Tag Archives: body language

Using a “Schtick” to Get Someone’s Attention

Favorite “lines.” A “schtick.” Going in with a game plan… Do you use ‘em?

I’ve never really had a “schtick.” What I say when meeting a new person changes from person to person and situation to situation. What I say when flirting… well, that certainly evolves based on who, what and when. But I finally saw a “schtick” in action and couldn’t help but write about the experience.

Back story? I met a group of guys out a while back. The first time we met, there was lots of flirting and some interesting exchange of information. These guys… hot, charming, funny and draw every eye in the room when they roll in. What I didn’t realize (since at times I can be a bit dense about this kind of thing when it comes to personal recognition) was that one of the guys was rolling through his “schtick” with me. I thought we were just having some fun and light hearted conversation. He made comments about my hair smelling good (sticking his nose right up to my neck and breathing in), dancing a bit to non-existent music and insisting I join in, close talking to create intimacy, etc. While I enjoyed the obvious flirtation, my friend took a shine to him and stepped in to divert my attention to one of his friends. That diversionary friend and I became great friends and now I’m included in the group outings and occasional boys night out.

Which brings us to the “schtick” recognition. We all went out as a group a while back and I got to see my favorite neck sniffer in action with other women. All of the sudden I overhear, “Wow! Your hair smells so great.” (complete with neck sniffing) Followed by the rest of the “schtick” — one comment after another. I could hardly hold in my giggle as I realized what was going on and watched the women fall one after the other for the devastating smile, chiseled features, neck sniffing and a little impromptu bump-n-grind. My friend has a “schtick” and apparently, a good one.

So, the question is… are “schticks” bad/lame, a shortcut to connection and chemistry or, perhaps, a refuge for the shy? Do you use lines or schticks… why or why not?

Public Displays of Affection

PDA: Public Displays of Affection (otherwise known as making out where other people can see you, hear you or just generally be disturbed by you)

I saw a couple canoodling on a very crowded train the other day and thought, “I’m really glad that I’m not standing where that guy’s hand is moving since things are about to get really awkward if he touches the stranger behind his girlfriend in an incredibly inappropriate place…”

Now, I’m not particularly anti-PDA or pro-PDA, but in my humble opinion, there seems to be occasions where it might be more or less appropriate than others. So I thought I would share a few of the less appropriate…

You should probably keep your hands and lips to yourself when:

  • any elderly person with a heart condition is present
  • you have a dog that gets “inspired” by your frisky natures (if you start humping type activities at a dog park, well, you are either incredibly brave or enormously stupid)
  • your hand is in danger of touching a stranger due to close contact and roaming appendages (especially if that someone else looks like Mr. Clean)
  • you first meet each others parents
  • others may wonder if you are trying to disprove the Calvin Klein tag line: “Nothing gets between me and my Calvins…”
  • that ex you have a restraining order out on is anywhere in the near vicinity
  • you are in danger of becoming the latest subject in the defensive driving videos titled “Death on the Highway” or “Dead in 5 seconds” (yes, the SUV next to you has a CLEAR view of what you are doing)
  • you are at work, in front of your boss, on top of the copier, in the broom closet, etc. Whatever you dream about, in reality you are not McSteamy on “Grey’s Anatomy”
  • you are at church or temple (see previous note about heart conditions)
  • kids under the age of 12 have a direct line of sight into your soap opera audition
  • you are in the middle of a packed movie theatre (do the rest of us a HUGE favor and take a note from High School by sitting in the back if you plan to do any covert groping)
  • your roommate/house mate has to maneuver around you in order to get a drink of water, watch tv or just generally live in the same square footage you and your slobbery second are occupying

As a special note to the girls: please, please for not only your boyfriend’s sake, but everyone else’s as well… no snuckums, sugar baby, pookie bear or Italian stallions necessary. Yes, some of us live in the land of nicknames and endearments and the habit of calling each other honey, sweetie, babe, etc is perfectly normal and, at times, not even noticed by others. Its when you get into the realm of the unusual or terms that hint at bedroom behavior, that you need to firmly draw the line. For many guys, there is nothing worse than their girl dropping the L word in front of his friends and the expectant silence that follows. So leave the I love you’s for private usage and save both of you some embarrassment.

Brief kisses, holding hands, whispers, lingering touches on the small of the back, sweet glances, walking arm in arm, opening doors and holding coats… basically all activity inspired from affection instead of lust are actually quite charming and witnessed by most (bitter singles and lonely marrieds excepted) with something closer to inspiration than tolerance. But if others have to hear the slurps, see the groping hands or heaven forbid need to leave the area in order to shelter their children from the slobber storm, you have ventured into the realm of overt, inappropriate and frankly gross public behavior.

From Oral Sex to Getting Over Your Ex: My Blogging Friends Tell All

Today is dedicated to sharing interesting articles I’ve noticed and remembered and even thought about writing a post in dedication. But then I thought, perhaps you’d just enjoy the articles as well and let me know what you think…

Seth over at TheDatingPapers.com tells us:

How To Get Over Your Ex

 

How do you stop impulsively sending texts, calling, and reconnecting with the exes who make you miserable? Here’s my story:

“The Frown Brigade? There’s got to be a story behind this!” Said Mya, the wizardess helping me transfer phone numbers into a new phone.

