I feel like Julie and Julia

Yesterday I broke up with my boyfriend, and I let myself cry for one night. Today, I am ready to start fresh. It's not that I didn't care about him or that I'm not disappointed that our relationship ended, but I know it had to be done. I don't have any hard feelings, but I also know that I wasn't getting what I wanted.

So, here goes my summer experiment. The timing is perfectly aligned with my summer vacation from teaching. I have plenty of free time to devote to myself and to meeting new men. I don't think anyone will actually read this besides my friends and my mom, but at least I won't have to tell the same stories 3 times.

The plan is to go on 40 dates from now until Labor Day. Each date has to take place in a new location, somewhere in the metro DC area. I can go on more than one date with the men, but I can only include TWO dates per man toward my 40 count. If I have a third date, I won't necessarily write about it, unless it was particularly memorable.

Now, how do I plan on getting 40 dates in one summer, you may be wondering. Well, I suspect many of them will come from an online dating website. However, I am not restricting myself to this, and I have told my friends about this project and will ask them to introduce me to their single friends. I vow to accept any first date offered, unless I feel unsafe. I've found that with online dating, it's far too easy to dismiss a guy for a petty reason, because there are so many options. However, I could be letting someone great pass by. Therefore, I'm expanding my horizons and I'm keeping an open mind. I will go on a date with you, but from there, I make no promises about what I write about the date.

My name is changed to protect my own privacy, and I will not use any the real names of my dates. I will likely give them nicknames, because, after all, 40 dates is a lot to keep track of.