Internet Dating e-book
Transcription
Internet Dating e-book
Internet Dating for Dummies Like Me--Find Your Match in 30 Days or Less Dating at the Speed of Light—How to Stop Being a Cyber Space Wall Flower and Get the Most out of Internet Dating. CHAPTER I-- BEFORE THE INTERNET One Woman Per Year Hunting Grounds Conventional Dating Dating at the Speed of Light—basic fears 1 CHAPTER II --YOUR PROFILE The Magic of Photos Don’ts Do’s How to Write a Profile to Generate Interest 4 CHAPTER III -- THE INTERNET DATING TRAPS The abundance trap: The independence trap: The grass is greener trap: The cocky trap: The sex trap: The commitment trap: The have to have a date trap: The procrastination trap: Look stupid trap: Only Interest Trap: The break up trap: The lazy trap: The too old trap: Assume the computer does it all trap: The Don’t take charge trap or the What would you like to do Trap: Nice Guy Trap: The Email Trap Recently Separated/Divorced Trap 13 CHAPTER IV—FLITATEOUS EMAILS Power of Emails: Creativeness 24 CHAPTER V -- FREQUENTLY MADE MISTAKES AND RULES OF THUMB TO AVOID MAKING THEM Phone number rule of thumb Enthusiastic and aggressive rule of thumb. Sign off with class rule: Separation rule: 28 CHAPTER VI -- FIRST PHONE CALL Option #1—matter of fact. Option #2—fun option 31 CHAPTER VII -- FIRST MEETING—THE JOB INTERVIEW Job Interview Your Appearance Flowers and Roses Compliments Read this Before Every Date: 32 CHAPTER VIII --YOUR FIRST DATE 36 The Dinner Conspiracy? The Alternative to Expensive Restaurant Dinners—a More Romantic Approach Two More Rules Movie Rule Be Available Rule Other Alternatives to Expensive Dinners CHAPTER IX -- RULES OF INTIMACY & TIPS FOR WOMEN How to Avoid Intimacy Tip: Classy Way to Put the Move on a Guy Restaurant Seating Tip Movie house tip: Saying good night tip: 38 CHAPTER X—STEPS IN RELATIONSHIP Completing the Puzzle—Finding that Soul Mate Step I—First Meeting Step II—Three Date Rule Step III—Living Together Step IV—Maybe Marriage? A Method of Discovery that Failed: 40 CHAPTER XI -- GUY TIPS Shy Guy Tip Guaranteed Easy Way to Kiss and not get turned down ever tip! Early kissing rule for car ride: Subsequent dates tips: When to risk the relationship Rule of sex talk: Rules of Past Relationship Talk. Take charge rule: The doubt rule: Hot Dates: 50 Rules of Intimacy and its Confusion What Defines Physical Intimacy? Multitasking Men from Mars and Women from Venus CHAPTER XII -- THE GRASS IS GREENER ADDICTION Option Shopping Limitations Imposed by Church and Sin Saying good bye: Reality of Confusions: 58 CHAPTER XIII -- PRACTICE AND HAVE FUN EVEN OUTSIDE YOUR LOCAL AREA Give a compliment rule: Good Time Rule: 62 CHAPTER XIV -- DATING SKILLS 66 CHAPTER XV – LET’S GO INTERNATIONAL Brazil 68 PART II EXPERIENCES AND COMMUNICATION CHAPTER I – STAR CHASER CHAPTER: 75 CHAPTER II -- OUT CLASSED AND KNOCKED OUT BY JEANETTE 79 CHAPTER III – MAIVIAN 83 CHAPTER IV – ROBERTA 85 CHAPTER V – JEANNIE 89 CHAPTER VI – GAIL 95 CHAPTER VII – Ljie 96 CHAPTER VIII – JUDIE 97 CHAPTER IX – KAREN 100 CHAPTER X – PAULA 104 PART III ALMOST A MATCH CHAPTER I GETTING TO KNOW HER 105 CHAPTER II -- FIRST MEETING 107 CHAPTER III --I FIRST DATE 109 CHAPTER IV -- MAKING DINNER AT HER PLACE 110 CHAPTER V -- MORE DATES 117 CHAPTER VI -- INTIMACY BEGINS 128 CHAPTER VII—WEDDING TRIP 146 CHAPTER VIII -- SETTLING INTO RELATIONSHIP 150 CHAPTER IX -- TEST #1 156 CHAPTER X -- THE LAST TEST 169 CHAPTER XI-- THE BEGINNING OF THE END 172 PART IV INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I – DIANE 183 CHAPTER II JM 185 CHAPTER III – JANE 189 CHAPTER IV – CHRISTINE 191 CHAPTER V RITA: 192 CHAPTER VI -- GREEN EYES 194 CHAPTER VII – MARIE 197 CHAPTER VIII—NEW PROFILE 200 PART V INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I – THE FINAL APPROACH (KISS) 203 CHAPTER II -- LET’S GO FOR CHINESE 206 APPENDIX A – SAVE A FORTUNE BY COOKING AT YOUR DATE’S HOME WITH THESE INCREDIBLY EASY, DELICIOUS, AND INEXPENSIVE DISHES (EXPENSIVE AT THE RESTURANT— INEXPENSIVE FOR YOU TO PREPARE) 212 APPENDIX B – LIST OF INTERNET DATING SERVICES 219 APPENDIX C – AUDIO PROGRAMS FOR GETTING YOUR INNER GAME TOGETHER 222 Internet Dating For Real Dummies Like Me Dating at the Speed of Light—How to Stop Being a Cyber Space Wall Flower and Get the Most out of Internet Dating. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ INTRODUCTION It’s estimated that 40 million Americans log onto internet dating services each month and Match.com (one of the more popular services), alone boasts a membership of 15 million. I joined match.com because a couple I work with found each other on match.com. I was recently separated and getting no where with the dating scene which for me included the singles’ dances and business networking groups. Seven months passed by and I only dated one person for 6 or 7 times. I must be honest though, if you’re looking to meet an upscale person, you’ll meet more of them by going to shows and fairs such as the International Art Fair. Hang out there and you’ll meet several potential up scale matches, but you’ll need to be up on your cold calling skills which is not what this book is about. If you can master the first minute of a cold call, you’ve got it made, but for most of us, mastering that first 60 seconds is like telling us to design a rocket to go to the moon. This book is about us chickens who lack cold calling skills and instead use a service like match.com to circumvent the cold call and guess what? You'll still meet many upscale prospective matches. Initially, with zero guidance and no previous experience match.com provided no instant gratification. The only difference was that I spent lonely dateless nights searching hours for my match, and with the few responses that I did receive that led to an initial meeting, I made serious mistakes with each one and never got beyond a peck on the cheek. Six months later, I’m glad to report, I was getting so many emails from lonely women that I rarely had enough time to respond to them because my date book was full and pecks on the cheek were saved for my mother. This e-book will move you from a cyber space geek wall flower like I was to dating at the speed of light (if you wish) or if you’re just wanting to find the right person, it’ll take you there too as it did for me. For me it took almost one year to find Nancy, my match. She was much better that I was as it only took her only one month to find me. But let me retrace myself. To find that right person, you may well need to date a dozen prospects—perhaps two dozen--in which case you may want to date at the speed of light in order to find that person before you turn 100— not that 100 is a bad age—it just might not leave a lot of time to enjoy with your match. Hey, don’t get discouraged. It’s all about attitude. If you set out to only date three or four, you may be doing that for the next 20 years and still not find that person, if you set out to date two dozen, fate just might bring your match in less than a half dozen. Bottom line is that you’re single. If you were with your match, you’d be busy having fun with that person every day, right? Well, you’re single, so have fun every day being single and this e-book certainly provides you the tips to accomplish that. NO, I don’t suggest latching onto the first prospective match and see that person every night of the week. You’ll just shoot yourself in the foot and come across as needy and desperate with no life. That’s the reality! In the Judy chapter she shares her story that demonstrates this. Use this e-book to save a ton of money dating have fun three to seven days/nights a week. Ladies, I got to warn you, even though there's a full chapter of tips for you, this e-book is written from a man’s perspective so while the instruction is for men, you’ll gain full appreciation of how to bring out the best in your match and not lose him to another woman’s wink. You’re probably thinking, “Well, if I had the looks, I’d have no problem.” When you see my photos, you’ll agree that I don’t have the looks women fall for either, yet, how you present yourself determines your results and that’s what the book is about—getting the results you want. And sure, even with the best of looks, you can still strike out and be very lonely if you don't know how to capitalize and follow through on your search. This e-book is about how you can relate with the opposite sex so you both feel good about yourselves and what to do to determine if it is or is not a match. It’s about how to stop wasting time and money, avoid stupid costly mistakes, have fun and get real results as internet dating has become one of the most popular and quickest means to meet others ever discovered. It’s also a book for men who don’t want to go broke buying dinner for women. What you find in Appendix A regarding dinner dates will save you the cost of this e-book ten times in just a few weeks of dating. Truth is that in the game of meeting women, until you find your "match," you will want to meet at least one each week and may find yourself dating two or more each week which means that dinners in restaurants can become very expensive. This e-book provides you with a tremendous alternative that not only saves you money, but is far more romantic than any restaurant can be and preferred by nine out of ten women. Not that you won’t ever go to a fancy restaurant, but it’ll be because you want to and not because she wants to go. And this alternative provides far more time for romance and privacy than you could ever imagine on a first date. Every man, no matter how inexperienced can become an instant expert with this alternative. This e-book also explores the various traps in Internet dating that can waste your time and cause you to lose real prospects . Traps such as: The grass is greener trap: Yes, this trap really can keep you from getting to know anyone. The independence trap: Women today are very independent and have redefined the role of men in their lives. You’ll want to know about the new role for which you’ve been redefined. The Don’t take charge trap: What do would you like to do honey? Can sink your boat. Do women want to make the choices or have men take charge? The abundance trap: With so many to date, who needs to answer emails or return winks? The cocky trap: You had three dates with the same person and think, “I found my match and I should stop the service.” Really? The sex trap: Men and women have the same goals, but different agendas. If you think like a man, you will be very disappointed 85% of the time. The commitment trap: Jumping in too soon can leave you flat. The Friday/Saturday night date trap: Do you need a date on Friday or Saturday to feel good about yourself? It’s about how to keep your self worth from being negatively reduced if you don’t have a date on a weekend. The procrastination trap: Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today? Why call today when you can call tomorrow? Look stupid trap: duh!! When did you say your birthday was? How to keep a little fact like that from sinking your efforts. The break up trap: Breaking up is no longer hard to do and you’ll want to know how to avoid being the dropped one and how to break up gracefully yourself. Only Interest Trap: Today, most potential matches are not looking for couch potatoes. The lazy trap: All you have to do is join and sit back and wait for your emails and winks? Really? This section is what you need to do to get results. The too old trap: Do many 30,40,50,60 year old women/men still look hot? Should I expand my search to include older potential matches? Assume the computer does it all trap: It's easy to rely on the computer service to send you prospects. The Recently Divorced Trap: How what you share about your recent divorce that can sink your boat. You’ll also lean what it means when you email someone and you get no response. Or why someone would date you for months and break it off without an explanation. And what about rules: Absolutely!!! They make dating work. Have fun rule—Why tease and when not to tease. And there’s the movie rule: the wrong movie may cost you a potential relationship. And how about some required skills such as: Tarot cards Palm reading Story Telling Analysis: a great technique to get to know him or her. Find out if she is defensive or a nut job from whom you want to run ASAP. Kissing: when to take that first kiss. That’s right—you don’t ask for it. You don’t move close and hope your mouths will meet. You just take it. Sounds bold? Not really, you take it when it’s least expected and most wanted. Guaranteed that if you follow the advice in this e-book when to take that first kiss, you will not get turned down and you will receive, “you’re really a romantic, aren’t you?” from your date and have broken the ice to kisses forever and ever. You won’t end up going out with her on ten dates before you get enough nerve to kiss her. This technique is faster and quicker and more effective than you'll find the dating gurus giving you. And what’s more, if you’re starting the internet thing, you’re most likely going thru some kind of crisis and if that’s the case, this e-book will guide you in keeping you past from interfering in your "now." The e-book is chock full of real emails and an analysis of why some work and some don’t work so you can learn from the author’s mistakes. And why limit yourself to this country. Find your perfect beautiful young woman abroad. This book tells you how and where to locate her and the tell tale signs of a rip off along with the actual emails from a rip off artist which alone could easily save you over one hundred times the cost of this e-book. In the Appendix B you’ll find a listing of the more well known and the not so well know services and an occasional comment made by someone I met or dated who tried the service or my observation from using it or trying to use it—not all are user friendly. Before the Internet Left to my own devices, I’d be lucky to meet one candidate in a year to date. I’m an average looking guy and I don’t do bars—not that they are bad—I just don’t do them. I did some single dances. And even though I know that every one there is there to meet another single, my brain just doesn’t function well with loud noise—the best excuse I can give. I’m not a total wallflower so I do usually find a dance partner, but starting and continuing a meaningful conversation beyond, “where do you live? Go to many dances? Have any children? What kind of work do you do? is just beyond my skill level. And it seems that as you’re carrying or shall I say attempting to carry on a conversation, she’s scoping out the dance floor to see who else is there and guess what, I’m probably doing the same thing. Plus my dancing needs some fine-tuning. I’m noticing many of the hustle steps I learned 20 years ago, just aren’t used today. My friend tells me to break the ice by using slow dances to whisper things in their ear and then suggest going away from the dance floor to talk. Sounds like good advice, but what do I whisper is the question? I did networking in a professional network organization hoping to find another single person. The few singles I met either were already in a relationship or just weren’t interested. I attended Ala-anon for a year for three basic reasons: 1 discover why I attract needy partners 2. discover why I’m a co-dependent 3. hopefully find a relationship and then sometimes just to be around people to soften my life crisis. I reasoned that all the women are helpers and it might be good to have two helpers in a relationship—poor logic. Most women were so afraid of relationship that it was even difficult to get them to go for a cup of coffee. Of course there are interest groups, church groups and the like, but I’m not a joiner—not my style. Internet dating, on the other hand, fits my style. It is certainly different than regular conventional dating. Conventional dating is how I met my last wife 7 years ago at her place of work. She was much younger than me and I simply discounted her having any interest in me since I was eleven years older. I really wasn’t looking for a date—at least that’s what I told myself. In speaking with her at her place of work, I learned that she was divorced with three children around the ages of my son. I was hoping to develop relationships for him so he’d always be motivated to come for his visitation with dad. She wanted to get to know me before we introduced the kids so we went for lunch. She had a headache that day and I ended up being back lit (the sun shining from behind me) which aggravated her headache. She ate slow like a bird—very slowly as she picked through her salad. Conversation was minimal and dull. I figured it would be the last time we met and had no intentions of calling her again. But remember, left to my own skills, I’m lucky to meet one new person a year and I still wanted to develop a relationship for my son so guess what? I called her again thinking we can get the kids together. Much to my surprise, she wanted to go out again. I forgot where we went or what we did for the second date--it was nonplus and boring to say the least. And again I wondered why she simply doesn't have the kids get together. A few days passed and I called her again. And, much to my surprise she wanted to go out with me again and I wondered why? I expected a dull boring date and just hoped we’d get the kids together in short order but I was beginning to give up on the idea. We went to a popular restaurant for dinner and suffered some polite conversation. It was still early when we finished dinner and I asked if she wanted to see a movie or get a bottle of wine and go to her place. Having read that movies are not a great place to get to know someone, I guided her to the bottle of wine. I figured we’d go to her place, have a glass or two of wine and say good night forever. We had a drink and conversation began to flow. Then touching began to happen and what happened next is left up to your imagination and we ended up getting married about a year later. This generally won’t happen on Internet dating. I’m not saying it was ideal by any stretches of the imagination, but the result was that two people with three dead dates pulled out a marriage out of the hat. It’s like a baseball game in the last of the ninth inning losing 10 to zipo with two out and putting together a winning rally. And now today, even though she and I divorced for many good reasons, I’d probably have done it again for the few things that did work in the marriage and the 30 chapters I wrote about living in the confusion of a child of an alcoholic. That’s another book. Why won’t this fairy tale happen with Internet dating? Simple! With Internet dating, you’ll be meeting on average one-to-two new people a week and if you’re not, then you really want to read through this e-book for you’re doing something seriously wrong. Internet dating is like dating at the speed of light. With the potential for meeting two or more new people each week, if you have a boring evening with someone on the first date, there’s most likely not a second date and no fairy tale. The downside is that it’s a challenge to get to know anyone well enough to pursue a real relationship and this e-book gives you the tips on making that happen. The only thing that keeps one from Internet dating is some basic fears. Yet these fears aren’t just limited to Internet dating. One fear that women have is that she’ll meet Jack the Ripper. The reality is that you could meet him at a dance, in a grocery store, at your doctor’s office, on the Internet, or…. There’s no proof that you’ll have a higher tendency to meet undesirables on the Internet than anyplace else—unless you’re getting into the perverted kinky sex services. In fact, because of the in-depth profiles you complete, you are most likely to meet a more savvy person than at a bar. Then, there’s the concern that the people you meet will be fat when you’re looking for thin. Carol, who was a member for about a year, did meet one person who only had a close up head shot in his profile and when she met him, he had a 450 pound body. You learn to avoid this by requesting full body photos. She also met a man who was a financial advisor and wanted her to write him a check at the end of the meeting for an investment he was pushing. And another guy got a phone call from his wife in the middle of his interview with Carol. My experience and most of those I met have not had these kinds of experiences—they are more of an exception to the rule. I’d say that most of the people I have met actually look better in person than their photos show. And the advantage of Internet dating over the personals in the newspapers is simply no comparison. If you use a recent photo of yourself, you won’t be subjecting yourself to show up at some diner, wait for 20 minutes in the waiting area, and then realize a woman walked by 15 minutes ago, glanced at you, and kept on walking. This e-book is about how to position you so you generate interest and can likewise “fish for relationship” and get interest from others. It’s also about how to deal with the little girl or boy in the candy store. There’s so much candy and you’re so hungry that you want to sample all of it, but not know which candy to start with you can end up with none or get so darn sick from sampling all of it you never want to eat candy again.. The computer is an amazing instrument. Complete 30 or 40 minutes of questions and it can match your profiles with literally hundreds of prospects in your neighborhood. And there’s no question as to whether these prospects are available—they are or they wouldn’t be spending on average of $30/month. Yet, as great as it can be, there are some traps that can make it a nightmare. First we’ll look at getting the most from your profile—how to create it such that a special person will contact you, and then we’ll look at the typical traps into which one can fall. We’ll look at the value of photos and the do’s and don’ts. And then how to communicate with winks, emails and how to get responses. And of course, the next step is to establish communication and there will be valuable tips on the phone call and the first meeting. And it doesn’t stop there. We’ll look at the dilemma of dating two or three people at the same time and when to take the plunge to a monogamous relationship. Unless you’re a guy, before you begin to invest time and money completing the questionnaires and pay your fees, make sure you have at least 4-to-10 digital photos that each show you in a different pose or setting. Even though I highly recommend that guys also have the same amount of digital photos, it’s not nearly as important as I explain in Part IV of the book. All of this an more in this e-book for just $19.95. You’ll want to read and reread it several times as your life unfolds for even sometimes--even when you think you got it going-- things fall apart for life is often more about our plans falling through than it is about the plans we make. Guarantee: If you read the e-book and find it of no value, simply request a refund and you will receive it—no questions asked. Save $10.00. Visit www.DStressDoc.com or www.PanicBusters.com or www.PendulumWarehouse.com and order any cd program or group of cassette and cd programs totaling as little as $19.95 (excluding shipping, handling, and tax) and then order this e-book for just $9.95. When you place your order, in the comments section note that you will be ordering the Internet dating book for $9.95 and issue a separate paypal payment for cash only to [email protected] for $9.95 and specify in the comments section, “Special Internet Dating e-book Offer” On the DStressdoc site you’ll find valuable resources such as the Overcome Shyness, Self Confidence, and Building Self Worth programs among many others such as weight loss, stop smoking… which will also be valuable in your quest to get your “inner game,” as David D’Angelo (dating guru) calls it, together. Internet Dating for Real Dummies Like Me-Find Your Match in 30 Days or Less Dating at the Speed of Light—How to Stop Being a Cyber Space Wall Flower and Get the Most out of Internet Dating. CHAPTER I-- BEFORE THE INTERNET One Woman Per Year Left to my own devices, I’d be lucky to meet one woman a year to date. I’m an average looking guy and I don’t do bars—not that they are bad—I just don’t do them. I did some single dances; and even though I know that all the women there are there to meet a guy, my brain just doesn’t function well with loud noise—the best excuse I can give. I’m not a total wallflower so I do usually find a dance partner, but starting and continuing a meaningful conversation beyond, “Where do you live? Go to many dances? Have any children? What kind of work do you do?” is just beyond my skill level. And it seems that as I’m attempting to carry on a conversation with her, she’s scoping out the dance floor to see who else is there and guess what, I’m probably doing the same thing. Plus my dancing needs some fine-tuning. I noticed many of the hustle steps I learned 20 years ago, just aren’t used today. A friend tells me to break the ice by using slow dances to whisper things in their ear and then suggest going away from the dance floor to talk. Sounds like good advice, but what do I whisper is the question? Hunting Grounds To expand my horizons, I attended lots of Chamber of Commerce events and a professional network organization hoping to find another single person. The few I met either were already in a relationship or just weren’t interested. I also attended Ala-anon for a year for three basic reasons: 1. Discover why I attract needy partners. 2. Discover why I’m a co-dependent. 3. Hopefully find a relationship. And then sometimes just to be around people to soften the life crisis I was experiencing. I reasoned that all the women in Ala-anon are helpers and it might be good to have two helpers in a relationship—poor logic. I found that most women were so afraid of relationship that it was impossible to get one to even go for a cup of coffee. Of course there are interest groups, church groups and the like, but I’m not a joiner—not my style. Conventional Dating Internet dating, on the other hand, fit my style. It is certainly different than regular conventional dating. Conventional dating is how I met my last wife in 1998 at her place of work. She was much younger than me and I simply discounted her having any interest in me since I was eleven years older. I really wasn’t looking for a date—at least that’s what I told myself. In speaking with her at her place of work, I learned that she was divorced with three children around the ages of my son. I was hoping to develop relationships for him so he’d always be motivated to come for his visitation with me. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 1 She wanted to get to know me before we introduced the kids so we went for lunch. She had a headache that day and I ended up being back lit (the sun shining from behind me) which aggravated her headache. She ate like a bird—very slowly as she picked through her salad. Conversation was minimal and dull. I figured it would be the last time we met and had no intentions of calling her again. But remember, left to my own skills, I’m lucky to meet one new person a year and I still wanted to develop a relationship for my son so guess what? I called her again thinking we can get the kids together. Much to my surprise, she wanted to go out again. I forgot where we went or what we did for that second date--it was nonplus and boring to say the least. And again I wondered why she didn’t simply have the kids get together. A few days passed and I called her again. And, much to my surprise she wanted to go out with me again and I wondered why? I expected a dull boring date and just hoped we’d make arrangements to get the kids together but I was beginning to give up on the idea. We went to a popular restaurant for dinner and suffered some polite conversation. It was still early when we finished dinner and I asked if she wanted to see a movie or get a bottle of wine and go to her place. Having read that movies are not a great place to get to know someone, I guided her to the bottle of wine. I figured we’d go to her place, have a glass or two of wine and say good night forever. We had a drink and conversation began to flow. Then touching began to happen and what happened next is left to your imagination as we ended up getting married about a year later. This generally won’t happen on Internet dating. I’m not saying it was ideal by any stretches of the imagination, but the result was that two people with three dead dates pulled a marriage out of the hat. It’s like a baseball game in the last of the ninth inning losing 10 to zipo with two out and putting together a winning rally. And now today, even though she and I are divorcing for many good reasons, I’d probably have done it again for the few things that did work in the marriage and the 30 chapters I wrote about the confusion of living with a child of an alcoholic. That’s another book. Why won’t this fairy tale happen with Internet dating? Simple! With Internet dating, you’ll be meeting on average one-to-two new people a week and if you’re not, then you really want to read through this book for you’re doing something wrong. Dating at the Speed of Light—basic fears Internet dating is like dating at the speed of light. With the potential for meeting two or more new people each week, if you have a boring evening with someone on the first date, there’s most likely not a second date and no fairy tale. The downside is that it’s a challenge to get to know anyone well enough to pursue a real relationship and this e-book is chock full of tips to make that happen. Generally, the only things that keep one from Internet dating are some basic fears. Yet these fears aren’t just limited to Internet dating. Women fear that they’ll meet Jack the Ripper. The reality is that one could meet him at a dance, in a grocery store, a doctor’s office, on the Internet, or…. There’s no proof that you’ll have a higher tendency to meet undesirables on the Internet than anyplace else—unless you’re getting into the perverted kinky sex services. In fact, because of the in-depth profiles you complete, you are most likely to meet a savvier person than at a bar. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 2 Then, there’s the concern that the people you meet will be fat when you’re looking for thin. Carol, who was a member for about a year, did meet one person who only had a close up head shot in his profile and when she met him, he was 450 pounds. You learn to avoid this by requesting full body photos. She also met a man who was a financial advisor and wanted her to write him a check at the end of the meeting for an investment he was pushing. And another guy got a phone call from his wife in the middle of his first meeting with Carol. From most of those I met, Carol’s experiences are more of an exception to the rule. But then, Carol had been a member of match.com for four years and so less than one a year isn’t bad. I’d say that most of the people I have met actually look better in person than their photos show and no one had ever hit me up for an investment. And the advantage of Internet dating over the personals in the newspapers is simply no comparison. If you use a recent photo of yourself, you won’t be subjecting yourself to show up at some diner, wait for 20 minutes in the waiting area, and then realize your prospective date walked by 15 minutes earlier, glanced at you, and kept on walking. This e-book is about how to position you so as to generate interest, “fish for relationship,” and get interest from others. It’s also about how to deal with the little girl or boy in the candy store. There’s so much candy and you’re so hungry that you want to sample it all, but not know which candy with which to start you can end up with none or get so darn sick from sampling all of it you never want to eat candy again. The computer is an amazing instrument. Complete 30 or 40 minutes of questions and it can match your profiles with literally hundreds of prospects in your neighborhood. And there’s no question as to whether these prospects are available—they are or they wouldn’t be spending on average of $30/month. Appendix B provides a rather extensive list of Internet dating services—including some international ones--available along with a brief description of each. Some services, such as match.com have a counter to tell you how many have viewed your profiles. Warning: don’t get discouraged. You might have hundreds of others reviewing your profile and only get two or three winks or emails. At last count I had approximately 1,000 women open my profile and only about 50 of them communicated with me and only about two dozen did I meet and only about 6 did I date for more than two times. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 3 CHAPTER II --YOUR PROFILE First we’ll look at getting the most from your profile—how to create it such that your special person will contact you, and then we’ll look at the typical traps into which you can fall. Then, we’ll look at how you can get the most from your profile—how to write it such that your special someone will want to contact you. We’ll look at the value of photos along with the do’s and don’ts. And then how to: Give and get winks and emails. Get interesting and intriguing responses. Establish meaningful communication. Get and be successful with the first phone call and the first meeting. And it doesn’t stop there. We’ll look at the dilemma of dating two or three people at the same time and when to take the plunge to a monogamous relationship. The Magic of Photos Before you begin to invest time and money completing the questionnaires and pay your fees, make sure you have at least 4-to-10 digital photos with each showing you in a different pose or setting and with different clothes. They can create magical results. Although for men, having photos published saves a lot of time in moving from initial contact to the initial phone call or the initial meeting, it’s not that important and sometimes not advisable as I explain later Chapter II and also in Part IV. However, having photos is a must for women. Here are the Do’s and Don’ts for your photographs. Don’ts 1. Don’t show pictures of your pets no matter how cute or smart they are. Or how much you love them. You can simply let your interest in your pets be known in your written profile. Your match wants to see you—not your dog—unless you want to be confused with your dog in which case your dog should be paying the fee. 2. No pictures of you with others. If you have a great smile and it only shows up in one photo with you and your daughter/son, crop the photo so you have a close up—don’t include others in your photos. Your match wants to see you—not your family, relatives, work associates… 3. Don’t use the same photo more than once. E.g. using it as a distance shot and as one slightly closer or at a slightly different angle such that they are almost identical. Do’s 1. Look at other profiles and study some of the poses. You don’t have to go to a professional photographer to get good pictures. Have a friend snap you in some poses. You’re going to get a goofy looking one or two. Although I don’t recommend it, you can even make a goofy looking photo your main photo as long as you have at least 4 others for viewing. If a prospect has clicked on you, he/she will always look at additional photos. 2. Use a close up for your main photo with good lighting and focus. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 4 3. Have among your other photos a shot showing your physique from head to toe. 4. Wear different clothing—make sure your hair is combed and your clothes neat. Check your self in the mirror before posing and have your photographer look for lapels, collars, buttons, and so on that are undone, or awkward position. 5. Have at least one profile shot. 6. Experiment with a few provocative poses. Crop out as much of the surroundings as possible. No need to show your house or car. They’ll get the idea you’re getting into your car or coming out of your house simply by seeing a little of either. 7. Party clothes, bathing suits are all good to use. If you have a great body—show it! 8. Avoid having objects or wearing clothes that detract from you. You don’t want your potential matches looking at your checkered hat or skirt, or your children, cat, dog, or house. Your photo album is the most important aspect of your profile. Most people are visual and you want to show yourself in good light—pun intended. They use your photo for initial feelings of chemistry. And remember, what turns on one person, doesn’t turn on another. One gal told me that facial hair is a turn off to her—something about it represents uncleanliness. Others tell me that my short beard is a turn on. I can’t emphasize the value of having a good photo. For the first three months, I used this photo as my main photo. Well, it was actually the first and only photo I had on my profile for about 6 weeks. I’m not very photogenic and it looks a bit goofy, and so do a lot of photos you see. I’d send an email and explain that my photo looked goofy. I received a total of three winks during that period of time and two emails. During that time I must have winked 60 times and sent 50 emails which was a lot of work. Who said dating is easy? Then I discovered the value of having multiple photos. I discovered this simply by looking at prospective women‘s profiles. If they had more than one photo, I was inclined to look at them which meant I was spending more time checking them out which is what you want. Some really packaged themselves with professional quality photos and I realized that it’s all about packaging and my one and only goofy looking photo made a very poor package. I wasn’t about to run out to a professional photography studio (in hind sight, it’s probably worth it), but I did have a few more photos taken as shown: © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 5 So I had a total of about 6 photos during the next 6 weeks and I received an additional 4 winks and several emails. During some of this time I was fairly busy meeting new prospects except for the two weeks before Christmas when it was dry--very dry--when I received no responses. A week before Christmas, I changed my main photo to this one. Within days, a gal I had dated several times called to compliment me on my choice of photos, but I received no interest from anyone else although I did connect with a kindergarten teacher. I sent her an email asking if her if I brought her an apple, if I could be the teacher’s pet and of course I asked what her favorite apple was. She was taking a vacation over the holidays as I did as well and we connected after the holidays. We talked on the phone, enjoyed each other’s comments and set up a date. The following day, she emailed me and canceled the date because she didn’t want to start a relationship with someone who has a teenager. Go figure. It’s that fickle. If you wear the wrong color shoes, you’re out. Internet dating really lets one be fickle. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 6 I really had little expectations from the photo change. I continued winking at my daily matches that match.com emailed me. I hadn’t done an extensive search in a long time—just winked and occasionally wrote an email to one or two of each daily match before I left for the holidays. I wondered why I continued to be active since I had met a wonderful lady from Match.com. Our first date was at her Brooklyn apartment for Thanksgiving dinner and she was accompanying me on vacation. When I returned from my holiday vacation with her, my wink box had three winks and within ten days I received another five winks. Emails flowed back and forth instead of just one way and the basic difference was my main photograph. I then removed the goofy looking one from my profile. Of course, you hope that you’ve done such a great job with your photos and profile that emails just roll in, but that’s the computer does it all trap—more about that later. How to Write a Profile to Generate Interest Your profile—what to write about yourself and how to attract the type of person you want in your life. I wrote my first profile after listening to Tony Robbins’, “Get the Edge” program. I went crazy with my profile. I wrote that I wanted an independent, vibrant, energetic, loving, creative, responsible, intelligent, open minded, caring, beautiful…and the list went on and on. In retrospect, I imagine most women reading my profile thought, “I’ll never live up to that guy’s expectations and he’s rather goofy looking too (remember my goofy looking photo?).” The truth is I’m an average looking “Joe.” I’m not a heart throb. Women don’t fall off their chairs when I walk into a room. Yet, I’ll show you, as I did, how to generate interest from some physically very beautiful young women. And then the challenge is to step up to the plate and create a meaningful relationship and I’ll share practical do’s and don’ts to achieve success. Some are basic dating tips and others are simply indigenous to this mode of Internet dating. More later. Needless to say, I received no responses from that well thought out profile. So I cheated. I did a search for a man in my age group. I looked at their photos and read their profiles. I put myself in the position of being a woman and what would be important to me. Now let me say that a criticism of this dating thing is that people only write half truths. Hey, you and I know that there are men and women who are mentally and physically abusive to their partners--that there are also men and women suffering from bipolar or manic depressive maladies. That there are men and women suffering from schizophrenia and few that are sociopaths… You will not find someone saying, “I screwed up my last marriage because I suffered from bipolar disorder, didn’t take my meds, and was an obsessive compulsive nut which made me be a bitch on wheels and the broom stick is my main source of transportation.” Or, “My ex-wife has a restraining order on me.” Or I take prosaic, or zyprexia, or, zolof…” Or I have hemorrhoids.” Just as you wouldn’t wear old outdated ratted clothes for your photos, you wouldn’t dress your written profile in a bad light, would you? You’d hope that whomever you might meet would be enough to get you through these hurdles in life, right? I mean you may be thinking that all your problems are because © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 7 of the person with whom you had been in relationship. And that if you had found the “right” person, everything would be different, right? So, for whatever reason or reasons, you will only see and read the good about prospective mates in their profiles and you must look between the lines for warnings. Back to my revised profile. I found one or two profiles that if I were a woman, I’d want to get to know this guy. I copied and pasted the profiles into my word processor and began the tedious job of massaging them to fit me as a person. So in essence, I copied the style and plugged in my specifics. I once read that emulating someone is the greatest form of flattery--only thing is the fellow whose style I used didn’t know it or get credit. And now you can likewise benefit from his and my success. Here is a portion of my profile: “I am a sensual, romantic, fun loving fellow soon to be divorced looking for a woman whom I can dote upon, bring flowers, or take shopping for knick knacks, jewelry, sexy lingerie... for no particular reason other than to say "I love you." I am a good listener, love to share, spiritual, creative, and intelligent. I'm not into drugs, booze or gambling. I jog and dance (pretty good at it), to stay in shape and because I like it. I enjoy romantic walks on the beach, vacations to Hawaii, the Pocono’s or any romantic spot. I am self-employed with varied business interests. I am and in search of a woman who is self assured, confident, and will spoil me as much as I spoil her. I love a woman who is sensual, warm, compassionate, and romantic and feels comfortable with herself--a spontaneous person who enjoys family and enjoys having help in the kitchen as much as she enjoys a five star restaurant and trips to the big Apple. A woman who I can passionately support in her interests and likewise be supported in mine. A woman who will be my best friend for the next 30 or 40 years, enjoys cuddling by the fire place, sensual massages, my best friend, and if your tired of not having a soul mate--your soul mate.” Your profile doesn’t need to be this long or it can be longer—you decide. Following is the portion of my profile that describes the types of friends I’d like to meet. . I am a: 58 yr old man located in: New Monmouth, New Jersey, United States looking for: Dating: 35 to 60-year old woman Friends: 35 to 60-year old woman within 15 miles of New Monmouth, New Jersey, United States relationships: Currently separated my ethnicity: White / Caucasian body type: Slender height: 5’ 11” (180.3 cms) sense of humor: No Answer sign: Taurus About me and friends I'd like to meet: I like to meet people who are upbeat, open minded, flexible, spontaneous, and have a great sense of humor. I like those who appreciate being appreciated and can return caring. Those who can find the good in the things that go wrong in life or at least get beyond the bad to live in the now-those who can close an old chapter and truly start a new chapter. Interests © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 8 for fun: My middle name is dancer and although I enjoy cooking a scrumptious dinner, breakfast is my other middle name. favorite hot spots: Give me Hawaii, Palm Springs, or Alaska when the weather is great. favorite things: Favorite book is Chasing Miracles. Enjoy the Sopranos and Star Trek but can do with or without TV or HBO. Am a sea food lover and enjoy jaunts to the city. last read: Latest book I read is Chasing Miracles and am reading it again. It finds the good in the bad and we can use a lot of good. sense of humor: No Answer sports and exercise: Running common interests: Business networking, Coffee and conversation, Cooking, Dining out, Hobbies and crafts, Movies/Videos, Music and concerts, Nightclubs/Dancing, Performing arts, Religion/Spiritual Generally all Internet dating services use similar forms. Below is one from www.americansingles.com About Me I find it very difficult to describe myself. I love the beach in the summertime, and a nice cozy fireplace in the wintertime. I like to go to New Hope and just walk around. In fact, browsing and walking is good. I like to dress up and sometimes just hang out in my sweats. Personal Info Username: patti1359 Gender: Female seeking Male From: Helmetta, New Jersey, USA Age: 45 Last Login: 12/01/2004 Basics Hair: Light Brown Ethnicity: Caucasian/White Eyes: Blue Religion: Catholic Height: 5' 8" (173cm) Grew up in: Old Bridge Weight: 146 pounds (66.0 kg)Education: Some College Body A Few Extra Pounds Education Operations Style: Emphasis: Activity Selected activities Politics: Unspecified Level: Occupation: Manufacturing/Warehousing/Shipping/Facilities Smoking: Non-Smoker Annual $35,000 - $50,000 Drinking: Socially Income: Marital Divorced Rate Medium Importance Status: appearance: Children: Weekends only Rate Medium Importance Zodiac Taurus intelligence: Sign: Relocate: Yes Languages English I speak: Occupation Description: Seeking: Headline: Buyer A Date, Friend, Marriage, A long-term relationship, Intimacy/Physical One More Time © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 9 Personality My Adventurous/Wild/Spontaneous, Conservative/Clean Cut, Earthy, personality Easygoing/Flexible/Open-Minded, Flirtatious/Playful, Friendly/Kind, Low traits: Maintenance, Sensitive/Nurturing/Loving, Quiet/Shy, Romantic, Serious/Responsible, Spiritual My favorite Antiquing, Board Games/Backgammon/Chess, Camping, Card activities: Games/Bridge/Canasta, Dining Out, Entertaining, Gambling, Hanging Out with Friends, Intimate Conversations, Listening to/Playing Music, Motorcycling, Partying, People Watching, Pool/Billiards/Darts, Shopping, Taking Long Walks, Traveling/Weekend Trips/Adventure Travel, Movies/TV, Wine Tasting You are I am looking for man who knows what he wants in life and h imilar interets in looking for: mine. Someone that loves to spend time with his lady, but needs space of his own too. He will be kind, generous and honest. Communicates to me and doesn't shut me out when there is a problem. Someone who loves to be in love Interests My favorite cuisines: My favorite music: I like to read: My idea of the perfect first date: American, Barbecue, Chinese/Dim Sum, Continental, Deli, Fast Food/Pizza, German, Italian, Mexican, Seafood, Southwestern, Vegan Blues, Classic Rock n' Roll, Country, Dance/Electronica, Easy Listening, Jazz, Latin, Modern Rock n' Roll, Oldies, Pop/Top 40, Soul/R&B Fiction, Magazines, Newspapers To meet for dinner and have a great time. Having such a great time that we decide to go to the movies or take a walk on the boardwalk afterwards Leisure and Physical Activities I like going out to: Antique Stores/Flea Markets/Garage Sales, In Bars/In Nightclubs, Beach, Coffee Houses, Comedy Clubs, Dances - Line, Ballroom, Tango, Live Theater, Movies, Museums, Parks, Restaurants My favorite physical Aerobics, Dancing, Horseback Riding, Jet/Water Skiing, activities: Swimming/Diving/Water Polo My perception of an My perception of an ideal releationship is one that ends in a forever ideal relationship: relationship, marriage, until death do us part What I've learned Everyone is different and we obviously are not all perfect together. It from my past takes time to find the right person with attraction and communication. relationships: Last Update: 10/24/2004 Profile mistakes: 1. Don’t lie about anything—don’t stretch you age or marital status. If you’re separated, don’t say you’re divorced. If you’re 58, don’t say you’re 55. If you lie about anything, who is to say where the lie/s stops? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 10 2. Exception to the rule. Some stretch the truth with regard to age. I’m 58, but feel and look like I’m 48 so I could list 55 as my age so I will show up in the 45-55 age category, but I must state that in my written profile, e.g. “I’ fibbed to the computer, my real age is 58, not 55, so I would show up in the cut off search of 55 because I keep myself young and in excellent shape”—see most people search in multiples of 5 years and 58 is in the 60 category—not 55. 3. Avoid focusing so much on the soul mate issue. So many believe that there’s just one soul mate and their life is incomplete without that soul mate. These people are usually so anxious about the clock ticking that they could be with their soul mate and not even recognize it. Besides, there are an infinite number of soul mates as opposed to only one. Remember, there are different planes of consciousness—a bit far out—not really if you believe in soul mates, you’re already out there so you may as well sample all of what’s out there. 4. Avoid focusing on wanting trust. It indicates that you somehow generate distrust and that may well be an issue for you to work on with your counselor rather than a prospective match. Trust is something that you create through your attitude as opposed to something that someone gives you. For most it means, “Can I trust that you will be faithful?” When a man is with a woman who often uses innuendos to question trust, then he begins to think, “She expects distrust from me,” and he might actually begin looking for other simultaneous opportunities. And there’s the other issue of timing. Before any commitment is made by either person, trust is a mute issue. If I tell you that my ex-wife had an affair (she never did), I’m really telling you that there’s something about me that fostered her having an affair. She didn’t do it to me, I somehow participated. So use your therapist to get beyond trust and simply make it a non issue by trusting. If distrust surfaces later on, there are only two issues at which to look: a. What you did to contribute to it. b. The relationship is not a match after all. 5. Avoid getting into bragging about your accomplishments and things you own. It’s a trap that makes you a bore or a sure candidate to find a gold digger. 6. Ladies, less emphasis on your love of travel, Broadway shows, and other expensive things— more emphasis on quality of experience. A man doesn’t want to have to take you to the Fiji Islands or a Broadway show every week to make you happy, for me, it’s not so much where I am, but more about the quality of our experience together. I’ve been in Hawaii and had a lousy time with my x-wife. Then again, she and I could simply be shopping in a local store and have a great time—not that I don’t enjoy Hawaii; I value the quality of the experience more than where it takes place. I can’t say that I speak for all men, but then I think I speak for most men. There are usually other aspects to your profile, which include your travel interests, types of people you like to meet. Although these are less important than your main profile, they are worth completing. Its part of you so just like you wouldn’t have a full length photo taken wearing only one shoe; you may as well complete these too. In the above, I’ve included mine for reference for you to copy and manipulate into your own words. What not to write in a profile Read the following and ask yourself if you’d like to call this woman. Assume she’s gorgeous. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 11 “I am an intelligent witty lady who enjoys travel, reading, theater, dance, movies, fine dining and the shore. I love to meet new people and learn as much as I can about the world around me. I do not like sarcastic people or game players. Honesty is very important to me. I have become spiritual at this stage of my life and fine it gives great peace and more understanding to my daily existance. I like men who are intelligent, interesting, and with a good sense of humor. I appreciate a man who is honest and I do not like players. My man should be height/weight proportionate and attractive to me...I would appreciate pictures as I will be glad to provide mine to sincere inquiries. Now she may well be the perfect woman, however, she makes serious mistakes. A critique: 1. Too much focus on things that cost a lot of money and in the first sentence. She could say that she’s well traveled and finds that quality of experience with the traveling companion more valuable than the location of the travel. 2. She makes a note of game players—not once but twice. Yet, match is nothing but a dating game. Whether she knows it or not, she’s saying she can’t handle a guy dating more than one person at a time and that she was probably two timed by her x husband. And if you read between the lines, women who say this are usually saying that men lose interest in them or they never generate enough interest to keep a man faithful. Or she might be saying that she likes to be in control and the only game she can tolerate is the one she plays. She may have this set idea of how courting is supposed to go and is addicted to it occurring according to her ideation. It is best to leave out the aspect of game playing. 3. She’s saying that honesty is important to her and I wonder who likes being lied to. Again best to leave out the idea of honesty. Maybe she divorced an alcoholic or a gambler and had a lot of those issues with which to deal. Use a therapist to learn from them and avoid projecting them so quickly onto the next relationship. The only redeeming sentence in the entire profile is about being a spiritual person. However, a spiritual person doesn’t emphasize travel, shows, fine dining, etc. which makes her an oxymoron and projects the image of a snob—and she didn’t use spell check and used the word “fine” when she meant “find.” But then, that’s the kind of mistake we can all make. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 12 CHAPTER III -- THE INTERNET DATING TRAPS Now once you get going, let’s look at some traps into which you can fall: The grass is greener trap: Yes, the grass is always greener on the other side. The problem with computer dating is that you see lots of green grass. It’s like being at a dance and while you’re talking with one person, you’re looking across the floor at someone else wondering what that person would be like. What do I mean? You begin dating someone and you get your matches for the day. It seems that you always find someone who is just as attractive or even more attractive. You send your killer email and get a response. No sooner than you begin dating this new person and you see another one even more attractive. This can become addictive and keeps you from getting to know anyone. Matches are no longer matches but challenges to be beaten by someone else. Many will say that, if it’s the right person, you’ll just know it-maybe and maybe not. You could be dating that special someone, but because you’re gazing across the Internet, you’ll miss the opportunity to appreciate and get to know the one you’re with before you’re getting intrigued with someone else. One gal I dated said it this way, “it like you’re out with someone and as you’re looking into his eyes, you’re thinking that when you get home, there will be an email from Mr.Perfect.” Figuratively, you’re dating at the speed of light and just as great as Internet dating can be, it can also keep you looking for emails instead of experiencing who you’re with. Carlos Costenata says something about there being many paths in life and instead of asking whether the path is the best or the right one, ask if the path has a heart. The independence trap: Being in my late 50’s I can only speak for what it’s like dating the modern female in the same age category. Believe me it isn’t like it was dating when I was in my 30’s. Not too many women jump into bed after one-to-three dates. And it doesn’t make sense! After all, those in their 50’s don’t have to worry about getting pregnant anymore—they can just enjoy love making. But, today’s divorced woman, for whatever reason, seems to have connected a certain level of pain with sex. Sure everyone wants romance, which may eventually lead to sexual intimacy, however many have been in marriages for up to 30 years only to have their husbands, who were going through an identity crisis, trade them in for younger versions. It’s like saying, “After being there sexually for my husband for 30 years he dumped me for a younger woman and I’m not going to give myself to any man again?” Tony Robbins in his Get the Edge program speaks about women associating pain with marriage or relationship with the opposite sex. I think this is one explanation. Then, there are women who wake up one day and realize that they have nothing in common with their spouse, realize that they are just passing time, and maybe getting physically ill doing it. One woman I dated developed breast cancer and once she emancipated herself from the marriage, learned about nutrition and self help, studied Abraham Hicks, got rid of the cancer, and went on to search for Mr. Right. She didn’t want to let love making confuse the issue and end up settling for less than Mr. Right just because she might have enjoyed physical intimacy with someone else. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 13 Of course there’s the practical experienced woman who believes that approximately a third of the men in the internet dating game are married. It’s another reason for them to take things slowly. Knowing this to be true, it behooves the guy to demonstrate his singleness as soon as possible. How you might do this is to have her to your place for an inspection—no need to announce it, she’ll perform it on her own. She’ll check out the bathroom, bedroom, medicine chest, closets and any other room where there might be personal effects of a wife. Introduce her to others with whom you work—not something a married guy would do. Introduce her to your family—children, parents…. Definitely not something a married guy would do. Many of today’s women have liberated themselves from the pain of a sour marriage and are no longer desperate. They have become strong on their own in spite of men. They have developed interests to enrich their lives and often times simply become set in their ways—period. They don’t need to get laid to feel fulfilled. That’s one version and another is that some women think that having sex is giving something of them selves. Maybe that kind of thinking is also what ruined their relationship. And maybe with some women in their 50’s and 40’s, it’s a disease. Didn’t Maslow’s theory encompass sex as a necessity such as air, food, and water? It’s real easy for them to hide behind the, “I want to get to know you before we jump into bed.” For some that’s like saying, “you’re not going to use me”? Ironically, they may have lost their husbands because of a selfish approach to sex. Maybe if they had been that “hot chick” instead of the bitch with the broom handle stuck up her ass, she would have kept her husband. I never would have left several relationships if sex were free flowing instead of something for which I felt that I had to beg. And sometimes it’s more complicated and confusing as it was in my last marriage! Before we married, we made love like bunnies. I thought I met the female counter part of me. Then when we got married, it all ended. I soon forgot what it was like just make love just because I wanted to. I felt that she manipulated me with sex—for me, having sex was like winning the instant lottery. Of course when we did it, it was the best I could ever imagine. Yet it was a constant manipulation and a bull shit game. I spent 5 years trying to find out what turned her on. Can you imagine being married 5 years and not knowing what turns on your wife? Then, after 5 years, we separated and didn’t see each other for a few weeks, and when we did, I was amazed how much she loves sex. If I hadn’t known about the games she plays with sex, I would have gone back to her, but I knew and decided not to be stupid. During our marriage I also learned about adult children of alcoholics and how their childhood can screw up their adult lives--more about that later which is the real clue about her behavior. It’s a challenge to find a woman in her 50’s with a healthy attitude toward sex. Twenty years ago, I went out with a woman who I had met in my office—she was selling advertising. We went to dinner, had desert, and later on made love at my place. Later, I asked her about her quickness to go to bed with me and she replied, “I won’t go out with anyone who I wouldn’t be interested in going to bed with and you’re the only one I’ve gone out with in years. For her, sex was like having desert with a great meal.” We had a relationship for 8 years. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 14 But how do you weed out these bitches with broom handles stuck up their asses before investing a lot of time and energy? More about this later in the four step test. Remember, they can be a hot chick one minute which lasts up to a year and later on turn into the bitch. And yes, men can be this way too. So please don’t let my female readers be dissed. Yes, some guys can be romantic, loving, kind, and attentive like no other one minute and later turn into a bastardly controlling troll. And yes the four step test will also identify the troll too. They can be the perfect husband material while they court you and turn into the possessive controlling, jealous bastard after they marry you. So the several previous paragraphs can be written with him or her as the pronoun. Initially I thought I’d meet the right person in Ala-anon—someone who would appreciate being treated with respect and was a giver. But then I can also meet a woman there who drove her husband to drink or one who needs to be abused. Sounds pretty risky! But how do we find out this information? The direct approach will get three strikes. What I share with you in Chapter X—Four Steps in Relationship could be well worth the investment of this e-book in providing more clarity to a confusing subject. The abundance trap: How many people do you date simultaneously? It’s a hard question and has a rather amorphous answer. With internet dating, you might think you’re dating three or four at once and think you have the choice of two or three women only to find out that they all send you an email, “thanks, you’re a great guy, but I met someone else.” Suddenly, you have no one. So, it’s really difficult to know how many people you’re actually dating if any at all—even if you’ve been out with someone several times. Just as you’re dating seemingly at the speed of light and things go your way some days at the speed of light, the next day, things may not be going you way. That’s because disappointments can also occur at the speed of light. They can accumulate so fast that they can be overwhelming. It’s a challenge to put the disappointments behind you especially if you had really liked a particular person. But in some respects it’s like the quarterback can’t be thinking, “we’re in the fourth quarter and down three touchdowns.” He has to be thinking, “we’re in the fourth quarter and we have opportunities to learn from our previous mistakes and get our game going the right way—we can change the energy to our favor.” Likewise, it’s important to let yourself feel the disappointment, recognize that it’s a byproduct of the process and that you want to let it go, benefit from it, learn from it, and be here now. That means, totally be with the next person you’re with and leave the past disappointment in the past, but yet use what you learned from the last disappointment in the present situation. Remember, it’s nice to have plans and goals. In fact much of our education has focused us on being goal oriented. However, in reality, life is often more about the goals and plans that fall through than the plans and goals we make. Not to mention that sometimes our goals are simply impractical in the first place. The amazing thing is that very few of us have ever had any training in how to handle disappointments. Somehow they are supposed to just be taken care of or overridden by us getting back on the saddle and trying to ride again. This denial contributes to a lot of physical and psychological ailments—keeps doctors and psychologists in business. The unfortunate thing is that these professionals focus on the symptom and never think to look for the contributing disappointments that led to the problem so it’s like © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 15 a being on a merry go round that turns at a high rate of speed that never stops and you can only get off it by falling off. Let me put in a plug for two of my cd programs, Over Come Life Crisis and Building Self Worth. Both provide you with the tools to learn and benefit from disappointments and all the emotions that come with them. The good news is that no matter how fast relationships can collapse, if your belong to a service like match.com, you’ll have up to 20 matches in your email the next day. And just when you thought you had checked out all the available members of the opposite sex in your area, a new one joins and her picture is right there in front of you. The cocky trap: With so many women on the hook so to speak, before you get the “so long Joe,” email, you may have an interview with a really neat person and screw it up thinking that it doesn’t matter because you already met a great person. But then the abundance trap gets you and you have zero prospects when if you weren’t so cocky, you might have at least made a new friend. The sex trap: Men and women have the same goals, but different agendas. If you’re a man and think like a man, you will be very disappointed 85% of the time. Some say a great sex life is 90% of a relationship. And not everyone makes love the same way. Let’s face it, not all of us guys are hung the same. And sometimes the physical position of a woman’s anatomy makes a big difference in being able to maintain an erection. So wouldn’t it make sense to experiment with love making soon in the relationship so you know whether to pursue the relationship seriously. That’s “guy thinking.” You got to remember, many women associate sex with pain—the pain of a broken marriage and giving of themselves for up to 30 years or more only to get the wrong end of the shaft (no pun intended). So it’s a big risk that’s important to take. “What about sexually transmitted disease,” you ask? Talk about it, get your blood tested and demand the same from him/her. Stop hiding behind the, I want to get to know you,” routine. Don’t even go out for a third date unless you’re considering physical intimacy in which case you want to be discussing the subject of blood tests on the first or second date to allow time to get the blood test results. Exception to the rule: you both decided and agree that celibacy is the road to travel or sex is a non issue. Once you’ve taken the physical intimacy step, you may need to date this person 10 times before begin to discover answers to some of your questions. More about how to tell if you’re on track later by using pre-talk. The commitment trap: Ok, you found her and figure she feels the same about you so you stop fishing for other relationships by writing, “I’m pursuing relationship with another person,” email only to get the same email from her at which time you wish you hadn’t been so presumptuous. What I learned is to avoid commitment by saying, “I just got divorced and I’d like to be free for some time before I settle down—not that I won’t be settling down next week with you, but right now, I’m not into settling down. