Muffie

This. Yes, as a woman online dating you could go out with a different guy every night and never have to repeat, but, honestly? Given the options? I'd rather hang with my puppy and watch TV. Having said that, I'm going to a friend's wedding next month who met her husband on match less than a year ago. So some people do make it work. But she was driven about the whole thing. I am not.

This. I find that the first three dates or so I'm trying to figure out if we're compatible and the guy's trying to figure out if we're going to have sex or not. And agreed, Nataly, it makes dating very frustrating because it puts all the burden of rejection on the woman. (Or at least that's how it feels to me...)

My advice: It's better to start at the bottom and work your way up to where you want to be than to sit at home on your parents' couch waiting for someone to bestow upon you your dream job. While you're waiting, all those people who weren't too proud to start in that job that's beneath you are working their way into viable careers and incomes that you'll one day envy.

Very nice video.

I love that video. It's actually become an inside joke on the project I'm on. We're currently at the kitten stage.

Good for you. Glad you were able to find a dz where you can continue to be a TM and that your family has stood by you.

Just to add to the multiple cards idea: I usually bring two brands of credit card. So, MC and Visa or MC and Amex. It hasn't happened in years, but on a trip to Spain over a decade ago I ended up in a small town that had never heard of Visa, but did take MC. Also helps if one cards gets cancelled or denied. On my recent road trip from Colorado to Canada they blocked my card for a $5 transaction at McDonald's in Vancouver. Fortunately, no need to panic since I had multiple cards with me. Also, carry at least a little cash at all times for the same reason. I hide it in multiple places throughout my baggage. $20 here, $20 there. That way if someone takes my purse I have something somewhere.

I did! Thanks for the advice and thanks for asking how it went. Left CO December 28th, made it to DC on January 1st. Trip went without a single problem. Weather was clear, pup was absolutely awesome about the whole thing. I did 70 most of the way but swung south the last day or so because I found out that all La Quinta hotels take dogs and don't charge anything extra for it. (Unlike Marriott that would've charged $75-100 non-refundable fee to clean the room at each hotel.) So, ended up staying my last night in Radford, VA even though it was a little out of the way. Here's a pic of the pup the day we left.

Oh yeah, absolutely possible. Just less likely than conversations about "who are you dating", "what are you doing with your life", "please tell me you aren't going to jump out of a plane again"...

At least initially, try to keep your communications to e-mail or letters. It gives you time to not rise to all the usual comments that will spark a fight. Also, at least in my family, we seem capable of having whole conversations that are nothing more than (a) what's the weather like where you are and (b) what did you make for dinner last night/what are you making for dinner tonight. You get to still talk and show you care, but pretty hard to get in a fight over what the person is making themselves for dinner. (Although it's been a close call once or twice.)

Nataly - That's awesome. So glad your mom reached out to you.

Ouch. Heal fast!

The best thing that ever happened to my brother is that his biological dad didn't care enough to be part of his life. Let him be raised by my dad who I think significantly affected the path my brother's life took. I have a book on my shelf that my brother (a big baseball-playing jock) made for Christmas one year called "The Greatest Man I Have Ever Known." A good father is rare and amazing to have. (Which is why I would never even consider that whole "get pregnant by a friend and raise it yourself" idea in that other thread. My father was too important to my life for me to deprive any children I might have of the same experience.)

Sounds like your dad was a great guy! Mine passed away close to twenty years ago and I still miss him, especially around the anniversary of his death. I can't think of any great stories like yours, although he did tell me when I turned 18 that if I ended up in jail he wasn't bailing me out until morning. (I'm sure if it had actually happened he would've been there as soon as he could.)

Thanks for all the additional replies! Yep. I have some flexibility so could take longer if I run into bad weather. And currently thinking I'll do it in five hours stretches per day because of the pup. She's good in the car, but the most we've done is a couple hours. So, worst case scenario I'll just have some longer driving days towards the end to make up lost time.