Tinder Diaries - Part 3 Feeling totally Clueless

If you read last week's post, you probably noticed that I dropped the bomb that I have decided to quit Tinder. As promised here are the reasons why. It's simple really, I seemed to have stumbled across two types of guys: The random gone missing type and The stage 5 clinger weirdo freak. Like my title descriptions? Don't believe me? Let me refresh your memory with the spontaneous combustion that was Alex. After Alex, there was:

Crossfit guy who texted me daily pictures of his Target purchases. I love Tar-J and all but who goes there that much?! I don't need to see that you're buying new socks. Especially when you should be buying me dinner. Drinks would be ideal in this situation to find said pictures moderately entertaining.

 

After Crossfit guy, there was Lion guy. Lion guy texted me YouTube videos of lions. Yes, lions. Why he did this, I have no idea. He just came back from a Safari? Was he planning to go on a Safari? He has an extreme lion fetish? I became confused. The only thing I could think was lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

 

 

Lion guy led to Hungry guy. Hungry guy would text me asking if he should order pizza. I'm an extreme carb lover so my vote is always going to be yes when it comes to pizza. Turns out Hungry guy wasn't in the mood for pizza. Hungry guy wasn't in the mood for a sandwich, pasta, or any of my suggestions for that matter. Thai food was the object of Hungry guys desire. Now that we got that settled, I had to break the news that I was not in fact the delivery service number for Thai food. After the great food debate with Hungry guy, I figured he must have been:

 

 

Hungry guy led to Video guy. This one really freaked out my friends. He would send videos instead of text messages. Videos of him playing the guitar, Videos of him walking and talking, Videos of him explaining why the last video he tried to make didn't end up working out to his liking. I should also mention that Video guy was on a lone camping trip in the wilderness and also sent me videos of him chopping wood.

 

 

After the freakiness of Video guy I felt impotent and out of control, which Cher Horowitz and I really hate. I decided to give it one last shot and that's when I stumbled across Stage five Clinger guy. Stage five Clinger was in Remission from Cancer. 5 years cancer free! Wohoo! But he had chronic pain causing him to depend on pain medication. At first he led me to believe that he was a positive, silver lining type that was trying to get a new procedure that would enable him to go back to work as a police officer. In reality he didn't have a job, was heavily medicated, slept all day, missed his doctor's appointments, and had pictures that were 5 years old on his profile. Not to mention that he called and texted me about 75-125 times a day.

 

 

Stage five Clinger guy really left me feeling sad and icky. I mean:

 

 

None of these guys and I made it on an actual date. I just couldn't go through with any of them face to face because:

 

 

That being said. Searching for a guy on Tinder is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie.

 

Has dating in this day and age made everyone totally clueless? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Comment below!

XOXO

 

Cupcakes for Kylie Auction update

If you all remember I took part in a live auction supporting Cupcakes for Kylie. I am happy to update that the auction raised $14,217.36 for baby Kylie and her family :) Thank you to all who helped get the word out and to all who participated! I'm filing this one under "Success".  Thanks again all!

 

 If you would like to follow up on brave baby warrior Kylie, check out the family's Facebook page.
                                                                         XOXO

Week in Review

I apologize for slacking off on blogging this past week but in my defense, I was one busy girl! So let me catch you up on what's been going on with this weekly round up:

I spent the 4th of July at my best friend, Sara's new house. She had a family style BBQ. (Well, she had it catered) buuuut, she did cook a bunch of yummy appetizers and desserts herself. It was a great time with a great group. We capped off the night with a few rounds of margarita pong. Like beer pong but we upgraded with margaritas. It was just like old times, with the added bonus of fireworks in the background. My only complaint was the poppers being used as a tactic of distraction. Ultimately they worked! My teams lost every round.

                            
Best part of the night was when I finally convinced Sara's husband John to turn on some Classic Rock. "Pour some sugar on me" turned into a movie montage of "Flashdance". Priceless:

I spent part of my 3 day weekend working on my line. I'm happy to say that my mission to find the perfect tank top has been completed. I've found the most fabulous flowy racerback tanks that are oh so soft. They are exactly what I was looking for. And so, my tank top line has officially come to life!

 

    My Hamsa tank tops are $19 each and are available for purchase via my etsy shop: StarrJoy16.
Use coupon code: BLOGLOVER at checkout to receive 15% off your entire purchase through                        the month of July. More designs are coming to the shop very soon!

On Sunday I had my second NET session. What is NET you might ask? It's defined as a mind-body technique that uses a methodology of finding and removing neurological imbalances related to the physiology of unresolved stress.
Have you ever heard of the technique of putting your arm out and having someone push lightly down on your arm while you resist the push? The pushing and resisting is being done while you say statements. Your body reacts differently depending on if your body really believes the statement that's being said to be true. Example: "My name is Starr". My resistance would be strong because I in fact believe that my name is Starr (even though it's a weird name). "I love getting speeding tickets" would cause my arm to easily be pushed down because I in fact do not like getting speeding tickets. See how cool it is? Think of it kind of like a lie detector. I've found out some interesting things about myself so far. I will share with a follow-up post!