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 16 The have to have a date trap: With so many possibilities, you feel that you have to have a date every night and day of the weekend. It’s easy for one’s self worth to be affected by one’s dating schedule, i.e. if I have a date, I can feel good about myself; if I don’t have a date, I feel poorly about myself. And why should you feel less about yourself simply because you have no date for a particular evening, weekend, or month? It probably goes back to juvenile thinking of 30 or more years ago that may be important to acknowledge and bring up to date. The procrastination trap: If you get an email or a wink—some form of interest from someone, unless you are already booked up or on overload with all your dates, don’t procrastinate. The early bird thing is true when it comes to Internet dating. I had sent out 6 emails and at the time, had zero dates or interest from anyone. Then like over night, one gal connects with me from a month ago, and one responds to my email, and another finds me in her search. Then two others respond to my emails, but they are tied up because of holidays or other scheduled activities. I’m already busy with three women and will shortly be on overload myself when another one responds by phone. It had been so long since I contacted her that I forgot who she was until she gave me her handle and I looked up her profile on the internet. She was simply too late for the time being. I had a very interesting conversation with her and did everything I could to make her feel good about calling me and then simply told her the truth that I had met someone and was going to pursue that relationship for now and asked her if it would be ok to call her if things didn’t work out—I didn’t tell her I was considering three other relationships. She wished me good luck and invited me to call if things didn’t work out. When this happens to you, make sure you keep her name in a file for future follow-up. Look stupid trap: When did you say your birthday was? How many children and grand children do you have and where do they live? What’s your favorite foods? What do you like to do for fun? These are just a few of the many questions to which you will learn the answers. If you’ve an excellent memory, that’s great. Unless you have an excellent memory, you will want to start taking notes. I use a mini digital recorder and after a date I make notes about those points of interest. I then transcribe them to my computer along with phone number and make it a point to review the information along with their profiles before going on the next date. Remember, if you’re emailing, communicating by phone, and dating three or four at a time, the facts can all run together—at least they do for me, so it’s important to keep a file with each person listing their handle, name, phone numbers, email address, where they live, interests, number of children, grand children, animals, birthdays, address, and any other preferences you learn after each contact. You can also list things you did together and topics of conversation. This may be a lot of detail, but then, you never know when something will be important. And keep the information for months even after you stop seeing the person as life has strange twists and you just might cross paths again. Alternatively, if things come to a stand still in your dating game, you can simply reflect on some of your past relationships and use them to lift your spirits and even though you might have made some terrible mistake that cost the relationship, at least you can revel in the fact that you attracted a great prospect and if you did it once, you can do it again. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 17 Also keep a date book so you’ll avoid getting times and places mixed up and make sure that when you go to meet someone, you’ll meet the right person at the right time. Only Interest Trap: Your dates will ask you about your other interests. Don’t say your biggest interest is dating. Sure, you’re coming out of a long term relationship and haven’t really had any interests for yourself, and are hoping to meet Mr or Mrs Right right away and adopt his/her interests, but don’t count on it. A suggestion is to develop other interests such as taking dancing lessons—a valuable skill for dating. Answering this question can also be an opportunity to have fun by teasing her. You can say that you hobby is chasing tornados in Kansas, or that you raise pit bulls. Tease her about it and ask her if her hobby is collecting Norman Rockwell figurines or if she likes to play golf. Then tease her about it. Break up trap: With Internet dating, Neil Sedaka’s song, Breaking Up is Hard to Do is changed to Breaking Up is Easy to Do. Sure in days gone by—like in the 70’s, it was normal for the breaker-up person to feel guilty for spoiling the other person’s party. In fact many people never broke up and just went on to get married because they couldn’t deal with the guilt of hurting someone else. Internet dating has changed all that or at least most of it. Now the breaker-up person simply thinks to him/her self, “No big deal, he’s got the Internet. He’ll have up to twenty prospective matches in his email tomorrow and can find someone else to replace me within a week or so. No need to feel guilty again! The Internet dating service does what I can’t do—provide a pillow on which to fall.” So now breaking up is easy to do—period. And maybe it should be that way. I remember taking the est training (Werner Erhardt) years ago. He said, “Boy meets girl. Boy and girl have a great time. Boy says, ‘I love you,’ and girl replies with the same.” Soon “I love you,” is an expected response and taken for granted. Later on, boy or girl changes focus or interest and instead of it being, “Thanks for the memories and for the opportunity of knowing you,” it’s making divorce attorneys rich and each one making the other one wrong and about pain and suffering. The lazy trap: Don’t just sit back and expect people to come to you. You’re most likely on the internet dating scene because you spend too many Fridays and Saturdays home alone or with friends who have dates and you don’t. Truth is, you’re still going to spend many Friday and Saturday nights home. And to get the most out of your membership, you need to work the data base. Search for a partner within 15 miles and with a service like Match.com, you’ll get up to 50 pages of possibilities with around 6 possibilities on each page. You have several different methods of communication available: 1. Winks—Some Internet services such as match.com give you the opportunity to simply wink. This means you don’t have to take bunches of time to write emails that never get read or a result in a response. You simply click on wink and an auto responder is sent to the person telling them you have an interest. They can either wink back in which case you know there is some mutual interest or they can © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 18 email you a brief note. Either way it’s time for you to follow up with an email in which you might offer a phone number. 2. Emails: You compose an email to each person. Nine months after I joined match.com my advice was, “If you have lots of time, send a lot of emails, but to save a lot of time, do winks. By the time you read the profiles, look at the photos, and wink at every one who interests you, you’ll go through many hours.” I wrote this before I wrote Part V of this e-book where I now recommend sending emails in place of winks as being the best advice, but make the email generic, specific, and easy as I share in Part V. Winking works like this: wink at 25 or 30 and maybe, just maybe you’ll get one or two winks in return and if you’re really lucky, you’ll get an email from someone. Why will you only get one or two winks or emails in return? 1. Some believe a wink is not enough of a commitment on your part—it’s too easy and insufficient effort on your part, so they simply ignore winks, but my experience is that even though some believe that, if they check your photo and if they find it interesting enough to check your profile, they just might respond anyway. None the less, some won’t, but it’s not large enough percentage to get upset about. In other words, sending 50 winks will be a lot more efficient than writing 50 emails and the few that won’t respond will be far outweighed by the one’s that will respond. But that’s all changed now since I wrote Part V of this book which contains an email that’s more powerful than a wink and just as easy to do as a wink. 2. They are on vacation and by the time they return to your wink, they figure your wink is too old and don’t respond. 3. They are considering several other potential matches and just keep putting off responding to you. Later on I write about how when it rains it pours and you might have just winked someone who has lots of possibilities pouring in and is waiting to meet someone before getting back to you. In other words, if they had a deadline, they would probably respond that they are too busy meeting others to consider anyone else at this time. But because they know how fickle this internet dating can be, they don’t want to burn your bridge until they know that the other possibilities won’t work. 4. They are simply overwhelmed. 5. Their email isn’t working and they can’t receive messages. 6. They stopped their subscription to the dating service a. And are in a relationship. b. And aren’t interested in paying to respond to the wink. Some internet dating services your listing active when you cancel, but will charge you to respond to anyone who attempts to contact you. 7. They only joined the service to make their boy or girl friend jealous and have no intentions of meeting someone. It’s true. I met an attractive young lady at a home show. I soon learned that she was single, but in a 2 year relationship. I shared I had joined match.com and she admitted that she had just let her subscription expire. She went on to explain that she joined to make her boyfriend jealous because she felt unappreciated. I told her my experience with match.com and that I met someone over Thanks © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 19 Giving and was going to see her that night and also had misgivings about the relationship. I asked her to lunch and she invited me to drop by the bank in which she works which I did a few days later and again asked her to lunch. She invited me to call her. Before I called, I sent her a dozen roses and then I called her to set up a date. I met her at a nice restaurant near where she works. She’s been seeing this guy who is 12 years younger than she is for two years—mainly sexual. Her teenage children don’t even know him or about him. Her ex-husband was an alcoholic and a gambler so she knew all about Ala-anon. I suggested that we date and she simply let me know that her opinion of me was that I know what I want and go after it as I did with the roses, but she’s not interested. At first I was really disappointed. Guess I was addicted to ending my search with this beautiful woman. In retrospect, her history of Ala-anon is a warning sign along with her involvement in a sexual relationship with a man who is only interested in her sexually. My intellectual self suspects that she’s avoiding and I don’t need to be in a therapeutic situation to help some woman get over her traumatic ex relationship. My emotional self kept her number for about a year before I dumped it from my rolodex—wishful thinking. The too old trap: Everyone wants youth. Men always want younger women and often think women who are over 50 are over the hill. And women often make the same assumption, although it’s more like, “men over 60 are over the hill.” Not necessarily so! There are a lot of young looking women over 60 and young looking men over 70. Not to say that women over 70 can’t be young looking too. Generally, women make a mistake and search for men no more than 10 years older and men make a mistake by searching only for women younger than they are. So expand your search to include chronologically younger and older possibilities. Younger? Why not. She/he just might be attracted to your looks—maybe you remind him/her of someone who was endearing to him/her. Assume the computer does it all trap: Just because you paid your membership fee doesn’t mean that the dating service will keep you fresh and in front of others of the opposite sex. Not at all! You can get dropped and not even show up in a search for someone your age and geographical proximity if there are 50 pages of returns. With a service like match.com, if you do a search for 15 miles, you’ll get 50 pages of returns, but that may not be all the prospects in the area. The computer seems to drop you if you are inactive. What do I mean by inactive? To maintain activity, simply signing in and using the service is insufficient. You need to make changes in your profiles. Only minor ones are required. Every change has to be approved by the service and every time a change is approved, you’re activated again—just like you’ve just signed up for the service for the first time. To stay fresh, make minor changes to your profile every two to three weeks. The Don’t take charge trap or the “What would you like to do?” Trap: What do would you like to do honey? Fellows: this question can sink your boat. Do women want to make the choices or have men take charge? At first I thought I was the thoughtful person by asking my date what she would like to do. It seems right, right? I’m the nice guy wanting to know what my date wants to do—being respectful!. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 20 Pam really resented it and I thought she was a pain in the ass. After all I was the one paying the bill so why couldn’t she research and find the activity. No, No, No! Because I’m paying the bill, she wanted me to choose the activities so she wouldn’t feel guilty or to blame if I didn’t have a good time. Women like “take charge guys” and if you select something they don’t like (of course by setting up for the first date, I’d hope you know from your emails, phone discussion, or first meeting what her interests are and not fall into the stupid trap). I have to admit this is one of my weak points. I’ve always wanted to let her choose the activity, but by in large, it’s interpreted by women that I’m a wimp—not an admirable feature. Nice Guy Trap: Nice guys finish last. That’s true!! The easy going, be there kind of guy who brings roses, takes his date to a nice restaurant, compliments his date, treats her like a queen, and makes it easy for her to like him is generally the loser when it comes to getting the right woman. Want to be taken advantage of? Be a nice guy. I’m sure you’ve seen the great looking woman fall in love with the jerk--the guy who doesn’t treat her like a queen. When I first read this, I was really intrigued because that’s me—a nice guy. And I generally came up short on the relationship end. Chapters and chapters have been written about this subject to help nice guys stop being so nice. David DeAngelo, dating geru, has e-books, cd’s, newsletters about this very subject which I highly recommend. The premise is that nice comes across as “Needy,” and women hate, “needy.” Not that you won’t open doors and do gentlemanly things—you’ll stop being nice and needy. That’s the goal. Stop being a “wus,” as David calls it. The Email Trap: Of the all the women I’ve met, at most there was an exchange of two-three emails except for Arlene. I included my phone and direct email in the first email and got another email back. She wanted to know about my previous relationships. It was like she was email shopping. One week and a record twenty-one emails later we meet. In the course of discussion I offered that she had the record on the number of emails. She wondered what the norm was and I told her that it’s usually one or two emails followed by a phone conversation. She shared that in her first contact, she emailed this guy for an entire month and then asked for his number at which time he replied that in the mean time, he met someone else and only wanted to pursue one relationship at a time. Another gal I emailed suggested a “slow peel” and I agreed. It was over a snowy weekend and we had 18” of snow on the ground. I emailed her that I thought it was a great idea expecting an email back in a day or so and left for a week end date. She emailed me back within twenty minutes or so and when I returned two days later, I replied to her email and then received no response for a week until I sent her another email asking if she had found another with whom to peel. She emailed me back that she was no longer interested. I suspect it was her test to see if I was married or something and figured that since I didn’t reply right away, I had a wife around. I didn’t anticipate her slow peel would be over a few hours, but then, I’ll never know. Maybe I should have created an excuse that I had to go to my mother’s place and would connect in a day or so. So generally, if I’m emailing someone who is emailing me right back, and I need to leave, I say, “gotta run, get back to you later.” Recently Separated/Divorced Trap While attending Ala-anon, I met John, who had recently separated from his wife. It was a friendly separation and he stopped by to see her once a week to give her money. She’d usually tell him how © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 21 much better she felt since they were separated, reiterate how much stronger a person she was, and tell him how much better her relationship was with her kids since they separated. She’d also tell him about how many guys were hitting on her at her place of work –he describes her as a very beautiful woman. John hoped for but never got the, “honey I miss you, maybe we can go to a therapist, or, yes, I’ve been in denial and I’d like you to help me deal with it.…” So, John figured it time to move on—not that anyone had him tied up. He too hoped to meet someone in Ala-anon as he doesn’t do well in grocery stores asking for help—although it seems like a perfect way to meet someone. So he began talking about singles dances. In fact, he actually invited his wife to go with him to a dance. In retrospect, he realized that might have been a stupid thing to do because she probably would have been dancing all night with all kinds of guys and he’d be left out with no one. Actually, he had hoped that they’d dance a lot together. She was upset at the idea of him going to single dances and wanted no part of it. All during this time he and she were having conjugal relations. John’s next step was a computer dating service. He wasn’t on the dating service more than a week and she called him to read his profile to him, began telling him how upsetting it was to see her husband on a dating service, and how embarrassing because everyone she knew saw it too. She never asked about reconciliation or to deal with her denial but instead told him how everyone on the computer dating services is a loser. Apparently, a friend of hers’ saw his photo and told her about it. Within two weeks of seeing John on the dating service, she was seeing another man. She describes him as even older than John and much shorter (she’s 6’ tall) and heavy in the middle compared to John’s tight ass and tummy. It was a real killer to his ego—trading him for a much older, short, fat ugly guy that was really a “nice guy”, as she described him. Within a month she stops the conjugal visits she and John were having and announces that she really likes this man. Suddenly, John, this guy who was intellectually and emotionally ready to move on, is stopped in his tracks. And being really stupid, John asks if she was having sex with the guy and she answers, “yes,” along with all the details he simply didn’t need to know. Consciously or unconsciously she was out to hurt him and she succeeded. “Hey, just run that 16 wheeler right over me”, he said. She’s then telling him about her new lover’s Johnson is much bigger and his balls flap in the breeze compared to John’s tight balls and smaller Johnson. She tells him that even though her lover’s bigger, it doesn’t hit the right spots that John’s did. I mean just take a gun and shoot John. He’s emotionally dying as she goes on and on and I was having trouble holding back my laughing as he’s relating his story. Now let’s get Kinsey in our description--the real kicker is that John knows that she’s telling the truth, she’s settling for painful sex. Then she’s telling him that her new lover and she agree that a great sex life is 90% of the relationship, but the guy’s libido is low. But, in reality, John has no idea whether she’s telling him the truth or concocting some story simply to inflict emotional pain. He said that if she was telling the truth, he should buy stock in the KY jelly company. This put John into an emotional roller coaster and he didn’t know why. When he looked at all the reasons they were getting divorced this sex stuff meant nothing—absolutely nothing. He had seven years of complete faithfulness and now he feels run over by a 16 wheeler. The result was that he then had trouble imagining himself with another woman—what a kicker—all because he published a photo of himself in his profile that identified him. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 22 So, if you are not divorced, I highly recommend staying away from publishing a photo—you never know how it can emotionally put you on a roller coaster when instead you really want to be moving on by meeting new and interesting people as opposed to getting caught in some emotional net. The new people you meet will pick up on your emotional scars and begin thinking you’re still hung up on your ex even though you know in your own mind a hundred thousand reasons intellectually why it will never work. The new people you meet often have been divorced for years and have trouble relating to the emotional games that get played or if they do, don’t want to go through them again. These are the major traps, but of course you don’t get close to these traps without some bait. I don’t know why I keep using the metaphor of fishing except that is seems to fit. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 23 CHAPTER IV—FLITERATOUS EMAILS Being successful at the mechanics of getting to know others or contacting others or having them contact you is where your power lies. Power of Emails: Aside from winks, your first level of communication is with e-mails. When I first joined match.com, I began by writing personal emails instead of winks as a first communication. Because I didn’t know how to write a succinct one as I give in Part V of this e-book, the first ones were very time consuming—even if I copied and pasted a large part of it. My first emails went something like this, Subject –hello from (my town) Body, Hi (their handle) I noticed your profile and would like to get to know you better. I’m the kind of guy that would vote for Hillary in the white house with Bill as her first man. Blah blah blah. Very rarely would I get any response and I imagine it’s easy for you to see why---blah blah blah. What I learned about myself is that having been married to a very possessive potentially jealous person, I didn’t know how to flirt. Well, I can’t blame her—I never really knew how to flirt, period. It was like to flirt was to subject myself to accusation or possible rejection and I hate being accused of things I didn’t do or rejection so I never flirted. I remember this one time when my ex and I were walking along a side walk as this young gal crossed our path 20 feet in front of us. It was impossible for either of us not to see her. This gal had a normally attractive body with breasts the size of a foot ball. I never complained about the size of my wife’s breasts and never would—they were perfect so I don’t know the basis of this accusation that flew out of her mouth, “I see you! You were staring at her breasts weren’t you? Mine aren’t enough for you?” I mean, I couldn’t help seeing this anomaly; she crossed right in front of us. Was I staring—absolutely not although I was thinking, “They could kill a guy if they got loose.” I remember the case several years ago where this guy was suing this woman for hitting him with her breasts. I always wondered what I’d do with all that extra breast if I had a woman so endowed. My second wife was well bosomed. They were great, but I didn’t see any particular advantage from a male’s perspective. I certainly wouldn’t feel better as a man knowing I had a woman with larger than life breasts. So was I gawking? No way. I limited it to a glance in my direct line of sight—no head turning for this guy. And that was the bull I got just for looking in front of me as a woman crossed our path, I could imagine what kind of bull I would have gotten if she observed me flirt with another woman. So I didn’t look or flirt with other women. In terms of physical qualities, I was very happy with my ex and had no need to flirt, even though it would have been a nice skill to develop. So having an insecure wife just made it easy for me to never flirt. She must have been insecure about her breast size, whenever we went anywhere, if she thought I glanced at a pretty woman out of the corner of my eyes, her response would be, “she has bigger breasts than I do, doesn’t she—that’s why you’re © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 24 looking?” Who needs that horse manure? It’s just easier to go thru marriage with a blinder on and worship the beautiful breasts she has. Well, anyway, flirting was off limits for me, yet I remember one time while on vacation in Palm Springs I left her by the pool to go get a drink for us, when I returned she was talking with some guy. When I questioned her, she said, “Oh, he’s from Minnesota and he’s here on vacation and he was just commenting on blah blah, blah.” “Bull shxx,” I thought to myself, “he wants to get in your pants and damn it, I only get in them when I guess the magic spot of the week.” To say it out loud could have ruined the whole vacation. So flirting wasn’t my cup of tea. I could never strike up a conversation with an attractive lady without getting the silent treatment for the balance of any vacation we were on. For me flirting equals “no sex” equals pain. And the same held true for when we were home. The good news about Internet dating, is that you have plenty opportunity to experiment with flirting. In fact I dated a gal a couple times and acknowledged to her that I didn’t know how to flirt. Having been married I also feel like a fish out of water—another useful analogy. If you have similar feelings and acknowledge them, the women you meet will be all too helpful in giving you pointers to help you overcome these minor blocks. My first emails lacked any flirtation and were poor on compliments since I view compliments as being flirtatious and then I saw her—the perfect woman photographically and profile wise in my matches for the day. She looked and sounded too good to be true. And she probably was. I picked up on a few things in her profile and wrote the following email which you can modify according to your specifics. Hi (her handle) “You look and sound too good to be true. But then a little about me, I cook, peel vegetables, enjoy lots of romance, am into the metaphysical, had a stress management practice for 20 years--hypnosis, biofeedback, energy balancing--and still sell cd's and tapes on the internet--www.DStressDoc.com-and now my mind is in the gutter (I now manufacture gutter covers). Don't ask why--I'm still trying to figure it out. I make the best tasting most creative salad you can imagine, the most flavorful shrimp scampi among other dishes, and help cleaning up. I stay in shape physically, mentally, and emotionally by dancing, jogging and doing some yoga. I'm looking to connect with that special someone. I was married for 5 years plus two additional years of dating the same woman. I'm the kind of guy that has trouble even imaging myself with another woman once I'm in relationship. Recently divorced, I feel like a fish out of water learning how to date again. Do you have any children? Richard [email protected] [email protected] (if you respond directly, please send to both with match.com in the subject. I get hundreds of spam daily and would not want to erase your email by mistake. 908-625-XXXX (please leave message as I often leave the phone in a coat pocket or someplace I can't get to quickly enough to answer it.)” © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 25 I couldn’t believe my eyes when she responded to my email. I was in the middle of a long dry spell on the match game—not one new person in three-four weeks. Fortunately, I had been busy dating a woman off and on who after our seventh date told me that she didn’t see a light bulb light up telling her I was the one. She was probably right, but she was the only one left from a few that initially responded to my profile and I did enjoy her company. I guess I have to give her an A for effort in that she tried to see that light bulb light up--hell we even watched the eclipse together one night and it still didn’t light up. A more succinct email I received that I like is the following: I know that I winked at you, however again you've been chosen as one of my matches. Shall we trust their formula and see what happens....Paula These formats work and the last one is the easiest to do—simply copy and paste. I received it from Paula who is included in Part II Chapter 10. Creativeness The key is to be creative, For various reasons, my email may not be you. I’ve had lots of fun with simply being myself. Until you get the hang of having fun, create an email that you can copy and paste. Here’s one I had fun with. Her handle was Delinda123 and she lives in my home town. “There can't be 123 dlinda's, can there be? I've been gong to Brooklyn, Bay Head, Bridgewater, Princeton... to meet a possible match with a great smile like you have, but never to Middletown. And why not? We might just be neighbors. I'm tired of making life difficult, can we meet or talk? Maybe it doesn't have to be a distant thing unless you like guys from Brooklyn or Princeton? A little about me. I keep in great physical shape, was taking lessons at Fred Astair, am told that my photos don't do me justice, love to cook--make the best shrimp scampi in the country (my x taught me how to cook)-- have a business on Broad st in Red Bank, am a great listener, and have a great relationship with my X (in case you need a reference). If you'd like try a guy from Middletown, I'm Richard [email protected] [email protected] (if you reply, please send to both emails with match.com in the subject. I get hundreds of emails everyday and wouldn’t want to erase it by mistake. 908-625-XXXX (if I don't answer, please leave a message as I might be in Brooklyn or Princeton or most likely it's in my coat pocket and I can't find the damn thing in time to answer)” Truthfully, I don’t know why I didn’t get a response from this email unless I erased her response by accident thinking it was spam. But then in then there’s really no reason for a long email in the first place. Here’s another one: Hi Nurse, My brown eyes would love to gaze into your gorgeous brown eyes. They say the doorway to the soul is in the eyes. I am looking for that warm affectionate, caring, sensual person to mirror myself and keep the embers hot. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 26 And who knows what special finds we'll find at the flea markets in Hawaii (that is if you like to travel that far--otherwise the New Hope area). I really hope for an opportunity to be your XXXX in time, Again, don’t know why I didn’t get a response! Then there were two teachers and I emailed each the same : Hi (handle) If I brought you your favorite apple, could I be the teacher’s pet? I received one response out of two from this approach. Unfortunately, the one that I did receive discounted me when she learned that I had a 15 year old son even though I told her I was proud and honored to be his dad. Seems her two sons put her through some aggravation at that age and even though they were much older and now human, she had disconcerting memories. Here’s an email I received from a potential match—the one in Chapter II with whom I communicated and killed the deal: “I live in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. Read my profile, view my photograph, ponder and decide if you, too, think that we should respond. I look forward to your thoughts. (her handle)” It’s a perfect inquiry for a woman to write a man. However, I sent it to two potential matches and got back the “thanks, but no than you,” response. There’s there was a younger gal who was 10 yrs younger who had a child and who wanted someone who would bring flowers if for no other reason than to say, “I love you.” I knew that the age of her child had to be about the age of mine, so I wrote this email: ”You look and sound too good to be true. I like to bring flowers if for no other reason than to say, I appreciate you--you are special--I love you! I like to cook and I make best shrimp scampi in the county. I have a 15 yr young son whom I'm honored to have in my life. Anyway, before I write a book, take a look at my profile and see if there is a possibility. Chemistry--rather than an exothermic relationship, I'm looking for an endothermic relationship. I've have enough relationships with sparks that die after commitment. I'm looking for a relationship where it's built on friendship and companionship and then let the relationship ignite.” I received no response. I include these emails for both your amusement and as a boost to your creativity. Certainly, as I’ve demonstrated the ones that don’t work, you can save time and never be tempted to use them. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 27 CHAPTER V -- FREQUENTLY MADE MISTAKES AND RULES OF THUMB TO AVOID MAKING THEM Mistakes to avoid in getting to and in the next step—phone conversation. Don’t make it difficult for someone to reach you. I had connected with this woman who appeared to be beyond my wildest dreams. She told me she was starting to see some one and was flattered by my email. I emailed her back and mentioned I’d be in her area on Saturday on business (true, but you can create business as an excuse) and wanted to know if she’d like to meet for lunch. She emailed me back and said, “What the hell.” And she mentioned that she likes to talk first by phone. I was elated and emailed her my number and a list of times she could call me. I have a hands free thing in my car that is only like a speaker phone so I didn’t want her phoning me when I was with my son or on another date. She was going to phone me between 5 and 5:30 pm and then my 5:30pm date for the evening changed plans to meet a half hour earlier which meant I’d be in a restaurant with another date when she called. So I emailed a request for her to call me earlier at work. Well, she got put off by the whole mess and cancelled our lunch date which I had invested so much to get—guess she figured I was married or just too much trouble with which to communicate. The rule of thumb is to give them your cell phone or home phone. If a call comes in and you don’t recognize the number, press the ignore button” which will take it to voice mail. At home, if a call comes in and you’re not in a position to take the call, let it go to the answering machine. Everyone understands that telemarketers call all the time and it’s normal to ignore a call. Make sure the volume on your answering machine (if you don’t use voice mail is turned very low.) Actually, this isn’t all that important since everyone knows that you’re computer dating and it’s normal to get calls from your fishing expeditions. Everyone knows that to get one call you need to contact from 4-to-50 people. In the beginning, I’d be lucky to get one return in 50, with an improved new profile and photos in Chapter II and the e-mail in Part V, I get about one in six. In your emails, encourage them to leave a phone message; otherwise they will assume you’re too busy for them. After my phone number I write, “If I don’t answer, please leave a message as I often leave the phone in a pocket that I can’t get to in time to answer or I sometimes I leave it in another room” Don’t say that you may not be able to hear it unless you want them to suspect you have a hearing problem. And don’t suggest that you forget and leave it at the office unless you want them to question you as a candidate for Alzheimer’s. Another rule of thumb is to be enthusiastic and aggressive. Norma emailed me telling me she liked my profile and thought I was a good looking guy. I checked her profile and found neither a picture nor a profile and emailed her back asking why she was so secretive and requested a photo. She emailed me right away telling me her photo was coming. I checked again and found her profile up, but still not her photo and emailed back with the subject, “a little less secretive.” She replied never being defensive but simply explaining that she just found me on the site and then found that in order to communicate with me, she had to complete the profiles, send photos, and pay the fee. I was flattered knowing that someone went to all that trouble just because she was attracted to me. She was certainly aggressive and assertive and her photo was up within 24 hours of us beginning communication. Too bad she was a dog. Just © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 28 kidding. If I had her photo 24 hrs earlier, I’d have invited her to a concert that I ended up taking a “no where to go” date. Some things make no sense at all. For instance, you get a wink from an attractive person, email him or her back and get no response. It happens too often to take it personally. In the meantime, the person who contacted you has probably made a match. Sign off with class rule: You email someone and get a “thanks but I just started seeing someone and I’d like to see where it goes,” response. Email them back something like this, “It's my luck that the most beautiful woman on match just found someone else. Best to you and if for some reason, things don't work out, please email me at (your email address). Of if you’re a woman, “It’s my luck that the most handsome guy on match has just found someone else. Good luck and if for some reason things don’t work out please email me at (your email address).” Who knows he/she just might save your email and respond later on. In the mean time, it costs you nothing. A lady I met once met kept coming back into the picture. It was during my cocky phase when I thought I had already met my match only to find out later that I was dumped. Somehow the profile of this one woman seemed to place me on a less serious note. For some reason, I didn’t care about what I said and ended up teasing her about sex on the first interview at a restaurant. It always seemed to be a natural response to her comments. It was more of a one-ups man ship than a date. I laughed and laughed but at the end of the date, I didn’t feel that either of us was real—that we hid behind the jokes we made. She didn’t seem like my match as I couldn’t imagine going on another date and always being one up or one down. At that time I had some very serious dietary restrictions, which I shared with her on the first interview. She called me a day or so later—Saturday morning—around 9:00am when I like to sleep and read me what sounded like the riot act about laying my restrictions on her. She likes very nice restaurants (even that initial interview get to know you date cost me 70 whopping dollars as she chose the restaurant) and likes to travel and all I seemed to do was limit her. I gleaned from her what I could about my approach to my limitations and thought to myself I’d address the issue with others perhaps with more sensitivity. I figured I would never date her again as I got the impression that I’d have a hard time living up to her expectations. I even wondered if she were a gold digger. Afterwards strange things happened. We exchanged a few emails and tried to connect for a date. The weekend opened for her and then it closed and we ended up going out on a Monday evening. I was feeling under the weather, but kept my appointment with her. She told me she was meeting someone afterwards and I was relieved that it would be a short evening. I had no expectations other than to somehow suggest we remain friends. Neither of us tried to talk either of us into anything. We had fun, © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 29 shared common interests and I actually came away thinking of the possibility of a match with her. She has a very strong personality and if was hard for me to imagine she could ever be mush and I shared that. We discussed at some length some of her dates that seemed to go well but never advanced to the next stage—another date. I wondered if they sensed the same thing that I sensed, that they wondered if they could live up to her expectations. I certainly wondered if I could afford her tastes in dining, travel, and so on. I did manage to keep the second date to drinks which even still was around $40 with her exotic tastes in fine liquors. I asked for the receipt for the drinks and she wondered why. I shared with her that I was gathering information to make a cd on how to date on the Internet—didn’t know the answers yet, but was in the midst of learning. We exchanged ideas all evening long and she felt it be best done by a book. I couldn’t sleep when I got home so I began writing thinking that if she adds her ten pages to my ten pages and go from there we’d have a book. And I also thought that if we were also a match it will also have a success story behind it too. We communicated briefly by email, almost had another date, she developed the flu, and next thing I knew she dropped me the, “dear John,” email and I lost my collaborator and the ten pages I was hoping to receive from her. The separation rule: I must share this one. Had John known about it, he might have saved himself six weeks of aggravation, mental torment, sleepless nights and extreme worry! The rule goes like this: If you’re not yet divorced, do not publish your pictures. Don’t even think of it. Limit yourself to the search aspect of Internet dating. And when you send that special email, attach your photos—all of them. However, with match.com you can’t attach your photos to their email system, you will need to get his/her regular email to attach your photos. I learned this the hard way as I kept attaching photos to my emails only to have her tell me she wasn’t getting any photos. When I learned why after two or three attempts, I felt quite naïve and had lost the momentum in the relationship. It’s unlikely the other person will know why your photos aren’t coming through and they will begin to think you’re playing some insidious game to keep them from seeing your photos. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 30 CHAPTER VI -- FIRST PHONE CALL You want to remember to whom you gave your phone number so when you do receive the call, you’ll remember some of her profile and where she lives. It’s not a good idea to give your phone number to everyone you contact from an initial email. Only give out your phone number when they have emailed you back. Be cheerful and eager to receive their call. Option One—matter of fact: This is the matter-of-fact option. The option I’d rather avoid at all costs because it’s canned and what most women expect. In this option you want to learn as much as you can about the person and visa versa. Typical questions you might ask are how long they have been a member of the Internet service and how they are finding it. Of course you’ll want to know something about their status, divorced and how long, children, and grand children. Find out about their likes and dislikes, work they do. Be interested in getting to know them and then inform her that she sounds like a great person to get to know and ask her for coffee/tea/bite to eat. Avoid getting into detail about your past relationships—no need to complicate things with your baggage. Avoid talking about sex. Talk about the romantic things you like to do—romantic walks on the beach, candle lit dinners, bed and breakfasts, and romantic vacations… Option Two—fun option: In this option, you go for what David D’Angelo (dating guru) calls cocky and funny. Find something in their profile or one of their photos to tease them about. Be subtle. Avoid answering any factual questions without stretching the answer to the limit. Subscribe to his newsletter or buy his e-books or cd’s to get more creative ideas. From time to time, I’ll share some that I’ve used through out the remaining parts of this book. You can also save yourself some time and at the right time advance the conversation to the intimate by asking her what she misses in having a relationship. Tell her what you miss in not having a serious relationship—you know stuff like waking up with someone you care about. Having someone to hold close, hold hands with, dance in the kitchen with—be creative. If you do a good job here, you’ll end up having her share her fantasies and you might say, “You know, I already feel like I can tell you anything.” She will agree and then gradually move into having her imagine you’re there holding her and caressing her hair. If you can have her play this in her mind, reality is only a few steps away and familiarity is very high for when you meet her in person. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 31 CHAPTER VII -- FIRST MEETING—THE JOB INTERVIEW Your first meeting is like a job interview. You’re interviewing for the job of partner. Dress for the place you’re meeting. Generally choose an informal place to meet—coffee shop, pub, etc. I don’t suggest you take your date to dinner—could be an expensive way to find out there’s no chemistry. So, if she asks if you’d like to meet for dinner, simply be up front and say, “Let’s make it for coffee or drinks for our first meeting.” Or go for a pizza and beer. Your appearance: Let’s get real. Maureen met her match date at a diner for coffee and although she found him mentally stimulating, she just couldn’t get past his teeth—bad shape. And if that weren’t enough, he had a fat stomach, and if that weren’t enough, he said he spent a lot of time in the gym, and if that weren’t enough, he didn’t wear an undershirt so his big stomach stuck out. Come on guys and gals—get those teeth fixed. I’ve had at least two gals ask me about my teeth before we even met—its important! Each had met someone with bad teeth and that can really be a bad bad turnoff. Hey, if you have a fear of dentists, go to your yellow pages and look up a local hypnotist. Find one with experience in dealing with dental fears. Or contact the National Guild of Hypnotists [email protected]. I have all my dentistry work done free of Novocain or any anesthetic and I’m not what you call a hypnotic subject—it’s easy. I haven’t met any sloppy looking women, so maybe it’s more of a guy thing, but you wouldn’t dress in an unkempt fashion for a job interview, would you? Stupid question, sure some guys dress like slobs, let their hair and beard get long and snarly, and wonder why they are called losers and can’t get a decent job. Well, you won’t get a decent woman dressed like that either. You don’t have to be rich to dress decently. A pair of good fitting jeans, a shirt, and shoes that are not sloppy or dirty. Guys, shave yourself and wear something tantalizing. My favorites are Obsession and Nautica for men. Don’t smell yourself up like a French whore—just a dab on your neck, cheeks, the underside of each wrist, and a dab on your chest. If you get close for a hug, you want her to inhale deeply, wanting more as opposed to choking with being overwhelmed with your scent. Deodorant? This should not even be part of this discussion—it’s a given that you’ll wear deodorant, right? Chewing gum—simply distasteful and distracting. Smoking—not unless your date smokes and you’re meeting in a smoking lounge. Cussing—don’t think so, no matter how tempting. Dancing: When you go dancing, stand straight. If she’s shorter than you are, stand tall—don’t bend over her to reduce your height. Guys: Night Stands: Assuming you get the opportunity to get her into your bedroom do not leave: 1. Cut toe nails on your night stand. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 32 2. Vaseline or used tissues anywhere in sight. Fellows/Gals: Don’t wear clothing with any kind of stain. She was impeccably dressed except for the scarf which had what looked like water stains—so detracting. Flowers and Roses: Fellows the jury is out on flowers or roses. If you do, take only one flower or one rose. Greet her enthusiastically no matter what your initial response might be. Example, maybe she’s in a bad light and doesn’t immediately look attractive. The least amount of time you’re committed to is perhaps 15 minutes so you may as well be as well mannered as possible. Compliments? Genuinely compliment her clothes, hair, and so on. There are two types of compliments—personal and general. A rule of thumb is to avoid the personal compliments such as “Wow, you look hot.” “What a great body.” “You’re more attractive than I imagined.” “You look much better in person.” “You could pass for 35 year old.” (to a person who is in her 50’s this is a great compliment—otherwise stay away from it.). If any of this is true, then she’s probably up to her chin in these compliments from other guys so they don’t make you stand out in the crowd and they may actually do more to detract than benefit you. Instead say things like, “Really like your necklace.” “I love your smile.” “I’m glad you brought your smile with you.” “So you think we’ll be getting married?” Guess what, this is flirting and I’m getting comfortable doing it because I know this person wouldn’t be meeting me except to get to know me. And of course she wants to know what you like about her.” I met Jan and wasn’t immediately attracted. I greeted her warmly and we sat across the table from each other. She just wasn’t quite what I expected from her photograph. But as we got into conversation, I could see a beautiful smile and an attractiveness that grew on me. Read this Before Every Date: Conversation is much the same as your initial phone conversation. Do yourself a favor and read these paragraphs every time before that first date to keep your goals fresh in your mind. Again avoid talking about sex or placing any pressure on sex. Talk about the confusions of Internet dating. Find her interests and share your interests. Always avoid getting into detail about past relationships—you’ll give the impression of being stuck in the past. Talk about what you learned about yourself from past relationships and honor them. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 33 Ask her about what attracted her to your profile. Go ahead fish for a compliment. And embellish on it, “Oh, you like my short beard.” It opens up interesting discussion. Ask what she misses from not being in a serious relationship. Generally you will be sitting across from her. It’s not advisable to sit on the same side of the table or booth as it may be interpreted as crowding. Touch sparingly. Sometimes, women use touch to accent something they say. Avoid thinking that this is an open invitation to hold hands although you might use the same or similar gestures with your conversation. If she’s touching you, it’s a good sign, but not necessarily a green light for handholding. Go fishing! Fish for what makes her laugh or what she finds humorous and then get creative. Stretch the truth and tell her stories to see if she catches you exaggerating and then tell her you were teasing. If she asks you what you do for work, tell her some outlandish story of the most bizarre career you’ve ever heard about or seen or make one up. “I run the quality control lab for manufacturing women’s bras.” Or I manufacture coat hangers and toilet brushes.” Or I manufacture the flatulence devices you see in specialty shops—the biggest problem is quality control as we have this huge warehouse of them and they go off indiscriminately. … Get the picture? Then ask her what she does and offer a guess, “let me guess, you sell candy” or “you write poetry?” or… Touch her hand and if she responds by holding it, tell her, “no hand holding—we just met. And you’re not going to get me to go back to your house as I don’t know you well enough yet. This is some of David D’s stuff, you play a reverse role of the woman, confuse and tease her and who knows if you play it right she’ll want you to come back to her place. Whatever the result, avoid getting too presumptuous and falling in love right away. Women hate clingy dependent men. Cathy shared with me that she had been on the first date with this fellow and he was already talking about meeting her family, going on vacations with her. He was in instant love and ready to move in with her. Too much pressure!! Some women are looking for an indication that this is the right person. They feel that some electrical charge is going to flow up through their spine when they meet the “right” person. You can’t fight this. Maybe they are right and maybe they use that theory to keep from getting to know you or anyone for that matter. For example, Marty had been in a five-year relationship. They had discussed marriage and also had a couple separations during the time. Each time he left Marty, later on he begged to come back—so she says. She was open to marriage and he was resisting for whatever reason. Anyway they were simply having a normal wear and tear relationship moving towards working out their differences that could lead to marriage. And then he has a stroke at the young age of 50. Talk about a spin on things. Relationship stuff was out the window. The most Marty could do was to visit him in the hospital. Since they hadn’t “tied the knot,” Marty had absolutely no say in his treatment or treatment plans. She was reduced to a visitor. He ended up being institutionalized and severely paralyzed. Suddenly his tune about marriage changed and he wanted to marry her but for various reasons she had to come to grips of the situation and decided to move on toward a new relationship. Irony dishes out bitter sweet moments as whenever chance permits, he now begs for her to be his life-long companion. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 34 Does Marty have some guilt? Yes, there’s a part of her that accuses her of abandoning the relationship and since she’s also Jewish guilt is her middle name. So just maybe her guilt is standing in the way of letting her light bulb go off. What’s this got to do with you? Nothing, but then if you’re dating a “Marty,” you may want to get to know the specifics of her past relationship and ask her like I did, “Is it possible because you still feel some or a lot of guilt about abandoning the relationship that maybe you are unknowingly using that to keep from getting to know someone else or go on to a new relationship and instead of the light bulb thing, it’s an unconscious thing playing out in your mind? But that’s probably a poor approach to get results—better to turn it into something funny and tell her that she’s not your type—her feet are too big or something like that and play take away with her. At the time, I didn’t know to do that and Marty called me a week or so later to tell me that she met someone at her dance studio who “rang her bell.” It turned out he was also a match.com member. I wished her well. The Don’t take it Personally Rule: One very attractive gal, Linda, told me on the phone before I met her, “I’ve been a member for three months and met about 6 guys, I‘m beginning to wonder what’s wrong with me. Maybe I talk too much. I’m trying to shut up and not say so much. I talk to them on the phone or meet them and they don’t call me back.” I was wondering if she had issues that turned off the guys. I set up a time to meet her. She didn’t look like her photo, but then I was far from disappointed. Either way, she was physically an attractive woman. And I told her so. In fact she was the most attractive woman I met up to that point and I wondered why she only met half dozen guys in three months. We talked at length about her dilemma. She hasn’t gotten a lot of attention—not nearly as much as I’d think and even so, with the few guys she went out with, she discounted none and commented that after she left the initial date she’d be thinking about dating the guy, but then never heard back from any of them. I assured her nothing was wrong with her and that’s the way Internet dating is and made a second date with her right then and there for a movie. Only drawback was that we talked about one of her friend’s bout with cancer during our initial meeting and it was kind of a downer, but that’s life and I was looking forward to knowing more about her. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 35 CHAPTER VIII --YOUR FIRST DATE The Dinner Conspiracy? Dinner is an easy first date and every woman seems to like it. In fact, if you got the energy and your profile and photos are working for you, you can date two or three women each week. After my first four dinner dates, and I got the old, “I don’t think we’re a match,” I really began to wonder if it was a conspiracy by women to cut down on food expenses after all for about $30 a month for membership to the dating service, they could get hundreds of dollars worth of free dinners in a month. Truth is, if you’re dating several women at once, it can add up and it’s easy to feel taken advantage of if not get paranoid about it. In retrospect, my demise on those early dates was due to the fact that I talked too much about my last marriage—no one wants to meet you on the rebound. And I had zero dating skills—more about that later. The Alternative to Expensive Restaurant Dinners—a More Romantic Approach Until I stopped running my mouth about “Poor Me,” the alternative to going on expensive dinner dates was provided by my last marriage, where I learned to cook. My x-wife had to have me constantly help her in the kitchen to avoid feeling abandoned. Sounds funny, but I could be sitting 5 feet away and unless I was helping her, she’d feel abandoned. Guess you can figure out why that marriage didn’t work. Shrimp scampi was one of the many dishes. I learned to make. The amazing thing is that it is an easy dish, relatively inexpensive to make, and impresses most women. I’ve listed the recipe in Appendix A. As you read my emails, notice that I mention that I enjoy cooking and that I make a great shrimp scampi. And, when I meet someone for the first time, I mention my love for cooking as we talk about our interests. When we get around to talking about a first date, it usually involves dinner and maybe something else like a movie or dancing, or a jazz club. Movies are generally not the best thing on a first date. And if you do decide to break this rule, make sure the movie is an uplifter, not a downer as Million Dollar Baby— nothing worse than two people on their first date sitting there stunned at the end of the movie. Summary of my first date with Linda—I broke the movie rule and took her to see the Million Dollar Baby!!! I thought it was going to be an upper and instead it was a downer. The after movie drink and snack was very quiet in the aftermath of that depressed feeling from that serious movie. Remember she’s the woman who wonders why no one calls her back. Turns out she also has a very rigorous schedule and was only available one evening a week to date. So I wonder how often this limited availability hampered her dating. Most guys figure she’s too limiting and for that reason probably don’t call her back—not because she’s boring, ugly, a poor conversationalist or any of the things she might have been thinking. This experience provides us with: Two More Rules. Movie Rule—Avoid seeing a downer movie until after your relationship is solid—don’t break it!! . Availability rule!—be available—no one wants to be limited to only one particular night each week unless of course your schedules coincide. Other Alternatives to Expensive Dinners © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 36 Bottom line is that there are many things you can do instead of expensive dinners—go for pizza, a walk or jogging in the park, a picnic, ice cream, antiquing, a walk in an interesting shopping district, playing cards, dominoes, scrabble, a barbecue in your back yard, tennis, golfing, fishing, a boat ride (if you have a boat)… Since there’s usually a long wait on a Friday or Saturday evening for most restaurants, you can offer to be the “in house chef.” Jan didn’t accept that idea. She preferred a nice restaurant which I was familiar with near her home. I suggested picking her up at around 6:00pm to get to the restaurant by 6:15 and noted that we’d probably get a table by 7:45pm as there’s usually an hour or more wait. When she realized that I could make dinner and we could enjoy it, and clean up by 8:00pm it made perfect sense as it allowed us enough time to get to a jazz club that started at 9:00pm. We had time to do all that plus some bonus kissy face stuff before we left for the jazz club. My experience is that most women will usually offer to handle the salad or ask about supplying desert. In any event, it’s at most $15 for one pound of jumbo shrimp and you have dinner for two. I have an insulated picnic bag which I use to bring the shrimp and butter. A bag of reusable frozen ice-like material keeps the ingredients cold. Dinner at her home is definitely more intimate than dinner in a restaurant. Opportunities to dance with the music, take a romantic break while the rice is cooking. That’s another advantage to this dish—except for the rice--it takes very little time to prepare. The first thing you do is start the rice which takes about 45 minutes. It only takes 5 minutes to start the rice and then you have 30 minutes of “getting to know time.” If you’re lucky, you’ll end up making out—well that’s pretty fast. It happened to me twice—once with Jan and once with Ellen. We went to Ellen‘s living room for a pre-dinner drink, had a kiss, and the next thing I knew we were bare breasted kissing away. It seemed too good to be true and it was. She ended up being very religious, spent a lot of time trying to convert me to her religion, or at least for me to see my wayward ways and repent as she was sitting there bare breasted. Overall, it seemed that my purpose in life was to test her religious convictions and her religion won. Of course if I had repented, converted, and gone to church with her, we probably would have gotten married or maybe this is just a way she gets new parishioners. Back to reality, let’s start by touring the house, listening and dancing to some music, lighting some candles, and so on—plenty to do as the rice is cooking. And I’ll share with you the secret to perfect rice without a rice cooker or getting the rice burned to the bottom of the pot. Sure fire way to impress because very few people really know how to make perfect rice and it’s so easy. I’m getting ahead of myself. Not everyone will go for a first date at her home and you can understand why. So, avoid being attached to the idea of dinner at her home for the first date, acknowledge her concerns about having a stranger in her house and discuss restaurants along with the time to wait— unless they take reservations. Be glad to take her to a restaurant and suggest the shrimp scampi for the next date at her home. