No More Fixer-Uppers

I've intentionally been avoiding the subject of my dating life recently due to some major changes.....and, I didn't want to jinx anything. (And no, I'm NOT pregnant.) But, I've decided to come out with it. I've been seeing Boot Scoot for about a month now and although it's been a busy month with traveling and such, we're having a great time.

It's bizarre, though, because he doesn't appear to be what I call a "fixer upper", or FU (funny how that works out, eh?). Now, an FU can be described as a man (or woman if you're a gay chick or a straight dude) who has more then minor issues with emotions, maturity, finances, etc. Once you start dating them, you suffer through all their "issues" and slowly help to fix them. Once they are back on their feet and the man you always wanted them to be, they dump you on your ass and move onto the next girl who gets a perfect specimen of a man. And you're left with jackshit.

And, let's be honest, (and who knows what this says about me) I've really only dated FUs in the recent years. I've had: the broke and (bonus) in major debt (ex: running from the repo man as he rolls up to take back the car); the psycho-paranoid-jealous (ex: checking my phone records from a war zone in Afghanistan to see who I was calling); the alcoholic (this does not require additional commentary); and the perpetual fraternity boy at 28 (ex: has the entire movie of "Old School" memorized - and not just the really funny parts). Wow - I'm so proud. So is my Dad.

Just a few months ago I was thinking to myself, "Why am I the dumb chick who fixes the men? Why can't I be a smart chick who swoops in and snags the recently-fixed-by-other-dumb-chicks?" (And no, I'm not looking for comments from the peanut gallery on this one. It's a rhetorical question being used for effect.)

Is this a cycle of human suffering and gaining that has been going on since the beginning of time? Did the first cavewoman take in the first caveman after he was mauled by a woolly mammoth and after nursing him back to hairy health, did he leave her for the woman two caves down? I think so. But, on a positive note, I think karma has a role to play in it all. It's like: Buy 4 FU's Get 1 Non-FU Free.

So, maybe this time, I get one that, dare I say, doesn't need fixing - an actual NON-FU!! [NOTE: This is NOT to say that he is perfect in any way, shape or form, he is still a man.] I say this because he invited me yesterday to go with him on a 4-day Mexican cruise - his treat. Being the gentleman that he is, he even offered to get me my own stateroom. This is probably the most generous thing any man (immediate family excluded) has ever done for me, and it feels kind of great being spoiled. I think I could get used to it.

But, this doesn't mean the saga has ended. Oh no, it's only just beginning.

To FU or Non-FU - that is the question for 2005.