After NET I felt energized and fabulous. I headed to lunch with my girl Amanda. Cocktails anyone?

Monday night was standard bachelorette night. The cuts are coming hard and fast. Andi started the episode with four suitors and only three remained. I must say this is the best group of guys I think I've ever seen on this show.
There's Nick the mysterious asshole type and Josh the hot baseball player:

 

 

On the sweet side we have Chris the tractor loving farmer and Marcus the take my breath away romantic:

 

 

I'm not gonna lie, I see Andi choosing baseball Josh. I think they fit the best together and can totally see her with him. As for Chris and/or Marcus I can totally see either one of them with ME! *Sigh* I'm just sayin' a girl can dream right?

 

Since we're talking about love and romance and whatnot, I think I should tell you that I did it. Yes friends, I quit Tinder. I know, I know. But after the disastrous installment of the Tinder diaries part 1 and the hideous follow-up Tinder diaries part 2, I was left feeling discouraged and icky. I will follow up on this soon and give you more details as to the build up of what caused me to delete Tinder. Fret not though, I haven't sworn off internet/phone app/whatever dating altogether! You will still be able to follow up on my interesting (for lack of better word) dating life. C'mon friends don't leave friends hanging. You'll still be able to catch up on the latest. Hip hip hooray! Until next time!
               
                                                                               XOXO

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July from StarrJoy16.  Take 16% off of everything in my shop as part of the celebration! Room décor, Jewelry, baby onesies, and adult tanks included :)
Use coupon code: STRIPES16 at checkout!

Hope your day is filled with hot dogs, fireworks, laughter with loved ones, and of course alcohol!

                                                                       XOXO

Finding the perfect tank top

As you know, I started turning my artwork into wearable art via my jewelry line and most recently baby onesies. Which I couldn't be more proud of by the way :) Turns out adults want to get in on the action and wear my designs too! Hip hip hooray! Obviously onesies for adults would just be plain wrong and weird, so I've decided to make junior and adult tank tops for ladies! The past few weeks have been full of a lot of trial and error, mostly error, in trying to find the perfect tank top.

Ideally my favorite is a racerback tank top with a soft flowy fit. Finding the right material blend has been a problemo because the heat press machine that I work with normally work best with 100% cotton material. It tends to scorch the other blends :(  I'm still looking for the perfect blend and wont stop until I get it dammit!

I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek of what's to come from StarrJoy16 Stay tuned for an update of my journey to finding the perfect tank top and of course the release of tank tops in my shop! Until then, what's your favorite type of tank top? Please comment below and tell me what style of top you would like to see my designs on :)

                                                                              XOXO

The Tinder Diaries - Part 2 - Spontaneous Combustion

As I sit here writing this on, Wednesday, I almost forgot what day it was. Maybe that's because I didn't have Hump day guy texting me to remind me. Just an update on him before we move on to bachelor number two. Hump day guy ended up texting me two weeks after we last left off. His text of choice was "Drinks?" I replied "no thanks". I like to think that I'm the type of girl that deserves a complete sentence.
Anyway, moving on to bachelor number two. Who I've decided to call Alex. Alex and I started chatting it up via Tinder. He's 31 and just recently moved to California. He's an ex firefighter that started up his own business and loves to surf. I didn't even hesitate in giving him my digits. He texted me right away and we began a flirty banter back and forth. He tried to make plans with me right away but I already had plans for the weekend in suggestion. My friends and I were headed to the Broccoli Festival. He texted asking me for a picture, so I sent this selfie:

 

He told me I was beautiful and that he loved my smile. Yeah yeah yeah.. So I asked for a picture in return....to which I received crickets...aka nothing... I was really confused by this. He finally responded with "I don't do selfies". Ok...says the guy that has nothing but selfies up on his Tinder profile. My friend Sara was convinced that there was something wrong with his face. Like he had gotten in some sort of tragic accident in recent weeks and turned into the elephant man. I don't get it. What guy refuses to send a picture to a girl AFTER asking for one himself?! Red Flag #1.

Selfie-gate led to a week of no communication. He finally texted me asking me if I had plans for the weekend. I did, it was Mother's day weekend. I told him that it would be better to make plans with me in advance, the following weekend was looking better. He responded with "ok, great, talk to you next weekend". What the fuck?! Red Flag #2.

Two weeks later I received a text from Alex saying "I guess it wasn't meant to be". I responded by saying that I hadn't heard from him so I assumed that he was no longer interested. He stated that he was still very interested and would love to meet. Ok, fine, whatever. We agree to meet that Sunday for Dinner since he was planning on going surfing that morning.

