Cyber Love Story of the Week – Stephany and David

Stephany had been online dating for years. Unfortunately her experience was not a pleasant one so she decided to give it a break.

However, one evening while she was surfing the Internet, she noticed a profile of a man who had only been online for one week. She was taken by the beautiful poetry the potential male suitor had written. She was so touched by the stranger’s words that she actually started to cry.

After a few months of corresponding by email, Stephany met David, the real life poet, and after four years together, the couple got engaged. Stephany and David are proof positive that online dating can have a happy ending, and to never give up hope.

The couple will be getting married in 2009. Congratulations to Stephany and David, our Cyber Love Story of the Week at CyberDatingExpert.com

For consideration in the Cyber Love Story of the Week, please send your submissions to info@CyberDatingExpert.com.

Read More Cyber Love Stories

A Post-Oscar Visit to the Max Factor Building

 

A small group of members from the Beverly Hills Women’s Club today were treated to a private tour at the Historic Max Factor Building which is now the Hollywood Museum and is located steps away from where the Academy Awards Ceremony was held this past Sunday. 

Our personalized tour was led by Donelle Dadigan, who passionately purchased and restored this famous landmark to its original art deco decor in 1996, and filled it with over 10,000 props, costumes, and memorabilia from famous Hollywood stars and films.

On the first floor of this magnificent building, we walked through one room called “Blondes Only” which was a blue room named for Marilyn Monroe.  We learned that Marilyn was born with medium brown hair, and Max was the one in 1950 who created the original “platinum blonde” and named the room in her honor. In addition, there is a “Brunette’s Only” room with memorabilia from Judy Garland and where the makeup king was responsible for creating Jaclyn Smith’s look for the television series, Charlie’s Angels.

The “Red heads Only” room was painted in green and was named in honor of Lucille Ball who was a blonde until Factor decided she looked better as a lady in red. And there was a “Brownette’s Only” room where the make up king created Rita Hayworth.

We strolled through the second and third floors which were filled with costumes from famous films including Nicole Kidman’s attire from the film, Moulin Rouge and took a peek at Cary Grant’s Rolls Royce. We ended our tour in the basement where we viewed Hannibal Lecter’s jail cell and mask from the film, Silence of the Lambs.

The Hollywood Museum is truly a gift to this city and the visitors who come here for a taste of Hollywood. There is so much more behind these closed doors that are now open to the public.

The museum’s hours are 10:00 am-5:00 pm, Thursday through Sunday and the fourth floor is available for private parties.

Their site is www.TheHollywoodMuseum.com.

LA Mixers and Tubefilter Present “The New Media Vault”

Come join me on Thursday, February 26th where I will be personally signing copies of The Perils of Cyber-Dating  at the LA Mixers & Tubefilter New Media Vault event in downtown Los Angeles.

What: LA Mixers & Tubefilter Present “The New Media Vault”

Where: Party – Mixer at the Crocker Club, 435 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA

Time: 7:00 pm-11:00 pm

Cost: FREE

RSVP on the Facebook Page for LA Mixers or go to LA Media Vault

He’s Just Not That Into Me?

Like most other single women, I anxiously awaited for the movie release of the new film, He’s Just Not That Into You.

I arrived at the local theatre to find a sold-out crowd of mostly women with a few guys in tow that got dragged along to see a chick flick.  I could have counted the number of men in the crowd on one single hand.

While I feel that both men and women can relate to the scenes in the film, I guess most men just didn’t want to be seen there on opening weekend.

The film hit home in a very hard way.  First, Jennifer Aniston has a seven-year guy who was in love with her, but wouldn’t marry her. Ouch, I felt her pain and re-lived mine as my seven-year guy that I fondly referred to in my book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating as “The Love of My Life” also told me he didn’t need a piece of paper to prove how much he loved me. As she struggled with the fact that if she left him he could actually marry the next girl he met, I also had that same struggle before I ended the relationship with my seven-year guy.  In my case my long-term love who claimed he just wasn’t ready, did marry another.  Seven years after the break up with the seven-year guy we met accidentally at a coffee shop. While I was going through a painful divorce with the man I married on the rebound, he was boasting about how happily married he was.  It hurt and the film hit home.

Both men and women have experienced the anxious feeling of waiting by the telephone for the special one to call, and the phone just doesn’t ring.  It’s a rare soul who hasn’t felt that way at some point in their life. And staring at the computer screen waiting for a reply from the hot guy who wrote to you from an Internet dating site, while he cut and pasted the same email to several others, was worth a laugh. Just this past Valentine’s Day, I received a text message from someone I met online last year wishing me a “Happy Valentine’s Day.” I replied with a quick “thank you” and quickly received a response, you are welcome, Jenni.  I replied with “Oops, wrong girl. My name is Julie.”

But the clincher for me was the statement from a man who wanted to score with the girl who told her, “I’m so crazy about you. I have never felt this way about a woman before.”  It was those exact words that I heard from another beau, and I believed him. Unfortunately, that line was as familiar to him as a weekly manicure was to me.  Apparently, I wasn’t the only recipient of those fond words and I secretly wondered, was he just not that into me? 

In the end, there is always someone who may be a little bit more into you than you are to them, and vice versa.  I had hoped I was the “exception to the rule” as did the girls in the film, but in the end, It’s still a complicated boy-girl thing.

Peril of the Week – Breakfast at Tiffany’s?

I heard from a woman who had met a man on JDate®.com — the #1 Jewish social scene.. They were looking forward to their evening out on Valentine’s Day and each wanted to select a special gift for the occasion.

