Fun Night

We sure had fun at the mixer at Ledo's last night. About 50 local singles turned out to enjoy the game, pizza, and beer. I was happy to see some familiar faces and a bunch of new ones. That's one of the great things about singles events: the collection of people is constantly changing. You never know who you are going to meet. You certainly increase your chances of meeting someone new by getting out of your routine. So thank you to all of you who came out and had some fun. Everyone was a good sport about the nametags and our Madness Matching game. I'd like to thank the owners of Ledo Pizza in Crofton as well as the Hops & Vines owners who poured our beer tasting. Our waitresses, Colleen, Beth, & Megan, also did a wonderful job.

The Trivia Contest turned out to be a bigger challenge than I anticipated. But the highest scorers all won door prizes to make up for their frustration. I promise the next contest will be more achievable. I thought it was hard because I'm not a big basketball fan. Everyone did better on the Madness section of the quiz.

The Matching Game was a way to get people talking to each other in order to guess who was on their back and who their match was. Almost all of the pairs were actors and the mad character they portrayed. A harder match than we anticipated was Jack Nicholson's character from "The Shining." Does anyone remember the name of his character? How about the pscho femme fatale played by Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction"?

If you are just joining our blog conversation after last night's event, we all welcome you and invite you to share your comments. Stay tuned for updates on local single events, contests, and enjoyable conversation with local singles who get it.

March Madness Mixer Tomorrow!

I hope you are all making plans to attend our March Madness Mixer at Ledo Pizza in Crofton tomorrow from 6-9:30. The restaurant is in the plaza on the South side of Rte 3 behind the Dunkin Donuts. We are expecting a crowd, so carpool if you can.

The beer tasting, sponsored by Hops & Vines, will be from 6:30-8:30. I'm planning on ordering my dinner there, since Ledo's is giving us 25% off our bill. I love Ledo Pizza, but they have healthier choices on the menu if you are not throwing your diet to the wind like I plan to do.

We have a challenging trivia contest that has an interactive component for those of you who are feeling a brave enough to play along. It will be fun.

So do you collaborate with a friend on what to wear when you are going out? I imagine women do this more than men. Do men ever ask a friend what they are wearing? But it is a casual, beer & pizza event, so jeans are in order. I'm sure everyone will be looking fine with all the fine singles in attendance.

I'm looking forward to meeting some of the folks I've been e-mailing with, especially our blind date contestants. I won't point out who has applied, but it will be easier for me to find select a compatible date once I've met you.

See you tomorrow!

Exes

When you have been single for years in one location, you increase your chances of running into an ex in town. "Exes" might be too strong of a word because it implies there was a relationship that ended. Sometimes, it might be an attempted relationship that never got very far off the ground. For me, the likelihood of running into such a person is inversely proportionate to the amount of effort I have put into my appearance. True for you?

Once, I was cramming a slice of pizza into my mouth at a stoplight on a rush to a story I was covering. I heard a beep from the next car and looked over to see an old boyfriend waving at me. perfect.

But the awkwardness factor depends more on the manner in which the relationship ended. Was this person an embarrassing one night stand? How honest were you? How mutual was the break up? How often do you see each other? Where are you running into this person, and who are you with at the time? Do you avoid certain locations or events so that you don't run into someone?

Based on some of those awkward moments, have you developed rules for yourself - Like no dating co-workers, or only in Las Vegas? No eating at stop lights. No flirting at church. No giving out of phone numbers after two margaritas. No sweatpants at the grocery store.

What are your self-imposed rules? What have you learned from your most awkward moments?

Profiles Anyone?

I am always curious about my readers and commenters. If you ever have a few minutes to spare between tasks at your computer, I'd love it if you added some details to your profiles. You get a profile when you register to comment. You can start your own blog, or just list your favorite music or interests. One of my favorite features is the random question, which you can keep changing until you find one you'd like to answer. You can still remain anonymous. You can arrange for an e-mail link or not. I keep peaking to see if you have revealed anything for us to ponder.

Speaking of Barstools

I have been tasked with writing an article for Suburban Scene's upcoming Crofton Community Guide about the top ten places in the Crofton area to meet singles. I have some ideas, but would like to hear what you all think. Where do you like to go to meet new single people? Where do you and your single friends like to hang out? Why do you like those places?

Mystery Barstool Contest

The March installment of the area's most fun contest is here. Anyone recognize this barstool? I look forward to awarding the winner a $25 gift certificate at the March Madness Mixer in less than two weeks. All you have to do is be the first commenter to correctly identify the home of this barstool.
Good luck!

How do you feel about nametags?