It was a group of numbers in my phone dedicated to all the exes I still spoke with on occasion. They were my “Frown Brigade,” and when I was feeling down, I would call one of them and feel even worse for the conversation.

You never call an ex when you’re feeling great. It’s always when you’re feeling low, drunk, sad, or miserable that you reach out to one. You know the situation. No matter what your ex is doing when she picks up the phone, it sounds amazing compared to your life. (more…)

 

Penelope Trunk at the Brazen Careerist writes:

Change How You Walk To Change Your Life

We all know that people judge each other in the first five seconds they see each other. We talk about clothes, and weight , and tone of voice. But you can also judge someone by their walk.

Don’t tell me this is shallow. You can’t help but judge people by their gait. But the good news is that we are very good at judging people on first impressions. It’s probably a survival skill we developed very early on as humans – before you could Google someone to know their credibility. And when it comes to gait, it is possible that we each have a unique gait, like a unique thumbprint. (Yes, people are developing security technology based on gait: Cool, right?)

I am convinced that you can change how you function in the world by… (more)

High Income Women Get More Oral Sex. Maybe.

It is well known in the sex research arena that the more educated a woman is the more often she will receive oral sex.

I have always wondered if this is true for salary as well. For example, if your salary goes up by $50,000, how much more likely are you to receive oral sex?

I cannot find research to support that women who earn more receive more oral sex, which is why I am conducting my own research on this week’s poll.

But I have a hunch, based on a string of research that I have cobbled together:

People who are open to  (more…)

Jeanna Bryner at Live Science on MSNBC writes:

I <3 U: What IMs say about your relationship

The words that flow from our fingers to loved ones could say more than we think. The more frequently women use the pronoun “I” in their instant messages (IM), the more satisfied they are with their partners, a new study finds.

The guys also reported higher satisfaction in couples where the gal used “I” a lot in IMs.

While past psychological studies have analyzed couples and their communication techniques in lab settings, the new study, published last month in the journal Personal Relationships, relied on real-life scenarios. (more…)

Our friends at New Scientist tell us:

High Hormone Levels In Women Linked To Unfaithfulness

Women with high levels of oestrogen may adopt a simple relationship strategy more often associated with men: love ‘em and leave ‘em.

New research suggests that young women who produce naturally high levels of an oestrogen compound linked to fertility are more prone to hop from man to man, as well as cheat on their current partner. They also see themselves as more attractive than other women.

“These women are willing to trade up when the opportunity arises and continue to extract these lucrative resources from men when they can,” says Kristina Durante, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Texas in Austin, who led the study. She thinks the behaviour could be an adaptation to the high costs of giving birth.

“For women it’s all about the resources that we need. If you’re going to be getting knocked up there’s a significant cost,” she says.

Previous research had shown that women who produce high levels of an oestrogen hormone called oestradiol are perceived as more attractive and mother more children than women with lower amounts of the sex hormone.

Oestradiol levels also (more…)

And finally… a great story about what can happen when imagination overtakes reality by Kim Gamble at NYT:

My Mr. Right, in the Land of Make Believe

SEVERAL months ago I flew to Beijing so I could introduce myself to a man I’d never met but with whom I’d been corresponding on-and-off for almost a year. He was an American, a journalist based in Beijing covering China for a United States news media outlet. I first became aware of him when an article he had reported garnered attention and he was asked to discuss his findings on the television show I was working for at the time.

On the afternoon of his interview, however, I wasn’t in the studio where he was, but in my office, half-watching him on the internal video feed, half-producing a segment for broadcast later that week. On screen he was cute in a young professorial way: someone who should wear glasses regardless of the requirements of vision. My attention only fully focused when I heard a deeper, more authoritative voice coming from him than his features suggested. I found myself tilting my head, even grinning a little, but otherwise giving him, and his interview, little thought.

Until after the taping, that is, when the show’s talent coordinator, who is responsible for greeting the guests and keeping nervous pacing in the green room to a minimum, marched into my office waving his business card. She pushed it across my desk and said, “Don’t be mad, but I just told the guest I think you two might hit it off.” (more...)

You May Be In The “Friend Zone” If…

As a follow up to yesterday’s post about getting OUT of the friend zone, these are times when you want to stay IN the friend zone because, well, he/she’s just not that into you… If you relate to two or more of the following points, stop girding your loins to bring up the “I want to be more than friends” talk!