Sunday:
It's 2:30pm and there are no set plans, so I text Alex asking for the details. At 5:50pm he texts me that he's "just getting out of the water". I know I'm blonde and I live in southern California but I don't surf. Never have. Who the fuck knew that surfing in the morning lasts for 12 hours throughout the day?! My mentality was that I didn't hear back from him, so I made other plans for dinner and decided to meet up with good ol Amanda for drinks after. I wait around for no man dammit. Alex lives a good hour away, so it isn't my fault that he was too busy splashing around to coordinate a plan of action. Priorities Alex, priorities. He tells me that he's really upset about my change of plans and asks if he can meet me where Amanda and I are going for drinks. It will be fun, he said. He'll bring a friend, he said. Amanda is my wing woman so at this point we had the attitude of sure, why the hell not?!

Alex was right. It was a lot of fun. The four of us hung out at a little dive bar and spent the entire night playing darts, talking, laughing, and drinking (this one paid for my drinks). I was really attracted to him. I'm happy to tell you that he didn't have any facial imperfections and wasn't the Scarface that Sara was imagining him to be. My only complaint was that he was wearing flip flops. This grosses me out like no other. Put on some shoes man. This isn't the beach. Nobody wants to see man feet. I overlooked the sandal issue because he was really cool and well, really hot too. The date ended on a good note with "some amazing kisses" as Alex put it.

The next day....
Alex was texting me up a storm telling me what a great time he had and asking when he could see me again. He wanted to help me with my line, StarrJoy16 and had a bunch of ideas to get my business going. This is all sounding great, right?! Right. After a few days of texting, I told him I was available for dinner the next day, Thursday. So naturally, Alex went mute. Total crickets status. Maybe Thursday wasn't a good day for him. Maybe his phone broke. Maybe he was bipolar. I was beginning to see a pattern with Alex and must admit that the hot and cold act turns me off so I decided to lay low for a couple of days.

Early Saturday morning, I woke up to a text from Alex at 2:08am. It said "hi". Red Flag #3. I'm no booty call. I didn't respond. Saturday at 2:12pm I received another text from him saying "hey". I'm not a horse, so again, I didn't respond.

Sunday at 4:15pm, Alex texted me "I hope everything is ok...". I responded letting him know that I was great. I just didn't think that HE was so great. I had a really great time with his sandal loving self but think he's kind of random, i.e. leaving me hanging for the Thursday dinner and the doucheness factor of the early Saturday morning text. Alex reasoned that he had gotten home from a birthday party and was thinking about me and wanted to say hi. Aww so sweet, right? I call bullshit.

Nonetheless he asked me if I wanted to drop everything and go fishing so that he could cook what we caught as dinner for me that night. I decided to pass. I had shit to do, like laundry and keep up with the Kardashians. Also, I don't even like fish. I stressed again that "I'm not really a spontaneous kind of gal" to which he responded with "Ehh". Say that out loud, will you. "Ehh". After his random shenanigans, he has the nerve to text me with "Ehh"?! I responded asking him what that meant and you guessed it folks, crickets.

With the super fun date over and the strong physical attraction fizzling, Alex and I  combusted. We're on different pages when it comes to priorities and basic etiquette. I think it's pretty obvious that Alex and I are not a match.

A full two weeks later I received another text from Alex saying "hello little lady". I couldn't help but think "Ehh goodbye". So long Alex. On to the next!

I'd love to know your thoughts on my dating life. Tips, stories, and advice are all welcome! Feel free to comment and share below. And of course stay tuned for more.

                                                                             XOXO

Stronger by Jeff Bauman - Book Review

My family is from Boston. Majority of my family pronounce my name (Starr) like "Stahhh". There's a love and a sense of family when it comes to Boston. It's a wicked good place if I ever knew one. The tightknit community was rattled with the tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.
My cousin was supposed to participate in the marathon but had a change of plans. Nonetheless, she, along with the rest of the community took the Boston Marathon bombing very hard. 

If you remember, The Boston Marathon Bombings and following related shootings were a series of
attacks and incidents which began on April 15, 2013, when two pressure cooker bombs exploded during the Marathon at 2:49 pm, killing 3 people and injuring an estimated 264 others. The bombs exploded about 12 seconds and 210 yards apart, near the finish line on Boylston Street. It only took a matter of seconds to change countless lives forever.

Jeff Bauman was waiting on the sidelines and cheering for his girlfriend who was running in the marathon. He saw the bomber and later helped identify him. Jeff lost both of his legs in the attack and recounts his personal struggle with dealing with becoming an amputee. His brave battle had me in tears every other chapter. He speaks with such genuine heart that is truly inspiring. Jeff Bauman is a hero (even though he absolutely hates being called that). His story touched me so much. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a positive boost. I found the story to be motivational and uplifting. A light can't shine without darkness. And Jeff is a true star. Jeff Bauman is stronger.

                             What are you reading this summer? Feel free to share and comment below.
                                                                              XOXO