Arranged.

July 12th, 2010

I’ve always joked that I would be open to an arranged marriage.  Actually…I use the word “joke”, but in reality, I’m not joking at all.  I am quite serious.  Sometimes I think my family could do a better job picking a man for me than I can for myself.  Other times I just want a break from dating/screening men and would like someone else to take over for a while.

However, I don’t see this ever really working.  The road block: finding a man who would be open to being arranged to me, or arranged in general.

But in some cultures and religions arranged marriage is the only option for many women.  While most would use terms like old fashioned, antiquated and even oppressive to describe arranged marriage, for some it’s both the norm and embraced.

I recently watched a film on this very subject called Arranged.  I HIGHLY recommend it.  The film is centered around Rachel and Nasira who are teachers at a public school in NYC.  Rachel is an Orthodox Jew and Nasira is Muslim.  These women seem to have little in common, but as the story progresses they discover they are both in the beginning stages of the process leading to arranged marriage.  The result is a movie that is engaging and endearing.  Check it out!

5 Key Components from the Comptroller.

June 22nd, 2010

This weekend at a wedding I met a comptroller.  I had to ask him what that means (he’s a CFO).  He is newly married to one of my dear friends and they met…drumroll please…on the Internet.

I asked him what it was that attracted him to his now wife when he first saw her profile.  He said when looking at each profile he looked for 5 key components and she had each one.  As he was talking I pulled out my phone to start taking some notes…

Here are his 5 Key Components.

1. Character
2. Beauty
3. Femininity/Tenderness/Sweetness
4. Athleticism
5. Intelligence

These are his top 5 of many things he was looking for, but they served as his tool for screening the hundreds of matches he received.

I thought all of them were great.  With online dating it can be so overwhelming trying to figure out who you should and should not contact.  Having a succinct list to help you is not a bad idea.  You know how much I love lists, so if I ever again use the Internet for dating, I’ll be sure to take the comptroller’s advice!

Daddy’s Girl.

June 20th, 2010

It’s true.  I am one.  But I would like to think I am not your typical Daddy’s Girl.

Yes, I adore my Dad and think he hung the moon.

Yes, he’s always called me “Princess” (save 2 years in jr. high when I boldly told him that he was no longer allowed to call me that because it was embarrassing to me.)

Yes, He’s always taken good care of me.

And yes, he’s spoiled me.  But not with stuff.

And that’s what makes me an a-typical Daddy’s Girl.

Instead of stuff, He’s spoiled me with…

Love:  He tells me every time he see me that he loves me.  Every time.

Confidence:  He tells me he’s proud of me.  Sometimes he’ll just call and leave a quick voicemail to let me know how proud he is of me.

Encouragement: He’s shown me that with hard work I can accomplish much.  He’s quite the cheerleader.

Respect: He respects my ideas and opinions and beliefs. Even when we disagree (which is not all that often, thankfully).

Experiences:  He’s taken me to the Final Four, a few US Open tournaments (golf), the World Series, Antarctica, but more importantly to my basketball practices, church on Sunday and annual shopping trips for Mom’s Christmas gifts (normally on the 23rd or 24th).

Education:  He encouraged me to go to a good college and not let my academics get in the way of my education.

Legacy: He’s leaving a legacy of the importance of putting Christ first in life as well as family and others.

Character:  He does the right thing and when he doesn’t he admits he’s wrong.

So yes, I am a Daddy’s Girl and proud of it.  He’s set the bar high!

I love you, Dad!

P.S.  You’d be so proud.  I wrote this post while watching the last few holes of this year’s US OPEN.  Thanks for instilling a love of sports in my life.  Here’s to finding you a 4th in 2010:)

Oops!

June 15th, 2010

It all started with an innocent “oops”.

While out and about in San Diego (read previous post about the bachelorette party) I made a pact with myself to be more friendly and open to meeting and talking with strangers.  My pact was to talk to anyone, but when you’re traveling in a pack of 10 women you’re more likely to end up talking with men. So when I found myself at a wine bar with the girls on Friday night, I figured there was no harm in being open to having some good conversation with whomever…especially if whomever was tall, kind and well dressed.

Side note: I don’t go to bars to meet men.  I don’t really go to bars, period.  I have nothing against bars, they’re just not my scene.  But lately I’ve been working on meeting people wherever I go and since a bar falls into the category of “wherever” I figured there was nothing wrong with being friendly and possibly striking up a conversation with someone while there.

Back to the wine bar in San Diego.

Upon returning to my group of girls after having taking the photo with Ryan (see previous post), Emily (last year’s bachelorette) pointed out a tall drink of water that was standing behind her talking to his friend.

“Megan, this guy looks just like your type!” She said.  I peered over her shoulder and smiled in confirmation that this man did look like my type.  And by type I mean he was taller than me and not wearing ripped jeans or a button down shirt with a bedazzled cross on the back.

“Go talk to him!” she says.

“What am I going to say?” I reply.

“Just go set your empty glass down on that table right next to him and then start talking.” She says with a wink and a nudge.

Simple enough.  I follow orders, but instead of saying hello, or giving him a pick-up type of line I decide to “accidentally” bump into him as I set down my empty glass.

Worked. Like. A. Charm.

“Oops!” I said, followed with a “I did not mean to bump into you” while casually grabbing his arm post bump in an effort to say “I’m sorry, but not that sorry.”

“Don’t worry.  Man this place is crowded!  It’s not really my type of scene.”

And we were off…

It was that easy.  We talked for a good 30 minutes.  I learned he works for the government, is a self professed excellent test taker, loves to camp and kayak and calls people he does not like Bozos.  He encouraged me to become more politically active, quizzed me on my baseball knowledge and gave me a high five for knowing the answer.

And yes, at the end of the 30 minutes he asked for my number.

And no, he has not called.

But that’s not the point.  The point (and personal lesson) is the realization that anytime anyplace anywhere anywhen is a great opportunity to meet someone. Anyone.  The One?

Here’s to taking a chance and talking to strangers.

Bachelorette Weekend.

June 14th, 2010

My dear friend, Jordana, is getting married in two weeks and to celebrate her upcoming nuptials ten teachers (we all work at the same school) hit San Diego for a night of bachelorette fun.

This is the third year in a row that one of the gals is getting married and we hope to continue the tradition in the years to come.  Each year we’ve spent a night in San Diego celebrating.

We started the party at the pool on Friday, then went out to dinner for Tapas, hit an Alice and Wonderland themed wine bar and ended the night at our favorite dance club, Basic.

While at the wine bar, from a distance I spotted this young man with his custom made t-shirt.  I decided to get a photo for a few reasons:

1. It takes guts to wear this in a public place

2. It made me laugh

3. I love a good to-do list, especially one that’s been checked off.

Ryan, I came to find out, was as nice as could be and happily obliged to me wanting to get a photo with him. When Jordana posted this photo on facebook, the caption said: He wishes…

Love that.

To me the picture represents taking advantage of an opportunity and making a memory to enhance an already great night!

Good times!