  1. If your friend tells you they don’t think of you “that way,” then they don’t think of you that way. Its not an easy thing to say to someone you suspect likes you and to have to say it more than once just sucks. Rest assured, if they change their mind, they’ll likely let you know.
  2. If you have ZERO physical indicators, its very likely you are dealing with someone who is NOT into you as anything more than a friend. Hugs, “accidental” brushes, pats, lingers, etc are all good signs. The absence of them is a VERY bad sign.
  3. If your friend re-directs the conversation when you try to talk about how you feel about them… definite sign of stay away from that topic. If they liked you, they’d be psyched that you brought it up.
  4. This one can be subtle and a bit tricky, but if a guy or girl starts treating you like a therapist for their relationship problems, they usually have you pretty firmly in the friend category. A guy who likes you wouldn’t want you to think of him as dysfunctional and a girl doesn’t want to be classified as “crazy.” But when they are amongst friends, they’ll open up about honest woes and questions. The reason I say its tricky, is that you need to look at the content of what they share… if its mostly good stuff and wondering why a girl/guy doesn’t respond in kind, then they are letting you know they are a “good” guy or girl and its a possible indicator that you are not quite just a friend in their mind. Also, if they start thinking romantically about you… the topic will gradually change to start portraying themselves in a better light — so it can shift.
  5. If they go in and out of relationships but “drop” you as a friend when they are involved with someone else. Not only is this person not a good “friend,” its HIGHLY likely that they are using you to fill in the gap for attention and strokes from someone of the opposite sex. Like a surrogate relationship with none of the “perks.”
  6. They don’t seek out time with you alone. Yes, they may flirt with you in groups or get into “great conversations” every once in a while, but if they have made no attempt to corral you alone, you are very firmly a “friend.” Double this if the group invites don’t originate with this “friend” but come from another person in the group. If you are always the initiator of contact, triple it. You are a friend, friend, FRIEND! (if you want to call them that)
  7. If they are usually doing something else when talking to you… ie, washing dishes, emailing, checking their phone, watching the game, scanning the room, etc. You are a friend. Yes, in marriage and LTRs, this happens more often since you (hopefully) are friends as well as lovers, but if the majority of your interactions involve little to no “full attention” interactions, you are a friend. The only time to ignore this point… if your interest has ADD, ADHD or some sort of wiring challenge that keeps their mind from settling into focus.
  8. If they ask you to set them up with one of your friends. You are most definitely a friend only. Even the game players know better than to risk messing up the friend pool to make someone jealous.
  9. There is no personal grooming when they know they’ll be seeing you. Not EVER a good sign unless they are in the hospital and sliding in and out of consciousness. I was in the hospital for something serious once and knew my “friend/crush” was coming to visit me. You’d better believe I got up, shuffled to the bathroom and attempted to straighten myself up a bit and brush my teeth. It hurt, but I did it. And I’m not a particularly vain girl.
  10. Listen to your gut. Do you know that you know that you know they really aren’t interested? Pay attention. Your “gut” has likely been reading the body language and vibe all along and trying to get through to your thick head that there is no interest!

I hope I haven’t ruined your day, but I thought I would save a few of you from embarrassment especially leading up to the dreaded V-Day season. Good Luck and if you have some more indicators to share, please do since I know I haven’t hit them all!

Don’t Be So Sure You’re In The Friend Zone

I got a flirty text last nite. Normally, that wouldn’t really be news to write home about, but this one surprised me because I was fairly positive he and I were in the friend zone. Now, I’m not so sure. Don’t worry, I’m not getting a head full of ideas, after all, he may have meant to send it to someone else or was a bit too far into his happy cup, but it did make me think.

Are there people in your life who you are CONVINCED have you in the friend zone whether you like it or not? I wouldn’t be so sure. As I interview folks, there are times I cross-interview two people who know each other and I hear things. The kind of things that make it obvious that these two both like each other but are convinced the other doesn’t feel the same and therefore do not want to “risk the friendship.” 

I’m going to say something unpopular. If this is you… Take the risk! If you really do have such a great friendship, it will withstand some honest communication whether you are on the same page or not. Your odds may be long, but keep in mind, I hear a LOT of stories about people who meet and marry because they knew each other as friends first and something had to happen between friend zone and the first date…

I read this excerpt on David Wygant’s blog:

“Don’t Be Afraid To Express Yourself: If you’ve already been friends for a long time with the female whom you’d like to date and she’s never thought about you in a romantic way, then you need to understand that there’s a good chance she’ll never think of your romantically. The way so many guys get themselves into the eternal friend zone is that they played it too safe when they first met that woman. They act in a very passive-aggressive way toward her. They are so afraid of really expressing to her any indication of their romantic interest in her, that they go out of their way not to express any feelings toward her at all. For example, instead of really asking the woman out on a date, they will ask her to hang out in a group. So instead of really talking to her and clearly asking her out on a date, guys will nervously ask a woman out on a “non-date” kind of date. The reason why it is almost a foregone conclusion that you will end up in the friend zone in this situation, is because you have never asked her out on a real date. You ask her out – to barbeques, to happy hours or to parties – but it’s always to join a group of other people. If you’re interested in somebody, you need to ask her out so it’s clear to her that you are asking her out on a date.”

David’s right on the mark about how men get into the friend zone and the same can happen for women. They want to play it cool or be one of the guys and before she knows it, she’s no longer seen as a potential date… she’s just one of the guys who happens to have boobs to look at as well. (Yes, I know ladies… you really didn’t want to hear that one but my guy friends assure me its true) All of that aside, playing it safe was what got you into this position in the first place. Express yourself and all that has a chance of changing. Don’t express yourself and it all stays the same.