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 37 CHAPTER IX -- RULES OF INTIMACY & TIPS FOR WOMEN How to Avoid Intimacy Tip: If you’re concerned about intimacy too fast or don’t want to deal with the issue too early, use the old, “I have a cold” excuse. If you’re not sneezing and coughing, then make it a sore throat or the beginnings of the flu. Don’t make it sound deadly, just like distance is a good thing so he won’t contract the disease. Since getting over an infectious disease can take up to two or three weeks, you can use this excuse for quite some time. Without the intimacy issues, you can get to know the guy or visa versa if you’re a guy and don’t want women attacking you. But by the same token, without some sign of intimacy, he most likely won’t be back for a first date. Don’t wait for him to make any moves. He may be shy and have emails from three other women waiting at home, so touch his/her hand or when you’re in the car, touch his hand or knee and then move away. Avoid giving the impression that you’re untouchable. I may be stupid, but I always wonder how either person really knows at any given time whether there are possibilities. Think about it for a moment. Isn’t it like trying to predict the winner of a horse race or the winner of a foot ball game? Sure, near the end you can tell which ones most likely won’t win, but if it’s a close race or ball game, you just don’t know until the event is over. Yet so many pack it in too early when it comes to dating. It’s like the path of least resistance. It’s like we all have this shell about us and it started back in elementary school when we set up barriers to keep the bullies from making fun of us. You hear the, “let your hair down,” phrase. Well, I believe you really can’t know whether the relationship is a possibility until both parties have, “let their hair down.” Only then do you have an idea of who this person is. And it might not happen for a few dates. So, ladies, don’t expect he’s going to keep coming back if you haven’t let your hair down—more about this in the next chapter. Women often say, they want to be friends first. Well, excuse my French but ain’t that a crock of horse manure? How many friends end up going to bed together? Answer: only the ones that are married—and to other people. So, unless you have a long string of emails waiting for you and you want this guy back, you need to put the move on him and it doesn’t have to be anything outrageous. Classy Way to Put the Move on a Guy It was my third date with June in Brooklyn—a long trip with expensive tolls. She suggested that we go see the movie, Kinsey. Well, being it’s a movie about how people have sex, I could have jumped to false conclusions about that so I didn’t. So what did she do to put the move on me or let me know there’s a possibility of “us”? As we walked in the street she hooked her arm around mine—nothing radical. Doing that gave the feeling of us being together instead of two friends waking down the street. Think about it, friends don’t hold hands—they just don’t. Restaurant Seating Tip: If at all possible when you’re in a restaurant, direct him to get a table where you are not sitting across from each other, but instead on the adjacent sides of a table that could seat four. When you are talking and make a point or say something about him, touch his hand or his arm momentarily. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 38 Movie house tip: Intertwine his arm or hold his hand. Don’t sit there as two friends watching the show. Saying good night tip: If you don’t have anything that’s contagious, by all means, give him a kiss on the lips. Friends kiss on the cheek and he probably has all the friends he needs, unless you want to start paying the tab at the restaurant. Then he might hang around for a while. If any of these tips seem awkward, then close your eyes and practice visualizing you getting comfortable following through. But isn’t this being too forward? Maybe oral sex or going to bed right away could be deemed too forward, but not these elementary school nuances. And as far as that goes, if you both let your hair down—remember Einstein and the field of quantum physics says that in our quarky world, time is relative. So the right time is the time you make it with class—not according to some scheduled number of dates. So, yes, going to bed or having oral sex on the first date can be done with class and if you do it with class, he’ll be coming back for more for the rest of his life. Isn’t that what you want? So the skill is to let your hair down with class and not give the impression of being “trailer trash,” desperate, hard up, needy, or a loose woman. I can say, I’ve had the good fortune of being with a few classy ladies in my time, and if a guy can’t appreciate class, then he’s not worth it. You can’t change yourself for the world. Class doesn’t feel guilty. Nor does class get clingy or demanding. Class is independent and free spirited. But, fear keeps most women from developing class—fear that they will be perceived as “easy,” or “trailer trash,” or trying to “trap a man.” It’s these fears that run your life and cheat you from being “YOU!” Often some women indicate that they are classy by using the word classy in their contact name, “classy dame” or they will describe themselves as classy. My experience thus far is that generally these women think that their liking of culture and fashion makes them classy—not so! They may as well advertise themselves as “Expensive Tastes.” © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 39 CHAPTER X STEPS IN RELATIONSHIP Completing the Puzzle—Finding that Soul Mate First I liken finding the soul mate to fitting a piece in a 1,000 piece puzzle. So you’re already into your puzzle and looking for the right piece. No, you’re not 14 yrs old and haven’t started your puzzle. You’re into the puzzle. First you look for color and pick out all the piece of similar color. You search the internet and look for an appealing profile and photos—done! Now you look for the shape that you need and speak on the phone or do a series of emails and determine that this guy qualifies at this level. With the puzzle, you have perhaps a dozen different possibilities and now go on your first date. Yes, this guy definitely might fit, but “I want to get to know him first.” Why do you want to get to know him? One reason is that you want to do every thing you can to avoid people who are likely to change. Can a perfectly lovely person turn into a bitch or bastard? The answer is that anyone can—even you—Mr. or Ms. Perfect and there’s no way to tell until you’ve completed each of the four basic steps. Not that any of us want to be trolls or bitches, it’s just a chemical thing and you can’t really tell how you’ll react until you take the steps. Now there may be warning signs and whether you want to heed them or not is your choice. So the bitch or troll test has four real life parts. Step I—First Meeting The first change is when you meet someone. They react to you differently than they do to any other person, but since you have no previous experience with which to compare, you can’t tell what the change is. But you get a feeling. Joe met Jane. Jane talked incessantly about her family and their quirks, nuances and bored Joe to death. An easy decision for Joe to say good-bye. Now with someone else, Joe may be totally different. This doesn’t make Joe bad, just not a match with Jane. Jenn said, “I talked to this guy on the phone and he sounded really good. Then we met in person and he seemed to have this superior attitude—he really reminded me of my ex and was always telling me what I was doing wrong.” There you have it, Jenn didn’t feel good about herself during or after the date and that’s it—this piece won’t fit in the puzzle. In both cases, one or both of the two parties didn’t feel good about his or herself and that’s the relationship killer. Now assuming we have a match during and after the first date—both feel good about them selves, the next real juncture won’t come until after the next step. Assuming both parties feel good about themselves, then it’s onto the next step which is physical intimacy. No, I’m not saying, run home and take the puzzle to bed on the first date. Remember, you’re a member of an Internet dating service and you may have two or three pieces of the puzzle in your hand and eventually you may want to try all of them. And it’s possible that within another date or two, you’ll get a bad vibe thing and not feel good about yourself during or after the date. But generally there’s a three date thing. Try out the piece by the end of the third date or discard it. I mean if you take twenty dates before you try the piece, you’re simply delaying the inevitable and that is, “will you still respect me in the morning?” © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 40 No amount of dating—well maybe 50 dates will tell if you get someone to hang around that long and then the other party—usually he--is most likely to lose respect for you as he discovers that you really have a fear of intimacy and most likely will be a cold fish in bed. Truth is that no number of dates before sex will tell you whether there’s respect in the morning. It’s a risk and if respect is there, great, the piece fits pretty good and if it’s not, move on and try another piece rather than be attached to this one piece. Look at it this way ladies, the longer you take to try the piece in your puzzle, the more attached to the piece you will get and the more hurt you’ll be if it doesn’t fit. Step II—Three Date Rule The second change, if it occurs, generally comes with physical intimacy. I’m not talking about kissing and hugging and petting, I’m talking about having sex whether it’s love making or fucking, it doesn’t matter, a change occurs. This one you can see unless your head is up your ass and you’re so distracted with the relationship that you can’t be objective. Many often tease about this as they ask, “will you still respect me in the morning?” Only after sex, do you have the true opportunity to get to know this person. And you will only get to know him/her for the best or the worst. The worst being that he/she doesn’t respect you and never wants to see you again. When this occurs, most women assume it’s because they had sex too soon and were too desperate. Not necessarily the case. In fact, it’s usually because they have this immature Pollyanna approach to sex and make it an assumption of love. They believe that when they have sex, the give themselves—their all. To them it’s an investment and they hear church bells ringing. If they are in their 30’s they hear children laughing and playing in the yard. If they are in their late 40’s and 50’s, they still think they saved it for the right man. This approach by the woman is usually enough to cause any self respecting man to run as fast as he can for the front door and not come back. The other change is the best behavior. Both parties loosen up and begin to discover their relationship and sexuality. Sex usually isn’t the best the first time. In fact it may take several weeks to achieve a heightened sexual experience, unless of course either of them has a sexual problem with frigidity, impotence, or premature ejaculation in which case the other party has to take a look at the importance of sex in the relationship. What a kicker, you avoid physical intimacy with a guy for four months and then finally when you do, you find he’s impotent or suffers from premature ejaculation. Now, because he’s really a great guy, you have all this emotional attachment stuff that makes you feel guilty for wanting more in a relationship whereas if you had gotten this issue out of the way three months earlier, you’d be dating some other “great guy” by now and have it all. Along this note, the importance of sex varies dramatically from person to person—a match is someone who shares the same importance—that’s it—otherwise it’s not a match. There are some couples that have been married for 20 years and never consummated their marriage—never had sexual intimacy and most likely at the speed they are going (which is perfect for them), never will have sexual intimacy. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Then there are those who have sexual intimacy very rarely—like once every few months--and are very happy with each other. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 41 I think the important point here is that we’re each different and it’s ok to be whichever way we are. And it’s important to be open about our preferences to prospective matches instead of hoping they will read our minds and therefore share the same interests in intimacy because they have come to love us. Assuming there are no sexual problems, both parties then get to fulfill their sexual desires with each other. Is this the right person? How do I know this is the right person? Well, it’s a pretty much “wait and see” thing. Wait until he screws up the relationship with disrespect, or you find he is just a boring guy—all work and no play. Or he’s just not a personable guy, or doesn’t do well at all around your family or friends. Observe his tendencies when it comes to alcohol, gambling, drugs, love of pornography… Or wait until you get tired of having sex with her, or she screws it up by becoming too dependent, clingy, or possessive. Or either party becomes too controlling or drives the other nuts with compulsions. Notice that none of these issues have anything to do with having had sex other than that it’s simply the step after which the true self surfaces. It’s important to separate out the sex, avoid being attached to it, and look at the person objectively and make your choice to continue or discontinue the relationship. Don’t just stay in the relationship because you feel sex has a commitment with it. That’s your religion or impression of your religion making your choices for you. Now if you listen to women who date men in their 50’s, most are ready to compromise for non-fulfilling sex. They don’t expect that a guy in his 50’s is going to light the world on fire or make their vaginas sing. So women are more likely to stay in a relationship with less than great sex. Men who are free of sexual problems, on the other hand, are more likely to look for the vagina that makes their penis stand tall and feel like a man—fulfillment. What is a bitch of a problem is when a guy finds this with a woman who doesn’t mentally challenge or interest him. Here’s where a man is most likely to compromise. “Ok, she not the brightest bulb on the block, but her vagina is really hot.” Ideally, a man wants an intellectually stimulating person and a sex pot in the same woman. Well, sex pot may not be the best way of describing a talented vagina. A talented vagina knows how to pull a penis in and squeeze it at the right places to feel like the best massage you could ever have in such as way as to grow larger and larger to the point of explosion. A sex pot may not know how to do that. Ladies, Kiegel exercises are the answer—www.actionlove.com. Step III—Living Together So you’ve been in relationship, making love and you both feel good about yourselves when you are together and apart. If not, discard the relationship and move on. But assuming everything is great, the next step is when you move into together. Again, no matter what your relationship has been like up to now, you can not tell if we have a fit until you try living together. I can only say that a lot of therapists base their practices on interpersonal relationships. Again, if you both feel good about each other, you may want to move to the next step and again, no matter what has happened up to this point will determine the end result of the last step which is marriage. Before I go on, I must say that one of the things I learned from the est trainings is that More of Something is not always Better. For some it’s simply best to stay at this stage. In fact for some, this © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 42 stage is perfect and the next stage could for various insidious reasons end the relationship. Nevertheless, rings, and marriage vowels are the next step with or without church bells, ministers or priests, tuxedos… Step IV—Maybe Marriage? I repeat. No matter that you have lived together for 5 years, once that contract with the state has been signed—the marriage certificate—we have a new ball game. The last change that could occur is after marriage or commitment. Ideally, you don’t want any change at this juncture. You both are very happy with each other and like what you have. If you wanted change, you’d be back on match.com or some other dating service You ask, what can cause either step III or step IV to go awry? Many things: 1. One party begins taking the other for granted. 2. One party becomes clingy, jealous, or dependent. 3. Post traumatic stress disorders that bring out abandonment issues as in adult children of alcoholics. 4. Sloppiness and house keeping differences 5. Money differences 6. Self Worth Issues 7. Hell, this list can be endless and none of these issues might have been foreseen because one or both parties were in la la ga ga land and totally oblivious of the trees because of the forest. If you understand this puzzle analogy and it’s real easy, you can share it with your date and discover any fears she might have. My mother tells me that my step father said to her after they were married some time, “You’re still the same person.” I didn’t know what that meant until after I was two years into my third marriage and realized that not once, but all three times, my wives were not the same persons they were before we got married. You can be guaranteed that if you are either a man or woman and marry someone from a dysfunctional home such as alcoholism, you’re in for a change after marriage or commitment—a huge change. You may end up thinking you married someone with multiple personalities as it can be that dramatic when they might only be an “adult child.” Adult child is a term that is given to adults who grew up in a family with alcoholism and is the subject of many books. Knowing that many of the prospective matches you meet can harbor serious character flaws that could lead to disaster in relationship; you of course want to know what signs to look for which will be deferred to the section on subsequent dates and pre-talk. You can ask, so are you afraid of being intimate because you’re afraid that sex is all that I want and don’t have any real interest in you? But then again, this is the kind of game a nice guy plays and as David D says, “nice guys finish last.” If you manage your art of attraction as he coaches, you’ll never need to ask as woman about intimacy fears. But then while we’re handling this fear issue, it’s generally a trust issue. Most women are afraid of trusting. Yet, the example I heard Tony Robbins use is: If you’re driving on a curvy mountain road, do you trust the other drivers in the other lane to stay in the other lane? If you don’t you can’t drive on the road and never will get across the mountain. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 43 So as Dale Carnegie say’s in his book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, ask yourself what the worst possible outcome might be, accept it as possible and get on with life. Here the worst possible outcome is that the guy fooled you and just wanted to get laid. Big deal, you probably did it with your last husband hundreds of times and never enjoyed it. So What? You’re trying out the piece of the puzzle and if it doesn’t fit there are more pieces to try and you’ll hopefully have gotten a great lay and the bum out of your life. You’re testing him—not that he’s getting one over on you. It’s your choice. Here’s the kicker! He might set out to get one over on you and instead fall in love with you—don’t count on it. But, remember, no one can predict the outcome of the relationship until the step has been taken. And here’s another irony. Many women write in their profiles, “No players, please.” Is it possible that what they are really saying is that they only want to play by their rules and generally suffer from abandonment issues? They generally will want to date a person week upon week, month upon month before they trust someone well enough for intimacy. And the irony is that this is a player’s game because they make physical intimacy an issue. A Method of Discovery that Failed: Yes, if we could somehow magically find the ultimate answer before we went through all the steps. In my naïve way I tried to discover a way of finding out through e-mail the outcome of Step #I without taking the step of meeting the person—it failed---failed because there is no substitute for meeting the person. I could point out three or four places in the following emails that indicate we were not a match, but it’s only conjecture and the in person interview may have had a completely different outcome. I chose someone at some distance with whom to experiment since I figured she was too far away to see anyway. I’m including this series of emails for your amusement as here’ what not to do.. I replied to her initial email, which is in Chapter IV, with a few basic questions concerning her experience with match, where her freckles were located that she mentioned them in her profile, how she stayed so thin as her photo showed… Following is her response. “RE: Single I left my late ex-husband in 1985 Was able to obtain my divorce in 1990 RE: Match my daughters put me on when I broke my engagement...I have found it time consuming especially since I am back in graduate school...I graduate this May 19, 2005. I am thrilled. RE: Entertainment I performed and was a costume designer in major film and TV RE: Freckles at first I was startled with this question on my face and a little on my body RE: Thin working out and watching what I eat...it gets harder the older you become! Tell me about yourself and what you would like me to know...and so the getting to know you dance has begun.” Her last sentence told me what she expected—an email dance and since I’m into figuring out how to weed out the women I don’t want to waste valuable time getting to know only to find out they are really not a possible match, I replied with the following email which is the beginning of cutting through the chafe. At least that’s what I thought I was doing at the time, as I write later on, I ended up projecting my fears of relationship onto this woman thru the following emails. Hi (her name) © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 44 Dancing? who said that life is a dance? I guess getting to know another is a dance. There's the practical stuff and the intimate stuff. I just wonder what the chances of us (you and I) or is it (you and me)--never did get that right in English class--being a match. For that matter, the chances of anyone I or you communicate with or meet or date from the internet. What are the statistics? I've been a member since August and seem to get more confusion than clarity. Of course I'm new to dating so it may have nothing to do with match.com. Stuff about me. I guess I'll be up front with everything that can be a relationship killer--at least things that have killed the possibility of relationship in the last several months. First I have a 15 yr--going on 16 yr son whom I'm honored to have in my life. He lives with his mother a few miles from here and I hang out with him on alternate weekends and a couple times during the week. Several women I met didn't want a guy with a teenager which is OK with me. Secondly: I have food sensitivities and can't eat in most restaurants. So, instead of going out to restaurants (unless I'm familiar with them) I do a lot of cooking at my date's place--make the best shrimp scampi--among other dishes. Most women I've dated like this and yet one found it a terrible compromise since she likes fine dining and thought the chivalrous thing for me to do was have salads which I was more than willing to do. But then she found someone else who had no dietary restrictions. I don't seem to get the intimate thing right. It's confusing. Either I end up with a date who gets very familiar (sparks fly) right away and end up being a test for her religious convictions or a test for her abandonment thing, or I date week upon week without a kiss. So some see me as shy and others as aggressive. does that make sense? What I'd like to find in a woman is a person who doesn't believe she's giving herself with intimacy but one who simply believes she's sharing an experience. I had an 8 year relationship who I asked why she seemed so quick for physical intimacy say, "Once I meet someone, I won't go out with them unless, they are a candidate for physical intimacy (she used a different term)--so I don't go out with a lot of people. It's like desert after dinner--physical intimacy is a human need much like food and water. It's just that you can't live very long without food and water." Guess I've told you more than you might want to know, and you're in Princeton (a beautiful area) and a long distance from Middletown. I'd rather travel to Brooklyn (same distance and much more expensive w tolls) than to Princeton because there just aren't any great cross state roads nearby. So I'd rather put out all the possible relationship killers than keep them for surprise. Of course I never suspected that any of them could be a relationship killer--only going from recent experience. And you? anything you think could be a relationship killer? or did I do a great job of killing any potential relationship with you? It's OK, I've learned to not take anything personally--it's simply a matter of personal preferences which one is often allowed to have until relationship sometimes reaches a certain level and then suddenly, "If you loved me, you'd compromise." If I sound esoteric, it's because I listen to Wayne Dyer, Tony Robbins... and create my own programs www.DStressDoc.com (just one of several business interests). In fact, if I ever clear up my confusions and gain a better understanding of how this Internet dating works, I'll create a cd to go along with a book-maybe and e-book. My real daytime job is running a gutter cover business www.Waterloov.com. Long story, and my real background is in chemical engineering for 15 years and then 20 years running a stress management center (some overlap in time) and now 16 yrs in gutter covers (more lap in time). “ Since she lives some distance away, I thought this a great opportunity to experiment with a new approach that if effective may work well for more local endeavors—assuming she doesn’t steal my heart and my virginity. Another goal with this email was to avoid sounding desperate for relationship by being up front with potential relationship killers, yet not to sound nonchalant about it to the point where I could care less about starting a relationship. In retrospect, 6 months later, I’d not do it this way—too imposing and demanding. I would have simply been better to let distance be the problem factor and leave it at that. Tooting your horn: © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 45 Let’s face it, even though they probably won’t admit it, women like to be impressed and generally point out in their profiles that they are looking for a stable, secure person. Communication needs to address this without tooting or sounding egotistical or like you’re trying to impress your way into their panties. A challenge for me has always been to toot my horn without sounding like I’m tooting my horn. The last paragraph is one of my first attempts at a subtle toot. She wrote back and I was surprised. In retrospect, I’m amazed she ever followed up. The note I wrote is simply an exercise in vomit and made all the classical mistakes I could ever make. Just as well, I wasn’t really interested in traveling to Princeton, anyway. But even with all those bad mistakes, it still didn’t kill the deal. But the email I responded to with later on below did kill the deal dead. I include it for your amusement. It’s simply impractical to have a discussion about intimacy at this juncture. It would be nice to know that if I were going to drive to Princeton, I’d be rewarded with sex, but this wasn’t the right approach—better to read DiAngelo’s stuff. The goal is to make her feel better about herself rather than less which is what my emails did. Her first reply follows: “My Goodness...I simply am overwhelmed with your note. RE: Getting to know you dance: First of all my grandmother designed the original King and I...in the show their was a number called getting to know you and they danced...I guess that's where I got the statement of the getting to know you dance...in reality it is a dance, and people take turns...at times it can be a waltz, etc., enough about that. RE: Son How nice for you that you have a son so young and that you are able to spent time with him...more importantly that you want to. Far too often parents do not; adolescents can at best be challenging...I find it refreshing that you choose to spend time with him. RE: Food Allergies I believe that we all have them and some people do not recognize what they are and sadly suffer...I imagine, since you are a grown up you are able to figure out what you are allergic to and where you can go and not RE: Intimacy Good and lasting relationships are not built on intimacy solely...it is an integral part but not every thing...boundaries are important and need to be clearly defined from the beginning...you are right you cannot live without food and water RE: Distance I guess you said it all when you stated that you would much rather drive to Brooklyn even though it is the same distance and much more expensive...now that to me states that you are not interested. You are very correct...there are many preferences in life I guess that's why they have chocolate, vanilla and strawberry Am I correct? I am sorry for your confusion I do believe that we all experience this...any more questions? (Her Name)” And I returned this way out email to her which drove the nails in the coffin: HI (name) Any distance over a few miles is a problem and not insurmountable. From NJ, I had a relationship with a woman from Florida for 7 years and we ended up living together for 5 years. Based on your answer which leaves still a lot for interpretation, it seems that the potential relationship killer is intimacy. Please don't get the impression that the only thing I want in relationship is sex. I feel that friendship is important, common and different interests are important, common and separate friends are important, family is important, supporting each other in being the best we can each be is important, helping with household chores is important, saying, "I love you," often is important, mutual enrichment is important, feeling good about ourselves in the presence of each other is important, appreciation of each other (a mutual © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 46 admiration club) is important, and that without physical intimacy being equally important there is no real basis for continued relationship. Its one slice in "the" pie and "the" pie is incomplete without it or any of the other slices plus some I may not have thought of in the spur of the moment. That's just me being upfront. And I'm not saying that if something disastrous happened beyond our control that removed components of physical intimacy, that would kill the relationship. One can always be creative. However, I don't want to jump to conclusions. Princeton is not a relationship killer--I love the area and could get excited about it and it's more interesting than Brooklyn. I read an article a few years back about physical intimacy in relationship and was amazed to find that some marriages are never consummated and both parties are very happy for many many years. I think that's great for them, however, I place more value on physical intimacy. It's a slice in my pie. It's not that I need it to exist, I simply am interested in aligning myself with someone who has similar interests and based on your answer, I don't sense that it's a necessary slice in your pie which is OK for you, but not for me. Of course I meet women all the time my age who say that they expect that men our age are not as virile as we were when we were in our 30's or the equipment may not work, and I say, that's great that they are willing to compromise. Being that I haven't evolved into pure energy yet as I'd like to believe that one day as humans we can do that--I expect that not in my lifetime though, I'm still interested in finding a woman who honestly believes that physical intimacy is equally important to everything else in relationship and not a back seat to anything. And likewise not something that's negotiated or used to control. I don't have desert every day and I wouldn't want to live with someone who controlled or manipulated desert. I believe that being in relationship is an extension of self. And sometimes part of me wants to do something and sometimes the other part of me doesn't. I don't argue with myself. Unless I'm too stressed out, or have a headache, backache or something that is an extenuating circumstance, I flip a coin. Heads I do A, Tails, I do B. I think when two people in relationship have differences of preferences, unless there are extenuating circumstances I would do: A. what you want to do simply because you want to do it and I love you and it's not all that important to me. B. Flip the coin and let the coin decide in which case it's important to both of us and neither would suffer one way or the other. I would not want to meet you or anyone, bring you flowers, get you to love me and invest your energy and then tell you, by the way, I have some idiosyncrasies and they shouldn't be a problem since you love me so much. I know you're probably thinking, "wow, we haven't even met yet and this guy's really wants to know a lot." And why not? I've gone out with some women 6 or more dates and never talked about this stuff only to discover they were looking for something entirely different in relationship. Not that seeing them was a waste of time, and I'm not searching for plutonic friends. Richard Will I get a response from her other than, “Good luck buddy.” It’s doubtful. I probably pushed the envelop too far. Well, I got two responses, the first was within three hours: “I really do not have time to answer this presently but one should never assume anything...I simply think that this is inappropriate before I have even met you or know who you are...” The second was more detailed, “Thank you and good luck” She writes, “My land where does one start or does one. I find it interesting that from an email you have jumped to so many conclusions about me. Why I do not even know your last name and you know little or nothing about me. Seems to me that the only thing that is important to you is if I will jump or hop into the sack with you the moment I meet you. That simply will not happen. That in no way means that I am a cold fish, do not enjoy sex or any other nonsense that you have jumped to conclusions about. I must admit that you are on very shaky grounds with your demands and as I stated I do not know your last name. I am not certain that I am interested in finding out any more. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 47 It's really too bad as I am more than certain that I would not have disappointed you if the chemistry and personality match had been there. I guess we would never have know. My concern is who did this to you? There are and have never been any guarantees in life. I find it strange that you have no interest in who I am other than where I have freckles and how soon I will hop into the sack with you-really. I wish you the very best.” I find it amazing that she felt obligated to answer my lengthy email. I’d say that I got my answer. She may enjoy sex and she probably thinks she’s giving something when she does enjoy it. I imagine most would agree that I pushed the envelop with my email to her—very personal. Seems like I still need to perfect my email, although, she doesn’t have a sense of humor. What would you do if you received those emails—take them seriously or laugh at them or call the writer an A Hole? My final return email to her was, ”Thanks for you considered email. It seemed that you became more frustrated with me as you wrote your email. Anyway, my last name is Kuhns and I really liked your grandmother’s work. How did you know I wanted to jump into bed with you on the first date? Was it that obvious? I should have just said that, right? I was really hoping your freckles were on... Richard Did you see the Fockers? My middle name is A hole.” She didn’t reply to that email—guess she figured she had suffered enough although all she had to do was answer the basic question I had asked her and that was does she view intimacy as giving of herself or a sharing of experience. Hell, every internet dating profile asks questions about sexual preferences so what’s the big deal? I ended up being connected to one the other day that asked if while having sex if I look into my partner’s eyes, or connect emotionally, or…? So we’re adults, right? What I learned— don’t be obvious—it’s a game I need to learn to play. Specific words and techniques enable you to get beyond the bull—More about that later. Now you’d probably never be tempted to write such an email, but if you ever are—DON’T. Looking at this interchange in retrospect six months later, I realize that I projected a lot of my fears from my broken marriage onto an almost perfect stranger. I indeed felt manipulated sexually in my marriage and resented it. I’ve softened (no pun here) significantly from that point and have owned up to how I defined myself as a person then and came across as a single minded person. Most of us are in the dating thing because of a life crisis. We either divorced our spouses or they divorced us, or our spouse passed on. Of course there are always surrounding issues which make the situation a more stressful crisis. When I first separated from my wife (it was a mutual thing) I was so lost that I sometimes attended Ala-anon meetings just to be in the company of others and other times to discover what it was about me that attracted the alcoholic personality into my life—why I was a co dependent. I learned a lot, and still there are all the identity things as I had defined myself as a husband, companion, lover, step father, helper, and a hard worker. And sure we had stress and I felt manipulated and I never successfully dealt with those issues so with separation I lost wife, companion, lover, step children and my helper role. Sure there was a big world full of other women and I longed for one that would appreciate me the way I wanted to appreciate her but it took years to create my most recent definition (husband, companion, lover, step father, and helper), and I was in crisis by losing it. I was so fearful of being manipulated again sexually that I wanted an iron clad insurance policy before I’d invest time to meet someone new for fear of redefining myself again only to be manipulated again. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 48 And the irony is that even with my ex-wife, I could not tell or foresee the manipulation until after we had dated a year and were married. So when I’m focusing on sex, I’m totally missing the mark. It’s the other personality traits that give it away as I learned in Ala-anon—control, obsessive compulsive behaviors and manic behavior that is great until marriage after which time the depression sets in. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 49 CHAPTER XI -- GUY TIPS Shy guy tip: This same “I have a cold” excuse that women can use in Chapter IX is also great for the shy types who don’t know when to kiss or are afraid of being called aggressive. You know, you want to kiss her, but have forgotten the nuisances of the technique I share with you in the next section or just don’t know how to create or capture the moment and you don’t want to look stupid, or dumb, or inexperienced, or geekish. Again, the “I might be catching a cold,” removes all the pressure and you both have more time to get to know each other. Guaranteed Easy Way to Kiss and not get turned down ever tip! Early kissing rule for car ride: If you find yourself in your car with her on your first interview, date or second date—whenever the first time is—whenever you come to a red light assume one thing—she’s there because she wants to be there with you. So lean over and say, “time to steal a kiss,” and then do it—kiss her. Of course it helps to have this in your profile—“hopeless romantic that enjoys kissing at red lights.” Start with a gentle kiss and see where she takes it. If she’s excited she’ll want to do it again and again— don’t do it. Put a limit on your kisses and say, “that’s it—no more kisses.” And then add, “Until we get (to your destination).” Caution, let her involve the tongue—not you. She will say, “You really are a romantic!” This is most often welcomed as women like a guy who takes a creative lead, you might then ask her if she’s the touchy feely type and if she responds, “yes,” or with a hint of being feely, then caress her hand as you drive and if she goes to hold your hand, say, “I don’t know you well enough to hold hands—too early,” and take away your hand. Then as you continue talking, repeat the whole thing again. Give and then take away. Then say, “maybe by the time we get to the next corner, we’ll know each other enough at which point you begin hand holding. Let the relationship progress step by step this way always giving and taking away, and being unpredictable. Then if you find she’s nonresponsive, you’ll need to explore other avenues and instead tease her about being cold and non-responsive. “Did you say your middle name is “fish”? Let her get all defensive and tell her how her lip crinkles when she’s defensive or her nose twitches. Tell her that you know she wants to get you home to her house and that you don’t go home with a fish. Elaborate and have fun. When to risk the relationship: If you find that you’re on your third or fourth date and touching (hand holding or touching her hands) is not returned, then you really need some help—you didn’t read the previous chapter and probably should punt and go home. Of course you could be corny and ask what’s she’s looking for in a relationship-- for hand holding is definitely something you do on the first date. I mean, after all, you’ve both advertised you’re looking for romance, met, and agreed to go out. So, if it’s not happening, you may want to ask something like this, “If you were to look into a crystal ball, how do you see our relationship progressing or what you are looking for in our relationship?” You may as well get the rejection and get on with life. I had dated Alice for about 6 weeks several months before I joined Internet dating. She was that one person I’d meet on my own in a year. We had dinner several times, went to a Craft Fair, and spent © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 50 several evenings watching dvds at her home and enjoying ice cream for desert. She was very willing to let me massage her feet and her leg muscles, but I didn’t get any feedback signs to go further. As I got to know her, she seemed to want a relationship and also afraid of relationship. For me, the most I’d get was a peck on the cheek to say, “Hello,” or “Good Night.” She was distant physically so I asked her how she felt about physical intimacy. She acknowledged that she was physically distant and went into a long discussion about how her vagina is built as to cause pain during intercourse. It was actually more information than I wanted. Nevertheless, I had two negatives: 1. She was afraid of relationship and 2. For her sex equals pain. So I stopped calling her and we drifted apart. Then 6 months later she called me to inform me she was taking a Tony Robbins program and was confronting her fears, one of them being fear of relationship. I thought momentarily that she was calling me to tell me this because she wanted to use me to confront her fears of relationship so I played along with her. Our first date was to some health spoof which turned out to be quite a boring presentation. After the meeting was over, she hung around a long time and wasted a lot of my time. My impression was that it was selfish on her part. Then she called me the following Friday evening and invited herself to my house and helped me eat the shrimp scampi that I had made for dinner. She stayed a long time during which time I massaged her feet, legs, and back. She never responded by any reciprocating touch or sounds of pleasure, and then I had fun discussing my boundaries. It was the most forward I had been with her. Touching her hair and shoulders was ok, but I couldn’t get too close to her breasts. She began talking about diet and noted that when she’s on greens to boost alkalinity in her body, it causes her condition of herpes simplex to activate. Again, more information than I wanted. Why was she telling me this? I inquired as to whether it was the herpes mouth sore or the sexual type and she confirmed the latter. I was glad no feathers were floating by as I would have been knocked over. I’m a blood donor and the last I heard about herpes was 15 yrs ago—it was the baddest bad thing that could happen prior to AIDS. I didn’t pursue the subject—just was stunned as to why she was sharing all this information. Was it because she wanted to confront her fears and expand our relationship? I didn’t ask! The next day I searched the subject on the Internet and found that there are modern day anti viral drugs, but if there’s a break out, it’s still contagious which would mean sex with condoms which I hate passionately or risk losing my ability to donate blood and maybe make myself a slave to the disease. And then I saw the new commercials on TV which indicate that herpes can be transferred even without the symptoms being present. The next night I took her to a concert. I didn’t receive any relationship vibes and wondered if she was just using me for companionship with me footing the bill so I asked her what she saw in the crystal ball re our relationship—what she wanted from it. It’s better to be up front than mamby pamby around for another 6 dates only to find out what she told me, “I feel kind of pressured.” Hell, there’s nothing about how the question was asked that is pressuring in nature. After her himming and hawing—I stayed perfectly quiet—I didn’t bail her out of her squirming while she was thinking. She © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 51 went on to say, “right now in my life, the most important thing is my job and getting my finances together.” After two minutes of explanation of her goals there was nothing mentioned of what she was looking for in a relationship with or without me. For me, her answer was perfect, I wasn’t getting any vibs or signals from her, she was simply happy for me to take her to dinner and concerts for something to do. I was looking for more than for a friend to pay the way for so I never called her again and went back home to check my match.com emails. Normally, this would have been slightly crushing to my ego since we had been out together several times, but it was ok for her to have a different agenda than mine and I had no need to take it personally. Of course, if I were simply depending on my skill to meet someone (one a year on my own) I would have been devastated and worse yet might have hung in there hoping she would eventually want more from our relationship. In retrospect, had I met her on match.com, I doubt that we would have gone past the third date—just too many winks and emails waiting for me. I’m not saying this to impress you with my good looks or anything like that, I’m simply saying this to impress upon you that match.com brings a totally different approach to dating and possibilities for dozens of potential matches instead of a few that you might meet on your own in your own lifetime. The bottom line was that my inexperience was to blame for stretching out the inevitable, “good bye.” I took to long to cut to the chase and if you need help cutting to the chase, may I again recommend that you get help from someone such as David DeAngelo" at www.doubleyourdating.com. You’re probably being too much of a nice guy like I was and still can be if I don’t stay on track. Rule of sex talk: John’s pathetic story isn’t over yet. His new complications affected his psyche. He began to wonder if he could imagine himself sexually with another woman. He described his sexual experiences with his wife very unique and even though he enjoyed it immensely, he realized he had been trained for the last seven years to have sex one certain way and he wondered if he could have sex in a more traditional way. It was highly unlikely that he’d ever meet a woman that preferred sex the way his wife did. He met Rachael and on their first real date (subsequent to the interview) they had a steamy date. They were kissing and necking pretty heavy. She let it be known that there were set limits with the promise of more intimacy in future dates. John thought he found an open, warm and understanding person and began sharing some of the details of his style of the last seven years in hopes of her not being put off if things didn’t operate as he hoped. In other words, he was concerned that he might not stay erect and she’d take it personally. He explained how in his past relationship he would lose his erection at the point of excitement so they could make love for hours—always driving to the point of excitement and then he’d stop as his wife would climax multiple times. He said that at first Rachel seemed to be very understanding and told him that she likes to give as much as she gets, but as he continued, she became distant, and later on the next morning he received the, “Thank you, but you’re more of a challenge than I was looking for.” © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 52 John noted that events just happened in the wrong order for him for the following day he saw the movie—the Kinsey Report—and had all his concerns answered. Too bad he hadn’t had the events in reverse order. More about this later. Rule of Thumb: Don’t share anything about previous sexual experiences or quirks with past relationships. If you have any concerns about your ability to experience a pleasurable sexual happening, talk to a therapist or go see the movie titled, The Kinsey Report. Sharing intimate details of a past relationship can only hurt your chances. Remember, there are up to 20 matches a day being sent to the person you’re dating. Rules of Past Relationship Talk. You’re no longer in that past relationship. Here’s the healthy way of looking at it whether the demise of your marriage is your fault or hers--it’s over it’s immaterial. You cherish the good times and learn from the mistakes. Avoid getting into a lot of who said whats and what went wrongs. It’s history—the game is over and you’re in a new game. Answer any questions about the relationship with brevity and let the person know that it’s history and if it could have worked, you wouldn’t be here now. If you feel that the person is not wanting to let go and wants to hear your story (maybe she’s putting herself in you wife’s place) simply tell her that you both made errors, the differences could not be reconciled and you are both moving on and simply hoping to learn from your mistakes. Meryl Shain in her book, Some Men are More Perfect than Others states that a second marriage a success means that the first marriage was a success—a great point to remember. Take charge rule: Women like men who take charge, make plans and are confident. So take charge, make plans and act confident. Confidence is something you acquire by acting confident in a particular situation. Need help, click here? The doubt rule: Bottle of wine—if in doubt after three or four dates, suggest a bottle of wine or bubbly at her place. If she doesn’t open up, then you might consider looking for another match. Hot Dates: I’ve found that hot dates are not as rare as I anticipated. I cooked dinner for Jan at her place. We ate my infamous shrimp scampi, went to a jazz club, returned to her place and began dancing in her living room and shortly were French kissing on her couch. We ended up swapping tongue and lots of spit and she tells me that she generally goes to bed too soon with guys and wants to slow down as her last relationship was abusive. OK, she now has a 90 day rule and wants to know me 90 days before she jumps into bed with me. She also asked me if I had ever done any jail time which told me the type of guy she usually attracts. So, we’re friends, right? Then why does she begin to get possessive and talk like I’m the only one she’s dating and begins calling me during the day when I’m in meetings at work? In fact, it’s ironic that of the two dozen or so women I dated in my one year of membership, she’s the only one who called me during work hours. Abandonment issues? She had also told me she had a history of alcoholism, attended AA, and had been dry for many years. I don’t hold one’s past against them so I dated her and when the clingy issues came forth, I understood the origin and knew it was not a good relationship to pursue. If you have © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 53 any experience with alcoholism, you’re aware of the terrible abandonment issues that can suffocate a relationship. I only mention Jan because her rule was a double edged sword for her. Back to rules of intimacy—this was just the weirdest one, but then they can all be weird when you dissect them. So I respected Jan’s desires and the following week at the end of our next date we began kissing and before I knew it, we got into some breasts touching at which she kinda sobered up (not that she had anything to drink). But she decided to stop the physical intimacy stuff which took me by surprise and then tells me she has a relationship coach and that it was the relationship coach’s idea that she put off going to bed for 90 days. The coach felt that jumping into bed too fast clouds her judgment and taking that time would be important for her. Talk about a damper. We had a third date, met at a restaurant, and talked a lot about her 90 day rule. She noted how I was aggressive, and touched her breasts without her permission. I asked if it was a problem and she said that it wasn’t. She invited me back to her place for some couch time, as she calls it. I was a bit confused wondering whether she wanted a wrestling match or if she decided she wanted to go to bed. As we were walking out the restaurant, she felt compelled to let me know that there would be no sex. I didn’t reply and as we were walking in the parking lot, I said, “I don’t want to place either of us in a position where we won’t feel good a about ourselves and suggested we each skip the couch thing and go home to our respective homes. It took her by surprise for a moment later, she asked if I was following her and I again told her that it’s better if we don’t tease each other so we can both wake up feeling good about ourselves. As I drove home I came t o realize that going to bed on the first date wasn’t really her problem and that she as well as my religious friend placed too much emphasis on the physical aspects of sex. Once they give up their intimacy they probably get possessive, demanding, dependent, jealous, and latch onto you like a leech. I am certain I could have used some of David D’Angelo’s advice with some cocky and funny stuff and ended up taking her to bed and yet, I’m glad I didn’t because she was the clingy dependent type. It’s amazing; on one end of the spectrum there are women who star in porno films with no attachment. And on that same end of the spectrum are whores who do it for money. And on the other end of the spectrum are women who believe that love making means marriage. Unless you too are on either end of the spectrum, the best women to date are in the middle of the spectrum. Fortunately, over the years, I’ve been with some women with healthy attitudes as I shared in Chapter III and told it to Jan. She really had difficulty relating dinner with sex—she clearly attaches having sex to the guy and gets addicted. Her relationship sponsor should have suggested indiscriminate sex (of course safe sex) with different partners—to practice connection without addiction. Her addiction probably makes her desperate and highly dependent on her lover and he probably resents her dependence on him and pushes her away with verbal abuse. Rules of Intimacy and its Confusion: © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 54 Everybody has rules and generally they were set up many years ago before internet dating began. The point is that the rules that worked before Internet dating might not work with Internet dating. For instance, after our first date, Jan immediately took herself off the service, after all, I asked her for a second date and her rule was to pursue only one person at a time which by the way was not my rule-three dates later our relationship was over. I met Alice who claimed to be very open-minded and shared a little bit about Jan’s limitation of only seeing one person at a time. We talked about the reality of the “grass is greener” trap and how many Internet daters are on a first or an early date thinking that there is or shortly will be an email from someone who is even better when they get home. I then asked Alice what her rules of dating were regarding how many men she would date at the same time. We agreed that with Internet dating it’s hard to tell when you’re really dating; it’s more likely you’re seeing friends so the question is how many friends would you see at once (not all together at once in the same room), or what would determine when she only wanted to pursue one man. She answered that it would be when she became physically intimate. I left it at that and wondered afterwards, “What defines physical intimacy?” What Defines Physical Intimacy? Is this a stupid question? I can imagine Andy Rooney asking these questions—he like irony. Is physical intimacy defined by a kiss? I doubt it! Is it defined by more involved kissing like swapping tongues and spit? That seems physically intimate to me, but based on my experience, I don’t believe it qualifies for most women as physical intimacy. So is it being bare breasted together? Well, maybe. But then based on my experience with Jan, I don’t think it is what she meant by being physically intimate. But by the same token, I can’t imagine myself walking up to an attractive lady at a party, unbuttoning her blouse, and then kissing her breasts. That really seems physically intimate to me. But I don’t believe it still applies in the context of dating as being physically intimate. Well, let’s continue with our imaginations and questions. Is being physically intimate if we drop trowel and touch each other’s genitalia? Maybe we’re getting close, but is that what she meant by being physically intimate? Well, is it oral sex that makes the difference? I think we’re getting close, but maybe no cigar (the Clinton pun—he was a great president in spite of Monica). Is it if we have our sexual organs touch each other? Hard to stop there—no pun intended. Or is it with penetration? But then, is it intimacy if we use condoms? We’re not really touching right? That’s no more than mutual masturbation, right? Well, I think we’ve crossed some lines, but then with some other more progressive thinkers we haven’t reached their definition of physical intimacy until we do sex “bare backed” so to speak. Well, is that it? Barebacked unprotected sex is crossing the line? Is that physical intimacy? Doing that one time? Are we dating now? Or was it a one night stand? Or is intimacy having sex more than one time? Does the position define it? Must the lights be on? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 55 How about if we don’t kiss as we have sex—just fuck? Is that physical intimacy? Maybe we need emotional intimacy too like looking into our lover’s eyes and kissing as we have sex to qualify for intimacy. Now, does this mean we’re hooked into this person, and for how long? Shall we ask Jessica of Sex in the City when we’re really dating and what constitutes physical intimacy and does that define dating? Am I through with this intimacy thing? Maybe we’re just getting started. We’re looking for a line to cross that says we’re only going to date one person. Suppose we don’t like the sex? Are we going to compromise just because we took our pants down with this one particular person? Suppose our dates were reversed time wise and we had this date with one of the other people who we were seeing? What is this, the first one to the cherry wins? I’m not saying we should run around having sex with many different people, but then if we’re certain there’s no disease issue, why not? This thinking makes a lot of people uncomfortable, but then how comfortable is it to really answer the line of questions in the proceeding chapters? Maybe because it’s we can’t multitask? Maybe it’s because we get attached mentally with sex? Multitasking One additional point: Multitask? How about married women who have affairs? Suddenly when they are single, they can’t multitask? The Hite report finds that 72% of men married for over two years have affairs with another woman. The point being is that for every man having an affair, there’s a woman involved. Are we to believe women are so limited in their thinking that in one instance they’re capable of multitasking and in another (when they are single) they are not? Not to say that only married women have affairs with married men, lot’s of single women do and they unfortunately fixate on that person with whom they are having an affair expecting he’s eventually going to leave his wife for her. And what is the estimate for married women—it’s estimated that 40% of all married women have affairs. And 100% of the women I’ve met say that they can not be intimate with more than one man at a time? Hey, do we have a case of denial? At least men can generally admit they are sexually attracted to more than one woman at a time. Whatever your answers, be ready for internet dating to challenge your rules and you should be willing to challenge them yourself—make your rules flexible and have them work for you instead of against you. Men from Mars and Women from Venus? It’s true, men and women want the same thing, but think differently. Look at the profiles of women. A majority—at least in the 45+ age group-- point out that they are looking for their soul mate—the one man to finish their lives with—the final commitment—the final frontier. How many men point out that they are looking for the same. Sure, I put it in my profile because I knew that I was speaking the language of women. But men are looking for trying things out and that means some physical intimacy in the form of sex. DeAngelo in his e-book points out that women are into soap operas and the idea of romance as in atmosphere, flowers, looking good together, whereas men are into doing it. Hey, doesn’t romance lead to doing it? You end up with two people wanting the same thing but how they go about it is totally different. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 56 Many women hold out on the intimacy thing thinking that maybe if he gets to know me for me, then, sex won’t matter. Maybe for Winston Churchill it no longer matters, but why do women think men take Viagara? Getting to know you is where we have the Mars/Venus problem. The guy thinks the bedroom is a great place to get to know the woman and the woman thinks romantic walks, candle lit dinners is the place to get to know the guy. The beauty is that both can have what they want when both understand the “stepto-step”dynamics. Advancement from step-to-step only takes place, let me correct that, should only take place if during and after we have contact that we each feel good about ourselves during and after contact. This is where dating gurus suggests techniques to take the pressure off of physical intimacy, yet move both parties toward physical intimacy without it being an issue. