Turn a Summer Fling into a Lasting Thing!

                          

Like I've written before, it is amazingly easy to meet new people in the summer. Everyone is traveling, and you can strike up conversation with complete strangers on a plane or in an out-of-town restaurant. Furthermore, there is a carefree attitude that summer seems to bring. We let our inhibitions go and get lost in the euphoria that the sun evokes.  For some, this carefree attitude can be a blessing that turns into a curse once all the "summer madness" is over. Have you ever wondered why a "summer fling" doesn't usually last? It may seem obvious...it's a fling! But, there is a deeper culprit at work. Because of the lowering of inhibitions, there are also lowered expectations, standards, and meaningful conversation that will lead to a solid relationship. If you'd like to turn your summer fling into a lasting thing...read on!

First things first: MAKE YOUR INTENTIONS KNOWN..subtly but clearly. If you want more than a few months (or hours) of interaction, you'll need to be clear that your standards haven't flown out of the window just because the temps are up and your windows are down. Approach meeting new suitors the same way you would when you're bundled up in frigid temps. Your will have more suitors because there is more skin to hypnotize them, but you'll just have to get over the thrill of heightened exposure (pun intended) and proceed with the same tact, poise, and COMMON SENSE you usually employ. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should lead in with "so when are we getting married?" I'm thinking more along the lines of once you get to know a person and feel that you want it to last beyond the summer, through in some "fall talk." While listening to a band you both like on a date..."Hey, there is this awesome festival in OCTOBER where this band and several others like them perform. Have you been? Do you think you'd like to check it out?"  If he says, "WE should check it out TOGETHER! Sounds like fun,"  you are all set for something more than a fling. However, if he says, "Huh? I couldn't hear you" or "I don't even know where I'll be in next week let alone October," he's trying to make summer memories and that's about it! RUN! 

What if the thought of being tied down during the summer makes you cringe?  Or makes your love interest cringe? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that apprehension. Date and enjoy! Just remember your love interest is dating and enjoying as well. If you want it last beyond the summer, you'll need to set yourself apart from the others and your love interest will have to do the same for you. Remain true to yourself and your character.  You will definitely shine through. Don't compete with the others by trying to be more sexy or sexual thinking that'll keep your love interest interested for the long haul. If he's meant to be yours beyond the summer, he'll be with real you!

Make your goal this summer and every season to live a full and robust life. Connections come to those who are perfectly content in their current state. You don't want to alter a happy state with a drop in romance when it could be the love of your life!

Book Review: How the Other Half Hamptons by Jasmin Rosemberg

How the Other Half Hamptons by Jasmin Rosemberg
5 Spot (Hachette Book Group)


Spring cleaning definitely has benefits. You get to clear out and freshen up things for the busy travel season ahead!! Well, I was sorting some things out in the garage and I ran across a brand new book among other books that had been packed away.  I had never seen the book before. It was published in 2008 which was a year full of transition. I may have even purchased it while in a fog, but I sure am glad I found it!  

Three friends--Jamie, Rachel, and Allison--pay for share house arrangements one summer in the Hamptons and their lives change forever. While that may seem like a rather dramatic observation, it is true nonetheless. Between hookups and hangouts, these girls find out a lot about themselves and about what they truly want.  I enjoyed the entire book. I enjoyed the plot. I enjoyed the insider approach to Rosemberg’s writing. Can I call her “Jasmin?”  After reading this delicious novel, I feel like we’re friends for some odd reason. Her background as a nightlife reporter for the New York Post serves her well as she gives readers a taste of the not-so-often seen side of the Hamptons. 

Jasmin Rosemberg’s How the Other Half Hamptons is an easy read that you won’t want to put down. It was not at all what I expected which was a pleasant surprise. The book is a sneak peek at not how the upper echelon “hamptons” each summer--oh no--but, it’s about how twenty-somethings (sometimes thirty-somethings) break and bend the law in order to make summer memories. As the byline reads, “One house. Forty strangers. Add vodka and stir…”

I appreciate this book not only for the entertainment factor, but also because it shows women from all backgrounds that there is a clear distinction between boys and men. I could relate to some of the hijinks, tomfoolery, and down right ambiguity of the guys these girls had to encounter. I also could relate to the cattiness that plague female interactions. Jasmin got the tone just right and I found myself reading at a frenetic pace in order to find out how things were going to pan out. For example, the adventure in the Lexus was hilarious however, the writing was so great that I felt anxious for the girls! I felt as if I were the fourth chick in the back seat trying to find a sign on the dark roads to save us from a debacle of a trip. Anyway, as you build up your beach reading list (I know I am), add this gem.  If you can’t wait, read it now to get some ideas of ways to spend your summer...or things to avoid!