Prep Steps to bridging the friendship gap

  1. Make sure this is something you really feel. You aren’t just reacting to something sweet your friend did for you, that you want more official first dibs on her chocolate chip cookies or that he looked really hot last Friday nite. If you’ve been feeling the more than friend leanings for a while, you’ve got your answer and may proceed to point #2.
  2. Observe the other person’s body language when they are around you. Does it say “interested?” Are they always pointing their body towards you (shoulders and hands open to you, toes pointed in your direction)? Do they already touch you a lot? Does he or she seem to sparkle a little bit more when in conversation with you? If you have a few yes indicators, proceed to point #3.
  3. If you are a little chicken (lets face it, many of us are) start small with flirty texts, flirty body language (grooming, mirroring gestures, touching your own lips, neck or hair when you talk) or touching her/him in a non-friend kind of way. Back patting hug = friend. Full frontal hug with no pat + a linger = not so sure you’re “just” a friend. If your friend responds, take it as a good sign of possible return interest. If they don’t, be patient as they may open up once their mind processes the change in dynamic (ie. last night’s flirty text… it made me wonder about a possible different track)
  4. Find time one on one and face to face to talk with your friend. I would suggest a neutral territory that is private enough for a real conversation but not loaded with triggers of past memories. You are treading new ground here. Sit or walk NEXT to each other if possible. When you are facing someone over a table, there is a barrier there to what you are saying.
  5. Marshall your thoughts and figure out how to say what you mean to say without pressure, coercion or shying away from the truth. Be direct, clear and fairly non-emotional. This is not the time to play the “God told me you are my future spouse” card. (Yes, people really do say that. I’ve been on the receiving end when I did not feel the same way. Aaaaaaawkward!) By honestly and directly saying what you are feeling, you give the other person a clean exit if need to. Ie. they can respond directly and non-emotionally that they don’t feel the same way and you can go back to being friends easier than if you poured your heart out and brought up all the times you’ve looked at the other person with love on the mind. (If they DO like you back, you have plenty of time to share that gushy stuff later)
  6. This is key… give the other person space and time to react. Don’t pressure them for a decision right then and there. Suggest another time to get together and go on a date without the crew at some point in the near future — say 4-5 days out. If they say yes, you have an open door!
  7. Be smart. Don’t treat this one like another one date wonder. Lose your old player/dater habits if those are the habits you have. After all, if it doesn’t end up in marriage, you might be able to go back to being friends if you don’t rip each others hearts to pieces in the interim. 

How to know if your friend might be interested? (Look for 3+)

  1. Have they tried to set you up with other people? Yes, some are masochistic enough to really like you and want to date you but will sacrifice that if they get no indicators of interest from you. They’ll set you up and usually be hoping and praying it doesn’t work out and you realize how much you really want them instead but thinking that at least you’ll be a great date for their friend.
  2. Do people ask if you are dating each other? Or tell you that so and so must really dig you? If so, these are big indicators that other people are picking up vibes between you.
  3. Is body language an open invitation even if the words are not? (Read my post on body language if you need help)
  4. Are they finding times to be with you one on one when you know each other usually from a group setting?
  5. Have they suddenly started or stopped sharing the details of their dating life with you? Most men will stop talking about other women and most women will start revealing more about their love life.
  6. Are they leaving you more comments on your Facebook, Myspace (or other social media sites), sending you more emails or verging into flirty texting?
  7. Did they tell you anything along the lines of “I can’t understand why no one has scooped you up!” or “That last guy you dated was a jerk. I would have treated you better” or “You know you’ll never love someone else like you love me.” You may have a closet lover on your hands.

I hope this will help some of you figure out if you may have a ticket out of the zone. For those of you who know me personally, take this as no indication that I will recognize the signs in my own life. I’m notoriously blind when it comes to a guy liking me or not. If you like me, just ask me out. I don’t bite. Usually.

He’s WAY more into me than I am into him…

It’s Dear Kelli Friday at Dating and Mating in America. A friend of mine sent this to me for thoughts:

A friend of mine went on a first date with a guy whom she met last week. When they met, she really liked him. When they went out, the guy went a little overboard, saying that he found her gorgeous, some of the normal things she did was sexy, etc. She is willing to go out with him on a second date, but needs the guy to chill and be himself so she can have a better idea as to what relationship she might be in. I asked how her date went, and she responded with the following email:

“It was fine. Not amazing, but fine. He’s definitely wayyyyyyyyy more into me than vice versa. Which is, I’ll admit, a little off-putting. And makes me feel really arrogant to say that when it’s so misplaced, but whatever.

I’ll go on a second to see if he’s cooler when he chills out a bit. Granted, it’s a better problem to have than the whole “he’s just not that into you” thing, but still…if he doesn’t normalize, I’m so done!”

