe him big.
3. Journey from Grr to There
4. My other blog is a Porche
5. Sugar Queen’s Dream

THEN answer the following Questions:

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Everything I could possibly do to survive a gnarley divorce from a man who had no clue, with 2 young children to support.   

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Graduating from college (yay me!).
Met the man of my dreams (just didn’t realize right then)
Singing karaoke every Wednesday and Friday night at CatScratch Janes.

Five snacks you enjoy:
(yah, I’m a picture of health over here)
Jalapeno Poppers
Onion Rings
Apples
Hawaiian Sweet Onion Kettle Chips by Snyder (GRUB!)
Hot Pepper Beef Jerky

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
I Try – Macy Gray
Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
At Last – Etta James
That’s How I Got To Memphis – Darryl Dodd
Say It Right – Nelly Furtado

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
Find a nice big ass house on the lake with plenty of land
New cars for the whole bunch of hoodlums that I claim as family
College fund for Amanda, Tyler and Natalie (I keep hoping she’ll go back)
Clothes, clothes and shoes to match the clothes
Lipo and boob job

Five bad habits:
Cuss like a sailor
Drink like a fish
Smoke like a freight train
Lay out of the gym to go to the bar
Not being clear enough sometimes

Five things you like doing:
Sleeping in the same bed with my man
Drinking cold beer and laughing at stupid stuff with friends
Singing karaoke (go me!)
Making out
Learning guitar

Five things you would never wear again:
Jelly shoes (those icky plastic things.. eww)
Parchute pants
Goofy short shorts we used to wear to the roller-rink
Leg warmers
Head bands

Five favorite toys:
Karaoke machine
Hot pink guitar that I’m finally learning to play
Shot glass collection
Scrapbook junk
Computer

I’m a karaoke junkie by nature. Started by accident really. I finished my sentence on the second shift at Rocky Top Farragut and decided I deserved a cold beer and some tasty boneless chicken wings. Across the street I go to BullFeathers… found it interesting to see and hear all the folks trying to sing a song.

It was a few weeks before I’d gathered up the nerve to eek out a song. It was hilarious. I sang Manic Monday by the Bangles. And I sucked wind big time!

So, I wondered if I could sing anything else any better. I told my daddy that I was having so much fun making a complete ass of myself, and he went out and bought me a home karaoke machine with 10 CDs. Go Daddy!

So, I tried me some country. Um, let’s just go with not. I was told I haven’t got enough ‘twang’ in my voice to sing any kind of country. Thank God!!! Diva don’t got no twang!!!!
Scratch country.

So, it’s the B97.5/coffee shop stuff I’ve found I’m pretty good at.
I can sing the devil out of Fleetwood Mac. Diva Nix over here.
Love Norah Jones and any kind of oldie but goodie.

But sometimes, I’d love to have a little more of a brazen streak. I want to belt out something that only a bad-ass-chick would do.

Janis Joplin - Bobby McGee
Joan Jett - Do Ya Wanna Touch
Heart - Magic Man

Not that I’m knocking my easy listening and soft rock talent, but…

Why can’t I be a bad-ass-chick??