Lately I’ve been reflecting and reprioritizing the things I look for in a guy.  I love my single life, but I also love meeting new people and i’ve come to realize that I do have a “type” whether I like it or not … but that type has got to come with a few manly standards or else it’s just not going to work.  I’m pretty independant and I’ve lived on my own since I moved away to college. There’s just some things you learn to do on your own when you live alone and live far away from family and friends. Things as simple as unclogging a toilet, remember to take your car for an oil change and get it washed, and little handy chores around the house. My mom gave me a tool set a few years ago for my birthday and it was the best gift i’ve ever gotten. The feeling of accomplishment I get after I use my power screwdriver makes me really happy … but what’s with today’s typical guy who can’t even install an air conditioner in the window? Have guys become girly?  The last couple of dudes I casually dated didn’t even know how to drive a stick! Seriously. Like if I drove out that night, there was NO way I could drink too much and let him drive home, but he wouldn’t know how to. This isn’t just one guy, this is like 4 different guys with no knowledge of how to drive a manual and lack any desire to learn. These are the same kinds of guys that don’t know how to change a tire, but thankfully i’m a AAA gold card member and I’d rather dial them up than get my outfit dirty on the side of the road.

It’s not like I have a deranged neurotic checklist of things a guy must be or have or do … but there are a few things I am really attracted to and expect from a manly man …  like shouldn’t a guy know how to parallel park? In my eyes, absolutely. They should also know how to drive a stick, remember their Mom’s birthday, open doors, iron their clothes, not be a pushover, have plenty of guy friends and definitely know how to play poker. I also think manly men are hardcore about their sports. Whether it’s my team or not, they should have pride for their team and live it. 

That’s the thing though. Manly men are sort of a thing of the past. I don’t mean manly as in “grizzly wilderness men” who come home with dirt under their nails, I just mean, that confident swagger that knows how to treat a girl and has an edge. This is why men and women are different, because they should be. The next time I see a guy drinking an apple martini, I might throw it on him.

Then I saw this list from ASKMEN.com … perfect timing too! The 5 MANLY Things Guys USED To Do … Ha!

Here are five manly things guys USED to do, but don’t do anymore . . .

1.) DRINKING LIKE A MAN. Men used to order things like single malt Scotch, Irish whisky, and bourbon. A guy knew his drink, and he got it with a splash of soda or a few cubes of ice. These days, men drink like cast members on “Sex and the City”.

2.) GETTING A SHAVE. Guys, when was the last time you had someone ELSE shave your face? It used to be common. But now, every time an extra blade is added to the newest Gillette razor, getting a professional shave becomes less and less necessary.

3.) BEING A HANDYMAN. Years ago, it didn’t matter what a guy’s job was . . . on Sunday, he was a handyman . . . and he could fix almost anything. But for most men today, the first step for fixing a leaky faucet is to call a plumber.

4.) HAVING A *REAL* GUYS NIGHT OUT. Young guys think it means doing keg stands all night. But it used to be men of ANY age could make a reservation at the Chop House, have a classy dinner with the crew, then see where the night took them.

5.) FIGHTING FAIR. We’re not endorsing fighting. But at least when men USED to fight, they fought fair. Two guys would square off in a parking lot, and they didn’t have to worry about anyone else ganging up on them.

 –But today, if you shove a guy at a bar, you can count on a beat down from six or seven of his buddies.

1, 3, & 4 are my favorites. So where is my well shaven, whiskey drinking, handyman who loves having guys night out and mind his own business when his drunk butthead friend is getting into a fight?!

For some reason, I keep coming back for more. The first things I do when I get into work in the morning is check my email and log into Pandora to get some tunes going.  Jeff could sit in our office all day with no music at all. Silence. I just can’t do it. Not only would the sound of his voice drive me mad after a while, he also eats really loudly and the noise his tongue and cheeks make while he chows down on a turkey leg make me naseous.  I provide the office playlist … Pandora it is. I’ve saved a bunch of my favorite stations on there … Switchfoot, Kings of Leon, Disturbed, Poison, Seether … but everyday lately i’ve been locked into John Mayer.  It gives me a good blend of The Fray, Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Buble, John Mayer, Daniel Powter, Coldplay … and SOME OF THE MOST DEPRESSING MUSIC I’VE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE.

  I’ve always said that I save John Mayer cd’s for rainy days because they always make me sad and force me to reflect on feelings … something I nearly never do. (The Fray is kind of the same way) I’d much rather just put things behind me and not rehash them … which eventually comes back and bites you, hard.

So why do I keep listening to this depressing, drowning, sad, slow, twisted music?! Beats me. It’s actually making me sad as I sit here.  My eyes actually filled up with tears when I heard “Home” by Michael Buble. A few years ago I dated a guy (briefly until I found out he was seeing someone else at the same time – lol – welcome to my life! ) who got deployed to Iraq while we were seeing eachother and he gave me a MIX CD before he left (probably still the cutest homemade thing a guy can still give a girl) and that song was on it. Along with Nickelback’s “Far Away” which also makes me sick to my stomach when I hear it. 

  So what keeps me coming back for more?!  Jason Mraz “A Beautiful Mess” just came on … lol … it’s humorous really how I know this is bringing my mood down, deeper and deeper, but it’s what soothes me at the same time. Depression? Eh, not so much. The rainy weather can’t be helping much either… but the thought of clicking over to my POISON or SEETHER channel is just not doing it for me. So, rainy day music it is … we’re going on week number 2 … for the love I really need to snap out of this.