Ah, the old inequitable interest snafu. Let’s be real for a minute… if you think the guy or girl is ALL THAT you are completely charmed by them being charmed by you. I’m talking “all that” in the he/she makes you sweat just by walking in the room or talking on the phone or texting, emailing, whatever. The thought of the other person makes your insides turn to jello.

Unfortunately, not many of us walk around in a state of butt wiggling excitement for every guy or girl we come across (our butts would be very toned if that was the case.) Most potential interests fall into the,”let’s see how things go” category. You are enthused enough to go out with this person, perhaps multiple times, but if the interest seems uneven, it swiftly sinks the ship of interest for the less “into it” person. Take, for example, the email above. She was excited until he started showing an interest that was unequal to hers. I’m sure her body language was screaming at him to chill out and he made the classic mistake of not reading his audience.

Are you sitting here thinking “well, how in the world am I SUPPOSED to act?” Or “Man, some women are NEVER happy!” Hold on and think for a minute how you would feel if you went out with someone who started acting like the kind of puppy dog that gets so excited when it sees you, that it pees on the floor every time you walk in the room. You spend much of your time around that dog cringing in anticipation of the pee wiggle. That’s exactly how many men and women feel when they are with someone who misses the signals of “wait and see.”

So, what do you do when you know you are in the “wait and see” category but REALLY like the person you are with?

  1. Take a minute to relax and observe. Are you just excited because they finally said yes to a date? Are you reacting to hormones? Or are you really taking a look at this person for who they are? If you decide you do really like them… keep it together, take a deep breath and…
  2. Read my post on body language => http://klawless.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/lets-talk-body-language/
  3. If you are in between the good and bad categories, you have a chance. It may help you get into the right frame of mind if you start mimicking the other person’s body language. Not obviously, but enough to revert the interest indicators into a more equitable balance. It will also help the other person feel more comfortable and they might relax enough to get to know you and THEN make a decision instead of over-reacting to your excitement.
  4. If you start amping up the compliments and touching and they don’t respond… STOP! Don’t accelerate the behavior thinking its going to change their mind.

Why you don’t want to puppy dog a woman? Just like our emailer, most women will shut down. Yes, interest is great and we love to hear that you appreciate something unique about us, but if its so overwhelming that we feel like we can’t even get to the real deal under all the flattery… we wonder if we are dining with a con artist, hopeless romantic or socially inept dater. Yes, I just lumped all of those into the same category. So, don’t fall into it!

How a man typically reacts? One of two ways:

It triggers the ego and they love the stroking. But there is no attempt to get to know the woman behind the flattery. You might become a “stringer” — one of the women he spends time with occasionally to build up the ego. Or, he reacts like a woman typically does and get exasperated by the overblown attention.

What do you do if you are on a date with or being asked out again by one of these types? I’d be honest and tell them that while you love the attention and compliments, you’d really like a chance to get to know them as a person. But if you reacted with complete disinterest to their flattery the first time around, do both of you a favor and decline. Let them wiggle on to the next person.

As a side note: An astute dater will ask themselves how long the other person can sustain the “good behavior” that typically comes with the first 3 months of dating. If the good behavior is through the roof unrealistic, the greater the fall when things normalize. But if it starts out gentle and interesting and then grows, it actually works better for a long term match since both daters feel like the trend is going up instead of down or spiking up and down.

Have we lost our storytelling tradition?

A phone date brought up a very interesting discussion last night. Is it just guys who prefer bottom line and get-to-the-point communication or are women also joining the “keep it quick” team? I asked the question of my network; “Has anyone else noticed a change in the nature of storytelling (and communication) since our culture has adopted texting, IM and short media?” In the conversation that followed several theories came up as to cause and effect ranging from Sesame Street attention span shrinkage to our inability to just sit and “Be” — un-distracted by all the stimuli surrounding us.

So, what does this have to do with dating and mating? I’ve noticed over the years an increase in people over-riding each other in conversation, asking each other to get to the point, completely checking out when the other person is talking and I’m wondering, is it the storytellers that need to get with the program or perhaps the get-to-the-point crew can slow down and give others time to tell the tale? Or perhaps its an environment thing? At work, get to the point and at play or on a date relax and let the tale unfold?

The Irish in me hates to tell a storyteller to curtail the tale but I’m certainly not immune to society’s expectation to get to the punch line and wait for someone to ask for more details if they are interested. Sometimes I’ll find myself in the middle of a story and literally see the other person’s eye start to glaze over. Believe me, I find a way to wrap that puppy up in two sentences or less since what’s the point of telling a story when you have no audience? (And I’m not even a long-winded story type!)

So what’s the answer? Do we cave to the pressure and bottom line it even when at play? Do we re-learn how to listen to each other and just enjoy the process? Do you think this change is here to stay and our culture is just moving away from the oral tradition that our forbears embraced? Is this something that needs to be considered as you go through the dating and mating process… “Hummm, she tells way to many details in her stories. I can see myself hiding at the office instead of coming home to hear how and what the puppy threw up on the sofa.”