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 57 CHAPTER XII -- THE GRASS IS GREENER ADDICTION Option Shopping It’s easy to get addicted to finding that greener grass. And there’s plenty justification too. Only in the old days would a gal like Ginger Rogers be dating two guys with both vying for her affections. Then for the last 40 years it was more like a one horse buggy. People generally only dated one person at a time. And whamo, Internet dating can mean that the person you’re dating is dating two or three or always on the look out for greener grass—option shopping. It brings new meaning to the word, “uncertainty.” And uncertainty is one hell of a stressor because it is a low level stressor 24 hours a day, 30 or so days a month until it’s resolved. What this means is that you just never know when the plug gets pulled and you get an email like this. Hello I'm sorry but I will have to pull the plug. The relationship is not going to work for me. Thank you for everything. I guess I'm not so special. (their handle) Remember John the newly divorced fellow? What happened with John? Six weeks after it all started and a couple sessions with his therapist, he got his head back on straight! He realized that even though he understood his wife, it was no excuse for a poor marriage they shared. He began remembering the “silent treatments” he got when he came home night after night from work. He remembered the, “we just had sex last week” turn offs she gave him. He remembered her always fighting with her kids and nothing ever being good enough at home. He remembered all the reasons why they were getting divorced and was glad to be Internet dating. Roslyn was is a relationship for eight months, had suspended her membership to the dating service, and then was told by her lover that he’s responding to emails from the dating service. She had assumed that he had suspended his membership too. Needless to say, she was quite taken by surprise. Is this the new way of saying, “I need more than you can give me?” or is this another way of saying, “I’m checking to see if the grass is greener?” or is it simply a way of announcing that we should be moving on? Or is it simply to be accepted as the norm that we want more than one sexual partner at a time and somehow that because of how Internet dating is done, it forces that upon us or simply makes it easier to contemplate than ever before? Roslyn retaliated by reactivating her account, responding to another guy’s email whom after only two dates she really liked, and then said good-bye to her lover. Now if you’re like Roslyn and had thought you were in a relationship and suspended your membership, you may not pick up and go on so easily, you may be in a period of mourning for maybe a month or so before you got any new action going. If however, you kept your options open, you still have lots of opportunity in the fourth quarter to win the game. Each of us has to wrestle with our beliefs, moral codes, and the reality of dating at the speed of light to know what’s right for each of us. And it’s important to take a look where our beliefs come from regarding polygamy. Limitations Imposed by Church and Sin I invited a gal I was dating to play cards with me, my son and my mother. My mother knew that I was dating a woman in Brooklyn, so rather than surprise my mother with a new girl friend and have her say something to mess things up my new friend; I told her that we’d be playing with another girlfriend. She said to me, “Another girl friend, are you crazy?” Wow, that was blunt. No wonder I have some guilt for © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 58 dating more than one person. And there’s all that religious stuff with which we get indoctrinated from childhood. The Catholic Church made it a sin to have more than one wife. It was one of the means the church used to control their subjects. The church also introduced flogging to punish sinners. The church gave new definition to the word “sin”. Originally, it was a term which applied to archery and the bible spoke of it as, “the wages of sin is death.” Remember in biblical times, the bow and arrow and cross bow were the weapons of choice. In the context it was used, it meant that if you shot your arrow and missed your foe, he had one coming at you. So to sin is to miss your mark—your target. The church made it into damnation into hell and set it up that only a priest of the church could forgive you and keep you from going to hell. So will you go to hell if you have relations with more than one person? Go figure for yourself. So pulling your membership or suspending your membership is best a joint effort rather than left for only one of the two parties to do. I guess it’s the equivalent of “going steady.” You come to an agreement that it’s best for both of you and you agree only to date each other. But for some this is difficult because they think it like they can only have Nestles Crunch and never any other type of candy even though other candy is constantly tempting them. Remember, the drawback with Internet dating is that any date can easily be the last date. The person you’re with may well have another date later on that evening or the next evening. The abundance trap can easily run and perhaps ruin your experience. But do take consolation in no matter if sometimes it seems like “when it rains, it pours,” and everyone you thought had possibilities, emails you the “dear John,” and you’re feeling blue, down and depressed, you’ll have new matches in the morning and one just might be the right one for you. It’s like the sunrise starting a new day. I often found that dates in general are guarded. They are less likely to “let their hair” down for several dates. They are looking to get to know you before they leap. And since most have already been burned by a sour relationship, they are rightfully cautious and so should you be too. This is just another reason to develop and hone your skills in developing the art of attraction as D’Angelo calls it. Karen called me to introduce herself. I remember the conversation as being from a desperate hurt woman. It seemed that Karen’s life has been turned upside down with some kind of accident that has left her unemployed and with little money. I felt a lot of sympathy but had difficulty understanding how I could consider relationship unless I wanted to be in a “fix her” role in which I had just ended a relationship of 7 years because he couldn’t fix my wife. Surely Karen had great needs and I just didn’t want to put myself in that position of fixing again. Saying good bye: Many hate to be in the position to say good bye and in fact I imagine some don’t even join an Internet service because they feel uncomfortable saying “good-bye,” but it’s a fact of life. If you don’t know what to say, here’s an example of one that I received from an expert. You can glean from it what you like and use it accordingly. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 59 Dear Richard, “It is with heavy heart that I write this as I must cancel our plans for tomorrow. I was out last night with someone whom I have been dating for a little while. We talked and have decided to pursue our relationship on an exclusive basis to see if the potential we feel can be realized. You are a special man and I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together. If things do not work out, I would like to call you again to see if you are still available for dating. In the meantime, I wish you all the best of luck in your search for a partner. “ A bit melodramatic--I could see her heart dropping to the floor, but nonetheless it’s thoughtful and a good way of keeping the door ajar for future possibilities. Reality of Confusions: I must admit that sometimes I had gotten disappointed and confused to the point that I felt helpless. I had been seeing a fantastic person in Brooklyn for about eight months and wasn’t’ sure if she was the “one.” Except for a week’s vacation that we spent together, whenever I was with her for more than two days, I seemed to lose interest. And then I realized that it was mainly if she had to go to work the next day, she got stressed out and withdrew herself from me. In the beginning of that relationship I had to mentally fight myself about things that physically reminded me of a relationship I had twenty year ago where I felt the woman was living in a Pollyanna world. It’s amazing how a distasteful feeling can get transferred to someone else simply because he/she looks physically similar. Fortunately, I got beyond that and was able to know her for her unique gorgeous self. She often told me that “I was too good to be true,” but when I wasn’t with her (most of the week since she lives an hour away in Brooklyn) I forgot what it felt like to love her. Sexually, she was far more responsive than my ex was and didn’t use sex to manipulate me as my ex-wife did. But, sex with my exwife (when we did it took me to new heights of fulfillment which I did miss and never found with her). Since we hadn’t talked about exclusivity or commitment, I dated other women to see if I could find the magic sex in a relationship, or if my appreciation and love for this person would grow to the point I only wanted to be with her. But, her plans to retire were not for another six more years and our relationship was at that time limited to one or two dates a week. It seemed that I was asking for myself to get confused, for what would happen if I fall in love with another woman? During this time I went out with other women thinking that if I got intimate with someone else, I could just enjoy it and it didn’t have to go anywhere unless it were that magic for which I was searching, otherwise I was just completing research of developing intimacy skills. So I’d go out with other women two or three times with each and I’d find no intimacy and what was even more confusing—many times there was no desire for intimacy on my part. To me it just seemed overwhelming to get to know someone else and play the game again. At which time I’d be so thankful for the Brooklyn relationship, but also wondering whether it was me or are women in their 50’s very guarded. Maybe it was that I was still dealing with my own life-crisis and didn’t have my “inner game” together. It’s ironic; I was re publishing from cassette to cd the Over Come Life Crisis Program during this time. It took at least four rewrites spanning a complete year to finally produce. I joke about it by saying that I had to go through a life crisis to get it right and the reality is that © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 60 there’s a lot of truth in that statement as I know it now contains the most advanced and effecting thinking on the planet for getting one’s inner game together (starting with my own that got lost from my recent divorce). Appendix C or you can go to the website by clicking here that contains a listing of all the cd’s I’ve created over the years for dealing with and getting one’s inner game together. Back to my dating experiences: If you’re a woman reading this, you’re probably thinking, “You pig!” And if you’re a guy, you’re probably thinking, “If you figure out how to break through that wall of protection women carry with them, let me know!” © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 61 CHAPTER XIII -- PRACTICE AND HAVE FUN EVEN OUTSIDE YOUR LOCAL AREA Give a compliment rule: With match.com, after you wink or email someone, you are provided with other profiles that are similar to the one you just responded to and some of them are hundreds of miles away. Now why does match.com do this? Is it that they have financial interest in airline stocks or Exxon? Well, I finally decided to have fun. The following profile popped up Hi Sunshine, Your profile popped up after I sent an email to another gal. Must say if it weren't for the distance involved, I'd really like to get to know you--but it seems rather impractical distance wise as I live over a hundred miles from you. So I just thought I send an email and tell you how gorgeous you are. Anyway, I am conducting research for a book regarding internet dating and if you'd like to share your experiences, attitudes about it and so on, would love to hear back from you. Richard Hope you're not attracted to me since that would be a real tragedy unless... She wrote back: “dear Richard, Thanks for the kind words. You seem like a very nice man. Good luck with your book, will certainly be a best seller as there are so many doing this these days. Sorry I have not had that many experiences here. I seem to look until I find someone to work on a relationship with then stop. The last one just did not work out. Linda” I wrote back, “Hi Linda, Sorry to hear that your results with match are less than desired. Was just wondering how long you've been doing match and do you only go out with one person at a time or do you see several at once? To me, internet dating is so different than when I dated years ago. I honestly don't know when I'm dating someone for the next day, my date of last night can email me with, "You're a great guy and it was a hard decision, but..." And then so many more dates, we just lose interest and drift apart.” © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 62 In the meantime, I received an email from this lady that live five hours from me—what a coincidence: 60 yr old woman Located in: Clarksburg, Maryland, United States Looking for: 58 to 70-year old man within 200 miles of Clarksburg, Maryland, United States relationships: Divorced my ethnicity: White / Caucasian body type: About average height: 5’ 4” (162.6 cms) sense of humor: Friendly: I’ll laugh at anything sign: Leo About me and who I'd like to date: I am an easy going person who loves to laugh and have fun and am looking for the same. I would like to meet a professional who is independant and financially secure. The perfect date for me would be fine dining, white wine, and great conversation. I appreciate gentlemen who know how to treat a lady; open doors, pull out chairs, etc. “HI I LIKED YOUR PROFILE. ALSO YOUR PICTURES SHOW YOU TO BE A VERY HANDSOME MAN. (NICE EYES) TOO BAD YOU LIVE SO FAR AWAY. TAKE CARE AND STAY WARM SHARON” I wrote this back to her: “Hi Sharon, Tied up this weekend with the love of my life (I wish)--the flu. It was so painful last night that all I could do was read your email and couldn't respond. Do you know how many times I've been in Clarksburg looking for a date to share an evening? Well, maybe not Clarksburg, but Westminster. Is Clarksburg near Frederick? Your email was very ironic. I had just emailed a lady in Connecticut--too far away to date and the first time I ever did it--complimenting her on her good looks, and then I received yours. It really cheered me up. Thanks! How are you finding Internet dating? How long have you been a member? Any juicy stories? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 63 Too bad we don't live near each other; I get a good feeling looking at your photo and profile. If you'd like to be friends, would love to hear from you. Maybe we can have fun! Richard my [email protected] “ She looks like a neat person, “maybe she’d like to meet half way for a couple days together—nothing involved. I’ll see,” I thought to myself. I didn’t hear back from her so I sent this one: Idea HI Sharon, I have a great idea. How about we meet half way for a couple of romantic days say Harrisburg Pa., separate rooms (unless you prefer otherwise), and you can teach me stock trading, and I can teach you how to make the best shrimp scampi in the country. That’s not way out, is it? Richard I sent this one to another woman: You're too far away, but I thought I'd write and tell you that I find you a very attractive woman anyway. At least I think Ross Corners is too far away. Never heard of it so I figured its upstate some place. How have you been doing with match? Good luck to a beautiful woman, And she responded with: “Hi Richard, My name is Marie, I live in Vestal NY near Binghamton University and one hour south of Syracuse. Thank you for the complement, I would certainly be interested in meeting you if we lived closer to each other. I have to look up just how far apart we are. I have to get ready and go to a family dinner at my brother's. Yesterday my niece got married, the wedding was beautiful. You should have seen me in my special dress, some people thought that my sons were my brothers... All that does not matter, I want someone to love me for what is inside my heart.. take care Marie” and I responded with: “Hi Marie, Yes, you are far away distance wise, but only a few keystrokes otherwise. Certainly looks impractical to date, but if you have time in your day for a friend, maybe we can enrich each other's lives with emails or pretend © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 64 we're having a steamy romantic relationship. I would bring you flowers for our first date and either take you to a nice restaurant or bring shrimp, garlic, wine, and some other ingredients to make shrimp scampi (Richard's style) at you home (that is if you like shrimp scampi). Are we off to a good start? Sounds like a very exciting time for your family. I'll bet you looked great! So how long have you been doing match.com? Have you met many guys? I've been doing it since August and must say it's more confusing than anything else. I don't know how to date anymore. Married life spoiled me that way so I feel like a fish out of water. “ Can’t believe I forgot to sign off. Anyway she’s a religious girl and from her profile can’t remember the last time she had a relationship so I doubt that we’ll be having any half way meets. We’ll see! Good Time Rule: The most important rule is to have a good time and I don’t mean that just philosophically. I mean tease. Women love to laugh and you won’t get far telling jokes. They really don’t want someone kissing up to them like, “Oh you’re so beautiful.” These compliments, although they want them, they want them from someone they respect and whose attention they want. To get their attention, it’s important to bust them in a humorous non threatening way. Ginny’s feet were killing her. She had a blister beginning to form. Rather than give her the, “what can I do to help routine,” I emphatically commented about her bunions hurting. She got taken back by my brazenness and we had fun with her bunions for quite some time. That transitioned into something else where I made fun of her and before I knew it, she wanted me as a lover if nothing else. I really don’t think you should be with a woman who you can’t make gentle fun with. Otherwise you aren’t yourself, there’s no laughter, and it’s all so prim and proper. The key is to practice finding things to make fun of them—but not in a vicious way. You’re not going to get anywhere if the fun you make makes you look like a number one jerk and ass. And be willing to take a dish of it yourself—touché. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 65 CHAPTER XIV -- DATING SKILLS It’s helpful to become acquainted with any of the following: Tarot cards Palm reading Story Telling Analysis: Imaginary journey of box, road, forest, lake, and doorway. This is a fun story/analysis that I use and is one that you can use to tease your date. It goes like this: “Mind if I take you on an imaginary journey--one with a lot of imagery?” She’ll agree and you proceed by saying, “Imagine you’re walking down a road and in the middle of the road you find a box. Describe to me the box, what it looks like and so on.” After she describes the box, you continue with, “describe to me the road way.” After she describes the road way, you continue, “you leave the roadway and walk into a wooded area and a bear jumps out in front of you, what do you do?” After she describes her action, you continue, “and you continue on and you find a lake. You want to get to the other side, how do you do it?” After she describes how, you continue, “Once you’re on the other side of the lake, as you walk up from the water, you see a closed door, what do you do?” After she describes her action, you tell her, “journey complete!” She’s going to be curious about the meaning and this is your opportunity to shine. First, an explanation of the symbolism of each step in the journey. It is as follows: “The box represents your friends. If you envision or see a big box, you have a lot of friends, a small box-a few friends. If it’s closed, it’s not easy for you to make new friends, if the box is open, you make friends easily—they come and go from your life. If the box is fancy, you’re friendships may be more superficial. If it’s a crate, then your friends are more basic--fundamental. The road way is how you see yourself achieving your goals. If it’s a 5 lane straight highway, you’re all about business and have blinders on to all your surroundings. If it’s a country road, you’re more relaxed about getting to your goals. If it has hills, and ruts and is in disrepair and has lots of curves, you have trouble seeing yourself achieve your goals and actually create obstacles to reaching them. The bear is calamity. Some panic and some negotiate their way around calamity. Some over react and some remain calm. This is how you react to calamity. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 66 The lake is how you tackle problems. Some walk around it taking the long and maybe hard path—they study and evaluate problems. Some jump in and swim. A good swimmer tackles problems and moves through them and a poor swimmer tackles and efforts at solving the problems with slow results. Some create a boat or a helicopter and are therefore very creative in dealing with problems. The doorway is death. Those who just walk over an open have no fear of death, those who walk around it are fearful of death.” After each image, you can take a few moments to discuss the interpretation. Actually whether the interpretation is correct or not is immaterial, what matters is how your date reacts to the interpretation. If he/she’s highly defensive and takes it very seriously, this tells you a lot about him/her and you many want to question if you want to be in relationship with a defensive person. Of course, women can use this same imaginary journey on their dates as well with the same interpretations. Again, it’s the defensiveness that may arise that’s of more value in this exchange of conversation. The Ultimate Path to a Woman’s Heart! For years, women have been impressing men. Well, today women are tired of cooking and ending up getting shafted by their 55 yr old husband who has been going through a life crisis and shows his appreciation for all her great cooking over the years by divorcing her for a younger woman, who by the way, doesn’t have to even know how to cook hot water to get to his heart. Unless, on the other hand, he’s really divorcing her because she is a lousy cook in which case you’re going to end up with the job if you want a relationship with her. Now, the way to her heart is to cook for her and let her know she has help in the kitchen. There are some real easy dishes to make that cost a fortune in a restaurant. My experience is that women would rather you cook for them than to take them to a restaurant; and of course bring along some fresh cut flowers. They really seem to appreciate the cooking and love to help you in their kitchen. Suggestion—make the dish for yourself before you do it for her. Get comfortable using pots and pans and of course the stove. Appendix A gives recipes for scrumptious dishes you can easily make with little practice. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 67 CHAPTER XV – LET’S GO INTERNATIONAL Brazil Wow this sounds way out. I had just emailed an attractive woman from Philadelphia (an hour and a half from where I live) and told her that she was too far away and then I get a wink from the southern part of Brazil. But this is no ordinary woman. Here’s her profile. "- ALLURE -" I am a: 48 yr old woman located in: Curitiba, , Brazil looking for: 50 to 64-year old man within relationships: Divorced my ethnicity: White / Caucasian body type: Slender height: 5’ 3” (161.0 cms) sense of humor: Clever: Nothing’s better than a quick-witted comeback, Friendly: I’ll laugh at anything sign: Pisces About me and who I'd like to date I'm a divorced 48 yo mother of three grown children ( daughters 27and 26 and a son 21), EFL ( english as a foreign language) teacher / translator . I also teach portuguese for foreigners but in the last 1 1/2 year I've been working as a secretary for a very important law firm. I seek a long term relationship. I am a loving and generous person, intelligent, sensible,hard working, romantic, passionate,sensitive, charming (as some would say) ,who loves going out for dancing, or for a nice dinner and having great time with friends. I miss someone to share my life with. Someone who is intelligent, sensitive, with a good sense of humour and mostly someone who shows real interest in me as a person, who enjoys spending moments together with me either travelling or at home cooking a special dinner or even seeing a movie together. I like simple things like going for a walk in the park on weekends, staying at home reading a good book or seeing a good movie but I also appreciate going to an elegant restaurant once in a while, going out for dancing, to the theatre, also spending a whole afternoon inside a museum is something that attracts me.....good conversation.....being among interesting people....rock, blues, jazz, classical, etc. Hate prejudice, judgemental people and lies or hiding the truth ....love talking to intelligent and sensitive ones.....I'd rather be quiet if I have nothing to say. I like hiking, cycling, travelling to the beach, to new places. I do yoga and walk in the park on weekends. I need to admire the person so that I can start a relationship. I'm a giving person and once in love I can be really special to my partner. I would relocate for him. He is an intelligent , sensitive and honest person who at least makes an effort to understand © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 68 the woman's heart , passionate, fun to be with, loves travelling, going out for dancing at least once in a while, appreciates the arts, refined but not a snob, he can be among any kind of people, he always tries to fit in a new situation. He admires and values the woman he loves and makes her feel secure of his love so it grows stronger. He must be generous in giving: attention, affection, some time available for the developing of a healthy and passionate relationship. Also values family and is not afraid of a commitment. P.S.: I am happy with my life the way it is, I love my 3 children, have a profession, a job, I have a few, but true friends, live in one of the best cities in Brazil, my country is peaceful, I have no problems in finding a boyfriend. Why am I here? For the same reason everybody else is. I’m not much into the bar scene, so trying to find quality people on the net is an intelligent choice. I expect those who take the first step to contact me and those who respond to my wink are not narrow minded, sexist or arrogant. I would only leave my country and my life in Brazil for the person I loved. This person must be really special so I let him be part of my world. And this is what she looks like: Well, I couldn’t help myself and wrote her this email: “Hi Allure, Thanks for the wink. You look and sound like a great person to know. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 69 I like the fact that you speak English very well and express yourself very well. From your photos I can see that you would have no problem finding boy friends. What like about you is that you sound like a vivacious life loving person and I certainly would love the opportunity to get to know you better. May I ask, what intrigues you about relocating the US? I presume you'd be leaving your children and family. And what intrigues you or interests you about my profile? Truthfully, I get a lot of interest from women my own age, some, but not a lot from women your age. For me, though, age is not a big issue-it's one's attitude toward life and how well they take care of their physical attributes. Richard my email address (please reply to both the match email and the [email protected] address since some messages don't seem to make it)” She responded: “Hello Richard, what interested me about your profile? Your looks.... everything you said about yourself and who you would like to meet and how you like to treat the woman you love.... and you like to dance:-) You can add my email (her email) to MSN messenger if you are a user. Hope to hear from you Viviane” She didn’t really say much other than to answer the most important of my questions. I replied with the following: “Hi Viviane, The email I sent to your (email address) bounced back. Perhaps you can try to email me at (my email address) and see if I can receive yours. Below is the email I sent you earlier from my email address. "I like your name and was very glad to receive your reply. When I look at your photos, I feel an instant physical and mental attraction. You are a most beautiful woman and would really love a long term relationship with you. It’s snowing here today. I run a small company that manufactures gutter covers. Snow kills our business so it's our slow time of year. If you were to search for "gutter cover" our website should show up on the first page. It's www.waterloov.com. Before gutter covers, I operated a stress management clinic for about 15 or so years. During that time I created about 30 self help programs using stress management techniques and hypnosis. I'm presently converting them to cds and selling them on the internet at www.DStressDoc.com and www.PanicBusters.com. Neither of these sites have very high ranking yet. Enough about my work. We’re supposed to get up to 6” of snow by tomorrow and we'll most likely close the office tomorrow. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 70 Do you get much snow? You live in a utopian city—at least that’s how it’s portrayed. Have you been to the Botanical Gardens—it appears to be a phenomenal structure? Are you close to the coast? And are you far enough south to get cold weather and snow? Have you been to the States? I’ve never been to Brazil. One of my tenants spent a couple years in Brazil and was trying to start up an importing business, but he failed and his life became a sad story. My only vacation to South America was to Margaruitte Island off the coast of Venezuela. Most of my vacations have been to Hawaii and other places in the states. How long have you been divorced? I’ve been divorced only for a couple months. My ex and I are good friends although I haven’t seen her since the divorce. She has found a new relationship with another man and I’m still looking. I miss family life and our doggie that lives with her. It was half pug and shitzu. We (my ex and I, not the dog and I) had separated three times before and eventually mutually agreed that in spite of some good things, our relationship wasn’t going to work long term and we decided to divorce. She isn’t the mother of my son. How old are your children? Boys,girls? Are they married? In school? I have one fantastic 15 yr old son who will be 16 in a few weeks and driving before I know it although he’s not very excited about driving—takes it very seriously. I’ve never dated anyone internationally. The longest distance relationship I’ve had was from Florida to NYC area (I live near New York City). We ended up living together for about 5 years before she relocated to Atalanta, Georgia. Do you live near your parents? Aside from my son who lives with his mother a few miles from me, the only relative I have nearby is my mother. I don’t have any brothers or sisters and my other relatives are in Pennsylvania which is about 4 hrs away by automobile. I’d be pleased and honored to know you much better (that’s not good English, is it?) as there are a zillion things I'd like to know. Tell me all about yourself. I was concerned that I might not receive your reply because I receive a lot of emails that are blank and from an unknown sender. I haven’t figured out whether these are legitimate emails that go awry or spam that gets blanked somehow. There was one situation where someone claimed to not receive two emails and another told me that she sent me an email through match.com that I never received. So, that’s why it’s a good idea to send emails through both match.com and my return email address. Richard A couple days later I receive this one in return: “Hello Richard, please forgive my delay in replying to your email. These days have been so hectic. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 71 A bit about me: I live in Curitiba, capital city of Paraná, about 400 km south of São Paulo.It is a very good city, clean, not so violent as other big cities, there are many beautiful parks here and the transportation system is known nationally as being the best in Brazil. I descend from french ,my father's side , and german , my mother's side; also portuguese like a great part of brazilians. I have three children, two girls, 27 and 26 and a boy 21. Rafaella (oldest daughter) and Guilherme ( son) are living together now. Beta (youngest daughter) started a training job ( she wants to be a chef) at a 5 star hotel in Bahia (SauÃpe). I am a teacher of english as a foreign language and also portuguese for foreigners , but in the last year I've been working as a secretary for a law firm.I also do translations when time allows me. My relationship with my children hasn't been the one I wished to have but we'v e b een improving it. After the divorce our life changed drastically and it's been taking us a long time to overcome our problems. I live on my own, have recently finished a 1 1/2 year relationship. Well. life goes on .... Your questions: I've been divorced for 5 years ( separated for 6). It gets really cold in Curitiba in the winter and it rains a lot, in fact it is the coldest capital city in Brazil, but it never snows. It did, 30 years ago ...... lol. It is quite difficult to get through the winter here in the south because there is no central heating anywhere. It would be great if we could chat on MSN or Yahoo messenger. Do you have any of these? We could be in touch more often ...... if you are still interested. Bye for now Viviane” Her email was a very serious sounding email and I’m hoping for some humor so I wrote this one back to her. I’d like to find out what the issues were in her last marriage too. “Vivian, So happy to receive your email. How soon would you like to move to the US? Just thought I'd lighten things up. Seems like your family life of late has been very stressed and very serious. May I ask what the issues were that led to your divorce? Any drug or alcoholism? Your children were in their early teens, right? Did they blame you for breaking up the family? I loved my ex wife and still love her although I've forgotten what that felt like. Only problem in our marriage was that she was in denial (DENIAL). Her father was an alcoholic which makes her what is termed as an "adult child." She told me this early on but I had no comprehension of the impact it would have on our relationship. The result was that she was verbally and physically abusive to her three children--not to mention the games she played in our marriage such as the "silent treatment" and many others that were equally frustrating. Sometimes I wondered if I stayed married because I needed to be unhappy. Fortunately we didn't have any children together. She was eleven years younger than I and had her tubes tied so she couldn't get pregnant. Our separation and divorce was clean and quick. Fortunately, she being young and beautiful met another man that made it easy for her to go on and even though we've only been divorced two months, they were talking about marriage a month before the divorce. Even though we both wanted the divorce, at first that really bothered me, but fortunately I adjusted quickly, joined match and as you say, "life goes on." The irony was that I started updating one of my self help programs entitled "overcome life crisis" back in August and it took me until last month to complete it. And here I am starting a long long long distance relationship with you. I emailed a lady that winked at me from Philadelphia (an hour and a half away) telling her she was too far away. Of course most women aren't interested in relocating. This week-end, I'm home with the flu--I'd rather be home with you. (Can I say that or is it too soon in our relationship?). Fortunately, I went to the doctor at the first signs of it and got a script for Tamiflu which stopped it in it's tracts along with some aspirin to get rid of the muscle pains so I'm feeling pretty good right now--no fever, congestion, nor coughing. Is your passport up to date? Mine has expired and I've had it on my desk at work for over a month to remind me to go get a new photo and update it. Guess I should follow through and get it done. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 72 But the big question. How do two people this far away get to know each other well enough to see if there's a future together? It's been done before. Maybe Amazon.com has a book on the subject--just kidding. But really there are a zillion questions like are you a touchy--feely type of person or does touch tickle? Do you cry at sensitive movies? What makes you laugh? Are you religious? devoutly so? spiritual? don't give a ...? Would you smooch (kiss) in public--public display of affection--or would you be concerned about what other's might think? Do you snore? (just kidding). What are fun things that you like to do? Am I asking too many questions? Kisses and hugs (or is it too early in our relationship to send them?) Richard (I like your wink) I never heard back from her. I sent an email to her match address asking her if she received the above email and never received a response so I sent one to both addresses, “Hi Vivian, Haven’t heard back from you. Is everything OK or have you decided to pursue another relationship? Richard I made it short and sweet. It’s amazing how easy it is to make mistakes in communication and I guess if she took something offensively, then it’s better that the relationship is ceased. I don’t want to be in a relationship where everything I say is misunderstood. Kick me in the ASS--I can only assume that I got too detailed with my past relationship and should only offer details of that nature if she asks. An expensive lesson—I was looking forward to International travel. Russia Late in July—almost eight months since I joined match.com, the best and most prospects are from globalladies.com—best in terms of beautiful women averaging 15 years younger than myself. I only responded to those who speak good English and there may be a lot of competition for them. There are two websites: 1 www.globalladies.com 2 www.russianladies.com When you join globalladies.com, you actually get matches from both. What’s the difference? Shortly after I joined I went out of circulation and stopped replying. About two months later I received an email—a portion is copied below which explains the difference. “Also be aware that you will receive far more e-letters from Globaladies.com ladies than Russianladies.com ladies. Why? Because ladies featured on Globaladies.com do not have to pay anything for the service. Ladies featured on Russianladies.com, however, must pay for internet access, translations, etc. One token is required to open an e-letter from a Globaladies.com lady (you are not required to open these eletters). Why? Because Globaladies.com ladies are served by the agencies that make up the Globaladies.com network, therefore the agencies must be compensated for their service to the ladies. If you do not want to receive e-letters from ladies featured on Globaladies.com, simply go to your Member Area, click on "Update Your Biodata" and check "Hide Biodata from GL Ladies".” © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 73 The essence is that the women in Russianladies.com pay and this resulted in women my age (in the 50’s) contacting me whereas the average age from women in globalladies.com is 15 years younger. Also, I receive 10 emails from global ladies to each that I receive from Russian Ladies.com. Of course it’s far more expensive to communicate with the emails from global ladies as they charge $6 for each email you open and another $6 for each email you send. Russian ladies has free membership with a $29.95 monthly fee for additional benefits. Go to http://www.russianladies.com/rl_whysubscribe.cfm for the details. Globalladies.com also sponsors cruise ship events which is a means of meeting many women at once. Why consider women from Russia? Well, there seems to be a crisis there with their men. Over half of them are alcoholics and the other half doesn’t know how to respect women. Go get one—they’re waiting. When and if I should find myself in the position to actively pursue matches, globalladies.com would be where I’d put my serious efforts. I did a web search for Chinese ladies and found none although I’m sure one must exist. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 74 PART II EXPERIENCES AND COMMUNICATION Following are actual e-mails in my process of learning the internet dating game. Some interchanges are successful, one totally out classes me, and some are just interesting communication that went nowhere. CHAPTER I – STAR CHASER CHAPTER: I made dinner at her place twice. She was recovering from the flu so I kept my distance. Then I contracted the flu (from my Brooklyn lady friend, Olga) and received this email in response to a touch base email I sent to her. Subject: Re: Saturday Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 14:14:57 +0000 Hi Richard, Glad you are feeling better. My friends are planning on going to see the Barn Burners at the Art Center in OG. Would you like to do that? If we're not too tired we could go dancing afterwards. Kitty We went to the concert at a local performing arts theater. She invited a friend to go with us. During the performance, I reached over and held her hand. She was totally non responsive and after two numbers, I stopped holding her hand. I thought for a moment that maybe there ought to be a hand holding course for limp hands. I mean if you hold someone’s hand, things get pretty boring pretty quickly unless there’s some motion and some return of motion. So I did some gentle caressing of her hand and her hand was motionless—like dead. Definitely a tell tale sign that I’m climbing the wrong tree—no physical intimacy, much less a kiss. We dropped her friend off at her place, then I dropped my date at the front door. Maybe I went in—don’t remember. The next day, I receive this email: HI Richard, Sorry I was so tired and a bit of a "wet rag" Saturday. I was feeling stressed from the harassment and probably still a little exhausted from work. I also think I'm scared of a relationship. After my bad experiences in relationships I'm finding it harder to get close to anyone. Hearing from that crazy woman (be careful of her on match) reminded me of my last bad choice. I think you are a great person and hope to get to know you better, if only as friends. I'm on Spring break this week and aside from house repairs, squirrels and Brookdale tonight I have some free time. Let me know if you'd like me to make dinner Wednesday night. take care, Katheryn I really didn’t want to see her again, and after a couple days wrote her: “What a snow surprise. Thanks for being up front. I was going to write you earlier, but I don't have any answers for you--wish I did. I often think that relationship is a mirage, but the alternative to chasing the mirage is to stay home and not involve anyone else in my life. That certainly keeps everyone from getting hurt and me from learning the truth. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 75 Thanks for the invite for Wednesday evening, if the invitation is still open, I accept and if you'd like to invite Mary as a chaperone (not that we need one but I sense you feeling pressured----now I'm rambling).” I went to dinner on Wednesday evening and we talked. Kitty had been married twice before. The last marriage was two years ago to a person she met through match.com. He turned out to be a dependent baby suffering from abandonment issues and needed constant attention for his ailments. She divorced him, met another guy through match.com and after two years of dating this guy, found out that he was playing another woman who moved a couple hundred miles to be with him. She turned out to be a wack job which is how Kitty found out about her. She sues Kitty’s boyfriend for breach of promise and ends up threatening Kitty with death threats. Needless to say, Kitty experienced a lot of pain after the confusion of finding out her boy friend was two timing her. Then she tells me she’s had trouble getting interested in anyone since then. I suggested that she consider just getting practice—have a fling just for the heck of it. She didn’t seem to think that would help. She shared that one guy traveled a couple hundred miles for a few weekends and she sent him to his hotel by 10:00 pm every night. She explained her problem to him and he met someone else on match.com within a week or so. I suggested that younger women often just like sex and that it was easier having sex with younger women than the ones in their 50”s. She thought it was a woman thing that intimacy means so much to them and I countered that it’s not a woman thing. In fact some women are very casual about sex and intimacy. She mentioned that she’d like to have a relationship but just can’t get into it and noted that there was a deep tissue massage experience she might take. I suggested it a good idea to release the pain she’s been harboring. I stayed a few minutes and then left. Afterwards, I thought I should have suggested us going to bed just for the hell of it. Who knows, she just might have to confront her problem. If I see her again, I’ll suggest it. Or maybe by then she’ll do the deep tissue muscle thing and release her baggage. I did see her for one last dinner at her place. I shared some of my experiences—the one with the woman suffering from abandonment and her new 90 day rule and how I suggested she just get laid and break up with the guy. . After dinner, I suggested we go to her living room and practice hand holding. We did and she was still limp. I gently kissed her on the neck and cheek and she remained a limp noodle. She apologized for the non feeling and asked if she should take deep tissue massage. We had discussed it earlier as a noninvasive therapy technique to release the pain. I suggested it would be a good experience and left with a kiss on the lips—a perfunctory kiss— no emotion. I didn’t email or contact her for a few days as I was on another date and then I sent an email explaining my absence being busy with work and producing two cd’s. I then got this email from her: HI Richard, Nice to hear from you. I have my theater class in New York tonight .We're going to the Irish Rep. I will be staying over at Joanna's and be back some time tomorrow. I'm still thinking about taking IET soon. I would do it tomorrow, but don't now when I'll get back. Let's talk soon. Kitty © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 76 I was busy the next few days and then I emailed her: Subject: Training Hi Kitty, Did you do the training yet? If so, give me a complete run down. I've been busy producing a couple cd's. I decided to go ahead with the offer I had to sign over the rights for free distribution--mainly because I promote some health products on the cds and could get additional business that way. What's your schedule like next week? Richard She emailed me back: Hi Richard, I did the IET training today. I feel relaxed, but at this point I don't know what has been released and what has changed. This week is a short one for me as I only teach a long day on Monday and Wednesday. We are off at SPC on Thursday and Friday. I like to go to the communion drama service at St. Paul's Thursday night. We never discussed religion. I don't belong to any church as my parents were of different faiths and encouraged me to find my own. Do you belong to any church? You don't have to be a Methodist (I'm not) to go to any of the things here, but if you'd like to join me let me know. Kitty I was late meeting Kitty—got there after the service and caught up with her at her place. We went for beers at a local tavern. She had taken the training and hadn’t noticed any changes. We talked a while and I was thinking about taking her back to her place to practice hand holding. I briefly held her hands and she was more responsive that before. And I don’t know whether it was stupidity or what, but when I took her back to her place, I only said, “good night.” Driving home my big head and little head argued about why I didn’t practice hand holding and then suggest love making. My big head basically said, “halt, I’m already in a relationship that I value more than I could ever value a relationship with Kitty.” Yes, Kitty was fairly attractive, but I really didn’t find an attraction that could sustain me being with her. Yes, she might have been a great lover which might have weighed into the decision, but I didn’t want to start something just to get laid. My big head apologized to my little head and said, “if you change your mind, you can always come back to her—she’s not going anyplace.” She emailed me inviting me to do something, I scheduled a date and took her dancing. Afterwards, I took her home and suggested that we practice holding hands. She was a limp fish for lack of a better turn so I left and went home. I later emailed her that I had met someone else and suggested an outline for a play for her to write: Hi Kitty, How have you been? I'll pass on the wiz. I began dating someone else and I'd like to remain friends. Please do contact me regarding the booklet for printing and I have a great idea for a great playright. Scene 1 President Bush elected to office, 9/11, president bush's personal vendeta, Iraq war, Ben laden Scene 2 President bush on trial for being an ass (shoret scene--take off of his stupid humor of giving the finger to the press--it's on the internet) resulting with Bush sentenced to serve along with his daughters in the Iraq war effort--his wife has a part too. Scene #4 Bush and daughters trying to serve their sentence as privates in the army given orders to go into dangerous territory, man road blocks... or just fit into army clothes. Scene #5 Let's discuss Richard © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 77 Email me through [email protected]. I've turned my match.com membership over to a friend for research purposes. She emailed me back wishing me the best and hoped we could remain friends—sure why not. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 78 CHAPTER II -- OUT CLASSED AND KNOCKED OUT BY JEANETTE For some reason or other, at one point or another, you just might get out classed or out witted and strike out early. Here’s another wink from a very enticing woman. From her photos she certainly doesn’t appear to be in her late 50’s. This is one of the few that I struck out with. Maybe I should have purchased one of those ebooks by DiAngelo or one of those on how to make anyone like you in 30 seconds or less on the phone or maybe I should have read this book before I received her call to be prepared. More later! She is a petite attractive widow who lives in the Big Apple Appearance I replied to her wink, “Hi Gorgeous, Thanks for the wink. What do you do to stay so youthful? I started doing a little yoga a few months ago—amazing how it limbers me up. I still feel very stiff with some of the asanas. Where do you live in the city? I’m out near the coast—10 minutes from the northern beaches of NJ. I run a small gutter cover manufacturing company by day and write self help cd’s by night www.DStressDoc.com I like to cook—make the best shrimp scampi (easy dish) in the country and like to dance while I cook. Love to hear back from you, Richard © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 79 908-625-2195 (if I don’t answer, please leave a message as sometimes I can’t find the pocket it’s in quickly enough to retrieve it)” I got nothing back from her---just a dud, and then a week later I sent this one: Subject: Just checking Hi Mermaid I've been having trouble with receiving my emails and since I didn't receive an email back from you, thought perhaps your email got lost. If you did respond, kindly send to both [email protected] as well as to [email protected] Was really looking forward to hearing from you as I like not only your smile but also the idea of spoiling each other. A day later, I got this email Subject: Just checking Dear Richard, I have been away skiing in Colorado. Just returned tonight. Be well and take care, Paulette I was on the way out to a date so I quickly wrote: Subject: Good Morning Hi Paulette, Welcome home. Hope skiing was great. Look forward to hearing from you when you get settled in. Richard She replied: Hi Richard, Skiing was GREAT. No lift lines, very uncrowded and great weather and groomed mountain trails. Loved it. Be well and take care, Paulette I replied to her: Subject: Getting to know you Hi Paulette, I am really intrigued by your profile and would love the opportunity to learn more about you. Noticed you are widowed. How long has it been? My first wife passed away back in the 70's after we were only married 4 years. How long were you married before he passed on? Hope you don't mind me asking these questions. I guess questions of this nature are more of a formality. Me, I'm more into the essence of a person as opposed to the factual details. Are you easy going? a perfectionist? work alcoholic? family person? Possessive? Free Spirit? Open minded? Religious? Spiritual? Structured? Forgiving? Naughty? Must say, you seem to have a naughty smile although maybe the word is the one you use in your profile "mischievous." © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 80 I'm told I have a fantastic smile but I can't seem to create it for the camera without looking goofy so that's why none of my photos show me smiling. Briefly, I'm an easy going relaxed down to earth (Taurus) person who is open minded, spiritual, moderately structured and naughty or mischievous as I can be. I'd like to be in a relationship that is a mutual admiration club with someone who can appreciate being appreciated. How's that for a nut shell? On a more factual note, what did you do on your first day back in the Big Apple? And what kind of flowers do you like? She replied: I am VERY easygoing, a perfectionist in work, was a workaholic but now semi-retired, Have a wonderful family of 3 sons and 5 granddaughters, not possesive at all, very free spirit, VERY open minded, Spiritual more than religious, very forgiving and naughty when I want to be. How about yourself? Be well and take care, Paulette After I read her email, I got the sense that she didn’t really read my email. Why else would she ask about the easy going stuff since I already told her I was easy going and so on. So I replied with: Subject: Getting to Know you. Hi Paulette, Was hoping to get some time to write you more, but between home shows and a cd program I'm producing, the last few days have been hectic. Will write more later. Really hope to get to know you and visa vera. Have a georgous day, Richard my phone number is 908-625-2195 (if I don't answer as sometimes I can't find the pocket in time, or it's turned off, please leave a message. If on the other hand you feel more comfortable with me calling you, email me your number when the time is right for you. Then strike out—blitzkrieg—wipe out—out classed—or simply unprepared!! A few evenings later, my phone rang about 8:30pm, I answer and she identifies her self as Paulette. I thank her for calling and settle in. We go over the old hat stuff about her being a widow and my first wife passing on. She tells me she lives near Riverside Dr around 105 st. near Columbia University. She travels a lot as a consultant in the theater business setting up lights and sound. She does well with the stock market and I share that I struck out with the stock market. Certainly didn’t impress her. She asks me about my travel experience and we both agree Hawaii is beautiful and that she does a lot of international travel for fun and pleasure. She asks me what my hobbies are and I tell her that I like to produce self help cd’s. She asks me if I go sailing or some other sport of which I forgot and I replied that my wife was never interested in doing those things so I never got into it. In retrospect, that was a real bad response. She asks something more about my interests and I share that I like to jog and do rebounding. She then says that she doesn’t think we’re a match because I’m not very active. I’m thinking about her profile in which she says she doesn’t care if we have the same interests and then I realize, I have no interests she’s interested in. Yes, if I played golf, tennis, told her I was Aviator (pick © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 81 her up in my Sensna), I’d have been in. I thanked her for calling and wished her the best as I hung up totally out classed. She was looking for a travel mate and someone who has varied interests. Definitely wished I could be there. But for now, until I make a million selling this book, I’m out classed and I’m not bitter. Kind of wish I were in her league to play. She’s been a widow for 12 years so. I imagine it’s not easy for her to find a play mate. I just wonder how she’s been doing with match. Consolation: I’m dating two great women and neither care so much about what we do. Both get excited about me cooking and the little things we do like a walk on the board walk, antiquing, trip to the big Apple, and so on. Just hope I don’t have to choose between them. And I don’t have to wonder if I can live up to their expectations. They generally say, be yourself, don’t try to impress, or be nice. All I can say is that you can’t win all of them. This is only the second woman I talked to that didn’t result in a date—yet!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 82 CHAPTER III -- MAIVIAN Here’s another email I received: Who knows but here goes. I like how you visually and verbally affect me: as intense but calm, forthright but spare, elegant but also slangy, and brimming with the confidence and desire to love. I, by the way, love to be doted on, and massaged. I am 60, divorced, a prof. of international law in Manhattan, sometime advocate with and for indigenous peoples in UN and OAS fora, and mother/buddy of a 34 year old son who is a whiz of an elementary school teacher now working on a doctorate in ed. at NYU. Born in Vietnam to a Vietnamese mother and a French father, I grew up there, in Thailand, India, France and England before coming to the US to enter college. As a result, I speak Vietnamese, Thai, and French in addition to English. Now a US citizen, I have spent equal time in NY and Hawai'i where I still keep a modest house on an immoderately beautiful beach, and where in fact I am headed later this month for a short visit. The things I love: words, novels, poetry, a range of visual and performing arts, the classical music of most cultures, jazz, select movies, the wind in my face and the salt air in my nostrils, swimming, biking, sniffing and teasing little kids and puppies, chocolate, silly and profound conversations, moments of solitude, physical and spiritual intimacy with the one person whom I want to know and be known by more than any other person in the world, listening together to the sounds and silences of the night. I am 5'5.5", of average build. Photos I am sending under separate cover will tell the rest. It would be lovely to hear from you. M. Along with this photo: She’s the one standing. I wrote her back, © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 83 “Hi Maivan, Thank you for your email. I too have a son. However, he's only 16 and I'm honored to have him in my life. He lives with his mother and he and I are together on alternate week-ends. This was my weekend to have him, but I had the flu so I didn't think it wise to expose him. I'm pleased to affect you in so many ways. I likewise find you very attractive and desirable. Now, I'm kind of speechless as I never developed the fine skill of being flirtatious. So I'll go to a safe subject, where do you live in the city? Looking to hear from you, Richard” She emailed me, Good morning Richard, I am enjoying the delicious ritual of morning coffee while the sun streams into my east facing 15th floor apartment near Columbia U. It seems that I guessed right: you are delightfully forthright and spare. Skipping flirtation and taking refuge in location made me grin. Don't worry: I much prefer originals to reproductions. Do you work in Manhattan? So you have a young male shoot of sixteen. Tend him well. I think I did mine and now sit back and admire what he has done with himself and for others. Sorry about your flu. I hope you are recovering and that we might pursue our mutual exploration. really pleased that you responded. M. ; I am I wrote her back, Hi M, No, I don't commute to the big apple--did that many many years ago. I live in God's country in NJ near Sandy Hook which is near where Bruce Springstein, Heather LockLeer, and a few others live. I run a company that manufactures gutter covers. www.Waterloov.com Before that I operated a stress management center and my hobby is www.DStressDoc.com. I must admit, I'm new at this dating thing and I never get it straight. Which do I bring on the first date, flowers, XXXX knacks, jewelry, or sexy lingerie? Of course, I should be able to figure that out myself by asking which would have the most desired effect on you. I would guess the flowers, but then I'm usually wrong about such things. So I should simply leave it as a question? I'm on the mend and hope to be travel ready shortly once I get rid of the cough--not very romantic. Richard She didn’t write me back. Need to read chapter III of part I regarding why they don’t reply. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 84 CHAPTER IV -- ROBERTA Here’s another one that I had fun with. She simply sent me an email that she’d like to know more about me. Energetic, warm, aerobically fit, looking for a relationship with dance, museums, beachcombing, international travel, and films." I am a: 54 yr old woman located in: New York, New York, United States looking for: 55 to 65-year old man within 10 miles of New York, New York, United States relationships: Divorced my ethnicity: White / Caucasian body type: Slender height: 5’ 2” (157.5 cms) sense of humor: Clever: Nothing’s better than a quick-witted comeback sign: Taurus About me and who I'd like to date : Petite and fit, comfortable at Lincoln Center, indoors at the Ballet, outdoors at Swing. Looking for educated and energetic male companion, strong physicality, strength of mind. Interest in politics and Cable News, a plus. I love children, young and adolescent. I can walk alone on the beach, breezes and sunshine, but often wishing for hands holding mine. Wishing for deep and long conversation, unwrapping emotions and private thoughts, acknowledging yearnings and disappointments, comforting and planning together. Wishing for a strong man with a heart that expands and embraces me. Wishing for real love. I enjoy the company of a man, who has worldly experiences, who travels and speaks several languages, who can be of almost any nationality, racial background, or political persuasion, and who is not overly obsessed with religion. I am seeking a man, who is comfortable and independent, educated and witty, flexible and resourceful, and capable of sustaining a relationship. Looking forward to hearing from some of you......... I described my match in my profile. What I am seeking in a man is essentially what I am offering as a woman. A man who is passionate about ideas and experiences would create a connection. Appearance © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 85 height: 5’ 2” (157.5 cms) eyes: Hazel Hair: Blonde body type: Slender body art: Wouldn’t even think about it best feature: Neck I emailed her: Hi Decarisimo Where to start about me. I have a 16 yr old son whom I'm honored to have in my life. I am an independent thinker, hate Bush and religious fanatics although I'll think anyway you tell me-sad attempt at humor. I live near Sandy Hook, NJ. I'm newly divorced and am in business for myself. There's a lot of I'ms. I'm just getting over the flu so anthing I say that sounds strange is because of the effects of the fever. What attracted you to my profile, the photo or the fact that I like to bring flowers and sexy lingere? If you are interested in dating me, I do need structure though, so I'd need you to arrange the following things I bring you in the order of the dates: flowers, chocolates, sexy lingere, music cd. Don't be shy. Is Decarisimo a combination of your first and last name? where do you live in the city? Richard She responded: Richard, I was attracted to the beard, the beach, the fire place, flowers, dancing, and soul mate. The order, if there's chemistry, is flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers. I don't eat chocolates, I review many CD's by request, I have lingerie, reserved for an intimate relationship, and I love good flowers. In fact, two florists advertise on my online arts magazine; review jazz, classical, theatre, museums, special events, press tickets all over town. I'm also an EdD education consultant. Decarisimo is a song by Piazzolla, re-arranged by Ziegler, with loving reference to De Caro. What do you mean roomates? People or pets? What kinds of businesses? I live in the West 50's, right off the West Side Highway. Thank you for your note, Richard. Roberta Hi Roberta, © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 86 Thanks for clarifying order. I'd be very embarrassed bringing you chocolates when you don't eat them or worse yet, sexy lingerie when we don't even know each other. And since I don't eat chocolates either or wear sexy lingerie, I'd be in a pickle as they say. Flowers, flowers, flowers. What type of flowers? tulips, sun flowers, daisies, carnations? An equally important question. So you like my short beard, the fireplace, beach, and the soul mate thing. They say there's an infinite number of soul mates for each of us, but after nearly 4 decades I find a soul mate a challenge to find. Every time I thought I came close--no cigar! The fireplace is easy. Doesn't stop me from searching though. I hope I didn't offend you with my dry sense of humor. I have a sign in my office that says, "Don't take life so seriously, you'll never get out of it alive!" I always try to remember that. Although you probably wouldn't guess it, I'm a fairly shy person so for me it's good to get to know each other by emails so by the time we meet, we'll have some things to laugh about and carry me through the shy moments. Roomates, I'm trying to remember a reference I made to room mates although when I recently divorced my wife I moved back into my house I had rented out and still have some tenants living there. (Large house) Businesses: by day I do www.waterloov.com and by love I do www.DStressDoc.com along with www.PanicBusters.com and www.PendulumWarehouse.com and can always do some www.waterloomediaproductions.com just for fun. I used to do lots of public speaking (stress management training) although since I've gotten side tracked into gutters, my opportunities have dwindled. Who wants to hear a gutter man speak about stress management--my mind is always in the gutter? No actually, I hired someone to run the gutter business and my new goals are to get back to my true passions. What's your website? How long have you been divorced? Don't remember any reference to children? What about true love has eluded you? Richard She replied: Richard, Thank you for your new note. If you send an accessible number, I'll call you in the next day or two. I prefer phone to email. Thanks. Roberta I replied with only Hello Roberta followed by my phone number and name. She replied only as subject: When are you available to be called, how late, da I replied to the same subject line: Roberta, Thanks for asking. If you read this in time, I'm available up until midnight tonight. Tomorrow evening after 8:30pm up until midnight. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 87 Richard I was thinking that maybe we’d get beyond the rough spot and I’d get to meet her and instead of a phone call, I received this email: Subject: change in mind Richard, I'm pursuing a relationship with someone I met recently, as it turns out. Thanks anyway, and good luck. Roberta I replied with subject: Disappointed Hi Roberta, Thanks for the heads up. I'm happy for you and wish you the best in finding your match and am disappointed that we didn't connect. Please keep me in your favorites for future reference (just in case). Have a great day, Richard © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 88 CHAPTER V -- JEANNIE Then I receive another email from another woman: Subject: lady seeking gentleman of quality Good evening, Your profile is beautifully written. You certainly have a way with words; I like that, for I am a word person. Let me introduce myself. My name is Jeannie. I am a teacher by profession and choice. My interests are eclectic and my passions are many. Traveling and music top the list. I am fortunate in that my profession affords me the time to travel in the summer. Read my profile, then respond. My photo is a year old (I am in the process of replacing it). And when you do, tell me; who was your favorite super hero when you were a boy? I believe one can tell much about a man from the boy inside:-) Till then, enjoy what life may bring your way. Jeannie I replied: Subject: Hi to you too Hi Jeannie, My first girl friend's name was Jeannie. Anyway my super hero's name was Davie Crockett. What does that tell you about the boy inside me? What do you teach? Any children? I have a 16 yr old son who lives with his mother. Look forward to hearing from you, Richard Subject: Hello Richard Good morning, Richard, It's nice to begin my day talking with you. So, I'm not the first Jeannie in your life...mmm....perhaps that's a good omen. And when I was in grade school, the class "heart throb" was named Richard:-) Are you a superstitious man? Do you have faith in fate? lol What does Davey Crockett say about you? Well, you like adventure; you're old enough to carry an interesting conversation; you have a decent respect for nature; you like animals; you're kind; and......most important of all...you like hats! I teach Literature, Grammar, and Social Studies to middle school children. No, I don't have any children other than "my kids" that I teach. I enjoy teaching very much; I believe that shows each day in the classroom. What year in HS is your son? Are the two of you close? I don't know about you, but I am tired of snow. I woke up very early this morning to go for a walk (the sun was shining), but when I looked out, the ground was covered in snow. I like snow, but I am more than ready for spring. I seem to get my strength and inspiration when the sun shines. What about you? Tell me more about you. Do you enjoy music? What type of music? I am a die hard Beatle fan, but I am not limited, although I can handle opera in very small quantities. And Hip Hop, Rap, to me is anger and vulgarity set to a beat. As you can see, I have rather strong opinions; does that bother you? Well, I've rattled on long enough. I look forward to hearing from you again. