Got A Feeling

OK gang, this blog post is going to deviate from the norm, so be warned! Normally, I write about music, sports, current events or my opinion on a topic making news headlines. This is going to be a more personal entry, more personal than any entry I've had in this blog to date.

Summer is usually a good time for me to reflect on what I've done in the last few months and where I'm headed looking ahead to the rest of the year. I've gotten a lot accomplished professionally this year, so now it's time for me to focus on my personal goals and growth.

I set two major goals for myself that I plan to achieve this year: one is to find a nice place closer to work. That one I'm working diligently on, and I'm confident things will fall into place sooner rather than later. The other goal is going to be a bit more difficult to attain, and that is to have a relationship with a great woman.

I've passed up some opportunities in the past for relationships because I either wasn't ready for a relationship or I felt like I wasn't in that person's league. Fortunately I've been able to remain friends with most of these women, and I'm glad they've found lasting relationships in their lives. I couldn't be happier for them.

I've had a few short-term relationships in my life, but nothing that's really been lasting beyond a friendship level. Because of that, I've had only a few breakups, nothing too major. I think the worst one was from a woman who broke up with me via email. I knew that the relationship wasn't really going further than where it was (she was a vegetarian, and one of my grandfathers was a butcher in St. Paul for many years, so that was a sticking point from the get-go), but I was bothered by the fact that she didn't respect me enough to tell me how she really felt in person or over the phone.

I've also resisted online dating, because I've heard enough horror stories and seen enough of MTV's show "Catfish" to know that people aren't always who they seem to be online. If I ever do start online dating, you'd better believe that I will use Google's image search to check out profile photos, though!

A few weeks ago, I had a deep conversation with a woman I'd never met before. She is a very talented, independent and beautiful woman my age. We share some of the same interests in music, sports, spending free time and the importance of living in the moment. She also has one of the most amazing smiles I've ever seen! I learned more about her in the space of a couple of hours than I've learned about some of my friends that I've known for years. We just clicked right off the bat. I'm not exactly sure what this connection is just yet, but I know that it's one that I definitely don't want to give up. I haven't talked to her since, but I intend to connect with her again sometime soon, as soon as our schedules don't conflict. If we become more than good friends, that's just fine with me, but if not, I can feel good just knowing I've made an intimate connection with someone I can see being lifelong friends with.

Well, that's all I can share for now, so I appreciate your taking the time to read this and I welcome any comments or suggestions you may have.

That's all for now - the next blogs I plan to write are a review of tonight's Fabulous Armadillos Pink Floyd show, and I may squeeze in a best of artists in concert blog or two before the next Sevendust show in September. Until then, thanks and have a great weekend!