What will this change do to our ability to remember details and grasp a concept if we begin to skip the details that undergird the punch line/opinion/point? Are we losing out on opportunities to get to know each other better by essentially asking the other person to skip what they think is important/entertaining/educational/funny/necessary? My phone date said that its precisely because he listens intently to every point that he loses patience by the end of a long-winded tale because he begins to wonder if there is a point or even a reason he should know each detail introduced. I can totally understand his frustration… especially when you run into a story teller that wanders every corridor of their mind, producing a stream of consciousness affect that will make even the most patient person crazy.

What do you think? Are you a frustrated and mute storyteller or do you just collect drinking friends and wait till the liquor is flowing before launching into your tale?

Your Attitude Is Keeping You Single

Its going to be a news flash kind of day on Dating and Mating today. Fair warning — if you are single and don’t want to be, read this post with caution. It might tick you off or it might pry you out of your rut. Either way… it ain’t gonna be pretty.

Brass tacks: You are very likely single because of your attitude. 

I know, I know. Ouch! Every time I come out with a statement like that on here, I get a flurry of counter-comments, but I’m sticking to my guns on this one. This isn’t intended for the people who have decided to be single for a season, this is only for the ones who want to be relating and are instead bemoaning how much the dating world sucks (yes, it does suck… at times… but so what! Don’t let that determine your success!)

Case in Point: I’m at a party in Chicago as an out of town guest. Conversation rolls around (as it always does when I’m around) to dating and relationships. This mixed group of guys and girls everywhere from 24-45 begin to discuss the highs and lows of dating in the Windy City. For the most part, conversation has been consistently positive interspersed with comments about the slush and I lightly comment, “It seems to me that Chicago natives only complain about one thing — the weather.” And then one of the women drops this bomb into the mix, “I have something else to complain about Chicago. There are ZERO good looking men here.” *sound of crickets chirping*

The men all look slightly embarrassed at her comment as she stares me down with a grim expression. The women shuffle feet and angle bodies away from her in an attempt to not be branded as “bitter girl like her.” Deciding to salvage the tone we had before the crickets took the stage, I replied,”Really? My head’s been on a swivel stick since I’ve gotten up here. I think there are a TON of good looking men!” *men perk up and get little cat grins and women breathe a sigh of social relief* and then Ms. Attitude Problem CONTINUES to press her point. I won’t go into the entire dialogue at this point since it would be painful, but lets just say that, at that moment, I suddenly had more insight into why she had been single for over 10 years since her divorce. Attitude.

Not one of the men in that circle was going to try to prove her wrong, they even edged slightly away from her the more she stridently insisted that she was right. For the rest of the evening, I saw her talking to… women…or sitting alone in the corner by the food table. She was good looking, fit and interesting when not talking about men or dating or relationships (yes, I talked to her before and after the conversation bomb.)

The guys from that circle were on the hunt though, at some point in the evening, I saw them all splintering off to talk to different women and I’m guessing that the women they were laughing with had nothing remotely negative to say about the men in Chicago. I’m betting that they might have even been, dare I say it… positive, flirtatious, interesting…

This isn’t the only time I’ve seen this. Over and over during interviews and conversations about dating, guys AND girls have amazed me with comments that are very clear indicators of attitude issues. Sometimes people stay in a rut for so long, its all they can see and they refuse to believe that it can be any different.

A few years ago, I was in the same boat. Thankfully, I clawed my way out of the (huge) rut I was in and have some tips to share for those of you reading this post and shifting uncomfortably in your chair as you relate to Ms. Attitude Problem. I’ll be honest, this takes work and a lot of accountability, but the changes are so worth it, that I would be a schmuck to not say anything to those of you who are very frustrated.

How to flip the Closed Sign to Open:

  1. Watch your thoughts. If you can catch negativity at the thought level, its less likely to come out your mouth. Turn it around in your head when you catch it. If you think, “There are too many hot girls at this party. No guy is going to notice me” switch it to “Wow, with this many pretty women around, there are going to be some very happy men. Which one do I want to talk to?”
  2. If you can’t catch it at a thought level, give a few of your friends permission to call you out when you make negative statements. Make sure to pick positive or happily relationshipped friends since they are not likely to chime in and turn it into a negative bonding moment.
  3. I’m betting there are some self-esteem issues going on. Identify the main culprits and do what you need to in order to turn your esteem around.
  4. Decide to consciously build up not only the people around you, but the culture in which you find yourself. By seeing and commenting on the positive, you’ll be amazed at how much your attitude changes.
  5. Get rid of your negative friends. I know… again… harsh. Even if you don’t want to lose them, change the way you relate to them. If you are used to calling and griping about your date (or lack thereof) the day after, instead try to talk about the positive and get off the phone when things go down-hill. It takes practice, but its a huge help in the long run. I’m not telling you to abandon your friends in crisis, but I think you know the difference between your friend going thru a rough patch and your friend who doesn’t want to know any differently.
  6. Make eye contact with the men/women you wish to meet and … SMILE.

Stick with it for 3 months. If you don’t see a change, come back and leave me a comment telling me that I’m full of it. But I’m betting, the change will be larger than you can even imagine.