The woman decided to go to Tiffany’s and was about to purchase a pair of sterling silver cufflinks when she spotted her beau across the aisle selecting his gift for her as it was being wrapped up in a blue box with a white ribbon.

Now the woman was thrilled that she would shortly be presented with a mystery item from Tiffany’s but didn’t want to get caught, so she had to hide under the counter while the other shoppers watched and wondered why,  until her Valentine left the building.

Whether it is breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or any day of the year, we all love opening a surprise gift in a blue box with a white  ribbon.  Here’s to the couple who met online on JDate and  were in sync on Valentine’s Day and hopefully for many future days to come. Thankfully she was the recipient of the gift from Tiffany’s and he wasn’t buying gifts in bulk.

For consideration for The Peril of the Week, please send your submissions to info@CyberDatingExpert.com.

Be My Valentine Dance

 

A crowd of about 150 celebrated Valentine’s this past weekend at the NoWaitingDating.com Be My Valentine Dance/Mixer at Aura Night Club in Studio City, CA.

The post-Valentine’s bash was filled with singles dancing to the sounds of the live band “Sidetracs”  while roaming the dance floor with their signature ice-breaker lock and key mix and mingle.

I was on site signing copies of my new book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online and met some fabulous people who were sharing their Internet dating stories with me.

Now that the Valentine’s weekend festivities are over, and the pressure is off, we need to remember that Love is a 365 day a year quest and start checking our Inbox on our favorite cyber-dating sites.

Love Potions – Chocolate Hazlenut Truffles

Contributed by Jan Finlayson

Since February is a month full of love, I thought it would be best to include a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks:   Intercourses, An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge. If you’ve never seen this book, it is a fun feast for the eyes with mouth watering recipes and sexy food filled photographs.  This book is a perfect gift for a new bride, or even a newly divorced friend.

The authors list the foods known to be aphrodisiacs such as chocolate, honey, strawberries, oysters, and figs.  Who knew that asparagus, black beans, and pine nuts make the list?  They give recipes for seventeen sensual foods, as well as tips for when to use certain recipes for particular stages of the relationship – flirtation, exploration, copulation…you get the idea.  There is even a section on foods and erogenous zones.

For just a taste, try this recipe:

Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

4 oz bittersweet chocolate

3 ½ oz almond paste

1 tablespoon strong hot coffee

1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Chop the chocolate in the food processor until finely ground.  Add the almond paste and process until smooth.  With the motor running, add the coffee and liqueur.  Process until the mixture forms a soft ball.  Roll mixture into ¾” balls.  Sprinkle with the cocoa powder.  Place the balls in a small paper cup. Chill. 

According to the book, this is a recipe that works as well on the body as it does on the plate.

Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert with guest Stephany Alexander

 

Listen to best-selling author, Stephany Alexander as a recent guest on the “Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert” radio show.  

 

Stephany is the CEO/Founder of WomanSavers.com, one of the most popular women’s sites on the net. WomanSavers.com is the world’s largest database rating men on the Internet.  You will learn about safety online and the best ways to protect yourself online while still enjoying the experience of cyber-dating.

Stephany has appeared on E! Entertainment, FOX, Mike & Juliet Show, the New York Times, USA Today, and the list goes on. This Saturday you will have the opportunity to speak with dating expert Stephany Alexander on “Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert”.  The call in number is 646-929-0012.

 

Saint Valentine’s Soiree

 

It was a festive and energetic evening in Los Angeles on Thursday where 1000 techies and social networking folks attended Twiistup 5 at the Barkar Hanger in Santa Monica. I think I was one of the first to buy a ticket the day they went on sale last year, as this event always sells out. Twiistup connects people from technology, media and entertainment and introduces the latest in technology.  However this year, I found myself happily double-booked and could not attend Twiistup. Mike and Steph McCadden were gracious enough to allow me to give away my ticket to the sold out event in a contest and I drove to Social Hollywood to attend the Step Up Women’s Network’s Saint Valentine’s Soiree.

As a member of the host committee for Step Up’s first co-ed event, I gathered my single friends to enjoy a night with Cupid, along with a pre-launch book signing event for The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. We were invited to celebrate or find Cupid – or at least a cocktail – for a cause. A crowd of 400 who were married, single and/or ready to mingle enjoyed the sounds of DJ Shy spinning the tunes at this Hollywood hotspot. Couples were requested to wear red, singles were dressed in black, and the confused had their choice. There was no confusion as Social Hollywood was the place to be for singles that evening.

Many of my friends came to lend their support for my first book signing as well as Step Up, including authors Donna Sozio,  Never Trust A Man In Alligator Loafers, and Liz H. Kelly, who penned Smart Man Hunting: A Fast-Track Dating Guide for Finding Mr. Right.  Congratulations to Alexa Brandt, Step Up’s Senior Program Manager for orchestrating this wonderful event and for helping Step Up raise over $5,000.

Proceeds from the ticket sales and a portion of my book sales benefitted Step Up Women’s Network. www.suwn.org.

Ask The Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show Valentine’s Day Edition

 

 

Listen to the Valentine’s edition of the “Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert” Radio show.

This week’s guest was Zoosk’s co-founder, Shayan Zadeh.  Zoosk is the world’s first and largest social dating community with 16.5 million users. You can join Zoosk by adding the Zoosk application through Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster, and MySpace.

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Zoosk is offering members two free days of communications, on February 13th and 14th. Call in at 646-929-0012 to learn more about how you can change your online dating experience for free on Valentine’s Day.

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