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 89 Soon, Jeannie I can see that asking about being naughty is a lot more effective way of introducing the subject of intimacy than asking if I should bring sexy lingerie on the first date. Women like naughty, they don’t like to be a sexual object. So I replied: Subject: Davie Crockett Hi Jeannie, Superstitious--not really. I mean beyond staying in bed all day on Frid 13--no I'm not superstitious. Yes, I agree. Enough with the snow==bring on a sunny April and May. My son is a sophomore and soon to take driving lessons. We're fairly close. I see him alternate weekends and twice during the week. Music--pretty much agree with you--dislike rapp and heavy metal and distortion. I do not believe in fate at all. I'm esotheric and spiritual and have a website that reflects my beliefs and experiences www.DStressDoc.com I like to cook--make the best tasting shrimp scampi in the country and the best salad as well. Generally a modest person except for bragging about the shrimp scampi. I'm neither a jealous nor controlling person. I generally see the good in others which can sometimes keep me from seeing the not so good. And I'm naughty and wouldn't have it any other way and like a woman who appreciates the naughty boy in me. I wonder if Davie Crocket was a naughty boy too. Richard She replied: Subject: Shall I put you in the corner? Good Morning, Richard, I laughed out loud when I read your comment about being a naughty boy. Somehow, I don't remember Davey as being naughty. This should be an "interesting" dialog, one I'd like to have...perhaps at a later date, by phone, or face to face...perhaps;-) It's a beautiful crisp morning and I am about to go out and walk and bask in the "almost" warm sun.....but decided to talk to you first. Are you a morning person? A night owl? I am both. My "crash" time comes at about 4:30-6 PM, when I'd love to take a nap and recharge. Sometimes I can; other times I'm working. I logged on to your website. Did I understand you correctly? It is YOUR website? You are Richard Kuhns? Tell me about your work. How did you first get interested? I, too, believe that the mind can do remarkable things when it comes to addictions, healing, and finding one's way in life. If indeed this is you, do you speak on the tapes? I ask this because I am very much a voice person. Call it a quirk, but if I like someone's voice, it's a plus. (Speaking voice, of course....but I wouldn't mind a singer either. Do you sing? I do....when I am happy.) Today it is my hope to go into the city and walk around, perhaps take in a matinee; I'll see. Due to the weather I haven't been in NY in a while. And what will you do today? Are you a sports fan? NY Times crossword person? Garage sale junkie? Tinkerer around the house? Couch potato? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 90 Well, I best be on my way while the sun is still out. Have a great day. "Talk" to you later/ Soon, Jeannie Hi Jeannie, I only sing for supper and if I did sing, you'd let me starve--at least that's what my x used to say. Was hoping to get some time to write you more, but between home shows and a cd program I'm producing, the last few days have been hectic. Will write more later. Have a georgous day, Somehow I get the impression she could be possessive and jealous and assuming a lot about a relationship. Why do I ask? 49 yr old woman located in: Clifton, New Jersey, United States looking for: 47 to 58-year old man within 75 miles of Clifton, New Jersey, United States relationships: Committed relationships but never married my ethnicity: White / Caucasian body type: About average height: 5’ 6” (167.6 cms) sense of humor: Clever: Nothing’s better than a quick-witted comeback sign: Libra About me and who I'd like to date Let's see, I am a giving, kind, independent, attractive woman who enjoys a wide array of things. My passions are many... traveling, movies, teaching, music...the list can go on indefinitely. I have a lot of energy and am open to most things....at least once. I am happiest when I am being creative. I dabble in writing, sketching, and singing...all for pleasure and relaxation. I have an adventurous spirit that I feed each summer when I travel, but I am open to adventures closer to home:- I am not looking for a man to complete me, for I am complete. I am not looking for thrills and to be entertained, although, at the right time and place....one never knows. I am looking for a special man, a man who is kind and intelligent and therefore, not intimidated by an independent woman. I am straight forward and do not play games, and I expect the same in return. Family and friends are an important part of my life, as are the children I teach. I am looking for a man who has his own interests and will be open to mine; a man who needs his own space at times is fine with me. I've learned that it's the simple things in life that mean the most. What do I find attractive? Kindness, honesty, laughter. Mmm, what type of man do I like most? I like a man who laughs easily...even if it's at himself. If he loves music (love the Beatles), flying, traveling (I can be ready in less than an hour), movies, taking a ride to an unknown destination, going out for dinner, good conversation,...and learning new things, he has possibilities. I like a man who enjoys a good home cooked meal with a warm caring woman at his side, or better yet, a man who will cook up something with me...(she states with a grin). People who know me know that a man who can make me laugh has the inside track...but, they can also telll you that I have an off center sense of humor. If you are comfortable with © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 91 who you are, I will be as well. A man with a sensual voice will get my attention, but a quick wit and a soft heart will keep it. Appearance height: 5’ 6” (167.6 cms) eyes: Hazel hair: Blonde Body type: About average Body art: No Answer best feature: Eyes Interests for fun: I like the view from a hot air balloon (a fantasy come true); it's quiet and beautiful...and all cares are small. I like to meet people; try new things, but appreciate what I have. I sing when I'm happy & write when I'm sad favorite hot spots: NYC...for excitement. A good book, a walk under the stars.. quiet talk.. gentle laughter suits me perfectly...when I want to relax. And then there's the flip side...concerts, an exciting hockey game....wherever life brings me. favorite things: Quiet talks over coffee, making dinner for two, having a few friends over, watching classic films while it's storming outside, listening to the Beatles, walking on a beach, flying in a helicopter...gee, that's only the beginning. last read: I was totally captivated by The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown...thought provoking, yet totally entertaining...have you read it? Sense of Clever: Nothing’s better than a quick-witted comeback humor: sports Dancing, Walking / Hiking, Billiards / Pool, Bowling, Hockey and exercise: common Book club/Discussion, Coffee and conversation, Cooking, Dining out, Movies/Videos, Museums interests:and art, Music and concerts, Nightclubs/Dancing, Performing arts, Political interests, Religion/Spiritual, Travel/Sightseeing She replied to my last email with subject: I’ll sing, you cook! Hi Richard, Yes, it was a beautiful day today...I look forward to hearing more from you. Tell me more about that cd program. Jeannie I replied to her a few days later: Subject: Secrets of Naughtiness © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 92 Good Morning Jeannie How have you been? and what's new? The cd program I've been producing is entitled, "secrets of naughtiness" I've been doing research on the subject for years and the more I think I know, the more I realize I know nothing. Just kidding about the cd. Truth about naughtiness. I've been working on two cd's one is entitled, Over come life crisis and the other is Relaxation for Health. I started revising the Crisis program last August and then found myself in a crisis and every time I finished the program I went back and revised it some more. Finally got through my own crisis and finished the program--but no one ever orderes it--maybe need to rename it to something else. How's shrimp scampi? or Pasta with sauce and shrimp? or fish in butter wine lemon sauce? or.... are your salavary glands begging yet? Speaking voice: I have a whining squeaky voice that drives people crazy. That would be a kicker. Most enjoy my voice. Yes, we'll have to talk. Just realized that I need sound files on my website so prospective customers can sample my voice. I know I'd rather buy a tape from somone whose voice I like than someone who squeaks. So tell me what type of person you are. Are you easy going? perfectionist? work alcoholic? spiritual? religious? free spirited? possessive? shy? out going? independent? I'm a Taurus who is easy going, spiritual, non possessive, shy, and sometimes I work a lot. My Indian name used to be "Works a lot" although recently it's sometimes, "Goofs off a lot" have a great day, Richard She replied the next day: Subject was unchanged: Secrets of Naughtiness Good morning, Richard, As always, it's nice to hear from you. I must confess that I was intrigued with the prospects of a CD entitled "secrets of naughtiness"....lol Yes, I agree, if I were to get a tape I would want one that has a pleasant voice, especially if I were to get one to relax me. Imagine listening to a whining, nasal voice and trying to relax! I have been told that I could run a lucrative "900" business with my voice, or perhaps be a DJ on a radio program. When we speak, I'll let you be the judge of that. What type of person am I? Let's see. I am outgoing for the most part. I can be shy, but I doubt if most people would describe me as such. I am very spiritual and intuitive. I enjoy my work, but I am no longer a workaholic (use to be...a long time ago, until I learned). I am independent, and yet have needs. Possessive?...mmm that's a tough one. I don't think so, but I don't "share"...I want a man who is "into" me, not several. I am not a perfectionist, but I strive to do my best, be it in work or when immersed in a creative project. I have lots of energy and many interests, so I believe I am open minded and accept people for who they are. When I spent time on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, I was renamed "She who enlightens children"...no doubt because I teach and wherever I am, children seem to gravitate to me. (also pets....by the way, do you have a pet?) Tell me, are you a morning person or a night owl? Or perhaps you are like me...both. I look forward to hearing from you again. Till then, enjoy the promise of another beautiful day...I'm off to take my walk. Jeannie © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 93 I could have set up a phone call a week or so ago—that’s obvious. I just don’t have the motivation yet to meet her. And she has the possessive gene—she admitted it. I would be interested in her voice for doing some of my self help tapes in a female voice. I emailed her the following to keep the string of communication alive. Hello Jeannie, May be a beautiful day for throwing snow balls. I'm a night person and sometimes a morning person, but definitely more so a night person. So you liked the title--secrets of naughtiness. Tell me what the first secret is. No, I don't have a pet. My ex has the family animule that is the love of my heart--it's half pug and shitsu-pugsu. She's mostly black with touches of gray. I get visitation whenever I want and I can take the spuppy any afternoon or day. Don't know if I mentioned or not, I have my son this weekend--we played tennis yesterday. I'm seriously thinking about taking up golf with him. Not that he wants to play golf, I just wish I'd have had the opportunity when I was his age. He can always play or not play as to not have the choice. So what is it that you teach, instruct, or train? Off to making breakfast!! Now what do I want to eat, eggs, omlet, pancakes.... I'm wearing myself out already. I'll just flip a coin. I think all major decisions should be made at the flip of a coin. Only problem is that I never remember to flip the coin and aggravate over the choices instead--not that I aggravate for a long time--maybe a minute or two. Until next time, Richard I finally called Jeannie. She was glad to hear from me. She had a great soothing relaxing voice. Definitely one that I might employ to provide some of my self help programs in a female voice. Anyway we talked for about a half hour. She told me she had been jilted by this guy several years ago who lied and said he was divorced only to learn later on he was only separated and he went back to his wife. She definitely didn’t want any sharing going on. I called just before the Easter Holiday and told her I was very busy and may not be getting back to her for a while. In the meantime, I received winks from several other women whom I decided more interesting to pursue and didn’t get back to Jeannie. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t get sufficient chemistry with her to pursue further. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 94 CHAPTER VI -- GAIL Then I received a wink from this lady from NYC. 57 yr old woman located in: New York, New York, United States looking for: 50 to 70-year old man within 15 miles of New York, New York, United States relationships: Divorced my ethnicity: White / Caucasian body type: Slender height: 5’ 7” (170.2 cms) sense of humor: Friendly: I’ll laugh at anything sign: Leo About me and who I'd like to date I think if your open, you are able to find love and compatability in the most interesting places. I would say that describes me. I want companionship but seeking the good kind. I want to laugh and enjoy my time spent with someone special. I am a fun loving kind individual who seeks the same qualities in a mate. I am looking for a kind gentleman, who likes to shmooze over a cup of coffee or wine. I want him to have a sense of humor. My desires are very simple. I want to love and laugh. If you want the same, email me, we can make sweet chemistry. Hi Gail, I like your smile. I'm told I have a great smile too, but the camera just doesn’t do a great job of capturing it. Tell me about yourself. Where in the big Apple do you live? I live near Sandy Hook in NJ. enjoy dancing and cooking. I make the best shrimp scampi in the country-my x taught me well. Looking forward to hearing from you, Richard She never responded. Boo hoo!! But, I’ll survive. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 95 CHAPTER VII – Ljie 50 yr old woman located in: Brooklyn, New York, United States looking for: 33 to 57-year old man within 100 miles of Brooklyn, New York, United States Relationships:Committed relationships but never married My ethnicity: White / Caucasian body type: About average height: 5’ 4” (162.6 cms) sense of humor: Goofy: Cartoons still crack me up, Friendly: I’ll laugh at anything sign: Leo About me and who I'd like to date I am a fun-loving individual who loves to laugh and enjoy life. I love the arts, especially photography, painting, ballet and flamenco. Although I have lived in New York for most of my life, I've had the great fortune to live in Brazil for 2 years, France for a month and Mexico for two. I was also thoroughly enchanted with Cambridge, Mass. when I lived there for four years. I am hoping to meet a man who is honest and can communicate well. I am not looking for the perfect man, my 'match' or the 'one.' I am simply seeking a man to share similar interests with, as in going to some off-beat films, perhaps bicycling, etc., and just having some fun times. I forget whether I winked at her and she responded or whether she winked at me and I responded, anyway, she didn’t respond so I sent this email: Subject: Just checking re your wink I've been having trouble with receiving my emails and since I didn't receive an email back from you, thought perhaps your email got lost. If you did respond, kindly send to both [email protected] as well as to [email protected] Was really looking forward to hearing from you as I was looking forward to seeing some off-beat films, bicycling and more with you? Richard I never heard back from her. Boo Hoo!! Makes for a short chapter. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 96 CHAPTER VIII -- JUDIE Then I received an email from a woman eager to relocate. Hi! I liked what you had to say, as well as your photos (and your beard), and would love to talk to you. I happen to live in the Queens area of New York City, but don't let that be a detriment because I have always been open to relocating whether in or outside of New York and truly like the Jersey area. Sorry if I'm brief, but I much rather chat on the phone and can be reached at 718-847-1146; my e-mail address is gymfitseventeen (seventeen written out in numerals right next to the word "gymfit") at aol dot com and I certainly would welcome hearing from you. Take care, enjoy the week ahead, and I do hope we touch base very soon. You sound very interesting and real. Judie Judy was eager for personal contact. After the third email I gave her a call. We got off to an ordinary start collecting boring information about each other. She is the first person who I’ve met that is an only child—interesting—maybe she’ll understand my communication style since I grew up with no one with whom to share. So sharing (as in conversation which I often think is jibberish) is not a great skill of mine. I was in confusion about whether I could find the time to see Judie since I had a date with Olga in Brooklyn, but remembering the abundance trap, a few days later, I responded with: Subject: Re: HI Judie--lady who likes a short beard! vibrant17 58-year-old woman Kew Gardens, NY, US Seeking: Men 54-65 Thanks for your email. Wanted to respond earlier, but have been very busy. My feelings are mutual, however, at this time I'm not as available as much I'd like to be for a relationship and you're probably looking for someone who is more available. Although sometimes I do get to Brooklyn--maybe we could meet during the day--easier driving than at night. Part of it is the distance thing and I know you're willing to relocate which is great, yet we'd need an opportunity to get to know each other a lot before taking a step like that. Unless of course there are a few guys from NJ you're interested in. Just kidding. You're a great lookng lady and I'm sure you get lots of interest. I like looking at your photo and reading your profile. The other thing too is that I'm recently divorced and don't know if I'm looking to settle down just yet. But then, I know how that goes, the minute i say I want to play the field, I'll find the person I want to spend the rest of my life with and the minute I say I want to settle down, I'll never find the right person. Tell me more about yourself until I get a chance to call you maybe this weekend--that is if you still want to respond or hear from me. If I'm not being too forward, may I send you a kiss and a hug? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 97 Richard She responded with: Hi, Richard! Thank you for responding to my response. I was very glad to get your note and certainly would love to hear from you so we can chat and get to know each other a little. Don't let the distance factor be a detriment. The most important thing is that two people eventually meet and connect and are very much in sync. You can call anytime you like (in the evening during the week usually after 8:00 p.m. is good, any time on weekends. If you get my machine, I'll be more than happy to return your call. I look forward to hearing from you. Basically, I'm not much of an emailing person; I'd rather speak to someone on the phone. Take care, enjoy the weekend ahead, and I do hope we speak very soon. Be well. Judie P.S. Once again, my number is 718-847-XXXX. I called her and she just about lost me when she told me she was looking for the right guy. I really withdrew in my communication thinking this will be good by quickly as I can’t see my self being someone’s right person at this time. I talked about chemistry; she likes my short beard, and made it clear that she’d like to meet me. I mentioned something about achieving the goal of finding the right person being difficult sometimes. She went on to tell me she met this guy back in late 90’s and he made it clear that he was only looking for a fun relationship. She went out with him because of the chemistry and eventually broke it off with him because she was looking for “Mr Right” who wanted to get married. He was “Mr Right,” but showed no signs of marriage. The kicker was that six years later, she heard from this guy who announces that he’s getting married. Irony!! A woman who wants to get married is still single and the guy who never wanted to get married is getting married. Holy Shit!!! Our goals are useless unless maybe we really don’t know what our goals are and we’re feeding ourselves a line of Bull Sxxx. I replied, “If I have a goal to find Mrs. Right, I’d have to date a hundred women before I’d find her.” And then, if I say, “I only want to have fun and be a player, I’d probably fall in love.” She quickly agreed that it’s stupid to have an agenda of finding the “Right Person,” it simply puts a lot of pressure on both parties involved. I agreed and agreed to meet her. Let’s play and let’s have fun and take care of the serious stuff when and if it happens After we said, “good night,” I sent her the following email: Hi Judie, Enjoyed our phone call this evening. Look forward to meeting you. Looks like Saturday afternoon around 3:30 or so will be just fine. Please email me an address where I should meet you. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 98 Richard And she responded with: Subject: Saturday afternoon meeting: Hi, Richard! I'm glad that you could make it tomorrow; I really look forward to meeting you. I guess we'll probably meet for coffee or tea so the best place I can think of is Dunkin' Donuts which is right at the corner of 116th Street on Metropolitan Avenue. However, I would appreciate it if you could just confirm this with me by phone (718) 8471146 either tonight or tomorrow in a.m. Take care, enjoy the evening, and I will see you tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. Let me know if this is suitable for you. Judie P.S. Bring an umbrella. It will be raining all day! I drove to Queens to meet her and it was a rainy day. We had a basic get to know you discussion. She was not happy about my dietary limitations and called me later about it to tell me she really likes to eat out. When I took her home at every stop light I leaned over and kissed her—she really liked that. I needed to use her bathroom before my long trip home and we talked about yoga. I showed her some assanas that I use and then I kissed her good bye. My schedule was too tenuous to make a date so I let things ride for a few days. We played phone tag and eventually I set up a tentative date for a Monday afternoon. Later, after I got her call about her liking to eat in restaurants, I emailed her and told her I was too busy. I figured I’d rather spend more time with Olga whose company I enjoy than start something new that I know is going no place in the long run except to get in her pants. I’m proud of myself for not needing another notch on my belt. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 99 CHAPTER IX -- KAREN Another email from a woman a little more distant, but also willing to relocate. have car, will drive -- and love train rides too thekaren's profile 61-year-old woman Chevy Chase, MD, US Seeking men 55-70 Active within 3 days Dear XXXXk, I am a bit distant, I know, but I love what you say about yourself and you seem to be looking for the same kind of relationship I am. Your description of what you want gives me goose bumps. NJ isn't all THAT far, and my company owns PECO, so I get up to Philly a lot and we are acquiring PSEG, so I will be in Trenton some too. Plus my daughter and family live in Allentown, so I go there too. I am not sure and haven't taken the time to see where Middletown is, but it is probably a reasonable guess that it's sort of in the middle of the state? I hope you will be sufficiently interested to write. I think we could enjoy each other a lot! Karen About me and who I'd like to meet I am looking for a man to love and be loved by. I'm happy, healthy and affluent and would like to find the same in a man. I've raised my children and now they are raising theirs. And doing a good job of it. I'm a regulatory/public policy lawyer for a large energy company and I enjoy my job very much. It is too engaging to leave. I have plenty of friends, both close and not so close and I enjoy entertaining in my home. But these connections do not supplant a lover. Other characteristics: I am secure enough to be open, communicative and candid. I value honesty a lot. I try to be easy going, flexible and understanding of others. I am gregarious, but independent. I am emotionally stable, but enjoy passion. I am reasonably cultured and educated. I have enough humor to appreciate the ironies life is full of. I am pretty energetic, but not frenetic. I would enjoy a companion with both an active intellect and an active libido, but who also is easy going, secure and not self-important. He's got to be honest and considerate to others. Being optimistic, enthusiastic and relatively energetic are real pluses. Being a good traveler is desirable -- Greece, China, Turkey and Ireland are on my list, but closer destinations are desirable too. I'd like someone who can enjoy pleasures of all kinds, from music and theater to wine and cuisine to mountain air and sunshine, right down to amusing personal foibles. And while I'm dreaming, he also should be affectionate and loving. I emailed her: Hi Karen, Goose bumps? I'm flattered. Thank you. Yes, we are distant and there's a possibility I'll be going to Va on a business in the next week or two or three. Who knows! Perhaps I could drop by on the way. I went to College Park and lived in Beltsville during my senior year--a long time ago. I haven't been there for 15 or 20 years. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 100 She replied : Dear Richard, I have spent more than an hour writing emails to you and two have gotten away. Interesting stuff (to me at any rate) about my growing up in NJ and then moving to TN and recently having bought a house in FL where my 97 year old father lives and where my whole family visits once a year. I do find family enriching and I would yours too -- and the scene from your profile about cooking together is particularly appealing. More because of the intimacy than because of the cooking. So at this point, I am spent, and frustrated. I like to write, but what I should do is write in a word document and then attach it, because email is just too fragile. Or at least Match email seems to be. I hope you will call me or email me at my home email so that we can communicate more reliably. My cell phone number is 202-258-5957. my home email is [email protected]. I do hope you will visit -- as soon as you can. I will be in NJ on the 5th and 6th of April. Where is Middletown? Karen I replied: Hi Karen, How have you been. Will try to call you tomorrow. Where in NJ will you be? My trip to VA hasn't yet taken form. Richard And then emailed her again Subject: forgot to answer your question Middletown is on the coast just north of Asbury park I didn’t get to call her the next day, I tried the following day and just got her voice mail and left a brief message. She came to visit on a business trip and we had a great date that ended up in Philadelphia with me coming home the next morning. I left a message on her phone that I enjoyed our date and she returned my call and left a message. A few days later I emailed her: Karen, How are you? Been thinking about you from time to time. We really had a great date and enjoyed our conversation among other things. Thursday after was a hectic day and didn't get to grab a bite until dinner time, but I did have the shrimp scampi with eggs for breakfast on Friday. You had mentioned two thoughts you held onto from smoke enders, I think one was, "one puff away from a pack a day, " right? and the other was? My trip to VA is on hold for a while--not even sure if this month. Have you any plans for NJ? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 101 Richard p.s. I may be dropping out of match as I have less and less time to date. my regular email is [email protected] She emailed me back: Dear Richard, Yes, we did have a great date. It was fun and enlightening. You are a very energetic and entertaining person and kind too and a super lover. I'm glad you got to finish the "shrimp scampi" before it was too old. The other motivational phrase was "you have a problem and you have a cigarette, you have two problems." I like the way they leave out the extraneous grammatical connectors. Not enough time to date! Sacre bleu! Life is too short, man! You've got to invoke Rule No. 6! That's the one I have repeated to a number of people. I can't tell the whole joke, but I sort of recount the jist of it. I will keep that one in mind. And also the idea of experiencing the moment. Of course there are kernals of irresponsibility in that one. Anyway, thanks for writing. I don't have any current plans for NJ. I don't know when the next meeting up there will be. Ciao, Karen I returned to her a week later: Hi Karen, You're a pretty energetic and great lover too. Just thinkin of that night makes me get aroused. Yes, Rule #6. I do like to remember rule #6, Will be workin on my trip to VA this week. But it may not be for a month or so then what do I know--it could be next week. Love this weather. Went for a foot bath this morning--foot bath in pepperment and eculyputus. Keep forgetting to get the name of our dealer in the Washington area for you. At home tonight catching up on my emails and writing my cd's with my son as he plays Navy Seal vs Terrorist on the internet. Write when you get a chance, Richard During this time I was dating Linda (Part IV). It was at this period of time that I was upset with Linda, Karen called me on a Friday telling me she was going to be in the neighborhood the following Monday and I booked a motel room for us near Philly. I met Karen another time in New Jersey. We always had a good time together, but I knew she wasn’t my match and I sensed she knew it too. I had an occasion to be in Maryland to a family reunion and dropped © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 102 off to see her one evening. I had hoped we’d spend the night together, but instead we just had pizza and she had me leave early. I was quite disappointed driving all that distance. She never did tell me what it was about other than she was beginning to feel under the weather. A few weeks later we met in New Jersey again, went to dinner, and then went for a walk on the beach. I had a blanket we used to bundle up with and made love on it. She was very nervous about getting caught with pictures being taken of us and since she was an attorney for a large corporation that would be very embarrassing. It all added to the excitement. And even though we didn’t get cited for indecent behavior, I did get a parking ticket at 12:30 am that cost a whopping $65 for a NJ beach town. I haven’t had a parking ticket for 20 years and this was my third parking ticket of the year and all because of match dates—the cost of being socially active, I reasoned to myself. That was the last time we met and later she emailed me to tell me she had met someone special. Ironically it was just the time I met Nancy in Part IV (my match). © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 103 CHAPTER X -- PAULA I received this email : I know that I winked at you,however again you've been chosen as one of my matches..shall we trust their formula..and see what happens....Paula I returned this email: Subject: Re: You and Me or You and I? Date: Sat, 09 Apr 2005 06:15:05 +0000 Hey Paula, I like that line, "shall we trust their formula and see what happens." It's a lot better than, "If I told you you had a nice body, would you hold it against me." Anyway, I've never used that corney line because I'm a little on the shy side and find it just too obvious (nothing left for the imagination). But then if we trust their formula, let's get married. What percentage does the match computer say that are we compatable? That 72 thing. Does that mean you're really 72 yrs of age using a picture of 30 yrs ago, or that you're 72" in highth? The last woman I went out with said she was 52 and then on the first date she told me that she was 57, not that it matters a lot, but..... All that light kidding stuff aside, do you like a guy that makes you laugh and what about me attracted you, other than the high percentage? Richard I'm sure that if you sent that email to ten guys, you'd get 20 responses so I'm including my phone number and hope that you'll get around to calling me tomorrow (Saturday) sometime during the day. 908-625-2195 and if for some reason I don't answer, please leave a message as sometimes it's in a pocket that I can't get to in time or in another room at the other end of the house and I don't hear it--I could write a book about all the places a phone could be). Then again, if you feel more comfortable with me reaching out, just tell me with which hand--I mean your phone number---and I'll call you. She didn’t return my call. She lives a great distance from me and I experimented with quite a bit of bustin—maybe too much. If she were closer, I’d have been much more succinct and left the bustin for the phone call. Too much garbage about the phone, just should have been up front and told her that I might be out on a match date and not be able to answer the phone. The way I handled it she probably thinks I’m married. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 104 PART III ALMOST A MATCH CHAPTER I -- GETTING TO KNOW HER Getting emails from the other sex is always nice—half the battle is over. You just hope that you like what they look like. Here’s one that I received one week end when I was home with the flu feeling just awful. . “I am a teacher, petite, easy-going, and had my first teaching job in Middletown where I grew up. I could send you a picture if you'd like. I have 2 daughters & 2 dogs. I go to the gym about 4 -5 times a week. I LOVE dancing & do it frequently here at home !!!!! I just was in NYC last weekend to seea play & had lunch at a wondeful place (I cannot take credit for it though, my friends are good at that!!!),,,,,,,Well.... that is it for now !!!! Linda” I replied, “Hi Linda, Would love to see your photo. Seems like I just started the symptoms of the flu and will have little to do this weekend but to look at your photo and dream of possibilities. In fact I came home early to get an appointment with the dr and a script to hopefully reduce the agony I'm in for. Where did you grow up in Middletown. Guess you went to High school north--I live just a block away on Tindall. Look forward to your reply, Richard [email protected] (please send to both match.com and [email protected] because I've had situations where I didn't get emails” And she responded, “Well....I just got back from the movies & what a pleasant surprise to have a message !!!!! Thank you!!!! &&&& I am going to send my picture after I send this......so if you do not get the picture you can let know!!!! I hope that your medicine will help you feel better....I had a touch of it last weekend!!!!!! Linda” along with this non descript photo: and then later she sends me the photo below with a note: I just figured out how to get me & not my daughter too!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 105 Apparently she figured out how to crop her daughter from a photo and sent me this photo which is much better than the first one. Looks like a winner to me—great smile. So I replied: “Hi Linda, I thought you and your daughter were a group deal? Just kidding. You left the door wide open in your email. Got your email last evening and was in too much muscle pain with the flu to respond. I like your photo, when are we getting married? I’m a captive audience, so if you’d like to talk, call me at 908-XXX-XXXX Have a great day, Richard” And she responded, Hi Richard !!! I am having major computer problems !!!!! So sorry you are still ailing !!!! ( SEE!!! I am compassionate). I rarely get sick ...even though I spend my days with 6 -7 year olds who always seem to be full of germs !!!! They always want to go to the nurse !!!!! ( Could they be trying to get out of my class ???)) I have 2 daughters, 22 & 27. Both live elsewhere I have 2 dogs with me,,,,Choc. Lab & a Taco bell dog !!!! I live in Howell, near #195 & the Parkway. I have a townhouse with a fence. I did not go to Midd. No. H.S.....I went to Mater Dei H.S. I used to live off Harmony Road when I a younger girl. Did always live there or are you new ? I taught at Navesink for 8 years & did my student teaching at River Plaza....nice to remember my old haunts !!!!! So, what about you??? How long are you divorced? Do you work ? Do you have any siblings? I have 2 sisters & 1 brother. Uh oh !!!!! Computer is starting to act up!!!! Sorry for being so wordy! I am off to see the parents , I am cooking for them !!!! Oh....one more thing<<<<<<?>>>>>>>>>>. I am very shy !!!! How could I possibly call you ???? Wouldn't that make me seem forward or brazen ????? Well,..at the risk of being one or both of the above, I would rather if you called ( I am a bit old-fashioned) me !!! I will be here tonight & tomorrow.....Linda 732-7XX-XXXX I called her and we spoke for an hour. She’s shy was concerned about talking too much. She told me that she didn’t like my photo because I didn’t smile and normally wouldn’t have responded to my photo. I know all about her family, she’s a first grade school teacher and wants to meet me when my flu bug is over. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 106 CHAPTER II -- FIRST MEETING We met at a diner for coffee on a Friday evening. I took flowers, and we had a Greek salad for dinner. We jived and enjoyed each other’s company. When I got home, I sent her the following email, “Hi Shy Linda from Middletown, Enjoyed our time together this evening. Maybe I’ll see ya tomorrow afternoon, let me know. Uhm… foot massage! Shy Richard From Middletown.” I I realized that I hadn’t looked up her profile so here it is: "Easy going & happy!!!! Loves the outdoors & music.....likes to be casual but of course Oe always likes that formal thong too!" I am a: 54 yr old woman located in: Howell, New Jersey, United States looking for: 52 to 59-year old man within 50 miles of Howell, New Jersey, United States relationships:Divorced my ethnicity: White / Caucasian C body type: Slender height: 5’ 1” (154.9 cms) sense of humor: Friendly: I’ll laugh at anything sign: No Answer About me and who I'd like to date I am so happy to be where i am....Including the fact that I am not very goosda t typing!!!! I think fastedr than my fingers cango!!!! I have been ateacher for many years & I am liking it m0ore now than ever before!!!!1 I go to the gym about 4 -5 times a week & sometimes run in races....I am a complete romantic !!! A kind, caring person, who wants to spend time with me & looks forward o this.....the rest...later..... I like the part she talks about doing the formal thong too. I think she meant the formal thing too. I will have a good time with this one. So I wrote her an email, © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 107 “Hi Linda, You won’t be in the way. I know the guy pretty well who I want to talk with. You can enjoy the foot massage while I am busy with him. He might not even be there. I was looking at your profile and I wanted to ask you about your formal thong. You can tell me about it tomorrow. Perhaps you’ll bring it with you. Not so shy, but maybe I should be shy, Richard © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 108 CHAPTER III -- FIRST DATE We had an afternoon date and she emailed me with subject as “WOW” Hi Richard !@!!! Thank you for a super wonderful day!!!!! A perfect Saturday afternoon!!!!!!!! I felt completely relaxed & totally enjoyed the day!! Now I am convinced that you are not shy!!!!! Thank you so much!!!! Daine still shy!!!! I asked her for a date Monday evening and she said she was busy and maybe Friday evening and then she emailed me: subject, “Important Message” Hi not shy Richard from Middletown.... I think I recall you mentioning that you are flexible......well....when I went to put Friday on my claendar I messed up.....Doctor appt. is next monday, evening conferences start on Wed. but I am going to the Howell H.S. production of "Chicago" on Friday ( my friend's son has a lead)......so I cannot make it on Friday but I am free Mon. & Tues.,,,,,But if you have changed your mind aboutit please disregard my message !!!! Linda (SHY & sorry!!!) I emailed her and told her that I was flexible, then I called her and we made a date for 7:00pm. At first she was anxious about getting directions to my place when I told her I planned on going to her place. She was really happy that I was bringing everything to her place. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 109 CHAPTER IV -- MAKING DINNER AT HER PLACE I arrived with my picnic bag with all the ingredients and wine. I made shrimp scampi and we got lots of gentle kisses and hugs after dinner and before desert. And then more kisses and hugs before I left. She emailed me: Hi Excellent Cook Richard !!!!!!!!!!! I too had a wonderful evening !!!! (The dinner was so so good !!! & I promise I will not finish the ice cream!!!!) I am glad that you did too…after all…when people meet like this there is only a 25% chance that they will hit it off !!!! See, I am so mathematical!!! I appreciate you volunteering for Friday but it is a “girl” night but BE CAREFUL about offering to be my escort…I just may take up on it !!! I am looking forward to seeing you again !!!! Shy but not so much now !!! Linda I emailed her that I enjoyed her gentle kisses and included an angel story that someone emailed me. Hi Richard........ I really loved the story you sent me !!!!! Thank you.... I am so glad that "we" decided to have dinner last night,,,,,because tonight it is so so bad out there !!!!!......... You may be Cook #2 but.................that waas the best shrimp!!!!!! It was so good !!~~~ Too bad that I ate all of it ~~~~~ i would have loved having some left over for lunch today!!!! I could have gloated in front of all the other teachers !!!!!! Oops !!!! a negative side of my personality!!!!........ I printe d all of the websites & I will try & go there tonight..... very good...gives me some insight on you!!!!! Since you already have more on me !!!!!.................On the 25% thing.....It does not mean that 25% will work out...but just that when youa re meetingosmeone for the first time,,,there is only a 25% chance that one will have a "connection"!!!!! ie.....both will think ....."ICK"!!!!!!.....or one will thi k ....."ICK".......or the other willl think,,,,,,""ICK"......or the almost impossible both we think........."ummmmmm" !!!!!!!........sEE!!!! You are the engineer !!!! Well..... I too had such a good time !!!! You make me smile .....................Linda ps.....I really liked those GENTLE kisses...but..... Linda I emailed her subject “burned my thumb” © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 110 Cook #2 burned his thumb knuckle tonight getting the mac and cheese out of the oven. I need kisses to make it feel better. Any idea where I can find them? It was a great story, wasn't it. I'm still lookin for my guardian angel. Do you know yours? So you're a gloater--should have known. Too bad I don't know you very well--I could have suggested we get snowed in together but that would be totally unshy. But... By the way, what was that "but..." about after your gentle kisses comment? Ick? did you raise fish? Ick is a terrible fish disease. Ick is a very strong reaction. Must say that I haven't gone "Ick" yet with any match dates. But then there have been a lot of ?????????????????? and maybe some went ICK that I don't know about. But I'm glad that you and I aren't about ick. Thanks for the text message. Glad you were impressed. What else can I do to impress ya? I know, shave the hair off my back. good, I made you smile again! Richard 3/8 She replied Dear Poor Richard........I am so sad that you have burned you thumb !!!! You shoul;d have told me on the phone ...I could have been very simpathetic (or however, it is spelled !!!)......Thanks for the call !!!! i was wondering when we would talk again !!!!!............. I did love that story !!!!! I hope that we all have a guardian angel....What a warm & good feeling that is !!!! I am looking forward to Saturday now !!!! I think we will have FUN again!!!! ............................but.........there is more to time together than GENTLE KISSES.....as much as we do love them!!!!!....well.......I am going to lie down & read a bit & then fall asleep,,,, I have to be fresh & ready for the onslaught of parents tomorrow !!!!!.....I cannot wait until Saturday !!!! &&& I do enjoy speaking with you!!!! Linda She emailed me again: : Hi Richard.!!!!! Just wanted you to know that I thought & thought & thought & I finally came up with some help for Saturday’s menu !!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s have Vanilla Swiss Almond for dessert ~~~~….by the way what does BSChe stand for ?????? Linda 3/10 I sent this to her: Hello Linda, © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 111 I'm appreciate and am glad that you put that pretty head to good use this morning. Vanilla SWiss Almond is a fantastic idea. How about a pint for dinner, and one for desert? Love your emails--they (you) make me smile. Now I've been thinking and thinking and thinking. In fact I asked my burned thumb nuckle about what would be a great entree and it gave me a bunch of options. 1. shrimp with tomatoe sauce w basil and pasta that I told you all about but probably forgot because you were into messing around. 2. chicken breasts fillet in butter and wine sauce 3. breaded chicken breasts fillet with sauteed onions 4. King crab legs with rice or pasta 5. some kind of white fish like talapia, flounder etc in lemon and butter sauce 6 #5 above in wine sauce Cook #2 from Middletown. Richard BSChE BS is the standard degree in Bull Shit and ChE means chemical engineering. I haven't figured out whether you and I are exothermic or endothermic although I sometimes think we're exothermic. But there's an easy way to find out. More later She replied: Hi Richard of Middletown… I got you email this morning & what a wonderful way to begin my day!!!! Thinking about food !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How could I possibly make a choice ??? Are you trying to make me feel inadequate ????? They all sound delicious & tempting!!! && I cannot show off my baking abilities !!!! NO FAIR!!!!!................ I am truly looking forward to Saturday evening !!!! Endo… or Exo… ummmm…. Are you referring to my HOT FLASHES????? Or that warm cuddly feeling????? UMMM>>> I shall think about it !!!! My girls came over after my conferences last night & we played a game & snacked but rest assured I guarded the ice cream so it is still intact,,,,but ….I am afraid that I © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 112 may be tempted to have a taste tonight after school to celebrate the end of conferences!!!!!! Hope you have a great day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 1:44 PM To: , Linda Subject: Re: I appreciate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3/11 she replies: Hi Richard ...Cook#2........ but #1 in shrimp scampi!!!! I ate some ice cream before i went back to school for conferences !!!! ( not alot but just enough to satisfy my craving...just knowing it was there waiting .......) I LOVE reading your messages !!!! They make me smile & feel very special>>>>Thank you for your niceness !!!! I am glad that you sent it to my house too ...when I checked the computer I was hapy to read it agian!!!!! See...you get credit 2 times !!!!..............I feel very happy !!!!! Linda ....OH....................>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PS.......................I think "gentle kisses are so very nice.....I think they are good to see if there is a "chemical reaction"!!!!!! One can neveer have enough of them............. She replied: Good Morning Richard L……. Well….I think you should flip the coin awhile & decide what it is that you might feel like cooking…..Your spinach sounded very good,,,that’s how I cook I put stuff together & sometimes it comes out so perfect but of course I cannot remember exzctly what I did because I just dit it!!!!!!...............You can let me know so that I can accumulate soemof the ingredients for you!!!! Enough about food….. Remembert that I am going to the shower inPA …it ends at 4… so how shall we determine a time???? OH I LOVE Will Smith !!!!! & James Garner alos!!!!!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 113 I have atool kit & in it is a tape measure….I will remembetr to take it out & keep my distance ,,,ok???? Have a good one…..I am glad tomorrow is almost here !!!! Linda L. Linda Hi Richard ...Cook#2........ but #1 in shrimp scampi!!!! I ate some ice cream before i went back to school for conferences !!!! ( not alot but just enough to satisfy my craving...just knowing it was there waiting .......) I LOVE reading your messages !!!! They make me smile & feel very special>>>>Thank you for your niceness !!!! I am glad that you sent it to my house too ...when I checked the computer I was hapy to read it agian!!!!! See...you get credit 2 times !!!!..............I feel very happy !!!!! Linda ....OH....................>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PS.......................I think "gentle kisses are so very nice.....I think they are good to see if there is a "chemical reaction"!!!!!! One can neveer have enough of them............. 3/11 I replied: Subject: Re: You succumbed!!!! Hi Linda who succumbed, Good Morning to you!!!!! Really now, you let a little container sitting in your freezer exercise power over you. Wow!!! If I could only figure out how to affect you like that ice cream and be irrestible!!! So which item on the menu would you like for Saturday evening? or shall I flip coins for a half hour to decide? I made chicken breast fillet tonight for dinner with my son--nothing fancy--just tastie. But the sauteed spinach was out of this world--never tasted so good. Trying to remember how I made it so tastie. Enough about food. Are you getting ready for the easter bunny? is he a big part in your life? I like him when he hops and when I could eat chocolate, I used to like to nibble on his ears. What's the thing with your ears anyway? I like to make you smile and I think you've had at least two or three so far. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 114 I'll save up a few gentle kisses just in case I can't help myself. I mean you could help me a lot if you stayed away from me at least by 5 feet at all times. the closer i get to you, the more I want those gentle kisses and they could be very exothermic. Am looking forward to our Saturday date. What do you think about the movie, Hitch? with will smith I believe? Sending you a few kisses and hugs, Richard L from Middletown (#1 scampi man) Subject: PS>>>>>>>>>>>> Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2005 13:25:24 +0000 I forgot to do spell check on the message I just sent !!!! Sorry….I just cannot type to well,,,,I think perhaps my fingers are too fat for the keys & I hit 2 at a time !!!!! Linda Subject: Re: Skinny fingers and thumbs Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 05:14:15 +0000 Hi Skinnny fingers Linda Good moring!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm glad you liked all that jazz. I love the music too. Yes, I noticed your typing is getting better--must be because of the work out you gave your fingers. The thumb exercises are the most exhausting so I'm told. Twittle, twittle, twittle!!!! Anyway, have a safe and fun trip. Will hear from you later in the day. It's 908625-2195 so you don't have to loook it upp. And it's ok to call me now since we did the gentle sweet kisses. Uhmm!!!! Take some with you and think about them often. I'm going to bring my own tape measure just to check yours--no cheating. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 115 Sweet dreams and gentle kisses and hugs!!!! Richard in Middletown oh, what's your middle name? you didn't tell me, did you? It's not Priscilla, is it? No can't be! More like Beth or Ruth? Subject: WHEW!!!!!!!!!! Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 04:35:06 +0000 Hello Richard!!!! My fingers are completely exhausted....they spent hours at the gym trying to trim down.....If you notice I am wearing gloves tomorrow you will be wise not mention it!!!!!!!! I LOVED the play.....AND ALL THAT JAZZ>>>>>>>I cannot get the song out of my head !!!!!!!!! I think I'll have to bye the cd so I can learn all the words & ALL THAT JAZZ!!!!!!! UMMMM>>>>>>>>> I do believe that I have a large pot !!!!!!....& I see my steamer thing at one point this week but I am not sure exactly where !!!! I will check in the morning to make sure I have your # on my phone ,,,if not I will email you & tell you or somethign &&&& ALL THA JAZZ!!!!...Well....I am getting a bit tired so i will close but rest assured I already have the tape measure out on the counter !!!!!!!!! So Until tomorrow I remain....Linda with HOPEFULLY skinnier fingers!!!!! &&ALL THAT JAZZ!!!!!! (mis my typing better ???) © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 116 CHAPTER V -- MORE DATES I went to her place and made dinner—spinach spaghetti with basil tomato sauce and shrimp prepared with a little butter and garlic. It was fantastic. We hung out in her living room and teased about her not having the tape measure and that we should sit 5’ apart from each other. We made out, but she limited things to gentle kisses—no tongue stuff and she let me know that she only knows me for a week which isn’t enough time to get very intimate. I mentioned class and there’s not much more I could do other than cream in my pants. So it was an evening of hugs and kisses. I left around 1:30 am. Subject: I FORGOT!!!!!!!!! Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 16:42:02 +0000 Dear Richard # 1 cook in my book!!!! Gues what ???????? I for got to notice that there were no cucumbers in the salad !!!!!! At least I do not remember anY!!!! &&& Here I thought that I woudl never love a salad unl;ess it had them!!!! So, You have already changed one of my opinions!!!! Thank you so for a really great evening!!!!! & I too am already anticipating Wednesday!!!!!! I am feeling quite useless ...never cooking or anything!!!! We will have to think of somoething that I can do too!!! Don't forget the cookie recipe !!!!! My friend Maureen is coming over later to talk & all....so if your ears start ringing you will know why!!!!!! YOu know >>???? I think they put dye in water & that is how the sunflowers are red !!!! They look so great...Maybe you can be Sir Richard Red Sunflower Mna !!!!!! I thouhg that you'd be sleeping until noon today!!!!!! I am done eith the gym & the parents so I can just get my chores done & enjoy my visit !!!!! You styill make me smile...........Linda Lynn.......... ps.......My dad saw you picture & he sdid have a ???......he wanted to lknow if you had a sense of humor !!!!!! I told OF COURSE !!!! You should read the emials that he sends me !!!!!! .....but of course again.,,,he won't !!!!!!!! She followed up with: Subject: I forgot something elase @!!!! Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 16:43:56 +0000 © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 117 Subject: Re: Scare you away????? Hi Ms Sweetie Sunflower Linda, You don't mind if I call you sweetie, do you? Anyway, what could I possibly do to scare you away? Please tell me so I never do it!!! Yes, I'll bring the ingredients for desert--walnut/pine nut cookies. Do you have eggs? and real butter as opposed to margarine? How do cookies go with swiss almond ice cream??? uhm!!!uhm!!! Did you gloat at work today? Or did the shrimp not make it to today? So you thought you'd never like a salad without cucumbers? I never realized that I don't have cucumbers in the salad until you mentioned them. Always thought something was missing, but wasn't sure what it was. So what would you like Cook #2 to make for dinner Wed evening? More sunflowers and ???? fish? chicken? King Crab? kisses (sweet gentle ones), and hugs Richard Le XXX #1 in Shrimp dishes and hopefully gentle kisses You don't read these emails to your first graders, do you??? Just wondering!!!! I am sorry about the too fast thing ,,,but I just don't want yuou to scare me away!!!!! I like seeing you too much for that !!!! I wrote her: HI El Sweetie Gloater of the Primary School system, Just could see ya there shyly eating your shrimp and curds too, Little Miss Muffet. with all the spiders watching. I'm glad all messages are being posted. Maybe spark up someone else's romance. Real butter is great. Do you have some honey, honey sweetie? Now I'm getting melodramatic. Do you have a basic receipt for cookies? Cookie Sheet? The color of the eggs doesn't matter unless you'd like to easter egg color them too. Easter!!!!! HOW about we have an easter egg hunt at your place? So ya think they just feed dye to the sunflowers? HOW Disappointing--I thought they were special!!!! Whut time Wednesday evening??? If I remember, I'm going to bring along a video tape--the tape measure didn't work, we'll try a different type of tape, otherwise I'm going to have to start teasing you. Richard L (chief shrimp man) and home of the original gentle sweet kisses and © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 118 great hugs. Subject: I Gloated!!!!!!! Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 13:19:08 +0000 Good Morning Sir Richard ( of gentle kissing fame)!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh YES…..I was a gloater yesterday!!!! I made Salad ( but not like yours just tossed ),Oh & put the shrimp in it ,,,,,,,,,,& it was so delicious !!!!! & I made sure that everyone noticed,,,,hard to do actually because I am so shy & withdrawn Oh !!!! I am excited about dinner !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can decide,,,I just do not like raw fish…lamb….weal….& I guess now I even “ do “ like sheep & goat cheese !!!!!!...............YES>>.I have real egss,,,&( do they have to be white or brown????) I will have real butter too…& I can get the IC too. Do I need brown sugar ???/ I have that too! & ALL THAT JAZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oops!!!! That just slipped out……MaryJane made a copy for me so I am listening !!!!!!!! Well…once again I am looking forward to seeing you!!!!.................Linda …alias “Sweetie “(very nice, but I wouldn’t want it be Tweedy!!!!) Ps….Of course the first grader are not privy to my messages ….I only post them in teachers’ room so everyone will know what is happening in this romance !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda Subject: Re: el Gloater!!!!!!! HI El Sweetie Gloater of the Primary School system, Just could see ya there shyly eating your shrimp and curds too, Little Miss Muffet. with all the spiders watching. I'm glad all messages are being posted. Maybe spark up someone else's romance. Real butter is great. Do you have some honey, honey sweetie? Now I'm getting melodramatic. Do you have a basic receipt for cookies? Cookie Sheet? The color of the eggs doesn't matter unless you'd like to easter egg color them too. Easter!!!!! HOW about we have an easter egg hunt at your place? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 119 So ya think they just feed dye to the sunflowers? HOW Disappointing--I thought they were special!!!! Whut time Wednesday evening??? If I remember, I'm going to bring along a video tape--the tape measure didn't work, we'll try a different type of tape, otherwise I'm going to have to start teasing you. Richard L (chief shrimp man) and home of the original gentle sweet kisses and great hugs. Subject: Re: Bonjour!!!!!!!!!!! Hi Sweetie Linda, Now I'm getting melodramatic. Not much time to write--a busy day. Anyway, how's about 7:00pm, but I won't know for sure until the day unravels. Do you have vanilla extract? Kisses and hugs, Richard………………….Good time & Of course I have vanilla extract !!!! I like to bake !!!! See you later…..I can’t wait to see the Little Black Bag again!!!!! Linda Richard sir chief Extrodinaire, Subject: RE: Bonjour!!!!!!!!!!! Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 14:22:41 +0000 Good morning Sir Chef extradinaire……… Sorry I did get back to you but I could not write or read on my home computer !!!!! & of course I was just so so busy here yesterday that I only j=had to time to read *=& reread you message !!!!!!!! Yes, honey, I have honey !!!!! ( in a little bear bottle !!!) I never use it !!......I have eggs & butter(the REAL) thing & ice cream & cookies sheets (of course !!!!!!) & an oven & sugar & ummmm a tape measure too!!!!! What time ????? I don’t know….what time is good for you???? You can email me © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 120 here or call my classroom directly….732-761-2100…ext.2445 & I will answer if I am in the room if I am not in the room I will not answer because I will be at another spot in the building !!!!!................................Anxiously anticipating this evening !!!! Linda the Lucky One !!!! Linda Subject: Re: el Gloater!!!!!!! HI El Sweetie Gloater of the Primary School system, Just could see ya there shyly eating your shrimp and curds too, Little Miss Muffet. with all the spiders watching. I'm glad all messages are being posted. Maybe spark up someone else's romance. Real butter is great. Do you have some honey, honey sweetie? Now I'm getting melodramatic. Do you have a basic receipt for cookies? Cookie Sheet? The color of the eggs doesn't matter unless you'd like to easter egg color them too. Easter!!!!! HOW about we have an easter egg hunt at your place? So ya think they just feed dye to the sunflowers? HOW Disappointing--I thought they were special!!!! Whut time Wednesday evening??? If I remember, I'm going to bring along a video tape--the tape measure didn't work, we'll try a different type of tape, otherwise I'm going to have to start teasing you. Richard L (chief shrimp man) and home of the original gentle sweet kisses and great hugs. We got together for dinner at her place. I out did myself again with a great tasting dinner—made basal fish in a butter, wine and lemon sauce. We then went into her living room and ended up making out. I brought along a couple feathers that I introduced to her. She likes the gentle touch of the feathers. Made © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 121 it to first base. I feel like I’m in high school again. Left around 10:30 since she gets up early and didn’t feel like getting teased any more. I told her that when we make love that I was going to tease her. She waited to hear how as I said that I would not enter her—just tease her to the point she had to have me. She didn’t object to the thought. She wrote me the next morning—St Patrick’s day: Dear Richard ( Master of feathering!!!) Last night was a delight !!!!!!!!! Delicious, sensual, & cuddly !!!!!!!!!! I did want to get up this morning but I did & remembered to wear my green…( thought about putting the green feather in my hair but decided it would be too bawdy looking !!!!) I am jealous that you are probably lounging about while I am doing some very serious work here in Freehold !!!!!!!!! Thank you again for ANOTHER deviously fun evening !!!!!!!!! Linda ( still embracing those feathery touches) Linda She followed up with a correction: Subject: RE: Last feathery night !!!!!!!!!!!! Spell check made ma mistake……deliciously in the last paragraph…not deviously!!!!! Linda Subject: I LOVE games !!!!!! Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 11:56:52 +0000 Dear Cookie Monster,,OH!!! I mean Richard the feather hearted !!!! I didnot think the cookies were bland but perhaps i am just not used to the honey!!!!! Fear not!!! Just in case you thought that I might have lost the featers,,,,I put them © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 122 in a very safe place!!!! SIGH!!!!!! Only problem is ......I hope I can remember where it si!!!!!!! Well,,,needless to say...I am pining away from lack of feathering !!!!! However, I think that I may have mentioned to you that I work in Princeton about 4 - 5 weekends a year to score the Praxis exams,,,,&&& Guess what ???? YEP!!!! I am working Sat & Sun in Princeton 8:30 -5 !!!!!! Alas....I fear that will infringe upon our behaving as teenagers in the midst of family memebers !!!! So I remain Linda your avid fan !!!!!!!!! I replied: Subject: Re: Hi Pinner !!!!!! Hi Pinning Linda Not too many cookies left. The monster attacked them. Didn't have the fish for breakfast. Was so full I skipped breakfast, attacked the cookies for lunch and ate the fish for dinner. Made some chicken breast fillet for Andrew in bacon grease (after poured out all the grease)--was phenominal (ate a tiny piece to sample) Anyway, are you available Saturday evening after you get back from the big P for games--(cards, dominoes etc with parents?) or do you want to save me for a special occassion. Sweet kisses and hugs (not to be posted in public nor for public scrutiny) Richard the Lion Feather Hearted (great chef of shrimps and fishes) Hi Richrd the Feather hearted>>>>>>>>>.. Oh How I do enjoy Friday afternoon <<<>>> But alas…..I really do not have any days off!!!!! I have to get up early both days !!!!! but,,,,nor 5:41, but 6:15…..because they give us food !!