Two men went golfing. One man took his pipe out of his golf bag and asked the other one if he had a lighter. The other man pulled out a 12-inch Bic lighter and handed it to him. The first man said "Where did you get that?"

The second man said, "From my genie." The man pulled a lamp out of his bag and rubbed it. The genie appeared and asked what he wanted. He said a million bucks and the genie went back into the lamp. As soon as he disappeared, a million ducks flew overhead.

"Wait a minute," the first man said, "that’s not what you asked for."

The second man said, "My genie has bad hearing. Do you really think I asked for a 12-inch Bic?"

It's been a long time but for the first time in probably years I felt the sting of a broken heart. If you've read my earlier journal entries you know that sometimes I meet new girl's through the this wonderful thing called the Internet (don't knock it till you try it!). Well the Sunday before last I started talking to this absolutely wonderful gal named Kelly on IM. She was very funny, smart, and just really nice to talk to. And not only that she was really really beautiful too and a redhead.

We talked for like an hour and I must have impressed her also because she offered me her phone number and asked me if I would like to go out sometime soon. Needless to say I was on cloud nine and feeling the happiest I had felt since I can't even remember. For the next few days she would come online just to talk to me, which was really nice when I was bored at work, and we'd talk for like an hour or two and it would make the time at work just fly by. We also talked on the phone and had a lot of fun then too, she loved to laugh, had so much energy, and I guess I could go on forever about how great I thought she was....... Anyway, we planned our meeting for that Thursday to go to the Cheesecake Factory at the mall. I was kinda nervous about meeting her and very excited at the same time.

Thursday finally came and I drove to her apartment which was only 5 miles from my house which was also great, and after trying to find it for a while I got there and saw her standing outside with her roommate. She was even hotter in person which made me a little more nervous. She gave me a hug and we got in my car, she told me she could tell I was nervous and that I could relax around her, I told her I was trying to but she was so beautiful that it made me feel more nervous which she thought was cute.

As dinner went on I got much more comfortable and we had a nice conversation and I made sure to give her lots of compliments. She never really gave me any compliments though and it was hard to tell how she felt about me, I couldn't take my eyes off of her but she was all around the room which I knew wasn't a great sign. After dinner we walked around the mall holding hands and I felt like a million bucks just being with her. Before we left the mall I asked her if she'd like to rent a movie with me the next night and she kinda said she was possibly going to be busy but would get back to me on it. Another bad sign. I took her home and I gave her a long hug before she left.

The next day comes along and I just can't stop thinking about her and how much I can't wait to her again. Then the bad news comes. I get an email from her that afternoon saying she thinks I am really nice guy and all but not the right guy for her, sorry. I know I only knew her for less than a week but that did not stop her news from hurting me terribly to the point where I could feel tears in my eyes. I wanted to keep her in the worst way. Its kinda funny because I immediately thought about the girls I had done the same thing to and said to myself "Is this the kind of pain I inflicted on my other girlfriends?" I guess that's karma for you.

Finally one of the most important goals I have ever set for myself in life is soon going to come true. As of yesterday I signed a 1-year lease on a one bedroom apartment (the other goal was getting laid). After a few good months of agonizing over whether or not I wanted to commit to moving in with my girlfriend I made my decision and decided to run with getting a place of my own for now. Rachel was not too happy about this for a couple of weeks and things between us were kind of rocky to the point where I thought I was going to lose her, but she is beginning to come to terms with what I decided. I am sure she can also see the benefits in one of us having our own place and not having to deal with parent's rules, and I told her she can sleep over a few nights a week.

The place is very nice at $735 a month, plenty of room for me, and I can continue getting cable television and DSL service. What more can a man ask for? Best part is my parents have each agreed to give me $100 a month to help me with my rent My big move in day is next week on Sunday, May 1st.