The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

No, I'm not talking about baseball. I'm talking about the concept of dating multiple people at once (not the same date...I don't think...). I recently went on a kind-of date and although I'd like to think it went well, we had a difference of opinion on what we wanted to do next. I personally like to date one person at a time, take it one date at a time and if at some point, I think there's really no future for us, I can then let that be known and look elsewhere. However, I've never been one to date woman A on a Friday, woman B on a Saturday and woman C on a Sunday. I'm not saying that's necessarily wrong, but it's just not how I go about things. Upon this woman telling me she wanted to date around in order to find her "best" match (and telling me there was still the potential that I could be said match), I told her what my dating philosophy is and that it probably be best if we just be friends. As always, I try to understand both mindse...

That's right. When Santorum was asked if he believed President Obama was a "sincere liberal Christian," Santorum responded with, "I don't think there is such a thing." He continued with, "To take what is plainly written and say that 'I don't agree with that, therefore I don't have to pay attention to it,' means you're not what you say you are. You're a liberal something, but you're not a Christian." That's right. If a person is considered "liberal" when it comes to social issues (or perhaps even economic ones), they can't be a legitimate Christian. I just can't believe that people actually listen to this garbage and think he's telling the truth. I'm not a Christian. I'm not an anything when it comes to religion. But it drives me crazy when Rick Santorum and his like claim to be devout Christians, to be one with Christ and to be affiliated with the party of Christ. If a person believes ...

Yeah, so I loved Mitt Romney's recent comments about his home state of Michigan, when he said, “I was born and raised here. I love this state. It seems right here. The trees are the right height. I like seeing the lakes. I love the lakes. There’s something very special here. The Great Lakes, but also all the little inland lakes that dot the parts of Michigan. I love cars.” Rumor now has it that Romney did s ome ecstasy shortly before making these comments and will continue to do so on his 50-state I-Love-You-All Tour, where he will tell Floridians he loves Disneyworld and elders, Wisconsinites he loves cheeseheads, Coloradans he loves the double high of climbing a mountain after smoking a bowl, Californians he loves Ronald Reagan films and Hawaiians he loves getting lei'd. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHaMqHh5NZ4

So, I had an interesting back-and-forth the other day via e-mail. This lady, whom had just started e-mailing me, exchanged some dating stories with one another. After I told her about my recent bad luck when it comes to dating/love, she responded by saying something along the lines of, "It's one thing to be a nice guy (not a jerk) and another to not try to understand the communication of women. There's a book I think you should read. It'll help a lot more than you'd think. You've probably heard of it. It's called, 'Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus'. It sounds like you have quite a bit to learn." No, this woman didn't know me well at all (for about two days), but still... For anyone who genuinely knows me could state, if anything, I try to understand women's communication too much. ...and come on? That book? The thing I don't like about such books is they generalize/stereotype the two sexes. While there may be some trends as...

Alright, so I ran into (no, not literally) a Facebook status which kind of bugged me today. It was written by a, I don't know how to classify her, a Facebook friend. She's lost a few pounds in recent months and looks very good, in my opinion (and many others'). She's also a die-hard Christian. I'd say a good 54.6% of her statuses involve the word "God". Today, her status read something like, "It feels good to look in the mirror and like who you are and what you're becoming" or something like that. It dealt with her losing weight and looking good. Sure, that's great. I know that as much as anyone, as I've lost some weight in recent years and feel pretty good about myself as far as my appearance goes. But to place such an emphasis on who a person is and is going to be solely on their appearance kind of bugs me. This is especially the case since she's so gung-ho on Christianity. What was it Jesus supposedly said? In John 7:24, he was...

There has been clamor for quite some time, particularly since 1992 in light of Pat Buchanan’s “culture war” speech at the Republican National Convention, about there being a war against religion in this country or to be more specific, a war against Christianity. This has become extremely prevalent in recent days, as Catholic bishops, Republican members of Congress and others have adamantly denounced President Obama’s attempt to mandate birth control coverage for church-affiliated employees. The Catholic church has long spoken out against the concept of birth control. In his 1968 letter, entitled Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI wrote the following about such matters: Contraception is “any action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act [sexual intercourse], or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible.” The thought is that the sole purpose of sex is a means to procreate an...