Say it like you mean it: How to use email, phone and text

More than ANYTHING, I am hearing gripes and mutters and just plain old ISSUES around the whole do I text, email, call? Do I have to do _____ in person or can I send an email? Everyone seems to have a different standard and as my friend stated at lunch, anyone born in 1979 or later does much more via text and email than their older counterparts (something to keep in mind if you are cougar-ing or cradle robbing).

Here are my answers — by no means the final say, but just a compilation from what I hear everyone saying. If you have different opinions — post em! I’d love to hear what you are experiencing. One thing to keep in mind, some people just prefer a certain method of communication and you may need to have a conversation to figure out where you are both coming from.

PHONE

Ma Bell remains the fall back communication for most folks. The next best thing to face to face in most cases, phones are usually pretty safe as far as not offending without intent.

Times to Phone:

  • Day to day hellos, checking in to say hi, making plans, etc. 
  • Conversations — whether deep or surface. Just know that you may sacrifice a bit in reading body language
  • Phone sex. Many swear by it as a way to drive up the spice factor. (A “they say” for me since it’s not really on my phone de jour list)

Times to De-Phone:

  • ET was a fan, teenage girls are a fan… why aren’t you? Some people just don’t like phones. Anything from fear of brain cancer to not liking long drawn out conversations and sweaty ears. If you are dating a non-phone talker, try to understand and keep the conversations short so you can do more face to face instead.
  • Long voice mails. Most people just don’t have the patience to listen to you ramble about your day. Nip it unless you are in a marathon version of phone tag. In which case, ramble away since you don’t get to actually “talk” very often.
  • Break ups — its really better to do this in person. If you are afraid of the person or know that you are both in the relationship death roll, a phone call can suffice. Also, if you fear that you will cave and get back together or chicken out and not say what you need to say, phone is better than nothing.

WEB CAM CHAT

A quick word on this one. iChat, skype or web cams have become a great tool to use for people who are in a distance situation and need some face to face time even if not able to do so in person. Its a good option for those comfortable with technology and prefer to see body language while talking. I wouldn’t advise this as the best way to have an in-depth conversation, but if you need to and can’t be together, its certainly the best of the options. Keep in mind that the person on the other end of the “phone” can see you from the waist up, will be more distracted by poor image and lighting than not, and that there may be delays, crashes, etc that interfere with direct and timely replies.

EMAIL

Email may be used in any number of situations without fear of offense. One thing to ascertain before sending anything too personal in nature… are you using this person’s work or personal email? If work, don’t send anything you don’t want Jo Techie in IT to read. If personal email, then trust your date to read at an appropriate time and place. If you are dating Jo or Joette Techie, then I wouldn’t worry about it.

Times to use email:

  • Mundane checking in, exchanging information, making plans, just saying hi
  • Little love notes and such are ok too, but make sure you also say this kind of thing in person as well or the other person may develop an aversion to only being e-serenaded.
  • Getting to know each other in an online dating situation. Email can be a great medium to ask hard/interesting questions and give the person time to think of how they want to reply.

Times to NEVER use email:

  • Emotionally charged conversations that need to happen face to face
  • If you are a bad writer and unsure how you come across in email — be careful as to how you email since it is INCREDIBLY easy to come across cold or uncaring when you are just being what you think of as normal and not overly emoticon-y. If you have worries, run a sample or two by a friend and see what they think.
  • Sending forwards, cute email pictures of kittens and such, emoticon-o-rama. Stop it! If you send emails all the time and expect a wordy, verbose and in-depth response within an hour of sending, give your honey a break. Email takes a lot of time out of the day, especially for people with jobs where they are away from their desk or in meetings for a good portion of the day.
  • Break ups. NEVER EVER use email to break up with someone. If you are slightly chicken-ish or the relationship is fairly new (ie. less than a month/no sex) then you can use email with judicious wisdom especially if you think the other person will take it better given time to process. But if you have been sexually intimate, exclusive, family involved, mutual friends, etc — NEVER EVER EVER use email to do the breaking. You may disappoint someone by breaking it off, but at least they’ll respect you for doing it in person in the long run. I hate to say it — but face to face is the answer on this one with phone as a last resort.
TEXTING
This one is trickier than email. Text rules shift more than the others. “Smart Phones” have affected the ease of text messaging, making it a viable option for many. But believe it or not, not everyone gets texts. If you are dealing with someone born before 1969 or is still using a “dumb” phone, you need to double check their textability for sure. But you’ve checked, and your honey gets text messages, here are the general guidelines. 
Times to use texts:
  • Setting plans, just saying hi, figuring out who it is you are supposed to be meeting for your blind date, a little “thinking of you” text, funny pictures… you know, the small conversations throughout the week that bind a relationship together. 
  • Sometimes compliments, innuendos, “looking forward to tonight,” etc can bring a smile to someone’s face. But again, watch for the reaction… it gets old when the only time you get complimented is via text.
Times to Avoid Texting:
  • “Textversations” when you see that you are getting into a conversation over text, just pick up the phone and call. For one, its hard to keep typing and trying to convey your true emotions, much less in quick time and on a keyboard the size of a cracker.
  • When you are driving!
  • Asking someone out on a date. DO NOT TEXT to ask someone out. Call or email, but don’t text. (You are more than likely going to get silence, sarcasm or “not interested.”)
  • Booty texting. Please, just don’t do it. If you have to get some booty — at LEAST call.
  • Drunk texting. Designate a sober friend to remove the phone from your hands if necessary. You really aren’t going to like it when you see that you sent your ex a booty text and then an impassioned hate text between the times of 2:05 and 2:10 am.
  • Any kind of conversation where you want to convey positive emotion. Text still seems fairly remote and cold to most people.
INSTANT MESSAGING