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 123 I will be home about 6 tomorrow !!! so…what do you think??? I do believe that we may have to actually speak if we make a plan, but if you are busy with your son…No problem!!!!! I am going to search for my other cookie recipe so I can try that next time !! UMMMMMM………..So am I pining or pinning ????/ I thought that if I were pinning I would be using a pointy instrument because I would double my consonant because of the short vowel I !!! but I dropped my e & added my “ing” so I could pine away!! Until later I remain once more Linda pining to be at the boardwalk !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda I sent her the following: Subject: Re: Hi Pinner !!!!!! Hi Pinning Linda Not too many cookies left. The monster attacked them. Didn't have the fish for breakfast. Was so full I skipped breakfast, attacked the cookies for lunch and ate the fish for dinner. Made some chicken breast fillet for Andrew in bacon grease (after poured out all the grease)--was phenominal (ate a tiny piece to sample) Anyway, are you available Saturday evening after you get back from the big P for games--(cards, dominoes etc with parents?) or do you want to save me for a special occassion. Sweet kisses and hugs (not to be posted in public nor for public scrutiny) Richard the Lion Feather Hearted (great chef of shrimps and fishes) She replied: Subject: Yeah !!!!!!! Friday afternoon !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 124 Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 18:37:14 +0000 Hi Richard the Feather hearted>>>>>>>>>.. Oh How I do enjoy Friday afternoon <<<>>> But alas…..I really do not have any days off!!!!! I have to get up early both days !!!!! but,,,,nor 5:41, but 6:15…..because they give us food !!!! I will be home about 6 tomorrow !!! so…what do you think??? I do believe that we may have to actually speak if we make a plan, but if you are busy with your son…No problem!!!!! I am going to search for my other cookie recipe so I can try that next time !! UMMMMMM………..So am I pining or pinning ????/ I thought that if I were pinning I would be using a pointy instrument because I would double my consonant because of the short vowel I !!! but I dropped my e & added my “ing” so I could pine away!! Until later I remain once more Linda pining to be at the boardwalk !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda She replied: Subject: OK!!!!!!! Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 03:19:12 +0000 Dear Richard.....I must be brief......my computer is being very disagreeable @@@@@ It keeps shutting off !!!!!........I shall wait to hear from you since thou art so busy with factories & smoke stacks & such!!!! So out of my relm!!!!!! However, I was most pleased to hear from you!!!!........I went out wioth teachers after aschool & imbibed !!!! ( horrors@@!!!!) & then came home & let the poochies relieve themselves & then ran over to the parents mmmthen returned & made broccoli rabe & pasta while I coreographed a dance to ALL THAT JAZZ!!!!!!!!!v so busy DL........ ps//////I was going to do spell check but I just got another thing that says going to CUT you off!!!!! so I am sending ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 125 We were to meet for dinner at my place after she got off from work on Saturday. At 5:00 pm she left me a message that she was tied up in traffic because of an accident. I called her and we flirted on the phone. I sent her kisses on her neck and promised to do her ears. I called her later when she got home and we made a date for Monday evening at my place for dinner and dominoes. She emailed me: Dear Richard the COOK!!!!!!!!!!!! You made my Saturday eveniong so much better !!!!!! thank you again!.....Well at least I have one thing to put in my bag for Monday .....UMMMM>>>>>> I shall think very hard & try to think of something else too!!!! I am looking forward to being back in My Hometown!!!!!!!! Can't wait !!!! Linda formally of Middletown...( Not thong !!!!) I replied: Subject: Re: Dominoes !!!!!!!! Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 04:02:39 +0000 Hi Linda I seee your computer isw working again==at least for a little while. Go to programs, then accessories, then system tools and then select disk clean up and disk defragment. Run both, doesn't matter which one first. So what shall Chef Richard make for Monday evening. I hope food made in my pots tastes as good as your pots. See it's really not my cooking--it's your pots. Dominoes. I forgot how to play. You'll teach me right??? You can bring the cookie reciept or is it receipt. The cookie monster came and ate the last of my cookies. Glad I made your trip home today more enjoyable. I hope you like the kisses on your neck. So when are you going to show me what happens when you get lots of them on your ears? Don't know why you make such a big thing about this thong thing, afterall you © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 126 have it in your profile as doing the thong thing. Hugs and sweet kisses, Richard the lion hearted feather man ps didn't get any kisses from your last email--miss them She sent me some kisses and hugs on a text message on my cell phone and then late in the day, wrote this one: Dear Richard the COOK!!!!!!!!!!!! You made my Saturday eveniong so much better !!!!!! thank you again!.....Well at least I have one thing to put in my bag for Monday .....UMMMM>>>>>> I shall think very hard & try to think of something else too!!!! I am looking forward to being back in My Hometown!!!!!!!! Can't wait !!!! Linda formally of Middletown...( Not thong !!!!) Linda © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 127 CHAPTER VI -- INTIMACY BEGINS I invited her for dinner and she brought cards and dominoes. I made dinner and we ate in the living room in front of the burning fire place with a candle on the table--very romantic. After I won at both cards and dominoes we settled down to kisses and hugs on the couch. She needs to know more about me before she gets physically intimate so we played an alphabet game. For each of the 26 letters starting of course with A, we used a descriptive word that described us. Getting physically intimate with her will be a challenge. I advanced to undoing her bra, kissing her breasts and putting my hand down the back of her pants to caress her tush. I sense that she wants to make love as much as me, but…. When I cross a boundary and touch her breasts, she gently resists by taking he hand to remove my hand and I say, “You know you want me to touch you there!” It seems to work in that she eventually gives me that level of progress. I told her that we definitely have an endothermic relationship and she asked, “why?” I replied, “If it were exothermic, we’d have made love a long time ago. It’s endothermic because we’re putting a lot of energy into this kissing stuff and hopefully one day, our relationship will ignite. After she left, I composed the following email: Subject: Re: Dominoes and cards!!!!!!!! Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 05:02:10 +0000 Hi Sweetie Linda, You make my heart sing! Wild thing!! OR WAS THAT WILD THONG??? Remember that song? Anyway, I kinda of feel that way after I see ya!!!! You make my heart sing and my couch separate!!!!!!!! Glad you visited Middletown. Too bad you had to leave so early but I know you have to get up so early. So early!!! I'll still be snoozing--S for snoozing--long after you've gotten up. Hope you can make it Friday night, if not how about Wednesday evening? They say you shouldn't date the same person more than once a week. Did you hear about that rule. Just wonder what's it's porpose is!!!! Had a great time tonight. Didn't realize I was so great as a cook, dominoe and card player. We should play strip poker. It would simply be fun. Don't you think? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 128 A for always B for because C for cupcake D for delerious about ya E for eager but can't be too eager F for fun G for great H for High I for me, myself and you J for jack of hearts K for king of diamonds L for loyality M for much N for yes O for Ohhhh!! P for Peace Q for Questions R for Regal S for snoozing T for tops U for us V for victory W for winner of cards and dominoes X for xdelicious Y for you Z for zapetite Kisses, hugs and more Richard The Feathered hearted Cook of chicken, fish and shrimp and winner of dominoes and gin rummy. She emailed me: Good Morning Richard Boaster of Gaming Skills !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am very glad that I have a positive affect upon you !!!!! I had a lovely evening & am so very happy that I came to visit you!!! >>>>>>>>>>>>WILD THING THING THING !!!!!!!! However, I’d hardly classify myself as “wild” !!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 129 Well…. I am certainly certain that we must have a rematch at these games!!! &&& Of course , perhaps we could one day play the more important game of 500 rummy!!!!! Oh !!! By the way by the time I got home I was ready for some Ice Cream & thought about your freezer !!!!! How Funny!!!!!...but since it was so early I immediately went to bed & got my beauty rest….I guess we are on different clocks,,,I had thought that I would try & leave a .little after 10 but I was one hour later & you thought that I left early & I thought that I left late !!!!!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,so see we do have some opposites (for O)… I never heard about that rule!!!! Where are the list of dating rules ??? ,,,,,,,,,,,I will be talking to Maureen tonight & see if we are still on or if her social life has improved & we are not on!!!!! But, If I am going over to her house , I think we could break the rule & see each other Wed. instead,,,if that is ok….I am going to a health store at Foodtown after school today for the rice flour & buttermilk !!!!! Linda I replied: Subject: Re: Boaster??? !!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda the mistaken, Did i ever boast that I won four out of seven hands of rummy? Or that i won three out of five dominos? Or that I won playing your cards? or that I won playing with your dominos? Did I ever boast? Now I ask you, did I ever ever boast? maybe I should have. Afterall, they were your dominos and cards. and you ask for a rematch??? Really??? How about monopoly? I know, you like scrable and would love to beat my pants off--slip of the tongue--its a colloquialism. Rules: Yes, it's in the rule book. I researched it on the internet. "Rules for men to follow while dating women" produced by Collier Encyclopaedia Rule #1--avoid more than one date per week. They site that even though it might be tempting, to have more than one date per week could significantly contribute to being taken advantage of. Makes senses doesn't it? Oh!!! we forgot to make the ginger tea last night. And I can't believe that I forgot to add the grated sheep's milk cheese to the salad. Must have been because you got me all distracted--being so pretty and all. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 130 So which is it? Wednesday night or Friday night or both? And what about the rules? We talked by phone. She did not receive the message. Later I learned I sent it to her work address. HI Linda the near winner of many games, I see your computer is working a little bit. Bo HOo, you didn't receive my fantastic message where I repeated many times that I didn't boast about winning everything we played and that I had such limited experience in game playing and could not see how it possible for you to have lost as many games as you did and that I'm not a boaster, but..... Just pulling your leg and I bet you have beautiful legs since you work out a lot. So I'm a bit confused by your message. Is it that only the movies won't work for tonight or that nothing will work for tonight? And then there's FRiday. If it's an issue, we can just skip Friday and maybe do something Monday night again and plan better for the following week end. Let me know. Kisses, hugs, and ...... Richard, who won a few games with beginner's luck, the feather hearted guy from Middletown. -------------- Original message -------------- Dear Richard the Night Owl ..... No !!! I did not recievce the message so I have been crying all morning but finnally stopped enough so I could write & tell you@@@!@!...........I jsut got back from food store & Now I am running to the parent s for lunch & then the gym & then back here to put food awqay & then CVLEAN!!!!!!............I domnot thionk movies is going to work out for tonight !!!!! I guess I will wait to haear from you now !!!!!! 00000 & XXXXXX....from Linda they hyper person todasy@@@@@ Then she sent another: Dear Richard.....the Skillful..... Hola & all that jazz !!!!!! I am NOW more than eagar to play again@!!!!....... I just thought the movies would be too late tonight because I have to get up so early & all but......as the day progressed I am dealing with intestines that have decided to become uncooperative again!!!! i don't feel badly I can eat careful thiongs ( stuff you can't !!!) BUT.....I cannot roam far from the Powder Room!!! ( I am trying to put the situation in a delicate mode !!!!!!) This is something that I have to deal with occassionally becausae of the colitis/kromes that I seem to have......HOWEVER!!!!! I feel ok & I am sure I will be back to NORMAL by morning !!!! SO>>>>> I am think © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 131 ing that I owuld not be such good company this evening...I am sorry because I was really looking forwards to seeing you!!! Do the rules specify anything about having a chat on the telephone ?>>> I did visit my parents & of course I told them all about Richard the Feartherhearted Boaster !!!!! They were very impressed!!!! WQW!!!!! I just real;ized that I wrote alot & I did not get kicked off yet !!!! Perhaps I shoi=ulds send now before I lose all my good typing !!!!! Linda.......the Disappointed ...........00000& XXXXX's....... We talked by phone and she emailed me later: Subject: Re: Bo hoo Boo Hoo!!!!! Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 22:07:56 +0000 Dear Linda the wounded one, Sooory to hear about your thing with your tummy. Did you in some way feel like you were between a rock and a hard place or something was like damn if you do and damn if you don't today? Or that you were stuck into something about which felt that you couldn't do anything? I know--serious questions. I will miss your companionship, your witt and your skillful playfullness tonight. Will call ya later on. Guess, I'll just go home, let out the dogs, cats, and the guniea pigs and hope they all run away and never come back. Miss ya, Feather hearted winner of just a few games, Richard XXXXXX OOOOOOhhhh! Options still open, we can skip dinner, go to movie, or skop (a Linda thing) movie and play rematch cards and dominoes-actually a 500 game. Plus do you know you made a close reference to thongs again? "something about careful eating thiongs" Really, with all this teasing, I'll be disappointed if I never see ya in ya thiongs. Then we talked by phone around 8:00pm. Because of the distance, it was too late to do anything that evening so I didn’t suggest it. I got to work and received this message: Subject: RE: Boaster??? !!!!!!!!!!!!! Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 13:14:02 +0000 © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 132 Hi Richard the Featherhearted & Master of Understandingness!!! You sent the email here to school so I got a surprise!!!!!!!!! Thank you …..&& I know I forgot all about the ginger tea too//……I guess I was distracted but the letter “h”……………..I think Friday evening has to be dedicated to Maureen….. we are getting together about 630 ish & I doubt that I will be able to get away very early….. after all you have given me so much to talk about & she will have to tell me more about belly buster @!!!!!...............If I get the flour this afternoon I will try & make the cookies tonight after I go to the tax lady/…OH!!!!!!!!!! How did I get Italics ???????? UMMMM>>>> I thinknI like them !!!!!!........’’’’’’’’’’’So…maybe tomorrow we could meet up in Red Bank for a little….It could be around lunch time or after my appointment..but I don’t want to intrude ion your time so If it is a not good we c an make another time …I will preserve the cookies if I get them done !!!!!!!!!!! Well rested & feeling fine Linda……………………..))0000000& XXXXXXXXXXX’s for you Linda Subject: RE: Missed seeing ya last night !!!!!!!!!!!!! Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 15:18:09 +0000 Then I emailed her this one: Hi Linda Sweetie Really missed you last evening. Did you say you're coming around 3:00 for your Riverview apt? Well, let me see!!! I have the whole day off for as much fun as we can stand. So if you came around 8:00am or sometime thereafter, you'd get Richard's world famous omlet or pancakes, or french toast, or porrage. And then you'd get a taste of Richard's exercise program with yoga or mini trampoline (rebounding) Actually, the order is reveresed as we do movement before breakfast. If it's a georgous day, and you are good to me, you'd get a walk by the ocean, or through a park. And then, if you haven't changed your mind about antiques, you'd get a personal tour through the antique center of Red Bank and somewhere in there a tour through Richard's office. And then, you'd get chauffered to Riverview and dropped back at Richard's pad for a real game of 500 rummy, or Whoops, forgot lunch. Well I generally don't eat lunch, but I'd never impose that habit on anyone else, so somewhere in there is a scrumptous lunch. Menu yet to be announced. Or perhaps a tea house, By then, it would be time to leave to your dinner engagement and we'd part with some gentle soft kisses and a hug that's remembered a long long time. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 133 Kisses and hugs Richard of course, this is a full day offer or it can be partialled any way that you like. I'm Mr Flexible. p.s. I hope you didn't effort mentally over making the decision about Friday night with either your friend or me--no between a rock and hard place thinking--I hope. I hope it was an easy decision. Oh forgot one thong! We could find time for a trip to Victoria Secrets's thong department--it's just down the street--I hang out there all the time. Caught you-you're smiling and thinking, "you devil." She called me in the afternoon. I invited her for an overnighter and she declined using her dogs as an excuse. We agreed to start the day around 10:00 am and to meet at my office. She emailed me later on: Subject: Re: Huray!!!! Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 04:02:31 +0000 Hello Richard from Middletown....( & winner of games)....I am very much looking forward to tomorrow too!!!!!! I will eat breakfast early before you arise I am sure !!!!!! & go tot the gym with a full stomach !!!!! However, I may get hungry later on !!!!! So Beware !!!!!.......I will call when i get off the parkway & start to arrive at my desinated destination!!!!!! 210 Broad Street !!!!........Now I must get my BEAUTY REST!!!!!!!!!!!! Until tomorrow Linda who has returned to Middletown !!!!!! As I was reading the message, I was wondering where my kisses were and noticed another email from her: Subject: OOPS!!!!!!!! Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 04:03:27 +0000 © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 134 OOOOOOOO & XXXXXXX"S too !!!!!!!!! We hung out for the day going to antique shops and had lunch in a nearby breakfast place. She brought me a container of special cookies and they were fantastic. Then she left for a dinner date with a friend. While at her friend s place she emailed me: ’Hi !!!!! Ihad a good time today!!!! thank you!! I am at Muareens & My compouter completrely broke down ...my cousinis coming in the morning to take it& me to the computer store...................so....don't send me an email because I willnot get it !!!!! perhaps I will will call you when I get home if it is not too late !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 000000 & XXXXX's Linda Subject: RE: TGIF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2005 19:25:28 +0000 AHHH Richard ( with Good Ideas !!!) Of course I like pizza !!! but…………what will you eat ?????...................&&& I shall have to look for something loose yet informal, modest yet fun, cool yet hot !!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda…. Thinking & thinking ….What to wear !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????!!!!!!!! Oops…0000000000 & XXXXXXXXXXX’s Linda Hi Linda with her newly fixated computer Maybe I'm your first email. Do you remember which drive way or shall we do the call me thong? You can call me anyway when you're about 20 minutes away so I can order the pizza for your approximate arrival time. Richard with some XXXXXXXXXXXX and some OOOOOOOOOO;s saved fir ya. She didn’t get the email, but did call me about 15 minutes before arriving anyway. I ordered the pizza and picked up my mother. She, my mother, my son and I played a game of 500 rummy. Then I showed her my refrigerator freezer stocked with rows and rows of Haagen Daz ice cream—even the ice cube maker was full of ice cream--and then I took my son and my mother to their respective homes and © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 135 she and I went dancing at a singles function, had a great time, and returned to my place where she had her car. We kissed a bit and then she left. She emailed me: Subject: Good Morning !!!!!! Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2005 15:43:22 +0000 Hi Richard of NO ICE CUBES!!!!!!!n ( who would have thought that there was anyone in the whole United States who did not have one teeny tiny ice cube in their houose ???) I thionk I shouild enter you name into the Book of Records !!!!! Perhaps I could collect a royalty !!!!! I had sucha fun eveniogn!!!! Thank you !!!! Soorry abouot the "Key" thing !!!! They must have fallen out when i put my pocketbook under the seat ,,,, Welll I am off to the gym & then other chores to be done !!!! Linda with those dancing feet & winning hands !!! ( at cards of course !!!!) ))) & XXXX's Subject: Re: Good Afternoon !!!!!! Date: Sat, 02 Apr 2005 19:04:30 +0000 © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 136 Hi Linda, near winner of big rummy game and bestest of ALL dancers. I just have a feeling that whatever we do together will be the best it can be. What do you thinkith? Not to say we wouldn't want to take lessons anyway, even our lessions in whatever subject would be the bestest it couldeth be. Getting too philosiphical here. My internet connection is flaking me so I hope you get this. Book of records, indeed. Ice cubes, ice cubes, some people need them badly, what can I say. My life is fine being free of ice cubes, unless of course, you--near winner of rummy would like them for when you visiit. Then, it's (correct it's as in it is) move over Hagen dazz and in comes the cubes. Have chores will travel, kisses and hugs til Monday evening. remember to check on your movie Richard (not so cold since I don't have ice cubes to keep me in coldness) till we rummy again. You like winning don't you? I mean you really like winning, don't you? Subject: Saturday................ Date: Sun, 3 Apr 2005 03:30:23 +0000 Hi Richard !!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 So how was your saturday????? I hope that you had a good "rainy" one !!!!!! I only got soaked 2 times so I guess that waas pretty good !!!!!!!!!!!! ..........I madw such a good dinner this evenign for the parents & uncle....& he brought me a BIG bottle of red wine !!!!! ( & I brought it hom,e///// & when I got here ...Bad Harley got out of the cqar & took off !!!!!!! ( OH !!!! My typing reminds me that I do believer that you are purpopsely typing errors for me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that true??????)///....................Well....back to the main idea ...Harley did return after about an hour!!!!! & Coco & I accepted his apologies & let him back into our abode ! However, I do worry when he does this , especially on dark rainy nights !!!! since he is not a light color !!!!!! But he is back,,,, So..... I told my Dad about your ice cube problem !!!!!! &&& he cautioned me !!!!! Men who do not like ice cubes may be trouble ~~!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~ but I assured him that you are not adversr to the cube but it is just that you do not have ROOM for the cube !!!!!! &&&&&&&&&&& since he is a great advocate of I.C. he immmediately understood & said it is ok if I continue to keep company with you!!!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 137 AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH....... such a relief !!!! So...... I must ask you this & i do not wish to be a apin or anything associated with painness ........................ but ,,,,, will you be able to act asd my escort for the wedding on the "10th" ????? It is next Sunday. If yes...."YEAH".....If not...."OK"........so ....ummmmm.... I do hate being a pain!!!!! &&&&&&&&&&&&& by the way ///////GUESS WHAT!!!!!??????????????????????/ I did win something last night !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How totally exciting !!!!!!!! I will tell what is was or is after I go back to school,,,,,,my message just said you won but not the BIGGY!!!!!.........so,,,,,, I anm very excited !!! Both of my girls are in Atlantic City tonight 7 I am hoping that they win lots & lots & lots of $$$$$$$$............I will not call them or bother thwem aso that they can concentrate & become millionaires & then give some of the extra $$$$ to their Mom!!!!!! so she can go tot the mall & buy new thigns (thongs) for summmer!!!!! Oopps ~!!!!! Sorry I have been rambling on & on& on!!!!!! Linda Looking forwards to our next rondez vous.( my computer does not type en francais !!!!!) Linda......000 & XXXX's I emailed her: Hi Linda of my dreams, Yes, I dreameth of you last night. You were in royal blue with a royal blue hat. How so you. It was a frilly dress. You were baking cookies, yes that's what you were doing. And then I saw this feather from out of no where float into the room and land on your royal blue hat. It was a red feather. Can you beat that???? What did it mean???? Regarding weddings: I developed a fear--you can understand why more than anyone, right? Well, so, the answer is that I'm really going to need your help. I'm going to need you so much to help me, otherwise I'll never be able to attend any weddings. But, I'll go to the weeeding if you promise. NOw you must promise to help me. It's so delicate that I can't put it in an email. It will have to wait until tonight after dinner as I don't think I can say it even on an empty stomach. By the way, I have a great menu planned for tonight. Richard (the one who sends you kisses and hugs all the time XXXXXXX 000000 multiplied by a million or so. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it totally untrue about the ice cube thing. You can not speculate on one's personna re his ice cube thong. Now, if I weighed 310# (of course you wouldn't even gotten to gentle kisses with me and © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 138 understandilby so) you might have a point about ice cubes vs ice cream. They both start with ice. But that not being the case (I don't weigh one more pound than I want to weigh), it just isn't true. Emphatically stated. Still Richard with many hugs for you--you dancer of all dancers. She replied: Hello Richard ……… So much protesting !!!!! Well…..what is on the menu??? Do I need to get anything?? I have a meeting after school today , ,,,,,,will you be arriving @ 7??? That would be good got me & Just in time for Jeopardy!!!!!!.................I am very curious about this wedding thing!!!!! UMMMM>>>> Perhaps I could find you a tape to relax you!!!!..............Busy times & I still have not done my report cards !!!!! I seemed to be able to find lots of other chores to do so I was unable to do them….Now I am getting down to the wire !!!!!’’’’ Until later….I remain Linda of the blue dress! Linda Subject: RE: Menu HI Linda of the Blue Dress (sounds kinda funky country western--oh no Willie nelson) Do you like blu cheese? 7:00pm it is. HOW is the Hagen dazz inventory, should I bring some? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 139 I'll bring everything else, YOu have eggs and butter? Richard She replied: Subject: RE: Menu Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 17:45:25 +0000 I have eggs & butter & there is enough ice cream !!!!!!!!!!!!! See you! Linda We got together, had dinner and then played a game of checkers—she lost badly. Then we played 500 rummy and she beat me badly. We finished the night with kisses and more—but not a lot more. Dear Richard the Kinged… I am so happy that you, liked my egg & butter !!!! I did make them special you know !!!!! I really like your dinner again!!!! ( & lunch too!!!) Thank you gain for the flowers …so springy I plan to call in sick on the Museum day so the time is fine with me…. &&&& I will try & remember to keep my fingers & toes crossed for good weather for Friday….How I ,love going to the boardwalk & talking about all the unusual people there !!!! (UMMMMM>>>>.I wonder if they think that about me !!!!)……………….but if it is not balmy perhaps we could go tot the movies ..I’d like to see the one with Kevin Costner …something about anger I think….How about you? Now I must close & try & get some of these report cards done…I just cannot seem to get myself to do them & time is running out !!!!!!!!!!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 140 Linda…Looking forward to FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda Subject: Re:Rich's last letter Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:14:16 +0000 Hi Honey Linda, I've been snoockered (new word). I couldn't open any mail last night and today at work, it didn't work either. finally it worked just in time to get bob's last letter. He really had the spirit of things didn't he? He supported his lovely wife until his end. I'm sure she appreciated all that encouragement which is why she gave him ever lasting peace. YOu must admit, he wasn't a pig as he didn't insist on sex. But, I'm not that way with you, am I? You're more that way--very supportative-with me, aren't you? What time shalll we connect tomorrow? I should be free (I mean expensive) around 4 o'clock. We could do a little board walk thing in the nasty rain and you could hold this big ass umbrella that I have for the both of us. Then you could make me a fully cooked dinner and take me to the movies or DANCING IN SHORT HILLS.... WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THAT MAIN PLAN? i HATE IT WHEN i hit the caps button. Guess what's due tomorrow! REPORT CARDS!!!!! Do I get one? missin ya This is my last letter for the afternoon. Richard of feather hearted lane, Middletown, NJ Maybe if there's rain, we can catch an afternoon Kevin movie or go to the mall and play rats if you're free early on. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh...Um.... Subject: Fwd: Bob's last letter Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2005 22:28:41 +0000 © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 141 I just thaought taht this was so so so appropirate for people our age !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Subject: Fw: BOB'S LAST LETTER READ TO THE VERY END, AN IMPORTANT LESSON IS LEARNED. Dear Friends: It is important for men to remember that as women grow older it becomes harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as they did when they were younger. When men notice this, they should try not to yell. Let me relate how I handle the situation. When I got laid off from my consulting job and took "early retirement" in April, it became necessary for Nancy to get a full-time job, both for extra income and for health benefits that we need. It was shortly after she started working that I noticed that she was beginning to show her age. I usually get home from fishing or hunting about the same time she gets home from work. Although she knows how hungry I am, she almost always says that she has to rest for half an hour or so before she starts supper. I try not to yell, instead I tell her to take her time and just wake me when she finally does get supper on the table. She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating. It is now not unusual for them to sit on the table for several hours after supper. I do what I can by reminding her several times each evening that they aren't cleaning themselves. I know she appreciates this, as it does seem to help her get them done before she goes to bed. Now that she is older she seems to get tired so much more quickly. Our washer and dryer are in the basement. Sometimes she says she just can't make another trip down those steps. I don't make a big issue of © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 142 this. As long as she finishes up the laundry the next evening I am willing to overlook it. Not only that, but unless I need something ironed to wear to the Monday lodge meeting or to Wednesday's or Saturday's poker club or to Tuesday's or Thursday's bowling or something like that, I will tell her to wait until the next evening to do the ironing. This gives her little more time to do some of those odds and ends things like shampooing the dog, vacuuming or dusting. Also, if I have had a really good day fishing, this allows her to gut and scale the fish at a more leisurely pace. Nancy is starting to complain occasionally. For example, she will say that it is difficult for her to find time to pay the monthly bills during her lunch hour. In spite of her complaining, Icontinue to try to offer encouragement. I tell her to stretch it out over two or even three days. That way she won't have to rush so much. I also remind her that missing lunch completely now and then wouldn't hurt her any, if you know what I mean. When doing simple jobs she seems to think she needs more rest periods. She had to take a break when she was only half finished mowing the yard. I try not to embarrass her when she needs these little extra rest breaks. I tell her to fix herself a nice, big cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade and just sit for a while. I tell her that as long as she is making one for herself, she may as well make one for me and take her break by the hammock so she can talk with me until I fall asleep. I know that I probably look like a saint in the way I support Nancy on a daily basis. I'm not saying that the ability to show this much considerationis easy. Many men will find it difficult. Some will find it impossible. No one knows better than I do how frustrating women can become as they get older. However, guys, even if you just yell at your wife a little less often because of this article, I will consider that writing it was worthwhile © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 143 Signed, Bob Bob's funeral was on Saturday, January 25th. Nancy was acquitted Monday, January 27th. Subject: HOW SAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Date: Thu, 7 Apr 2005 23:05:07 +0000 Oh Richard !!!!! How sad I was to read that that was your last letter !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am awaiting the arrival of my troops !!!!! Both my girls & their boys are coming over & we are goinmg to eat some pizza & then p[lay games !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &&&&& my girls & I really like to win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( UMMM>>>> but I think you probably know that already!!!!!) NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You do not get a report card !!!!!!!!!! ( at least not YET!!!!) but I am happy to report that I finally completed the task last night & so today I felt like floting !!!!!! I won't get home until just about before 4 ~~~~!!!!!!!!!!!! But I LOVE your thought about the boardwalk anyway!!!!! but we have to see if it is really miserable !!!! I do not think it will be !!!!!......................... I would rather see the movie than dance.....( since I am thinking that we weill be dancers on Sunday !!!) OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thjat reminds me !!!!!! I have to tell you something else in tthat category when I see you !!!! Now you know so you will have to remiond me in caae I forget !!!!!!..................Well.....now i must go & get the table ready for GAME NIGHT!!!!!!!.............I am looking forward to you participating in one of these evenings with us !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda ,,,,,Finisher of the dreaded R.C. & missing you!!!!!!!! Subject: Hola Domino Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Date: Sun, 10 Apr 2005 00:06:21 +0000 Happy Saturday Richard,,,,,the Domino Man !!!!! HEY!!!!! i just got a thought !!!!! perhaps you could get a part-time job with Dominos Pizza ~~~~~ They copuld "Here Comes the Domino Champ!!!!"....... Everyone would want to have you as their delivery "BOY"........ Just a thought for the future if you need abohter job!!!!! How was your Saturday ???? I am finally getting ready to sit down 7 relax !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEWAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had sucha good,,,,very good .... time last night !!!! Thank you thank you & thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am really loking forward tos eeing you tomorrwo but of course I am also nervous because I hate putting someone in a position where they may not feel comfortable but >>>> I promise I will stick close & be with you the WHOKLE time © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 144 ....UMMM>>>> I hope that you will not try & scrape me off !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I amgoing to try & do my best to prepare myself for the "dress up " me....... I will get the dress, shoes, etc...ready now 7 do girls things like nails 7 eyebrows!!!!! OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Until tomorrow I remain Linda the near winner at Dominos ~~~~~ © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 145 CHAPTER VII THE WEDDING TRIP AND THE INTIMACY STEP I took her and her parents to a wedding in Pennsylvania. She was the navigator and I was the pilot. En route we held hand and played with a strange word, durst. She commented on how she dislikes the word because she though that durst should mean having a lot of things, but in reality it’s a noun meaning a few things-a durst of oranges meaning few oranges, for example. So eventually I said she was a durst ball and we just had a lot of fun chatting as we drove and listening to various xfm stations. We got to the wedding without a hitch other than being just a few minutes late—no big deal. But she got us lost for a half hour after the wedding en route to the reception which I busted her and insisted that she make two batches of cookies for me as her payment for messing up as navigator. During a lull at the reception, I took her for a romantic stroll around the grounds. She also hurt her foot shortly after the dancing began, but persevered to the end and we danced our hearts out. Later that evening after we returned to her place. We—after our tenth date—finally became physical intimacy. But it wasn’t easy or natural. She played a game with me for an hour or so before she gave it up. You’d think it’s a one in a life-time thing. As good as it eventually was, I should have know that this would just be a game to be repeated on a more often basis than I desired. Afterwards, we just languished in the after glow and as I was leaving she announced that she needed to have a chat with me. I asked what about—acting dumb—for it was about step two in our relationship. After we got dressed and kissed some more I confirmed that we both felt good about each other at this juncture and nothing happened for which she would feel badly about. Early the next day, I emailed her the following: Subject: Re: your foot and more Gooood moorining Linda, How durst (wrong usage) is thy foot? Do you have a plethora of pain or a durst amount of pain? Thought I'd drop you an email from home because it only works a durst amount of time at work. Amongst all wonderful great things that happened yesterday and last night, we forgot to plan for another "get together" either at your home or mine. And I was wondering all the way home what you want to discuss. I thinketh that it has something to do with step number 2? Durst (wrong usage) we get together tonite or Wednesday evening? or later Tuesday evening? Guess what? We were together all day and played less than a durst of games yesterday---no rummy--no dominoes--no word game to or fro. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 146 I durst must go for now (wrong usage but it just sounded interesting) The Richard who has two batches coming (could have been one or zero) had someone remembered to negotiate, but with a durst amount of negotiaton it stands at two batches of cookies. She replied with: Hi Richard the Suave…. A wonderful time ..yesterday!!!!!!!!!!! I am so glad that you were able to “escort” me … How lonely I would hjave been out on the dance floor with out a partner !!!!////& I never before left a party to go for a walk !!!!! Very suave of you!!!!!! My foot has a swollen bump on the right side, I had trouble walking on it this morning. I had to wear my sneakers & that helped a littlew. I went to see the school nurse & suggested that I might get it x-rayed, then she wrapped an ace bandage & that also helped. I will see her agaijn before school is over & decide if the x-ray is a necessary evil…..I have a meeting aftere school & I ‘d much rather not go for it !!! But I want it get better because >>>>>How am I going to go to the gym!!!!!!!!????????????? No fair about my lack of knowledge about being able to negotiate!!!!!!!!!!!!! If only I had known !!!!!!!!!!!!...........well…This evening would not be a very good choice so we May have to wait until Wednesday!!!!!..... Of course the talk is about strp 2 !!!!!! I am quite sure you knew that !!!! Just my concerns etc…….. So kids are returning so I will sign off…………… I hope you have a dearth of problems todasy@!!!!!! Linda,,,,,,,00000 & XXXXX’s Subject: tonight’s not good either. HI Diannee of my dreams Tonight's not good either--much work to do. Can't get on the net at work, so I came home. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 147 Terrible about your foot--you have my good wishes for a rapid foot recovery. Do you remember how it got booo bood? Derst as opposed to durst (wrong spelling) Maybe it's a word that means a lot of something. I'm going to make my salad and then honker down to do some cd recording work. Richard who sends you a plethora of XXXXXXXXXX, OOOOOOOOOOOO, uhms...too, many hugs and more. She replied: Subject: YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 23:51:36 +0000 HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &&&& the YEAH is not because tonight is not good but because I am almost walking normally !!!!! I am still aced bandaged but I think it is much easier to walk!!!!! I shall take it off when I go to sllep & then I believe in the morning ,,,,Imwill be 90%...........&&& perhaps ready for the gym by Thjursday!!!!!!!...........................I miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D 0000000& XXXXXX's too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I replied: Subject: So Glad for You!!!!!!!!!!! Dee Dee (new nick name?) So glad you only have a dearth of pain. How do you get your foot in the shoe with the bandage or did you cut out the side of the shoe to fit the bandage? What color is the bandage? Have many people signed it yet? Gym by Thursday may be pushing it, but guess you can try to see if it gets aggravated. Sooooo are we on for Wednesday evening? Dinner and a movie, or dinner and rummy, or dinner and walk on board walk, or dinner and crochet, or dinner and ?????? or dinner and desert? Miss you too, R with XXXXXXXXXXXXX OOOOOOOOO's and more. Subject: RE: So glad for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2005 12:05:05 +0000 © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 148 Dear Richard…..Giver of new Nicknames !!!!!!! I think Wed. will be g but probably dinner & a game of something!!!!! Although I ‘d really like that walk on the boardwalk But I know it is still too too chilly,,,,that’s why spring is not \ My favorite time of year !!!!! As a matter of fact I am in my classroom & I am freezing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My fingers & nose have frostbite!!!!!!! ! My foot is just a little sore today but I have it wrapped Up & it is very happy because it is the warmest part of my body!!!!! So……..let me know the time & what we should concoct for our repast……………….Have a great day!!!!!!!!! D D ( why use extra letters ????) Energy conscious DD 00000&XXXX”s 2 U Linda © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 149 CHAPTER VIII -- SETTLING INTO RELATIONSHIP I went to her place for dinner. We played the big set of dominoes. I let her win two out of three games and she rewarded me with mucho mucho love. The next day I wrote her: Hi Honey Dianne winner of the big dominoe game. I left my dominoes in Linda land. Forgot to tell you I did a dearth of searching yesterday and couldn't find the tickets to the musuem next Friday. Today I did a dearth more and found them--whew!!!!!!!!! So we have an extra ticket for anyone you think would like it. He/she can ride your Harley down and meet us there or go along with us in z car. Will plan on you getting here fully fed and eager to play z big games around 7:00pm tomorrow eveing (tonight by the time you read this)?? My email at work is still on z fritz and the one at home fritzes now and then. Richard who sends you mucho mucho in the way of XXXXXXXXXX and many OOOOOOOOOOOO and lots of uhmmmmmmm!!!!!!! We met for a foot massage on Saturday morning. She had just come from getting her hair cut and felt inadequate since she forgot her ear rings and thought her head looked like a pineapple. Ladies, don’t ever make excuses—you’ll just give your date something to doubt about you. Get creative. I don’t have an answer as to how to be creative, but don’t suggest to me that your head looks like a pineapple. Do you want me to look at you and think of pineapples? Anyway, I kinda like this gal enough to get beyond her feelings of inadequacy. Because of other commitments, we didn’t connect over the weekend except for an hour or so when we got our foot massage. My son came along and it was more of a business thing than a fun thing. I emailed her later in the evening: Hi My Foot Bath COMPANION Linda How are your footskeis today??? Now we know what we missed last month. That bath should have cured your boo boo on your foot. And how is thy pineapple head???? I love pineapple and can't wait until I can eat it again. Can I eat your pineapple? Are you keeping my dominoes good company--I hope so. Today was a beautiful day. Being that I didn't get to bed until 2:00am I slept til 11:00am. Went jogging in the afternoon and beat my son at a few games of tennis. He actully lost one game because he didn't let the ball go out of bounds. Uhmmmm! WHAT WOULD YOUR TASTE BUDS LIKE FOR DINNER BEFORE YOU LOSE at dominoes? I left them with your for a reason. Ohhhhh almost forgot to tell ya, made some delicious chicken soup over the week end--had to eat it myself since Andrew doesn't like soup--but then he hasn't tried mine. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 150 So I'll try to get to your place by about 6:45 or 7 with salad in hand and a real desire for rematch. Do you have rice and butter and lemon and some kisses for me? I hope so!!!!!! Been missin ya, Kisses, hugs and more XXXXXXXXXX OOOOOO uhmmmmmm!!!!!!!!! Richard winner at tennis and great soup maker p.s. when can I move in with ya? And remember Dali Friday Couldn’t resist the opportunity to bust on the move in thing. She emailed me: HOLA Richard !!!!!!! & Bolder too!!!! Do you like it ????? I am loving it !!!!.... I hope that I can remember it !!!!! How cool is this print ?????? I will make it biggre!!!! SO>>>> I have the sniffles !!!!! YUK!!!! but better now & get it over with !!!!! (((( OH my GOD!!!!! I ended a sentence witha preposition!!!!!)))) I hope that does affect my eternal destiny!!!!!!!!!! BUT... to continue....What an absolutley wonderful day!@!!!!!!! I went to church & then to the resevoir & walked 5 miles ( with tissues of course !!!) & then came home & cleaned & cleaned & cleaned & then called Susan & we walked the dogs for about 1 1/2 hours !!!!! She showed me another place nearby that is townhouses & now I wan tot move !!!!! I will go by periodically 7 see if I see any "FOR SALE" signs !!!>>>>> I love thios type!!!!<<<<<<<< UMMM>>>> Oh YES!!!!! The main reason for my mesage !!!!!!! My Feet are so so so so soft !!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy with them!!!! even after walking so much today!!!!! I am going to have to start treating them to some special care so that they continue in this state !!!!.......well....I guess that is the extent of my news....I am going to get my "VICKS" so I © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 151 can breathe tomight & go to bed early & get rid of the blasted cold !!!!!...............Linda Domino dona!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then later she emailed me again: Good Morning Richard ( He who “thinks” he will win the rematch!!!! Yes Yes & Yes…I have lemon butter & rice !!!!!!!!!! Let me know if you want me to pick something up at the store…& that time is just fine !!!! Today I am reintroducing my feet to shoes….no sneakers !!!! I walked so much yesterday !!!! I loved it ! A Warning: I still have a stuffy nose !!!! Just in case you are afraid of germs & the rematch !!!!!! ( That can be your out so you could put off the rematch!!!!) Time for me to do some school work …..See you soon !!!!!!!!! Linda,,,with shoes & a desire to win again!!!!!!!!!! We met for dinner and a rematch of dominoes and this time I equaled the score so we’re at two out of three games each. Will have to have at least one more night to see who is champ. We then got close and personal. Next day I emailed her: Hello Linda giver of infectious diseases, I am sneezing and sneezing, but honestly don't think it's from anything but you. I am so blessed to see you, I win two out of three to tie for the domino championship, even though the dominoes stayed in your stead fast scruitny, and I get this wonderful spring sneeze--it's so refreshing. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 152 I can't wait until I see you Wednesday evening to see what you giveth me next. Must remember to bring the book so we can see if we're matched opposites. And I keep forgetting to bring the nutritiional thing about forgettfulness for your mother--get it--I keep forgetting to bring the thing about forgetting. Richard the winner of round # of the N J dominoe championships national division She emailed me back a song of woe. I just wanted to hold her in my arms and make everything OK. Dear Richard...... I will NOT entertain any more of your telling ME that i am a GLOATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU are the GLOATER!!!!!!!!!!!!! &&&& Rightly so...but there is always another day !!!!!! && We have yet to play 500 rummy (as 2) or Scrabble !!!!! So......I am not ready to fold!!!!!!!! I had an incredibly busay day!!!! 4 parent, principal, cst , meetings ........Parents to the dr., .... A hysterical daughter.... a detour & I am the lead car not knowing where ot go!!!!.........&&& I could not find the station on my tv to watch the "Horse Whisperer" !!!!!!! Alas!!!!!!!!!! Not one of my best days !!!!!!......but....it was sunny & warm!!!!!! I am ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! U<MMMMMM..... I think tht is the summation of my day !!! OH NO!!!!!! it is not !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I spoke to Maureen ....or Moreen ....or moreen or however you say it ....... & she said that it was not her input but Judy;s !!!!!!! So...now I guess I ahve speak to Judy!!!!!.......but ,,,for future reference,,,Maureen does have some very cool & inovative idea s1!!!!!!............Anyway...i am fading & I certainly apologize for inflicting you with the sneezes or any other unpleasant bodily function!!!!!! ( However, I , personally like sneezing !!!!!)..................The very sad , despondant, depressed, lathargic loser of the DOMINO game...............Linda She called me in the afternoon to cancel out date as she had emergencies with her two daughters. She emailed me later: Helloooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Richard >>>>> Well..... I am feeling so much better.....I was so anxious & worried about Hilary,,,,but we got to talk tonight by ourselves a littlw bit & I am relieved , certainly ot happy, but the stress is dripping away!!!!!...Poor Ab....she looks like someone shot her in the forehead !!!!!! TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But we did not speak about the ugliness,,,,,I reviewed her resume & we talked about the interview saet for Friday in NYC.....I have my fingers crossed for her !!!!!!!!!!! SO>>>>>>>>>> we shared lots of tears & laughs & we all feeling better,,,Of coure I stil have the parent problems but that is another story...ONE at a time!!!!!!! I missed seeing you today !!!!! BUT>>>I am so looknig forward to Friday,,,, we will be spendoing alot ofd timeagain!!!!!!! OH!!!! Am I going to be the navigator ?????? &&& if so,,,,, will you be supplying a map?????? Tomorrow will be very busy for me since I will have to leave plans for Friday & also have my plans for the week after the week off completed too! &&& at 2:40 ( Please sdend me positive stuff if you can) I will be meeting with the principal & the parent of a child that i think should be retained !!!!! Uh -OH!!!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 153 I hope that I didn't xause you any embarrassment or anything this afternoon!!!! I onllywant ed to let you know as soon as I found out ,,&& I thought that you just might have your phone turned off so that then I could just leave a meessage a7 talk to you later &&&&& of course I am sorry abpout the change in plans too!!!! SO>>>>>> now I am totally mentally & emotionally exhausted !!!!! & i am going to sleep & sleep well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda!!!!!! XXXXXX & 0000000's Hi Diannneee, Missed you too! Glad you feelin better. Look forward to Friday too. No embarrassment this afternoon. Don’t know what to say about the child that needs to be retained other than it’s best for him/her as the child will be lost and suffer more embarrassment if advanced. Hope the dominoes have been behaving themselves. Richard who is missin you!!!!!!!! Many many kisses and hugs too. She emailed me: HELLLLOOOOOOO RICHARD!!!!!! I feel like i havennot seen you in about 100 year s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you still look the same ?????......................I waas going to call you but I d id not want to wake you up!!!!! I feel very giddy because i am playing hhookkyy!!!!! I got home just awhile ago... after Evelyn & I had dinner I came home & then Ab callled & we ended up going tot he mall to buy a suitable "interview " outfit !!!! & then we stopped at Chili's for a snck & to talk about what we bought !!!! Kind of a fun night !!!!!!!!!!!!! but now ai am thinking about tomorrow & i am excited !!!!!!! So......I finally ge tto se you tomorrow !!!!!! & we will be acquiring culture too!!!!!..............should I bring anything?????.......well...I would have callled but I am embarrassed after the last time I callled ytou!!!!! So I am doing this instead !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.............................so now * I am going to recline & read since I do not have to wake up at the breask of dawn!!!!!!!!!!!! I asm so looking forward to tomorrow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!L We had a date and took one of her friends with us. Her friend must have been horny as she made a couple sexual comments—one was that a jar of jelly with a cloth for the top instead of a lid, we saw at a vendor’s booth, had a condom on it. Too bad I didn’t have a great comment; I kind of let it go by with, “someone’s thinking a lot about sex.” Maybe she wanted to test me to see if I’d be loyal to Linda. Linda and I have a great time and I don’t see any reason to complicate things unless Linda invites her friend to complicate things and that just won’t happen so I’m safe. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 154 Hi Richard !!!!!!!!!! I have to tell you this,,,,just in case I forget !!!!!!!!!!!!! Now you have to remember it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! guess what ????????????/ I was giving the dogs the left over Cornish hen meat & I FOUND!!!!!! The teeny tine wishbone ~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!!!!! So...I am drying it out 7 on Wed......and on WED. we can use it and make a wish!!!!!!................so.... start thinking !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda the archeologist ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How was the bithday? Forgot, you're playing hookie all week. I sent email to your work this morning--no wonder I didn't hear from ya. If I can break loose from work, want to get together earlier on Wednesday and play minerature golf? Richard who is having withdrawals XXXXXXXXXXXXXX 00000000000000 Hi Richard!!!! Not playing HOOKY!!!!!! Just rejuvinating for the fianl onslaught!!!!!!!!!!!!! &&& Sure ....let me know if you can!!!! Do you win at Min.Golf too???? D 00000&XXXXXXXXX's Na, not very good at it. XXXXXXX 00000000000 Linda who makes me laugh or is it hookie? Since you're so busy playing hooky, would you like to come for dinner tonight? Richard who can't play too much hooky but can send kisses and win an occasional game She called to tell me she was busy so we’ll get together Wednesday. Wednesday: We met for a romantic movie, then played a game of dominoes at her place, went to a stock holder’s meeting in a company that I have some stock, and came back to her place. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 155 CHAPTER IX -- TEST #1 I didn’t feed her enough so she heated up a mini pizza pie. Finally it was just she and I and I was horny. She commented on how much she enjoys talking to me and didn’t’ want to stop. Every time I’d get romantic she’d say, “Let’s just lie here close to each other.” “Jesus Christ,” I was thinking and said so. My rationale was that it had been almost a week since we were together and it would be another week before we had an opportunity to be together again. She was stead fast with her butt grinding away in a sexual manner. I realized that she was testing. She needed validation that I want more from her than sex and I called her on it. I let her know that I didn’t appreciate her using me for validation. I just wanted to leave and was thinking that if I did she’d only think I wanted her for sex. I grabbed her butt and told her no moving or teasing and eventually left. After I drove away I got pissed. She told me she had little sex with her husband of 30 years because he rarely wanted it. “Maybe this is why,” I thought. She probably played the same confusing game with him and he got pissed. I told her no masturbating after I left. But this was the same control thing I had with my ex, but at least my ex waited until we got married to play her sexual control game. I was pissed all the way home—I think I already wrote that. I decided my reaction would be to test her and not call or communicate with her and tell her I was testing her. One consolation was that I had not stopped my relationship with my friend in Brooklyn and was still fishing on match. I masturbated myself to sleep, and woke up at 3:30 am and couldn’t get back to sleep. All night my options were running through my mind: As I agitated I decided to write an email: Three options: 1. end our relationship 2. come clean with my thinking 3. test her And I was going to ask which she wanted me to do. Then I realized that she probably doesn’t even realize what the hell she did. So around 6:00am I decided to follow through with the plans we made for the weekend but I’d probably be a bit cool since I don’t know how to pretend I wasn’t’ affected. My ultimate plan was to next time we get hot and heavy for me to tell her she was a bad girl the other night after I left and take her hand and place her forefinger on her clitoris and tell her she was bad because she masturbated after I left. I intend to get her hot and heavy and tell her that she has a strike against her and that testing me to validate her is a no no and the next time she does it, I’m leaving and it’ll be another strike against her. Three strikes and I am out. Or we’ll do the flip the coin thing or I’ll suggest we forget about food for a day and just hug. Some way I plan to get my feelings across and no more loss of sleep over lack of sex. So I emailed her early this morning with a matter of fact email Linda, Lets make it Saturday evening. Dancing is in Edison © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 156 Richard She replied later on with: Dear Richard.........I had really nice time last night!!!! Plus.....I get to have my wish come true.!!!!!!!!!!!! Saturday will be good for me !!! let me know about the time & all ok??? I have to get ready for my trip to the playhouse !!!!!!!! D I emailed her back: Subject dancing Hi Linda, How was the play? How about 5:00 or 5:30 Saturday evening? Richard XXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx000000000000000 I didn’t write much, still pissed, but it seems that I was more attached to the relationship than was healthy and something is gone. I have to take Dave Angello’s advice and stop being so damn nice and nice guys don’t get laid. Maybe her husband was a nice guy. She emailed me: Hi Richard !!!!!!!!!! You are a man of "FEW" words!!!!! Are you saving them for Scrabble ?????........... I am in the state of distress right now...... I went to the p[arents ' for dinner & when I got home the poochies jumped out of the car before I could hook them up.....Coco stayed 7 he is here but Harlewy is missing in action now for about 65 minutes !!!!! i am starting to get worried but he has always returned when this happened inthte past so i am trying to remain calm !!!!!!! Do you want me to bring anything tomorrow ????? let me know !..................Also.....I am in a quandry ( good word !!!!.....if I spellled it correctly!!) I want to wear a sleeveless shirt & skirt for the dancing part but I will have to wear a coveritup thing for earlier!!!!!! You are making this very difficult for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK>>>> I am going to check the front sdoor again!!!!! d A few minutes later she emails: © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 157 All dogs have been located and are safely bedded down for the evening.....................details tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! Cool..... I like that i can change.....is that really ok?????