I'm a member of Facebook, mainly because I like to keep in touch with friends and family of mine. I grew up in Omaha, so most of my friends reside there. Most of my family lives in Michigan. I also like to use the site for business purposes. I think those are all reasonable reasons, right? What bothers me about such sites is how it seems many feel their entire lives are deserving of notice and they're rarely hesitant of making their lives seem like the greatest the world has ever known. Yesterday was wonderful, it being Valentine's Day and all. I read many comments like, "I was so spoiled and didn't deserve it!" or "I'm the luckiest girl in the world!" or "I can't believe my boyfriend! He is the greatest!" There were pictures of flowers received, of food, of chocolates, of the couple fornicating on a bed in the shape of a heart. It was lovely. Sure, I may let some news be known, perhaps health or job-related or if I get engage...

It seems like this is a common reaction when a person is questioned about someone/something that is important to them. Often times, I think it's due to the fact that deep down, they know there's probably some truth to the other's question/statement. For example, have you ever run into this kind of scenario? A friend of yours is dating someone and you observe their date messing around with someone else and you're honest with your friend about this? Many times, this is the reaction I'll hear - "You know what? You're just jealous! You just don't have what X and I have and you're jealous!" I'll even hear this from die-hard fans of a certain celebrity(-ies). I remember reading a few comments about comedian Dane Cook and how they didn't think he was funny. His fans' reaction? "You're just jealous. You don't have his kind of talent, wish you could, so yeah, you're just jealous!" In some cases, this may be true, ...

GOP candidate and possible front-runner, Rick Santorum, criticized President Obama and accused him of encouraging the Occupy Wall Street movement, saying Obama is “trying to divide America into one percentage versus another percentage. That’s not what a leader of this country should do but Barack Obama has sided with the 99 versus one.” I'm thinking Ol' Ricky may want to retract that very statement. I'm not thinking it's going to be a good strategy for he or the Republican Party in general to say they represent the 1% while Obama represents the 99%. I can just see Santorum at a future speech or rally, saying something like: "Forget Obama! He's only siding with 99% of you! I'm siding with the top 1%, you know - the most important people in this country! Do you want a president who leaves out 1% or a president who represents 1%? Allow me to represent all of you - 1% of you." Like I said, I'm not thinking that's going to be a winning strat...

I know I'll likely be viewed as a holiday grump or Grinch or some may even claim that since I'm single on Valentine's Day, I'm just jealous of couples celebrating the day with one another. I can state with great clarity that the latter portion of that sentence is false. Even when I was dating, I held the same feelings about this very holiday. I find this day to be: Dull, unromantic, ridiculous and sad. Let me explain. I find it to be dull because I honestly don't see much excitement regarding the regular routine most couples go through year after year on February 14th. The man may deliver flowers (roses) to his girlfriend's/wife's workplace. On his way home from work, he may pick up a Hallmark card, some chocolates and a teddy bear, before possibly taking her out to eat. Some couples don't fall into this routine, but I know many who do and it makes me yawn just thinking about it. I'll skip to my claim that the holiday is ridiculous. It's a ca...

This letter-to-the-editor was published in The Columbus Dispatch on February 8th, written by one Peggy Wolock: "Same-sex marriage  Lane Halterman is apparently curious about my opinion on laws prohibiting so-called same sex marriage.  He states that “the only reason to ban same-sex marriage is because of religious beliefs.”  The only reason?  Although there are religious arguments against re-defining marriage (i.e. God created the institution so it’s not ours to change),  the state does have an interest in protecting traditional marriage.  Social science studies show us time and again what happens to children when traditional marriage falls apart.   More children live in poverty.  Crime rates rise.  Unwed pregnancies go up.  There are always exceptions, but children that grow up in a single parent household are more apt to face these kinds of issues.  The truth is we are conducting a social experiment when we place children with...

