2 be Bliss, as I dance along the road to Nirvana...

I had a "first date" last night. It was fun. —That's 30 for today.—

Lest you all become concerned that I only think about dating, gratitude, Baby Bliss, Mr. Bliss, health, and food, I want you to know that I think about finances as well. Although I never discuss my personal finances with friends (how gauche!), I do like sharing information. In that vein, I'm sharing this: John Rampton -- entrepreneur, online marketing guru, and startup addict -- has a post over at HuffPost Business called  "101 Ways to Make an Extra $500 a Month While Keeping Your Full Time Job". It's a great read with lots of good ideas for making extra cash. Even if you don't have a full time job, read it.  Here's the link:  101 Ways to Make an Extra $500 a Month While Keeping Your Full Time Job . You're welcome.

So about that date... Quite a tale. Here it is: - We started out with a late afternoon lunch at one of my favorite places. It was a two-hour meal, punctuated with good conversation and lots of laughter. - We went to the mall to walk it off. (Yep, I do this on a lot of dates.) - We discussed seeing a movie but the idea was nixed in favor of more sedate activities. - We ended up at an all-night venue. However, before we got into our respective vehicles to head out and over, he said he wanted to pick up a six-pack of beer. Okay... He bought a 12-pack and put the box in the bed of his truck. Silly ole me thought he was taking it home. At the venue, we settled in, talked and laughed more. Next thing I know, dude says he's gonna run out to the parking lot for a smoke and a sip. A smoke and a sip? 😲 (No emoticon visible? Insert astonished face here.) My window seat offered me a full view of him puffing and chugging, an immediate turn-off. Two beers and cigare...

One date, two dates, three dates, four... Okay, I haven't had quite that many dates since my last post. Two, I think. There was a date scheduled for Friday evening but it's been postponed until Saturday afternoon. It's not a "first date". I already know this guy. We met (online) last summer. Our first date was unusual in that it was a swim date at his house. Before he and I met in person, we e-mailed, talked and texted for a while. He was very comfortable with forwarding me personal information about himself that I was able to verify on my own. With the help of a good friend, I was able to gather additional background information on my new suitor. It appeared that everything he'd told me was true. Coupled with the supplemental information from my friend, my new suitor was either a regular nice guy or a psycho who'd managed to fly below the radar. Overall, it was a lot of behind-the-scenes work for a date but absolutely necessary under the ci...