Featured Articles: Forbes' Best Cities for Singles

Forbes magazine has ranked Atlanta the 4th best city for singles. They look at "urbanized" areas and rate them on nightlife, population, culture, job growth, etc. While I'll agree that Atlanta is a great place to grow your career and start your hustle, when it comes to love this may not be the place. The article looked at all races, but if it were to focus on the African American community I think Atlanta may be a little further down the list. If you look at the numbers of eligible men, you'd have to take out the few that are married, those that are in jail or on house arrest, those that are chronically unemployed, those that are openly gay and those that are down low. That leaves 12 eligible bachelors in Atlanta for the 10,898 beautiful, smart and successful black women in town. Hmmm....not so good.

Ok my numbers may be a bit exaggerated but the article does point out that:

• Today the median age of first marriage is rising for both men and women
• singles make up 41% of American adults 18 and over
• most Americans can expect to spend fully half of their adult lives unmarried
• 9.8 million Americans lived with an opposite sex partner ie) shacked up, in 2005
• becoming a single mother by choice rather than necessity is a growing trend

Read more at http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/21/best-cities-singles-forbeslife-singles07-cx_ee_0821singlesintro.html

ATL Celebrilove: VMAs

So the VMAs went down in Las Vegas last night. From Britneys performance to Lil Mamas outfit, the overall theme was subpar. I wasnt feelin' the multiple party rooms. Just give me one stage, one host, and one mic. And furthermore, was the event rigged...I mean Timbaland had his hand all in it...his artists won, had the hottest rooms, and performed last...did I mention that word on the street is that he was executive producer...smells fishy. But since this is a relationship blog, enough with the random gossip. ATL Celebs were in the place. No real couple showings though, unless you count Luda and Bobby V walking the red carpet together...j/k. Despite a recent falling out (yes, for the 27th time) Tiny and TI showed up together. Both looked fab.

Pic courtesy of YBF.blogspot.com (see site for lots of non ATL celebs)

Notable and Quotable

"Nothing makes you forget about love like sex."

-Staci Beasley

Off My Chest: Cell Phone Etiquette

Who knew so much could be stored in just a few cubic inches of space? Racy text messages, X-rated pictures, forbidden numbers. Whether it’s a Razor, PDA, or I-phone if we are in a relationship you can pretty much assume that I'll be going through your mobile device. You can call me nosy, you can say I'm untrusting, but I don't care. If we are in a committed relationship then there should be absolutely nothing on your cell phone that I can't see. What's with all the codes and passwords? Do you have something to hide? I'll give you the common courtesy not to hack into your voicemail and check those messages (unless you give me reason to), and I won't have a set time everyday during which I go thru your phone. But I will sporadically yank it from you or peruse while you are out of the room. I'm giving full disclosure now so that it won't come as a surprise later. Su telefono es mi telefono. Oh, and there are no double standards here…you can feel free to do the same to my blackberry, sidekick, and Katana. Here are some ground rules:

1) Your ringer will be on loud during the nighttime hours. No vibrate and no silent.
2) You will answer calls in front of me.
3) You will not take your phone with you in the bathroom and/or shower.
4) You will hand over the device whenever I so request.
5) You will remove all passcodes from the phone.

Great, now that we have that out of the way, we can move on with the relationship. Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest!

ATL Celebrilove: Break Up 2 Make Up--Kim Porter Style

Media outlets are reporting (as I predicted) that Diddy and Kim are on again. They have been spotted together recently at his Labor Day All White Party in the Hamptons and at NY Fashion Week events. Maybe she was just dropping off the twins or picking up the child support check, but I doubt it. She is a professional baby mama and if its one thing a professional baby mama knows, its when to come back home after a fight. That chick ain't going nowhere till Diddy is done with her.

For more of Kim's nonsense you can check out the October Essence in which she explains that they still have an amicable relationship and talk everyday.

Love Don't Live Here Anymore: Bynum Update Pt. 4

A family friend says Juanita Bynum has filed for divorce from alleged wife beater Bishop Weeks--although, no court documents were available to prove that.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2007/09/06/bynum_0907.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Notable and Quotable

"At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet."
Plato

Notable and Quotable

"Love is like an hourglass... With the heart filling up As the brain empties."
--Jules Renard

ATL Celebrilove: Usher's Wedding Pics

Usher and Tameka had a "real" wedding this weekend....just in case you care (i don't) The pics are over at mediatakeout.com.

Speaking of Usher.
I caught an '05 interview he did with Cathy Hughes that was rerun on TVOne. She asked him about love and women and he explained that his mom is a great judge of character and she notices when its real and when its right. She gives an honest opinion. (THEN HE SHOULDVE TAKEN HER ADVICE ON TAMEKA). He hopes he will have a better judge of character and a power of discernment as he gets older. He said he eventually wants a family. Marriage is not in his vocabulary. Maybe 30, 35. (TRY 28). It'll happen when its meant to happen. "She'll find you." He likes a spontaneous woman who keeps it jazzy. Someone who is exotic and thoughtful. (HMM...I'M NOT THINKING TAMEKA FITS THAT DESCRIPTION).

Featured Articles: Signs He'll Cheat

Gilde Carle explains the 7 deadly sins: signs your beau may cheat. (Here are some excerpts...)

Sign #1: Your sweetie keeps you a secret from his/her family & friends. Cheaters keep you in the dark while they play in the light. Your relationship won’t work if you’re getting what I call the Shadow Treatment. The Shadow Treatment means that you are often kept waiting in the wings while your mate is out socializing.

Sign #2: Your sweetie is emotionally absent. Cheaters conceal their emotional whereabouts so they can be evasive about their physical whereabouts. Love is exhausting when you have to pry the truth out of a partner.

Sign #3: Your sweetie says he or she wants a no-strings-attached romance. If someone says, “I don’t want a commitment,” take the sucker at his or her word. Don’t fall into that “I’ll be the one to change all that!” trap.

Sign # 4: Your sweetie admits to cheating on exes—and justifies the betrayals. Cheaters rationalize their behavior to let themselves off the hook. The way they justify their actions tells much about their character. Listen to the excuses for past cheating your sweetie uses.

Sign #5: Your sweetie has never been without a mate. Cheaters won’t ride solo... ever! Leaving one romance and hopping into a new one — or having simultaneous affairs at once — doesn’t leave time for assessing whatever went wrong. They don’t bother with introspection; their focus is squarely set on pulling new people into their orbit. If you are dating a person who shares a romantic history that always involves finding a new partner before breaking up with the current partner, take heed.

Sign #6: Your sweetie tells lies about little things. Cheaters lie about everything, which leads you to question their truth from their fiction. When the need to embroider overshadows the desire to be honest, the relationship becomes a sham.

Sign # 7: Your sweetie brags about his or her sex appeal. Cheaters are insecure, and need to attract constant attention on the side. They flaunt their popularity in attempts to boost their own low self-esteem.

Remember this Gilda-Gram: “Everyone who touches you, teaches you.” Instead of getting bummed out about a cheater who stole your heart, think of what you learned, and how your experience got you to grow.

http://msn.match.com/msn/article.aspx?articleid=7764&TrackingID=516311&BannerID=544657&menuid=6&GT1=10287