Fifteen Minutes of Scrawl

Recently, my friend Sonia wrote an incredible list of men she'd dated since her first boyfriend entitled "The one...". Her list was so insightfully written that I got inspired, so here's my take on that idea: "15 things I learned from 15 different first dates" From the man who mentioned in motley ways his family's impressive cumulative cop count, I learned that I do not like men propositioning me for a second date on the first (they usually pick up on this eventually) From the man who was a costumed blind date, I learned that my self-cherishment can be easily crumpled (friends always help iron it out though) From the man who drove in from the suburbs to grab a generic chain-brand coffee with me, I learned that sometimes men are actually better looking than their profiles would suggest (this is not a guarantee) From the man who only walked with me in a park, I learned that men really do think negging will work (it will not) From the man who thought he was...

Okay, I've finally started writing the novel that I did some stream of consciousness posts about ( "Stream of consciousness about a novel idea I have, part 1" , "Stream of consciousness about a novel idea I have, part 2" , and "Stream of consciousness about a novel idea I have, part 3" ). Now, I want to keep it unpublished, but I also want credit for working on it (lol). So, with that in mind, I'll do a post like this when I've worked on it for a bit, and you can shoot me a message if you'd like access to the Google doc. NB: While there will be multiple posts in this vein, I will not link them to each other because the text will remain the same, so linking to part 1 from part 2 (etc.) won't yield any new information. Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash

So, if you don't know, every "year, Chicagoland proves itself to be the dream destination for book lovers and readers of all ages!"  "Independent Bookstore Day (IBD) is a one-day national party celebrating indie bookstores on the last Saturday in April. Across the country, each store creates its own unique events—including guest authors, special kids’ story times, readings, contests, giveaways, sales, and more. In Chicago, we do the Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl." "This year, Chicagoland is BACK with 80+ bookstores joining the celebration with our annual Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl! Each year, independent bookstores across the greater Chicago area–from Antioch to Homewood and St. Charles to the Loop–the Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl encourages book lovers to indulge in bookstore tourism by visiting 10 or more stores in a single day." "At each bookstore you visit, you'll get a stamp! No purchase required. But, of course, showing your independent bo...

Time for some chances legitimately denied and others illegitimately given.  Natalie's brother seems cool Penny Dreadful is a fun drag name Uh, Gino, I'm 100% sure Jasmine would've taken you to a drag show if you had let her do ANYTHING Oop Natalie's brother is getting straight to the point Good question if Gino has filed for divorce! Hey, Natalie, also maybe don't bring a date to your daughter's graduation without checking with her Okay, Tony, dancing doesn't automatically lead to sex Also, you could communicate how you felt in a better way Like, giving Tony the greatest benefit of the doubt, he felt super uncomfortable about dancing and so initially said he didn't want to, but he did want to have fun with Vanya and he didn't handle it well Side note, didn't Tony go clubbing without Vanya? Like she can't dance with other guys? Tony, if Vanya had like a long term dance partner, that's one thing, but a rando she dances with for like 5 minut...

Although we're already 8 episodes in, I want to add some more complexity to my friend group's Survivor  fantasy game (hopefully before we watch tomorrow). So, here are some ideas (of course, my group has to agree): 10 points for any player who finds an idol 5 points for any player who receives an idol 15 points for any player who uses an idol in a way that it actually saves someone from being voted off 15 points for any player who uses their shot in the dark and is then declared 'SAFE' --5 points for any player who receives/earns a disadvantage (e.g. loses their vote) 10 points for any player who receives/earns an advantage that is not an idol (e.g. a 'Steal a vote') 5 points for any player whose quote becomes an episode's title 5 points for any player who gives their reward etc. to another --15 points for any player who self-eliminates for a non-urgent reason 5 points for anything we collectively deem 'epic' with a max of 15 points per team (example...

Okay, we really should be wrapping-up now.  I get Elise being upset about their last night together, but it seems like Elise did okay it at one point? Joshua's hurried apology came off as super weird to me I mean, I can believe Birkan is good at soccer but a) I can't really tell and b) I don't find it hot I wonder if Birkan is right about that connection between our ring fingers and hearts Okay, I would find this cute if I was into Birkan (I am not) Annalyn...why do you have to go to church for having had sex with your husband? So Annalyn is pregnant Jovon...you'll be back before Annalyn gives birth...you're not gonna try to get her to the states before that? Uh...Lisa...don't get those braid (and Faith gently points out why) Okay, I honestly forget, does Daniel have a job currently? It's wild that Daniel gave Lisa his email password It's also wild that Daniel has someone saved as wife It's again wild that Faith reached out to the wife contact Rick, ...