seriously, mindy kaling has changed my life.

Read this. No, really. Read it. I always knew I liked Mindy Kaling - her tweets are amazing, as is her role on The Office, but reading this article made me realize how much I love her. I cannot wait for her book to come out in November. If you didn't have the time to read the article, what I got out of it is that I need to stop dating boys and start dating men.

I honestly don't know if I've ever really dated a man. I probably have, but it was always short-lived. There was The Engineer (he was definitely a man - in his 30s, settled, and he took me out on adult dates). Then there was the random 34 year old I went on one date with in New York. He was also a man, but at the time I was a girl and so it didn't really work out. The dudes I've dated the longest have definitely been boys. TG seems like the eternal manchild for reasons I don't even want to get into (you've probably already read them, if not search TG or Tech Guy). The Blexican was a man in the sense that he wanted commitment and a real relationship, but in terms of ambition and career, I still felt like he was a boy. And then there's POP - definitely a boy, and a confused one at that. After all of this, I think I've finally gotten to the point where I need someone established.

"I’m not talking about commitment to romantic relationships. I’m talking about commitment to things—houses, jobs, neighborhoods. Paying a mortgage. When men hear women want a commitment, they think it means commitment to a romantic relationship, but that’s not it. It’s a commitment to not floating around anymore. I want a guy who is entrenched in his own life. Entrenched is awesome.So I’m into men now, even though they can be frightening. I want a schedule-keeping, waking-up-early, wallet-carrying, picture-hanging man."

I don't really deal well with dudes who don't have their shit together. I am by no means perfect or even 100% together myself, but when I reflect on my life and the choices I've made in the past year, I'm really getting there. I moved to SF and got my own apartment. I switched jobs and am now working in a career that is much more suited to my personality and I see a real future. I make good money, I've started saving for a house, and I have a nice circle of friends and acquaintances here. I have no desire or intention to ever leave the Bay Area and I'm ready to start the next phase of my life here. So I need to stop dating guys who can't keep jobs, or have dead-end jobs, or who think that "I'm going to be in Tahoe every weekend" is a reasonable excuse to break up with someone. I need a man who wants to be in a relationship, who has room and space for someone in their life, and whose life is stable.

With that, I'm back on the market, looking for a guy whose in his 30s (although serious 20somethings may inquire), knows what he wants our of life, has a job that he's passionate about, and who is looking to be serious with a woman. Most importantly, if he realizes that he's with the wrong woman, he should be man enough to end it and not string me along for all eternity. I am so over dating boys.