Tips from a Pro: The Best Seat on the Bus!

I'm a big fan of public transportation for long trips. Trains, planes, and yes, even the occasional Greyhound are a really great way to save money and not have to be stressed about driving long distances, expecially if you can manage to have a set of seats all to yourself (how annoying is it to get stuck next to an offensive person for a long trip especially if the bus is only half full)?

Here are my travel suggestions as to get prime seating when it comes to unreserved, first-come first-serve seating (obviously, they work better if the bus is not filled close to capacity).


How to Deter Seatmates:

1. Be at the front of the line when boarding the bus so that you are guaranteed to start (for at least a minute) with a free set of seats.

2. The VERY best thing to do is to sit as close to the front of the bus as possible. I suggest rows 2-4. Why? Think about what you do when you get on a bus and you're 35th or so in line... you come up the stairs, pause for a minute at the top, and scan back through the bus looking for an empty pair of seats. At the same time, there is a line behind you, so you are slowly moving forward. By the time you realize that there is no empty pair of seats and you are forced to sit next to someone, you're already at about row #5. It's true... you're not going to turn around and sit in the front if there are empty seats further back in the bus. Basically, the aisle seats in the front are the last seats to fill for this reason -- remember it and use it!

3. Never make eye contact. Even if you are a friendly, nice person, don't look at anyone getting onto the bus. Look unfriendly. Look mean. Look undesireable. By giving the cold shoulder, they will most likely move on to a more inviting seatmate.

4. It doesn't hurt to "sit big" and make yourself look like you'd be an uncomfortable seatmate, either.

5. Doing something annoying is always a good way to keep the people away - i.e. - knitting with big, loud metal needles (which increases their chance of getting their eye poked out) or eating a tuna sub might be two strategies.

6. I am not a fan of the "sitting large luggage on the seat next to you" strategy to block/discourage potential seatmates. It's rude and oftentimes ends up backfiring on you.


Use my tips and let me know how they work for you, guys! I'm interested to know how it goes.

Whole Lot of Dating Goin' On!

Work has been busy here, thus the total lack of blog attention lately. I promise to keep the love alive, guys! Bear with me through my company's busy season... And on to today's topic:

Rich men, poor men, young men, old men.... bring 'em on!

I've been single now for 4 months and I swear, I must be wearing a sign that says, "SINGLE - and not really looking." I'm serious. I have so many menfolk fighting for my time, both from a friend and a potential boyfriend standpoint, that I can't keep them all straight (let alone find time to return all their calls).

I share this with you all because I am thoroughly amazed... I mean, I was always the "nice girl" that everyone was friends with in high school and college. Never the super popular, super hot, super *fill in the blank* girl that everyone wanted to date. But things have changed as of late. All of a sudden, I've gone from no interest to the college crowd to dating a score of late 20's- early 30-somethings.

Why? Here is my theory on all of this (based on a few tenets which will be denoted with *letters).

During the past four years, I was off the market (in a serious committed relationship). I gave off major "not available" vibes, I'm sure. After breaking up with my boyfriend, I decided I wanted to make some guy pals to fill the man-void in my life.

*A - The New Guys- I joined a few social organizations and met some nice people. This inevitably leads to multiple friendships. I made it clear up front to these guys that I was recently out of a relationship and not ready to seriously date anyone right now - I was merely looking for good friends. They respected this, but, like all humans, they were most likely attracted to that which they could not have. I was a challenge. Also, by being the "shoulder" that I could lean on, they formed an attachment to me because of seeing my hurt, which inevitably made them want to heal the hurt - with love, perhaps? Or maybe just with some sex. I don't know. They wanted to prove that they were the better man when compared to my ex. The man that wouldn't hurt me, and that would be there for me. It slowly became an unspoken battle of testosterone, if you will... the former man of my life vs. the current men.

*B - The Old "Friends" - Now that I am single again, some of my guy friends that were formerly interested in me have started their pursuits again. I talked to one last week that I haven't talked to since starting to date Mike (we're talking YEARS here). He totally changed his demeanor when he found out I was single again. And now he calls every few days and wants to "hang out." Gotta love that phrase... and his persistence after 4 years!

Emily and I before meeting for a double date this summer.


*C- The Older Guy - This one is really true, and probably the crux of the theory. In high school and college, I was the Nice Girl (like I said above). I wasn't the hot one, or the one who put out, or the one who would do drugs/substances, etc. In high school and college, that isn't necessarily cool with guys.

But then they hit their 30s. They realize that they're not getting any younger. They realize that the "hos" they went after in college are not the type of girl they want to take home to mom. They want a nice girl. And voila! The mid-20s Nice Girl like me is all of a sudden the IT girl!Amazing!

*D- The Blind Date (i.e. - the men related to older women who love me) -
The final source of men in my life is amazingly enough, through the women I keep company with. I take a skating class with mostly 50 - 60 year-old women and I deal with several middle-aged women through my job. These woman have sons. And nephews. And grandsons. And inevitably, they will approach me about dating their "absolutely wonderful" son/nephew/grandson/etc. because I am so wonderful myself. Again, props to the Nice Girl!

Pretty scary to be already have been pre-screened before even meeting the guy. I have two men that fall into this category. (both from random phone calls from their older-woman-pusher).


In conclusion (based on my summer experiences), the best way to meet guys is by getting out there and taking care of yourself. Have fun, get involved in activities you enjoy, and don't be shy to make some new friends in strange places. Make it your goal to be the nicest and and most fun person that you know. And then grab your cell phone and hit the streets knowing that he WILL call. Because what busy girl has time to sit at home by the phone and wait for it to ring? We live in the age of voice mail, ladies!

Check this out - it's awesome

This is too freakin funny. My personal favorite?

Dr. Dre & Snoop - Nuthin but a G Thang

http://www.dictionaraoke.org/

Ice Princess

Once you get beyond childhood, there are very few things out there that make you feel like a little girl again... one of them is a trip to a Disney park, preferably, the Magic Kingdom.

Another is when the elements of time and place come together to create a magic moment.

It happened last week at my ice skating class in Hershey. Because of the high humidity outside, a misty white cloud hung over the arena the entire evening, giving the place a cool, dreamlike quality. It was so weird... there were 15 people there, all sharing the ice and practicing their various specialties, but it felt like I was all alone. Why? It was impossible to see skaters on the opposite end of the rink because of this thick, foggy white mist.

Every week the class coordinator plays different tracks of music for the ice dancers in my class. I enjoy the music, but being a freestyle skater, I tend to tune it out. Still, there are some songs that capture the feeling out there, compelling you to glide effortlessly in swirling arcs and jumps to the beat of the song.

The defining moment of my evening was when the Sleeping Beauty waltz (the song from the Disney movie) came on. As the song echoed around the old wooden arena, a sense of nostalgia welled up within me. The words went through my head as I found myself skating along to it in the dream-like cloud.

"I knew you, I walked with you once up on a dream..."

For a brief moment, I felt like a princess again, 8-years old and full of hope and child-like innocence. For a moment, I was a princess (yes, an ice princess!).

Simple, beautiful moments like these are what life is all about. They are what make it truly pleasureable to be alive.