Today on the show : Who have you served and how did they tip? Twilight hottie Robert Pattinson had dinner in NYC last weekend and left a dreadful $50 tip on a $350 bill!  We want to talk to servers and bartenders who have waited on celebs or local celebs and find out who’s who when it comes to tipping! I know I always leave atleast 20% … I bartended and waitressed in college, when you’ve been there, you always leave a good tip. We get it.

It was an interesting weekend. I got stopped at a police checkpoint (which is terribly scary even when you’re sober) and now i’m afraid to drive. I feel like every turn I take there’s a police car right behind me and those freakin flashing lights creep me out. You’d think I was some sort of criminal running from the police the way I bug out when I see them, but ahh they just make me uncomfortable. It’s ironic because I’m one of those girls with a thing for men in uniform (especially cops!) I also had some weird dreams about my hometown. All of the houses on the street I grew up on were on fire and when I called the fire department, they told me they were too busy to respond and sent me down to the beach to dive underwater looking for the heart of the ocean. MAN I really need to stop drinking COKE ZERO at night before I go to bed. I swear I haven’t seen Titanic in ages, but I was apparently diving looking for the damn jewerly under a sunken ship (with no oxygen mask btw) … I swear a dream some crazy things when I drink coke zero … (it’s too bad i’m addicted to it!)

So, here’s some food for thought … something I was thinking about in the shower this morning … (and no, this is not speaking to anyone in particular, but it could serve as some sort of explanation to people I may have chewed up and spit out over the past few years..) 

For a while now I’ve convinced myself that when things are meant to be, they will just happen and I won’t have to figure anything out. It will just be.  At the very same time, i’m starting to realize that in order for things to fall into place with life, you have to be ready and open to welcome those same things.  It’s one of life’s mysteries … or is it? It’s something I’ve recently tried to wrap my head around since a bunch of my fabulously independant single friends have coupled up and therefore fallen off the face of the earth.

  These girls thought the way that I do … that when things are right, they will just fall into place … but if we are living our life in a way that shuts out emotions in fear of being hurt and using humor to mask insecurity … and we walk forward blind to potential heartbreak, and just live our lives in a manner in which love would literally have to smack you in the face and kick you to the ground in order for you to recognize it’s even looking you in the eye, are we overlooking the little signals of greatness in people that could lead to amazing things, or are we doing what we as awesomely independant, driven ladies have pledged to d0 – and not settling for anything less than exactly what we  deserve?

I had a hard time putting that into words because it just went through my head.  If we’re so busy concentrating on not settling and just waiting for things to just be “right” … aren’t we judging people before even getting to know them? Not focusing on the good in people, but alienating them by their less attractive qualities? Or …  will things just fall into place like we’ve been led to believe? My whole life i’ve been taught to and encouraged myself to focus on where I want to be in life and what I want to do and not let guys get in the way … especially since the few times I’ve let relationships in, they’ve gone horribly wrong.

So, in an age where women are pressured to be their very best and make a difference in the world and be self sufficient, witty, charming, amazing contributions to society … will the rest just fall into place or are we fooling ourselves?

Que sara sara. What will be will be. Or will it?

I took a break from blogging because we were supposed to launch a new website … with new blogs … but that’s not developing as soon as we hoped, so I’m back at it, blogging.

I genuinely love summer concerts … it’s what keeps me going … the sad truth … I love it.

Tuesday night was the concert I had been waiting for all summer … Nickelback, Saving Abel <3, Hinder, and Papa Roach. It was an AMAZING night. My mom drove in for the show and got to hang out while we interviewed the bands on the air. She got to see all of the behind the scenes stuff that goes on in between talk breaks on the radio and meet all of the guys in the bands! I got to see my favorite rock star boyfriend, Scott, from Saving Abel … boy I really do have a thing for bald, tattooed, muscular men who play guitar. It’s my weakness. It’s funny though, I’ve never “dated” a musician … probably because deep down i’m smarter than that … haha…

The show rocked. Papa Roach KILLED it. They have SUCH a great energy on stage … and is it me, or does the lead singer look and act like Adam Lambert from American Idol? Very chatty, kind of corny, but wicked rock star-ish … he pretty much stepped on my head when he came out into the crowd, but atleast I got naughty shots of him as he walked over me. A whole new meaning to being walked all over by a rockstar!

It was a fabulous night – minus the whole waiting in the parking lot for an hour to get out … but hey … there was PLENTY of people watching to be done. Holy. Drunk people are great and have I mentioned I love all of the cute Sheriffs that work at Montage?! Sweet people …

My mom stayed in town for a day and we went to Rickett’s Glen yesterday. We rented a boat and did the trails, until my new sneakers killed so bad we had to turn around and get flip flops. PUMAS always hurt the back of my foot … I can’t be the only one …

Now the countdown to CRUE FEST is on! So many exciting things going on this summer … including one of my best friends just about ready to pop out her first baby in a little over a week! This has been a year for baby showers and babies for a lot of my friends and I’m gradually figuring the whole thing out, like yesterday, Dana, the one that’s due in about a week, texted me saying the little person inside was ready to come out and she was dialiated. I googled about being dialated. I feel like the clueless husband, but I have no idea (nor do I want to have any personal experience in the near future) in this department.  The funny thing is, her husband is FAR from clueless about the pregnany. He took classes, he read up on parenting, and he even learned how to MAKE baby food so that it’s all natural. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, her husband Kevin needs to be cloned and show guys how to be!

… I can’t wait to meet their kid … (they decided to wait to find out the sex of the baby and it’s driving ME crazy not knowing!) Imagine being the parents!