Deal Breakers

I just went through the horror and discomfort that is breaking it off with someone who is ga-ga over you and who you have no interest in seeing again.

Say good bye to janitor-boy. I called him tonight (after seeing his incoming calls to my home, office and cell phone numbers) and told him I needed to take a break from dating for a while. The truth, but definitely needed to take a break from HIM. This after he came to visit me at WORK one day last week. He was put in his place when the office receptionist asked him, "do you have an appointment with Mrs. Bennett?"

I am getting wise in my old age. Rather than wade neck deep into the muddy waters I cut him lose after two eventful but doomed dates. I give him credit for keeping it dignified. Ditto for myself.

However I kept some details from you, my loyal blog fans. I didn't reveal that he was a chain smoker and that for our first date we took my car because he spilled a beer in his on his way home from work and it reeked of alcohol. Or that he owned a pawn shop. Before he went bankrupt.

I ended this swiftly thanks to the support of my shrink (who surely must be living in Grand Cayman by now on the riches of trying to cure this head case) and to my best gal pal Michelle who coached me to break it off with him vs. invite him home this evening (fine line).

After sniffing through a session this weekend with my shrink on the recent abuses by PAL, I mentioned Janitor-boy. She just about snorted coffee out her nose as I told her about the beer-ride. "I just have bad taste in men, don't I?" She didn't disagree.

Another new friend suggested I make a list of "deal breakers" to help me screen out likely paramours, since I seem to have no issue with quantity, merely quality, of suitors. So here they are, in no particular order, for how I need to determine if a likely mate should be pursued or not:

-Non-smoker
- Not shorter than me
- Not a sociopath (good bye, Machine Gun Man)
- Not neglectful (good bye Spaceman)
- Not emotionally abusive (good bye PAL)
- Not an alcoholic (good bye every guy in my blog)

So with this list I look forward to a very merry, very all-alone holiday season. I look forward to a long holiday weekend in Vermont with my vegetarian/lesbian best friend. Maybe joining a socialist cult in Vermont is just what I need to steer clear of the usual suspects this holiday. Now that's something to be thankful for.