I'm usually not one to utter tired cliches and other phrases, however, I feel some need the reminder that actions do actually speak louder than words. Recently, a woman told me she was looking for friends, but as the days progressed, her actions told another story. So, what's a guy supposed to believe? A few words uttered at the start of a relationship (of any kind) or the actions proceeding those very words? If he attempts to make sense of the two in conjunction with one another, that will be next to impossible. So, which way does he go? She truly meant she only wants to be friends or she want something greater? If a husband tells his wife that he loves her, yet consistently abuses her, what does that say? Does he really love his wife, just because he said it? No, of course not. Any man whom stoops to the level of abusing his wife in any manner cannot genuinely love his wife. Actions speak louder than words. If a politician promises to not raise taxes and does so, does t...

Let's go over the history of the Republican Primary: 1) Michelle Bachmann is seen as an early favorite. 2) Rick Perry then leads in the polls 3) Herman Cain comes out of nowhere to lead the Republican field 4) Newt Gingrich rises to the top 5) Rick Santorum feels a sudden surge 6) Mitt Romney appears to finally have a firm grasp of first place after being #2 for so long Then... 1) Mitt Romney wins Iowa, but it's later reversed and Rick Santorum wins the state 2) Mitt Romney dominates in New Hampshire 3) Newt Gingrich wins convincingly in South Carolina 4) Mitt Romney wins Florida rather easily 5) Mitt Romney wins Nevada quite easily 6) Rick Santorum comes out of nowhere to win Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri So, to their credit, Rick Santorum has won four states (Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri), Mitt Romney has won two states (New Hampshire and Florida) and Newt Gingrich has won one state (South Carolina). Romney was the favorite until South Carolin...

A Polish Valentine’s Day Setting: Valentine’s Day, at Lucinda’s office. The story will center around she and her boyfriend, Hezekiah. Delivery person, Jose: “Hello ladies. I’ve got some flowers for all of you. Jackie, here you are. Patrice, there you go. Susanna, for you as well. Finally, well, I’m not sure what’s in this package, but it’s addressed to you, Lucinda. Here are some balloons for you as well. They say, ‘Happy VD,’ ‘You have a great VD’ and ‘VD forever!’” ::the other three ladies gather around Lucinda:: Susanna: “What do you think it could be?” Lucinda: “I have no idea. You know Hez. You never know what to expect from him, you know?” The three ladies in unison: “Well, open it!” ::Lucinda rips apart the package:: Jackie: “What is that?” Lucinda: “It looks like a postcard…from Hawaii.” Jackie: “Oh my God! Hez is taking you to Hawaii!?!” Lucinda: “Wait, there’s some writing on the back here.” Susanna: “What’s it say?” Lucinda: “It says, ‘First off, don’t get your ...

Some people want to believe that Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, is a top-of-the-line debater, that he's superior to Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama. I've seen the guy debate. He doesn't bring substance to the debate. He brings noise and lots of it. This is why some make the claim that he's a good debater - he's not afraid to be loud and obnoxious, much like the talking heads on conservative radio and Fox "News". Want talking points? Newt's your guy! Want interruptions? Newt's your guy! Want loud and obnoxious? Guess what? Newt's your guy! Want someone who thinks he can and should moderate the debate he's talking part in? You guessed it - Newt's your guy! This is all it takes for some people. When Juan Williams asked Newt to clarify upon his "food stamps" comment, asking if he thought it was disrespectful to the African-American community, Newt simply responded with "no". That's all it ...

So, I think I have it figured out...maybe. Not that anyone other than me cares, but eh, whatever. I recently wrote about someone I've grown uncomfortable to be around and have felt for a long while, pretty much since we met, that he hasn't cared for me much and over time, this dislike for me has only grown. I don't want to come across as arrogant, but pretty much everyone at this place loves me, including his wife. Whenever I enter, I get a bunch of hugs and kisses. People buy me drinks like it's my birthday. I've even had my full tab paid for on a few occasions, sometimes by people whom I would have called strangers before the night started. I seem to bring a certain life to the place that is absent when I'm not there. His wife will even text me telling me to come down there, because it's boring. I'll bring little gadgets or joke-material which gets a laugh out of just about everyone except for him. I'll circulate the place, talk to and get along ...