I am planning some of the details for our March Madness Mixer coming up in just a couple of weeks on Thursday the 27th at the Crofton Ledo's from 6-9:30pm. Have you been in that restaurant? They are giving us that back area, that is almost a separate room. I've been getting lots of inquiries, so I'm expecting a big crowd. I think we'll set a new record. You might want to carpool.

Anyway, I was wondering how you feel about wearing nametags. I know that I often feel rebellious and don't want to wear them, although I have been bailed out more than once by a person's nametag. When you are meeting lots of people, and especially if you are a little bit nervous, they can be a saving grace. I think I will have them available as an option. Of course I can't make anyone wear them. I'm not your mom.

And while we're at it, how do you feel about mixer type games? Anything about those that you love or hate? I was thinking about a kind of matching game.

Print Magazine

Thanks for all the great chatter on the pets topic. You practically wrote my column for the April edition for me. Watch for your quotes! May will be about fitness, so that conversation is coming your way soon.

Did you see the March edition? On the page right before my column is an article I wrote about Jerry's Seafood. Wow was that a delicious assignment!

Right beside my column is the CarterWorx guest column by the contractors I've used inside and out of my home. Beautiful work this company does.

Did you see that our Community Choice ballots are coming next month? Start thinking about your favorite businesses in this community. There is also a new Reader Recruitment Program listed inside the back cover that could be rewarding.

A few announcements...

Here are a few fun opportunities to meet new people locally:


CO-ED ADULT FOOTBALL LEAGUE ANNOUNCES SPRING SIGN-UPS
The co-ed adult Football League of Bowie (FLOB) announces its spring 2008 season. Games will be held on Saturdays at Foxhill Park in Bowie during April, May, and June. FLOB is a two-hand touch, no tackling football league. To sign-up individually or with a team, a happy hour will be held on Friday, March 7, 2008 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Glory Days Grill in Bowie.

For more information about FLOB, please contact the league via e-mail at footballbowie@gmail.com or visit www.footballbowie.com. Secure online registration is available.

OR

Anne Arundel Single Again Catholics (AASAC)
March 10th discussion on "Developing Meaningful Relationships" at 7:00 p.m. in Our Lady of Fields Parish Hall, Room 203-204. Our guest speaker will be Brother Loughlan Sofield. Interested contact Jeanne 410-437-3619.

March 7th Game Night at 7:00 pm in Rooms 203-204 on the second floor of Our Lady of the Fields Church Hall, 1070 Cecil Avenue South, Millersville. This is our regular monthly get together for games and a fun evening with friends. Most "game-nighters" usually bring along a snack or a non-alcoholic drink to share. Interested contact Jeanne 410-437-3619.

AASAC Singles making sandwiches for the poor on March 27th at 7:00 p.m. in the kitchen at Our Lady of the Fields Church in Millersville. Interested contact Patsy 443-799-0608.

Here Kitty Kitty

Do you have a pet?

I have a cat. I was married to a "no pets" guy and we resisted the two biggies. We (and by "we", I mean "I") did cave in to guinea pigs once. But they were such a mess and smelly too. So I ended up building them a hutch in the garage. Out of sight was out of mind. No one checked on those poor rodents but me. We finally found them a better home and I was relieved. They were too much work.

I read a book called "Simplify Your Life With Kids" by Elaine St. James. The chapter on pets said something like this:
If you want to simplify your life, don't get a pet. If you must get a pet, don't get a dog. Getting a dog is like having a child permanently trapped at age three.
She went on to explain that cats were the least maintenance of pets. I grew up with cats and didn't remember any problems with peeing on the carpets that I am so familiar with now. Maybe that's because it wasn't my carpet.

After the dad left our home, I decided to allow my children to get kittens. We were all gloomy and who wouldn't be cheered by a kitten? We all went together and picked out two fluffy grays. We named them after cartoon villains: Mojo Jojo, and Rocko Socko. Those two felines were very therapeutic for us.

How has being single affected your relationship with or desire for a pet? Do they play a more important role in your life, or are they a bigger nuisance?

Singles on Ice

We had fun Friday night at our Leap Day Skating event. I'm happy to report that there were no injuries. I even tried the skating, but only went around the ice for one lap due to the discomfort of my new ankle hardware. Mike got the most for his money, skating almost constantly, and with considerable grace.

Mike was awarded his Mystery Barstool prize from February's TJ Elliott's picture. Ava wasn't present, but I still have her award for the Sly Horse Tavern.

Although we had more initial interest, we had a small crowd. That didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. Next time I just need to give more advanced notice. We'll try it again next winter.

Our next events:
March Madness Mixer on Thursday, March 27 at the Ledo's in Crofton at Eddie's Place.
Suburban Singles Night at the LA Singles Dance - Friday, April 18th
May will feature our Blind Date Contest
June details are in the works for a night at TJ Elliot's