Another tricky one. Generally best used when you understand that your honey may not always be able to reply or that someone else might see their computer screen during the course of the day. To be safe, I would keep this to the little comments that make a day entertaining or finalizing plans at the end of a day. A note to the online dating crowd: please, please, please do not assume that sending sexual commentary, explicit pictures, etc. via instant messaging is a good idea. If you really want to get to that level of exposure, please make sure to ASK the other person if they want to see a naked picture of your favorite body part before sending it along. 
PAPER AND PEN

Believe it or not, almost anything hand-written on paper these days is appreciated. If you are taking the time to mail it, take the time to hand-write it. Typing may be easier, but it just doesn’t convey the same personal touch as actual hand writing. Thank you notes, love letters, asking forgiveness, birthday cards, just saying hello cards… if you want to REALLY earn some brownie points, send it via snail mail.  
Understand though that the converse is true as well. If you are breaking up or conveying a harsh message… it will come across 500 times harsher via mail. Be responsible. Scanning is just as easy as emailing these days, so don’t assume that your nasty letter won’t be forwarded that day to everyone you know. If you have something difficult to say, put on your “big girl/boy pants” and say it face to face. Yes, you may be misquoted but most people understand that their friend’s “verbatim” recollection may be missing a few key points from time to time and take it with a grain of salt. But if you wrote it out in all your handwritten glory… well, you are just screwed.
One of my dear friends got “dumped” via Post It note and to this day, she wins the “Worst Ever” by a mile thanks to the handwritten and mailed aspects of that little piece of paper.

I Can’t Read Your Mind

I know this will come as a surprise to most people, but I do not, in fact, know how to read minds. There are times when I really really really wish I did know how and others when I am devoutly grateful that God did not include that on the list of “gifts.” 

Dating, perhaps more than any other time (aside from job interviews) brings out the wishing in most people to be able to skip that pesky communication step and just go right to “I see what you’re thinking. Literally.” I’m grateful we didn’t get that shortcut for several reasons but the primary one being that I love the gift of communication. I love when someone takes the time to tell you what they think and feel or want to know where you are on something — knowing that its a gift given from a place of unknowability. There is simply no way to fathom the workings of another person’s mind and only the newly infatuated, trained profilers and deeply narssistic believe that they can accurately predict what another person is thinking. (which really makes me wonder what kind of person you look like to others when you are in the “love is blind” segment of a relationship… another matter)

The challenge comes when you are in relationship with someone and don’t know how to access that hidden pool. Most of the time it’s a combination of not knowing how to communicate, listen or share. Sometimes, it’s not wanting to. For a communicator like me, missing a place of shared communication is, quite simply, the hardest place to exist. I think my brain acts a bit like a desert after rain when someone shares their own truth with me — I flower and grow and all of the sudden there are “streams in the wilderness.” I think because its when I feel most loved, included and valued.

Yes, there are “good” and “bad” communication styles but its a pretty easy rule of thumb based on coming from an honest heart.

  • Be honest. Not as a means of hurting someone. Come from the space in your heart where you want to build the other person up and show respect to both yourself and them by honestly communicating your feelings, thoughts, etc.
  • Create a safe place for each other to share. Put aside your judgements and preconceptions and actively listen to each other. A good thing to remember — if you are articulating what you are going to say next, you aren’t really listening. Silence is ok, especially when you need time to think about what the other person shared and respond in kind.
  • If you really don’t know what to talk about or you are getting the dreaded “What are you thinking about?” question to which your honest answer is nothing and you know they are tired of hearing it…try flipping the tables and asking your honey a question about them. It can be something silly like “If one of our friends had to marry Paris Hilton, who would you pick and why?” or something profound like “What are the 5 hardest things you’ve been through in your life?” The key here is to avoid a yes or no answered question and provide an opportunity for your partner to share. Its a win/win. You get to learn more about the person you are with and they get to share part of themselves with you. PLUS, if you ask a good question, you get a good conversation out of it.
  • Be aware. Watch body language, really see the other person and remember that you are talking to someone you know today. Not your ex, not your parents when you were little, not that awful teacher who threw chalk at you in the 3rd grade… the person on the other end of your communication is there for a reason. Today. And apparently wants to get to know… You.

So, the point of this post? Communicate. Even if you don’t think you are “a very good talker” or are private or don’t think you have anything interesting to share… give the other person a chance to get to know you. When you open yourself to someone, you send the message that you not only value the other person, you value and love yourself and want to be known.