/..................D &&& 00000& XXXXX's too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We planned a date at my place. She expected to have dinner with my son, mother, and me. And then we were going to play cards. I told her I had a surprise for her before she came which intrigued her and she had no idea how pissed I was. I prepared myself mentally to have it be the last date and that we’d part as friends. It turned out that my son made plans so I never invited my mother over for dinner and games. The surprise was that I was gong to give Linda a massage. She told me during our last date that she never had a massage and was intrigued that I knew how to give one. She arrived a few minutes late dressed in a sexy skirt for dancing. We sat in the living room looking at the news clips on the computer and then I told her that my son was out and that it was just she and me and the plan was that we’d have dinner later and then go dancing. I then told her that the surprise was a massage and got up and walked toward the bathroom as she followed. I gave her a towel and showed her the bathroom. She came into the bedroom a few minutes later draped with the towel and I had her lie on the bed. She was going to lie on her back and I instructed her to lie on her stomach. I had warmed the oil prior to her arrival to avoid that cold shock from the oil. I gently moved the towel down from her back to her butt and legs as I worked on her shoulders and back. I had her lie with her head at the foot of the bed and after a while I kneeled in front of her and massaged her back and shoulders as I breathed gently on her neck. I stretched and ran my hands into her panties and massaged her butt and commented on it being solid. Then I positioned myself on my knees straddling her body on the bed and massaged her legs and thighs—she enjoyed it. By now the towel was gone and her panties were half way down her butt. I figured I’d get her excited and do nothing—that was my game plan—a lesson taught in reverse. Her body was incredibly gorgeous, full and firm. Her legs were those of a teenager—not a woman in her late 50’s. Even though we had made love about three times at her place on her couch, I never really got to see her gorgeous body. I sensed it was great, but never really got a good view. I had her roll over for a frontal massage. She commented on my intentions. I said nothing and massaged her breasts along with her stomach, arms, and legs. Now I © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 158 was kneeling aside the bed and we gently began kissing and ended up with an incredible romantic experience. I was glad I didn’t let my ego keep me from this great lovin whether we’d resolve our problem or not. I told her that I had a problem with being tested and told her she has one strike against her. I suggested that rather than having potential power plays that we flip coins. She couldn’t’ quite see that working—too impersonal. I told her that what she did at her place triggered feelings I had in my marriage and that my ex wife would tell her that I always got my way. I went on to say that before we got married, we’d make love 6 or 7 times a week and after we got married we only made love once or twice a week. I asked, “If I was always getting my way, then why did we only make love twice a week? She got her way 5 out of 7 times. “ I kept looking at how beautiful she was—her body perfect and looking straight on her face that of an angel. Even though my ex is a beautiful woman, I could never imagine myself with such a gorgeous woman as Linda is. I’ve always been attracted to petite and this is the first time in my life I have petite, beauty, and sexy in one woman. Then we got dressed and made dinner together. After dinner we were going dancing but she was having such a good time being with me and visa versa that we opted to stay and play some rummy. I popped the cork on some champagne and I toasted to the coin flip. She again expressed hesitancy. I pointed out that we flipped the coin to choose rummy or dominoes and she didn’t think the two decisions were similar. I told her that I felt she used me without telling me—she was testing me like a student and I didn’t agree to be tested. That instead of her just making a unilateral decision it should have been a discussion. I pointed out that if I won the toss and she didn’t feel like love making that if after ten minutes she wasn’t turned on I’d punt. I also noted how even thought she just wanted to cuddle and talk, her butt was gyrating her vagina right at my penis. She said she had no control over it which I believed her. I had a pendulum on the table which she noticed and asked about. I showed her how it works and then asked her to ask the pendulum if she had the hots for me. It swung wildly in the yes direction and she looked slightly embarrassed like I had touched a deep secret. She told me that I was so analytical about the last time we were together and I responded that it’s good that I was because my first inclination was to break up © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 159 with her. And then went on to say that I efforted all night long as to what to do and how to handle it. I did—I got only an hour sleep that night and was a wreck the next day. Then my next thought was to make a date and break it to test her if she still liked me. She said it was “tit for tat,” and I agreed and said that’s why I didn’t take that action. My third option was to discuss the issue and give her strike one. We had seen the movie, Some kind of love” and the strike thing was used in the movie I was lucky with cards and beat her badly in rummy. We then held each other and caressed each other and kissed for almost an hour until my son called to be picked up at the movie house. We parted as lovers do. She noted that she expected that she’d be divorced no more than a year before she’d find the man she wanted to marry, but then her friend has been divorced twelve years and is still looking. It’s been three years since her divorce and she’s dated two men in that time—not counting a few single dates—and was concerned that it would be more difficult than she expected to find that one person. “It should be an easy thing to find someone who wants the same thing as me,” she said. I agreed and thought to my self that I’ve dated about six women, made love with four and if Linda is the one, I’ll be fortunate. I can just see myself on the beach with this gorgeous teenage looking body next to me—not that mine is so old looking—it could pass for a thirty year old. And then I realized that this could be the last chapter in my book. Do I want to get to know other women and make love to others? Why, if I have everything I want in one woman? In the meantime, I have a date with my friend in Brooklyn tomorrow night and a date with my friend from Maryland the next night as I figured that this would be my last night with Linda. So I’m not committed yet, would like to see how the coin toss works before I commit. She emailed me later that evening: Hi Richard ( the Winner with no sympathy!!!)............I am back here safe & sound & reveling in the lovely time I had tonight !!!! I enjoyed my self & I really enjoyed spending time with you.........You make me feel very special & swept off my feet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So good !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda the congenial LOSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 160 Linda I have lots of sympathy and didn't gloat. Just lucky cards tonight and overall a very lucky night. I really do enjoy time with you--it goes so quickly. And you have such small pretty little feets and am glad to sweep you off them. I'm glad you feel special because in spite of what others say about you, you are a very special person--I know it--I believe it, and it is true!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's one vote for flipping the coin, and maybe a sleep over (not moving in--just a sleep over) Lots of holding, cuddling, touching, kissing..... Love, kisses, hugs and hopefully for a long long time Richard the winner of rummy last night. p.s. I don't know any others who say things about you--just in case you were wondering. Later I emailed her again: Linda who played hooky all week!!!!!!! How does it feel to be a person contributing to society instead of one playing Hooky? Oh Oh, this Saturday the dance is at the shadowbrook. Want to Go? Oh and there's this piece of paper on my coffee table that says D 130 and R 520, what does it mean? Love and hugs, Richard with many kisses and back rubs XXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx00000000 Hi Richard !!!!!!!! Well…Saturday sounds good to me!!!! Yes I feel like a productive part of society today!!!!! Such a GREAT feeling. Oh… those numbers ??????? I think that perhaps they are our weights in kilograms !!!!! What do you think???? Linda © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 161 I emailed her” subject: forgot to ask Are you available for Wednesday evening?????????--but not for a replay of last Wednesday!!!!!!!!!! Would like to take you to Captain Eds and have a replay of last night with me getting the massage. Wednesday was my birthday She disappointed me by writing: Dear Richard !!!!! I just turned onthe computer after correcting last week's tests & I found the message I sent to you after school was sent back to me !!!! I typed a wrong letter in comcast part !!!!!! Icannot do tomorrow because it is not just me & my student teacher but Rhonda & her girl are also partof our going away party!! i am so sorry!!!!.. Maureen went out on a meeting on Suday & she is a happy person,,,,there was CHEMISTRY!!!!!!!! Theya re going ouot again tomorrrow too!!!!!......My job tongiht was to go onto Match so i can see what he looks like.....I shall try aafter this but I don't think I can get on thre anymore so I she toel me that I can just browse(UMMMM a very good word !!!! BROWSE......&&&that reminds me ...Hilary ws over last night for a while & we played Scrabble 7 I lost so badly!!!!!!!!!! I just kept getting vowel after vowel !!!!!!!!!!....I guess this my week for losing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I walked the reservoir 7 i am so so tired & I thionk I got a blister too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.............000000000000& XXXXXXXXXXX's from the wounded loser of the week!!!!! D And I replied: Hi Linda, Your typing skills caught up with you. Have fun. How many batches of cookies do I get? Miss ya, Richard -------------- Original message -------------- OH Richard!!!!!!!!!!!!!! happy haappy late birthday to you!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well....how luckt for you to find something tht hat you can particiapate in & also enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yummy!!!!!!...................Good dinner & the young girls are fun to bewith ...so ready for new things !!!!!!!!!!!!! We all had a nicetime....Well.....I guess now I ahve to start baking !!!!!!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 162 it will be a long tiome for me to make enough to make up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..........sso........ I send you lots Of XXXXXXXXXXX 's & 000000000000000000000:"s I am looking forward to seeing you again& presenting you with some cookies....even tought hey cannot compete with BROWNIES because I have to use RICE flour !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D We got together Saturday evening and it was great. She took me to dinner for my birthday and then we went to her place, made a desert for Mother’s Day, went dancing for an hour or so and back to her place for some lovin. Later I emailed her: Subject: winner of rummy Hi Linda big winner of regional of 500 rummy game. Did you gloat today?? yesterday???? You should feel guily--it was my birthday. How was Mother's day? I took mine shopping. The cookies are great!!!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!! You can gloat as chief cookie maker. What's the plan for Wednesday evening. When are your daughters coming over. Shall I make a scrumptious dinner for everyone? With your invaluable help of course!!!!!!!!! Or are we going to team up on them and beat them unmercifully in a game of 500 rummy? Kisses and many huggies XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx0000000 Richard who sat in the wrong seat to play rummy. Let's flip a coin for position. Hi KNIK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well....of course I have been gloating !!!!!!!!!!!!!&&&& I meant to ask you if you want o keep the score sheet.......I still have it !!!!!!!!!!!!! I went Donna's ...I took the parents ( OH!!! Tjis is my Mohter's Day thing).........OH!!!!!! but before I wnet there Abigail came over to make me breakfast ( really lunch by the time she arrived ) but it was so good ,,,,we had lots of talk etc...... back to the parents....i took them to Donnna's & we were there about 3 or so & had snacks & stuff 7 my girls showed up too but them about 5 or so I started having a stomach attack,,,I ate but that did not make it better & by 7 i had toleave & I could not even take the parent home !!!!!!!!! Glenn did later....I had to come back & just lie on the couch & then lie in bed until it passed....I felt better this morning but about 10 this morning It stated again!!!!!!!!! but happily by aboput 1 I started feeling beter & I still am!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! Next topic..................Wed.........I think the girls willnot be here ,,,i think Hil has to work,,,,, so I will know more tomorrow !!!!!.... but we can still be a plan!!!!!!!!!!!!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 163 I hope you like the cookies but they are hardly REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH !!!! &&&& I finished the ice cream tonight....I had some last night to cheer myself up & finished it this evenign....YUMMY!!!!! OK>>>>> I need to my beaty rest,,,,,,,, 000000's & XXXXX's from HOWELL>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Linda the CARD SHARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You just got to love a person who is so darn funny. I emailed her back. Subject: Wednesday (tomorrow) evening!!!!! Hi Ms Gloater I still have your score sheet too. We can compare!!!!!!!!! Sorry to hear of your tummy episode--a bummer for you!!!! Tomorrow>>> If the weather is nice, are u up for a board walk adventure? The dates in June are the weekend of the fourth and fifth. And I mentioned a conference in August--it's Aug-12 thru the 14th or perhaps the 15th. So I won't get to meet the girls. What a disappointment. We'll be married and have three kids before I get to meet them. Whoops that's a big step from moving in and a physical impossibility besides--just pulling chain--I like your chain. Richard of yesterday and ..XXXX of today!!!!!!!!! kisses and hugs XXXXXXxxxx000000000h... Hi XXXX Richard,,,,,,,, I’d love the boardwalk if it is nice…What time?? What to eat??? No time to type…too many kids !!!! Linda Will try to get there after 4:00 and bring peppers and onions with chick sausage spicy? OK? XXXX Richard She replied, “OK”. I went to her place. She told me about her previous relationships. One guy would call her every day and she was surprised that I don’t’ call her. She didn’t say so, but I gather she was kind of hoping I’d call more often and also glad I wasn’t needy. We prepared sausage, peppers and onions with rice, played several games in Chinese checkers and one 500 rummy game. Then we sat together on the couch and she did the let’s be friends thing and I went with it. She © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 164 needed to know that there was more between us than sex. I affirmed that I couldn’t stay in a relationship with someone just for the physical and that I find her witty and challenging. We just kissed and touched and then I had her touch a personal spot and the friend’s thing was history. Hi Linda almost winner of last 500 rummy game. I'm so disappointed. I thought Andrew was going to be here tomorrow evening for our games--it is tomorrow night--Friday (our date), isn't it? Anyway, he'll be at a friend's house. I must admit, I've been stupid. A very difficult admission. I've been on these antibiotics and forgot to stop having alcohol. Dumb dumb. I woke up this morning dizzy and groggy. I almost felt like I had 24 hr flu with my tummy slightly queasy. I didn't go into the office until 11:00. It might also be my first side effect of the meds. So I haven't been my normal perky self today which made gloating so much more difficult. I enjoyed our evening together immensely in spite of all the winning I did. I know it's only a matter of time until you toast my touckus in scrabble or some such game and I know you'll have much mercy on me!!!! Ha ha!!!!!!!! I'll be home after 3:30 tomorrow. Let me know what time you'd like to arrive. If there's enough time, we could go to Sandy Hook, or walk the streets of Red Bank, drop by McCulloh Sampler and then make some shrimp scampi or crab legs. dozens of Hugs and thousands of kisses Come from behind XXXX Richard Hello Richard the modified Gloater !!!!!!!!!!! Please excuse this weird typing …I do not know how I got these weird marks on here & all the dots !!!!!!!!! Very strange !!!!!!!!!! Anyway,,,your plan sounds so good but I ususally hang out with teachers for a couple of hours after school on Fridays…especially pay day,,I didn’t expect that we would see each other until later !!!!!!!If that is ok I could be there around 7, if not let me know!!!! This message is from the COMPURT WHIZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Linda It was Friday the 13th both for her and me—her, because she came home to a sick puppy and had to take him to the vet. Me. because I was really looking forward to © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 165 her coming to hang out with my son and me to play games and eat pizza. Her puppy got two shots and $115 later she was at home with the puppy laying near her on the couch. The plan was for me to drop by her place in the afternoon to meet her daughters and have hamburgers. I got a thing for this woman and I ask myself why I am dating other women and the answer is unknown. I certainly didn’t have any pressure to meet anyone else. Plans got changed and she came to my place instead and I had my mother over and the four of us played Chinese checkers, dominos, and 500 rummy. I emailed her after she left: Hi Linda queen of Dominos Thanks for coming tonight. We all had a lot of fun. Today just wasn't my day for winning. Only problem was that I missed a lot of hugs and kisses. I haven't seen my son laugh like that for years. XXXX Richard Hugs and kisses by email XXXXXXXXX000000uhm! Hello Richard...the Gallant Loser !!!!!!!! I had a fun evenong ....because as you know I love playing game s!!!!!....I got up late !!!! so now I will take the boys for a loonnnnggg walk so that they can relax & sleep the rest of the day,,,Thank you for the fun & (Probably letting me win!!!!) Domino Di XXXXXXX's & 000000000000000's to you!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hi Linda, You for got some thing. You forgot your glas ses. Shoudst I bring them to you? XXXX Richard She had some problems at work and home and I emailed her: Hello Linda with sad happenings around her Are you teaching in June, I believe you said you were. Anyway, there's a thing in Hampton, VA near Williamburg I will be going to and wondering if it will fit into your schedule. It's June 18th and 19th which means leaving on the 17th Friday and returning on the 20th (Monday). And while we're speaking of plans. Are we on for tomorrow (never discussed it since we didn't connect last evening). If so, I can schedule my meeting in Neptune in afternoon and arrive earlier in the day if you're don't have to hang out with Andre. And while we're speaking of plans, what about weekend? Which day/s/night/s you available? Richard with so many hugs and kisses accumulating just waiting for delivery. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 166 Hi Richard….I just now got your email from yesterday afternoon!!!! My computer here is not working up to par…&someone from the tech center was here & was working on it all afternoon & then shut it down & I was NOT to use it again until this afternoon!!!! BUT>>>>>>>>> it is still not right !!!!! Let’s see…… My girls & the boys want to come over on Thurss because of Hil & Bobby’ s work…they will get here after 7, but if you can’t come on Thurs then I’ll tell them to come on Wed even if it is late ….WEKEND!!!! I am having company ( Barry’s relatives) over on Saturday so I will not be able to do anything then, but Friday will work for me. &&&& The Williamsburg thing!!! Oh…sound s good but I couldn’t possibly go because that is the very end of school…..Kid’s last day is 21,,,,,,,,I will be in over my head & cannot take off so close to the end !!! So Sorry!!!!!! I think that is it for now !!!!! Linda Linda Lady Di, Friday night is good and your reservation is confirmed. Had I known you had computer problems, I would have called you by tele phone. Thursday night is a problem. I have a Chamber network meeting plus I have to take Andrew home afterward and couldn't get to ya place until perhaps 9:15 or so. Wednesday is best if that works for you but from your paragraph couldn't understand exactly whut you were saying. Bo hhoo Williamsburg--just a week too soon. I'll call and DEMAND they schedule the conference for the following week. So ya don't think its a good idea for me to meet Barry's relatives? Richard hugs and kisses XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxx00000000uhm!!!! I just read your your email!!!!!!!!!!!! Youa re too funny!!!!!!!!! Barry's relatives became my best friends !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ithink I have to let them know that I met you berfore I have them © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 167 meet you!!!!!!...........I am lookin gforward to tomorrwo...I hope we can walk or something !!!! Then we will have to think about something to eat !!!!! i have stuff but probably not YOUR stuff !!!!!!!!.aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh...... well we could starve 7 juast play SCRABBLE so that I can practice for Saturday....Linda & I always play in the afternoon !!!!................D © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 168 CHAPTER X -- THE LAST TEST We got together Wednesday afternoon, walked on the Boardwalk, had dinner at her place, played rummy (I won), and then romanced on the couch until she got the feeling I was in the mood for love. She wanted to just be close and hug. I was bent out of shape and kept it to myself but not very well. I offered a time limit so I’d be leaving around 10:30 pm and I did. On the way home, I became increasingly aggravated. It reminded me so much of my wife manipulating my sex life and making decisions for me for five years of marriage. I called her and told her that if she needs someone just for hugging, that I didn’t think I was capable of that. It was a short conversation. I said what I had to say and she didn’t reply. Because it was noisy in the car, I wanted to make sure she didn’t misunderstand me so I emailed her: Subject: Choice Hi Linda, It was a close rummy game and it was fun even though you almost came from behind and beat me, but the game on the couch wasn't fun for me, maybe for you, but not even a dearth for me. I think I understand what you want--you'd like someone to just hold and be close without it getting into physical intimacy and there's nothing wrong with what you want--go for it. I know I'm not the man for that-especially when you make the decision for me. Maybe there are a thousand other guys who are capable of that, but I'm not. Call it a short coming. The way it is now, it ends up being a tug of manipulation--if I get my way, then "richard always gets what he wants" and you feel taken advantage of and if you get your way, I feel taken for granted and manipulated. The sad thing is that there's so much I like and love about you. So the decision is in your court. If you're unwilling to let a coin toss make the choice and find that just cuddling and hugging are what you need a guy to be able to do when he hasn't seen you or been with you for almost a week, then let me know and I'll wish you the best in finding what you want in a relationship. Had the evening been my choice, we'd would have made love within 10 minutes of me arriving and maybe done it again before I left and I would hope that the woman I'm in relationship with wants that intimacy as much as I do or is at least willing to let a coin toss decide. Sad Richard © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 169 She emailed me back: Subject: Sorry!!!!!!!!!! When I read the subject, I wondered if she was apologizing and opened her email to find: Dear Richard, I am sorry that you feel the way that you do. I do not think that we will be very good together after this. I am sorry that I cannot be what you want. I had a wonderful time last night but I knew that you were unhappy. I guess there is nothing else to say. Linda Linda I replied: Linda, I don't think a relationship should be a lot of work either--it should come quite naturally as it does 99+% of the time for us. So I don't think we have 30 years of work to do and apologize for upsetting you--it was not my intent as I truly value our friendship and deeply care for you. Must admit that I lost sight of rule #6 and aren't too happy about that. I could have expressed myself differently had I remembered it. Please accept my apologies for having no tact and a lapse of memory. So if you need to take a break, as you wish, hope you feel better soon, and hopefully one day soon you'll feel like a rematch on rummy. Love, Richard She wrote back: Dear Richard.....I got you email & I truly appreciate it ....I hope that you undersatand what I mean by working at a relationship. UMMMM>>> YES !!!! I agree I trul;y enjoyed all the times we shared & I was surprised when I called you back the other night & you said your piece !!!!!!!!! That made me step back & evaluate exactly what it was that I was doing !!!! You see.. I I think I tend to just " go with the flow " or whatever ...& I really think that I should be past problems & such .....& I cannot agree or understand how one could "flip a coin" to decide if "intimacy" would be the agenda!!!!! I think that is something that both people must feel & want together. Sometimes I do need to be close but not all that intimate. i am sorry if that does not fit with your oputlook. I think that you © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 170 should know that I am certainly not afraid of being "imtimate" ( I like that term ) & I certainly enjoy it, but it cannot be the main focus of any relationaship for me .....Important but the ALL!!!!!!!.........so,.... give me a few more days or so to get myself back on track. &&&&&& I will concentrate on RULE #6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!D © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 171 CHAPTER XI THE BEGINNING OF THE END I wrote her back: Linda, I'm very glad we're communicating--that's great!!! NNNNO, I don't like the idea of a coin flip determining the agenda and that wasn't my intent of the coin flip--it goes much deeper than that. Suppose we both love going to the beach (which we do) and we like to go there as much as we can. Now when we go to the beach you love to throw the Frisbee. In fact, you want to do it every time. Now I really like throwing the Frisbee too, but I'm not always in the mood for it and it take two people to do it--not much fun throwing it by yourself. I think (and I could be wrong) that when you love someone and something is important to that person, well, even though you might not be excited about doing it, you do it because you love that person and if I contribute to your happiness, I'm happy. So, I say to you, "OK, I'm not really in the mood for Frisbee today, but because it's so important to you, then I'll get into it. You might have to cajole me or tease me to get me going, OK?" Now that will work only for a period of time and after a while I'm going to be thinking that you don't really love me, but love to play Frisbee more and just about anyone as long as they play Frisbee will do for you. Now I'm beginning to feel manipulated, taken for granted like everything is for you and even though I contribute to you feeling good playing frisbee, I don't feel so go about myself any more. And the weird thing is that I do like to play Frisbee--just not every time. Now, you might be tuned into my displeasure and start thinking that frisbee is bad to do because it causes so much aggravation so sometimes you might say, "OK, because I love you and know that Frisbee is not what you want to do, I'll let go of doing it today. And of course that will work for a period of time until you start feeling like you're just being used for a walk on the beach--not a good feeling either as you'll be sad cause you both could be having so much more playing Frisbee. The end result from either point of view, it ends up with one person getting his or her way and the other feeling taken for granted. Perfect soup for arguments, separation, divorce, hit men, and other crazy things. Flipping a coin is valuing each other. It's like having a neutral party say, "OK, you both love each other and sometimes you'll do what he wants and sometimes you'll do what she wants even though you might not be into it. So take turns, flip a coin or ennie, meenie, mini, moe. It doesn't matter what you do, it matters that you love and respect each other and neither of you impose your desires on the other person. You don't make decisions for her and she doesn't make decisions for you" After all, you wouldn't like it if she invited a dozen people for dinner without discussing it with you and wants you to cook and serve the meal, or you wouldn't want him to select your vacation spot without discussing it with you, would you?" © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 172 And you know what, Linda, if I didn't feel like playing Frisbee three or four times in a row and won the coin toss every time, because I love you, that third or fourth time I'd play Frisbee and get in the mood cause I'm me. Does this make sense? The coin toss doesn't determine the agenda, the coin toss says, "I love and respect you too," and is the perfect tool to keep love and respect going--it insures the balance of desires! And when everyone is crying about feeling taken for granted in their relationships, the coin toss, emni, mini, mini, moe, or taking turns still goes on. It's the therapist that always on duty and doesn't charge a dime. And the beauty is there's no working at the relationship necessary--it bypasses all that stuff and you don't even have to remember rule #6. Love Richard Me thinks she’s not going to relate intimacy with playing Frisbee and we’ll be at a stale mate. She responded with: Subject: HELLOOOOOO!!!!! Hi Richard !!!!!!!! Well Igot your email on Saturday evening aftert the cousins left....UMMMM>>>> Iw asn't & still am not sure how I am supposed to respond !!!!!! i am still thinking about your message !!!! My parents took bme out to dinner tonight , since I took them to the foot doctor & Stop & Shop... seemed like a faitr deal. In faCT I got your "Hi" when I got home & checked my phone &&&& I had been thinking about you !!!!! I am going to bed now....my third nioght of giong to bed a little before 10!!!!..........My stomach & al. has been better today than for soemtime so I am being careful & relaxing !!!!!!!!!!!! I will write a better meeage tomorrow...Daine And I responded with: Subject: It cost me $50 Hi Linda, That's a good deal, dinner for a trip to the foot doctor. Glad you're stomach etal are feeling better--am so disappointed that how I handled the situation contributed to your physical discomfort. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 173 Twas a long email that I sent you! How you should respond? How about, "I love you, miss you and want to get my rummy's revenge!!!!" Really, not that I wouldn't like that response, (I would), but, did it make any sense or do you think the email was simply the rambling of an idiot? and should I get my $50 back from the guy I paid to write it? Was it revalent? or is comparing an intense desrie to throwing frisbees to physical intimacy stupid, dumb, assinine, and idiotic? Can you see my side of the coin or are my feelings so far off base that you thinks I need a life time of therapy, ridilin, noranatin, risperdol and paxil all at once? and there's absolutely--without a shadow of doubt--no hope for me? Love!!!!!!!!!!! Richard p.s. might you be up for a rummy rematch Wednesday evening? And I won't stay past 10 so you can keep your string going!!!!!! It’s already Wednesday evening and she hadn’t responded. I guessed that was my answer. I had been lax with match so I spent the evening getting up to speed with some new possibilities. I kinda wanted to call her, and I figured I’ll spare myself the aggravation. It would be probably be like starting with her all over again and I figured that I just as well may start with someone new. She’s got this testing thing and doesn’t even recognize it, like she tested me when we got lost going to a wedding a few weeks ago. But then again, maybe she was dealing with some kind of an emergency. And then I got this email: Dear Richard… Hello again !!!!!!!!! Sorry that I have not been in touch….Crunchy rice …that’s sounds good…Abigail was over & we had tacos & watched American Idol while we played 500 rummy!!!! &&& Guess who won???? Yep…I wouldn’t even be mentioning it if it was not me !!!! I am at school & only have a minute but I wanted to let you know that I am alive & kicking & starting to feel much better……I will talk to you soon !!!!!! Linda Linda I replied: Subject: Rummy winner HI Linda, © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 174 Glad to hear you're OK. The latest news is that mother has a boy friend--Angelino (a nice guy). Did a lot for her depression--in fact it's gone! She was so spry that she hopped up on the doctor's exam table yesterday without the stool but later on when I reupholstered her chair at her place, she could hardly walk--must have pulled a muscle with all that hopping. I have Andrew this weekend (hope the weather will be good enough for some tennis). Would you like a rummy rematch with us Friday or Saturday or play some tennis? Can you fit us in your busy schedule? Richard who misses you sends many hugs and kisses just in case you can use them!!!! XXXXXXXXXX000000000. She replied two days later: Hi Richard!!!! Tonight the girls & boys came over for food & game!!!! We played Cranium but my team lost becasue "I" am not very good with POP culture!!!!!!!!!!!...............I spilled SALSA on my tan pants & sweater this morning at snack time so needless to say, my day after that was lesss than winderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am now going to read a bit & sleep . My weekend is not that busy, mostly doing parent related activites & hanging out at Muareen's one day. To be honest I am a bit anxioous about seing you again !!!! I want to but I'd rather wait until after the weekend if that is ok with you. I am not sure why I feel this way but I 'd rather think about it so I can talk to you about how I feel. I am sorry that I am being such a pain!!!!! Linda I left a couple phone messages and got no reply so I emailed her: Hi Dear Pain Linda!!!!!!!!! That's DPD!!!!!! I can promise you that I won't be lawyering you with some kind of case about me being right. And I won't ever make you wrong about anything. I only want to respect you for whatever your feelings.. I sense that you are avoiding talking to me and that may because you have some preconceived idea about it being confrontational or me trying to brow beat you into my way of thinking. If that's your concerns, I hope you generally know that that's not me. If it's something else, then it's something else and I can't imagine what it might be, but would love to learn. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 175 You've had 30 yrs of marriage and I've had 5. It's normal that you are going to see reminders in things I do that remind you of that 30 yrs and it's normal that I'm going to see reminders in things you do that remind me of the problems I had. Until we get more experience of each other, the unfortunate thing is that we will both transfer those feelings from time to time to each other--we're only human and make some mistkes, however, we can call each other on it and remind each other that I'm not Barry and you're not Maureen. Anyway, the invitations still stand for the weekend--please call me. Andrew is driving me around. He made a fast turn and almost ran MY CAR into the side of the embankment going up our drive way Thurs evening and I just caringed--notta word. I don't think he saw me caringe because he was pretty busy getting control of the car. Later on after another bo bo, he asked me how I can be so calm and that his mother would have been screaming at him. I told him that as an intelligent guy he didn't need me to tell him he goofed and yelling only would make him more nervous and further jeopardize his driving. Richard (no pain from me) Then I called her twice over an hour and let it ring about 8 times but didn’t leave a message. On the third call she picked up and informed me she was in traffic taking one of the dogs to the vet for routine shots. She said she’d call me later and she did. It was good talking again and she apologized for being such a pain and explained that she’s been feeling stressed out over the last several months. I invited her over the weekend to play games and she declined as she just wanted to be alone this weekend and tend to her family. We agreed to keep in touch over the weekend and she really enjoyed talking to me and I dittoed her. We talked briefly on Saturday evening, and then I locked myself out of my office, had to set up a ladder to the porch roof and climb in that way. Guess my mind was preoccupied with the relationship. Later she sent me this email: Hi Richard........ ( your name makes me think of a knight or something like that ) © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 176 Thank you for still talking to me. I like dtalking to you yesterdscay & today....I think I have a problem with getting too serious or too attached to someone. That is what I want but I am so afraid that I will make another BIG mistake!!!! I just finished ironing new curtains ....They are sao horrible !!!!!!!!!! & then I made chili....& I thought about you & I am unable to let you experience my culinary skills !!!!!!!! I got the Asbury Park Press summer edititon on Friday &so maNY good things to do .....I will show it to you & se waht you think... I am gokng to 7"30 mass tomorrwo & thenI am walkling with Susan at the resevoir & I have not yet heard from amUareen so I wil call you after I walk...I want you to be rested..I would hate to wake you up!!!!!...............I am thinking that you are a NIGHT person & I am a MORNING perosn!!!! UH OH!!!!!! Another problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UMMMMM>>>>>>>>>>>>>. I guess tht is the end of my essay!!!!!!! I miss seeing you Linda And I replied: Linda of fear Yes, me thinks we're both afraid of making mistakes again. Tis normal and guess what, we got to make them til we get it right and hope every mistake brings us more wisdom as opposed to stupidity. Sounds like something out of one of my tapes. But I don't know what choices we have other than to hold back and then you just never know and then that becomes the mistake. Now, I'm not suggesting we get married or anything like that so don't freak out!!! Morning vs night!! I USED TO GET UP AT 5:30 AM WHEN I INSTALLED GUTTER COVERS--DID THAT FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS. Felt like I got a whole day's work done by 11:00 am and had the whole day ahead of me. Like I'm flexible. I love the morning--especially to share with someone. I'd like to get up and do yoga (easy exercises), or take a walk, or rebound with someone special. Maureen used to wipe out on the couch at 9:30pm and refused to go to bed until she awakened as a bitch at 11:30pm. She'd complain, scream at anyone--had three of us to yell at--about anything she could find wrong and then ride to bed on her broom handle. I really didn't feel like going to bed with her after that. I certainly don't want that again!!!!!!!!! Anyway, no comment on my photos??? Are they that bad???? Richard with so many hugs and kisses who tried his first piece of pizza tonight--would have rather had your chili. It was pizza hut and tasted terribly (adverb right?) And to boot, we got rained out of playing tennis. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 177 I was expecting a call from her around 10:30 am and at 2:00 left her a message about waiting for her call. She emailed me: Hi Richard... I am unable to call because I dropped the phone into th sink this morning befrore church....I took the battery out & let it dry while I went to walk..............It will not work it lights up & goes black....I am going to meet Lynne & Rhonda at the mall & get it repaired....I hope !!!!!.............I 'll call when I am back on the air !!!!!!!!!! D And then she wrote back: Subject: sooory again Dear Richard.... I am at Lynne's & my phonme is now working again. I don't think that I am the person for you!! I thought that I had a problem with Paul because he was too pushy & fast .....I can see that you are no that way & I have loved the time we shared but I think I need more time to be just on my own without any type relationsghip at theis time. I feel that I am always so busy & I never have time to stop &" smell the flowers"!!!!!.............I have bewen thinking alot about this since yesterday & I was truly happy to talk to you & I did miss talking to you but I am not ready now to be involved .....I don't know why because I want to have a partner & do things together & be able to talk but I guess I am not there yet . UMMM>>> I don't know what welse to say, soory D ps....I know that I have to give you your domino set !!!!!! I responded: Subject: sad news Linda, Tis the sadest news I've gotten in a long long time. but congrats to you for making the decision for yourself!!!!!! That decision truly doesn't involve me although I'm the subject of the decision. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 178 I'll just have to get rid of images in my mind that I had of us lying on a beach in Hawaii or Aruba together. I could tell it was a see saw for you, one day I was on and the next day i was off. So off it is. Please send me the dominoes to 210 Broad St. Red Bank, NJ 07701 unless of course you want to see me in person for one last rummy game and or a discussion--not an arm pulling!!! Richard p.s. If I dont' see ya, good luck in finding what you want for that's what I think love is--wanting what's best for you and just hoping it's what's best for me too; but in this case, it's not and that's OK!!!! I didn’t hear anything back from her all week and then I emailed her: Subject: cookies & things. hI sUNFLOWER, hOW ARE YOU DOING? wONDERED IF YOU COULD EMAIL ME THE RECIIPT FOR THE COOKIES. i'M RUNNING OUT OF THEM AND GETTING DESPERATE. gOOD THING YOU TABLED OUR RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY WOULD HAVE OWED ME A BATCH OR TWO BY NOW FOR SOMETHING OR OTHER!!!!!!! --UNLESS THAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATON????? iN RETROSPECT, i KNEW FROM THE MINUTE i SAW THAT YOUR TRASH CAN OPENED WITH A TOP RELEASE MECHANISM AS OPPOSED TO MINE THAT RELEASED BY THE FOOT, THAT WE WEREN'T COMPATABLE--JUST KIDDING OF COURSE. i THOUGHT WE WERE VERY COMPATABLE--EVEN LIKED hARLEY AND cOCO. pET THEM FOR ME!!!!! AND GIVE cOCO 5 MINUTES ON THE COUCH-PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE!!!!!! eNOUGH FOR NOW, rICHARD OF YORE (DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS--JUST THOUGHT IT SOUNDED GOOD--HOW MANY SCARABLE POINTS?) © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 179 I left caps on on purpose and called her sunflower instead of Linda. Just thought I’d bust on her to see if she picked up on it. She returned the email: Subject: me again!!!!!!!! Hi Richard!!!! AHHH>>>> I think that you probably want the recipe & not the reciipt for the cookies!!!!! So I will send that ...& the Dominoes !!!!! I did not forget !!!!!!....Thank you for sucha nice email the other day!!!! I apologize for waiting so l;ong to respond !!!!........UMMM>>>> I too think that we were compatible ...we like dlots of the same thing s!!!!........I have to rest up because tomorrrow is field day & I think the weather is going to be less than perfect...................The recipe will be forthcoming .....but not tonight !!!!! D I happened to be in her area for a network meeting and called after it was over. She was glad to hear from me and I dropped by. We talked about our issues as we played dominoes. She said that she didn’t feel that sometimes she’d be a good sexual partner—didn’t think she could always be into it. She was a very active lover and I wondered if it was what she felt like doing or what she felt was expected of her. We ended up kissing like old times but we kept it at that. I left with possible plans for the following evening and maybe the week-end and really felt good about us getting together. The next day, I emailed her: Subject: Glad for last night. Hi Linda, HOW's the crayola girl? Any interesting things happen, like maybe a new crayon for use on skin that kids can color each other and their parents when they fall asleep? The missing dominoe is my mother. . Well I don't know yet. I have to go pick it up from Glad to see you're taking good care of Harley and Coco, I worry about them!! Coco really does derseve a little couch time. I hope we get to connect tonight--would like to meet your daughter/s. No pressure though, if things don't work out for tonight, perhaps cards at my place this weekend with Andrew and my Ma and or maybe minerature golf. Kisses and hugs have been accumulating with your name on them. Richard © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 180 Anyway before she probably got the email, she text messaged me and said she had to cancel for the evening and would email me later. I text messaged her, “how was the crayon factory?” and never received a response so I emailed her: Subject: touching base Sunflower girl Linda, Haven't heard from you since you text message on Wednesday afternoon. Is everything OK? If you gots a problem and needs some helps, let mes know. Richard Again no response after three days so I emailed her: Subject: FYI D The missing domino tile. How many times did you need a three or a two? Well, it was at my mothers'. I'm sure you could have won twice as many games if it were at your disposal. R Later she responded as though she had been in contact all along with same subject: YOU asre RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can now recall that I was always commeting to myself that I wish I had the 2 / 3 tile but I just thought that you were the lucky one to get it all the time!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHH>>>. No wonder I accumulated so many losses !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I responded with: Subject: Real Match Hi Linda, Do you comment to yourself about any thing else other than the 2/3 tile?????? Uhmmm!!!!!!!!! Wondering if you're up to doin anything tomorrow afternoon or evening? or Monday evening? Many options, beach, mini golf, complete set of dominos, dinner.... R I called her about 10:00am and left a message for her to call me if she was available for fun and games today or tomorrow evening and that if she didn’t respond, I’d assume she was busy. I think this relationship is dead dead. She’s very much into taking care of her parents and spends a lot of time there and I wouldn’t mind being included, but… A few weeks later I emailed her a note that I was just touching base and she replied: HI Richard >>>>. Yes I am up late & now I am going to retire !!!! but I just read your email & thank you for being so kind & all!!!!! I am working this weekend inPrincet=on & i got your voice mail whe I got home after 6!!!! I am off to Princetona gaintomorrow morning © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 181 ...have to be ther by 830!!!! But it is not a bad ride at all!!!! I keep my windows open & blow in the breeze !!!!! 7&&&&&&&&&&&&& i told you!!!!! I am not angry or mad at youa tall!!!!!!/.............I will try & be brave & strong & call you tomorrow ...ok???? Linda .I didn’t hear from her and I left it at that for about two weeks and then emailed her asking if she was upset or angry and she replied: Dear Richard, I got your mesasage & NO !!!! I am not angry or upset or anthing with you!!!!! I really jst do not think that we will work . I really & truly enjoyed 7 had fun whern we were togetere but I do not want to create a situation like I had before !!!!,,, UMMM>>>> that is really what it is!!!! D A few weeks later I emailed her that I thought of her when I made some rice that got dry— crunchy rice, she replied: Hi Richard!!! How are you??? I did get your messages ......In this century!!!! I went to Williamsburg for a week & then I was working in Mt, Laurel for 3 weeks.....an hour drive each way...I was getting h0ome so late...thank goodness I am not a commuter all the time !!!!! I am leaving for VA again tomorrow morning !!!!! Another vacation !!!!! I am luchky this year !!!!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,My boys are good & barking well as usual!!!! How interestin that "crispy rice" reminds you of me!!!!!!! Linda I made another attempt to call her before an August 8th convention. I was hoping she could help me run my booth at the convention. I received no reply and began receiving intriguing emails from a 25 year old Russian girl who wanted to come to the U.S. and find love. More about that in Appendix B. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 182 PART IV INTRODUCTION More research: Being that I was dating Linda and uncertain as to whether she would be my match, and since I also wanted to continue my internet dating research, I changed my name to romancethestone and removed my photos and guess what? I made a liar out of me about photos. Photos aren’t necessary for a guy. I got more action without my photos than with them. CHAPTER I -- DIANE She showed up on my match of the day, I emailed her: Subject: Great Smile you appeared on my match of the day at high rating. Shall we trust the computer and see where it may lead? Richard Dropping my membership today, so you'll have to email me at [email protected] or call me at 908-625-2195 should you be interested in step #2 She emailed me back: From: REDBURGUNDY2929 ([email protected]) To: romancethestone ([email protected]) Date received: April 15, 2005 Subject: RE: Thanks REDBURGUNDY2929's profile Thanks for the compliment. I will give you a call. I was wondering do you have a pic? Talk to you later. 45-year-old woman Staten Island, NY, US Seeking men 40-60 Active within 24 hours Diane I emailed her back my photos and this note: Hi Diane, Someone told me I look somewhat like Sean Connery (007). What do you think? Anything close? Look forward to your call. Richard 908-625-xxxx She called me. She hadn’t received the attachments and I told her she was brazen for I might have lots of missing teeth, weight 300 pounds and be loaded with tattoos. She didn’t see a big risk in a phone call. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 183 We hit it off pretty good. She told me she didn’t drink or smoke and I told her I didn’t either but that I frequented Atlantic City three times a week to gamble and she got very quiet. I asked her which toe I pulled and we laughed when I told her that gambling is boring. She later told me that she divorced her husband because he was a lying gambler and we had another laugh. I asked her if she was the stereotyped red head who loses her temper and she assured me that she’s dyed red and that she hates confrontation and doesn’t argue although as a child of 18 she was attracted to those qualities in her boyfriend who she skipped high school graduation to marry him. Later I emailed her the photos and when I called her back she hadn’t received them as the email bounced back. I asked her to email me her regular email which she did as we were talking and I sent her the photos. She agreed I looked somewhat like Sean Connery and I asked her who she looked like and she volunteered Mary Lou Henric of Taxi. Since I had no photo on the match site I teased her about me being married. She said she had experience with one married guy. He only wanted to meet her at a motel during week days only, wouldn’t give her his phone number and finally admitted he just wanted to get laid. I had already passed her test as she had my cell number and we were talking about weekend dates. I asked her whether she was religious or not—bad mistake. Turns out she’s a devote Catholic. I told her I used to be a devout Lutheran and stopped being religious 20 years ago and am now spiritual. I got the feeling she was looking for someone who shared her faith. Our call had gone over 30 minutes and then I asked when Mary Lou would like to meet Sean Connery and we began to set up a time but couldn’t arrive at one. We had two possibilities and we agreed that I’d contact her. I called three times, left two messages and never received a call back. I assume it was the religious thing. Of course, that would have probably nixed the relationship anyway, but then if I were just looking for fun and visa versa, religion wouldn’t have had to play a factor into it. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 184 CHAPTER II JM Received a wink from this beautiful woman I emailed her: Subject: Hello smily--thanks for the wink I can see your personality shine through your smile. It's quite bold of you to wink at someone without a photo. I'm told I look like a double for Sean Connery--just don't have his accent. I see you're on line and if you'd like to chat, I'm at 908-625-2195 or if you want to email me first I'm at [email protected] Richard She responded: jm04330's profile 57-year-old woman Newtown, PA, US From: jm04330 ([email protected]) Seeking men 44-62 Active within 1 To: romancethestone ([email protected]) Date received: April 17, 2005 Subject: RE: Hello smily--thanks for the wink I will make a note of your other e-mail address-but thatis was just as easy to respond to. I winked at you because I enjoyed reading your profile-and was hoping you could send me a picture later...What I didn't do was find out where/or which Middletown you live in (I am originally from NJ-but tdidn't realize there were 3 Middletowns). So I guess the first thiang we should do is fiure out how far apart we live. I live in Newtown, Bucks County-do you know where that is? KF I replied with Distance as the subject: Hi KF jm What's this KF--jm thing? You don't have multiple personalities, do you? Just kidding! Do you? I'd hate a little thing like distance to break up great possibilites. I was in Bucks county just last week at a wedding in Doylestown--looked like a fun town. Small world, we could have met after the wedding and had dinner except my date would have really been peeved. Middletown is near the shore--Sandy Hook, Seven Presidents park, Sea Bright where the news guys always go to video tape the NorEasters. Big Question! Do you like the beach? Is your bathing suit ready for beach fun? Richard at the sunny beach © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 185 She email me back the next day: Subject: RE: Distance Well you made me laugh- thats great-sense of humor is important. No, I do not have multiple personalities, but consider myself adapatible in multiple settings. My name is Kathy (thus the KF). JM is just becuase I thought it was supposed to be a name that owuld not identify me 9security reasons. And I tried to write my profile as honestly as possible. Now I do know where Middletown at the shore is -because I spent my early life in Lavalette, adn lakewoordNJ. I am the quintescential Jersey Shore gire-but my family and my shore house are curently in Sea Isle City (Cape May County). My bathing suit is always ready-when I am at the shore thats pretty much my uniform. I think you live about 1 hr from me?? Do you have a photo you can send me? You have seen mine, and most people have said the pictures look like me-or I look a little better thatn the pictures. Kathy I replied: Subject: Photos Kathy, Be glad to send you a dearth of photos. I don't have any smiling photos--I save the smile for when we're up front and personal. I don't mean to break your cover, Kathy--now that I know your first name, but the only way I know how to attach a photo is through regular email unless you can coach me otherwise and I'm always willing to learn a new task. So I still remain a partial mystery Richard She replied: I would never make a very good undercover agent anyway. Consider the code broken. My name is Kathy Fxxxxxx, and my e-mail is [email protected]. Look forward to "seeing" you. Couldn't begin to coach you on use of technology-I am still working on mastering the VCR, and now there is the DVD to replace it! Kathy Subject: No longer under cover. And I sent her photos: Hi Kathy, What's next after the DVD? Here are a few photos. Do I look more like 007 or the Frugal Gormet? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 186 Richard She responded to my photo with: Subject: No longer under cover. Richard Thanks for sending the phot-actually it said photos-but i only found one-does that have to do with you sending only one or my lack of technological skills? I have of course heard of the frugal gourmet, but don't think I have ever seen him-so don't know if you look like him-I can see the Sean Connery resemblance. Don't know where to go from here. I am mainly looking for friendly kind of dating that could turn into more. The problem with the geographical distance is how to do that. Do you have ideas, suggestions? Are you coming from a different place? (emotionally/relationsally?) Kathy I replied: Subject: Wanted: dependent clingy relationship!!!!!!!! Hi Kathy, Great to hear back from you. I thought I sent you two photos, but then I guess the technology beat me. Which one did you get, the close up with leather coat or the full body shot in a checked sports jacket? I’ll send you the other photo after you tell me which you received. Distance? Wow, you’re on the other end of the world and I’m looking for a very clingy dependent relationship and would like to move in with you so I could save on these high real estate taxes. Help!!!!!!! Gee, so many are looking for the one soul mate and I think sometimes that looking for that soul mate person stands in the way of finding that person should he or she exist. I once dated a woman from Florida and after a year of commuting every month or so we ended up living together for about 5 years so distance is no real big issue unless of course you’re looking for someone to be with all three days every weekend. Romantic friendship is a great place to start. What do you think? And you haven’t heard my voice yet—another step. You can call me at 908-625-2195 or it’s on the internet at www.DStressDoc.com Click on the edit button at the top left and select the “find” option and type in audio link. It’ll take you to an audio file and next to it are two video files. Click on either the audio or one of the video files (the one marked 400 is for newer computers) Richard © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 187 I didn’t receive a reply and because I was busy dating Linda, I didn’t attempt to reach Kathy again. If she lived closer, I definitely would have attempted more communication. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 188 CHAPTER III -- JANE From: Jane284 ([email protected]) To: romancethestone ([email protected]) Date received: April 18, 2005 Subject: Jane284's profile 55-year-old woman Englishtown, NJ, US Hi, my interest was piqued after reading your profile, and especially your essays. The funny thing is that you sound almost perfect, and I've always believed that no one is. I often wonder how much of what I've read is factual. You appear to be a communicative and interesting individual. I invite you to read mine to see if the feeling is mutual. Hoping to hear from you, Max Seeking men 50-67 Active within 24 hours I replied: Subject: Perfection in a man Hi Max, Must ask you. Being that I'm almost perfect, what would make me perfect? Sight unseen? But then one match date told me I resemble Sean Connery 007 (if you like that look) And then years back there was the Frugal Gourmet on TV and I was told that I was his double--so there you have it, I'm somewhere in between the Frugal Gourmet and 007 and I do make a mean shrimp scampi and I'm a pretty good shot with paint balls and I bring flowers--unless you're allergic to flowers! Add to that your external assertive, organized, effective and efficient persona and maybe we got one great match. Tell me, which would you like to experience first, my voice or my photos? Richard She replied: Hi Richard, I enjoyed reading your e-mail. In answer to your question, your voice has my vote. If you would care to give me your phone number, we could share good conversation and expedite the learning experience. Awaiting your reply ( and perhaps your number), Max Subject: phone 908-625-2195 to sample voice I'm up until wee hours of the night Richard She called the following evening. We talked for about twenty minutes when she received a call from her sister and had to go. She has twin sons 17 and a daughter 25. I sensed she was nervous. She was trying © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 189 to figure out my flaws since I sounded too perfect. The ones uncovered were my diet although it’s a relative thing. For many women it’s no problem; for the one’s who like dining out, it’s a problem. We agreed to connect by phone next Tuesday re a possible meeting. I emailed her: Hi Jane (not 100% spontaneous) Enjoyed our chat. Look forward to more next week. Have a great exciting weekend. Richard with a flaw or two. She replied: Hi! I too enjoyed our chat, looking forward to the next one. Have a great weekend, Max That was how she felt after we talked. After she thought about my flawed problem of dining out she emailed me the good bye thing: Good morning Richard. I very much enjoyed our conversation the other evening. I hope you won't think of me as too shallow a person, but I don't think we are suitable for one another. I do enjoy travel and am always doing things outside. Restaurants are very much part of my lifestyle. I do wish you the best of luc, Max After reading it, I thought for a moment that in the future, I should hide my flaws, but then, I wasn’t really disappointed because I thought I already hade my match in Linda. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 190 CHAPTER IV -- CHRISTINE Hi Richard, It was great to hear back from you and yes you sound lovely as well. My email is below: [email protected]. Yes... my handle is my last name which is Danish and Scottish. sigh...too much old corporate world influence...LOLL. I am off to work but will check in later. Cheers for now, Christine Hi Christine, Really glad to hear back from you. Here's one photo. Do you think I look more like Sean Connery or The Frugal Gormet who was on TV about 5 yrs ago? And now, one from you? Richard She emailed me her photo and this email: Hi Richard, You look great and more like the Sean influence. So, here is my photo. I actually have a better smile, but this will have to do for now. You sound like a fun loving person who is comfortable in their own skin. I like that and share your view. So, take a minute to look and see if you would like to continue and then we shall see... Cheers for now, Christine I emailed her: Hi Christine, Give me a call 908-625-2195 if you'd like to pursue getting together. My plans for tonite have changed so I'll be in the area if you're free. Otherwise, we'll discuss another time Richard that more so resembles 007 She responded: Hi Richard, I do enjoy spontaneous reactions but I just in from work and did not get your reply until much too late to call you tonight. It would be lovely to meet you in the near future. I will catch up shortly or you with me... Bonsoir, Christine She must be French. I responded; Hi Christine, Sorry we didn't connect. I'm usually up to midnight and if I'm not, I turn off hte phone. Tomorrow is a possibility unless you'd rather wait until next week sometime. Richard I didn’t hear back from her and since I was quite busy with Linda and only doing this for research, I dropped it at that. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 191 CHAPTER V RITA: Then I received a wink from an attractive 45 year old Russian. avarita05 45-year-old woman Staten Island, NY, US Seeking: Men 44-58 I emailed her: Subject: Glad to hear from you Hi Avarita, From your profile, you sound like the perfect woman--that outside the box stuff sounds intriguing. I try to live outside the box as much as I can--too stuffy in there. The match computer rates you and me at 79% compatibility. Think we should check it out to see if it knows it's stuff? I realize that you only have my profile on which to go so if you'd like me to send you some photos, I'll be glad to do so unless you want me to be a blind date. FYI, I'm told that I look somewhat like Sean Connery (007) by some and others tell me I'm a double for the Frugal Gourmet who was on TV about ten years ago until he got in trouble with young boys--so even though I'm his double, there's a huge difference in our personal preferences. Then again, if you'd like to check out the voice first--for I'm sure you wouldn't want to date someone who sounds like Pee Wee Herman-- you certainly may call me at 908-625-2195. Richard p.s. If you'd like photos, please email me your regular email address as I don't © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 192 know how to attach photos to the match emails unless you can give me instructions on how to do that. She replied: Subject: glad to hear from you. Hi Richard and thanks for your message. Yes, you got it right. I AM a perfect woman. I am so perfect that the compliments like yours don't even go to my head...lol And of course I am dying to see the picture of Sean Connery in my inbox. So, please fulfill my curiosity and send it to me ASAP. Here is my email address for you: [email protected] Enjoy your day. Rita I sense a bit of sarcasm and replied with: Hi Perfect One, I'm glad my complements won't cause your head to swell. As requested, here is Sean. Just curious, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being a perfect double, where would you rate my likeness? I've been told there's some resemblance, but one of those who told me thought Donald Trump was an ugly man, sooooo!!!! And the others may have just been affected by the suggestion that there's a semblance. Richard Again I didn’t hear back from her and I didn’t pursue it further. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 193 CHAPTER VI -- GREEN EYES Then when the relationship with Linda became questionable, I received an email from greeneyes. From: GREENEYES039370 ([email protected]) To: romancethestone ([email protected]) Date received: May 26, 2005 Subject: HI GREENEYES039370's profile 54-year-old woman Woodbridge, NJ, US YOUR PROFILE IS TOO FUNNY. I DO HOPE YOU LIKE TO HAVE FUN. YOU SEEMLIKE YOU ARE MAD AT WOMEN. I JUST WANT TO SAY HI LAUGH, SMILE LIFE IS TOO SHORT LOOSEN UP JUST BECAUSE YOUR MARRIAGE WAS BAD SO WHAT MOVE ON HAVE FUN AND REMEMBER YOU COMPLETE YOUR LIFE AND WHATEVER HAPPENS HAPPENS. HAVE A FREAT DAY PATTY Seeking men 49-60 Active within 24 hours About me and who I'd like to meet Hi How are you? I am a woman who loves to laugh and have fun. When its time to be serious i am serious. I am a kind loving person and enjoy people. I love to cook nd i love to go to dinner. I am looking for someone who also enjoys life and does not want to play head games. Life is too short. I am a romantic person. I love to cuddle and hold hands and just enjoy each other. I love to dance the theatre and whatever makes us happy. Love the Yankees and love the Giants. Well its for you to find out the rest. Have a great day and remember to always smile and to love life. Patty I emailed her: Hi Green Eyed Patty, Me thinks you might be a therapist or something like that. Are you sure you're divorced and not widowed? Me ex had green eyes and divorced me because of my terrible singing. Can't sing worth you know what. And you know it's not because I'd sing in the shower or anything like that, the only time she ever heard me sing was at a sing along in Vermont at the Von Trapp Lodge. She laughed for hours. Go figure!!!! You're not the kind of gal that wears purple shoes, are you? She did!!!! Not that it matters a lot, just checking to see if there are any other similiarities-can't be too careful these days!!!!!. Glad my profile made you laugh. One gal made fun of the dunlops disease thing in my profile--taught her a lesson, I showed up with a pillow (small one) tucked under my belt. We would have had a hot thing going but I told her I can't eat in resturants and she took me serious and it freaked her out. I was just looking for an excuse to make my famous "best © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 194 tasting in the country shrimp scampi" at her place--so easy to be misunderstood. But then, life goes on....... Richard with the funny profile And she replied: I can be a therapist. I had manny years of training with people. I am a hairdresser manny years and boy can i tell you some stories. Sorry you caint make me shrimp scampi. I really wish you can but i am alergic to shrimp. I love Italian food being Italian as I am I love to cook too. I do have purple shoes i have all colors. ...lol Now you know what i look like why not send me a picture so i know whos so funny. Maybe you where purple shoes..lo, Well have a great weekend and be careful Patty And I replied: Subject: It comes down to this Hi Patty, Just realized you name makes me think of food--patty melt. Do you like them? What kind of Italian girl are you--allergic to shrimp? Never heard of an Italian allergic to shrimp. How about King Crab or Lobster or are you really weird that way? Of course we can always go with cheap chicken or pork--I avoid the red meats although I'm a hypocrit since I ate a hamburger last night. but you could tell from my profile that I'm a hypocrit, right? So, it's come down to wanting a photo. Is that the only thing that counts. What does a photo do for you--chemistry or something like that? I used to be a chemical engineer so I know all about chemistry. I knew you were a therapist hair dresser, just can't stand there and not add your two cents, can you? And what's worse, you don't even charge extra!!!!!! Anyway to get my photo, I'll need you to do something--read on please!!!!!!!! I'll need you to send me something in return before I can send it and it's terribly personal. See match won't let me send a photo as an attachment--I guess since they don't wont to deal with some weirdos sending lude photos or something like that. So, what I'll need from you is your social security number (just kidding)-your email address and I promise I won't write it in public places. Then I'll get my two photos off to you and you can tell me whether I'm a dream boat or just a jerky looking guy. And I'll make a special Bonus deal with you, if you send an extra photo of yourself to [email protected], I'll send an extra photo. Now that's the kind of deal you'd expect to get when buying kitchen knives or something like that. What's you doin over the weekend? Any thing special or just cutting hair? