Back to the beginning: What About Mel?

This blog has been many things: a dating and relationship blog; a travel blog (the world over); a cathartic piece of me on the internet to deal with my unnerving social anxiety, horrible breakups and various personal problems; an exposed diary; a fashion (help me) blog; a foodie blog; a roller derby training blog; a place to rip on my ex-boyfriends; and even a bit of a city guide. And hey, at one time, even a party blog. You don’t get voted Best Of Cleveland… for NOT being a bar fly.

But since many of you are new to me, perhaps are interested in how this was got started… so, here’s the big story:

I started “blogging” in LiveJournal in 2002, after a guy I was dating at the time started reading my ACTUAL journal. I had some shit going on in the relationship that I had to work out with words, so I opted for a “private” online platform to expunge all my demons (and cheating… whatever, you can judge me). Unfortunately, I do not have those “first” posts.

In 2003, I switched over to this thing called Blogger, where the idea of “Life, Liberty & Pursuit of Your Boyfriend” was incepted. I was on my way out of said relationship and began writing about my “interesting” dating stories, as I worked my way into the singles scene again. Oh, it was interesting all right. I’m also sort of happy that many of those early posts were deleted. Intentionally.

In 2004, my blog gained some momentum and popularity, being featured in the News-Herald, Cool Cleveland, Scene Magazine and Cleveland Magazine. I was apparently awesome enough to have a full story published on my life, which at the time, was ALL PARTY and nothing much else. For years. Hence, Best Bar Fly award in 2006. When I read my past entries, I cringe. I used to swear… A LOT. Like, classless, dirty sailor kind of swearing in a drunken Brooklyn accent. And to be honest, there was much I needed to learn about life AND myself.

And… I was single for most of this ride (reconciling for a short while with aforementioned sneaky boyfriend for a brief engagement, which obviously never ended in marriage). Whether being single and finding “love” was a true course for the blog, I’m not certain, but it seemed like — through frequent comments and emails — you were all rooting for me, so I continued to put myself out there, no matter how painful.

I think it was in 2007, I switched over to TypePad, which at the time was the de rigeur of the blogging world. Which ended horribly in 2008 with just one lost post and a shit-ton of broken picture links and a lot of screaming… and swearing. And punching of computer screens. I switched to WordPress at that point, purchasing (finally) my own URL and becoming ever-so-slightly obsessed with social media. The blog was much of the same: dating super-amazing great guy, massive breakup, dating even MORE amazing super-great guy, massive breakup… until 2009, when I met my current boyfriend. Well, “met” is a loose term, as we “met” a year earlier, but it took me eight months to come around to an actual RELATIONSHIP with him. Point being, the blog changed significantly at that point, and as it continues to do, while the boyfriend & I settle into a life partnership of a commingling of comfort and bliss (which I KNOW makes you all want to puke).

So, where am I now? Somewhere in-between adventures of seeking out a new life in a new city with an old… I’m sorry, a younger-than-me, long-term (HOT!) boyfriend (who you will hear me refer to as, “AB” or “Arrogant Bastard”). POYB still encompasses many of my favorite things: shoes and roller derby and eating and drinking good beer and eating and even once in a while, some cheese porn (and a whole lot of penis). But it’s centered mostly on my life and some of its star characters — mostly the city in which I live — and all its randomness. As you may have noticed, it’s no longer “Pursuit of YOUR Boyfriend,” it’s now pursuit of MY boyfriend (but same URL as in the past, so no need to change bookmarks or RSS feeds), as we go wherever his career takes us. Because mine is awesome, and I can work from anywhere that there is an awesome internet connection.

For those who have been following for a while, you’ve been there through a LOT of emotional freak-outs and some really, really sad times. This blog keeps me sane, motivated, upbeat, creative, strong and mostly, from becoming bored. While I’m really only here to entertain, I hope that I make a connection too.

Why did you start blogging? Has that reason changed since you started?

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