Time for some housekeeping

Some of you have been around for a while and know what this project is all about.  Others are just joining us.  And even though there's a spot over there in the sidebar (-->) to encourage new people to check out what's going on, I want to take a day to be sure everyone is on the same page.

You know, not everyone has the patience to read through the whole blog.  And you can only imagine what it would be like to stumble in here without a clue.  Ha!  The thought makes me chuckle.

And it turns out - shockingly enough - that readership is growing every single day.  I'm surprised (and, quite frankly, flattered) that you've shared the blog with your friends.  And that they are now along for the ride.  I only hope I can live up to expectations.

I only hope the CL men I meet can live up to expectations!

So, it seems that a primer for the "newbies" and a reminder for our loyal readers is in order:

1. I'm a single, 33 year old woman living in a major metropolitan area of the United States.
2.  My past is rife with meeting odd characters - "freaks," if you will.  That's true whether I'm meeting them in social or work settings.  It's just my luck.  Some think I take after my dad in that.  Others think I'm just a magnet for the bizarre.  Me?  I think I am Flypaper for Freaks.
3. Just about one year ago, I was thrust into a moment of complete and utter lunacy when I had a brainstorm - wouldn't it be hilarious to use Craigslist personals ads to meet new people and attract more freaks?  And wouldn't that make a really funny book? 
4. I believe my brilliancy struck on the morning of Easter Sunday.  I shared the idea with my family.  And the only person who thought it was a good idea was my now-sister-in-law.  Others questioned my sanity.  My mom said, "won't it be dangerous?"  My brother said, "don't you have another book idea already in the works?  How much follow through do you think you'll really have?"  (Sidenote - yes, I do have another book idea bungling around in my head, but I can't do anything about it until I get a new career.  Funny enough, it has to do with meeting odd characters in non-social settings.)  My dad ignored the whole conversation.
5. I let the idea go for several weeks, but it kept nagging at me.  I talked to a couple friends about it.  They said a book was a bad idea, but a blog?  A blog could be PERFECT!  I worried that a blog might give me away.  What if the men found it?  What if they realized what I was doing?  What if?  What if?  What if?
6. I sat on the idea for a while longer.  But I know myself.  When I get an idea, I generally have to go for it.  Especially if that idea sticks around for days, weeks, months.  So, I plunged in. 
7. I was embarrassed about going out to look for "love" on CL, and I was afraid that I might chicken out.  But, again, I know myself.  I am nothing if not a MAJOR rule follower.  So how better to harness my anxiety and ensure I follow through?  Write some rules, of course!  
8. I wrote the rules, and I wrote my first ad.  And then I waited.  (Of course, any of you who have used CL personals know that "waiting" is a bit of a misnomer - those guys swoop in immediately.  We're talking right away!  I had barely confirmed the ad before I had a response.  At first I thought I'd just gotten lucky.  Now I realize that's totally normal.)
9. By my second ad, I understood that the rules needed some adjusting AND that I needed to actually be open to meeting someone who could have potential.  It couldn't just be a game.  And as soon as I was open to that possibility, I met someone.  And I gave up the blog for 7 months.
10. He dumped me.  And now I'm back at it.  I don't have high hopes for meeting another special someone, but I've learned my lesson.  I'm open to the possibility.  Either way, the most important part of this whole project (and make no mistake - that's what this is ... a project.  Or, if you prefer, an experiment.)  It's a way for me to meet new people, marvel at the wonder of dating, and hopefully, provide a bit of humor to the world.  I trust you'll tell me if I'm not doing my job.
11. I learned that sometimes it's fun to supplement stories about the experiment with stories from my past.  It offers proof that I've always attracted "interesting" people and it provides for some material in the lag-time between a new ad and meeting the guys.