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 195 Richard She replied: HI YOU’RE TOO FUNNY. I DO PUT MY TWO CENTS INTO IT IF THEY ASK HA HA. NO IT DOES NOT MATTER ITS YOUR HEART. I CAN HELP IT IF I AM ALERGIC BUT I CAN HAVE PASTA AND EVERYTHING ELSE AND I LOVE CHICKEN BUT NOT CHEAPE CHICKEN. I DO NOT LIKE CHEAP. I DESPISE CHEAP. IM NOT CHEAP AND I WORK HARD SO THERE HA HA AND I JUST KNOW YOUR A NICE GUY . YOUR TOO FUNNY YOU SE WHAT I LOOK LIKE BUT I CAINT SEE YOU OH SURE IS THAT THE WAY YOU ARE. I HOPE YOU LIKE BASEBALL AND FOOTBALL. I LOVE THE YANKEES AND GIANTS IN FOOTBALL. OK SO I GUESS THAT REALLY DOES NOT MATTER SO HERE IS MY EMAIL ADRESS. [email protected]. YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND KEEP THE FAITH AND LOOSEN UP..HA HA ONLY KIDDING. PATTY And I replied, Subject: Now this is serious!!! Hi Patty You're going to hate me. I was rooting for the BoSox today and they won. What was the final score, 14 to 1 or something like that? I stopped rooting for the Giants when Phil Simms retired--that salary cap thing was a bunch of do do! Now, I have two photos--one is called "serious man" and the other is called richard4. the first three are variation of the same thing. Actually just had richard4 taken last week and have to choose which one I want as a portrait--business porporses. Please note that I have the skin of a thirty year old and the heart of an ancient. Just don't have the hair of a thirty year old. Actually I was pretty thin on top by 30. Bonus Bonus--just in case you want to chat I'm at 908-625-2195. We can chat for 10 minutes, grab the next flight to Las Vegas and be married by morning. Richard I never heard back from Green Eyes and it didn’t matter so much because I was hoping to get back with Dianne. Nevertheless, I need to go read the section in Chapter III on why they stop corresponding. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 196 CHAPTER VII – MARIE I winked at Marie and heard from her a bit later: From: madrilenna ([email protected]) To: romancethestone ([email protected]) Date received: July 17, 2005 Subject: Hi, Mr. Romance! It has been a bit since you winked at me. I guess I just missed it. But I hope it's still on time writing y ou. How is been your search? I don't even look anymore, only the periodically ads sent to me.ally. I live and work in Toms River, a distance I guess of about 30-35 miles from you. Write me if you are still interested, I replied: From: [email protected] Sent: Jul 21, 2005 11:15 PM To: "[email protected]" Subject: Re: Still Interested Hi Marie, How am I doin with match? It's confusing and frustrating. I think we all want the same thing--to wake up with someone whom we adore. Of course all the other good things too, right? Why is it so difficult to get to know someone?? It seems like being a good guy is a bad thing. What gives? Let's get to know each other. Can we beat the odds? Richard Hi Mr. Romance! I think you forget to sign your name... I'm doing fine. Very busy at work. I forget where you live. I live in Toms River. I'm very busy during the week, but the week ends are mine. I like going to the beach, at Ortley Beach, and relax for a couple of hours, then, going dancing, to eat susshi, or to the movies. Would you like to do something like that? I need to keep going, so I say hello again for now. Marie © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 197 I decided to have some fun and see if she had a sense of humor—I goofed, but then, as you’ll see she doesn’t have a sense of humor—nothing lost. From: [email protected] Sent: Jul 26, 2005 9:23 PM To: "[email protected]" Subject: Re: Note from Mr Romance Hi Marie, I live in Middletown just north of Red Bank which is north of Asbury Park by about 20 minutes. So you are only free for weekends. Does that mean you are a married woman who has a husband who travels on week ends? Naughty, naughty!!!! Before we go plan a day of exciting things to fill in for a day while your husband is away--all of which I enjoy, perhaps we should talk on the phonnne and then meet for coffee. But then again, if you want to jump right in, get divorced and marry me, OK!!! I'll try anything once and I've never tried that. I've never been to the famous Ortley Beach. Would definitely look forward to it. What did you do to stay cool today??? Have a cool evening, Richard She replied: Hi Richard! I don't have a husband, my life is my work. I work hard every day up to 12 hours sometimes. You really think I'll be using matchcom if I had a husband? I think that you are starting this (whatever) with a suspicious mind, and I dont' like that. Every one is a product of their experiences. Is this the type of life you live before, suspicious, negative, doubtful, ect? I live a clean life, and it can be reflected in a mirror. I'm sincere with a clever mind. I will never deceid anyone, nor even myself. Coffee is a waste of time. Too much distance to travel for just that. I won't speak with you on the phone first, and I'm not anxious to meet you right away either. Whenever, if comes to that. I have worked extremely hard yesterday, if y ou only knew. Are you retired and not being very busy these days? © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 198 Take care, Marie Wow, no sense of humor at all. Forgive me, but I just couldn’t help myself so I responded: Subject: Re: Suspiciious email Hi Marie, Forgive me but I got this email from a guy who signed it as Don and it must have been a widely sent email, but it warned that a woman from the Toms River Area by the name of Marie claims to have only weekends available, but that is because she's married to him--this guy Don--who says he is a sports caster and is away on weekends. So, I just put two and two together and asked myself, can there be two Maries in Tom River on match.com? Now are you beginning to see how funny this is? Has anyone else claimed to have received his email? Me, I was married and never looked at another woman and my wife wouldn't even consider having an affair or a double life. And if she did, that would have been her problem--not mine!!! Retired??? I wish, but not really. Probably will never retire as long as I can find something of interest to do. What do you do for 12 hours a day? Stay cool today, Richard Hi Richard: I'm sorry, but I have changed my mind about continue writing you. I don't like the way it has started. So good bye. Please don't write me. Marie -------------- Original message -------------- © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 199 CHAPTER VIII -- NEW PROFILE Then things got really slow, and when Linda announced her desire to take a break, I published my photos again. But response was nil to zero. Me thinks a lot of women are looking for that soul mate romance stuff from a guy that looks like me. Anyway, rather than cave in and go back to my first profile—super wus profile, I altered my profile as follows: “My alter ego is writing this so don't believe a word of it, but if it makes you laugh, email me if for no other reason than to have an interesting email exchange. If it doesn't make you laugh or bring a big smile to your gorgeous face, don't bother for the relationship would be over before it got started. I am not looking for my soul mate or commitment. I know that most women are looking for that one person to complete their lives--too serious for me. Let's start with fun (bring the girl out in you), romance, an affair--you don't have to be married to have an affair. No, I am not married--guaranteed. Was but ain't no more! (bad English and so was the marriage--just kidding. Actually the marriage was great. She divorced me because I couldn't sing well enough for my supper--she's a very good cook and we're still friends.) I'm looking for a woman who is fun to be with, likes to kiss at red lights, likes to mix the intellectual with the physical, and doesn't need to be manipulated with theater, restaurants, and traveling although I like all of the above too. I'm physically active and in shape and if our relationship expands to dancing, I can do. Guaranteed that I won't show up with bad teeth, bad breadth, sloppy tees or Dunlaps’ disease (stomach dun laps over the belt). And please, if you suck on lemon pits after midnight and ride broom handles, don't respond unless only for a one night stand.” What is a wuss? David DeAngelo defines a wuss as a nice guy who kisses up to women, but gets no where with women cause nice is not nice. So, I’ll wait and see!! I received a “no thank you from a gal I winked at and I figured I’d have some fun and returned this email: Subject: It’s so hard to accept!! Got your rejection. I wasn't so interested in you either--you're inconsistant. is it 54 or 52? what gives? Anyway you probably believed everything in my profile that my alter ego wrote and it didn't make you smile or laugh so we certainly wouldn't possibly ever be a match. Besides you have a goofy smile to boot. Richard She didn’t respond—no sense of humor, I guess. After about 6 weeks with the profile, I was definitely not getting as much play as I had with my first profile. It seemed that I received considerable interest without my photo, but overall by the time you deal with the hassle of getting their private email and sending the photos, you lose a lot of valuable time which means that I recommend using photos if for no other reason than to save a lot of time. I can’t say that the response without a photo was bad as there seem to be enough women who can get intrigued with a provocative profile. Since my relationship with Linda was going sour, I was glad that I was still dating my Olga in Brooklyn. Since I had been seeing her less and Linda more, Olga had been getting the feeling that I wasn’t interested in her. What is this with Russian women any way. They all have the same names: Olga, Lumulia, © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 200 Anyway, one morning after we had gotten up and had breakfast we were on her couch and the subject of our relationship arose. For the first time in seven months we actually talked about us. She believed that I was just using her for sex and didn’t really respect her. In fact she was wondering if I was thinking that she was stupid or somehow beneath me. I had some problems with our relationship that I generally avoided dealing with as I didn’t think she’d understand my position. For instance, I often felt ignored if I arrived early and she hadn’t finished cleaning the apartment. She’d get upset with me for arriving before she had finished cleaning and she’s be all flustered as she finished cleaning her apartment. I’d ask to help and she’d just tell me that she’d get done faster if she did the cleaning herself. Then if she had to work the next day, it was like she closed the door on me and ignored me. I understood her inability to handle these situations and didn’t take it personally although I didn’t think I wanted to be in relationship with someone who was limited in that respect. She had taken me to the opera, Tosca, for my birthday. She made arrangements with some acquaintances to get them tickets. Then she got all stressed out waiting for them. It was a cold damp rainy evening and she stood outside by the fountain under an umbrella waiting. I made myself busy talking with a good friend of hers. We both felt badly for her. She said it didn’t bother her and it was clear that she was stressed. Because I didn’t talk a lot, she was beginning to think that I thought she was stupid. I told her that I really had a tremendous amount of respect for her as she had an incredible job teaching English to immigrants who could only speak their native languages—from over fifty different countries. In other words, how do you teach a language to someone who you don’t even know how to speak his/her language? My hat went off to her in that regard. Being Russian and only in this country for ten years, she had an incredibly intriguing voice—I saved all her voice mails and would listen to them when I was down. I still have some of them. I could say that just listening to her voice caused me to love her. But that didn’t make us a match. Yes, I loved her and yet we weren’t a match. She thought I was bored with Tosca and the symphonies we went to in the city and the parks. She was the social director and I was totally appreciative of all the things we did including the art exhibit—Salvatore Dali--that we drove to Philadelphia to see with her gay friend. But she thought that because it was rarely my idea to do any of this stuff that I didn’t really want to do it and was bored. She also thought that I didn’t like her gay friend that went with us to Tosca. I couldn’t believe she had all these doubts. I affirmed that I really liked her gay friend as a friend, enjoyed all the cultural things we did together, really appreciated and respected her talent and intelligence, really loved her, and unfortunately really didn’t see us as a match for several basic reasons. First, we weren’t compatible sleeping together. She was a very light sleeper and I’d end up sleeping on the edge of the bed fearful that if I moved, she’d wake up. I couldn’t coddle with her or hug her as we lay in bed. If I held her for more that two minutes, we’d be both burning up temperature wise. I also felt like extra baggage if I arrived before she finished cleaning the apartment. She’d let me know what an imposition I was by being early. Or if she had to get up for work the next day, she’d just shut down and ignore me—not that I need constant attention, but I do like being acknowledged as being there. The irony was that if I took my © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 201 laptop with me to work on a project, she’d feel all left out, ignored, and get angry with me. And since she couldn’t retire for another six years, I didn’t see any possibility of it being any different any time soon. She also wanted a traveling partner and didn’t want to hang around during the summer when she was off of work. I wasn’t interested in doing a lot of travel. We aired our feelings, understood each other, kissed, and then made love on the couch. We dated another month or so up until the time she left for her three week summer vacation to Italy. I haven’t seen her since. About a week before she left, I met my match, who I introduce in Part V. So, since I knew Olga was going to Italy for three weeks and that we weren’t a match, it was time to get serious again with the profile. I took 95% of my original profile and some highlights from the one above and created this one: “I am a sensual, romantic, fun loving fellow in search of a woman whom I can dote upon, bring flowers, or take shopping for knick knacks, jewelry, sexy lingerie... for no particular reason other than to say "I love you." I am a good listener, love to share, spiritual, creative, and intelligent. I'm not into drugs, booze or gambling. I jog, rebound, do yoga, and dance to stay in shape. I enjoy romantic walks on the beach, vacations to Hawaii, the Pocono’s or any romantic spot. I am selfemployed with varied business interests that range from stress management to manufacturing. I am and in search of a woman who is self assured, confident, and will spoil me as much as I spoil her. I love a woman who is sensual, warm, compassionate, and romantic. One that feels comfortable with herself, enjoys letting the girl within her express herself, and likes to steal kisses at a red lights. One who enjoys mixing the physical with the intellectual. A spontaneous person who enjoys family and enjoys having help in the kitchen as much as she enjoys a five star restaurant and trips to the big Apple. A woman who I can passionately support in her interests and likewise be supported in mine. A woman who will be my best friend for the next 30 or 40 years, enjoys cuddling by the fire place, sensual massages, my best friend, and if your tired of not having a soul mate--your soul mate. Guaranteed that I won't show up with bad teeth, bad breadth, sloppy tees or Dunlaps disease (stomach dun laps over the belt). So unless you suck on lemon pits after midnight and ride broom handles, please respond and perhaps at some point you'll invite me to make you the best tasting shrimp scampi (I cook too) in the country.” © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 202 PART V INTRODUCTION Internet dating New approach—last chapter but not because of new approach although of all the approaches, I’d recommend it as tops. CHAPTER I – THE FINAL APPROACH (KISS) The cocky funny stuff is a challenge for me, maybe turns off some good prospects at the early stage so this is my latest approach—simple and sweet. As they say, “Keep It Simple Stupid.” Subject: Maybe Maybe we're looking for the same things?? Richard Here’s the first response I received: fendigirl712's profile Subject: RE: Maybe and what might that be? Elaborate? I responded with: HI, Aren't you looking for someone to take out the garbage, go shopping with you to the mall and enjoy it, kill the big bad spider, help water the flowers, cut the grass and weed the garden, take the dog to the vet, help you drop your car off for service, pick up the pizza and candles for the table on the way home, be a great step dad if needed, keep the gutters clean, help with the ironing and laundry, make sure the toilet lid is always down, keeps in shape physically with the body of a thirty-five year old, be a great listener, challenge you intellectually, make a scrumptious dinners all on his own, share a bottle of wine in front of the fireplace on a cozy couch, pig out with beer and crabs, oysters, or lobster, and make "making reservations." the hardest dinner for you to make because he loves you!!!!!!!! Plus have someone to wake up with every morning that you really care about and visa versa. And have someone who is more fun to be with than the most magical place in the world so it really never matters whether you go to Spain, Hawaii, the Met, or the back yard or what you do for it will always be fantastic with that person. “How about you, what do you bring to the relationship?” Please elaborate!!!! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 203 Richard, She promptly emailed me the next morning: Subject: RE: Re: serious answer to your question You hit it on the nose, that's what I have been looking for all my life and didn't think anyone existed like that. You can rest assure that I have no children and am free of entanglements, of course with the exception of my obligations to work as I am a high school teacher of foreign languages. But for now I am off since its summertime. I will bring my warm and sensitive compassionate nature to the relationship with my unique cooking skills and many humorous jokes to brighten your day. My email address is [email protected] or [email protected] Have a great day. Fendigirl I waited to the end of the day and returned this email to her: Subject: What you’ve been looking for is here!!! Fendigirl, Ok, please brighten my day with a humorous note. When I grow up I'm going to be a stand up comic. Working on my routine daily. Guarantee--no bathroom jokes!!! Unique cooking skills???? You have me intrigued. Elaborate please....So you thought guys like me didn't exist?? My ex had me well trained and I liked it except for taking out the garbage--never have liked that chore, but someone's got to do it, right? Foreign languages??? French, Russian, Spanish, German, or Brooklynese??? Spanish, right?? So what do you do with all your spare time now that you're off for the summer???? Would you like to have coffee tomorrow evening? or should be talk first--make sure there's an attraction in our voices. Guaranatee my voice to never be confused with Alvin of the chip monks or pee wee herman. And what is your name and the significance of Fendigirl??? Have fanastic day, © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 204 Richard 908-xxx-xxxx or if you prefer to email me your number and I'll call you--promise not to write it on walls in public places. She emailed me back: Hello, No I am not idling for the summer, I am in classes at Rutgers working on my Masters in Italian and Education. Now you know what I teach, since you never mentioned Italian as one of the languages. If you so wish to speak my number is 732-261-6853. I am free after 12 noon and then I will be lolling at poolside this afternoon since it will be a scorcher and I like to maintain a tan for the summer, since it alleviates the use of cosmetics. Look forward to hearing your Alvin or Pee Wee voice. Stay cool And then she sent another email: My name as you know by now is Enrica and I forgot to tell you that Fendigirl stands for the Italian designer Fendi. There are five Fendi sisters and they have been designers of very illustrous handbags and fashion accessories and clothes for many years. They are much more affluent than Coach. They are on the same order as Versace and Armani. So since I own several bags I consider myself a fendigirl. Have a great day, Enrica Being that I could care less about handbags I called her to catch her in the pool cooling off. I teased her about being a handbag girl and we talked briefly. Wanted to make a coffee date for the same evening but she wasn’t free. And I am booked with dates for the rest of the week and into the weekend. I never followed up as I went into chapter II. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 205 CHAPTER II -- LET’S GO FOR CHINESE And I don’t mean wonton soup. I winked at this woman—her photo makes her appear young, heavy, and unattractive. I thought I’d practice my David DAngelo approach, which I felt like a kindergarten child learning algebra, on her and we’d just use each other for sex. I received this reply from her. HI nancyxu's profile Hi Actually I work in Middletown, so I was wondering if you interesting in having a cup of coffee or a conversation....all right, let me know 47-year-old woman Edison, NJ, US Seeking men 40-60 Active within 1 hour Nancy I replied: Hi Nancy, Coffee would be great. Where do you work? and what are your hours? Richard She replied: Hi Richard I work at a Cosmetic Store route on route 35, 5 days a weeks but Wednesday and Sunday from 10-7.....How about you? Nancy I replied: Good Morning Nancy, Is that the store in the Stop and Shop/Kohl's shopping center? Me, I have a small manufacturing company in Red Bank. Do you have any plans for today? Was supposed to have my son--he's 16 but then last minute he tells me that he and his mother are leaving to visit his older sister in DC--was planning to whip his butt in tennis, but that'll have to wait. Call me, © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 206 Richard 908-xxx-XXXX I called her and her English wasn’t the best. It took me 10 minutes with her on the phone just to find out where the salon was. And it is just a mile from my home. When I first laid eyes upon her, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised as from her main photo, she didn’t look very attractive. It was a lunch time date for coffee. First I drove to a Friendly’s restaurant which is just a block away from her salon. As we sat down, I decided that it was just too noisy with the kids so I suggested my place for coffee. But my place was unfinished. I was just moving into a section of my house that was rented to someone else. The only place I had a sofa was in a basement bedroom which smelled musty and moldy. I had some wine coolers left over from another match date so we had a wine cooler and tried some awkward conversation—awkward in that she didn’t speak great English. I learned a little bit about her—divorced, came to US eight years ago, has a 21 year old daughter, worked hard, got her own salon… Then, after she got off work, I picked her up and took her to my place for a salad. It was a hot summer day and the only cool room in my house is a basement bedroom with a love seat so we ate the salad on the love seat. Then I suggested that we go to the beach. It was already dark and there was no moon. The first beach, Sandy Hook, was deserted and it was scary. We just walked onto the dark beach when realizing it was scary for me that it must be scary for her so I turned immediately and said, “Let’s go—too dark.” She didn’t argue. We then went to Sea Bright beach which had residual light from the town and some other people on the beach. We walked a hundred yards or so and I turned and simply embraced her, but didn’t kiss her. We just hugged and then I broke it off. Trying David D’s stuff. We left and went back to my musty basement, had a wine cooler and attempted verbal communication. She basically wanted a good man who would be kind to her. Seems like most foreign women want the same thing—foreign men must be mean as hell. A few weeks later she admitted that she thought I was going to rape and murder her at the dark desolate beach. The most I did was to touch her neck and hair and then I took her home. Our next date was the following lunch. Again it was a basement date. After we had the lunch I made, I gave her four options: We go play miniature golf nearby, or we © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 207 could go outside on a blanket in the yard—beautiful day, or I could give her a massage (new idea) on the nearby bed or we could kiss. She didn’t select a, b or c so I began gently kissing her on the neck and fondling her hair. Then I moved closer to her and began nuzzling her neck and gently running my finger over her chest above her cleavage. The kissing was kept to touching of the lips and my right forefinger explored under her bra—she didn’t resist. Soon we were physically intimate. As I left her I just wondered, why isn’t this easy with others. Most women are so afraid of being used that they don’t go after what they want for fear that they will be used. Here’s a woman who divorced her husband in China 12 years ago, moved to Germany for a few years and then to the U.S. where she worked very hard making little money. She brought her daughter to live with her as soon as she could. She devoted her first eight years to making ends meet and opening up her own business. Then she joined match.com and her goal is to meet her husband. Who knows, maybe she just did. The irony!!! I dated Linda for about 6 weeks before we made love and in just two days this woman, Nancy, stakes her claim or at least goes after it—go figure. The next several days: Generally, I have my son which would limit my social life, but it turned out that my son had other plans so I saw her everyday. Love making was our primary activity. I took her to Victoria Secret and invested $80 in sexy lingerie and thongs. She looked great in them, but always put on her girdles to go home. She began talking about marriage and noted that my home was out-of-date. I heard this before from my ex-wife. So I began questioning her about what I could do to make it livable for us. The following night we went to an appliance store and she laid out $1,500 cash for a new stainless fridge for my kitchen—or shall I say, “Our kitchen.” I cancelled my membership with match.com and aside from a few Russian women who send me emails on globalladies.com, I am out of circulation—actually I don’t write them back so I’m really out of circulation. The challenge will be to teach her English. She has a 21 year old daughter. In just three weeks, we were talking about living together—well she’s talking about getting married. At first she wouldn’t stay over night with me because she was concerned what it would look like to her daughter and any one else that might find out. But then, after our second week, she stayed overnight once that week. We © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 208 started in my bedroom and after we made love she had trouble breathing. She thought it was because of the fan, so I took her to a bedroom with an air conditioner but it had an uncomfortable single bed. We made love again and then when the discomfort of the bed got to us, I took her to the basement bedroom where we first made love, we made love again, and then finished out the night there. The following week we stayed together again and this time adjusted the fan in my bedroom so we could stay there all night. It’s fantastic in that we can actually sleep holding each other. Olga, my Brooklyn friend, and I slept together like my ex and I did—far apart. We couldn’t touch each other without creating a furnace of heat. But with Nancy, we can actually hold each other. And love making—we did it about six times in 24 hours. Like I’m addicted to love making with her. I almost don’t want us to have other interests. I wonder how things will be when I work on the computer with her around. Will she feel left out like my ex and Olga? We looked at upgrading the kitchen with new cabinets, stove, and dishwasher. She found my bathroom ancient and 50’s. I figured for a woman from China, her tastes were amazing. I suggested we expand the bathroom into my son’s bedroom which is adjacent my bathroom, install a Jacuzzi, new shower, closets, and a his and her vanity. The only challenge will be to motivate my son to taking another bedroom where he’ll have his own bath room and lots of privacy for girlfriends. Nancy has spent a lot of time in Germany and Budapest. She likes to travel but doesn’t care about sight seeing. She could care less about doing cultural things in the Big Apple. My Brooklyn girl friend, on the other hand, lived for culture. We saw the NY Philharmonic four times in six months—we paid once in Lincoln Center and happened to attend two performances for free at the Cathedral on 112 St Manhattan July 4th and at Prospect Park. She took me to see Tosca—the opera—in Lincoln Center for my Birthday and as the summer started we spent a lot of time going to the famous Brighton beach where I googled at a lot of young gorgeous Russian women in bikinis wishing I had the nerve to go there and meet one for myself. My relationship with Nancy continued to progress. For some reason she believes that she’s not very attractive. Certainly her driver’s license photo which she used for Match is less than attractive, but every time I gaze at her I can’t believe this beautiful person 13 years younger than me is in my life. Yes, we both want the same things—someone to take care of and visa versa. She comes to my place and pitches right in helping clean and organize it. I tell her I’ll hire a cleaning person and she points to herself. But my first question to myself © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 209 was, “will I enjoy her company? If the sex wears off and now three weeks later, instead of four times a day when we’re together, we make love twice (before we go to sleep and in the morning before we get out of bed.) What I like about her is that she just grabs my Johnson when she wants it. If it’s hard in the morning, she’ll roll onto me and sit on it. She knows how to contract her muscles to keep me hard and excited. As she sits on me, she goes from being on her knees to her feet and does squats—only our organs are touching—exciting as hell as she rises and falls and the amazing thing is that my dick doesn’t fall out or get lost. We’ll make love for about 10 minutes or so and then we’ll roll over so I’m on top. I’ve gotten used to not ejaculating in the morning—seems like our experience at night is so powerful that there’s not enough energy to repeat in the morning. Nancy is in the skin business—she has a salon where she does facials and skin regeneration. Somehow she got the idea that she should have cosmetic surgery on her eyelids—too much skin. To me her eyes are the best anyone could hope for and I discouraged her although I ended up driving her to NYC for the operation. She had two strips of white tape across her eyes and was wiped out from the operation. And there’s that question, “Will I really enjoy her company and companionship?” It’s what I really liked about my ex—at least when she wasn’t on some war path. After a month it seems that the answer is, “Yes!” She’s incredibly intelligent and has a great sense of humor. We laugh a lot and enjoy each other’s company. We took a trip together to Williamsburg for a few days where we spent most of the time together in bed. And that’s dangerous. Her doctor believes she’s too old to get pregnant and didn’t recommend any birth control devices. The first month we were together, she went about 33 days before her period started. She doesn’t want to have a baby. At day 30 we did the pregnancy test and it came up negative. She says in a kidding way that she will sue her doctor if she pregnant. More like she will make her doctor, in her words, “take it out!” Actually I wouldn’t mind another child assuming I can financially swing it which is basically dependent on selling a piece of property which has been up for sale for about four months. But the kid would be 20 when we’re 80 and 67 respectively. Wow—that would be amazing. We took our trip to Williamsburg. I was wondering if it would be a boring six hour ride—it wasn’t. We spent some of the time with English lessons. She told me how the word foot got confused with food. Seems that the Chinese massage gal in her salon wrote food massage on a sign instead of foot massage. She followed that one with a joke that took place in kindergarten. The teacher asked the class what the heart looks like and after some time little Joey says, “it has two legs.” © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 210 The confused teacher asks, “well Joey, how do you know that?” Joey replies, “last night I heard daddy say to my mother, ‘sweetheart, will you separate your legs?’” After I had laughed for ten minutes about the food massage thing, I laughed another ten minutes about little Joey’s heart. And yes, we did play some miniature golf and I bought a time share for our future use—anything to impress a beautiful woman. I told her I was writing this book and that I had taken myself off match.com. At first she thought I was a player and dated a lot of women. I told her I met a lot of women but really didn’t have much luck finding a serious relationship. I told her this was my last chapter of the book and she thought it would be great to start a new book with this chapter. Hey, why not. Internet dating: Just keep doing it. You’ll most likely get further along than you would on your own. Use David’s D’s stuff to whatever degree you’re comfortable and keep on dating till you find your match. How will you know? It’s more like, “how can you not know?” American women? I don’t know. In comparison to Nancy, I’ve found the ones in my age group—late 40’s thru late 50’s gilded, but then maybe I fed into that. You can’t get lucky if you don’t play so play and stop feeling guilty about dating a lot of women and some at the same time if you do it with integrity. Be healthy and well! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 211 APPENDIX A Let’s start by the staple #1—Perfect Rice. Many dishes go well with rice. Use brown rice—long or short grain, it doesn’t matter. Later when you get fancy you can graduate to risotto. Using a pot, add one cup of water and about a tablespoon of butter and bring it to a boil with the top on—simply makes it faster to boil. Then add in ½ cup of rice to the boiling water. If you want to rinse it in a strainer beforehand, that fine. The most important thing is to reduce the heat on the burner to low as soon as the rice is added and place the cover back on the pot. Thirty to forty minutes later for brown rice (twenty minutes for white rice) you will have perfect rice without having to scrape it from the bottom of the pot. Flavor with salt, pepper and butter as desired and serve. Fancy Rice Ok, let’s get fancy. How about rice with onion or peppers, or onion and peppers? Cook your rice as instructed above. Use about 1/3 or a pepper (any color) and about 1/3 of an onion. Chop the peppers and or onions into small square pieces about 3/8”. Sautee them as described below and when rice is finished, add them to the rice and stir to mix them with the rice. Flavor with salt, pepper and butter as desired and serve. Staple #2 perfect pasta. Sometimes you just want to break up the rice thing with pasta—it’s the easiest thing on the planet to make. You can get fancy with meat or manara sauce, but let’s leave it simple. Linguini, spaghetti, spirals or whatever: I prefer a spinach rice spaghetti style of pasta. Simply fill a large pot half way with water, add a tablespoon of butter, cover it and bring to a boil. Then add in the pasta and keep the heat on high for the recommended period of time (on the package—usually 8-to-11 minutes). Keep the cover off. Stir every few minutes to keep the pasta from clumping or sticking to the bottom of the pot. When finished, dump into a colander and cover until you serve. Serve with a fine grade of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top—I prefer sheep cheese. Perfect Vegetables Steamed—Cut your vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, green beans). Place 1/2” water in the bottom of a pot and bring to boil. Place the vegetables in the steamer and then into the hot water and cover. Steam on high heat for 5 minutes. To avoid your veggies getting too cold, melt butter with salt and pepper, or warm your favorite olive or cooking oil flavored with salt and or pepper. You may also want to warm a bowl for the veggies. Place veggies in the warm bowl and pour your butter sauce over them and stir to distribute the sauce. If you like, flavor by sprinkling a tablespoon of parmesan cheese over the veggies and serve. Perfect Vegetables © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 212 Sautéed— green beans, collard greens, spinach, broccoli. Use a large 13” pan with cover. Place a tablespoon of your favorite olive or cooking oil in the pan along with your vegetables. If you’re using spinach or collard greens, fill the pan to the top as when heated, the greens seems to disappear as they shrink. Bring to medium low heat and cover. Stir every 4 or 5 minutes and add in chopped garlic after about 6 or 7 minutes and stir. Avoid over heating as too much heat will burn the garlic along with your veggies. The trick is to keep from burning the garlic so keep an eye on it and reduce heat when you notice the garlic browning. Perfect shrimp scampi for two 1 ¼ pound of raw shrimp 1 stick of butter chopped garlic parsley lemon Start the shrimp scampi about 10 minutes before the rice is finished. Melt one stick of butter on low heat. While melting the butter, remove the shells from the shrimp. Then add several cloves of chopped garlic to the melted butter and raise the heat slightly to brown the garlic. You can get the garlic that’s already chopped or chop it yourself into small pieces—of course remove the outer shell of the garlic before chopping. Lay the shrimp in the butter—usually you will need a 13” pan to accommodate 1 ¼ pound of shrimp. Do not place shrimp on top of each other—have them all touching the bottom of the pan. Once the shrimp are distributed in the pan, sprinkle with parsley and squeeze in the juice from ½ of a lemon. Cover the pan and let it cook the shrimp for about 3 minutes on a low-medium heat. Remove the cover after the second or third minute to check to see if the shrimp are finished—their beautiful bottoms will be red and the tops might still be pink. When you see the redness beginning to reach the top half of the shrimp, use two forks to flip each one over and sprinkle more parsley on the flipped shrimp. Cover the pan for another two to three minutes. It’s easy to see when they are finished—they are all red top to bottom. If you have the luxury of heating the plates, do so and when the shrimp are ready, serve the rice first and keep the rice covered to keep it warm. Using a large spoon, serve the shrimp and the butter garlic sauce on top of the bed of rice. There’s only one more thing to do and that is enjoy. Bread, optional, makes a great mop for the sauce that no one can stand to see thrown away. While we’re on the subject of seafood, how about King Crab legs—very easy dish. Perfect King Crab Legs 1 ¾ pounds of king crab legs 1/3 stick of butter lemon Start the king crab about 10 minutes before the rice is finished. You’ll need pan with a cover large enough to fit in the legs. Ideally, place a vegetable steamer in the bottom of the pan with about ½” of © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 213 water. Bring it to a boil with the top in place, then place the crab legs in the pot and cover keeping the heat on high for 5 minutes. While the legs are steaming, melt ½ stick of butter in a small pot. Add the juice from about 1/3 of a lemon to the butter. Serve the rice and crab legs with the drawn butter and enjoy. Perfect Lobster 2 lobsters 1 ¼ to 1 ¾ each 1/3 stick of butter lemon Start the lobsters about 20 minutes before the rice is finished. You’ll need a relatively large pot with a top. Place the vegetable steamer in the bottom—not really necessary, but I like to use it to keep the lobster from collecting too much water. Fill the bottom of the pot with ½” of water and bring to boil. Place the lobsters in the pot and cover. Let them steam on high heat for about 14 minutes. If your lobsters weigh more, you’ll need to add a few minutes to the steaming. Heat the butter and add the juice from 1/3 of a lemon. Serve with rice and enjoy. Perfect Chicken in Wine Sauce 3 boneless chicken breasts 1/3 stick of butter 1 cup of white wine lemon salt and pepper Start preparing the chicken 30 minutes before serving. Prepare the chicken (wash and slice thinly— usually two to three pieces per breast depending on the thickness of the chicken breast. You’ll need a 13” pan to fit all the chicken. Melt the butter in the pan on low heat and then place the chicken—see below for breading option--in the butter. Make sure all the chicken is laid in the bottom of the pan—no stacking. Turn the heat to medium low and let the chicken brown for about 5 minutes as you sprinkle salt and pepper to your liking. Then flip over the pieces and brown the other side for about 4 minutes as you add more salt and pepper. Add one cup of white wine and the juice from 1/3 of a lemon, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Lay a bed of rice on the plate and serve the rice and wine sauce on top. Enjoy Breading option: Like breaded chicken in wine sauce? Egg © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 214 ½ cup of flour. Place an egg in one bowl and mix to distribute the yoke. Place ½ cup of flour in another bowl. Follow above instructions except before placing the chicken in the pan, wet it first (both sides), with the egg and then dip in the flour (both sides), and then place it in the pan. Follow instructions for perfect breaded chicken in wine sauce. Perfect Lemon Butter Chicken 3 boneless chicken breasts 1 stick of butter lemon salt and pepper Start preparing the chicken 30 minutes before serving. Prepare the chicken (wash and slice thinly— usually two to three pieces per breast depending on the thickness of the chicken breast). You’ll need a 13” pan to fit all the chicken. Melt all the butter in the pan on low heat and then place the chicken—see below for breading option--in the butter. Make sure all the chicken is laid in the bottom of the pan—no stacking. Turn the heat to medium low and let the chicken brown for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle salt and pepper to your liking. Then flip over the pieces and brown the other side for about 4 minutes adding more salt and pepper. Add the juice from ½ to ¾ of a lemon, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Lay a bed of rice on the plate and serve the rice and wine sauce on top. Enjoy Breading option: Like breaded chicken in lemon butter sauce? Egg ½ cup of flour. Place an egg in one bowl and mix to distribute the yoke. Place ½ cup of flour in another bowl. Follow above instructions except before placing the chicken in the pan, wet it first (both sides), with the egg and then dip in the flour (both sides), and then place it in the pan. Follow instructions for perfect breaded chicken in lemon butter sauce. Ginger Chicken Follow above instructions for Lemon Butter Chicken except use only the juice from 1/3 of a lemon and lightly dust ginger powder over the chicken on each side as it’s cooking. Perfect Sausage Peppers and Onions 1 lb of sausage assortment of red and green plus orange and or yellow (if desired) peppers 1 large onion red pepper spice (if desired) © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 215 Place sausage in pan with low to medium heat and cover. Note: some like to boil sausage in the water first for 10 minutes to remove excess fat and then place in pan to seer or brown. Cut the peppers in strips from top to bottom about 3/8” wide. Cut the onion in half from top to bottom and then in slices about the same width in the same direction. Place a tablespoon full of oil and about 5 tablespoons of water in a large stir fry pan and then add the onions and peppers and bring to medium heat. Cover and stir every 5 minutes for a total of 20 minutes. Add salt, black and red pepper to flavor. When the sausages are browned, slice* them with a slight diagonal cut into ½” pieces and stir them into the peppers and onions and cover for 5 minutes or until the peppers are to your liking—some like them soft and some like them a bit crunchy. Serve when ready. Serve: 1: over brown rice. 2. *with a hoagie (you may want to leave the sausages full length as opposed to slicing them) To add zest, serve with mustard and or ketchup. Peppers and onions can taste bland and empty—the secret is the right amount of salt, but be careful. Too much salt and the dish is ruined. Too little and the dish is tasteless. So it’s best to add as you are stirring during the last 10 minutes and constantly do taste testing. Good thing to do with your date and a glass of beer. Her tastes may be different and her tastes rule if you want any more dates as chef. No dinner is complete without the Perfect Salad Obtain at least 10 of the following ingredients: Spinach, Romaine, Red or Green leaf lettuce Roasted Red Peppers Shredded Red Cabbage Red Onion Radishes Tomatoes Broccoli Artichokes Cucumber Zucchini (any color) Bacon bits Cooked Shrimp Red, Green, Yellow, or Orange Peppers Celery Walnuts Croutons Feta Cheese Goat Cheese Bleu Cheese or Gorgonzola Parmesan Cheese © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 216 Yellow Cheddar Cabbot Habanero cheese (hot) Jack or Pepper Jack Cheese Mozzarella The secret is in how the ingredients are sliced, cut or prepared. And if you’re uncertain about how to cut any of the ingredients, ask her for her advice and tell her that you normally don’t use the ingredient in your salad, but you wanted to be adventurous. Rather than use one large bowl and then hope to transfer all the goodies, I like to make two separate bowls of salad. I like my bowl to be at least 10” in diameter and three or four inches deep for a hearty salad. Spoil her by making the salad to her specifications so she gets just the ingredients she likes. So ask her about each ingredient before you put it in her salad—you may have some interesting discussions about cucumbers. Start with the green leafy stuff. If you’re using triple washed spinach you simply load each salad bowl to near the top with spinach. If you’re using a leafy lettuce, rip off leaves and wash them to remove any grit or dirt. Then break the leaves into small pieces about 2” by 2”. An easy way is to not break off the leaves but to use a ginsu knife and cut from the top of the lettuce downward 2” towards the bottom, rotate the head 90 degrees and do it again. Then take the knife and 1 ½” from the top cut across the top of the head and let the pieces fall into a colander. You can continue the same procedure of cutting top to bottom and across until you have enough lettuce and you’ll find that the pieces are in perfect size. Roasted Red Peppers--Cut the roasted red peppers on a chopping block into bite size pieces before adding to the salad—no certain way to cut. Red Cabbage--Distribute shredded red cabbage as desired over the salad in each bowl. Wash the radishes, cut off the top and bottom and discard. Slice the radish into each bowl about 1/8” thick. Cucumbers—Wash the cucumber and thinly slice approximately ¼ of a cucumber so you have circular pieces about 1/4” thick Zucchini-- Wash the zucchini and thinly slice approximately 1/4 of a zucchini so you have circular pieces about 1/4” thick. Celery--Wash a stick of celery and from the end of the widest part, make one or two cuts an inch or two deep along the length of the stalk, and then make narrow slices (about ¼” wide) across from the bottom where you end up with two or three pieces for each slice. When you’re into the narrow part of the stalk, the cuts along the length are no longer necessary. Red Onion—Remove the skin and cut off the top and or bottom. Make thin slices about 1/8” thick. You don’t want to add too much since the taste of red onion is very strong. Only add about three or four slices and separate the slices so you end up with narrow lengths of onion decorating the salad. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 217 Tomatoes—Cut into wedges—not slices although you can slice off the bottom a piece about and inch thick and then cut that into four pieces and from there just cut wedges. No more than about two or three wedges per salad. Artichokes—cut them in quarters on the chopping block and add to the salad. Add in your bacon bits or if you’re frying bacon, fry until crispy on medium heat. After it’s cooled, break it into small pieces and add to the salad. Nuts—Add pine nuts or alternatively use walnuts—break them into smaller pieces by crushing them in your hand as you add them to the salad. Peppers—One or two slices from top to bottom about ½” width and then cut into smaller pieces about ½” wide. Don’t overload the salad with too many peppers. One slice of each color is sufficient. Broccoli—Cut off the smallest heads and if necessary cut them from top to bottom to reduce size. Cheese--Add in three or more cheeses for flavor. Cut the cheddar or any solid block cheese into slices, then strips, and then small pieces and add to the salad. Cut the mozzarella into small chunks. Sprinkle feta and parmesan cheese over the salad. Add a few croutons if desired Shrimp—Peel the shell and distribute on top of the salad. Dressing—add the dressing, oil, or vinegar of your choice (usually this salad is so flavorful that little if any salad dressing is required) If you used shrimp, you may want to use the perfect shrimp cocktail sauce as dressing. The trick is to have a little of everything and not a lot of any one thing. If your salad is successful, you and your date will have a hungry feeling for dinner when you finish the salad as opposed to a feeling of fullness. Perfect Shrimp Cocktail Sauce: Golds hot horseradish Katsup Lemon For two, use a teaspoon of hot horseradish and about three tablespoons of ketchup. Add in the juice from 1/3 of a medium size lemon and stir. Adjust the amount of horseradish according to your individual (her) taste. More dishes? Sure, you almost double your repertoire by using boneless pork or lamb chops to substitute for the chicken in the above recipes. Once you master these, buy a cook book—you’re ready to become a master chef. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 218 APPENDIX B Eharmony focus on personality matches. One woman who subscribed to e-harmony .com described it as very time consuming to complete the profile and after she invested $40 only received one or two potential matches, one of which she was confused about because he lived in France. Her impression was that eharmony.com focused more on the personality matches than anything else. Only problem was that one of her matches was from France and the other she described as a reptile. Truth is some are time consuming (up to 45 minutes) to complete the information required to sign up. In a year of Internet dating I only met about three men and women who had experience with Eharmony and none were happy with the service. You can spend your 45 minutes to complete the Eharmony questionnaire, but Eharmony will not accept your subscription unless you are single or divorced—no separtees accepted. Tickle.com is free and focuses on personality matches. However, when I searched, instead of receiving local matches within the mileage parameters I specified, I received matches from all around the country—hundreds and thousands of miles away and no way of telling if there was any criteria of the search pertaining to personality. More recently –maybe every week or so--they have been sending a collection of profiles similar to match.com that are in my geographical area—but often times photos are missing. Match.com also has personality matching available and has a counter that tells you how many have reviewed your profile. It’s about $60 for a three month membership. They boast 15 million members and I believe them. I can speak highly of the service, yet unless you know how to use the service, you can literally get dropped from the searches even though you are still paying for the service as covered in Chapter II. . For over 30”s http://www.thirtyplussingles.com/?affil=323 Singleme.com Date.com Matchmaker.com Kiss.com goes to Udate.com fees are according to several plans $12.49/mo for 6 months, $16.65/mo for 3 months, or $24.95 for one month. Americansingles.com Some specialty dating services for the urban artistic group Lavalife.com Cupid.com Udate.com © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 219 Onespeciallove.com Salon.com Theonion.com PlanetOutcome.com for gays/lesbions For the Baby boomer set: ThirdAgePersonals.com SeniorFriendFinder.com For other specialty dating: AsianFriendFinder.com Asian focused BlackPlanetLove.com Jdate.com for Jewish focus. I talked to one lady who from Queens, NY, even though not Jewish, reported it and match.com the only two quality sites for meeting people Nerve.com was said to be sexually oriented. Researching it I found that most contacts were in the NY city and the surrounding boroughs. The local contacts were mostly over 3 months old and most of the profiles were looking for dating or serious relationships—very few for sexual playing. Charge is $24 for 25 units of voice mail International: Globalladies.com and rusianladies.com are two international sites. If you list yourself on either one, the other one lists you as well. Listing is free and you can find literally thousands of beautiful young women—mostly from the Slavic states. The ladies on globalladies email you for free and after viewing their profile which gives you photo/s, stats (age, height, weight) children, and a rating of their ability to speak English from one to five, you have an option to open each email sent to you. The email is usually a standard email telling you about their interests and what they want in a relationship. The fee for opening each translated email is $6. To return an email to a globalladie, the fee to you is $6.00 for translation. You don’t have to open each email sent to you. Most women do not speak good English so each email is sent to you or by you is interpreted to their language or visa versa. Drawbacks are that you can not provide your email address or any url’s in your emails without them being removed by the service. Telephone numbers are permitted and you need to sometimes use an interpreter at about $4 per minute to communicate. I leaned of this site from a friend who went to Russia to find his woman. She came back with him, lived with him a few years and then left. I had received an email from supposedly a 25 yr old Russian girl looking to relocate to the US. She wanted love and romance and it seemed too good to be true. However, she never answered any of my questions about her family life and instead proceeded on a fast schedule to Moscow where she was to get a flight to Paris and then to NYC. Her emails were very uplifting, real © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 220 sounding and exciting. And then she emails me telling me that she was $300 short in covering the cost of the ticket and sent me a picture of her passport to prove she was intending to come. Ironically I had spoken to an attractive woman I met at jury duty who told me some of the horror stories of both either the women and guys getting ripped off. Until she sent me the email asking for $300, it looked like a no brainer—a beautiful young woman willing to travel here for three months at her own expense looking for romance and permanency. I’d be crazy not to have this beautiful woman fly here to make love to me for three months to see if we’d be a match. But then I wondered how many other emails she sent to other guys asking for $300. Or perhaps, she was not a she at all, but instead a 45 year old geeky guy with a rip off scheme sending out spams pretending to be his niece. Her/his emails are probably templates and the only work she did was to get the info of the next flight to my nearest airport. The globalladies.com site suggests you never send money for a ticket. If anything, buy a nonrefundable ticket that can’t be changed for her in her name and have her pick it up at the airline. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 221 APPENDIX C Online store for Self Help and Self Improvement Audio Tapes Audio cd's using Self Hypnosis, Subliminal Tapes, Meditation, Stress Management FEATURING THE MOST ADVANCED THINKING ON THE PLANET FOR: Improving Self Worth Dealing with Rejection Overcoming Panic and Anxiety Attacks Overcoming Shyness Mastery of Public Speaking Anger Management Stress Management Losing Weight Naturally and Fast Self help programs for self improvement using audio tapes for: weight loss, stop smoking, stress management, self hypnosis, subliminal tapes, self confidence, self-esteem, anger management, success, depression, anxiety, phobias, hypnosis, astral projections, deep relaxation, muscle relaxation techniques and much more. The catalogue contains the bulk of the programs available. Programs specifically dealing with Stress Management are in the Stress Management section and those for weight loss are in the weight loss section. Executive Advancement Series Weight Management Series Dealing with Rejection Series Emotional Health Series Individual Programs Activating Self Motivation Affirmations Affirmations for Baby Age and Attitude (Happy Birthday) Anger Management (Handling the Effects of Anger) Anxiety and Panic Attacks Astral Journey Body Building/Improvement Bust (Natural Bust Enlargement) Children's Relaxation (Rip Van Winkle) Creativity (enhance creativity) Criticism (Handling Criticism) Depression (Overcome Depression) Dentistry (Painless) Digestive Tract Problems Enjoy Sex More (Female) Enjoy Sex More (Male) Falling In or Out of Love Finding Lost Items Health (Get Well Soon) Heart (Strong Healthy Heart) Hypnosis Explained I Love Me Insomnia Internet Dating e-book Life Crisis (Overcome Life Crisis) Making Decisions Meditation for Health Past Life Age Regression Pendulum (Using the Pendulum) Phobias (Overcome Phobias) Prosperity Public Speaking (Mastery of Public Speaking) Relaxation (Learn to Relax) Relaxation (Deep Relaxation Relaxation (Neck & Shoulder Relaxation) Relaxation for Health Relaxation (Total Body Relaxation) Relationships (Ecstasy in Relationships) Relationships (Making Relationships Work) Sales (Subconscious Sales Power) Self Hypnosis Self Worth (Building Self Worth) Self Confidence Shyness (Over Come Shyness) Sports (Improve Sports) Stop Smoking Now Study Habits (Improve Study Habits) Success Super Learning Weight Loss Habitual Eating Emotional Eating Self Destructive Eating Binge Eating Worry and Guilt © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 222 Home About the Programs Catalogue of Programs Stress Management Panic and Anxiety Attacks Lose Weight stop smoking Pendulums Coral Calcium Carreer opportunities Order Forms and Specials Link to this site Self Help Resources Body Building Menopause and Black Cohosh Panic & Anxiety Get rid of facial lesions with Mary Kay A one hour presentation entitled "Wakened Hypnosis in the treatment of Anxiety and Panic Attacks —New Treatment For Anxiety, Panic Attacks And Associated Depression" which demonstrated a success rate of 80% was presented by Richard Kuhns B.S.Ch.E. on 8/14/05 to over 100 professionals during the National Guild of Hypnosis, NGH, national convention held in Marlborough, Masse. For a video of the presentation, contact the National Guild. It will be given once again during the Aug 2006 Convention to be held at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Dates for the convention are from 8/11/06 thru 8/13/06. Click here for presentation outline For information on how to join contact: National Guild of Hypnotists, 5703 Red Bug Lake Rd., #403 Winter Springs, FL 32708 407-678-8956o Fax 407-678-8173 E-mail: [email protected] The next convention is scheduled for August 11-13,2006. Call for details panic and anxiety for the professional There are three levels of self help self improvement programs available. The cognitions are the difference--it's in the thinking--the ability to change perspectives, for example, take a negative and make it into a positive, learn from mistakes, and so on. Level I Programs are listed for under $10.00 and are comparable to other audio programs in the market place selling for $14 or more. Level II Programs are listed for under $20.00. They are a cut above any other self help programs and would usually require an investment of 3 or more cassette tapes for $49.00+ to attain the same results. Some are subliminal tapes. Level III Programs listed for under $35.00 and are equivalent to other self help programs consisting of a half dozen cassettes at a value of $199.00 or more. Most aresubliminal tapes to boost their effectiveness. Save time, use our search tool to find the program you want. Click Here to Search This Site Cassette Close Out Most cassette programs range between $7.95 and $24.95 each. While supply lasts, you can obtain some of these valuable programs for up to 70% off. Why so inexpensive? Click here! PLEASE NOTE: All prices given are internet pricing and only apply to purchases made through our online cart. Orders placed by phone or mail--add 20% to all pricing. If you don't have a paypal account--no problem. You can use any credit card at the check out. Paypal will accept it and give you the option of opening a paypal account. © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 223 Now, a little about them and myself, the author. The services and programs are the result of 20 years’ private practice in Stress Management consulting. I, Richard Kuhns, retired from both the Biofeedback Center of NJ and Hypnosis Consultants am the creator of all the programs in this web site. While in private practice, I was certified as a biofeedback and hypnosis technician by the AAEH and the National Guild of Hypnotists. I worked with area psychologists and psychiatrists. My programs incorporate awareness, (biofeedback), hypnosis, cognitive restructuring, nutrition and sound stress management techniques that go beyond the norm to what is the most advanced and progressive thinking on the planet. "OK," you ask, "but what does this Richard Kuhns guy sound and look like?" Absolutely, before I'd invest in these programs, I certainly would like a voice and maybe a video sampling and here it is. Audio Link 400 streaming.mov 256_download.wmv I specialized in: Group hypnosis programs for reduction or elimination of smoking and weight management. Hypnosis for building confidence, improving performance in sports, study habits, and so on.... Biofeedback for psycho physiologic disorders such as headache, neck ache, migraines, hypertension, and so on. While standard protocols of stress management utilizing biofeedback and various relaxation therapies worked well for alleviation of migraine and tension headaches, they failed miserably with anxiety and panic disorders, depression, colitis and ileitis. Ultimately successful cognitive restructuring for anxiety and panic attacks, and colitis and ileitis were developed. Key words: self help audio tapes self improvement self hypnosis subliminal tapes stress management Resource Links 1-800-993-0929 (ask for Centered Self Tape division) 732-224-0540 fax Home / About the Cassettes / the Catalog / Order Form and Specials / Weight Management / Stress Management / This web site designed by all-in-one-video.com Ana Health - Your health information resource! © Copyright 2005 Richard Kuhns, Red Bank, NJ all rights reserved 224