The Love Chronicles

OK, y'all...so I know this is cheating to post something from another website, but I read this entry from Refinery 29 about life in your twenties and thirties and thought it was somehow appropriate and applicable to my life and the lives of many of my readers. Even though it's the thoughts of 8 women, some of the things they say are spot on, so guys, listen up!  The overall gist is when you're in your twenties, you should be wild, have fun, try new things, really put yourself out there.  Don't go completely bat shit crazy, but live a little! This is the perfect time to figure out who you are.  Then in your thirties (or if you're lucky, even a little sooner) you can start laying down the groundwork for your future. I can finally say I've learned my lesson(s).  I've been wild, spent money with reckless abandon, drank too much, made rash decisions and now I'm ready.  Ready to do what it takes to make a nice life for myself.  I hope everyone has that momen...

Oh, the irony, my darling readers, of those chance meetings when you are least prepared. Let me tell you a story... Due to the lovely and very early arrival of winter in Chicago - snow! wind! below freezing temperatures! parkas! - I decided to stay the night at my mother's house who I had been visiting because biking home in such weather seemed rather imprudent. In the morning my mother mercifully offered me a ride to the Western bus stop, making my commute home much shorter and fulfilling her duty as a good mother quite nicely. It was early, but there were a few people waiting at the corner of Western and Roscoe, all dressed appropriately for the weather, except for your humble author. Let me describe what I was wearing: A navy University of Illinois hooded sweatshirt (it has the word "Illinois" emblazoned across it in bold orange lettering), dark blue leggings, brown mid-calf boots, teal green gloves, bags under my eyes the size of former Soviet Satellite States. By...

My dearest readers, there are many difficult questions we are forced to answer throughout the course of our lives. Am I challenging myself enough? Should I look for a new job? Am I really happy in my current living situation? Does this make my ass look big? I never thought I would have to answer such a question regarding blocking someone on my phone. But let me offer you one piece of advice: if you ever even have to ask yourself the question "Should I block this person or not?", then chances are, you probably should. I've never had to do this until recently, but I must say, it feels empowering. Not only are you, as the blocker, robbing the blockee the pleasure of being able to communicate with you via text or phone call, you are also causing the blockee lots of grief. Hopefully they are sweating bullets and up at night in complete agony because ALL of their calls go to voicemail and ALL of their texts go unanswered. The best part about this is, you will never know if th...

In a serious conversation with my friend last night, I realized something important and almost miraculous. My Crap-o-Meter is finally starting to work. It took me 8 years of relationships and dating to realize I don't have to put up with other people's crap, and frankly, I shouldn't have to. My first long-term relationship with my German ex-fiance (that's right, I was engaged) lasted 4 years. Lots of back and forth and on again off again behavior. My second serious relationship with a legally married man lasted 13 months (the divorce went through when we were together) - we also broke up once in the middle of the crap storm. My third serious relationship only lasted 8 months. And this last "relationship" I was in only lasted for about 3 months. For you visual learners, please see the chart below. It is adjusted for actual time spent dating, in months. The chart clearly highlights my growing inability to put up with crap. You should always demand the best, beca...

My dearest readers, As I mentioned in my post on Tuesday, I cleaned up my blog but left three old posts from 2006 entitled "So ist das Leben" (the German equivalent of "C'est la vie"), "Bonn" and "Update time".  I recommend reading them to be able to better understand the 20 year old Tina for comparative purposes. The overall writing in the three posts is manic-depressive. I express my emotions in the most emphatic terms.  I'm also critical and angry about my love life.  At 20 I was looking for love, worried about intimacy, confused about my feelings, frustrated about being single and generally unsure of the right course of action.  I think back then I was spending too much time worrying about and lamenting over my situation.  I knew what I wanted and took everything that happened counter to my wishes as a personal assault on my happiness.  How it was personal, I have no idea but that's how I felt.  How dare a man not be madly in ...

To those of you who still check my blog from time to time, firstly, I'd like to thank you for doing so and secondly, I'd like to give you a small update as to why I haven't posted in six weeks.  I made a very tough decision to leave my life in Phoenix to move home to Chicago. It had been seven years since living in my hometown but it couldn't have been better timing. I don't really believe in much but I now know things must happen for a reason. I left behind a job, a relationship, friends, a home and a lifestyle I became accustomed to. I had nothing to return to except for my family and some friends. I fell into an amazing job that allowed me the freedom I needed but also the financial stability I never had in Phoenix. I even got a second, part time job that is allowing to meet lots of interesting people (and hear some great music for free!). I was able to spend lots of time with my family, go out and explore my beloved city and reconnect with friends. Things wer...

I have decided to permanently abstain from the online dating world after many attempts on various sites and bouts of boredom. However, some of my friends still wade through the bull in an effort to find a decent date. I sincerely wish them all the best. I can say that online dating may not have provided me a soul mate but it certainly provided fodder for my story bank. As I mentioned in my previous post, I meet lots of men out and about in the great city of Chicago so I don't get too bored for too long. I have been saved. Today's post comes from a dear friend of mine: the lovely Ms. Patrizia. She has graciously allowed me to use her story on my blog because it's just too good. The setup: Patrizia is a busy girl. She works long hours, works out, goes out - a typical, single 20 something lifestyle. She has an OkCupid profile and will respond to the gentlemen who have written her a well thought out message (one liners like "hey, beautiful" don't really warran...