mssassy, you're so sweet. ;~)

hey, gfan, I think you COULD be one of the good guys. :) apology accepted, by the way...hehe

and outsider, I would offer an idea if there were any!

Sounds like Ms Wheelock needs a fix up with a nice guy. Any ideas?

He prob would have sued for alimony.

browntown-not sure if you fell sorry for me because i bought my own ring and think i am more stupid than you talk about me or actually feel bad for me. I thought I liked the guy enough to marry he said he would pay me back YEAH right. Dont ever cosign for a loser either.

I worked two jobs and they guy shut my alarm off on purpose once so I would be late. HOW mean and messed up is that WHY. Cause I didnt "behaive"

this could be why people divorce. I would have .

;~)

Beth and mssassy, on behalf of every man who has ever lived, I apologize.

Beth, you're looking for this guy:
His car was acting up, and he sadly told me he'd have to break our date. I offered my car, and told him he could drive it. Although he felt odd about it, he was happy to keep our date.
And THEN...
At the end of our date, even though we'd only burned a couple gallons of gas, he *filled* my gas tank.
Better than flowers. :-)

Trust me, Beth, I can relate (unfortunately). I think most guys think of themselves as some kind of prize, but there's a fine line between reality and fantasy sometimes.

For the record, I don't necessarily think of myself as a prize, but I'd rather be alone than date "that guy". :D

Good luck, Beth...

correction-get it. not get is.

Hannah-I can't believe you bought your own ring...and admitted it here on this blog. I usually skim your blogs because your spelling is so bad and half the time I don't get your point. This time I get is and I feel sorry for you.

here is a warning sign. If you do get a boyfriend and you do date for awhile and become engaged and he says " YOU can pay or we can go dutch. " you have met a cheap bas$%$% get ride of him!!!!

No I dont expect for the guy to pay all the time. BUT when you get married it will be your money- that was ONE of my many warning signs. The other was when I bought my own ring and he would help pay for it if"I behaved" I hope I dont need to tell you what that means. HIt the road LOSER!! ALl while he cheated on me behind my back with other women. I apologized once for saying he was doing so UNTIL the kids looked just lie him!!!

When we were teenagers a friend of mine had blind dates on consecutive Saturdays. Both times the dates amounted to drinking cheap wine in his old car. Both times the girls threw up in his car. That record still stands.

Runoff, LOL

I knew a guy who said he knew a guy who asked a woman to go to a movie. The second guy told her to meet him inside. (Neighborhood theater.)

The second guy got a reputation for being cheap because of this. But if not letting the male pay the freight on the first date is the way to go, then it was a good idea. It removed the awkward situation at the ticket booth.

The real trouble started when the guy bought only one box of popcorn.

I was at a wedding this weekend and when they asked for "all the single ladies" I was so glad I didn't have to participate any longer. Your examples of what not to do are funny. Here are a couple more:
Don't ask me to meet you (for the first time)at a vacant building. (CREEPY. I had a co-worker walk me to my car after that one.)
Don't tell me "You don't want that.....". Share your opinions if you want, but don't tell me what to decide.
Don't shush me while you talk on the phone to your current girlfriend that doesn't know she's old news yet.

Thank you, asb_the_diceman. Your endorsement check is in the mail. :)

Hope you didn't try to split the check too, Hank. Speaking of which, anyone else notice that it's hard to get the girl to let you pay for the first dinner? I always try to pick-up the check and they always fight me on it. Seriously, I appreciate the offer, but even if you had a terrible time and have no intention of seeing me again, you only need to offer to split it once, then let me pay.

I should have never taken you to the Sizzlin' Grill on half-price liver and onions day.

Janesberg wants more blogs about teacher pay freezes and curb and gutter installation...please let my vote in favor of light-hearted blogs like this cancel out the naysayers.

Beth IS smart, good-looking and charismatic. (Gee, now I sound as if I'm making a sales pitch on her behalf.) She will find her man - or he will find her - and they'll both be happy.
It's good to be able to laugh at ourselves and I'm willing to bet that most of us have had our share of dating misadventures.

I agree with Matt__Gaboda's advice. Always be yourself. Otherwise, the right guy might not recognize you when you finally do meet him.

Well, clearly people hit on me because I'm witty, pretty and charming. Seriously.

Also, it was NOT an Amway pitch. Curious you should say that because my sister is an independent business owner with Quixtar (Amway), and she says she'd never ambush someone like that. She's always up-front about why she wants to meet and what they'll talk about. We actually did compare that sales pitch to an Amway pitch, ie "That's not the way Amway does business".

I agree with these others, it's a good topic for a blog of this nature. I'm just curious how many people hit on Beth because of it. I'm also wondering, was it an Amway sales pitch?

Good post, Ms. Wheelock. Your dry wit combined with some frustration and amusement are coming through clearly. May you find exactly who you're looking for.

Beth, I thought you were talking about our one date until you said they were all different guys. Wow!

Janesburg: This blog is called "Off the Clock". This honest piece is exactly what should be expected when reading this blog. These Reporters are people as well. I like knowing that they have lives and are not just camping out at WJVL waiting to read the days headlines. Ms. Wheelock, I encourage you to continue to write what you want to, instead of what ONE lone wolf suggests. If you do not want to compromise with men, I urge you not to compromise on your blog topics. With that being said, I bet Boyfriend FYI, was wondering WTF when it didn't work out. Why The Fuss.

Very funny Beth. I can relate to similar many years back. One guy said he liked fights where you thow things and hit because of the "passion". Red flag! And I think you keep professional and personal melded just enough!

totally agree with olivia. although...i may be biased, because you ARE my sister! :)

Ms Wheelock,

I do believe your blog is entirely appropriate. I find your journalistic approach to this topic courageous, bold, informative, and classy; everything necessary for success in your industry.

I have always believed that dating is a process of developing immunity against the unwanted characteristics of the desired sex. And, as cold and flu season is upon us, what better news to broadcast to readers than your own history of maladies, as reassurance that we too can survive?

My diagnosis is that when your Gentleman comes along, he will indeed be single, intelligent, appropriately covered in all photographs, have independence from his parental guardians, have class, character and a non-judgemental view of the world...Oh, and the only sales pitch you'll hear on a date will be how he can earn more time with you. You rock sistah.

@Opinionsforfree - i hope you're not as much of a "jerk" in person as you are when no one happens to know who you are. Seriously..

You should talk to Larry David. I think that he would be interested in some of your stories. ;-)

The blog's fine. That's what blogs are about.

And now, a word from the females...

I found this post informative. I feel warned about hidden agendas.

Perhaps the defensive nature from the men's comments comes from being hit too close to the mark?

Duly noted.

I was just thinking, "Wow, I've had some unusual stuff happen while dating. Maybe I'll blog about it."

Perhaps it's the wrong format. I'll try something different next time.

Beth

You may want to rethink this type of blog if you want to be taken seriously as a broadcaster and journalist. Granted, this piece wasn't too personal, but come on, this isn't Twitter. Also, it just seems sad and not in a relatable way. Good luck.

I hope your not as "dry" in person as you are on the radio each day. Maybe you attract these type of people. Who knows. I am happily married Good luck on finding the right guy

Yikes.

Funny in retrospect, I hope!